tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22394773019298825522024-03-05T07:00:18.546-05:00tjzoriginalzMy inspirations. Sewing, quilting, crafting, and snapshots of my life.Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.comBlogger256125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-69023221261330696252014-12-14T17:37:00.000-05:002014-12-14T17:37:03.307-05:00Getting ready for ChristmasSo, how are you doing in preparation for Christmas? Are you remembering to keep the reason for the season in mind?
Sometimes, it's too easy to get caught up in the popular "Santa" christmas.
Around here, the Advent banners that our quilt group made for church are going up, one more each week, and they look marvelous.
At home, the tree is up. Unfortunately, the cat has an interest Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-23946887090139815192014-11-30T18:55:00.000-05:002014-11-30T18:55:16.555-05:00Feeling blueToday, I spent the day in bed. That means, between doing laundry, cooking meals, letting the dog out, reminding (several times of course) my son to do his delegated chore of the day (cleaning out the van) and other things.
To survive, I used a timer. Put the laundry in, set the timer, go back to bed. When the timer rings, get up and put in another load. Set the timer and go Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-7030046840463670222014-11-26T17:35:00.000-05:002014-11-26T17:35:45.524-05:00Why Black Friday isn't such a big thing in Canada even though the retailers are trying.....Canadians just aren't "into" Black Friday. Ok, maybe a few who live within a reasonable driving distance to a border crossing, but for most of us, it just isn't an event. My opinion is ....
First of all, our Thanksgiving is in October, not November
We don't do mob scenes
We started our Christmas shopping in July
We don't do mob scenes
We aren't as impressed with "sale" signs until weTeresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-43593300253464181832014-11-24T18:59:00.000-05:002014-11-24T18:59:47.817-05:00Happy MondayWell, they say Canadians talk about the weather more than anyone in the world. I'll bet the folks in Buffalo are way past that this week. On behalf of all Canadians, I wish you well. Hang in there.
I spent the afternoon with my sewing buddies in Dorchester today. This is a fun group. We get together to sew, quilt, knit, gab, laugh and basically enjoy each other's Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-42969055772732234212014-11-17T21:50:00.001-05:002014-11-17T21:50:01.355-05:00Have you watched Quilty lately?I like watching Quilty. Mary Fons, yes the daughter of Marianne Fons of Fons and Porter has been making episodes of Quilty again.
I love her "querky" "quilty" persona. She's funny, smart, and easy to follow. Her videos cover everything from the very basics for beginners to how to put difficult blocks together. Along the way, she drops hints and tips and ideas from viewers.Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-80980361119232098562014-11-16T22:48:00.001-05:002014-11-16T22:48:43.246-05:00Hello againWow. I just checked in and can't believe it's been so long since my last post. I guess life got away from me again
My darling son is now in high school. It seems like yesterday I held him in my arms for the first time. That wouldn't be easy now - he's taller than me and has a bigger shoe size!
My family has had a few ups and downs over the last 2 years. My sister Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-68105382514562450102013-09-22T23:08:00.001-04:002013-09-22T23:08:06.413-04:00No longer Missing in ActionWow. I didn't realize how much time had gone since my last post. I guess I kind of missed the summer! We did have a good summer with camping, day tripping, lazy days and my son had friends over for a week at a time - which is great because it keeps him from getting bored.
I've been busy crafting. My son's school has a fall fest bazaar coming up the beginning of October. &Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-87980698946532534132013-06-22T23:28:00.000-04:002013-06-22T23:28:14.863-04:00Muscular Dystrophy Association - Raffle quiltI have a niece who has Muscular Dystrophy. That alone makes doing volunteer work with the association meaningful.
Recently, I volunteered to design and make a quilt to be raffled as a fundraiser for the London Chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada.
It took a couple of months to come up with the design. The colours of the association are red and black. The logo Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-15061708145972742152013-03-21T22:15:00.000-04:002013-03-21T22:15:07.840-04:00Ok, so I do make rookie mistakes, but that's ok right?
When I saw this pattern, all kitted up and ready, with a life sized example in the store to drool over, I HAD TO HAVE it. So home it came, and I've been waiting for other projects to fall off the radar before opening it because I knew that when I started, I'd have to keep at it until I had it done.
I thought I had it all under control.
I spent nearly a day just cutting fabric.
I Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-52778139183073080182013-03-04T09:41:00.001-05:002013-03-04T09:41:52.035-05:00Embroidery BirdsThis winter has been really goofy so far. I usually have mood problems when the season turns gray, but this year has been awful. Dreary wet days with no snow on the ground and just cold mud are not my favorite. I don't mind if it's cold, but I love the snow. It brightens up the world.
On that note, my quilting passion is on a slow note right now, so I've turned to some Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-77678301667481549052013-02-02T14:46:00.000-05:002013-02-02T14:46:14.989-05:00A bit of saturday funI can usually fix small problems on a basic sewing machine. Several times I've rescued a machine destined for the garbage just by giving it some loving care - cleaning , oiling, tension adjustment etc..
This one I picked up on Freecycle was beyond my ability. It was a cheap, off brand plastic "special" so I had nothing invested in it. It ran, but wouldn't stitch so I think the Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-76990984262060022062013-01-27T00:02:00.001-05:002013-01-27T00:02:42.863-05:00January 2013 FNSIYay!! FNSI is back. This week I was working on a client's quilt - trying to get t finished for Saturday delivery. I've been waiting all week for the local sewing store to get the right color (#155) of Superior's Masterpiece thread. I really like this thread for piecing as it's strong yet thin. The gray color of #155 is a chameleon. It blends in and disappears Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-69887074529060138502012-12-31T16:12:00.003-05:002012-12-31T16:12:50.432-05:00Hello and Happy New YearI've missed you! Sorry about the silence lately. Between the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparation and battling the flu - first my son and then me, and dealing with the ailments of ageing parents, the time has flown by.
I hope you had a Happy and Blessed Christmas.
Now that the New Year is upon us, I pray for health, wisdom and patience. Yes, patience.
As my son enters his Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-21274380859083426162012-11-17T19:22:00.001-05:002012-11-20T21:51:56.186-05:00FNSI - Monkey business
Last night was FNSI. This amazing sewing evening hosted by Heidi and her sis. So without further ado, Here's my story in photos.
Plus
Equals
A bundle of monkeys!
Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-59145683750741919312012-11-06T20:53:00.000-05:002012-11-06T20:53:14.474-05:00Learning hand quilting
This past week, I thought I'd give hand quilting a try. Since I'm a total newbie (or noob as my son would say) I concentrated more on gettting my stitches even and less on making them smaller. Once I did my full motif, I thought it would look better with an echo line of quilting, so added that. This whole piece is about 24" square. The photos that are close up showTeresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-48799861426091737872012-10-28T16:41:00.001-04:002012-10-28T16:41:23.476-04:00FNSI results.I really should call it my Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and some Sunday too results. I've been working on the "When you see this" quilt blocks for a while now. I spread them all out at my quilting club meeting on Monday and realized I had quite a bit of catch up to do on the star blocks. Since I need 97 of the checkerboard and 98 of the star blocks, I dedicated this Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-87894401694095838372012-10-23T00:05:00.001-04:002012-10-23T00:05:12.494-04:00Just hanging out and doing a little fixin'What have you been up to for the last week or so? Me?, Oh, I've been dabbling in this and that. First, I'm finally working on a quilt for a customer. It's an older, "vintage" well loved, and threadworn quilt. She asked if I could repair the missing patches and the binding. It took a bit to collect some fabrics that I could use to fit in with the time period. Thank Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-65706865979853504242012-10-16T23:11:00.001-04:002012-10-16T23:11:21.783-04:00Janome Jem Platinum 720I stopped by my Janome dealership today because I saw a sign advertising Janome Quilting Machines for $200 off. Always on the lookout for bargains, and anything quilty, I had to investigate.
I hadn't read any buzz about a new quilting machine so I was intrigued.
Enter the Janome Jem Platinum 720
At first, she looks small. But then, that's a bonus in a take to class or on the road Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-76501179438234219362012-10-07T13:54:00.001-04:002012-10-07T13:55:04.288-04:00Tutorial for "FOXY" bag
Features: Long convertible strap
Front elasticized pockets
Inside elasticized pockets
Inside Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-34489796819683732112012-09-23T16:47:00.000-04:002012-09-23T16:47:10.192-04:00FNSI, Life got in the waySorry blogpeeps, I have nothing to show for FNSI. Life, as it often does got in the way. Friday, I had to take my darling, extremely needle-phobic son to the doctor for his Grade 7 vaccines - hepatitis B and meningococcal. Yes, 2 shots. I didn't tell him that part. I picked him up at school early and off we went, his nerves getting the best of him all the way. I Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-27193537600405910852012-09-11T11:13:00.003-04:002012-09-11T11:13:54.352-04:009/11 Etched in memory foreverIf you were on this earth on 9/11, no doubt you will never forget where you were or what you were doing when you got the news.
I was feeding breakfast to my then 1 yr old son when I heard on the radio to turn on the tv. I was watching when the second plane hit.
I remember thinking "Oh God help us, it's the beginning of WW III"
That night I went in for night shift and every available tv wasTeresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-4140561020072453442012-09-07T20:41:00.001-04:002012-09-07T20:41:18.450-04:00Cancer sucksCancer, the big "C". Whatever you call it, it sucks.
It hurts when it affects a friend or their family.
It hurts even more when it's your own family.
My sister has been told she has breast cancer.
It hurts.
Let's pound cancer into the ground. By any means possible.
Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-29450092148958893812012-09-05T10:54:00.000-04:002012-09-05T10:54:10.182-04:00A new bag for me. FOXY My old purse is starting to look rather tired. She's served me well for, oh, a year and a half? But the corners are starting to wear through, and frankly, with fall and winter on the way (gasp) I wanted something darker.
Well, I dug deep into my stash and found this big piece of polished cotton that appealed to me. As usual, I made up the pattern as I went along, but I Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-70575187410188643722012-09-02T20:52:00.000-04:002012-09-02T20:52:06.325-04:00Who doesn't need a quilty binder for back to school?My son likes playing Minecraft. Actually, he lives and breathes Minecraft. So, when the back to school shopping happened, the black vinyl binders just didn't cut it and I offered to make a quilted cover. He surprised me when he said "that would be cool.!"
Wow, what a great son!
So the thinking began. How do you make a masculine binder cover that he would be proud of when Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2239477301929882552.post-10188213728029950492012-08-28T23:30:00.000-04:002012-08-28T23:30:00.225-04:00Talkin' Tuesday and GenQ MagazineTonight was a hoot. GenQ Magazine was sponsoring Talking Tuesday - see buttons on sidebar. Up to its usual hijinks, GenQ brought out the best in the chatters. We even got to chose what our super hero name would be if we could be a quilting superhero.
I mentioned that since "Captain Buckethead" was taken in our house, that I'd have to pick another name. This drew a couple Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05374651954382654005noreply@blogger.com0