Placemats for "Meals on Wheels" XMAS dinner

Well it has been a Busy month & quite successful. It's been over 15 years that I've been doing Placemats for "Meals on Wheels" recipients. Many of the people live alone & can't get around much. They Luv getting their Holiday Dinner ontop of a Quilted Placemat!

Of course I can only take credit for making a dozen or so, placemats. It is a Huge donation of mats from other quilters from the ROUGE VALLEY QUILT GUILD. There is a smaller quilt group within our Guild, called the "HELPING HANDS". They meet @ "The ART of Fabric" courtesy of the owner Elizabeth Dillinger. The ladies work their buns off, & produce a large portion of the quilted placemats.

Our #1 Placemat maker is Donna Dunbar - this year she donated almost 40 placemats ( last year was 60+ - Wow)

This year we had a "PLACEMAT PARTY" @ 43 Division. It was a good turnout, with over a dozen ladies. We worked for 4 1/2 hours & made a wopping 61 placemats. ( we were given UFO blocks which made awesome looking mats, without all the work.....because someone Else had done the work - LOL)

The final count was 365 placemats. 200 went to the Pickering Meals on Wheels, while the remainder went to the Scarborough Meals on Wheels.

I can't help but be touched by the generosity of all those involved...but it shows you the True meaning of the Holidays.

The binding is Finally done on my Aunt Anne's Buddy Blanket.....the last peice of the puzzle is the label. I hope to Finish this quilt and drop it off to her before her 75th birthday, mid August.
Here is my "Surprised" Aunt Anne with her quilt celebrating 75 years of kindness!
The picture in the center is her holding me when I was a baby!




Tomorrow going to the Feed store and meeting up with Eleanor Pastic.
We'll talk Quilts and have a bargain breakfast ($4)
We are Both anxious to start a new project and be inspired on even More ARTSY quilts....wish we lived closer. Even though we are only 1 hour away, it uses up the entire day.
When we lived in Toronto, we'd get together for an afternoon and quilt.
It took 10 minutes to get to Eleanor's place.
Still it will be Wonderful to meet for lunch and talk QUILTS!
I'm Missing our weekly quilt fests Big time!

quilting

All 14 Hearts with the nieces & nephews names have been sewn on my Aunt Anne's quilt! All I need to do now, is the Binding & a Label. I hope to have this done by next wk, but of course the renos are cutting into my quilting time. I LUV that I didn't have to buy any fabric for this quilt. They are not my colors, but match my Aunt's top in a recent photograph - let's hope it is her Favorite shirt!

Renovations

I Can't wait.....the painting is done in the Sunroom, & we picked up the Pine flooring today. Tomorrow will lay the floor, then we need to sand & stain, & then put 4 coats of Urethane....by the end of next wk we will be able to move the furniture in & finally enjoy the renovated room. Yippeeee

Decided to post a pic of my First quilt made for AWESOME AUSTIN.
 He is my niece's son and a Special little man. All the blocks were different.
I was trying to make each of them, a subject he enjoyed.
 I believe this was for his 5th Birthday.
They use their quilts for cuddling into when they are watching Movies on the weekend.
 Nice when someone actually USES the quilt!



This is the Xmas wall hanging I made for AWESOME AUSTIN.
The white fabric has a sparkle to it, which reminds me of snowflakes.

Almost finished quilting the HEARTS on my Aunt Anne's quilt. I had to put my sis & my Heart together on 1 block, because there were more neices & nephews than I realized. ( It's what happens when you don't see your relatives for decades )
* I am actually happy with how the quilt is turning out....I used up fabric from my stash & did Not buy a Single thing - Nothing! It was the closest fabric I could find to match the Top Aunt Anne was wearing in her latest picture.
* I'm a bit worried about the photo transfer. I will definetly have to test it Before I give it to her. Her 75th Birthday is in a month, Plenty of time to finish it.

ewwww - been SEW busy haven't had a chance to blog. The renovations are coming along slowly. The Heat wave has lasted much longer than expected. We have been busy @ work around 7am....& can work until 1 or 2 o'clock. Then it's just unbearable, sew we get really slowww. Today I hope to paint outside. Not sure how much I can do before I run inside like a girl - LOL

It is 8:30"A.M." & currently with the humidex, it is 36 degrees. When you are doing drywall & building....it's Way too hot to work.The house is a Total BOMB!!!! There is drywall mess everywhere. Kari has the 3 rooms under contruction, & drywall was done in all 3 rooms. I Can't imagine the mess once we sand - eeeek!

The dogz have stayed inside alot. When outside, they hide under the deck. Can't say I blame them. We have been visiting the pool Often....& we get out once the mosquitos come out. Well back to "cooking, cleaning" & then some painting!

FINALLY I'm getting a chance to Quilt - yippeee! It didn't take long to sew with my Left foot. I really miss my Knee lift presser foot, but hey I can SEW!
I have completed 3/4 of my Aunt Anne's Buddy Blanket for her 75th Birthday.

I kept working on the pic I have of her @ 18 yrs of age. No matter how many times I used Photoshop, I couldn't bring in the detail enough to produce a nice print on Fabric. All thise hours were wasted.....sew onto plan "B" As luck would have it, Aunt Anne sent me a picture from a few weeks ago. She & my Uncle Nick took their cousins from Italy out to the Mandarin. I used Photoshop to fix what I could....mainly the whites of her eyes. They kept printing as green. I also did a touch up on a few wrinkles, teeth & face outline. The fabric print seemed to accentuate these areas. I am veri pleased with the fabric print now.
I hope to get some time over the next few weeks to complete the quilt. It needs to be finished early August, I'm glad there's alot of time.

Well I have my New cast on - an "Air Walker" The hospital told me I would have to pay $195.oo!!!! I said to him " you are kidding me right? Is this a joke?" He said since I don't have Extra Health coverage, I have to buy the cast myself. So of course I'm asking what my other options are....he said he could put on a Plaster cast, but then I couldn't remove it to take a shower. Gawd, where have I been for the last few decades???? Guess this is the New Healthcare - pffft

Well it ends up he "lends" me an Air Walker cast. The new liner cost me $45.00 which is a bargoon in comparison. I return the cast once I'm finished.

It is a Pleasure to take a shower. I have gone swimming a few times in our little pool. I don't put my foot down & the water is great for my body temperature & my foot. Also I cover the cast in a grocery bag when going out to the chicken pen - ya just Never know what you might step in, walking around there - LOL

They will look @ my ankle again in mid July. That's when they will decide if I need to wear this cast for an additional month, or be set FREE - Fingers crossed!

Well I Definetely live a crazy life! We have been fixing the old back porch / vestibue. It is taking longer than we thought....oh well - but then a crisis hits!

Friday nite as we are relaxing with a coffee, we hear the dogz screaming while they were wrestling. We assumed BBQ was being too rough & raced to end our 1st doggie fight. Instead we find a disaster.
BBQ had grabbed Propain's New Heavy Duty collar. Propie dropped to the ground & rolled over playing. The collar made a noose around BBQ's lower jaw, & also cut off Propains air supply. Poor BBQ was trying to jerk her head away, & her mouth was bleeding everywhere....poor Propain was choking to death, & screaming / gurgling / fighting. His eyes were rolling back in his head. Kari is yelling for me to find a knife, but being in a cast meant it took forever.
Meanwhile Kari is trying to unhook the collar - but Propain was so afraid he bit Kari a few times. Both hands were biten, & a huge bite in Kari's belly. His right hand bled all nite, even though I had bound it. The belly bite was Blue & blood was everywhere. Thank goodness he had a Doctor's appointment the next morning. I can't remember ever being so afraid.
We were numb with shock & we couldn't talk to each other all nite. The dogz were a total wreck. They wouldn't go near each other or us.
I am HAPPY to say "EVERYONE" is FINE & thank gawd they have forgotten all about it.They wouldn't play with each other for a few days, but they are back in LUV again. We have a body harness on Propain & nothing on BBQ unless we are going out for a walk.....Pretty scary shit!

Just a Fast update - ankle hurts, but Hands hurt more...there must be a trick to using these darn Crutches. Kinda bummed today. I had hoped to set up my Janome & use the "start" button to run the sewing machine, but Hubby is too busy. He's working on the Sunroom & is stressed out because he is so far behind. With my down, he must feed Everyone including me & the stress is showing.

I am using my time instead to learn More about "Composition" in photography / art etc. Kari's cousin Sarah <> told me to check out "the rule of thirds" which I had Never heard of. I know about using the sky, or ground & making it 1/3 of the quilt....but the Rule of Thirds takes it one step further. You should divide your piece into 9 squares & then there is a bunch of other artsy pointers. It is too late for my "Eleven" quilt, but I will definetly use some of those tips for my next project....but that is a Longgggggg way off. I Still have to finsih "11" & hang her on my wall before any other Art quilt is started!

My Favorite Aunt Anne is turning 75 in August. I'm making her a "Buddy Blanket" so her guests can sign her quilt. Whenever she looks @ the lap quilt, she can remember all the fun she had. I am using "photoshop" to fix an old pic I have of her. I think she is about 18 yrs old. I plan to put it in the center of the quilt, with a giant "75". I'll give her a bunch of permanent markers for her guests to use. Nothing better than having those signatures to make the quilt special. I didn't know her favorite colors, but she had sent me a recent pic. I used fabric similar to her shirt.....hope that will be close enough. This is my 3rd Buddy Blanket.

Well signing off, need to hobble to the Lazy Boy & get lazy.....ankle is throbbing.

Yippeeeee - HAPPY DAYS! The dogz were wrestling while I was walking to feed the chickens. Kari & I had been relaxing, so I was finishing up all my work for a nite of R & R. I was suddenly knocked to the ground from behind & my ankle hurt like hell. I put ice on the swelling & figured I was being a big baby.

Next day the swelling was worse, & Kari's Truck wouldn't start. Kari took me to Emergency & rushed home to meet the tow truck. I now have a cast because I Fractured my ankle. IF I am a good girl & don't put any weight on the ankle, I Might get away with NO cast, or @ least a small cast. Otherwise it will be a big cast. Wish it was my Left foot, cause then I could drive & use my sewing machine....but Noooooo It had to be my Right foot.

Guess I can kiss the summer FUN goodbye - No aquafit, no swimming in my pool, no sewing but Plenty of VEX, Chocolate & sitting on my butt!

Happy 80th Birthday Irene!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, talk about Dog drama! Betty @ Aquafit offered to take us & the demons for a walk thru a Park along the shore of Lake Ontario. We warned her about "looking" @ Propain....cause he doesn't roll like that - LOL
We unload the dogz & instantly they start growling @ Betty (78 yrs young) Lucky she is a dog person & didn't take offence.
Along the path we came across Many other dogz (look away, look away) Alot of folks on Rollerblades, bikes & jogging.....dogz were a little freaked out @ 1st, but kept walking. When we came to the lake, Both dogz were Spazzin' out. I tried to get them to sniff or step into the water, but they wanted Nothing to do with that weird dangerous stuff that was moving.
Round trip was about 45 minutes. Good for the 1st time. I hope to book Betty again next wk. We Could do it ourselves, but she knows All the other people along the trail. She was fantastic about rushing & telling the people "these are Not friendly dogz, don't let your dog come closer" I'm sure after a few times, the dogz will get comfortable with the trip. They crashed & slept for over an hour after the outting. We have hope that Propain will be ok, he was Fantastic @ class on Sunday - yippeee

Eleanor & i went to Fabriclandwest.....I Didn't need any fabric, but wanted to see Eleanor. Welllll I did it! I went in, shopped & left with ALL my money! The last few times Fabricland had a special one, I spent $ - I don't think they will miss my few bucks. Was a cheap afternoon.....all I spent was for mu lunch - yippeee!

We went to the little "Breakfast" joint across the street. We like their all day breakfast. Well today they cooked my eggs in "Butter" If you are Lactose intolerant, you know what that means! ( bloated, diarhea, & feeling aweful ) The dogz like the eggs, sew it wasn't a total waste.

Kari has dug the footings for my Sunroom. I am cleaning out the closet, which will be transformed into a beautiful sunroom - will post pics mid-way. Well going back out to enjoy the rain. Tomorrow will be sunny & maybe the posts can be cemented in. No more work can happen today because of the weather....sigh

ohhhh this is the little Propain sleeping on the pull out couch.
As soon as it's opened, he jumps in....No invitation needed.
 I don't know what we will do if we ever get company.
His body stretches almost the entire length of the mattress.

Took the brats to the grocerystore parking lot all by myself today.
 It was raining and the kids were getting out of school.
The Fear was evident in Propain's eyes.
Thank goodness BBQ was mellow....she calmed Propie down enough for him to do his "Watch me" and sit.

Kari is up north helping a buddy move his house trailer.
Wish he would get home so I can Stop cleaning. LOL

Finally downloaded the pics of my Unexpected gifts @ Eleanor's place. I met with Irene Ryder, who was a fellow member @ East Toronto Quilt Guild, many yrs ago. Irene brought these Gifts to share with us....quite a surprise.
On the rigth is "Pebble Head". It is a "fabric trading card" Irene made. <> It is a hand painted & embelished 2 x 3 card. The Pebble head has a cute little face painted on it. The Envelope is a beautiful Fall scene from a calendar.
Irene is quite talented & showed us her new direction in Fiber Art. Good going girl! Many thanx for the cute Trading card & envelope.

*ohhhh i know this pic is cheesie, but they look Sew freakin' cute. It's My "blog" & I'll post what I like - LOL

*Also getting New pics to post....Cute little gifts I was given while @ Eleanor's place. Just have to download & resize.

*Planted my pansies....I waited too long, they looked frightful. Tomorrow I must dig up a bunch of flowering bushes. Kari is fixing the droopy back deck & the new posts have to go right where my garden is - isn't that special!

Give me a good reason to buy New plants. I have my eye on a beautiful "Russian Olive" ( grey/green color) tree & also a "Honey Locust"(Lime Green color) I think the contrast will be awesome in the back field, Hate to spend $150.oo......but hey, it's only Kari's money - LOL

Today "brave" Precious walked around the dogz, oblivious to any possible danger. They were eating all the "Dragon Fruit" I threw out to the birds.

It has been a Super hot day, instead of the Rain they were calling for. We ended up having Another "Pool" day,after doing our rounds with the dogz. We took them to the park, Pet Smart, grocery store & a nice long walk along a side street. When we got out of the car today, Kari grabbed Propain's body harness to remove the lease. This usually results in a bite, but not today. Propain's eyes bugged out, but he waited until the lease was off. Our fingers are crossed we can turn him around.

Excellant Final "General" meeting/Pot Luck @ Rouge valley quilt guild tonite. The "Beyond the 9 patch" challenge quilts were on display & we heard the Judges picks for 1st, 2cd & 3rd in the 3 categories. They were All sew Beautiful!!!!

I made my Rhubarb cake & strawberry sauce - the plate was Empty & I had quite a few comliments on it. Thank gawd for Old cook books - LOL

I'm organizing a workshop for RVQG in September with Renske Helmuth. Couldn't believe that Renske makes sew many quilts within the Menonite community. I was told today her Applique quilt was auctioned for $44,000.oo that's Amazing. A few of the ladies from RVQG worked hard to get 43 division for "FREE".....this will help keep the workshop price low - only $35.

* Took Propain & BBQ for 1 Hour walk to Pet shop, grocery store & for a walk around the neighbourhood. Propie was really good & only growled @ 1 person. Hoping this new approach will work out his Attitude problems - fingers crossed

DOGZ

Auntie Eva visited & put BBQ thru her paces. The dogz are eager to please & reinforces Auntie Eva's status. It did Not help Eva when she woke to BBQ puking thru the nite.....I don't think Anyone got any sleep after all the drama. Come back Soon BFF - LOL

DOGZ

PROPAIN just started his new Obedience class today - the 1st one didn't work - LOL. He did veri well & surprised ALL of us. He didn't go Bug-eyed & listened to everything. He managed to walk around the store a few times & remain calm. He doesn't see many people as we don't want him friendly....nothing worse than a farm dog that rushes to greet strangers. We bought some books for "Problem" dogz, to give us more ideas on how to proceed. As our Vet said....it doesn't matter if the dog bites from aggression or fear - it would still be a bite. We have only a few friends who Propane is comfortable with. Auntie Eva ( who was wise enough to visit often when Propain was a puppy ) & John Lober, a dog person from way back ( he brings cookies for Propain every time he visits ) I felt bad for leaving BBQ home, but Propain needs to attend class on his own. Here's hoping he will "Pass" this course!

Hubby walking around the garden 1st thing in the morning.....Huey is following closely because he knows dad will pick a tomato from the garden & feed it to Huey....then Huey will run to his girls & show them the 1 carat gift he has for them.

Puddin', Lady & Brownie @ about 1 week old. Puddin' would Jump into my hand every time I went to change their water. She was a CRESTED Indian Runner duck.....sweet as honey.

Ahhhnold & Precious, Propane& BBQ, & CC my "Cute Chicken"

P

eeeek, my FIRST EVER Blog......I Can't believe it!
I Should be washing floors but instead I am watching my Indian Runner Ducks <> It's a HOT day - they run from a kiddie pool to the pond for a swim( & then race back again)
The Muscovies <> are nestled under a tree, trying to avoid the pesky Runners. My Old chickens are bug picking in the shade.< "R.J." an Americana that lays Green shelled eggs, "RED" a Rhode Island Red, "CONNIE" our Cornish Hen & "SWEET PEA" a Blue Adulusian/Turken.
Our dogz "BBQ" (German / australian shepherd cross) & "PROPANE" ( Rotti/Lab/Bernese mountain dog) are sleeping IN the house. Kiisa the cat is sleeping in my bed. The house is Super quiet "for now"
Hubby is helping a buddy move an old trailer & I'm goofing off writing my 1st ever BLOG! Like they say "While the cat's away, the Mice will play" - hee hee hee