Molly Malone

Me with Molly Malone.

She wheels her wheelbarrow

Thru streest wide and narrow

it's there that I met sweet

Molly Malone.

Ireland

We arrived in Ireland on Friday around 10am to beautiful sunshine.  It wasn't hard to find the bus into the city just had to look around a bit.  We got off downtown and had to get a second bus, within minutes it started to rain and came down like gangbusters.  We walked to the hotel in drizzle and then the rain stopped.  We checked in and the nice young lady at the desk asked if we would like some tea and a scone.  I have never tasted anything so delicious.  It was spread with whipped butter and raspberry jam and it melted in your mouth.  After a short nap and freshening up we went out for the afternoon and evening.

There was no more rain just a cool breeze.  We had decided earlier to go on "The Literary Pub Crawl", so glad that we did not miss it.  Two actors did skits about the Irish authors and playwrights and then toured us around a 6 block area stopping at 4 pubs and Trinity College.  Very interesting and lots of fun.  There were about 35 people in the group, young and old.  At the end there was a quiz and Lynda won a t-shirt for getting the most correct answers.  I gave her the answer to the last question:  Which Irish author also won an Oscar?  It was Shaw.

We are doing the hop-on-hop off today and stopped at the internet cafe so that we could let everyone know that we are fine and having a great time.

Peggy

We leave tomorrow for Ireland

Well, my suitcase and carry-on purse are packed and ready to go.  I think I have everything that I will need for the trip.  I probably have more than I need,  I always seem to pack too much.  The suitcase is the size of a carry-on but I will check it so that I don't have to be responsible for it during the trip.  I don't want to take anything larger then that as I have to haul it around Ireland with me.

I made a new small purse, the green one above, and am still deciding if I will take it or not.  I like the brown one that I made earlier  because it has 2 zippers, one under the flap and one on the back.  The little green one has a back pocket but I wish I had made a solid back and put a zipper on the back.  Next time!!  Hindsight is 20/20.  I guess that is what happens when you use a pattern but change it half way through and then incorporate your own design then you end up thinking that you should have done things just a little differently.  I should probably write down what I do and then come up with a pattern and hopefully be happy with it.

Peggy

Getting ready for Ireland

We are back from camp and now I have to get ready to go to Ireland on Thursday.  We finished the new shed except for some trim around it and the roof has to be shingled.  I forgot to take a picture of it, but it looks really good.  (You have to take my word for it, I guess.)  We made the door and hung it so it looks like a shed now.

I have to seriously start to get ready for our trip as we only have 4 days till we leave.  I will put everything I am taking in the spare room and then decide if I am taking it or not before the final pack of the suitcase.

The weather here has turned nice and cool.  The high today was 20C but very windy.  The temperature in Ireland is only 16-18C so I will be packing some warm clothes and gloves.  My hands always seem to be cold so gloves will come in handy.  I am also taking a long scarf to wrap around my neck and head if I need to keep warm.

Peggy

This has been quite a building year at the cabin.  We are building a new shed for the generator.  The weather has been unbearably hot these last few days but I only have a week before I leave for Ireland so we had to work on this new shed despite the weather. 

 We didn't get it finished as the grandchildren want to come for a visit so we came home to get supplies, do some laundry and pay some bills.  I don't know how much more we will get done as I like to spend some time with them and then there is also swimming and just having fun. 

Peggy

13 days to go

I did a practice pack today to see what I am taking to Ireland.  We want to take just a carry-on bag since we are taking the train and the bus in Ireland and we don't want to have to haul around large suitcases.  I got everything in and I still have room to expand my suitcase in order to bring home souvenirs.  There are a few incidentals that I have to add in and I will have to do that in the next few days so that I know exactly where I stand with what I am taking.

We have some tours and ideas for sight-seeing set up and I am putting together a booklet with important information to take with us.  We need train and bus schedules and Internet cafe locations to name a few.  We haven't booked any tours yet, we want to leave things open so that we are not tied down but we have some ideas about what we want to see and do.

All our accommodations are booked.  We used a travel agent that we have used before and she booked everything through Royal Irish Tours.  It is so nice to know that have a place to put our heads each night and don't have to start looking for a B&B or hotel and then have to pay top price because we didn't book beforehand. 

We had originally thought that we would rent a car and drive through Ireland but decided that we would see more of the countryside if we took the train and bus.  We are visiting 6 cities.  They are Dublin, Donegal, Knock, Galway, Killarney and Cork.  We are spending our last night back in Dublin and will be staying at a different hotel and hopefully do a tour of the Wicklow mountains before saying goodbye to Ireland.

Peggy

The Tote Bag Fiasco

Lynda and I are going to Ireland in 3 weeks and I wanted a tote bag that I would carry with me during the day that I could put my coat, scarf and umbrella in, in case of inclement weather.  I started out designing one in brown and turquoise to match the clothes that I am taking.  I thought I would try a "disappearing 9 patch".  The only problem was that I forgot to allow for the seam allowance.  I cut the squares at 4 inches instead of 4 1/2 so the purse was too small.    So, I decided to make another purse and made the blue one, but it didn't match my clothes so I made a third tote bag.  The last one is the right size and colour. 

Now have I two more tote bags that I don't really need.  All three have zippers and internal pockets.  I am getting quite a collection of tote bags as I have many others also that I made just for something new to try.  What to do, what to do.

Peggy

This is a stain glass piece that my sister Lynda made for me.  It is called a Celtic Trinity Knot.  She started doing stainglass a few years ago but put it aside for a while and then just recently she got back to doing it again.  She has made a few large pieces and seems to enjoy it.  It is certianly a beautiful hobby, a lot like quilting, because you are designing and making something of your own creation.  Nice work Lynda.

Peggy

Taking Emma Home

I returned from taking Emma home on Monday, tired and happy to be home.  It was a long day as I had to sit in the airport for 4 extra hours because of mechanical problems.  I wouldn't have minded getting on that plane as I found out later that it was my son that fixed it.

When I got home my newly repaired car was waiting for me. It has that new car smell and is all fixed good as new. It took 2 weeks but it was worth the wait. I had a nice 2010 Escape that had many features that mine didn't have but I still like mine best.

I finished 2 more water bottle holders since I returned home.  One is for my daughter-in-law and the other for her mother.  The photo shows them as different sizes but if fact they are the same size.  I hope they like them.

I have to make myself a new purse for my trip to Ireland as the zipper opens the wrong way on the one I had planned to take.  I will look for some fabric to match some of the clothes that I am taking.  I'm sure I will be able to find some in my stash, all I need is the time to make it.  Four weeks tomorrow we will be heading to the Emerald Isle.

Peggy.

Painting the shed

We are home from the trip to the cabin.  We were gone 6 days.  The shed is painted and looks great.  Breanne, Kyle and Emma did a great job.  We found them old t-shirts to wear so that their clothes wouldn't get painted in the process.  After that there was time for fishing and swimming.  Emma caught her first fish so it was pretty thrilling.  She has been visiting us for 2 weeks now and has been having a great time except for the no-see-ums that have been biting her like crazy.  It must be that southern Ontario blood.  Every day we had great weather.  There is a large area in front of the cabin where they played soccer and badminton.  Some days it was too hot because the temperature reached 33C but mostly hovered around 25-27C, which is still too warm when you have no central air-conditioning to cool you off.  A good time was had by all.

Peggy

What a week it has been

What a week it has been!!!  My car and I collided with a bear on the way home from Joanne's birthday party and had a lot of damage done to the car but not to us.  My guardian angel was looking out for me for sure that day.  We got home okay but the mechanic at the body shop wouldn't let me drive it anymore.  So now I am driving a rental, same make as mine but way classier with leather seats and a sun-roof.

Then on the way to the cabin we got a stone chip in the windshield of the truck.  So now it will have to go into the shop to be repaired.

We had a horrific thunderstorm overnight and awoke to a flood in the bedroom.  I must of used about 20 towels to soak up the water that was pouring in from a leak in the roof.  We tore the wallboard off and part of the ceiling insulation in order to find out where the water was coming in.  That will be another big job that will need to be done to fix that up.  Next week we will be up there with the grandchildren but they want to have fun and not be doing major construction jobs.  We have a paint job lined up for them to do.  The new shed needs a paint job.  That should prove exciting.

Peggy

Baby Quilt for Janine

This is a baby quilt that I made for our niece Janine and her husband Peter.  They are expecting August 22, 2010.  I was so excited to hear the good news that I just had to make them a quilt.  I made it a while ago but couldn't post it until they had received it.  I wanted it to be a surprise and I didn't know who would be viewing this blog.  It is called Buggy Days from Fons and Porter Baby Quilts magazine dated Winter 2008.  I changed the layout of the buggys and pinwheels but kept the basic pattern the same as in the magazine.  I love the bright colours and since they won't know the sex of their baby until it is born I used a selection of colours that would be suitable for a girl or a boy.  Good luck Janine and Peter.

Peggy

Tote bag and purse

I made these 2 bags yesterday, the Dandy bag is for my sister-in-law's birthday.  We are going to London, ON to help her celebrate her 60th birthday on June 26.  I also made her a tablerunner that matches the bag. 

The Sew Sweet Satchel is a new purse for me for travelling.  I like the colours in the paisley pattern.  I think it will go with a lot of different things because of the multi-colours in it.  The fabric was left over from the backing for the Bear River Quilt.  I always make my straps adjustable on shoulder purses or over the body purses so that they can be used by anyone.

Peggy

The table runner and 8 placemats are finished.  The deck makes a good backdrop for them.  It looks like it should be for valentines day but really they are nice small red and white flowers.  I guess it could be a duel purpose set.

Peggy

I finished the binding on the Bear River quilt.  I think it turned out pretty nice.  It is 73 x 85 just a nice size for a double bed quilt.  The colours of the borders don't show up very good in the picture.  The brown is not a solid brown but almost a batik or shaded colour of brown. It took me over a year to get it together, and I am glad I finally got around to it. 

Peggy

Newly shingled roof

I haven't been able to do much quilting lately as we have been re-shingling the roof on our cabin (our getaway).  My son and his best friend came to help out.  It took a lot longer than they expected as they had to do a repair job on the front and back as the boards under the shingles were rotten.  It was a big job and they worked tirelessly on it.  When they finished that, they shingled the new shed that we are building.  We were so grateful for their help.  I was the chief cook and tried to feed them well as they were using a lot of energy those past 4 days. 

Peggy

Sew on Binding

I have the Bear River quilt back from the quilter and am busy sewing on the binding.  I hope to have it posted in a few days with a picture.

Peggy

What I have been working on

These are what I have been working on lately.  The larger green bag with the flowers is a bag to house my netbook.  I got a netbook for Christmas and wanted to protect it when travelling as it is really handy to take along on a trip.  I padded it with quilt batting but didn't quilt it.  The small green pouch is called "A Zippered Pouch"  I found it on http://projectsbyjane.blogspot.com/ and it is handy to store small things in.  The flowered pouch is called "Makeup Bag" and it is from http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.com/ .  I thought it would be a nice size for makeup in your purse or for travelling.

The long black bag is one of my creations.  It is a bag for my walking stick.  I have a walking stick that comes apart in 3 sections and telescopes together to use.  The stick has a spring loaded anti-shock mechanism and a thermometer and compass on the wrist strap.  It is very helpful in going down slopes, saving stress on the knees.  I wish I had it when we were in Italy in 2008 because of the hills in the town of Assisi.  It was very helpful in Spain last year. 

The small blue pouch is a water bottle holder.  I have made at least 6 of these for family and friends.  Notice the buckle on the strap.  That is not in the pattern but I like to make my straps adjustable so the the person wearing it can adjust it for their liking.  This pattern is from http://www.pinkchalkstudio.com/ .  I am so glad I found this pattern as it also is handy for travelling and keeping you hydrated without having to carry a bottle of water.  You just slip it in the pouch and away you go.

Peggy

I love Tablerunners

This tablerunner is a pattern called "Little Charmers III".  There are 3 patterns in the pamphlet.  I used Moda Charm Squares "Objects of Desire" and the fabrics from the same line for the background and backing.  It is very bright and summery.  I tried to do some free motion quilting but I am not very good at it.  I really think that I have to practice some more.  I usually use some of my fancy patterns on my Babylock Quilters Choice sewing machine instead of free motion quilting but this time I thought I would try something different.

Peggy

This new bag is called a dandy bag from Dandelion Quilts.  Her site is http://dandelionquilts.blogspot.com/  It is made a lot like the other tote bags that I make except that it has a nice band to separate the top band from the bottom of the bag.  I also put a few stitches in the bottom of the bag to hold the lining down so that it does not pull out of the bag.  It is a little tricky but it can be done with care.

Peggy