A fun Christmas

Our Christmas included giving this quilt and an apron to our son's fiancee. She kind of expected the quilt but hadn't seen it, but didn't expect the apron. What fun to watch her face...

She wanted lots of flowers, white with pastels. While it was a challenge to find flowers in November, a local shop had this panel with a few fat quarters to match in a kit -- only one left. Fun to make for a charming and fun-loving young woman who is also smart and keeps surprising us. How delightful to surprise her!

Finally. . .

My hubby was thirteen days before he got the one little red line instead of two. He is still coughing a bit, but back to his normal self. We have been busy with catching up.

I did tell you about three finishes. I can only put two of them here as the other is a Christmas surprise for a special person. It will be posted next week. Here are the two little ones. They were leftover panels from the large quilt already posted. The first used up most of the remaining border print of small lighthouses, plus the blue I used for sashing. The red came out of my stash of scraps.

The second used up more leftovers. Feels good. I quilted them very simply as can be seen.

The picture below these is a runner that quickly went together for our living room coffee table. It matches the blue decorations used this year. I usually alternate with red/gold, but enjoy the blue ones the most. Anyway, it used up some blue Christmas fabric scraps, so that feels good too.

Below that is a top. It goes to our guild charity division. I called the person who chairs it and she said: "Make tops. We have lots of volunteers to longarm quilt them, and you have too much to do..." I wanted to hug her on the phone. Anyway, this was four orphan blocks plus a few fabrics that matched them and only one fat quarter from my stash. It is about 50" square and was fun to make. I used strip sets to make the piano key border, just as much sewing but seems to go quicker and straighter than sewing all the "keys" individually.

While all this was happening, I decided to get serious with scrap sorting. I tried various options until realizing that I work best with color, so took the orphan blocks and patterns and sorted them according to colors that would work together to make a quilt inspired from that small piece. That is, each will be improv using what I like as a color combo. It will be easier to see when I start posting them!!

In the meantime, Christmas. Almost ready. Parcels all wrapped under the tree. Stockings getting fatter by the hour. Cookies in tins and jars. Salmon ball made (our son must have that appetizer). Roasted nuts today. Kids are making dessert but I want to make one too. Turkey is thawing. Veggies bought fresh today. Singing carols without even thinking about it. I love it that God sent His Son to be our Savior and this day coming soon is about that amazing gift -- and about being with those we love. 

It is really cold here, and really white. Yesterday way -34C when I got up with a windchill of -41C. But we have a warm house and garage, and a full pantry, and are thankful for so many blessings.

May your Christmas be filled with joy and peace.

No pictures this week...

 I recovered from Covid in five days. Then hubby tested positive and the battle began. He has a compromised immune system. His doctor was worried and put him on a medication that could cure him or kill him. The cough and lack of sleep took their toll. He was disoriented at times and lost some hearing. The cough medicine that might help is sold out everywhere. Even A...zon couldn't deliver until January. BUT after a scary twelve days, hubby tested negative on Monday. We were shocked and rejoiced. Then one of our pastors found some of the cough medicine and brought it over. We cried at his loving care. So now we are resting lots BUT...

I also got a 70 x 80 top done, and two little quilts quilted, bound and labeled. Just haven't had time to take pictures or do much else. Had to go for groceries today and it was -30C this morning. No fun out there, but the pantry and frig are full and now I need a good long sleep. Back soon, I hope.

No post this week...

 Don't know where or when or from whom, but I was given the Covid virus this week. Mostly like a severe cold (without a runny nose) combined with a massive dose of sleeping pills, so at this point, I am sleeping lots. My hubby is taking good care of me yet keeping distance and we are both hoping he stays well.

I have nothing sewn to show or tell except I had one lovely dream about designing patchwork. Also missed the trip to the coast to deliver my GD's quilt. We were both disappointed that this will now have to wait until a later time. 

Oh, I have about 36 scrappy blocks in light & medium blues, all 8.5 inches. Six more set out to sew and then need to figure out a layout. Have a nice yardage for sashing if I decide to use it. And that just about empties the blue scrap bin (other than the darks, but they are cut into squares, so next on the list.

Lighthouses finished

This one is done, just needs a label and a better photo. It was slow but enjoyable to quilt. I don't have a computerized longarm and rather than marking the motifs on each block, I marked them on Press 'n Seal, stuck that to the block, quilted the lines and then tore it off. Took about 20 minutes per block but didn't seem that long. The design was simple and easily done in one continuous line, except for the center. I had another alternate motif but didn't take a picture of it.

I had two lighthouse blocks left over so am using other leftover fabric to make table toppers. Not sure where this queen-size will go but glad to get it finished.

 

Granddaughter's Quilt

She wanted to be surprised, but when we chatted today on Messenger, she said she could stand it any longer, especially since she knew I finished it, so I had to hold up her quilt so she could see it. Now I can show it to everyone.

She sent me dozens of pictures of what she liked, many with water and various shades of blue. This delightful young woman is a teacher who lives in a coastal city. She loves helping people who struggle, but is also aware of her need to find a quiet place now and then. She asked for a lap quilt and told me to surprise her. I drew a scene, put her in it, and only had to buy one piece of fabric; an ombre with light to dark blue (sky and water). Each step found me clueless and asking God for wisdom and good ideas. I learned that I should do this all the time!

A Peaceful Place

This is about 60" square, backed with a lighter blue-green bubbly fabric. The binding is the same fabric as the left background trees. I didn't want thread play and make it stiff so asked the Lord for ideas to quilt it and did some free-motion never tried before. The figure represents dear GD but as I told her, it is not intended to be a perfect likeness. 

I'm very happy with this quilt and am anxious to finish the lighthouse one now on the longarm so I can make something for our son's fiancée who wants lots of flowers.

Bike and walking path, takes 15+ minutes to walk

Birch trees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still no snow where we are in western Canada. Just started freezing a couple of days ago. Such a lovely fall that some people are calling Hotumn. Here are some pics of a nearby walking trail taken 2-3 days ago.

 

Lighthouses

Someone gifted me with 6 yards of lighthouse panels. I was going to cut them up and make table runners, but didn't like the way they looked. So I cut them up and put them back together with some sashing between the blocks. There was enough trim to go all the way around as an outer border. It is big, about 90" x 92" or more. I ran out to the nearest fabric store and found a perfect backing. It is now on the longarm, batting on top of it, and waiting for me to have enough energy to finish the sandwich. It has been a busy week and I'm tired, but also procrastinating. Not fond of doing big quilts. I could not put the top on the design wall as it had a gift quilt up there, can't show it yet as it is a surprise. Anyway, here is a hint of one of the lighthouses. There are four different ones and the top is 4 x 5 blocks. The drawing is the quilting design, sort of a mariner's compass that can be done in a continuous line, sort of. I'm hoping to do each one tracing it like a pantograph. The border fabric is about 4.5 inches and I'm not sure how I will quilt it yet, but it will be simple.

Using Rulers

This quilt looks like a painting, but quilting a painting could involve a lot of thread work and I'd rather not. It is not a wall hanging and dense quilting would make it too stiff.

For this quilt, ordinary fillers do not work, and I didn't want to simply meander. So I've been praying a lot, working slowly, and listening and looking for ideas.

This is what came up for another group of trees. It is Angela Walters' quilting tool called "Taj" which is about 3-4" and gives this the look of a short, wide tree, yet points up. Since the thread is a bit lighter, the stitches show, but not too much. Double click on the photo for a closer look.

For what I wanted, it works. Thanks, Angela! (Just one of her videos, click here) I'm using a panto, free motion, and a few other simple line designs. It is taking a while but nearly done.

Trees from 'tree' fabric

 Using fabric that looks like trees and rocks sometimes works. It has to be the right scale and the right value. Since this quilt is a gift and a surprise, I'm showing only the trees. The first one had lots of overlapping tree trunks and shadows and could have been upside down in places. However, I trimmed the top and sides in tree shapes and stitched it down and it looks like a stand of trees. 

The rocks were all over the fabric. I cut them as a 'pile' and turned down the top edge and sewed it very close to that edge. I did the same with the second photo, but used the backside of the fabric, first to give it more 'distance' but also to soften it. The trees were easier than the top photo.

As for the reflections, that was another fabric entirely. The top one was blurry like a reflection on wind-blown water. Some quilted 'ripples' should look okay on both reflections. This top is done, about 60" square. Deciding how to quilt it is my next challenge!

Work in Progress

It has been a busy summer. Our oldest is building a house in a wilderness spot and photos don't do it justice... so we travel a couple hours one way to see it. I'm almost jealous but more excited for them. We also took a trip to South Carolina to visit our daughter, hubby and all. It was wonderful. Our youngest lives in our city and we spent most of a day with him and his fiancee looking at a show home and eating. Besides those things, the usual visits with friends, our church activities, and now I'm a new member on our local guild board, so that's one big learning curve. A few quilters in our neighborhood have started a Bee Group, so that adds a new dimension. Also, have a work in progress on my table that is where my heart likes to sew, but it is a challenge turning a sketch/photos into fabric and making it work. This is a shot of part of it. 

The sky and background are done, sewn, along with about 6-8" of water. This shot shows the sky pinned to a wall and the rest on a table where I am auditioning and fiddling. There is about 24" or more water to go, then a sandy beach with rocks in the very bottom foreground. I've not a lot of perfect water fabric. Also planning to put a couple islands of trees in the sides. This is fun, but not moving very fast. I keep playing with it until the best ideas show up. I've a sketch to follow (loosely) and am not sticking strictly to it. 

We had a wonderful August, sunny and warm (needed AC most days) with cool nights. By far my favorite month. No signs of fall yet, but some report a bit of yellow here and there.Back too school showed up far too soon!

Three Finishes and many plans...

 Jessica's quilt is finished, was delivered, and well received. I'd asked her a few months ago about colors and favorite things. She said pastels, cats, horses, elephants, beaches, sunsets, wildflowers and her son Cayden. Enlarge the pictures and everything is there. I called it "Jessica's Heart" and it is about 64" square. The colors are truest in the sunset one on the right and below in the upper left one with the horses.

 

Before finishing it, I took all my tiny leftover bits of old florals from the third quilt when it was in the top but not quilted stage, and made a table runner. I'd already pieced the much larger quilt (see below) but wanted to used up ALL of those bits. It is old-fashioned but looks okay on the top of a black bookcase.

 

The floral one was totally a blast. I had lots of these old print, either scraps or fat quarters. On Jessica's quilt I learned that fast and easy way to make eight HSTs at the same time. So I did that with my scraps and wound up with dozens of HSTs that would finish to 2" and 3" and 4" and 6" so they would easily fit together. Also some squares in the same sizes and a few strips. I started in the middle and made it up as I went along. The colors are anything but true in this photo. 

Now this is not a quilt that everyone will love, but so far, everyone does. It is called "It Started Out Sane" and became a little crazy, but there are no bits of old florals left in my stash. How good that feels. It will likely go to a charity but right now I'm still liking to look at it. 

I've many project boxes and as many more plans, but had to purchase the latest fabric from Northcott called Soar, the Moody Blues line. Yikes, this is so beautiful. Click here for my favorite story, but others will carry it.

Longarm Ruler and Two on the go...

 I had (note past tense) a great batch of old-fashioned flowery scraps, small flowers, not the greatest to go with anything. However, I decided to use them up. I made as many HST as I could in the following sizes (finished) 2" - 3" - 4" - 6" making 8 at a time if possible. I wound up with a large pile. The leftovers were cut into squares in the same sizes, and the narrow pieces became piano keys. The design wall became a puzzle board and starting with a square, I built a design that balanced, at least most of it, and used up all that pile! Some will be on the back because the backing fabric (also flowers) is a tad short. The leftovers filled that space. It turned out about 70" square and is ready for the longarm. Those who have seen it, love it. Even hubby. Yikes, this feels good. Photo soon. 

Also, Jessica's quilt is on the longarm and I cannot show it yet --- it is a gift. We plan on delivering it in a couple weeks.

However, I'm doing some in the ditch quilting and thought I should put you on to a ruler that makes this incredibly easy. Best ruler I have for many uses. I got it from Judy Madson. LINK HERE and it is on sale right now. IF you longarm and avoid ditch work, this will change your mind! It has a nifty handle and great markings. See the photo.

 

It's a Jungle Out There

 This blog title is the name of a finish. It came out of a pile of leftovers from another top that isn't quilted yet. We have a loft decorated with an African theme but needed a lap quilt (big TV, recliner, etc.) It was fun to make. Not happy with the photo, but here it is, with a close up. Double-click to see it better.

Now I'm working on a pile of leftover floral prints, oldies but enough to make a bunch of HST with contrasting values. Not sure what will come of it, maybe just an empty scrap bin!!

Spring forward...

I finally decided to jump into free-motion on my longarm. Oh, I can do meander, leaves, simple stuff, but never tried anything too complex. Chicken. Hate to pick out mistakes. Lots of excuses. However, had this blue scrap quilt, mostly orphan blocks and decided it would make a good practice project. I decided to do something different in each block and change the pattern about every 20" in the piano key borders. Some areas are not very pretty. Others surprised me. I have more confidence now. Oh, I used rulers in places, but need practice with those also. It is still on the machine with a few blocks left to go and the final border. Here is a close-up.

We are enjoying spring, finally. The weather is still a bit iffy, with frost warnings after sunny days, but nothing near our home. The spring blooming trees smell heavenly and the grass is getting unruly in the boulevards. We saw two very large wild bunnies playing in the park, almost like two puppies would play. DH planted some daylilies this afternoon. I had a long nap. The older I get, the more I want to sleep... or is it this darn pacemaker that slows to 60 when I'm not doing much and I just think I'm sleepy? Anyway, the flowers are in an he is going to have a nap too.

 Yes, I have not been posting much, but finished four quilts last week, so that might explain it. On a whirl... use all that fabric before I die? something like that. Here are some pictures. All of them are going to charity or have already gone:

Purple Patches, a lap size leaving me with only a little bit of purple scraps. It is 50" x 50"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Count the Kittens, leftovers from Jessica's Heart (which is not finished yet. The top is done but not sandwiched etc.) This was fun to put together. I had lots of the little squares that did not fit in the bigger quilt and a few odd shapes. Added only the sashing and some of it also came from Jessica's quilt.

The smaller one is a close-up of the cats and it is a child's size. Lots of fun and no cat fabric left...none! But I do have more leftovers from that bigger quilt so will be making more this size from them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below is Purple Squares in Squares. I published it before but the color was awful. Someone else took this picture and it is much better. It is a twin-size. Hopefully, someone will like purple!

This is the back of the one above. I used almost all my scraps and this is lots more fun than piecing or using a wider fabric for the back.

This is called Busting the Blues. It is also a twin-size. I had enough blue left to make a lap quilt. I'll load it on the longarm this afternoon. The color is not really true in this picture. I need an outdoor space to take photos!

Speaking of outdoors, I planted 3 big planters with new flowers and added to the soil from the few others that survived over winter in our garage... and on the same day took my hubby to the local air museum to celebrate our anniversary (51). He is an airplane nut, and I am not, but it was our first-time there and we were both impressed. Very interesting history in our city. His gift to me was the week before -- to our city's new library -- also amazing!

Hubby is on a business trip so I am purging closets and other spaces. Feels good. We have a city recycle place that takes everything but books and electronics. People go there for craft stuff, etc. I just found out that they welcome batting bits and narrow strips etc. that we quilters often don't know what to do with. My big bag is already packed full for a trip there in a day or two.

Finally, another finish...

I've been quilting every day (almost) but seems as if the 'finish' eludes me. Today, I took a photo of this one that was done yesterday. It is indoors so the purple is not as purple as it should be. Too cold and windy to try it outside.

Anyway, this was a scrap-buster. Almost a third of the backing is improv using up the purples that didn't make it to the front. The panto to quilt it is called Soho, easy even fun to do. My hubby is not a lover of purple but he says he likes this one. It is about 56" x 72" so a lap-size and will go to Quilts of Valour, the Canada version.

I'm also working on more scrap-busters. The blues are being used and so are the leftovers from the post in this picture. That top is done but my design wall is so busy that I have no place to to put it for a photo. I've also finished the top from the kitten fabrics, big enough for a crib or to wrap a small child in, and used up every last bit of that fabric. Again, not had time to take photos. Excuses, excuses. Why is it that the older a person gets, the longer it seems to take to do stuff that was quick and simple a few years ago. Sigh.

Most Loved . . .

 I've been working on a very busy quilt for a very special person. It is mostly 4" pieces in blocks just a tad over 21" and based on the things she loves. I've been having lots of fun. This picture shows the 9 blocks, not sewn together and the lower right one is not finished. Also, I'll be moving the blocks around when they are sewn. Right now, I'm still exchanging squares etc. to get an arrangement that pleases me. I also plan to add a sashing, which will help with the busyness. More photos later when it is closer to being done.

Two Finishes

Finally finished two projects. This 'tree of life' is quilted now and ready to go back to our guild. I was given the blocks and told "make something from these" but it took me a long time to decide how to quilt it. It is about 72" square. I call it Almost Autumn.

This is a gift, but doubt the recipient is checking my blog so feel safe to post it. I saw similar patterns online but drafted my own versions to suit the amount of fabric I had. The place mats and table runner might only get used once or twice a year, but the colors are striking and although I am Canadian, I love the American flag.

Today I finished a sampler block to see if I like it enough to make nine of them for a bigger quilt. It took about a day, lots of cutting and piecing. It is 21" so nine will make a good sized quilt. I get bored easily with repetition but each of the nine blocks will be slightly different, so will go for it. My sample is not quilted yet, so will post it in a day or two.

 

Our winter persists, but the sun shines most days. We still have a bunny sleeping by our back door most days and lots of ice in parking lots. Most of the sidewalks are bare. Need to get back outside soon before cabin fever sets in!

Orphange is done...

Orphanage in Blue top is finished. I've not cut any binding yet. I have made four more large blocks and will add sashing from my stash to make a lap quilt. The rest of the leftover scraps are being cut into squares and strips, likely enough for two baby quilts, all this from a small box of scraps. I'm feeling a bit like the little boy who gave Jesus five loaves and two fish to feed several thousand people!

The leftovers will soon be in plastic bags labeled by size and back in the blue scrap box. I've other things to do and don't want the 'blues' to take over my mood!

Also, this picture is indoors, so again, the colors are not the greatest, at least on my screen.

Btw, I love piano key borders, especially on these scrap-busters!

Need a pep-talk? Try this!

"Orphange in Blue"

The blues are not done with me yet. Here is a photo of the leftovers at this point

All of this plus the quilt posted yesterday came from the little box in the middle of the table (except the backing on the right) and then I found a drawer of 'orphan' blocks, added the ones with blue in them and started making another one. So far this other one is nearly done and still have this table full of bits. They may not survive to go into a third quilt!

As for the second one, it is partly sewn, about 2/3 from the bottom, with two loose rows down there that need to be attached. They look like a step right now. The top part is just a mishmash. I'll be moving things around and may find another orphan or two to fit in rather than sewing stash bits to fill in between the blocks. It needs more lighter tones. I've three more piano key borders ready to go on the top and sides. 

Two quilts from a small box: one is a large twin and this one is going to be about 66" square.Yes, there is enough left for a baby quilt, but not sure I'll do it. Right now, I'm still having fun!