a pile of finished quilts for the cottage

Of course getting a new cottage last summer meant that I "needed" new quilts for every bed (and any other possible surface).  And it just so happens my girls have a pair of bunk beds in the "girls' room".  Four twin quilts were in order!

I decided to do coordinating but not matching quilts.  They will all be in one room so I wanted a bit of a colour theme but not looking too....orderly ;)  Keeping it carefree! So, I planned two quilts using Briar Rose for The Middle Child's bunks, and then two quilts in a variety of yellows, oranges, pinks and greys for the bunk beds for Last But Not Least.  I got 3 of the 4 pieced by last November's Loon Lake retreat....but then they sat...and sat...

Well,  while enjoying a lot of this over the past few weeks...

....I have managed to baste, quilt and finish these three!

Only one of the Briar Rose ones done, but here it is:

Did a bit of a lattice, and quilted it with an all over daisy and loop pattern.  Bound it in some Flea Market Fancy green seed print and made a simple but cute cottage label, just using a Sharpie.

Then it was on to LBNL's quilts.  I kind of favour these, I admit.  First, a granny square quilt with some stippled quilting:

Loved how the orange binding on this quilt matched the front and AMH back so perfectly.  Again with a label.

And finally, a fun equilateral triangle quilt!  Straight line quilting along either side of the seams for this one.

A happy yellow Kate & Birdie binding and one of my favourite backings...love those big pink flowers! And another label!  Go, Me! ;)

And here are the two coordinating ones together.  Love how they compliment each other.

Phew!  Now it's time to sit back and drink some wine and have a rest, wouldn't you say??  Back to the lake I go!

sewn: wet bags!

We have a few people in our lives who have had some babies recently or are expecting them soon.  I wanted some simple handmade gifts that would be practical, useful and not too labour-intensive for me to make!  I decided on wet bags- pretty zipped pouches lined with waterproof fabrics, perfect for toting those wet cloth diapers, soiled clothes, or even wet bathing suits.

We took the supplies out to the lake with us, and I was so excited to sew on my new/old table, a banged up antique drop leaf table I scored for $10.  Beautiful and sturdy ;)

The Middle Child wanted to be involved and so she helped choose coordinating fabrics and zippers.  She was so enthusiastic about helping with the sewing and pressing.  In her excitement, about 3 minutes in, she forgot that irons are hot and left it face down on the table......

Grr.  Good thing it was already "rustic."  Took a bit of scraping and four letter words to get the varnish off the iron, but soon enough we were back at it, and made a bounty of bags for the day.  I even pulled out some of my favourite and hoarded Heather Ross fabrics for the occasion! It felt good to USE them.

So here we have it!  I did some larger and some smaller sized bags.

For the girls:

Just love how the "just stay little" made it perfectly onto the handle :)

And for the boys:

The inner waterproof fabric:

Looking forward to gifting these and hope that they will be put to good use!

spring break at the lake

I admit it hardly looks like spring around here....after the "coldest winter in 100 years" we have heaps of snow BUT, it really IS starting to melt!

Regardless of the weather, the calendar says it is spring and Spring Break has come and gone. Time for some mini-breaks out at the cottage!

First a weekend, just me and a long time girlfriend.  I am sure you all have one like her....friends so long you are more like sisters, she knows all your secrets and was the one you always found the trouble with?  This is her.  Back in town for a visit that coincided with her 40th bday, we had to have an escape, just the two of us.  So we piled into The Hubs' truck and beelined for the cottage!

I guess I should have checked the gas tank first....

So another first, at 40- hitchhiking!  Yes, ran out of gas on the highway and had to hitch a ride to the next gas station to fill up, jerry-can style.

But we had much good fortune- the sky was blue, the day was mild, and we barely had a chance to snap this selfie with thumbs out before a sweet lady stopped and offered us a ride, to the gas station and back!

So we filled up, made some new friends, and went on to have a fabulous time.  Ah, memories!!

Later that week, we took a couple days off work and returned to the lake with the family. Much less "eventful."  Enjoyed some family time in the great outdoors, ice fishing, building snowmen, enjoying sunsets and snowshoeing on the lake. Still 4 feet of ice on it!

Also had the opportunity to visit with friends and family, curl up by the fire and watch movies, bake fresh banana bread (in our Anna Maria Horner aprons), knit and sew.

Such a relaxing break, even for our four legged family!

Tomorrow I will show you what was sewn :)