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September 17, 2023
A Variety of Projects from The Cozy Quilter

Somehow, I managed to do some sewing almost every day this past week. Two sunflowers are almost done in this quadrant of my sunflower cross stitch.  I also added a bee and some leaves. 


I'm going to a wedding shower tomorrow for my cousin's daughter.  If you know her, please don't spill the beans.  I am quite sure that the bride to be does not read my blog!  I made her these pillowcases--they like to go camping so the canoe fabric was chosen with this in mind. 


I also made her two coiled rope hot pads.  The ...

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September 16, 2023
Stitching Temptation, Veranda Stitching from Canadian Needle Nana

  SIL was mowing the path by the pond and sent me this photo. He'd moved two of my lawn chairs down there and wrote what do you think...with a little outdoor rug, a small table, etc.? 

I laughed but I have to admit it is much more comfortable than the step stool I normally sit on. I've sat there every time I'm down there now with the camera and it is very relaxing, especially when the mosquitoes are not around. 

Someone is watching me watching him. I'd just refilled the tray feeder and he was ...

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September 11, 2023
SAL's, Hexagon EPP, Redwork Embroidery, A Fishing Grandfather from Canadian Needle Nana

 Another blast of humidity this week make us so happy that autumn is just in the wings now. Here are more of the Zinnia blooms with their starry stamens. They are annuals but very long lasting once in flower.

Not a great photo but I liked this capture of the female Cardinal sharing nicely with a Redbreasted Nuthatch. Though she appears to be giving him the eye, they were there together with the Nuthatch going back and forth, for quite a while. 

Before I forget again, I want to share with you a SAL occurring now being hosted by Taryn ...

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September 10, 2023
Horse Panel.....Top DONE ! from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

I have auditioned final border fabrics

for this horse panel quilt...


I decided to go with a different brown fabric,

other than the brown I used for the background

in the quilt blocks...





Yesterday I cut and pieced this brown batik

around the the horse panel...





There are small light green and yellow dots 

in this batik fabric and they go nicely 

with the greens in the quilt blocks...











I am happy with the design of this quilt,

it has a strong visual impact.

Now I need to paw through the fabric 

cupboard and find a backing fabric.



Glad I ...

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Making Gifts from The Cozy Quilter

My next door neighbour is an excellent knitter.  Last week, she helped me to fix a booboo in my knitted dishcloth.  She showed me some socks that she was knitting and I noticed that her knitting bag was a reusable grocery bag. I decided she needed a wide open zipper pouch for her sock knitting projects. I purchased the knitting fabric when on a mini shop hop with friends (we visited two shops and went out for lunch). The other two fabrics and the zipper were in my stash.  Can you tell I like dots?  My neighbour was thrilled with ...

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September 4, 2023
Autumn Blooms, Hand Quilting, Dogs in Our Pond from Canadian Needle Nana

 Our summer is surely leading to autumn. Don't need the weather people to tell us...it is cool each morning and there is a certain slant to the light. The angle is different and the sunlight itself is glittery but like it is filtered through the trees first. And of course, it is darkening earlier in the evening..."closing in" as my grandparents would say.  I love autumn too so it's all good.

The Ligularia, such a wonderful perennial, is blooming now in late summer. The very large deep yellow blooms open up as the rest of the ...

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September 2, 2023
Hand Quilting, Flowers, Favourite Snack from Canadian Needle Nana

Walking through the garden this morning, I noted the beautiful Japanese Anemones were alive with bees. My header photo features just that. Someone before me loved these perennials as there are four healthy patches of them here. 

Below is a weed, maybe Fireweed, not sure exactly what, but I do admire the intense pinks lining the pond path. This has tufted tops. 
Here is a close up of Purple Loosestrife which is in a small meadow directly behind the house. It is invasive but has not spread here at all, just a few sprigs here and there each summer. 
Early ...

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August 27, 2023
Two More Thrift Finds, Redwork, Free Patterns from Canadian Needle Nana

 Old and still beautiful Day Lily and very young Maple tree...

There's a reason cups of tea/coffee are often shown with a backdrop of a cozy quilt/stitching in hoop or/yarn and hook, etc. Our comforts for mind and body are important to us. I honestly don't know what I would do without mine. I also love reading about yours as I think you all know by now.

As you know I also love nothing better than a good poke about in a flea market/thrift store where I challenge myself to see what I can ...

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August 26, 2023
Book Club Quilting, Quiltmania #156, Price Shock from Canadian Needle Nana

 Early afternoon here and Tony has his tea and biscuit snack. I have to tell you about these biscuits that he likes so much. I was in a dollar store recently looking for dog throw balls and saw these biscuits...several shelves of all the different kinds. And they were a whole dollar cheaper than at the grocery store!

 I don't know how this works...wouldn't the regular grocery store get them at the same wholesale price as a dollar store outlet?  You know where I'll be buying these from now on! 

Happy mail...my Quiltmania magazine ...

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August 21, 2023
Beauty Break from Art In Search

      I got a break in the action when my painting teacher invited us to the once a year paint in her garden. I had not painted in a while, so I welcomed the opportunity to photo, sketch and flex the painting brushes. Although her garden is not huge, it is very eclectic and creative. Enjoy some of the plantings! Besides the garden, Jody sets up little still lifes as focal points.











     And some of her demonstration painting.



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August 20, 2023
Redwork Stitching, Marking Pencils,Gardening, Movies from Canadian Needle Nana

 I shared a photo of the vines that grew so well in winter inside the house a while back. Here they are still alive and well outside all summer. I had put a few seeds in soil just to see what would happen knowing that, while I had no success growing pumpkins, I loved the leaves and these, whatever they are, look so pretty. A very tiny critter also loves them as there are little nibbles taken in some of  them.

And the Marigolds are the ones I grew from seeds planted in my garage green house in May. I ...

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August 14, 2023
Chocolate Cake, Monarch Applique, Garden Blooms from Canadian Needle Nana

 It is a surprise each time I step out the front door and look at the flower beds. SO much growing and flowering without me having to lift a finger these days. Summer '23 will be one to note; I could say this summer has been good on flowers, which is phrasing used at home. 

I just have to show you all by itself the Madagascar Jasmine...what is it now, 5 years old maybe and I've never seen anything like this. If I coaxed a flower or two from it before, I rejoiced. But Mother Nature does it ...

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Horse Panel... from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

I continue to push on with my

pile of fabric panels...


Here is another favorite....Horses





Here are a few soft colors

pulled from the fabric cupboard...





I am auditioning border fabrics...





I decided to try out  the

Delectable Mountain Block...





I am only using half of the block...





Here is a Delectable Mountain border...





Wow....I am pleased !




Just outside the Thread Shed:


There is a RIOT of color !





Black Eyed Suzy





Pink Cone Flowers





Purple Hydrangea





Pink Star Lily





The flower bed in front of the house

is filling in nicely...





The Dahlias and Zinnias are just

beginning ...

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August 6, 2023
Muffins, Slow Stitching, Goodbye Endeavour from Canadian Needle Nana

 When a trio of turkey vultures were circling very low over our heads one afternoon last week, I had the thought that perhaps I'd brought too much of wild nature to this land (with all the feeding of the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, etc.). Turkey vultures are unnerving in size with amazing wing spans-up to 6 feet.  A walk through the back woods and we confirmed it wasn't us they were after...we found what was attracting them- a poor young raccoon had met its demise somehow.  We beat a hasty retreat and let nature take its course.

 Just ...

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Unbridled.....Horse Quilt from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full

 

I am still making my way through 

a pile of fabric panels

I have purchased over the years...


This horse panel is called...Unbridled



As soon as I put this panel up on the design wall,

I just knew I wanted to include big stars


I could not find a pattern 

so I made a star block of my own...

The star is paper pieced

then I cut it into a circle

and it is turned edge appliqued to the quilt top...





I like the way this is looking...

so I made more stars...





At this point a gold Stonehenge ...

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July 24, 2023
Benartex Christmas in July 2023 from Nestlings By Robin

 Jackie Robinson has 
done it again!
a lovely array of 
holiday touchstones from 
holly to Christmas ornaments.

I used techniques from
to adorn this sweet and 
simple table runner
with lovely amaryllis 
flower bouquets.

I am in love with 
these sweet flowers and the 
cute star negative space 
at their centers!

The pattern can be found
in my ETSY shop
Fun quilting 
suggestions included.



Come join the designers
and ambassadors on 
July 25th for a peek
at all the upcoming
fabrics.
You can register HERE.

Come see how I used this ...

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Flower Basket Runner, Family Times, Quiltmania Blocks from Canadian Needle Nana

 I guess the humidity and high temperatures are good for flowers. I've never had such huge blooms on the Hydrangeas...totally smothering flowers I've planted around them. I must make a note to move these in the fall. 

The wonderful Day Lilies are blooming. There are many scattered about. 
Tony turned 84 last week and we had a wonderful family celebration for him. He enjoyed the attention and especially the food. Bruschetta to start and then a steak and shrimp meal most of it barbequed by SIL, Brad, with sides by Beth, the cake maker. 

 He doesn't ...

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July 21, 2023
Sunday Chat on Friday from From My Carolina Home

Since I agreed to do the Christmas project on two Sundays, I didn’t have a chat post last week. I will be doing the project assembly this Sunday, so let’s chat today. It was shop hop week, and of course, I did my share. I couldn’t resist the black backgrounds on both these fabrics, one with the beautiful tones of blue and purple, and the other with its Thanksgiving theme. There was a bin of partial cones of the thread I use a lot in these nice colors, so I snagged four of them. Then the black ...

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July 16, 2023
Solidarity Flimsie #1, A Special Book, Everything's A' Bloomin' from Canadian Needle Nana

Everything is blooming!
Including a Clematis Sapphire bush in a shady spot.
I'm trying to "tend the garden" these days. Short spurts of weeding here and there; it has to be short as the heat has been killing. We are just not acclimatized to this kind of humidity either. But the flowers love it. The soil in the beds is very rich which means the weeds love it as well.

 I've thought of my Dad's mother, my grandmother, who had not only a flower garden but a vegetable garden to tend each summer. In that outport it ...

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July 15, 2023
High Desert Mule Deer...#2 from May Your Bobbin Always Be Full


In May I created two of these

Mule Deer Panel Quilts... 


I finished the first one and 

gave it away as a gift...





I just finished the quilting on the second one...





I machine quilted it on my

Sweet Sixteen sit-down long arm...





I changed thread colors several times

to match the colors in the quilt...

















It is so satisfying cutting off the rough edge,

stitching on the binding and hanging sleeve...





Here it is hanging in the living room.





Here are the first 3 blooms on the

Black Eyed Suzy plant....





The Day Lilies are blooming...





The Orange Cone ...

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