Fond 'good-bye' to the "Purple Pig"

In everything, there is a season.

This week, saw the end our our time with the trusty Purple Pig. It was getting beyond the point of putting more $$$ in repairs. So, Peter had to start looking for another truck to take it's place.




After several expeditions to various car lots, and many hours of research on the Internet (yes, by Peter!) a new candidate was found.

Peter tested it to make sure that it would hold a water tank for the all important 'hauling of water' and after some pretty crafty negotiations on his part, the Purple Pig was traded in on a silver 2003 Ford F150 4x4 with a 'short' box.

Welcome to Peter's new toy. It is the same color as our Ford Taurus, so now we have a matching set.

Quilting :)

Quilting - it's what I love to do.

I have been quilting for about 10 years now and have lots of quilts. Many have been given as gifts. Many are personal favourites. I have quilts on all the beds; quilts at each sofa and easy chair; quilts on the walls; table runners; place mats; pot holders; hand bags and I keep making more.

I keep looking for new things to learn in the world of quilting and keep trying to get better and better at the craft. In the process I have taken various classes and joined quilt guilds. When we moved to 'the County', I joined the Prince Edward County Quilters' Guild and became involved with the guild.

I helped design the new Membership Brochure. It turned out very well and was put to use at the 2010 Quilt Show. I also assisted with the quilt show by helping with the set up of the show and running the cash desk for quilt sales. I was also encouraged by members of my new guild to put a couple of quilts in the show as well as submit them for judging.

What a scary prospect! I didn't think my work was ready for that. So thinking that I really had nothing to loose, I entered 2 quilts. The first was a queen-size log cabin quilt in a classic barn raising arrangement. It is in wonderful country colors of deep red, dark green and tan for contrast. It was a Christmas gift for Peter, so I had to get his permission to enter it. You can imagine how concerned he was that it would be leaving the house for almost a whole week! I hand quilted it while recovering from foot surgery. It took over 100 hours of quilting time. Imagine my surprise and Peter's delight when I won a big red "First Prize" ribbon in it's category.

The second quilt I entered was really brave of me. It is one I designed myself to fit in our new home here in the County. It is a wall quilt with a center medallion of a pineapple, the international symbol of 'Welcome'. It is surrounded by 'flying geese' blocks to represent all the birds we see here and the four corner stars are in colors representative of the four seasons. Green for spring; yellow for summer; red for autumn and icy blue for winter. It was hand quilted too! I was shocked to see a blue "Second Prize" ribbon on it.

The competition was pretty tough - all very seasoned quilters, so I am still in awe of my prizes. Needless to say - Peter is extraordinarily proud of his 'prize winning' quilt and I doubt he will let it out of the house again soon.

I also displayed my "Death by Chocolate" Quilt. It is a family favourite and especially loved by all our daughters. The guild members also really liked it, so I was persuaded to include it in the show.

I'm still quilting and still having a wonderful time.....and am still involved with the guild.

Just thought you would like to know! :)