Post Card Swap.....2011.

Hello all, Now that my post card has been received I can post it on my blog.My card went to Val Spiers.This tiny landscape is my attempt at the woods & hills a way in the back of the street we live on. When our sons & their friends were little & playing , this is where they were EVERY day. Riding bikes, building roads to drive through the woods, & just sitting on the hill that they would be able to see our town of in the distance. Of course they had a name for their treasured area...(up back). If any child came calling for our boys, you just had to say. "they are up back" & away they were ... GONE...Now our two grandchildren venture up there with their grandfather & I. They call it "The friendly forrest". They hide little toys there & check each time they come to visit to see if they are still there. Sometimes they are gone, BUT. another little toy is in its place. So Val there is my story & a wonderful rememberance for meof...UP BACK..Thanks to Sheila of Sheilas quilt World for leading us through tis. I loved it Sheila... Blessings all. Dianne.

Hello there my quilting friends. I have nothing to show to you this time. It has been a trying few months for me. Loosing my dad & ill health has knocked the stuffing out of me. I had been working on some hand embroidery, but even that has taken to the back burner. I do enjoy reading all your blogs though. I hope that with the fall coming on that I will  get my rear in gear & get going. I hope all is well with everyone & know I think of you often.  I will be back bloging SOON... Blessings Dianne. I am glad you stopped by to visit me...

Loosing My HERO...

Well my dear friends , today I lost the dearest man in my life. My Dad passed away this morning in his apartment. I had called him twice early this am. & when I got no answer I called the nurse to go check on him. She found him on the floor, still a low breath coming from him, but then he let go & now he is with my mother who passed away just 10 months ago & my son who passed away a year & a half ago. My dad was the dearest person & the kindest father with a gentle heart AND a terrific sence of humour. He is at peace now with the love of his life & the dearest grandson who loved his grandpa with all his heart. I just wanted to share today. So thanks for your ear. Blessings: Dianne.  

Visiting second SON

Hello all, been  some time for a note from me. We have been out in Calgary, Alberta visiting our son. For those who do not know where Alberta is ... well... it is  WAY on the other side of Canada.  I have been to a few quilt shops AND had a great time looking & of course I HAD to purchase a few little things!!!!!!!  The other night we were in our first (& hopefully) last tornado. It was very scarry. The complex that our son lives in took a direct hit. It is  everything that people say about them. The sounds, winds, things flying around. The vehicle we had rented had the side window smashed out, glass everywhere, Dints in the doors,  & scratches all over. Good thing it was parked & no on was hurt.  On our way home in a few days, so I will chat then again. Have a great day ladies. Dianne.

Wool pincushion swap

Hello ladies. Here are a couple snaps of my beautiful pincushion swap. The first two show the lovely work done by my swap partners:Melody, Roslyn, & Laura. Ladies I love ever inch of it. The flowers, the bees, the stars, MY INITAL, done in Nova Scotia Tartan, My cute elephant. I thankyou all soo much. On the back I added a swirl from coloures in the front on the cushion & some crochet lace from a hankie of my moms.    The bottom photo is Meoldsys cushion. It is all ready to go to You Melody. I have added the sun flowers, Tiny bird house and some little flowers & a happy little inch bug. It is really cute Melody with all the special bits from the other gals. I am sure you will be thrilled with yours as I with mine. I have really enjoyed this swap ladies. Thank you RubzRugz for the work gone into this swap. Blessings to you all. Dianne.

A sons Legacy to his community.

i want to share my wonderful day with you. It is a rainy, overcast, foggy day today. HOWEVER, it would have been our sons 40th. birthday. With my husband, my dad & me, went went to visit these Wind Turbines that our son Harley was instrumental in getting this massive adventure started several years ago. As he has passed away , they have named two roads in his memory. How humbeling is that for a parent to stand beside this road sign with your childs name on it. The one with the pile of wood around it is the first road to be named. I tied a huge yellow ribbon on the bigger sign. The last pic is of the wind turbine that will have his name put on it. These turbines are massive & you can hardly hear any sound coming from them as they turn with the wind. It was one of our better days ever since our Harley was killed. He never did get to see thes turbines put up, BUT, I know he is dirercting the whole process from afar. There are about 30 of them in  this particular area. Well done my child, well done. I hope this bit of personal info from me is alright to share with my quilting friends. I just wanted to boast about my "BOY". blessings to all. Dianne.

LOST BLOG ? ? ?

 Ladies. I can not believe it, I had not been able to get onto my blog for a week now AND then today ,,,here I am.  I do not know why,, I was lost , but I hope I don't  do it again.  I felt like I had lost a friend. Not nice at all. Being "in touch" is GREAT... Ya aa  Whooo. D.

Crazy blocks...

Here are three crazy quilt blocks.  My friend SheilaSheilas Quilt World) showed me how to do one. Sooo hIere are the ones I have made so far.I need to do   more embellishing I can see. I only did some stitches & buttons. I guess the more blocks I do the better I will feel to add MORE. I did enjoy making them very much, Thanks Sheila...It has been a beautiful day here in Nova Scotia, sunny & warm.HORRAY!!!. Again , thanks for stopping in to see me & my little ALMOST finishes. D.

A stitchery

This stitch is  one i really like but for the life of me I can not remember which blog it comes from. I am thinking The Painted Quilt. I love this blog I am motivated by Kaarens lovely work. The little bird is a picture frame. I embroidered my inital in it, as I did one for my two sisters as well. I used white linen from an old tablecloth of my moms. It is soo soft a easy to stitch with.  I could not figure out how to turn this pic around... sorry. I'm away again. Blessings: D.

New Projects

Here are a few things I have been working on. The pictures above of the two little bunnies were from a magazine. I just thought they were soo cute & tiny. A good pair for a small space              The next photo is of a wool wall hanging that I made . I am still trying to decide how to finish the outer edges. It is a pleasure for me to work with wool. My mother loved daisies so I will think of her when I look at it. I just noticed that this piece is in a busy spot... all my other lovies all around. BUT that's me , things I treasure EVERYWHERE. If you can  get close to this piece you will see a tiny little angel (left side) I made my mom YEARS ago. A little  silk flower turned into a treasure.  I will do another (look & see) a little later on. I hope you will come back to see me. Blessings: Dianne.  

Home Again...

Well Ladies, here I am again. I have been away for a little sun & a good rest. I hope to get some snaps up on my blog...soooonn. I had done a few hand stitcheries while away & enjoyed that very much.  An overcast dreary day here in Nova Scotia, but NO SNOW. Did I just say the ( S) word? "Dianne be quiet" !!!. Check in on me soon will you to see a few of my projects? I should have a tea ready . Blessings to you all. D.

Something newely learned

As some of you ladies know that my dear friend Sheila(Sheilas Quild World) & I go to sewing each Wednesday with some other wonderful ladies who have become our dear friends. We have a terrific teacher Shelley who is a gifted sewer & dear friend. Some Weds. turn out to be Theropy sessions for one or several of us. It is one day in my week I can honestly say that I actually PLAN my week around. This Wed. my dearie Sheila showed my how to make this crazy block. She took fabric & all for me. O. K. now Sheila I AM HOOKED. I really enjoyed making it .& the best part is that WE did it together. Thanks  soo much. The little bird on the block is from a piece of my Moms  clothing & the thread  is one from my moms stash. Many years old. I know she is pleased with me making little things with her bits & pieces. Oh yes She loved birds. The bird sits on my kitchen window sill , so Mom is there doing the dishes with me always.. About 8 inches of snow arrived here today. HAPPY SPRING!! I am glad I could share this chatterings with you. Mom would be happy to have shared this with you as well. Till the the next chatter ladies. Take care. Blessings: Dianne.

An Owl Anyone ???

It seems that everywhere  you look these days there are owls . Well my "hootie" is from My Tweets Block 2. I think he is soo cute. He is made of cotton , with wool eyes & wool feet. He is quiet & likes my hubbies big chair. Ha ha! If you look above the chair, you will see a crewel work I did too many years ago. Left the poor thing in a baggie & then found it again about 3 yrs. ago & did a little quilting & voila a wall hanging. You know it is like  you receive a gift when you come upon an old treasure & complete it. Thanks for sharing my chatter. Hootie & I are leaving you now. Till later on. Blessings: Dianne

wool pin cushion swap

Hello fellow pin cushion swappers. I have finished Lauras cushion. Laura is fromNorth Dakoda, U.S.A. I have added a small red heart ,as I think for me anyway that is the center of our homes. A cup & saucer for a shared tea with a friend. Lastly some flowers, different colours, different shapes. I do hope Laura likes my bit I have done. I am mailing it of to Melody in Australia this afternoon Have a good ladies. Blessings: Dianne.

Quilted Tea Cosy

I thought I would show you this "tea cosy" I made for my niece, Rachel. The bottom half is a border print which I embelished with yo yos on a few of the flowers with buttons in the centers.I think it gives a little dimention to the cosy. It is lined with the blue dot fabric thats on the top half. It is a gift for Rachel to give to someone. I hope they will like it. The colours are the colours in their china. A cool day here today, so I did some sewing & said a prayer or two for the Japaneese people & their country. I hope you had a good day ladies. Blessings: Dianne

Buttons,Buttons & More Buttons

While we were out today a dear friend left a parcel in our sun room. She owns an antique shop and is selling out everything. My big surprise when I opened the door and there was a dish pan FULL of buttons . All colours, shapes & sizes. I was thrilled. I just took out a few to show you. There are hundreds in the pan. Some are very old and I am like a kid in a candy store looking, looking at them all. some are metal, others are see through, while some have patterns with the button itself. I hope you can see them  alright in the photos. Be still ,my heart!!!!!!!.  Take care everyone. Prayers to Japan and the people there who are truly devistated at this time in their lives. Blessings: Dianne

Bunny... Bunny

I though I would show you a little wool bunny I started last night. I found it thanks to mamacjt. I really loved it so thanks soo much. It is still in the process of being done. I am thinking It will become a wall hanging for my niece that is having her second son SOON. I made cutrains in the background fabric, so I thought this would add a little more to the room. I hope all is well with everyone out there. Blessings: Dianne

Wool Pin Cushion Swap

 Here are two wool  pin cushionbases that I have basted together. The one on the left (all pastels) is the one I will be mailing away TOMORROW to my group Partner. The other one that I have woven is for  a gift. Wool is such a lovely fabric to work with. Come again won't you for updates on this swap. Tea will be ready. Blessings: Dianne..

Grandpas Love...

I want to share this picture with you. This is my beautiful neice(Rachel) with my loving dad after Christmas.The reason I am posting this and not any projects is because we have moved my dad into an "enriched living" apartment. However his first day there he became very ill. I stayed overnight with my dad & most of the next day. Now my two sisters & my hubby are sharing shifts till he gets on his feet again. As you can see by the photo he has the most happiest smile as does my honey of a neice.. I hope dads smile returns SOON. Thanks for letting me share this (anxious) time with you all.  Come for tea with me.... maybe in a few days though. o.k.? Blessings to you all. Dianne..

Aunt Josies Dishes...

Well ladies here in another treasure . These pieces belonged to my great aunt Josie.. A wonderful lady. They must be at least 70ish. years old. I received them our 40 yrs. ago. I do not know anything about them really only that I really do use them. The pitcher in the back ground has cornflowers on it and that top, that I have to watch VERY carefully .!! The tea cloth they are resting on is one I (yes me) made when I was in grade 8or9. My gosh I can see now I never throw too much out. ouch!!   I realise this in not quilting related..BUT.. I have noticed that we quilters LOVE our china bits. For me just looking at these pieces make me feel warm with memories , and that is a very good thing. Blessings from me: Dianne.

A sons beautiful gift...

Doing a little dusting today and came upon this special gift that my oldest son gave me many years ago. He was with me when we found this antique shop & he was happy that I dragged him in. ha. ha. Anyway I only bought a teacup & saucer & desert plate. Then about a month later he presented me with several more pieces, in fact it was the only few pieces left in the shop. Imagine a young man ( he would be 20ish) did this for his dear mother. These treasures are near & so dear to me, as my son is no longer living they are a blessing from him to me. Our children are surely a wonderful gift, as I know we all feel this way. I am happy to have shared this with you. Come again, I will be home. Blessings.  Dianne

Little Miss Shabby Blocks

Here are my 2 blocks from Little Miss Shabby Birdie blocks of the month. I have enjoyed stitching these. There will be a block  eack month for 12 months. The female birdie in eack block I hope to do in mauves(my favourite colour).. We are having another snow day here in Nova Scotia. Another sew day for me. I AM HAPPY la. la. la. Stop in again won't you? I will be home with tea pot ready.. Blessings: Dianne.

FABRIC LANDSCAPE

Here is a landscape done from a class put on by our quilt guild. We were soo happy to haveValerie Hearder as our teacher. She is the author of"Points of View".It was a challenge for me as there were so many pieces of fabric that one would never think could be part of a landscape. I did a little embelishing with some stitches & shading. I now look at fabric in a different way. That piece of fabric that I may have thought.."what on earth" actually becomes a part of that earthy scene. If you ever get to participate in her class , go, as you will be amazed with her insite into fabric & what it can become. Thanks for stopping in for a visit. Come back. I'll be here waiting. Blessings: Dianne...

Here is the full picture.I added two large blocks to each side of the center block & binded it in the same print. I quilted several of the ornaments to hold it flat. It seems funny now..I will put it away for next Christmas after just finishing it this Christmas season... I hope you will visit again soon. I'll be here... Blessings: Dianne.

Here is my Redwork Christmas table runner I finished yesterday during our snow storm. This is the center. Then I added a narrow green border & finally two blocks on each side. Happy little snow people don't you think?

Quilted Mug Rugs..

These mug rugs as everyone  knows were very popular this Christmas season. The two on the right are all of what I have left of the seasonal ones I made. They were a great "tuck in" gift. The two on the left are ones we use every day. This size is great to hold a cup of tea & a cookie or a cinnamon roll{so i am told}Ha!!.  We are still having a snowy day here. All day long & into the night I hear. A great day to sew. sew, sew. Thanks for your visit. Lets continue our prayers for our Australian ladies.. Stop in again.. won't you? Blessings: Dianne

Wool Flower Cushion ..

This is another wool project for me. I had made the basket of flowers from wool ,added it to the burbandy wool AND then... what do I do with it then question??? Ah Ha a pillow.. So thus the pillow . I even put in a zipper in the back that can not be seen. Yes invisable!!!.. This lovely sits on the bed in our spare bedroom. I added a little embroidery to it as I always never know when enough is enough when it comes to embroidery. I am glad you  stopped by for a minute with me. Come back though, won't you? Blessings: Dianne

Pretty center piece..

This pretty center piece is from Designs by Fee. It is called Florentine. I made this for a house warming gift I will be giving  next week to my husdands niece & her husdand. I love making yo yos, and as you can see they are of very muted colours. I attached a longated pearl bead in the center of each yo yo that came off an old sweater. (NEVER THROW OUT THESE DEARIES EH)?. I think they add just a little  to the piece. Thank you Fee for this great pattern. The salt & peppar birdies are something that belonged to my dear mother. I just found them as I was going through some of her things. She only kept them in the curio cabinet not to be used. " see mom I am enjoying them so very much" My mother passed away in Sept. so I am happy to have her at our dinner table with us.. Thanks for sharing a little time with me. Come again won't you? Blessings: Dianne

Looking out my windows today is very grey & snowy. I started looking through my photos & found this one & it made me feel soo much warmer. It was taken ..as you can see... in our fall season when  our trees are the most beautiful colours. I hope if you are in this winter season you will enjoy these beautiful colours too. Have a great day wherever your heart may be. Blessings: Dianne

Wool Flowers

Hello there, Just wanted to share one of my wool projects that I really loved making. I can not remember which magazine it was in but, it is at least 2years old. The whole picture is done in wool and I found it difficult to really know how I wanted to finish it. Thus the framed piece.  My (talented) friend Sheila made one as well at the same time. Working on a Red Work table runner AND a baby quilt now. I can not for the life of me handle only one project at a time!!!!ha... Hopefully I can share a pic. of these soon. Thanks for  letting me share with you. Remember now, tea only takes a minute to brew, so come back to visit eh?  Blessings Dianne.

     Oh yes, if you click on the pic. you will see the flower detail more clearly.. D.

keep sake Christmas gifts.

Hello ladies. This isChristmas morning with our

,grandchildren& daughter-n-law. I look very sleepy now don't I ? I made this bear for my 10yr. old granddaughter out of white sherpa that I had for (a few yrs.), The muzzle, ears & pads are of tan suede. The special part of this honey is that the vest & tie are made with my son(their) dads house coat he wore when he was 2. Of course I could not make something for one & so this is for my grandson .. sooo here is :Humpty Dumpty. His arms & legs are made with the same house coat fabric. You see ladies we lost our dear son a year ago in a motorcycle accident & I wanted his"peeps" as he called them  to cuddle with their dad whenever they wanted to. I am soo happy I made these for them , they were thrilled. Thanks for sharing with me this bit from my heart. Blessings...   Click on the picture & you can see the gifts a little better.. D.

Sledding

This quilted piece was from a challenge in our quilt qroup. We got a fat quarter of the nut crackers . I found this pattern from a Debbie Mumm Christmas book. It is done in wool on cotton fabric. I knew I had to make this as it is sooo like my sons sledding in our back yard years ago. This is my first pic. for my blog & I wanted it to be of my sons.

wool wall hanging.

Well ladies, my niece is here & I am BLOGGING. So here is a picture of a wool wall hanging I completed a year ago. The background is cotton with the wool basket & flowers. I love to work with wool. This hangs on the wall in our kitchen over the kitchen set.