What is a Domestic Moose?

Today over at Sweet as Cinnamon, she wants to know about your (and my) blog names and you could win a moda charm pack for answering.  (Also, HI!  I'm back after a really busy summer and will soon have pictures and an update from the quilt retreat way back in May.  Once I find my camera - we're moving and everything is kind of in boxes.)

Anyway, back to the current blog post - what is my blog name and why. 

A few years ago, I signed up for a wedding website.  My usual online names were taken so I had to find something new.  I tried again and again for something that wouldn't force me to remember a series of numbers - because I just won't.  Finally, I stopped and stared at my wall - which conveniently had a calendar on it.

The picture was a moose.  Wading.  Voila - wadingmoose was born.  I got to be known by that in a couple of online locations and made some pretty good friendships.  When I started my quilt blog, I wanted to keep the moose and just replaced Wading with Domestic because that's what the blog would be about - my domestic side.

Strangely enough, it's still a name that was available.  I can't imagine why!

Packed for quilt retreat

Packed for quilt retreat, a photo by wading moose on Flickr.

Off for the weekend to a quilt retreat. Here's my IKEA box packed up with three projects, a fat quarter for the giveaway and just a bit of thread.

I do realize that three projects is a bit ambitious. To be honest, I've got three and I haven't a clue what I want to work on so there ya go.

I wanted to pack my scrap basket as well, but I've convinced myself not to.

Here's what I'll be working on.

12+2=Q from Oh Fransson!

A Christmas Hunter's Star

I need to move some of the gold around a bit, there will be a 2" red border and a 4" green border added to this.  Just need to sew up the blocks and add the borders.

And finally Two of a Kind

Everything is cut out.  This is going to be the bulk of my sewing for the weekend, I'm sure.

All of that is folded up into a box from IKEA in that first picture.  Each project has it's own bag and the pattern or the magazine is underneath.  I feel so organized which means I'm going to forget SOMETHING important.

First stop tomorrow is a quilt shop to pick up a chocolate solid to finish off the Oh Fransson pattern.  Then off I go.

I'm going to a quilt retreat!

Why yes, I am excited.  It's my first retreat with my Mom's quilt guild and it's in a week and a half.  First off, I'm going to have to travel, so Mom has suggested that I pack light - in other words - leave the cutting board and rulers at home.  Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay.  But what if I need them?  To, I don't know, straighten a block?  Trim something?  Slit my wrists after spending an entire weekend with Mom?  (Kidding. I would never)

She assures me that I can use hers if I need to, but suggested that I have everything cut before I get there.  That?  Makes sense.  It makes perfect sense.  So this week (and this weekend) I'm in prep mode.  Last night I pressed a bunch of fat quarters that'll get cut (maybe even tonight) in preparation for a quilt I've been eyeing since 2008 (if the date on the front of the magazine can be trusted)

I need to cut out borders for my hunter's star quilt.

I read the instructions for this owl applique quilt and decided that I clearly need an engineering degree to follow her bizarre instructions so I set it aside for a weekend not filled with other people.  When I read them, all I can think is, "Ok, but why?"  Which sucks because I love the pattern.  It's just so cute.

And I realized I need to get looking at supplies I'll need.  For example:  Thread.  I. Need.  Thread.  Even if I wasn't sneaking off for a weekend of sewing, I need thread.  I'm completely out of thread.  No wonder I haven't been sewing at all lately.

I need batting for a 60" x 80" quilt.

I need to be realistic about what I really can finish in a weekend away.  Because part of me wants to pack up everything quilty that I own.  You know.   Just in case I don't want to sew on borders.   Or sew up that batik quilt that's been calling me for 3 years.

Maybe I'll pack some books in case I don't want to sew.

I am still quilting

Not a lot of progress, but I'm building a pile of christmas hunter star blocks.

Slowly.  the pile in the back are together and pressed, I just need to get this last pile in the front made up.  Soon.

Postage Stamp Quilt along - top DONE!

So, it's been awhile since I updated.  I just haven't been quilting or taking pictures like I should be.  I finally got Mr. Moose to hold up the postage stamp quilt from the quilt along so I could get a good picture.

I'm pretty happy with this AND it's got a home.  My Mother in Law (MIL) seemed very interested when I described it to her.  Unless I decide to keep it myself because it looks awfully great on my red furniture.

I'm not sure why the photo is blurred, but there you have it.

I did have to trim up the blocks when I was done thanks to uneven strips.  Here's a shot of the trimmings.

I just love how bright and colourful this quilt ended up being.

Random post of randomness

Well, it's been a week since I posted last.  I have finished up my postage stamp quilt top.  It looks rainbow-riffic, but you'll have to take my word on it.  Taking pictures of it last weekend took a backseat to some other stuff.

The big thing that happened last weekend was a friend's 40th birthday.  It's kind of a strange friendship that I'll try to explain.  Mr. Moose and I play World of Warcraft.  For what it's worth, this here is my character

Ok.  so there you have my dirty secret.  I'm a quilting, gaming geek.  It does have something to do with the rest of this post, I swear.  (Also, I'm not that angry)

In Warcraft, you can play in guilds.  Basically a guild is a group of other people playing the game.  The guild we're in, everyone is in because of personal connections to someone else in the guild which means most of the people actually live in our city, or not far away.

The birthday party we attended was for one of our guild members.  I'll call him Thirsty.  Mr. Moose and I had not met Thirsty (or any of the rest of the guild) before this.  Hello - most awkward blind date I've ever been on.

It was so much fun.  It was at a bowling alley in the city and we met four people we've only talked to online (almost daily) for the last two years.  I was hugged by all of them.  Of course I started the night off sober.  Normally I'm not a touchy feely person.  I like my personal space thank you very much.  When Dex approached me and gave me a hug, my thought process was something like this: "What the?  A hug? Noooooooooo!"  But of course I hugged him in return.  Ditto Nacht.

By the end of the night when Yerok and Thirsty wanted hugs?  My thought process was this:  "Woo hoo! Hugs!"

So, you may have guessed that much happened between the first two hugs and the last.  Several hours and a lot of vodka, in fact. 

Which is why there are no pictures of my postage stamp quilt top.  I don't get painful hangovers.  Mainly because I make sure I drink plenty of water before I go to bed.  It took me until 4am to feel like I'd had enough water to compensate for the dehydrating alcohol.  I got up about 4 hours later at 8 am.  I spent a very fuzzy and lazy day.  VERY fuzzy and lazy.  Taking pictures of a bright and colourful quilt just wasn't even on my radar, which I regret now since I love it so much.

It didn't stop me from stopping Mr. Moose on his way to bed at 2am on Sunday morning to hold up the quilt I'd sewn up Saturday morning to make him look at it.  It's got his approval, if that helps.

A fantastic tip from another blogger

As you may know, I'm "working on" a flying geese quilt.  In all honesty, I was, until I realized how many small squares I would have to draw diagonal lines on and then sew.  Line after line after line.  It became daunting so I kinda stepped away and started working on other things.  Until now.

A Little Bit Biased had a FANTASTIC tip she posted today.  Go, check it out.  You'll thank me.  Or her.  You should probably thank her.

Tuesday Tricks

Myself?  I'm considering setting up a shrine in her honor.  Should I ever get a sewing room that is.