First snowfall of the season.

Just after 11 p.m. last night I glanced out to see snow falling in the courtyard looking towards our water feature.

 Looking towards the river you can see the dusting of snow.

 This morning just after 7 a.m. I took another peek at the water feature.

 A bit of dawn's early light starting to brighten up the skies.

 This morning just after 9 a.m.

 Looking at the river again, yes it is only a dusting, but it is the first snow of the season under beautiful blue skies.

Parliament of owls

Three wise owls...


..become a parliament of owls en route to California to be swapped.


One lone crow amongst them as a thank you to Mari our swap hostess.


Now to see who comes home this time.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy American Thanksgiving!

May you enjoy the day with family and friends and maybe a turkey..


and some pumpkin...pie.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

We Support You Blog Hop coming...

Madam Samm at Sew We Quilt  and Pat Broe from Life in the Scrapatch are hosting a blog hop January 29-February 11 2015.  This blog hop is to support friends and family who are battling CANCER.  

 Madam Samm has created a lovely pattern for you to make and Pat will cheer us onto our goal to make your variation of this lovely quilt.  This is aimed specifically at Breast Cancer, my dear Aunt battled this disease in the 1970's and had a occurrence later in life.  She is still doing battle and holding her own.  I also had at least three co-workers who have successfully waged their battles.  This first quilt is about 2.5 feet by 3 feet.  But you may choose what size and presentation you wish.  Maybe a pillow or a tote bag.  Be creative with what you do.

 You could make a wall hanging, or a larger quilt to keep them warm.  The pattern is free to participants along with an alphabet to use for the person or persons names you embroider.

I Support You or We Support You along with a hanger with an initial are suggested.  Maybe with some supportive words or phrases significant to that person.

My aunt is/was quite a golfer and when I spoke with her I would end the conversation saying "Keep On Swinging" to encourage her to do her post-operative exercises.

Madam Samm used gingham and ruffles but you may choose to do something different.  I'm toying with ideas even now. So please Support Our Ladies and participate in this blog hop by contacting Pat.

She will require the following from you scrapatches@gmail.com

Subject Line

I can support You

YOUR NAME

YOUR BLOG

YOUR LINK TO YOUR BLOG.

Thanks for considering doing this and check back later for more information as I get it.

Inspiration becomes..

Inspiration fabrics become...

 Too big, don't like the bottom.

 Too small, don't like the ears.

 Just right, but will make the wings a bit wider...now to make 13 more and applique the beaks and eyes by hand.

Grey rainy November day...what to do?

This has been the day today, grey and rain and not very inspiring.

 So I've pulled some fabrics for my next project.

Now to firm up the design and start sewing..any guesses?

Canadian Bloggers Festival!

Please click on the link to the right to see who else is participating in the Canadian Bloggers Festival, I can't get it to be part of my post.

Hi, I offered to show and tell some of the things I do here on the west coast in the quilting world.  So into my photos I dove and here are some examples of things I do.  I'm part of an on-line Mary Lou Weidman swap group and can never seem to say no to the swaps.  The first one I did was make bees to send off to friends who mainly live around the U.S. A.  mine were very chubby bees, I wonder how they managed to fly off.

 This was a recent basket swap where we all used the same Tonga Treats batiks for the baskets and same background fabric.

 This was one of my favourite ones, Birds, I saw a bird in the Honolulu zoo that inspired my bird shape and colours.  It wasn't quite as colourful but had a lovely iridescence to it.

 One of my guild members created this design called Bird Brain, I have to finish this whimsical guy off some time soon.

 Dragonflies for a bug swap.

 This is my quilt that is currently on tour with the Out of the Box Cow Parade.  Based on Mary Lou Weidman's Purple Cow pattern.  This was her first appearance in Back Porch Fabrics in Monterey Bay California.  She has also been to Chicago, Houston, Sisters and several other places.  She has been on tour since February 2013!

 This is a block of the month by a local quilt shop called The Cloth Shop the pattern is called Cinnia.  I did tradition freezer paper applique rather than fused applique.  I'm hand quilting it now.

 A picture from where I live along the New Westminster Quay, looking up the Fraser River.  That is the Skytrain bridge in the foreground and the Patullo Bridge behind.

 Beauty berry in a friends garden.

 Witch Hazel in the public gardens along the quay.

 One of my recent finished from last winter a group of snowmen done in wool.

 A wool and cotton mix.

 Another wool runner.

 My initials...

 ...and signature crescent moon and star.

 From a workshop with Eileen Neill.  We carved our own stamps and then had fun with embellishments.

 A recent English Paper Piecing and pieced project.

 Watering can and flower swaps from Mary Lou group.

 Leaf quilt, this should be two runners, but I decided to combine the two sets of blocs together.

 The ornament exchange put together as a Christmas Tree, fits on my door!

 Heart swap number one, the ones I sent out.

 Heart swap number two some of these I sent and some I kept.

 Heart two in progress of being put together.

Houses for a swap.

 View from my condo ever changing.

 Late autumn walk along the quay.

 Words to live by.

 Current wool and cotton project.

 another block in progress.

 From my Kaffe Fasset workshop.

 Recent second bird swap.

 First retreat with Mary Lou Weidman in Post Falls Idaho.  Playing with old and new blocks trying to form an idea.

Middle of the retreat an idea is forming.

 End of the retreat the frame is ready for the story...yet to be determined.

 The story on paper.

Next year some of the elements coming to life in fabric.                                                                        

 At the end of the retreat applique ready to be stitched down.

 Next year another goal, putting the fish swap together.

 Here are all the pieces for Road Trip appliqued in place.

 The fish placed, going to applique something in that empty spot, not quiet sure what.

 Working on the flowers for the swap.

 Got the stems, here is the watering pail I swapped previously.

 Bird all together, waiting for some additional design components.

 One of my watering cans.

 Out of the box colours for my Mika by the Cloth Shop one of my current Blocks of the Month...I'm behind.

 Another sunset.

 Owls put together, but again some design elements to come together later, I worked on this during our latest Harrison Hot Springs FVQG retreat that we do annually.

 These were the owls I sent out.

 Sand Pails...mine have an adult twist.

 My polka dot teacup collection.

 My polka dot teacup swap blocks.

 Another wool snowman project.

 My Snowman winter banner.

 A Quilter's Year designed by Karen Berry of our FVQG.

 Spring Row exchange with four friends.

 My Sue Spargo class where I came up with my own design layout for the leaves.

 End of class, still lots to be done.

 Old passion, making mohair teddy bears.  These were all the same pattern in different fabrics to represent the four seasons.

 Autumn banner ready to be quilted, it is done and hanging up now.

 One of my first wool projects a round robin with friends that became.

 My own designed sewing case. The words say...Leave room in the garden for the fairies to dance..

 Space for a bobbin holder, pins, scissors and more.

 I liked it so much I made a winter themed one.

 Autumn pin cushion of my design.

 Freebie on the Internet.

 My design for the outside.

 Stitched while recovering from a broken foot.

 Inside courtesy of Kaaren from the Painted Quilt blog.  One if her First Friday Freebies the Huswif.

 An owl pin cushion I designed and shared with swappers.

 Freebies from the Internet...yes more wool.

This is my current wool project on flannel from Primitive Gatherings.  Working on November block and going to do all the pieced spool blocks at the end as they are made of flannel and your quarter inch isn't the same as when you sew cotton fabrics.

 A special find on a walk along the quay a few days ago.

 A recent view from my condo, a few minutes earlier it was grey and dull.

 Later that day on a walk sunny skies!