Time Flies...........

and May is gone.... LOL... not that I wasn't busy creating in May - I just haven't blogged for awhile..... I made this jacket for Boston Terrier Rescue..... they will use it as a fundraiser.  I finished quilting my two 4 Patch Stack quilts and now I am packing for two quilt retreats in June - they run back to back this year - so I have a whole week of quilting!

Thought for the Day

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment

Oprah Winfrey

We're into February......

and I don't exactly know where January went. lol.... I have been busy..... I finished quilting my Baltimore Bunnies quilt - I worked on this quilt over a two year period at two retreats. It was finished and put together in June, 2009 and now it is quilted. I just love this quilt and perhaps one day I will have a granddaughter to give it to. I quilted lots of feathers in this one... and bubbly background fills.

I also finished a small quilt for Boston Terrier Rescue Canada. This will be auctioned off at a dog show in Edmonton in June, 2010 ( I think). It has the cutest pantograph on it - Doggie Pit Stop.

I certainly hope that Betsy from Florida reads my post today... cause.... I started my Vintage Valentine quilt...... My plan is to hand applique this.... we will see. It is such a beautiful quilt.

Thought for the Day
When I'm not doing something that comes deeply from me, I get bored. When I get bored I get distracted and when I get distracted, I become depressed. It's a natural resistance, and it insures your integrity.

Barbara Hall

Help from my Blogland friends.......

Please help the Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue win $10,000.00!!!. Boston Terriers are near and dear to my heart and I have been involved with Rescue for a few years. Needless to say we are always in the "red".... BUT I am not asking for money, or for you to buy anything. All I am asking my bloggy friends to do is to CLICK HERE...... and vote for Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue.....You can also use the button on the right sidebar....thank you in advance for your holiday spirit!

Thought for The Day
There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to other animals as well as humans, it is all a sham.
Anna Sewell

To My Canadian Friends......

If you are saving Canadian Tire money and don't know what to do with it...... you can help Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue by sending the money to them. This group works tirelessly to help Bostons in need. I have been involved with them for about 4 years now. You can also contact me if you need any more information.... Thanks in advance!

And.... look at this great tutorial for making a fabric basket!.


Thought for the Day
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
Mahatma Ghandi

My morning walk.....

the leaves are starting to turn color in Northern Alberta. This is the road that Magpie and I take on our morning walk..... I am sure as the weeks progress that we will see some beautiful color. I just love Fall - I love to quilt using fall colors too...




I spent the Labour Day weekend in Calgary and the weather there was a tad on the chilly side also... it was so great to see the wonderful mountains!! .... they are starting to be snow covered.... it was an extremely pretty site. This view is looking west from Crescent Road - the bridge over the Bow River is 14th Street Bridge. I grew up in this area as a child.....



I have been busy the last few days also... getting some UFO's done... this quilt is made from some vintage blocks that I purchased on Ebay a few years ago..... I put the quilt together with some homespun fabric... and I think it makes a very nice quilt... I am going to quilt feathered wreaths in the plain blocks.... and???? in the pieced blocks.... The pieced blocks are all made from old shirting fabrics and are hand stitched...


I also put the finishing touches on a few items that I am donating to the Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue. They are having a craft sale in Eastern Canada in October and I am sending these items to them for their sale. The little quilts are actually crate blankets.... made raggy style.....






Last, but not least, I completed a nine patch block to be sent to Australia and quilted up a lovely little Fall panel that I have had forever...... The next few days will be spent with a customer quilt......


Keep watching my blog for my 100th post!! I have a great give-away (well, I think it's great - LOL)

Thought for the Day
The essential question is not, "How busy are you?" but "What are you busy at?" "Are you doing what fulfills you?"
Oprah Winfrey

Dog Show....

had a great day at the dog show on Saturday...... the weather was very nice, but it was not so busy. We raised about $100 for rescue. This money will go towards helping Benson see, or helping to pay for Chucks' surgery, or towards the many veterinary bills that rescue has. The picture at right is of the booth.... we did not have to share as the other group did not show up. The little boston terrier in the picture below is named Justice and he is from Idaho... apparently he won a number of prizes... and he was a lovely little gentlemen when he came by for a visit! Nothing like a representative of the breed to get people flocking to the booth!!

Boston Terrier.....

fundraiser is on Saturday in Calgary at the Alberta Kennel Club Dog Show.... I will be there at the Rescue booth......drop by if you are in the area!

Guess this is the last day of July... so summer is half over!! Went way tooo fast for me.... My daughter had her 21st birthday yesterday....... she's saving the festivities for the weekend.....

Boston Terrier Rescue.......

August 1- August 4 is the Alberta Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show in Calgary, Alberta. Once again, the AKC has given the Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue a booth at the show to raise funds and awareness. I will be manning the booth on Friday, August 1, 2008. This is a wonderful opportunity for our organization to raise some much needed funds and to also spread the word about rescue ..... Big thanks go out AKC!!

I will be giving away this wonderful dog sweatshirt to some lucky person who donates to our cause. So... if you happen to be in the Calgary area on the weekend of August 1 - make sure to stop by and say hi!

Thought for the Day

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.

Carl Jung

Sad News..........

I received some terribly sad news tonight. Little Buster Boo, the dog we fostered for two weeks, has a liver tumor and an enlarged heart and is not expected to live more than 2-6 months. The picture at left was taken last week before he went to Vancouver to a more permanent foster home..... this little guy is so loving... I am so very sad to know that he will be going to the Rainbow Bridge soon. He will be in palliative care with the founder of Boston Terrier Rescue, a truly wonderful woman - until it is his time to go. I feel so honored to have spent some time with Buster Boo!


Please support Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue!

Thought for the Day
...my grief was too deeply rooted to be cured with words.
Orinda

Well... it's May..

I can't believe the year is almost halfway thru. I have been very busy with house renovations and not too much quilting - I am quilting a customer quilt - a beautiful oriental quilt - has kimono's on it. I am quilting lovely flowers in the centre of each kimono - this one is taking a while, but it is extremely fun to do.

Little Buster, the foster dog, has gone to a foster home in British Columbia. He has some health issues and the new foster mom has quite a lot of experience with his sort of problems. He was a dear little man and we enjoyed out time together.

Thought for the Day

Allow yourself to be Bored

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

A favorite (BOSTON TERRIER) thought for the day...

One of my most favorite " Thought for the Day" 's is one that I heard on the Rabbi Schmuley show, on Oprah.com radio.
"Morality is determined by how you treat the people you don't need"
Wow - when I heard that quote I really really was impressed... cause I really believe it.... and I thought about how I treat people every day... or perhaps how I treat people I met on the internet... or just comments I may have left on blogs or sites on the internet.... makes me think everyday - and I realize that I really do live by that quote - what a blessing!! to recognize and appreciate!

Oh..... and Canadian Gail.... BOSTON BOSTON BOSTON BOSTON .......BOSTON
T E R R I E R ...... I sure do LOVE my Boston Terriers....and I sure do LOVE Boston Terrier RESCUE!! :)

We have a bright and sunny day here and I am tearing up carpet in anticipation of new! I had done some of my wool applique blocks over the weekend and will post some in a day or so... have a super day!

8 MONTHS TILL CHRISTMAS!!!

That for sure got your attention!!!

While I was contempating this today, I finished two more blocks for my

Kansas Spirit quilt - the block on the left is called Tonganoxie 9-patch and the block on the right is called Kansas Dugout. I have 8 blocks so far, including the three that I have collected in my block swap. I will make the quilt with 12 or 16 blocks, depending on how many I receive from my block swap.

We are currently fostering a little dog named Buster. He is 8 years old and has some health issues - but he's a cuddly little guy. He will be staying with us until the early part of May and then will move onto a foster home in B.C., where his health issues can be taken care of. Please support Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue - so we can help the Buster's of the world! Buster loves to cuddle under my quilts !! - usually where we find him during the day.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Think of what you have instead of what you want

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

Annie the Boston Terrier....

came for a visit yesterday. Annie was the first Boston that we fostered in 2006. She was blind and had a bad ulcer on her eye; but the ulcer healed and she found a new forever home! She looked wonderful and we had a great time... I think she even remembered us.

The first picture on the left is the day she went to her forever home... I bought her a new red coat. The other pictures are of Annie yesterday... She looks great!

Please support Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it
Helen Keller

Even more on quilt backings....

My never ending quest to educate about quilt backing continues!! The following quilt back was two lengths of fabric sewn together to create the larger piece. Upon first examination, the back looked fine - look what happened when I placed it over my quilt frame rails to check if it was really square!! It wasn't square at all, although one side was a bit better than the other!, so that meant squaring it up - BUT, the quilt back was only an extra 5-6" to begin with..... SO, that meant when I finally did square it up the back only had an extra 2 or 3 inches - not good, but it was workable. So, if I had put this quilt on the frame without checking it - the quilt would have rolled up uneven - which could mean puckers and other problems when quilting..... I guess the moral of the story is.... if you don't square, leave some spare!!

One of the best tutuorials I have ever seen on squaring a quilt top can be found here, on YouTube. Take a moment to check this valuable piece of info!

My Pay It Forward contest is still on. You must post a comment on this post to win my prim Santa!

THANK YOU, Oprah Winfrey for a great show on puppy mills on April 4, 2008 - Please support Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue by purchasing a donation raffle ticket.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Make yourself necessary to someone.

Emerson

PAY IT FORWARD...

I was very excited to win a Pay it Forward prize on Just Jonna's blog, in February. So, in the spirit of Pay it Forward - I am hosting my own prize draw. All you have to do is comment on this post on my blog and I will randomly pick a winner on April 10, 2008. (which by the way coincides with The Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue Raffle draw date) . What will you win???...well, I have a lovely little prim Santa made from osnaburg and attached to an antique bobbin spool. His hat is made of an old quilt piece, and his beard is needle felted. Please feel free to pass this on!

Thought for the Day

Pay it Forward!

8 DAYS LEFT...

to purchase your donation ticket for the beautiful Crazy Patch Wallhanging!! PLEASE help support Boston Terrier Rescue in Canada. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets. This wonderful art piece was crafted and donated by Canadian Fibre Artist, Shirley Paterson.

Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue is a non profit organization made up entirely of volunteers. Our funds come entirely from fundraising. Please visit our website for more information.


On another note, tomorrow, April 4, the Oprah show is going to feature a show on Puppy Mills. While this is going to be incredibly hard to watch - I encourage everyone to watch the show - and think about all those poor little dogs being sold in your local pet store. Believe me - there are puppy mills ..... and they are in your town! I have had first hand experience with puppy mills, as we have had two dogs come into Rescue from a Puppy Mill in Alberta. The devastation these little dogs faced was enormous - they now are healthy, happy and in good homes... thanks, of course, to wonderful BTCC Rescue volunteers and to adoptive parents. Without fundraising and donations - BTCC Rescue cannot continue to help these wonderful little dogs!!!!
PLEASE DONATE!!

WOOL APPLIQUE...

I have four more blocks done on my Greenbrier quilt - the wool for these are hand dyed by me, with the exception of a couple of pieces that I purchased. This past few days I dyed a few more pieces as I didn't have enough background blocks. The pattern called for mostly red but I decided to go with some purple and light purple blocks also. The quilt will definately be bright. The instructions also call for mixing some cotton fabric in with the wool and this is a really nice touch for the quilt.

PLEASE don't forget to make a donation to Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue - you might win that gorgeous wall hanging!!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is more blessed to give than to receive

Act 20:35

Beautiful Crazy Patch Wallhanging ......

Only a $2.00 donation buys your chance at a one-of-a-kind wall hanging donated by Calgary Fibre Artist, Shirley Paterson, in support of Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue. The quilt is 26.5" x 29" with a rod pocket for hanging. This crazy patch quilted wallhanging depicts four Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue dogs, each framed in beautiful crazy patch quilting with hand embroidery, beading,and silk ribbon embroidery. Please click here for instructions for ticket donation purchase.

This is a spectacular piece of art and if you would like to see more of Shirley's work please click here.

More on Quilt Backings....

I have a customer, who is also a friend, who brings me quilts with the most amazing pieced backings. I was telling her the other day that I usually cringe when I see a pieced backing because when I put it on the machine, invariably, the back does not roll on straight, it sags, and causes me no end of problems when I am quilting. How come, I told her, your backings are always so great!!, not to mention square. We got into a discussion about how she pieces her backing by matching the straight of grain of the fabric - not just by sewing pieces of fabric together to create a back! The fabric sometimes was pieced in large "strips" and I guess by matching the grain it is easier to do that. That is the secret to great pieced backs!! - match the grain of the fabric! I also told her I thought that she should teach a class on how to make great pieced backings!

DON'T FORGET about the Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue Wallhanging donation auction. We need your help!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.
Grandma Moses

Please support Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue!!

Only a $2.00 donation buys your chance at a one-of-a-kind wall hanging donated byCalgary Fibre Artist, Shirley Paterson, in support of Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue.
26.5 x 29" with rod pocket for hanging. This crazy patch quilted wallhanging depicts four Boston Terrier Club of Canada Rescue dogs, eachframed in beautiful crazy patch quilting with hand embroidery, beading,and silk ribbon embroidery. Please click here for instructions for ticket donation purchase.