I LOVE surprises!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes - a bonus post today!

I have been busy working and thought I would share some of it with you and then you better sit down - I have a surprise!!!!!!    Well - it was more a surprise for me than you!

Got myself back to the long arm and got three quilts done on Sunday

Customer quilt

detail of quilting

Community projects quilt

Detail of quilting

Customer quilt

As I was contemplating what I would take to Monday Motivators - I looked around at what needed to be done. Oh shoot - I have a LOT of quilts that need to be trimmed and have the binding put on. So I gathered up the necessary stuff and off I went.

I trimmed FIVE quilts, sewed the binding on THREE quilts (the binding was already made)

Binding one - given to someone to hand stitch the binding down

Binding two - given to someone else to hand stitch the binding down

The third one - I'm not showing you. You'll see it soon enough. It is my secret gift and it will be MY job to stitch down the binding.


I started to make the binding for another quilt, but ran out of time. That will be a job for Thursday. YES we have Thursday sewing days now!!!!    Just like Monday Motivators, but on Thursdays. It is not every week, but I am so looking forward to it. It is a really good way to get stuff done because you can ONLY work on what you brought and there are NO distractions!!!!!   And LOADS of room to work.

If anyone is interested, I have a few spaces on January 23 and January 30 (Hillcrest United Church) in Halton Hills. Let me know and I'll put you down.


On the weekend, I also got the backing and binding done for the Northern Lights quilt!

Backing and binding done for Northern Lights!!!

Yesterday at Monday Motivators, we got talking about our oldest UFO. Actually Marian had a suggestion that we pull out our oldest UFO (that we want to finish) and work on it and have it completed by December. Can you believe there were TWO people in the room with NO UFOs.  What????    Seriously??   They call themselves quilters - imposters!!!!!     (OK - so I am a bit jealous - not a lot - just a smidgen!!!!!)    They are WAY MORE disciplined than I am!!!!!


The discussion then moved onto various projects and exchanges that we had all worked on. Claudette was working on her Thangles project. This is one that we did with the Hobby Horse (many years ago) - no specific date that I can find when WE started it, but the pattern was copyright in 2005.

Oh dear - I had to confess that I was also working on this Thangles project and it was on my 2014 shelf. I promised Claudette that I would dig it out when I got home. Which I did NOT, but I dug it out this morning and ALMOST DIED!!!!!!!!      Why?????    Well have a look...............

The top is DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the backing is DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     There was even fabric in the box to make the binding. Yep - it was on the shelf just because it needed the binding made!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Are you kidding me??????

Now the sad note in this is that we had a friend, Kathie, who was also working on this project and she had to abandon it because of illness and later when she passed away, I inherited the project to finish for her family. OK - so I am tardy!!!!   Well - what do I have to do for hers????   I was afraid to open the box. But when I did - guess what I found??????????????

ALL TWELVE blocks are done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     Whoopppeeeeeeeee!!!!!

And I have this much fabric left over - but I am going to use this for sashing for the blocks. Basically I need to figure out how to finish it off and then just do it. Get it quilted and get it out of the house!!!!!!!!!!!!  

So Claudette................    there MAY be some fabric left over - perhaps enough for you to finish your quilt. I will work on it on Thursday and see what I come up with.


Now wasn't that a pleasant surprise. And taking those two boxes off the shelf - left a HOLE - yes a HOLE on the 2014 shelf. That in itself is enough to make me do the happy dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Now what is my oldest UFO?????   Well the first quilt I made when I was 13 - it is done - including a label. The second quilt, done in my 20s - that blue polyester one with the painted roses - needs to come apart. Then I took quilting classes with Mary D. Yes - my friend Mary!!!!!!  First quilt I made with her is DONE including a label. The second quilt done with her just needs a label but the THIRD quilt is NOT done. Well the top is done - it just needs to be quilted. The batting is even with the project!!!!

UFO - to be done!!!!!!!!!!!!

To qualify for the "project" - you have to register which UFO you are going to complete!!!   As usual, I am going to go big!!!!!!! I want those first FIVE projects DONE. Two of the five are completely done, one just needs a label (the dinosaur quilt), one needs to be quilted (the one above) and the blue rose needs to be taken apart and put back together. So that is what I am committing to.

After that - the UFOs came fast and furious and I have no idea what project I worked on next.


Last night, I was feeling so healthy, I almost committed to myself to NEVER eat SUGAR again. (Must have been lightheaded from the cold!!!!) I went to spin class in the morning which always gives me LOADS of steps on my FitBit. Then I went to another spin class in the evening. This was movie night where we watched Into the Mind - a video (a Canadian one) on extreme skiing. I mean EXTREME. It was a bit weird as there was NO DIALOGUE in the entire film and it was 90 minutes long. But the cinematography was amazing and the scenery was spectacular. The crazy skiers were just that - CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Then a great stretch, the steam room and I was toasty warm even when I came out of the at 9:30 PM. All I can say is that the gym is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT place at night. It is so crazy busy - in the morning - it is so quiet!!!!!!!!!

When I got home, I saw that my FitBit was registering 24,500 steps. OH MY GOD - I have a chance to make it to 25,000 steps in one day (it works while I am doing the spin class). So yes - I had stuff to do and before I went to bed - I made it - 25,000 - ONE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On that note - I am fired up and got loads to get done today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!