Friday 31 October 2014

Halloween....trick or TREAT,

Our lobby is ready for some trick or treaters tonight.


Several of my neighbours have decorated their doors.


Spooky ghosts and spiders abound.


Some, skeletons and witches guard my home.


Treat? I'm flying off this morning....to Houston International Quilt Festival!


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Wednesday 29 October 2014

October Morning on the West Coast of Canada.

This was what I saw this morning when I looked out of my condo from my balcony, grey dull with a hint of blue along the horizon. My plan was to go to Angelina's for breakfast and have a chat with my friend Rita on the way back.  As I stepped out it started to rain enough that I went back for my umbrella.
 Afterwards I checked out Rita's Garden and found this Black Pearl Pepper plant, check out the black peppers on the left and the ripened ones on the right.  This is an ornamental plant that Rita is hoping will seed itself next year.
 A last rose of the garden, check out that blue sky in the background!
 Chocolate Cosmos tumbling over the raised bed.
 Yes, sunshine on a late October morning.  We had a lot of wind and rain through the night.
 Autumn crocuses.
 Lovely Autumn colours.
 Look what I spotted, this picture and the previous ones were taken with my iPad.  My dear friend Sandi Hill has got me hooked on instagram.
 I went home and got my camera to take some better pictures.  This is a smaller older one from the state of the stem.
 A new one breaking ground.
 This one lost it's top but is showing the gills.
 A bit closer look at the one I first spotted.
 Reminds me of a painted hamburger bun with sesame seeds on top.
 Mini hidden beneath the roses.
 A different look at the mature one.
 The one I spotted first from a different angle.
 Changing the focus to capture the transparent rose petals.
 A closer look at the gills along the edge of the cap.
 Still putting forth buds.
 Very persistent are the roses here on the Quay.
 A walk towards home.
 The same view a few hours later, hardly a cloud to be seen...such is life on the west coast of Canada.  Welcome to my world.

Friday 24 October 2014

October Colours

This is a favourite flowering tree of mine on the Quay. Gorgeous plump pink and blue star flowers.


I went to Harrison Hot Springs for our annual guild retreat last weekend and finally finished the piecing on my Mary Lou owl swap blocks. Some of these birds have eyes and wings added once the quilt is finished. There is still more to come but I'm very pleased with how it is coming.


My friend Rita is making two similar quilts for her daughter and son-in-law's guest bedroom. She used a solid pastel jelly roll for the colour. I think it is looking great.


A yellow brick road done in reds and greens by Daisy.


Carmie is making a B.C. Lions themed quilt for her husband. She added a border of footballs to finish it off.


Beckie put all her pieced blocks together into this great top.


I also worked on some machine quilting...just a tease of the back of the quilt.


Nancy did a four patch heart swap and machine appliquéd many of the hearts on the backgrounds and got the top together.


Val took some scraps from an I Spy collection and made these great blocks for a preemie quilt.


We had 34 participants for three days and then 24 of us stayed for a fourth day. Lots of creativity and buzzing machines in the ballroom.

On Wednesday I went to my Woolies group and share the progress of my A Year in Stitches blocks. Here are the wool blocks I've done so far.


I've done a bit of a twist on almost every block, I changed the script and added the bee to February.


March has different wool for the needles and scissors. There will be buttons added to the thread between the needles when done.


For the chick I did a different stitch to mimic feathers, she needs an eye.


Not sure if I changed anything for May but bird and bunny need eyes.


An extra bee for June. Eye needed for bird.


Opps need to add veins to the leaves and another eye.


This one is quite true to the pattern again missing eye.


Changed the stem colour.


Accidentally flipped the cat, hazard of using wool and changed stars to gold not green. More button eyes missing again.


I've made only three of the alternate spool blocks.


Two spools.


Three spools.


The appliqué blocks will be trimmed down and then sashing with small spool corner blocks to be made.


Waiting for the last three months to arrive along with the finishing kit. Loving how they are coming along.

I also want wish my brother a very Happy Birthday today.

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