Arise and shine!

Blessed Easter

Good, Better, Best!

I had planned to post yesterday but the Rooster beat me to the 'puter!  :O

The good news is that I have learned about fun foam.  This is the first step to making my own stamps.

This makes better imagery for my papers.

Good

Better

Best

I am really making progress on the finish-a-long.  I actually just about got the second bunk quilt done last night while the Rooster checked out his want ads!  :)

And we are closing in on finished for the North rooms.  Whoo Hoo! 

This week just started out good and got better and better.  The best is yet to be!

wow- good, Better...

Yesterday  I machine quilted the scrappy yellow lap quilt.  I am in a hurry to finish ufo's for the finish-a-long.  But it said, "not good, not finished'!  Sew.. 

I want to use my binding attachment.  While I was waiting for my great dealer to get back to me on the instructions I carried on...

I got it all the roosters done.  I flipped it over and one section could be better.  Not sure why the tension in that section is off.  I need to listen to Nina better.  I now recognize the sound of an almost empty bobbin and I bet she sends out some kinda moan when she is struggling!  lol

Elizabeth phoned because of Internet problems and we had a lovely chat and then she gave me a couple of web sites.  NOW, I remember why I got the binder at the last Bernina sale.  whoo!  Easy and cute says the video.  So I shall be dragging all the sewing stuff back on the worktable.

I have made up an ABC, and a DEF schedule for Creativity 101.  It starts with A for arrival and some creative warm ups.  Then a Downtown time  (or dessert time) in the middle and we'll Finish up with FUN!
I don't know about my gals but I need the structure!  lol

During coffee with the painters we chatted about what kind of options I had for painting the hutch.  I had filled it with an assortment of accessories that I use throughout the seasons.  I'd like the hutch to look better and showcase the various seasonal decor.  Top is funky fall, middle left is summer cottage, middle right is simply spring. and the bottom is traditional winter!  ???  I do know that the white knobs are definitely going!

Before I lay out the binding fabric I took the time to do some more pages for Printing the Journal  with Margaret over at Joggles.  Serious fun and I'm getting better!

I hope that good and even better things are happening at The Needle & Thread Network.

Good

I looked out the window this morning because all the sparkles caught my eye.  Not sure if the zoom captures them but all the bits of glitter in the trees remind me of Faerie lights!  I've never seen them so big and bright and plentiful.  How is that for goodness!

The floor is beyond good.  It had its third coat very early this morning and looks so wonderful!  Tomorrow it will be back to painting the trim and I want to consult the girls about my options for the furniture that will be going back in.  Great minds and all that!  lol  I have deliberately waited to repaint any pieces until I can evaluate the finished room and those reupholstered chairs.  Everything else is good but can definitely be made better.

I MQ'd the lap quilt. I rebasted it and I'm glad I did.   I decided against the circles as I decided to make a wonky cross hatch from the wavy lines.  I definitely got better as I neared the end!  ;^)  I also am seeing a fair amount of distortion.  :(    I am deciding whether or not to add one more each way to make a four patch design inside each section.  Blogging and studying the photo helps me make that decision.  Good may become better!  :)

I am pressed for time and I'm deciding if this quilt should be the one to try the binder I bought during the big Bernina sale.  I'm not sure learning how to do it will be worth the time saved!   But I do want to get the binding on today.  The backing is an old floral from my stash and the binding looks like it'll work for both sides.  Good enough??? 

Things are looking good and I bet they'll be even better tomorrow!

A Three M Monday morning

Motivated

It is the last week of March.  All my deadlines are due!  I'm trying to multitask and still keep Nina and all my sewing projects safe!  I forgot about all the dust that filtered its way upstairs.  It woulda been a good idea to close some doors, elle! :(

Moving:

I got the go ahead on Friday to start vacuuming up the mess.  I cleaned all day Saturday and sent the Rooster off to pick up the new rooster for the coop after he got me a dust mop for walls as I'd thrown my mum's old wall mop out last year.  (story of my life)  The final sealer is today.

Making:

I started my on-line class and was up before the rooster to work on my pages.  I need to multitask in a major way.  Art pages, quilting marathon, classes,  laundry,  book review, etc.  Good thing I'm motivated or I'd be tired already!  lol  I've got lists of projects for the Finish-a-long.  I have learned that the brain gets bored after about 23 minutes so I am redoing the schedule for my Creativity 101 gals to keep things lively.

My book review is about paint finishes and I happily timed that to coincide with the reno.  I need to think about what colours to paint the book case and the hutch that will be going back into the freshly painted north rooms.  There is also an old gate leg table that I'm considering.  Heck, I'm considering everything!  ;^)

I managed to get this lap sized quilt top basted before I got the gesso and paints out.  Cross hatching would be the fastest but I already have one 'mattress pad' looking quilt.  So I'm thinking maybe some lines and circles.  Haven't free motioned in a while but the best thing for me when I drag my feet is a deadline that absolutely pushes me forward!  eek!

There is more on my list but as they say, "we are burning daylight!".   So I gotta get moving!

Starting to wrap things up

I am hand sewing the binding on the first baby quilt.  Good to be moving these projects off my worktable.

I'm thrilled with the floor.  I hadn't really thought about staining it but the medium coloured walnut stain kinda evens out the various fir boards and somewhat makes the floor more up to date. I didn't want really dark as we are far too casual for high maintenance floors.  This is a good blend.  Next comes the finish.  And I do believe they are finished making dust so now I can do a major clean.  I have dust on my keyboard for goodness sake.  :(

I have also signed up for a class with my friend Margaret  who is teaching it on the Joggles website.  I couldn't get some of my paper supplies so I just ordered them from Joggles and I have been very impressed with their service.  It arrived in seven days, the day the class began.  :)  There are one or two extras, well three or four.  I am really trying to stick to basic stuff that I can use in a variety of ways.   I figured I saved the gas money from a futile trip to the city and with the March sale I got the shipping free.  :) 

Now to dust off my keyboard, the worktable and well, the house in general and then I can unwrap these goodies and...

Making dust!

It has been one of those days.  A big blip in my sister's life has necessitated a dozen phone calls.  We have let our relationships collect some dust and needed to dust them off and promise to do better. :^)

I also dusted off the Finish-a-long list and I gathered up the projects, cut batting for them and made a fabric avalanche as I found some suitable backing for a couple.  I'm somewhat ready to proceed.  First I had to clean out all the dust from sewing the wedding quilt top together.  Nina actually sneezed.  Bless you!

Interestingly my first project is leftovers from my niece's wedding quilt and it is to be a baby quilt. Her baby was born the day after Jolina and her name is Janina.  I think it is just meant to be for her!  I'll be hand delivering it when the snow is gone.

The small floor sander wasn't really doing the job so it was replaced by a bigger, heavier, noisier, dustier model.  Now I REALLY have dust.  I think I'll be spring cleaning whether spring comes or not!

wow, its done!

Well, it may be March 20th and the beginning of spring but somebody forgot to tell those winter winds  which bring cold and snow.  Apparently winter is NOT done!

The snow is as high as the top stringer on the fence. And that clear cold blue is indeed cold!  The Rooster doesn't think he'll be finishing that fence as early in spring as he wants.  :(

Another thing not done is the renovations.  The floor is being sanded.  And apparently this little guy isn't getting it done either so they are going to get a bigger sander. 

There is a spot that needs patching and finding some appropriate old fir floor boards has been a challenge.

I have a new gal who joins us for Creativity 101 so we will be getting into even bigger messes in The Coop and Saucer Playroom!

The butterfly books will take a while before they are done but it is looking like a fun project.

But I do have a long awaited finished goal. The wedding quilt top is DONE! woo hoo!

The top was the goal for this quarter of the finish-a-long.  Next quarter will be the quilting.

My own bed is not queen size but this is as big as I go!

I was just one little patch short so I decided to just make that last corner 'flower' in a different yellow.  :)

So glad this wall has been hurdled!

Now to get my machine quilting skills back up to a good flow!  Next...

And it seems the whole of Canada is ready to be done with winter and I think if we check out The Needle and Thread Network we will find this to be so.  All those in favour of Spring, raise their cursor!  :)

Snoopy Dance!!!

I am SEW glad that this top is now finished!   Never ever again will I procrastinate to this degree! 

 I'm not even sure I'll be saving any of the 'also rans'!  Mind you, there are a lot of nicely cut pieces!  oye!

It depends...

on the light.  I'm not talking about the time change althought the Rooster has had a hard time adjusting his early morning crow.  He rather liked going to work in the light and we are back to dark. 

Which is what the new paint job portrays.

The glaze is a bit of brown in a whole lot of clear!  It depends on how the light touches it and I do like the changes.  The Rooster likes it in morning light!  I made him get his ruffled feathers and coffee cup out of the way.  He is still looking for his favourite roost!  lol

More touch ups, trim, and then the floor.

Morning light!

And how do you like my new poster boy???

almost there

It has been hard to keep my mind on what I'm supposed to be doing!  It'll be nip and tuck to see who finishes first.  lol

But I definitely need to stay focused!  :(

I have the three corner blocks to make but I will sew the three borders together first so I can see better what goes next to what.  And I hope....

But things are rapidly changing!

Why was I sweating?  The ceiling is hardly noticeable.  lol

Now there is a difference!

The ceiling changes with where you are looking at it.

Hardly any noticeable difference here but then over there.  I luv it!

There is a lovely section of texture right here.  If you can't see, it just wait.  More changes are coming!  For the north rooms.  I hope there are no more changes to that  #+/&%,  ahem! , to that particularly mind boggling quilt top!