Are You Prepared?

What do you do with your weekends? 

Usually around here weekends are for catching up, getting things done that didn’t get done during the week, paying some attention to the yard, relaxing, visiting with friends and family – kind of laid back with little structure.

Well, this past Saturday was completely different.  We are members of the local Emergency Social Services team – purpose to assist folks evacuated from their homes for any reason to get temporary lodging, food, necessities.  The team was requested to host an Open House to heighten awareness of Emergency Preparedness, and to promote ESS.

A local hall was opened up for us, one of the local fire departments set up a display, and we welcomed any and all who wanted to come to learn about ESS and Emergency Preparedness.

Our new banners told the stories quite well, we thought:

 

 

We displayed the kids of supplies that would be most helpful in evacuation bins – handy to have if you ever get that call:

 

A cot set up showed sleeping arrangements if we ever had to provide Group Lodging (hotels full, no place else to stay):

 

And the firemen showed how they can rescue people if their walls collapse on top of them:

 

It was a good day for us, and informative for the people who dropped in for a visit.

I ask again:  Are You Prepared?

Right now, it’s spring freshet, and the river is rising, and living in a flood plain, we’re all aware of the possibility of evacuation because of flood threat.        What are the hazards in your area?

 

On another note, I’ve received word that the little mat I made for my blogging buddy, Peggy, has arrived at its destination.  A few weeks ago, I shared that she wanted to be surprised, so didn’t show you then the finished product.  Well, this is it:

Peggy says it’s perfect for her – so glad that she likes it.  It’ll help to protect her table from hot dishes and wet glasses.  And right now we’re all about being prepared for everything, even the little stuff.

 

I say again                          Are You Prepared?

Blessings, Peg

Quilting Canadians BOM 2011

All last year the Quilting Canadians on Quilt With Us, built blocks for a Colors of Canada quilt.  At the end of the year, I put them together with an appliqued map of Canada in the center, and just today, I finished the quilting.  All that’s left is the binding.

I’m really please with the way this one turned out:

My stack of quilts waiting for binding has grown now to six, and there’s still two more waiting for quilting – I guess I know what I’m going to be doing for the next while!  It’s not that I don’t like doing the binding, just been too focused on other projects.

Happy quilting and finishing!            Blessings, Peg

The Smalls

Now that a couple of big projects are complete, I was able to address a couple of small ones that I’d put aside for ‘when I have time’.

The first is a request, and the recipient has chosen to let the final result be a surprise.  It went into the mail yesterday, so when I hear that it’s arrived, I’ll share that result with you all.

The second – a partial kit and pattern that I received over a year ago from Myra.  It took me a long time to find fabrics that I was happy with to complete the kit, and then once again it got set aside for the tyranny of the urgent.

But here it is:

A lovely little wall-hanging for Valentine’s next year.  It still needs the hanging strap, but then again, I may just use it for a small table runner.

This emptied 2 more bins – so now I’m down to just 2 BOMs, that won’t be finished until late in the year.   Hmm….wonder what I’ll tackle next?   Lots of ideas, lots of inspiration, just need to decide where to start.  But first, I think I’ll finish up all the small quilts waiting to get onto Big Bertha.

Happy, happy finishes!                  Blessings, Peg

Bin # 3

Emptied!!!

Surprise project # 2 is almost ready for the quilter, just have to get the backing ready.  Because it’s a surprise – here’s a glimpse of a final planning stage:

 

Have I got you intrigued yet?  Well, sorry, but the final reveal is a few months down the road.  But the time will come.  And I promise no more teasers!  I just have to let you all know that I’m not sitting around here twiddling my thumbs!  LOL

So now that the big projects are well under way, and the BOM’s are all caught up, I’m tackling a couple of little ones that have been sitting patiently waiting my attention.  Pictures soon, I promise!

On the home front, all is fairly quiet, and we spend a lot of time talking about and planning for our big cross-Canada trip in the summer.  A graduation in June locally, a 50th birthday party in June in northern BC, a 100th-year celebration in July (birthday is in December so we’re celebrating early so we can all go) in Alberta, a wedding in August in Nova Scotia, a wedding in September locally here, our 40th anniversary in October – a big year of celebrating ahead of us.  So it’s good to have some quiet time, and get some quilting done.  Big Bertha has had a few days’ rest, so I think I’ll put my last scrap quilt on her today, and get that started.

Happy quilting times and party times!              Blessings, Peg

Do you see what I see

With 1 big project complete, and another well on its way, I took some time out yesterday to catch up on BOM’s.

The Quilting Canadians group on the Quilt With Us Forum is doing its second annual BOM.  This year, several of us are taking turns choosing the blocks for each month, and fabric choices are individual.  My choice was to do a blue-and-white – just because.

The March block pattern sat ignored while I concentrated on the bigger projects, so when I sat down with these yesterday, I got both March and April done, March first.  As I completed March, called Chisholm Trail, I took it to the design wall to put it with January and February.  Uh oh!

On the left – January and February blocks, on the right – March.  It’s okay, but………….I neglected to check the size of the block before I started cutting and sewing, and guess what!  The first two blocks are 9 1/2”, the third – 12 1/2”.  Oh, what to do!  I now have to decide if I can incorporate it as is, or if I’m going to have to make another block.  And all those HST’s.  After the last couple of months of making hundreds of those little dickens, not so sure I want to tackle that right now.  Sigh!  Anyway, I went on to make the April block:

And here’s the four of them together:

My hand must be shaky tonight – just can’t seem to get a nice sharp picture, but you get the idea!

Lesson learned – make sure your blocks are all the same size, or be prepared………….

 

Second BOM is the one our LQS is teaching, a Marti and Me class, using templates for cutting out triangles and flying geese.  Here’s March block, just in time to take it to the next class:

It’s call Grandfather’s Favorite Wheel, and I think I can almost see that wheel spinning.

 

A few more days, and my second big project should be done and ready for quilting, then I can work more on learning to use the mid-arm and getting better at that, as well as tackle a few smaller projects I have in mind.

Happy BOMs                    Blessings, Peg

Welcome Spring!

And a belated Happy Easter greeting to all of you!

It was a wonderful weekend, filled with sunshine, family, friends, memories – and of course honoring the death and resurrection of our Lord.

Unbelievably the sun shone almost all weekend, and we had opportunity to get out and enjoy it with walks around a nearby lake, as well as barbecuing our Sunday dinner.  Grizz caught sight of this big beauty just outside our back door:

 

Dinner and cards with friends, dinner with family – pure pleasure.  A couple of the younger set thought this would be a good way to settle their meal:

As you can see we relegated them to the outdoors for just such an activity!

Earlier in the week, we all had received this in the mail:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not a surprise of course, but brings the reality of our son’s up-coming wedding a little closer.  We’re all really excited – and Grizz and I plan to make the trip to Nova Scotia in our trailer, and enjoy the beauties of our country coming and going.

In the meantime – 384 of these:

Metamorphosed into these:

Another step forward for surprise project # 2 (#1 is on its way to the quilter this week).

And spring is definitely in the air, finally.  The lilacs and roses are budding, the tulips are pushing their way out of the ground, the windows outside are washed.  All feels beautiful and wonderful and glorious!

Praise the Lord!                       Blessings, Peg