Second CGQC Project done

The quilt for my niece is done, and ready to give to her tomorrow at the family get together for her. This is also my second project completed for the Charming Girls Quilt Club. Now I am trying to decide what to work on for my projects for September. Work will be very busy in September and I may be working some weekends so I may just assign myself one project to complete so that I don't feel pressured to work on something when I am overtired. That is when I make mistakes and get frustrated, and it is much more fun to sew for fun! Decisions, decisions....

When I took Chloe for her walk this morning the pond was spectacular, as it was been a hot day on Friday and very cool overnight, and a mist was rising from it. Glad I had my camera. We live right on the edge of town, so WalMart is across the street from the pond, and a farmer's field across the other side of the street. I love my weekend walks and this morning saw 3 hawks cruising over the farmer's field across the road.



More early next week on the chosen project/projects.

One CGQC Project done.

The Moda Sweet Treats bag is done, and I gave it to my daughter. It works up very quickly and it quite easy. I almost feel guilty for choosing it as a project to finish...but not too guilty! I will make more for gifts and one for myself. I always forget to give myself some of the things that I make-why is that?? I had to change my second project that I had planned to finish. Originally I had planned to get the binding done on a Christmas quilt, but was forced to change plans. I am still doing binding -on a larger quilt though. My niece is moving to New York City at the end of the month- that would be next week!- and I was in the process of finishing a quilt for her. So now that I have a moving date I need to finish it for her, and I hope she will take it with her for "comfort". She is going to try her hand at acting and comedy after living in Vancouver and not getting much work there. The going away party is Sunday night August 31, so I have to be done by then.

The picture above is from my walk yesterday morning. The water on both ponds was like glass and it was just beautiful

My husband is on his second week with his new job, and is traveling Alberta to see pump jacks in action...WhooHooo!!! I have not had a very productive few weeks in my sewing room, but now that work is back on schedule I feel like I am on a better schedule. I work for a school board and school starts tomorrow, so we are very busy again- new teacher hires etc....tonight will be busy in the sewing room, too- since I am home alone! I love my alone time. I love when Tony is home, too, but I never accomplish as much- that is until hockey season starts, and I might as well be home alone!

I recorded the Sex and the City movie so might just watch that tonight and get some binding sewn on the butterfly quilt for my niece.Sounds like a plan!

I was Tagged!

In answer to the questions posed...
1. My favorite sewing or quilting tip-Always have drinks and snacks on hand for sustenance. As you can see from a previous post, licorice is a must! Coffee works, especially for those early morning creative sessions.
2. My tip for time management is simple but effective- prioritize and write everything down. I have a book that I keep track of creative projects in, and a book with a wish list of fabric I covet etc. Even for library books I want, I keep a list in a little book beside the computer, and add to it when I see something that I know I will want to read.
3. Where in the world would I go?- If I could I would go to Europe, namely Spain, Italy and Portugal. Realistically I would love to go to a place in Mexico that we have partial ownership of. It is on the west coast, on the Sea of Cortez, and it is my "happy place". This is the view from the deck.

Where Does the Time Go???

Good thing that I have one project done for the Charming Girls quilt Club as I have not been in my sewing room since. My husband has found a job (yay!!!)) so we have been busy just spending time together and running errands. He starts Monday, so I took Thursday and Friday off work. Where did the time go?- here it is late Saturday afternoon and I feel like I haven't accomplished anything. Well, I did clean the house, bathrooms etc... and I put together a cool little storage cabinet from Ikea for my sewing room. I get so much sun in there that I have to be careful that my fabric doesn't get bleached so I need storage that won't let any sun in. It took me a couple of hours to put it together, in between shopping with Dana, and going to see a movie with Tony. Now I am actually putting a new Ikea dresser together for Dana but I am feeling frustrated so have walked away...
And of course Chloe has been given a lot of attention- she will miss her Daddy when he goes back to work as she'll be alone all day, as Dana goes back to school soon, too. Here she is sniffing for rabbits. I know if she came face to face with one, she'd be scared but she plays tough when she is on the hunt! She saw the heron in the pond and didn't know what to do- she chases the little birds but is scared of the bigger ones. And she is scared of the water...good for a Retriever!
Tomorrow is my day-after I finish Dana's dresser, the day is mine...which if my frustration level indicates, it could take all day to do that dresser!

These are my plans...

It is pouring rain here today so as the pictures indicate, these are my plans for the day...I have finished one of my "to be done" projects for the Charming Girls Club, and so have started making a bag that I bought fabric for back in September or October. The pattern is from Fall 2008 Quilts and More magazine, called Pick a Pocket. It has side pockets and could be used for a diaper bag, shopping bag, or as I plan to use it- as a lunch bag/book carrier/purse to take to work. I also have many magazines and books to browse through, and it seems the perfect day for a cup of tea and browsing. Chloe and I have the house to ourselves, so we plan to have a lovely day! Who cares if it is raining??

August Projects for the Charming Girls Club

This is my studio after about 2 weeks of not working on anything but continuing to pile up papers with project ideas, magazines, fabric etc....Before I tackle my August projects I need to tidy up my space and get organized again. The exam is over and done- I passed the course and don't plan to take the next one until winter. It is a beautiful day here in Okotoks so we are going to take a nice walk this afternoon and maybe stop somewhere for ice cream or a beer. It will be over 30 probably today as it is 25 already. We are planning blue cheese burgers on the BBQ for dinner with just Dana home with us for dinner. A very nice leisurely day. I took Tuesday off work and with the long holiday weekend will have a 4 day weekend. Lovely!!!


For my projects this month I am going to finish the binding on a quilt I made for Dana about 2 years ago (shame on me!!), so that I can finally give it to her. Also I am going to make a project from the Moda website called the Sweet Treat Bag. I am not going to use the 1 inch honeybuns though. I have some really bright and modern fabric from Anna Maria Horner that I will use, and I may cut the fabric in different widths from 1 inch, 2 inch etc.

It was our 24th anniversary this week so we went out for dinner last night and my husband bought me some jewelry from Deava Beadz a local shop run by a lady who designs and makes the pieces.
He also gave me this cute plaque that I will hang in my studio.


So here goes- I am ready to dig into this challenge- this is great motivation for me to complete some projects- and have fun looking at what everyone else is doing.