Monday, April 29, 2013

Sewing, sewing, sewing!

This past weekend, our long awaited 4 day "Quilt till you Drop" retreat took place at Elim Lodge.

My friend Aimee and I hatched the plan for the retreat last September. We needed 25 people to make it a go. We counted our quilting friends! not enough. We counted our quilting friends, friends... not enough, but closer! Should we! We put the wheels in motion in mid January. We booked the camp, made the deposit and sent out the word.

This is my friend Cathy, but I guarantee the mess is Aimee's!


Amazingly, the Quilt Angels were on our side, and by the middle of February we had 30 interested quilters. We were overwhelmed and very excited! I started packing weeks ago and so did many of my friends!

So much activity and its early on the first day!
The retreat was a great success... Everyone loved the camp, the accommodations, the food, and the friendships that were made. There was only one thing missing!

ME!

This flu! Although I have to say, I am finally better, I was so sick until Friday I didn't get out of bed! And then it was over... Finally! But too late for me to go to camp!

But there was a good side to all this. Saturday morning, my friend Aimee, Skyped me, and I spent the whole day, quilting with my buddies! By 4 o'clock, I was exhausted and went to bed, but it lifted my spirits and although I wasn't there I felt like I had been!

And the best part! We have 30 campers who want us to plan this for next year! Yippee. Flu shot, vitamin C, echinasia, vitamin d, flu FX, stay away from my grandchildren...(any other suggestions) and I will be there!

I was going to finish this at camp!  oh well... next year!
Things I found on the Internet...


  1. Here's a little recipe booklet that uses a premixed cream sauce as the base for each recipe.
  2. No closet space... Here is a fix. Plumbing pipe rack tutorial. From Martha Stewart


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I wish...

I was better...

Another bout of flu! I can't even tell you how frustrating this has become! Finally up and running again today, but still not 100%.

Julie, I have sent your cutter. Finally!

Saturday,  I took a train to Toronto, very early in the morning, and spent the whole 2 hour trip working on Hexi's. it was so relaxing and I got about 40 Hexi's made. I am working on a poinsettia tablecloth while I hand piece on Wednesday afternoons with my friends. I have the first of about 15 flowers finished, and only about 15 more to go... Another LOVE project!

Poinsettia  table cloth block




I spent the weekend with two of my sons and dragged myself to all kinds of activities. I really should have been home in bed! At any rate. My grandson was competing in Show Choir Canada. Although they didn't win, it was an amazing experience for him and a real eye opener for me. He lives in a town of 19,000 and they were in the top 6 of 12 competing teams. Seven of the 12 teams were from Toronto, 2.79 million people, including the top 2 teams overall. I was so proud of my grandsons' team!

My Blonde headed grandson is hiding in the centre back! 


I dragged myself onto the train at 6 pm Sunday night, and travelled beside a young man from Paris, France. We had a nice conversation about his life here in Canada, and I chuckled when he commented about my "old School" sewing, (I made hexes all the way home) and my technology skills (I had my Ipad and IPhone on my lap).

I love these hexi's!



Things I found on the web...
  1. Avocado chocolate smoothie  by sew many ways.  Sounds yummiest!
  2. Last week there was a mug rug hop that I really enjoyed. Madame Samm has posted all the mats on Pinterest. You can see them here...
  3. Autumn cinnamon scrolls!  They sound so yummiest. From Samellas Mum!
  4. Block 4 tutorial for the virtual quilting bee is available. 
  5. Cake batter dip.  Sounds delicious. Great for a kids birthday party. 
  6. Blueberry Buckle from Don't Call Me Betsy 
  7. Nutz for Red-work shared this... Hawaiian pie. Oh oh, this is another good one! 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Here's a great question...


So what is your favorite quilt pattern?

I love a Dresden plate, well China Aster version of a Dresden plate.  Every time I see one I am reminded that I have one started and I should get back to it.

Today I saw a gorgeous one at More stars in Comanche.  I was so jealous that her's is done and beautifully quilted. And mine is still a dream!

I made one for my niece a few years ago.  I hated to part with it, but I know it went to a good home.


I loved the setting on this quilt and may just do my new one with a similar setting.  Time will tell!

My second favorite is a bow tie.  It was my learn to quilt, quilt when I was 16.  My aunt taught me how to quilt on a bow tie that she had made.  I was hooked!  For years I slept under that quilt every time I went for a visit.  I wonder where it is now?

So what's your favorite?  I would love to know!


Things I found on the web today...
  1. WOW. This is a fun idea. Birthday present treasure hunt by Jillie! 
  2. Here is some recycling ideas from Home made Simple

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Sorry... I've been busy trying to get better

What a beautiful day today was!  The sun was shining, it was warm enough to open windows, the birds were chirping, and I am finally feeling a little better.  Hurray!

Speaking of birds, I just found out today that my day for the "It's for the Birds" blog hop is May 15th. I am so excited! I was hoping I would be close to the end because I have been so sick I have not felt like sewing.  Make sure you come visit that day!


BUT TOMORROW, I plan to spend the whole day sewing. So excited.




Today I was working on my Hexi's with my friend Sheila (she made this lovely picture),
 Jo, BJ, and Carolyn. We meet every week on, Wednesday, to sew chat and drink tea!
We sit in my beautiful bright sunroom, and it is always a wonderful afternoon!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

And the winner is...




NUMBER 4 - Julie!

I have sent an email to Julie and am waiting for her to respond. Thanks everyone for leaving comments on my blog.

Now... back to bed!
pointless wonder
The pointless wonder Quilt. I love all those bright colours.
I might smile if I didn't feel so stinky!
Well it's been a few rough days. My family picked up another flu. This time a stomach flu. Still in bed so I will do the draw later today. My newsletter is delayed too.  It will be out this afternoon.



Things I found on the web this weekend...

  1.  One good thing by jillie. Cheddar bacon dip. Sounds delicious.  
  2. Here' s a new sew a long. 
  3. Another recipe from Jillie. Just in time for barbeque season. 


  1. Harry potter
    Harry Potter quilt I made for my grandson Kyle 

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Saturday! I am not getting up till it's Spring!

It amazes me, (I know, I amaze easily) how many blogs there are on the web.
Horrible picture of me a year ago,
but there I was, reading blogs on my IPhone!
Not just quilting (duh!) but all kinds of blogs about all sorts of things, some of which I really think are interesting, and then there are the ones that I have no clue, why people would read them. but obviously people do or they wouldn't be there, because like all things in life, if no one is paying attention, it wouldn't be worth doing.

Are you amazed too, or is it just me!

Quilting is really an over whelming subject, don't you think? There is so much of it going on everywhere!. I don't think the people who are saying it is a dying industry have any clue of the reality. I think people are just trying to use up the fabric they have and finish the projects they have started,  so they can get back to buying more fabric and more patterns. That's what I am doing, so it must be true! LOL.

It's like winter here... and its supposed to be spring!

I spent most of yesterday afternoon reading blogs from all over the world. Sew Many Ways had 82, different blog sites linked up when I quit at 3:30, and I am pretty sure there are more there now. I made several new friends, some of whom joined my site, and some even left comments. It amazed me that by 3 o'clock I had over 90 visitors to my site.

I also read the 10 blogs that were part of the April Showers blog hop hosted by Sew We Quilt. I have seen some amazing mug mats in that hop!



And in the middle of that I worked on my newsletter and added about 100 things on quilting that I found on the web this month while hopping around blogs. Its not going to be quite as big as the last newsletter, but it will still be jammed packed, with information.



Anyway if you are looking for the draw, I am giving everyone until Monday to add their comments to my blog! Then I will make the draw. So if you didn't comment yesterday, Back up and comment!


Things I found on the web yesterday...

  1. Carrot Cake Fudge... oh YUM!
  2. It's getting to be that time of year for outdoor fun (I hope) so here is a great tutorial on how to Build a Better Sandbox.
  3. Here are some great Mason Jar Lights for outside on your patio.
  4. Did you know that they make Plastic Patio Chair Paint? Neither did I! There is a great tutorial on how to make those old chairs look new again.  Here is the link...
  5. Here is a recipe for Oatmeal Mix that is going into my pantry. I love Oatmeal anything, especially Crisps so this will be a great addition to my cookbook.  
  6. Ok, This looked Delicious! You have to go look at it even if you don't want to make it. Trust me! YOU HAVE TO! New Orleans Potato Casserole

Friday, April 12, 2013

"Join this site" campaign

A few weeks ago I posted that I was on a "join this site" campaign!  And I am still at it.  I have decided that it is so much fun making friends all over the world, that I am going to hype up my activity.



Every other Friday, Sew Many Ways, runs a Find a Friend Friday, and I joined today!  I am not sure how many people play along, because it is very early in the morning, but my goal for today is to visit  and join every site!  I will let you know tomorrow how I make out.

And if you are visiting my site today, take a moment and join my site, leave a comment and come back soon!  Let's see, hmmmmmmm, yes I think I will have a random prize for comments today.


I have one of these great little Clover Finger Rotary Cutters to give away. I love mine when I am cutting apart small pieces from my Inklingo patterns.

Here's how it will work... 1 chance if you leave a comment today and you can have a second chance by leaving a second comment telling me you are a follower!  Easy peasy!

Here's a pretty wall hanging to remind us all that spring is just around the corner! It will help all of us here in Ontario today since we are in the middle of a SNOW STORM! Someone needs to sit down with Mother Nature and remind her that it is SPRING!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Smile... there is a Blue Jay in my bird feeder


Sew we quiltOK, so that's not so unusual, but I have been thinking about my project for the  "Its for the Birds' Blog Hop" (I am in it so make sure you watch for me!)  that happens between May 7th and 15th. I have been watching the birds at my feeder and I have some brilliant ideas... I just need to get a few things out of the way first.


Blue Jays

  1. My Newsletter is due out on Monday and my head feels like fuzz. But I plan to get it out on time. If you haven't seen it, you can see a free copy of it by sending an email to subscribe@notionnanny.com  My friends think its more of a reference guide, so I plan to change the name of it in the next few months, but it won't be this month. 
  2. I need to get better! I hate flu. Its so unpredictable.
  3. I have to spend time with my grandchildren. I haven't seen most of them for almost 2 weeks. 

Mini Log Cabin
My Mini Log Cabin
Such a great story about this quilt. I was at Value Village (second hand store)  a few months ago and I found this mini quilt and bought it for $8.00. I would have paid more if they asked for it because it was my quilt.

I had made this quilt about 8 years ago for a mini Quilt Auction and it sold for about $80 dollars. (highly overpriced but the money went to a good cause. I guess the buyer got sick of it because they sent it to Value Village. And now it is home. I have a picture of its mate, a work in progress, which was also sold at the same time. Life is funny sometimes!

Mini Log cabin
My Mini Log Cabin, two!


Things I found on the web today:

  1. I have heard about Monkey bread but had no clue what it was. I found this recipe for it on line yesterday and thought I would share in case you didn't know what monkey bread was either.
  2. Here's a quick tutorial on making a memo board from Sew Many Ways.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Wordless Wednesday!

Isn't that the funniest title you have ever heard! Seriously... me and wordless are never words that should be in the same sentence, on the same page, in fact, wordless and I aren't even used in my house or my universe!

But, I have no voice today, so its almost a wordless Wednesday. My family, who is not happy about me being sick, IS happy I have no voice.

For any one who receive my newsletter, here are some quick updates on some QAL's and BOM's going on around the net. There are more, but I have been so under the weather I haven't been keeping up with my blogs very well.

Little Mushroom Cap's QAL #7 , block # 3 is now available.

Quilts by Darlene's Mystery quilt is moving along and so far the quilt is coming together beautifully.

Sisters Ten Modern block of the month, April block.

Also, I have been following a great blog hop the last few days, April Showers Mug Rug Hop and I am loving it. All the great Mug Rugs... you should go and take a peek!

I think I will do a little Mug Rug Exchange on here.. I love Mug Rugs and wouldn't it be fun to exchange a small piece of our talent with someone we have never met.
Let me plan it next week, and I will post a sign up and lets exchange a mug rug. Anyone have any ideas on a theme?  Leave a comment. OK... now I am excited!

It feels funny to say this, but No question today! The questions are done... for now. But I love questions so I know there will be more!

Somethings I found on the net today: 

  1. Scented bubbles. Make your own bubbles for a little girls party.
  2. Martingale has a great pattern (down loadable) for a shopping bag. You can't beat the price...$2.99 this week only!


  1. Avery's Christmas Quilt.
    I loved making this fun little quilt for my granddaughter.
    She LOVES cats and this quilt.



Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Inklingo, and another question.

Inklingo has started a new mystery, only they are doing it backwards. First of all they are showing you the end.. Then back to the beginning to learn how to do it.. If you have never done an Inklingo project, this would be a great time to try it out! I am still finishing the last mystery but I love the look of this one so I think I will try it out too. Follow the link below to get the instructions:

http://www.lindafranz.com/blog/inklingo-periwinkle-quilt-lesson-part-1/


Spent another day in bed yesterday, and although I didn't do much more than sleep most of the day, I did have some lucid moments on my iPad. I found something that caught my interest, only because I have so much I would rather be doing at this moment in time and this lady is doing something I would never be able to do. It's kind of amazing!
http://tinyhaus.blogspot.ca/

Today's question...

After your binding is applied, do you...
a) whip stitch it down in back
b) ladder stitch it down in back.
c) machine stitch it down from the back
d) machine stitch it down from the front
e) another method. Please explain!

I am getting up today! I am not feeling a lot better yet, but I did manage to wake up without a fever today. This flu/cold has knocked the stuffing out of me. But hopefully I am on the mend. I opened my bedroom window when I woke up and have had a beautiful serenade from the birds for the last half hour. I am so glad spring has finally sprung!

Here's a little quilt picture I made of my son a few years ago. The instructions were from a Quilt University course I took.  It is a perfect likeness. I planned to make more.. But the best laid plans of mice and men...

Monday, April 8, 2013

Did you miss me yesterday...

What a weekend! I have had this nasty cold for about a week now and I just can't shake it.

I am laying beneath my 2 unbound and 1 bound quilt, as we speak, and most likely will spend the day here today as i did yesterday! Tomorrow I have a doctors appt. I probably will be better by then. LOL

I did get to watch my Jays play on Saturday, although the whole game I wished I was home in bed!  But they won, so that helped a lot!

I am a little fuzzy headed today so I have to save this and go look at the last questions I posted... Be right back!

OK, I am back with one quick question...

Have you added your label by now?  If so, was it sewn in with your binding, to the
a) Bottom center, left or right?
b) Corner, (I like to make triangle labels)
c)  I embroidered the label to my backing fabric before I quilted it!
d) No, I will add the label later

We are nearing the end of my questions about binding.  Last Wednesday, my four quilting buddies and I went through the questions and what a debate we had.  Everyone does everything so differently.  I don't think there is a right and wrong, but it is so good to learn new tricks.  Don't forget, your answers will be part of my tutorial, so stay with me for another few days!  We are almost done!


The quilt below is a lovely little beginners class quilt I taught a few years ago. It is bound and keeping my friend Aimee, cosy at one of our Nifty gatherings.




Saturday, April 6, 2013

Ok, two questions today... These are both pretty easy

Just in case no one knows..... I hate BINDING!  To me it is a chore. I have a quilt on my bed that never got bound. I love the quilt and it has been on my bed for 10 years at least... unbound.  It is under this quilt, (which come to think of it, isn't bound either!).


And they both are under this quilt... which is bound now, but not in this picture LOL!!!!


So... since you can't see them, it doesn't really matter if its bound or not... Right?

Here's the questions...

A) Do you press your quilt binding away from your quilt before you stitch it down in the back?

  1. Yes.
  2. No.
  3. HUH???
B) Your ready to sew down your binding and the seam allowance doesn't fill it. Do you...
  1. Make the binding wider at the back
  2. Take it apart and re-sew using a larger seam allowance.
  3. That never happens to me... it is perfect every time!
  4. Who cares!



Friday, April 5, 2013

It's the day before Baseball Day... Heading to Toronto!

We are heading to Toronto today so we can go to the Jays game on saturday.   So Excited!!!


My son's apartment

This is a picture of the Rogers Centre and the white arrow points to my sons apt. So close...  It is so fun to leave the apartment and five minutes later we are sitting in our seats. We are going the day before so we can be assured of visitors parking at the apartment, so we have no worries about traffic on Saturday.  YEAH! It also will give me a chance to check out some quilt stores on the way... shhhh - don't tell Victor the plans!

Next Question:

After folding your binding at the corners do you...
  1. Start to sew, then backstitch to secure the end.
  2. Petal to the metal and head for the finish line!
I already know what my friend Aimee will say. I am pretty sure she has a lead foot! LOL



My little Welcome Quilt
I have to make this one again... It's all faded
from being on the door so long!



Thursday, April 4, 2013

Are you sick of my questions yet?

Yesterday was my friend Sheila's last day at work. we sew every Wednesday afternoon together and she usually ate her lunch at her desk every day so she could leave early on Wednesdays to sew with me and a few of our friends.

We all took her for lunch yesterday, and then came back to my house to sew. I am working on those same hexi's I told you about yesterday. I am glad baseball season is back because I will finally make some progress on that quilt!

My question for today is..

When you get to a corner do you stop 1/4" from the edge and

  1. Backstitch?
  2. Sew diagonally off the corner?
  3. Both?

I am finding all the answers very interesting so far. I can't wait to compile it all and then I will do a little tutorial and I will use that as my demo.  Thanks for all your help and all your comments.

Things I found on the web today...

  1. Craftsy has a new Class... Perfect Patchwork Panoramas
  2. One Good thing by Jilly has some scrumptious recipes using Lemon and Coconut milk.
  3. Do you know if you sign up for Quilt Pro's newsletter, you will get a pattern for a new block everyday. Don't have quilt Pro... that's ok. The blocks are all PDF patterns! I have Quilt Pro and use it as much as Electric quilt. It is fun and easy to use. And I can use it with my Mac
  4. How cute are these. You better go check this one out. Little fish swimming around in soap!  The kids will love it!


Craftsy

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

More....

I wanted to get online last night and add a few things to this mornings post, but I have a really bad cold and decided to sit and do nothing, which translated means I was asleep before my bottom hit the chair!

I watched the Blue Jays when ever I surfaced, but frankly, it wasn't that great of a game. They lost! Oh well first game of the season and it's a long season.

The reason I am posting twice is because I made a couple of mug mats yesterday and I wanted to share them with you.


I thought they were so cute, and so clever... but no one guessed that they were made to look like a ball diamond. I got it right away when I saw the original block pattern at Quilt Doodle Designs


Quilt Doodle is doing a little BOM at her site and this is block 3. I loved it on site, but I just thought it would be perfect as a mug rug. I had to resize the block and I added buttons instead of yoyo's but the block itself is very cute!


At any rate... Two blogs for you today so I could show off my new mug mats!



PS... I have a new "join this site" friend. Hi Cindy.. welcome to my blog!

Wednesday... Back to work day!

I am back at working on my newsletter today. No sewing for me for the next few days. BUT...

The Boys of Summer are back, the first game was last night. I am pre-scheduling this blog, so I can't give you any details but I can tell you BASEBALL IS BACK! and my Blue Jays are planning to be the best team in the league!  Sorry Laila...

With Baseball comes some heavy hitting Hexi's! I am working on a Christmas table cloth made from little hexi's and the best part of sitting in front of the TV night after night watching the boys in Blue is the chance to get lots of my hexi's ready to be sewn into a quilt.  Pictures to follow...

Today's Question:

Is your binding sewn to your quilt with a...
a) 1/4" seam allowance
b) 3/8" seam allowance
c) 1/2 inch seam allowance.

Please explain why you use the seam allowance you use.

I didn't have a chance to find any more binding blogs, for yesterday, so I will try and get back here before this gets posted with a few more and my thoughts on them.

I HAVE to work on my "Quilters' Blog Hop Resource Guide" for April... wow... that's a mouthful! Maybe I will just call it "My Blog Hop Resource". Well, you may have to wait till the 15th to find out the new name...

Here's some things I found on the web...

1) To late for Easter but too cute not to mention. These coloured devilled eggs would be a hit any time of the year.



Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Sew day results and another question

Yesterday was such a beautiful day and I spent the whole day (almost) in my sewing room!
Here is what I did...

First I sewed the first block in the Sew, Mama, Sew, Modern BOM 2

Here's mine... 
 I love  it! But it was a big shock to me when I finished it and went back to the instructions to see if I had cut something wrong. The block finishes at 24.5". There will be 6 blocks I think, in the BOM so the quilt will be quite big. We will see how far I get with it.

I used fabric from Connecting Threads as I didn't have any of the suggested fabrics. I like mine, but I think I could have been more creative with the colours! I have lots of these solids.

Interestingly it probably took me longer to choose fabric and cut the pieces than it did to sew.  But one good thing about it, it gave me a chance to see how the "Beast" is working after it's major surgery!.

You may remember the "Beast"... my wonderful Bernina 830. It has had a few issues and has spent the last month at the doctor. I was thinking it was terminal, but the Doctor says that the surgery was a great success. I am going to sew the daylights out of it in the next week hoping that it is as perfect as I dreamt it would be when I bought it... More news to follow.

After the "Big Block", I started on clue 2 of the Inklingo Mystery...The Case of the Secret Garden. 

Sorry the picture is so dark... what looks like black
is actually a beautiful Teal... wait a minute
I have a picture!
I should have taken a picture of one of the pieces. I Thought I was printing it wrong because it was so small. I think the whole piece might be 1 1/2" by 1"... I didn't measure, but it is pretty small. While I was cutting them out I kept thinking I never would have "templated" this. If they weren't printed on my fabric, this would have been a look at only project.

I had some problems printing the fabric/freezer paper on my printer. I gave it up after the second sheet of white Background fabric was covered in black ink and went back to a sure fired method I learnt a few years ago. I put double sided sticky tape on Photo paper, stuck my fabric to the tape and into the printer... the rest of the printing went smooth as silk.  My printer just really doesn't seem to like the freezer paper. Ate it to shreds! I had to change some shapes to get where I needed to go, but that's OK! I adapt very quickly to change.
Background
But all of clue two is printed, and mostly cut out. I got a little lazy at the end and was anxious to sew, so I sewed 18 wedges from Clue 3... they are so stinkin' cute... now I can't wait to get on to the next clue. But I am going to finish the 70 some odd wedges  from Clue 3 First.


Believe it or not, That was almost my whole day. But I had fun and I love the days that I don't have to cook, because there are leftovers from yesterday. In fact I didn't see Victor all day. He was at an auction, so we were both happy!


I was so excited yesterday... Someone actually Joined My Site..Thanks Deb! You made my day! (Little things excite me a lot, can you tell?) 
that's 27! I'm moving on up!

OK. Today's question... where were we. Ah Yes...

When you first start to attach your binding to your quilt do you leave..
a) a 4" tail
b) a 6" tail
c) an 8" tail.
d) I just start sewing and worry about the "tail" when I get back to it.

Take a moment and explain your thinking in the comments today.  Here's my comment to help you with yours...

I usually start about 8" from the centre, leaving an 8" or longer tail for joining when I get back to the beginning.  That's hard to do on small projects, but if you start about 8" from the center of the longest side (if you are able) and leave an 8" tail, you usually have lots of room to join your binding at the end!

I haven't had time to read blogs today, so I haven't got any finds. But I will be back at it tomorrow and I am sure there will be something!

See you then!

PS... Watch my Web page for some exciting changes to my "Newsletter" I will be starting tomorrow and the newsletter is only 14 days away. I NEED TO GET BUSY!  you won't want to miss the new and improved version. www.notionnanny.com/Newsletter.html.












Monday, April 1, 2013

Monday's question

SEW DAY TODAY... YIPPPPPPPEEEEEEE! If you need me, I will be in my sewing room!


Question 6

Where do you start sewing your binding
a) bottom
b) side
c) top
d) wherever


I spent some time looking on line at other bloggers who have done blogs on binding. If you have a moment visit their blogs and let me know which one is your favorite. Leave a comment on their blog if you can, so they know you came to visit. I will be adding a few more tomorrow and I will let you know which one was my favorite

1. Quiltville
2. Sew Mama Sew
3. McCalls qulting 
4.  Red Pepper Quilts
5. Craftsy
6. Nancy Zieman
7. Jay Bird Quilts    
8. Crazy Mom Quilts  
9. Little Bug Stitches  
10. Prudent Baby 


Things I found on the web...

1. Wayne Kollinger's Sketch Book: Wonky Block
2. The perfect baked potato from One Good Thing by Jillie
3. Mashed Cauliflower from Quiltville