Another quilt with burgundy and green

 This was a premade panel I picked up at the same time as I picked up the table runner for this quilt. I used the same green fabric from my stash to quilt around it.  I was fortunate that the triangular scraps from my last quilt very nicely filled in the triangle areas on this quilt so I just needed to add panels on the top and bottom and each side to finish the top.  I used bento bag panels for the top and bottom and had to undo the seams to have enough fabric.  I had used the fancy wavy stitch on my sewing machine to stitch those and the raveling of that took a long time because it only came out three stitches at a time.  I used a coordinating floral fabric on the back and a floral flannel for the batting.  I bound this one by stitching the pieces together and turning it inside out and then stitched all the way around.  I added one row of decorative stitching all the way around at about 3.5" and then did three lines of stitching in the green areas of the floral panel which nicely secured the pieces to each other.  This one worked out really well (35" x 44").  So another two small quilts for the Linus project.  

Stella has been making quilt tops for the Victoria's Quilts Canada  which provide quilts for cancer patients.  You can make just the tops or whole quilts and the need is mostly for adults.  It is another venue for making our stashes into useful items for others in need.  

Therese

Burgundy and green quilt

 We took advantage of being a home a day early and had a staycation!!  I did some quilting!!  I did not remember that this top (34.5" x 42.5") was complete so it was a good surprise when I got started.  I added a flannelette batting and a warm brown backing using it to bind the quilt as well.  The middle panel was a table runner I picked up and raveled somewhere along the way and I found this floral fabric that coordinated fairly well.  The green fabric on the sides was scraps from Sylvia and the bottom and top was fabric from my stash.  I had to fill in the triangles on the top and bottom which took a little working out but I managed to figure it out visually  - not mathematically!!  The process of quilting this top went well and I had very little trouble with bunching.  Therese

Mom's room at the Lodge

 A couple of photos of Mom's room at the Lodge.  She had already started to unpack and needed a few things changed and looked at when we were there the next morning.  The humidifier had spewed water on the floor over night so Brian took a look and he managed to get it working properly before we left.  Checked out her cell phone and set up the VCR.  It will be a new learning curve for her because it is a new remote but she will get there.  Stella helped her unpack a bit more and put some art on the walls.  We went and visited Dad in the next building and handed in the photo I had printed for his room.  He is doing well.  We dropped off boxes at the second hand store before heading out.  We had a visit with Gord and Victor when we dropped off Stella and were home by supper time.  

Therese

Last meal at the apartment

 Mom cooked lunch for us on move day.  Used up some of the food that needed to be used before moving to a place with no freezer.  It was good!!  The move went well with so many willing hands and we were finished by 4pm.  Everything clean and ready to be passed off to the next couple!!  Mom and Dad have been blessed to live in a place with so many wonderful neighbours!!!!! Many came by to say their last goodbyes even though she is only moving to the next building over.    Therese

Boxing Day!!

We had a great visit at Madeleine's on Boxing Day.  We picked up Stella in Edmonton and headed east.  It was COLD - 33C when we left home and it got colder as we went.  The highway was a bit icy at intersections but no problems.  We headed out after supper and dropped Mom off at the apartment for her last sleep there before the move.    Therese

Bright dryer balls

 I made a set of eight dryer balls for Sylvia for Christmas!!  I bought a bright pair of socks and cut them into about 3" lengths and tied off one of the ends by gathering the edges with very strong thread.  Next, I made wool balls from felted wool scraps all layered and wrapped with wool strips and wool yarn to keep them all together.  I tied off the other edges in the same way with the same strong thread and pulled the ends through the balls to hide them.  They are nice and bright and colours that she likes!!

Therese

Recipes from Mom for date squares and her muffins

We were out to Mom's last week and she shared her special recipes of the things she likes to eat that she will no longer be making for herself.  We are hoping to be able to make them for her and bring them when we visit.  

The date cookies have the dates included in the dough and do not spread so they can be placed fairly close on the cookie sheet.  It makes about 24 - 2" round cookies.

The muffins are shown to the left.  Mom bakes them in little tins which are reused from a commercial product  - not sure which one.  Maybe, salmon?? They are about 3" around.  She is using gluten free flour which she grinds herself.  Madeleine has the flour grinder at home so if you want some flour you can get some from her.  Some of these are commercially available.  The Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking flour is sold in quite a few places so check your local stores.  I did see Quinoa Flour at our No Frills the other day.  The buckwheat flour needs to be ground by Madeleine as the commercially available is not very good.  I will include the recipes in text below so you can cut and paste them if you want.     Therese
 

Date Cookies

3/4 cups of dates - chopped
1/2 cup of water 
Mix dates and water together, cook into a paste and let cool 
Once cool add 1/2 tsp of soda

1/3 cup of butter

1/3 cup of honey

1 egg

Cream together and add the cooled date mixture from above

1 1/2 cups of flour  

(1 to 1 Red Mill, almond, quinoa, 

stoned ground corn or buckwheat - Madeleine) 

1/4 tsp of salt

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.

Drop and flatten (will not spread) to about 2" rounds

Bake at 350F for 16 minutes.  

OPTION:  You can add 3/4 cup of chopped

nuts, sunflower seeds or raisins

Makes about 24 cookies

Memere Muffins

3/4 cup of flour
(almond, quinoa, stoned ground corn or buckwheat) 

1 teaspoon of baking powder

dash of salt 

1 egg - beaten

1 tbsp of sugar

1/2 cup of applesauce

2 tbsp of softened butter or oil

Add cream or milk to make a thick batter

and add to greased tins - 3" around.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes

Makes 3 

Christmas tree is decorated

 We decorated our Christmas tree today!! We have added lights, our bead garland and a few ornaments along with our newly refurbished angel.  We have set up our Nativity by the fireplace and put out only a few other decorations.  Therese

Christmas cactus is blooming!!

My Christmas cactus is blooming profusely!!!  It is so nice to have some colour at Christmas time!!
 

Images of Rome - 5000pc puzzle

 Brian has finished his large puzzle!!  It is bigger than the table so he had to add cardboards so he could assemble it all together.  There are 8 pieces missing from the top edge - four in the left hand of the arch and four in the orange of the curtain.  It was a very technical build because so much of the puzzle is the same colours and subject matter in the artworks but that is how Brian makes puzzles so he was happy to give it a go.  He often would sit for two hours and only find 3 pieces but it got much better at the end.   He will be putting it back in the box and passing it on to anyone who is willing to do it.  

Therese

Our visit with Mom

 

Sylvia and I went this past week to help Mom with her move to the Lodge.  Madeleine and Robert and Carmen and Allan were there to move furniture to her room which went very well and the weather was very cooperative.  Sylvia helped Mom with culling in the kitchen and I washed the walls in the spare room.  We visited with Dad and managed the recycling and adding to the list of things that needed to be given away.   We are blessed!!        Therese

Knit blankets

 I had these two pieces of hoodie fleece that Suzanne had passed to me in a previous destashing session and I have been pondering what I should do with them.  Last week I decided that I would just make couch blankets with the two pieces.  I cut them in half and hemmed them with rainbow thread in my favorite wavy decorative stitch in a quarter inch roll over.  The teal ones are larger because the piece was quite a bit bigger.  These will be too big for Linus but the blue ones will be fine.  So they are ready to go and I will keep the teal ones until a home for them comes to my attention.  

Therese

Winken, Blinken and Nod quilt

  I finished this quilt (33.5" x 44") more than a week ago but just finally gave it is final wash.  It is a panel I bought for a few dollars at a thrift store.  I added a thin cotton batting and a green cotton backing material.  I finished it by layering the front and back facing each other and then laid the batting over it.  Trimmed them to the edge of the front and stitch all the way around leaving an opening on one side so I could turn it inside out.  I finished it by stitching two rows of straight stitch about a quarter inch apart around the outside edge.  For inside quilting I used black thread on the top and green on the bottom and stitched several of the black lines in the pattern to keep all the layers together.  There is quite a bit of play between the back and the front but fortunately there were very few lines except the wavy border that went all the way across so the play is manageable.  Therese

Brown embroidered quilt

I worked on the top for this quilt (48" x 35") a week ago and managed to finish it this weekend.  The center is two embroidered pillow shams sewn together in the center and to add the length I needed I added a green/coral border on each end using scraps of upholstery fabric.  The batting is a flannel sheet and for the backing I used a floral fabric with a brown background.  I stitched the batting to the front and then added the backing which I simply folded over on the edges to make the bindng as well.  I added some horizontal lines to the end pieces and then about five more through the dark brown section of the quilt.  Not too much puckering on this one.  I used a plastic foot on my machine and it seems better for letting the top and bottom fabric move together.  Another one ready to go!!    Therese
 
 

Lap quilt for Dad

 Following up on Madeleine's suggestion that Dad could use a lap quilt for when he is in the wheel chair I decided to make one up yesterday afternoon.  I chose this white, beige and gray plaid flannel for one side and a dark green cotton with a bit of a brushed surface for the other side.  The flannel was a long piece which I unraveled so I cut it in half and stitched the pieces together.  The green is from yardage which I bought earlier this year in Nanton - $3 for 5 yards of new fabric!!  I added a light weight piece of cotton as a batting and stitched all the way around leaving an opening.  I turned it inside out, pressed it and then stitched all the way around.  I did added a few more rows of stitching following the lines in the plaid to keep all the layers together.  It is 37" x 40" which is pretty close to the recommendations I found on line for lap quilts for use with a wheel chair.  It should suit the purpose very well and are colours he will like.  

Therese

Tourtieres

I took the time this morning to touch base with Sylvia and Mom about tourtieres.  We had thought that we could make them together but with the moves it is not going to happen this year.  I made six little ones - 4 for Sylvia and 2 for Mom with only a top crust.  I had enough filling leftover to make a small one for us and enough crust leftover to make a single bottom crust.  I thawed some apple pie filling I made in the fall and made an apple pie. I added tapioca to the filling and then crumb topping that I use on top of apple crisp.  I think it will work out very well.  I have included the tourtiere recipe because I have been using it for a really long time.  I wrote this recipe out by hand over 40 years ago and I am still using it.  I am sympathetic with Mom's need to reduce her belongings before the move and how hard it is to give up what has worked for us for so long.

Therese

 

First snow

Our first real snow fall of the year and it was coming down just perfectly!!  It was just what would be nice on Christmas Eve!!  We got better than a half inch  and then the sky turned blue and it has been a great day!!  

Therese