Say Hello to Kim

You have to meet my good friend Kim!

Kim is not one of my "imaginary" or "invisible" friends. I've known her for a long time. In fact, she was the OnlyChild's grade 2 teacher. We live in different cities now but, thankfully, get to see each other at least once a month. She's the mom of two beautiful little girls, an avid quilter, a fearless character, and a great friend.

She just started a blog and I hope you'll go over and welcome her to Blogland.

No excuses!

Yesterday after school, I basted two quilts.

You must be getting sick of seeing these two quilts...and wondering when I'm going to move on to something else.

I used this basting spray:

Have you ever tried it? Boy, it is sticky! I thought it would be easier than getting down on my knees on the classroom floor and pinning. It was...and it wasn't. It's hard to smooth out the fabric, plus everything stuck to me. Everything. The newspaper I put down to protect the floor, the floor that got sprayed anyway, fabric, batting, random threads and fluff. All adhered to my clothes with the faintest puff of gluey spray.

But now I have no excuses not to finish these two quilts. No excuses! (Well, except for the 30+ essays sitting in my school bag, waiting to be marked. Just those...)

And you, my friends, have no excuses not to go and visit Lola to enter her Homespun Holiday Giveaway.

So go on. What are you hanging around here for? I've got nothing for you but high hopes and unfinished projects...unless you're volunteering to help with the marking...?

Hello December!

I wasn't expecting you to arrive so quickly. I didn't even get to say goodbye to November.

December, you bring with you...

Short days and long nights... and bright lights.

Lots of snow... and lots of snowmen.

Big plans...and little projects.

Unfulfilled expectations... and new beginnings.

Cold weather... and warm woollies.

November is always a bit bleak, but December brings more promise, more hope, more warmth.

Happy December!

Saturday Sew-in

Ahhh...it feels so good to be at the sewing machine again, and getting things made for Christmas.

Tonight I multi-tasked - not one of my strengths, but it had to be done.

While chatting with Cheryl on Skype, I appliquéd tea towels.

You can find the pattern for Santa here.

This one I kind of made up myself, using a snowflake appliqué from a quilt book.

The pale blue fabric is gorgeous - the photographs really don't do it justice.

These were fairly quick and easy projects - they probably would have been quicker if I hadn't been yapping all night. I guess I answered my own question, though: would I get more done if I had a sewing buddy?

Definitely not. But I wouldn't have as much fun either.

Farewell, Monkey!

That monkey is finally off my back.

He slid off at about 10:30 tonight when I finally FINISHED THE PAPER for my master's course.

But he left an awful mess in his wake:

I'll have to clean that up so I can get back to my Christmas sewing.

Less than a month to go...

Sewing buddy

I was reading Thimbleanna's post tonight and I got to wondering...

Would I get more done if I had a sewing buddy?

Someone to talk to, laugh with,

to bounce ideas off...

I tend to do a lot of things alone. A LOT.

I go to yoga and dance classes alone. I walk the dogs alone. I (occasionally) go to coffee shops alone. I go shopping alone. I watch movies alone.

I sew alone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm usually okay with my own company. There are lots of people that I like, but I don't have a ton of friends, and my two really good friends who like to sew live 500 km and 5000 km away from me.

Ah well... I probably wouldn't get anything done at all if I had company. I'd talk too much!

Do you sew alone or with friends? What do you prefer?

Friday Night Knit-in?

Last night, during the little bit of time I had before heading to the hockey game, I managed to finish the Seed Scarf I was making for my lovely student teacher.

I'm quite pleased with it. Another small finish!

p.s.  pettie1019 - you asked where I got the pattern, but I couldn't respond because you're a no-reply blogger. The pattern came from the Two and Six blog and you can find it here.