about time for a post

Tomorrow the next block of Barbara Brackman's applique block of the month comes out.  I can't wait!  Since my last post I have completed 2 blocks.  Here is block #3 - it was a quick and easy block.

 And block #4 - a fun one with lots of berries.  I used dimes for starch prepping the berries which worked really well.

 Here are the first 4 blocks together.  They haven't been trimmed down yet so there's extra background in this picture.  With 5 more blocks to be released I want to wait a bit before deciding on what to do for borders.   

 I've made several more tree blocks.  Just 3 more to stitch and I've decided to set them with this wonderful green fabric.

 I actually ordered the green to use to set these 'star a day' stars but I think its perfect for the trees and I still have dozens more stars to make so another fabric will come along and be just right for the stars.  My star production is more like a star a week so there's lots of time...

 I received my Bird of Paradise quilt back from it's travels to Houston and Chicago.  The box and acid free tissue were just perfect for boxing up my Lily quilt which is making its way to Houston for the show this fall.  I was pretty pleased to have another quilt accepted.

 And the big news around here is that my DD#2 graduated from High school.  I am so proud of my beautiful and gracious daughter.  She plans to attend university next year here in Calgary and I'm so glad she's not moving away just yet. 

 

Happy Quilting!!

Summertime finished!

This is another big finish for me.  I've been calling this quilt Summertime because of its bright happy colors.  It's a large quilt at 92 x 106 inches so it is difficult to get a picture of the whole thing.  Here you can see a little more than half of it hanging over our deck railing.  There is just a little bit of melting snow to the right of the quilt - it feels like spring :0)

 

 I finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago and we started using it right away. It was time to change out the duvet and this quilt was ready to go.

 I dithered about what to quilt in the wide border.  I had finished the center part last summer and then got stuck.  I finally decided to go with my usual - feathers.  Feathers quilt up so quickly with free motion quilting.  It needed a few straight lines as well to fill in.

 The binding was debated a bit.  A couple of quilty friends did not think this was a good choice. The blue was hard to match and the fabrics from the top long gone from the shops.  I found this bright pretty blue and I'm very happy with it.  Not much shows when the quilt is tucked in anyway. 

 I love waking up to all this feathered texture and the bright happy colors.  Started in June of 2015 - it is good to have it finished and in use.

I finished my second block from Barbara Brackman's applique sew-a-long.  I changed it a bit from the pattern given.  The big feather was a fun challenge to stitch in 2 fabrics.  I have just started Block #3  It's exciting to see the new block appear on the Civil War Quilts blog on the last Wednesday of the month. 

 I have also got back to making a few more of these tree blocks.  I had enough but I enjoy making them so much I thought a few more couldn't hurt :0)

So there won't likely be any more big finishes for awhile but that's ok.  I like having a good variety of projects to work on. 
Happy Quilting!

sticking at current projects

I haven't had much time to post but I have been sewing.  Nearly everyday progress is made on one or more projects. 

 These are all of my stars for my Star a Day quilt.  Kyle recently posted her finished star a day quilt on her blog Timeless Reflections  and I just love it.  I have to keep going on this if I want to make a quilt of any size.  So far I have 72 stars.

These 2 got stitched up last weekend.  

 

I finished block #7 for my Radical rose and Reel quilt. 

 

I made a few more tree blocks.  I will make 3 more and then figure out a setting for them. 

Yesterday I finished free motion quilting the blocks in this large quilt.  The straight lines in the sashing will go quickly I hope.  I have not figured out the quilting for the border yet.

More handquilted feathers happened too.  I'm almost all the way around.  I will be thrilled to get this quilt finished but the border background fill has to happen yet too. 
Progress is slow but finishes are on their way... eventually...  :0)

Happy Quilting!!

free motion quilting



Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends.  

I was so pleased with this little pumpkin that I grew in the garden I wanted to share a picture.  I've never tried to grow pumpkins before - the squirrels chewed off all the other little ones that started but they never found this one hiding in the rhubarb :0)  Pretty soon it will be time to put out Christmas decorations so this little guy will get cut up and used.

 

 I finished all the blocks for a quilt for my son recently. The pattern is Just Toasty by Betsy Chutchian.  I wanted to make the quilt super long so it would stay tucked in on my son's extra long bed so it was a lot of blocks to sew. 

 Of course I had to play a bit before I sewed them together :0)

 This was the arrangement in the pattern and its what my son wanted.

 I added borders to frame it and to make it a little longer and wider yet.  It's really long!

On Tuesday I managed to get it pin basted and yesterday I started quilting it.  It's going so well and I'm so very happy with my Juki machine.  The extra size of the opening makes it so easy to maneuver and it is much easier to free motion quilt with this machine than with my old one.  The bottom tension is perfect everytime. I'm doing a fairly simple boxy pattern in the squares and not too dense - I want it to be soft and comfortable to sleep under.  I hope to get this finished soon so he can use it!  (And, because I promised myself I could do the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt this year if this quilt was nearly done ;0)

 

I made a bag last week too.  I used a French General Moda candy pack.  I was pleased it went well with this brown fabric because it has names of Jesus on it and the bag is for carrying my Bible to church, Bible study, etc...

 I free motion quilted it a little denser - fun and a good warm up project for my son's quilt.

 I'm starting to get a small forest of these trees - pieced for fun every once and awhile.  No clue how I'm going to set them.  I'm just going to keep making them until I get tired of them and then I'll decide.

 I was delighted to win this giveaway prize from Barb at Fun with Barb  I was most interested to read the Quilt Study seminar booklet.  One day I would LOVE to go to a seminar.  It was great to read about the offerings and tours.  I love Barb's blackbird cards and the fabric very much too :0) 

Happy Quilting!!

a summer post

Summer is my favorite season and it always goes by way too fast!  I've been busy with my kids but a few stitches have been taken as well.

I took some time away from more current projects to sew up another Tree of Life block. These are so fun to plan and stitch.

 Here are the first 4 blocks for my guild challenge quilt.. I'm still thinking about the bright yellow in the Wandering foot block.  It's pretty powerful and I'm considering appliqueing another fabric (the red) over part/most of the yellow. What do you think? I like the yellow with the navy but its a little overpowering. I have to wait until September for the next theme.

 We went to Kelowna to visit my parents last week.  I made this napkin holder for my Mom.  It's good for holding napkins outside so they don't blow away in the breeze. 

 My husband and I had a chance to go out for lunch at a nearby winery.  The view from the restaurant is so beautiful.   It was pretty smoky from northern BC forest fires while we were there.  Normally the lake is a gorgeous blue but I was happy that we could at least see the lake that day.

 I finished making my 36 patches into blocks a few weeks ago.  I am now rethinking my setting options... again.  I think I'd like to add some pretty sashing but I can't quite find the right print.  This is one I have in my stash which I like the best so far.  In the fall I will get back to this project.  And in the meantime on my summer travels, who knows what fabric I might find?

 

I also keep working on blocks for my son's quilt. Hand quilting my Bird of Paradise quilt is nearing completion.  And I started appliqué block #5 for Radical Rose and Reel.   Lots of projects keeps things exciting around here :0)

Happy Quilting!

something old feels new

The first time I posted about these blocks was April of 2010 (I just checked)  Wow I sure like to work on things sloooowly!  These 36 patch blocks have been a leader/ender project on and off all that time. This weekend I thought I'd take them out and count how many blocks I had. As it turns out, I have 88 blocks made.  I figure that's enough - on to what to do with them!

I thought about just setting them side by side and make a postage stamp quilt. The squares finish at 1 inch - but I wasn't excited about doing that.   I had a fairly big piece of this red that I had bought for another project that went a different direction and I think it works just great with these blocks. 

So now I have a setting in mind.  I'll make a dozen or so blocks like these 2 and then set them with sashing using more of the 36 patches.  I could just leave it to work on as a leader/ended project but maybe it should get some dedicated time after all these years to get to a finish. 



 

So probably I won't be making so many of these Tree of Life blocks in the next while.  They sure are fun to sew :0)  It's good to have lots of projects going at once - it keeps things interesting :0)  but sloooow...

 

Happy Quilting!

a new year a new project

It's been 2017 for a while now.  I've been pretty busy but still a little stitching happened since Dec 12 of last year :0)

 

We decided to do a little renovation to our basement family room.  My sewing area is in that room so it got mostly packed up until the drywall dust settles. I just had to still sew so a small space was made in my bedroom to sew with my little Singer featherweight.  I received the Patchwork Diva's book "Treasury of Quilts" for Christmas and wanting to start something new, I pulled a few fabrics out of bins and made these 3 trees.  It was lovely to sew in my bedroom with so much natural light but it will be good to move back into my bigger space downstairs.

 

 A while before Christmas I managed to get these signature blocks together.  I have the borders cut but with my sewing area so dusty and 1/2 packed away I haven't yet designed or started the applique.  I went without appliqueing for a few weeks and then - suffering some withdrawal - I started on the fourth block of my Radical Rose and Reel.  Wow, did that feel good - I missed it so much - lol!

 

Instead of applique, over Christmas I worked on this EPP project.  It grew quite a lot. It was a good portable project to work on.

 

 This last project was a little one I started together with a friend.  I found the pattern in a magazine I have since returned to the library so I don't know who designed it or what the pattern is called.  I was intrigued by the blocks - made from 2 charm pack squares.  It's kind of small to use as a table runner so I will likely add on some applique and/or borders...

 I thought I'd show a close up of one block.

 

 Other than that, I worked a fair bit on my Bird of Paradise hand quilting.  I've nearly finished quilting the centre of the quilt but the borders will take a few months more.  I will try to get a picture of it to post next time.

Happy Quilting!!