A few things

A have a brief moment to share....

Gone is Blue Beard the Pirate Tree Topper, replaced with this:

My little cutie playing on the stairs:
And an almost finished birthday present for a friend: (created this using Triangulations, soooo easy to use)

That's it for me...man, I hope every Friday is this quiet from now on!

Self induced and unannounced blogging break...

I didn't mean to be away as long as I was, but I just didn't have anything to say...or rather, I had plenty to say and share, but just didn't have the umph to write. But lets get right to the sharing...

This is the quilt that I'm working on for my boss. She will be finishing her term in the next month (and her birthday is at the end of the month) and I wanted to give her something special, something that she would use and something that she would think of our office when she used it.

Its only a lap quilt (12 inch squares, log cabin, 3 across/4 down with white sashing and backing and I may combine the left over strips to create the binding).

These aren't the colors I necessarily think of when I think of her, but they jumped out of my stash closet and said "Use me and me and me and me!!" Of course, I was sick at the time, so that may have been a hallucination. Anyhoo, now when she is sitting at home on a cold, snowy night, reading a book with this quilt on her lap, she will think of all of us stuck here listening to the Senate until some ungodly hour and thank her lucky stars that she doesn't have to do that anymore (and then drive 30 minutes home with people still calling her!)

Well, the day is almost done, tomorrow is wood day (Mum, Dad, Derek and I load up trucks and trailers and bring 4 cord of wood to the Lake) and Saturday, my cousin is getting married ♥ in Massachusetts! Still so much to do before then!

Have a wonderful weekend, anyone and everyone. Until next week!

Jack's Quilt

A friend just adopted a baby from Ethiopia and Thursday is her baby shower This is my contribution to Baby Jack - entitled "Welcome Jack", done in super soft cottons in a rail fence pattern...just one more thing I did while lazin' the days away on my vacation. :^)

A Lazy Friday and $40 Worth of Thread

I love lazy Fridays.

Lazy Fridays when both your bosses decided to take the day off. Where no meetings are scheduled and you're basically caught up on the majority of your work.

Lazy snowy Fridays when someone brings in apple cake, blueberry cake and carrot cake, prompting a spontaneous coffee klatch at 9 am.

A lazy Friday where Lucinda's dulcet tones waft from my computer (inspired by a Maine native's blog post), over the sound of Vladmir Putin's final address (in Russian) as our Ukrainian intern listens in.

A lazy Friday that invites you to leave work for lunch, to hit Barnes and Noble for two books and a comforting Chai tea, to spend $40 on thread. (Yes, you read right folks...forty dollars on THREAD! I've never spent that much on thread alone!)

Oh lazy Fridays, you undo me.

Bring on the Relaxation!

The last gift is made, the last present has been bought. The house is fairly well clean and what remains is minor - a bit of laundry, a few dishes, bring in a little fire wood. I am a day ahead of schedule! Aside from those minor little things, I just have to make up the annual "Spier Family Gift Basket", since Juli just stopped over with mine (lots of goodies on a platter and an Elvis mug with hot cocoa in it...have I ever told you about the annual Elvis gifts? Oh, that's right, I have. Well my Elvis gift to Juli this year is an Elvis magnet that plays "Suspicious Minds"), which will be delivered tomorrow night, then we will head out to the movies for "P.S. I Love You" (Mmmm...Gerard Butler and Jeffery Dean Morgan - that is my kind of way to kick off the holidays).

Tomorrow, I pack up the four wheel drive sleigh and head for the Lake. Four days of enjoying the season, of sipping hot cocoa and munching Christmas cookies, of watching t.v. specials from my childhood and relaxing...I can't wait!

And just to show off...John's quilt: And the Quilt Shop Room Box for Mum:



I made pretty much everything in this roombox, save for the hutch and the chair. I'm quite proud of it - can't wait for Mum to see it!

Checking Things Off That List Left and Right

Yesterday, I felt like I accomplished so much! I did the ragging of Maddie’s quilt while watching TV. I sandwiched, stitched and turned John’s quilt (no pictures yet, sorry!).

I wrapped some gifts I even took some left over bits from the tree skirt and made a throw pillow slip cover for one of the pillows on the couch!

Oh, I finished the swag for the office mantle, too! Every year, we spend waaaay too much money to have my boss' office decorated for the holiday season (I didn't realize just how much until this morning - lets just say I could pay rent for a month!). A florist comes in, hangs wreaths, does a mantle swag, brings in about 8 poinsettias and a vase of fresh flowers. Last year they went rather skimpy on the decorating. I mean it looked nice, it smelled very Christmasy, but for what they were paid...there wasn't much. So this year, in the spirit of cutting unnecessary expenses from our budget, a few of us decided to pitch in and decorate the office ourselves. I made the swag from greenery cut from my sister's house, pine cones from my neighbor's, cinnamon sticks and red ball ornaments that I had on hand and ribbon that I spent all of $2 on (and it's waaaay better than the one from last year, if I do say so myself). Marcia will be getting poinsettias and Lisa said she'd make us a wreath. If I get ambitious this weekend, I may make up some small wreaths or something to hang on the windows.

You can see in the side by side, last year's Christmas decor and this year's mantle swag. Click on the picture to enlarge it some (and look at the mantle on the left, you'll probably have to squint - skimpy I tell ya!). Wait...that doesn't work - click here.

My office is celebrating Hanukkah at Deb's tonight (I love multicultural holiday celebrations - Hanukkah with Deb, Christmas with my family, Yule on my own!).

Enjoy your Thursday!

Fran's Quilt

Fran's quilt is moving along nicely. I finished the center, now I just need to wash and dry it (pray it holds up), sandwich it and I think I'm just going to free motion two circles around each silhouette. I wish my camera could really pick up the sparkle in this quilt. When the light catches it a certain way, the glitter glue around the image shimmers with blues, purples and silvers.
Well, have a lovely weekend. For me, it'll be sheet rocking (I already have a few pieces up!) and carting fire wood to my folks house with my brother. Whoo hoo...yippee...I so can't wait...(oh yes, that was sarcasm)

One Down, Three To Go

I am happy to say that Juli's computer quilt is DONE (and as you can see, the camera is back in business)! I have to say that I did cheat. I didn't bind it; I did the Eleanor Burns sandwich, stitch and pull right side out method (so much faster). I just really despise binding!

When I started the computer quilt, my idea was to fold up the bottom of the quilt to create a pocket that your feet go into. Yeah...that didn't work and looked very dorky! So I revamped the idea and came up with a better way to create a place for your feet. The bottom corners of the quilt have button holes (you can see two buttons on the back of the quilt in the next picture. Just more of those wonderful buttons from Paula - I have used those on so many things!). You button the right corner to the right button, the left corner to the left button and the bottom of your quilt forms a point. On either side of that point on the back of the quilt, 2 pockets are created. You slide your feet into those pockets, wrap the quilt around you and sit down. Now you're toasty warm!

Here is the back - you can just see the free motion butterflies. I was very nervous about free motion quilting a design. I'm a good one for squiggles, stippling and spirals, but nothing else. I did use a pattern and made several practice butterflies to get the tensions just right. Here's an up close of the b'fly on the quilt topAnd this is the start of Fran's computer quilt. I've got to cut out 4 more silhouettes, but half the size of this and with different images to block off this center image. I'm so in love with this fabric (it's a Nancy Crow - her stuff rocks. I used her fabric in this)! I wish I bought another couple yards of it !

I have a few more projects in the works (Christmas presents for family) that I need to photograph and share. My fascination with miniatures has lead me to create a room box for my mother and my aunt of a quilt shop. I've painted 2 little hutches, created mini bolts of fabric, mini fat quarters, mini spools of thread and a mini magazine spinner complete with quilt books so far. I have several more ideas that need creating and thankfully, Mum fixed the scroll saw yesterday so I can start playing this weekend.

So for those of you who get Columbus Day (Canadian Thanksgiving) off, I wish you a happy three day weekend! For everyone else, I wish you a happy regular weekend!

W.I.P Part 3

Home renovations were on the agenda for my 4 day weekend...and though I did manage to clean my house and clean out a bedroom in the attempt to start sheet rocking, renovation took a backseat to sudden quilt inspiration.

It almost always happens like that - suddenly and overwhelmingly. An idea takes hold and I'm a slave to creativity, then I get bored with the project...well, not really bored. I think it's more that the Muse has left and I can go no further on that particular project until the Muse deigns to make another appearance. I decided to make the Pink and Green Quilt last year around this time, collected my fabric between then and the start of 2007. I managed to get a good start on it in April. And today, I'm happy to announce...

THE TOP IS DONE!

I was on such a roll last night that I finished the last 7 rows and started the frame around the center medallion. Then this morning, I free motion quilted the medallion on to the top and it was done!
I knew it would be big, but I don't think I was fully prepared to see the actual finished size! It's slightly larger than a king. Which means that I have absolutely no place to lay it flat in order to sandwich and pin it the 3 layers!
As soon as the Mail Man arrives, ending my impatient wait for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I'm heading to the Lake with this beauty of a quilt top where it will be spread across my Mother's living room floor (the only room in either of our houses that will accomodate the size - well it was either that or my sister's garage floor...and that's just a little too dirty). Of course, finishing this quilt will have to wait until Harry has been read (which would normally take 3 days of nonstop reading, but I have to work on Monday and Tuesday - ugh!).

Have a great rest of the weekend and to those who share in the Harry Potter love, happy reading!

W.I.P. Part 2

More from the Pink and Green Quilt

The center medallion (there will be a circular band of pink fabric around this)

The yo-yo blossoms

The tree trunk up-close Have a fun-filled weekend, all!

W.I.P.

The Pink and Green Quilt

(finally remembered to off-load my camera)

The Plan

The Blocks

The First 6 RowsFull Length
I still have 8 rows left, all but one have been started and because I ran out of some fabrics quickly, the plan was revamped so many times that I don't remember what the original actually looked like.

The center will hold a green flannel medallion with a yo-yo blossom tree (I made somewhere between 80 and 100 little pink yo-yo flowers by hand and then handstitched them onto the tree. I still have to take a picture of it).

The finished product should be around 92" x 110", which will be HUGE on my queen sized bed, but I love a drapey quilt!

This weekend is supposed to be rainy, which is perfect for quilting (and for making raised garden bed frames in the garage). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Pink and Green Quilt top will be done by Monday!

(I think I need to give it a better name than "The Pink and Green Quilt")

scatter brained and focus deficient

do you ever have those days where all you want to do create? you get this amazing block of inspiration, whether it be from sifting through flickr photos, taking a walk outside, reading...whatever, but your at work and where you work does not let you just take off to the local craft store then to home to put your creative whim to good use. no, you. are. working. you have to stay in your cubicle and do actual work, this is what you get paid for...but you know, i do make time to read my daily blogs while i'm supposed to be working... i know, bad tiffany, bad girl! but this place is so quiet in the summer and though i know i could find many things to occupy my time - like filing, appointments, catching up on the very important goings on in maine's environment and creative economy, blogs are much more interesting and fun! and it fuels my creativity while i'm working to make me press on so that i can actually sit there and read these articles until my vision spins and that evening, i dream of vernal pools, global warming and the latest small business venture to make it big!

with every new blog i find, whether on my own or via other bloggers favorite blogs lists (which is usually the case), i find these new inspirations, these new things i want to do or try; pretty pictures, loads of color, others who share my love of all things fabric. pretty well all of it is arty or expressive in some form, but then i get home from working the typical 8 to 5 job (with an hour lunch to get the heck out of work and soak up a little sun so i don't go completely stir crazy) and i find that i just can't muster the energy needed to start a project or all the amazing things that inspired me from the blogs i read have flitted out of my brain or i have too many other projects that require my attention and i feel much too much guilt for setting them aside. like i've said before, i'm a project starter, rarely a project finisher.

with my penchant for lists, you'd think i'd be more organized. ha!

i think the deadlines are starting to get to me. or the sunburn has sufficiently baked my brain. tomorrow, after i have put some time into the baby quilt tonight, i will feel better organized and more focused (lets hope). i guess today just wasn't a day for work.