Sunny, sunny day

Yesterday was the best weather we have had all spring, it peaked at +18C!
I wanted to get these projects sandwiched, but I REALLY wanted to be outside.

So I figured out how to do both! 

I dragged everything out to the patio table, turned on my audio book and got to work.

Then I got started on this! Just a fraction of what there is to do but it felt good to finally get started on it.

Then I sat in my swing and worked on this Owlie Sleep sack, so quick and fun to work up, and there is a little matching hat as well. 

Close up of the cute little cabled owl 

Linking up with 

Let's Bee Social

Work in Progress Wednesday

Time to Freshen Up

A UFO of a different kind.

I have one of those extra large ironing boards and have not been able to find a replacement cover, so I decided to make my own. The fabric has been sitting for a year! I have a large rectangular board that fits over top, so I have been able to ignore the ugliness! I used the old cover for a pattern and within an hour I had the new cover made. Threading the string for tightening it around the board took the longest.

 Now maybe I should start contemplating that large basket of ironing..........notice I said start?

This finish is a secret that I will share next Friday!

Linking up with 

Crazy Mom Quilts

Have a great weekend, sure hope it warms up here so we can get outside and enjoy "spring".

Oldies but Goodies

 This retirement gig is awesome! I love having time to sew almost every day. 

So I am digging into the UFO vault for some real oldies. This is my oldest, 1986, hand pieced, I did not own a rotary cutter or a lovely big ruler. The templates were all from cereal boxes and pieces were all cut from scissors. I wanted to do a lovely big modern setting but alas, not enough fabric. 

This paper pieced stain glass is "freshly off the frame" and it is at least a 2002 vintage. LOVE having it ready for binding and display. 

Close up of the lovely gold thread pantograph used.

Linking up with

  Let's Bee Social 

Work in Progress Wednesday

Hope you are all having nicer weather than our +2C and snain 

(snow+rain) as my friend Carole calls it!

Friday Finish

I actually finished something this month! Not on my UFO list but I am ahead of the baby arrivals for a change. Need to make something for a boy now just in case.

Please ignore the basket full of post vacation ironing (because quilting is way more fun!)

I did get a lot of things off my to do list this week as well. Finally got all my kitchen cupboards cleaned out! That has been bumping down the monthly goal list since January and it felt really good to cross that one off!!

Linking up with

Finish it Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts
Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Happy Easter! +

Hexie Thursday

Finally put my knitting away for a bit and got these out again. Almost finished assembling three rows, with I think 5 more to go.

Getting ready for our first Modern quilt group gathering tonight. We are making slab blocks based on the instructions found in Sunday Morning Quilts

I am going to be a bit late, after Maundy Thursday church service, so I decided to get a bit of a head start on my block

Linking in up with Sarah for Help for Hexie-aholics

Finish it Up Friday

Due of our church hall flooding on Tuesday, I have been otherwise occupied and have not finished much.

Not a quilting finish, but I did manage to finish my "We don't quite match, but I love them anyways" thrummed mittens.

Yes, I did run out of wool that close to the finish but they were so much work and so warm, I could not bear to not finish them. 

Linking up with Finish it Up Friday.

I Must Be Nuts

Time to list my projects for FAL Q2

We are digging into some pretty old UFOs now. I was embarrassed by how old the two I just took to the quilters were, but I see now, some of these are even older!

One of my retirement goals is to work my way through years, and years and years of UFOs!

Progress on a hold over from last quarter. The top will be done in Q2 but don't think my custom long-armer will have time to quilt it in the allotted time frame. (I am going to call this one #7 on the off chance it does get finished.)

#1. These I have done some time in the last 12 years, and internet BOM I think. Will likely become a charity quilt

#2.These are from a class but I don't remember what the premise of it was. It will be a table runner.

#3. This I believe to be my oldest UFO, it is from 1986! My Kamloops friends might recognize it. It was an advanced hand piecing class the year my life kinda fell apart. By the time I could get back to the other 8 blocks I was no longer interested in tracing and cutting all the templates or the hand piecing. I have all the fabric for it still so it will be a lovely wall hanging. 

#4. An internet BOM by Pat Sloan, probably about 10 years ago. Three blocks to applique down and two more to make.

#5. Another oldie from Kamloops days, so more than 12 years old, again hand pieced. It was originally for my daughter's waterbed that was long and narrow. When she decided either so didn't want the quilt or maybe the bed, I took it apart. Not sure what to do next it got put away and forgotten. I think it will be a wall hanging and two large pillows.

 #6. Another internet BOM by Pat Sloan about the same age as the shoe quilt I think. It is probably destined for the RV.

It may be an optimistic list but one can try. 

I also want to start some painting projects in the house and clean out all my kitchen cupboards.............hmmm, maybe I should go back to work, it might be less work!!!

I am no April Fool

"and sometimes you just have to TRUST and take that LEAP, the one that is REALLY scary, to find out if you have the WINGS to fly............................"

A quote I read last week on our journey home from holidays, it pretty much sums up what I have just done with my life. 

Back in January I was working on a list of 100 things I wanted to do this year, some were things I knew I would do, others were just dreams. But sometimes dreams do come true!

As of yesterday I am RETIRED!!!!!!

I have dreamed, and wished and wanted this for the last several years, while financially it is probably not the optimal time, but it is the time for ME. Several things happened to push me to finally have that long conversation with myself and my hubby and together we decided it was right. 

Sunday I turned 55, today I start the freedom part!

I have a long list of goals for this month, some may get done, some probably won't, I want to take the time to learn to slow down and accept I don't have to do it all NOW.

I will be picking up some casual jobs here and there, but only when it works for me (one does need a bit of play money to support their many habits!)

On the creative front, I am slowly getting back into projects-

finishing the second thrummed mitten, 

Started these cabled fingerless mitts on holidays but now that I have it out in the bright daylight I see the cable on the left is not twisted as it should so I am going to rip it out and start over. The cuff has a ladder in it that I was going to live with but take it all the way out and fix that too. 

The large applique project moves along, didn't want to take it out of the machine, trying to not to waste 1 cm of the last of that purple thread. Have run out of that green ricrac too, so am going to have to figure out how to solve that problem before it can be finished. 

Have a super week, I think we may be on the last days of the below freezing weather, daydreaming about riding my bike!
linking up with small blog meet over at Lily's Quilts and Let's Bee Social