Hot pad

A dear friend taught me how to do these hot pad with paper piecing.
They are so fun to make and gift as well.
They are addictive.

Come walk in my garden

Just need narrow borders of 2 inches finished and wider for the outer border. My friends are going to help me choose the fabric for that at our next meeting.

Relaxing

What am I doing on this last week off before I start working the week of Christmas.
I am relaxing, a little bit of cleaning and flying geeses. Yep, I need 116 of those pesky little things. After them I can start assembling my come walk in my garden quilt.
I did a quick trip at the quiltery yesterday and Linda helped me choose the fabric for the sashing. Thanks Linda.
It is so fun to see this quilt coming together .
Thanks again to the amazing designer of this quilt. Peg's pieces. Aka Peggy Stevens.

Biga

Now I am still quilting. But I need to write about the best bread ever. I use a biga for that bread and it makes the bread moist and spongy not at all crumbly. I hate a crumbly bread. Love a moist yet airy bread. It makes the perfect toast. Crunchy outside yet moist inside. Can take any spread you trow at it. Just lovely and with the greatest smell that linger into the house. Yum

Work

I am so tired when I work. Even if my work is not phisical at all, I have this fatigue. I become lethargic and do not seem to be able to have anything done. I get kind of in this mood where I pity myself. Sewing is on my mind but no energies to accomplish anything.

Christmas socks

Pot holder

Thanks to Micheline for teaching us to make those beautiful pot holders

Come walk in my garden

Yes I am up to date

Busy bee

I have accomplished a lot
8 pot holders
Assembled flower bed
1 box bag
1 apron
1 rag quilt
And I am up to date with come walk in my garden quilt
Plus I have done some embroidery

2014 retreat quilt

Here is the quilting in progress of this scrappy happy quilt that I have made at the 2014 quilt retreat of the covered bridge quiltery.  This quilt will be Olien's Christmas gift.

Grape jam

I received concord grapes from sil.  
Thanks sil.
I made grape jam and to me it is the best ever.. I love the color, the tartness and yet the sweetness.
Mmmmmm

2014 retreat quilt

I tried basting with 505 spray baste. It was a nightmare! I put the top on after I glued the batting to the backing  using the ironing board . To glue the top I tacked the backing and batting to the wall in husband's wood shop and with husband's help finally got the sandwich together. It stays pretty good but to me impossible to get wrinkles out using the ironing board. If you try it on the floor, you gum up everything, on the wall everything gets distorted! Well it is done now. To stabilize more with some stitch in the ditch with sewing machine.
Will let you know how it goes.😢🌻

Bad things happen to good quilters

This is a great book written by Joan Ford. I have her scrap therapy books, the two of them,  and I loved them both.  This is her third book I think and love it too!
I also follow her blog.
I will be doing Flower Bed from her second book at the next quilting retreat this fall. It is my first quilt of hers and I am already happy that I am using scrap for this.
My idea on scraps is that I find it so fun to use fabric left over from prior projects. Those leftover,  are fabrics that I loved and to revisit them again is so much fun. Some I remember exactly the quilt and some not at all. Still it is great fun. It also seems that I kind of buy the same style of fabrics and same family of colors.
That makes the scrappy quilt in my mind come together beautifully.
No pics for today but now going to work on some blocks.

Rip or not. Ribbit

Dear husband.

I saw a mistake in some blocks that I just finished. To take them apart or not. Kind of questioning myself out loud... Husband answer: you will be sad for just the little time it takes to rip or a long time looking at your finished quilt!

He knows his wife🌻

Here are some pictures of more blocks for come walk in my garden.

Secret drawer block

Still making blocks from Come Walk In My Garden from Peg's Pieces aka Peggy.

I just love everything about this quilt! This little blocks are some finicky to make . A lot of add a corner of tiny pieces. Tiny like 1 inch square. Flying geese and all. Beautiful though.

More from come walk in my garden quilt

So you have a friendship star, a tree block with add a corner technique. The friendship star demanded some half square triangle. You have the pink flower that is paper pieced and the leaf block that is add a corner with some tiny blocks😜

Lots of add a corner and paper piecing .

So far fun to make because of all the different techniques involved. Certainly not a boring quilt to make .

Look at some pictures.

Grand Digue fair

Today I accompanied hubby to the Grand Digue fair. A lot of fun stuff is going on there!

They have old agricole machinery that they work just like in the old days for the pleasure of people coming to see the show.

There is a museum on the premises as well with a lot of interesting stuff.  From old school stuff to shoe making to fishing gear etc...

Here some picture

Peg's pieces amazing quilt design

Come walk in my garden.

That is the name of this beautiful quilt design by Peggy from the sew and sews.

Here are pics of the centre medallion .

Even more bags

So now.  Four box bags later and a pouch with some machine embroidery fun.

Second box bag

Lesson learn 

#1. I corrected the tab. Exactly where I want them to be.

#2. I want to put a little label that says handmade by Renee Parker but I have put the label to close to the corner and was caught in the stitching of that corner.

 #3. Careful when topstitching the zipper that I have equal on both sides.

Box bag

I finished my sampler one.

It will be a great gift for mom for Christmas .

The exterior is the polka dot side and the interior is the bright yellow. I took a picture of it inside out to show the binding of the seams. I like the way it turned out.

Box bag

The sew and sews are making box bag to put toiletries in for a women's shelter here in town.

It is a beautiful pattern. No nasty seams inside because it is all binded with the same lining fabric. I finished the sandwich and it is quilted. The outside is red with dragonflies and reminiscent of Asian type design. I quilted it simply with a long wavy stitch . This project would be perfect to practice free motion quilting but I also want to be quick. 

Tomorrow I will get some zippers.

By the way, this project is great for fat quarters. I received lots of fq from sew sisters in their love bargain club and that is what I am using for that. I will post pictures later when I start putting it together.

Right now I can not continue because the house is so hot😅

Sewing room

The top one is the work in progress and the second picture was before I started😬

I am changing things around in the house. Same time doing cleaning( really needed) 

I decided to put the visit room upstairs, where is a trow everything in it room. So today I actually emptied that room. Cf pictures.

My new sewing/embroidery machine

I got it

Creative 3.0

Played with it

Fun!!!!!

Still need to get familiar but so far loves it

Something quick

I like everything about the process of creating a quilt. From choosing the pattern, the fabric, the sewing, ok a bit less the basting, the quilting and finally the binding I love it all. But sometime someone needs the quick reward of an easy and fast little project and I think that a mug rug is the perfect little quilty project for that.

Here is what a quick fun mug rug from stash. This fabric is fabric I won at one of the games at the retreat last year.

Quilting is back

I finally started quilting again. Well maybe not exactly quilting but any other activity closely related. One of them is getting control of my scrap bin. I have lots of scrap pieces that it is right now overwhelming . What I am now doing is one piece at a time cutting my scrap in more manageable pieces as Joan Ford suggestion in her scraptherapy books.

Those are great books. Bonnie Hunter also is a great inspiration for scrappy quilts.

So here....

I also finished blocks for the 2015 quilting retreat.

Beautiful blocks red and white and blue and white

Retreat 2014 quilt

Borders

I made a 1 inch dark dashing all around and after a 2 1/2 inches border around that.

It is a scrappy quilt and to me was busy enough that I did not want a to busy border. Once I finish it will post pictures.

Here is the picture with border.

Dark blue at one inch finish around and floral bluish grey  2.5 inches finish 

The binding will be the same as the last border.

I will spray baste this quilt as per Ann Paterson instructions I got from a crafty class . Then I will quilt with my powerquilter .

Raining

I want one

But that is ok

I am on call

Work no time for biking or quilting

I have to work and pay bills

But today I saw something nice.   A creative 1.5 pfaff sewing machine I will find a pics and post it

I want one!😍

18000 km

I am still biking. We have a great summer and try to get on the bike as much as I can!

Mike's guzzi still at the shop!

It is going on 4 weeks.

Planning next year travels. 

Americade probably.

Home sweet home

There is no place like home!

We left Saint Jean Port Jolie around 5:30 am to try to out run the rain. But there were two system. One in Quebec that we avoided but the one in New Brunswick we drove right in it! We drove in the rain from Edmundston to Moncton . When I arrived home I was cold and wet.

The weirdest thing is when I checked the mileage on my bike... 17000 km even right on the spot!  We drove exactly 17000 km on this trip. Remember folks. The bike was brand new when I started this adventure. I am happy to be back but frankly soon would be ready for another adventure on my ctx 700!

Maybe not as long.  ( this girl need to work ) but anywhere for a couple days/ a week would be great. The bike is comfortable. The luggage racks amazing and I would not have done it without the floor boards Mike have done for me. I still do not understand that Honda made this bike with forward controls! It would be the perfect bike if it had the normal seating position. With the floor boards you can sit normal and the bike is comfortable . I had 2 oil changes on the road and my chain adjusted and that is it.

The tires are still ok. I will keep this tire as a souvenir of this trip. Will hang it on the garage wall with an inscription of some kind on it! 

I am proud of myself for accomplishing such an adventure. Saw some amazing things and places. Some I will never get to see again. I drove on historic/iconic roads! I have done a lot of miles and perfected my driving skills. Got to know that little bike of mine and appreciate it for what it is. A good, reliable, comfortable Honda motorcycle. It fits my body well and is powerful enough to do what I need it to do. It is amazingly good on fuel. I averaged at times 84 mpg!

So that is it folks. Til the next adventure 

Renee

And the adventures continue

After Banff , we stopped in Abothsford Alberta. The prairies are beautiful, sorry that I have no pictures of them. We did not stopped for pictures, trying to make time.

After we stopped in Maple Creek Saskatchewan, what a poor sad place.

Brandon , Manitoba was our next stop. That is quite a booming little town. Great people also. Manitoba is a beautiful, green province!

We entered Ontario via Kenora. Kenora is vacationland! It is close to superior lake. What an amazing town. Stopped at a brewery for diner called lake of the woods. Look for their beer in liquor stores.

We did not stay in Kenora but kept on driving and stopped in Dryden Ontario. Kept on following highway 17 that goes around superior lake with amazing views of the mountains, forest and that amazing lake. On that 17, impossible to make time. The speed limit is never more than 90 km/h and when we get trough little towns it drops at 60 or 50. There are police cars every turn pretty much. You can not speed. Well no one speeds in Ontario. If you are caught to make 50 over, 10000$ fine. License suspended and vehicle ceased!

We also stopped in a little town called Terrace Bay. In Sault ste Marie (that's a beautiful town) we got the chain of my bike adjusted. Honda dealer there was great. They stopped everything they were doing to take my bike in... Not like Richmond's Pacific powersports. The name of the Honda dealer in Sault Ste Marie is Lakes Honda . We left Sault Ste Marie this morning with the plan to stop in Sudbury looking for front tire for Mike's bike. We found Royal Distributing! Wow!

Mike got a tire but they do not install. So we drove around sudbury trying to find a place to have the tire install but no luck. So we have the tire attached to Mike's luggage!    :-)

We stopped after that in a place close to North Bay. It is called Sturgeon Falls. Here are some pictures of the view from our hotel room.

Tomorrow, suppose to be a beautiful day weather wise so we will try to put as much mileage as possible because after that rain and lots of it...

So almost home we will be in Quebec for sure tomorrow.

Renee

A lot happened from Valemount BC to Banff Alberta

We left a bit late because it was snowing on the icefields. Again I was worried but our timing was right. After the little amount of snow the icefields were to get clouds and sun and later during the day thunderstorm and at night 5 cm of snow. So, with reservation at the hotel in Banff for that very same night, we made our departure dressed for the weather.(heated vest and all)

We got to Jasper around 10o'clock but we lost an hour so it was 11. To late for breakfast but got at an inflated price a lite lunch before getting into Banff national park. We had to get a pass in Jasper to get into the park. So the park was amazing. Not a lot of traffic and so easy to stop anywhere and everywhere for pictures, what Mike actually did in abandon. The weather was very cold but we were prepared for it. A little bit of rain and bit of snowflakes but yet I have to say one of my best ride so far. At least till everything came into a stop. Mike with the bike went to see what was the problem...

Head on collision with someone trapped into is car. I told a warden that I was a doctor and he drove me to the scene. And what a scene. In er everything is done for you, there Good Samaritan and me. No police, no ambulance nothing. Help was supposedly on its way but we are in the middle of nowhere!

As I got there people were doing cpr on a woman. They have been at it for now 45 minutes with no response. I had to call her dead!  We then concentrated on her husband still in the car. Multiple obvious fractures... Opened wound but conscious and alert. Did not speak English or French. Found a translator. I had to run for about 9 people involved in the accident. Thank god, most just bruises, scratches and panic attacks!

When finally helicopter, ambulance and police arrived( about 4 hours went by)

I was finally freed from my duty and could get back to Mike who only had a slight idea of what was going on. He tought I had to fly out with one patient and he was ready to camp out somewhere waiting for me beside the bikes, with no camping gear. Just is wit. When I got to him, before I left the scene, the warden, chief of operations, told me that he would let us trough!  So I did explained this to Mike. But they would do that for me and only me and hubby no other motorcycle because I was familiar with the scene. There was just enough space for a motorcycle to go trough. So finally we were able to do it. So on our way to Banff finally but with bittersweet memory of the icefields...

Still it is an amazing but very isolated place.

Here are some pics 

By the way we arrived in Banff around 8 pm so decided to stay an extra night, glad we did because in my mind and Mike agree this is the most beautiful town in Canada.