This 'squirrel' is not a squirrel at all!

Quilters have a name for a project that strikes our fancy and turns us away from everything we are working on. These "I must make this now" projects are "squirrels" - or various other names. I've been working on this one, which is not squirrels at all but five fine Dachshund dogs that used up a few of my scraps.

I did buy the background fabric after doing the design in EQ8, which told me I needed about a yard more then it really needed -- so it wasn't a scrap-buster because my stash became larger! Oh well, who is complaining. This light tan is just a joy to work with.

So are the pups! Fun to sew and put together. The head and tail sections are foundation paper-pieced and the middles are easy -- just had to find a bunch of scraps in each color range, cut the all the same size (2.5 x 5.5) and sew them together. A good test for my ability to do accurate 1/4" seams. Only the red and purple sets were a tad different, one slightly shorter and the other longer. An easy fix. I'll be putting a border all around to finish this top. Also found a pantograph of paw prints... no kidding. It will be used for the background. I'll stitch in the ditch around the dogs and haven't decided what to do with the rest. I do have eyes for these lovely mutts so will put them on before quilting it.

And I also found a backing fabric, brown and densely patterned with paw prints. How fun is that. At least if i botch up the quilting, it will not be noticed on the back. 😀

Just finish another top also, a panel for Basically Babies. I used the paw prints panto to quilt it, mainly to see if it was difficult. Not too much, so am more confident to put it in the Dachshund quilt on a plain background... still a bit scary though. No picture yet. Still have to put on the binding.

Hope everyone is well. Found out yesterday from the local newspaper that scientist have discovered that 30 minutes in the sun is 90% effective to destroy the Covid-19 virus. So less sewing and more gardening!

Copyright obtained for Canada 150 logo!

I applied for the license to use this Canada 150 logo on Quilts of Valour, and make the pattern available on my Etsy site. The copyright license from Heritage Canada came through in 3 days! 

Their massive documents were for websites, ads, and a host of other communication media, but they had no provision concerning quilt patterns. However, they gave me a license that is "world-wide, royalty free" to do as I asked, as long as I comply with a host of rules. Mainly that it has to look just like their design and use the same colors and color combinations, as well as putting Canada 150 (their font or Helvetica) somewhere, and putting the license number they gave me along with it.   

I will be putting the pattern on my Etsy site as soon as the directions are finished. Writing them is almost as difficult as making the sample as this logo did not lend itself to easy foundation paper-piecing. Here is my sample. 

The center stem is too wide, but I decided not to resew it. The colors work with the 'rules' and it is 12" finished. I love this design and applaud the young woman who created it!

Keeping Busy

I've been working on the Halo Medallion, and also taking a Craftsy class to force me to practice. The medallion quilt is here, and I'm on the round of floating stars. They are 4" with 18 pieces in each one. Cute, but 32 of them is hard on someone who is not crazy about repetition! Indoor lighting for this one. The background is much lighter in real life.

 The Craftsy online class is about mixing motifs to make an interesting all-over pattern. I threw some junk fabric on the longarm which is why this is hard to see. So if you cannot see it -- take my word for it -- I need a lot of practice!

Halo Medallion BOM

This one is behind schedule. I've done the star and the next round, but should be working on the staggered star border. It has 32 little blocks, 5" square all done in foundation paper piecing. I love that technique, but someone has to cook supper and make the bed!

Here is the progress so far. The colors do not look "dirty" like they do in this photo; they are clear and soft. The pattern is a BOM designed by Susan Garman (now desceased) for The Quilt Show. The pattern is available free to members (about $42 a year and totally worth every cent!). 

One nice thing about this one is that I can stop at the size I like -- or until I run out of fabric! I bought a hunk of the one used in the four corners of this section, but picked everything else from my stash. If you want to see the total picture, go here or here. It is really pretty in the original colors, except I didn't like the red (too much contrast) and wanted something less springy and more soft. See this for my fabric choices. 

Happy quilting!

Slow Going

Cobblestone Lane (or whatever I wind up naming it) is going slow, mainly because those blocks have no 'one size fits all' quilting design. Each one is a puzzle and my experience is not extensive on this sort of quilt. However, it it happening... slooowly! I'm into the second row of blocks so have done about one third.

My side table has a pile of fabric to make a BOM, the one from The Quilt Show designed by Sue Garman. It is a medallion that could be any size, depending on when you stop adding rounds. I like her design, colors, except the red borders that too me are too much contrast. After much thought, I decided to give it a go with softer colors in taupe with some yellowish and greenish tossed in. The entire thing is paper-pieced, which is one of my favorite techniques and one reason for the decision to make it. The other is that Sue Garman passed away a few weeks ago. I have never met her, but for some reason shed some tears and wanted to do this because of her.

On the back burner collecting fabric and courage

• King-size for son Scott, who wanted a beach scene landscape. I drew the scene, had it enlarged full size (cost about $50) and am staring at it in fear and trepidation.
• King-size for daughter Karen, who wanted a minimalist 'subway tile' look in using dark to light shades of taupe. I have 1-2 more fabrics to find, a dark and a light.
• Several baby quilt panels to make for Basically Babies
• And prep for Quilts of Valour sewing bee near the end of this month... which I'm hosting and our Canadian past-president is working with me. We did this in Nov/2015 and had a wonderful time. Even presented a quilt to a PTSD soldier and his buddy who stayed most of the day and help the volunteers cut out fabric. 
• And about a dozen project boxes with patterns/fabrics ready to go
• And about three dozen 'I'd like to' patterns, some with fabrics or in kits

Now I need to make supper... that list makes me feel a bit weak...

Cobblestone Lane, sales, and wildfire

Response to my nativity pattern has been a nice surprise. Sales are brisk. I'm hoping that everyone who bought the pattern is busily making the quilt! It looks difficult, but is more time-consuming than hard to make.

I'm working on a pattern purchased who knows when. It is one of those "I'd like to make this" projects that I'd collected all needed fabric but stuck in a box and forgot about. At the beginning of the year, I picked twelve such projects, numbered them, and asked my hubby to pick a number each month. The funniest thing happened with this one. I had the main instructions for the sashing, etc. but thought I'd lost the block patterns. So I drew them using EQ7 as foundation paper-pieced blocks... then I found the patterns. Actually, that was a good thing. I love FPP and they are going together easily that way rather than cutting all those squares and triangles.

Here are three of the blocks so far. The reds are too dark in the photo. They will finish at 12" and the sashing is 9-patches with strips in the same colors. It looks a bit like an Irish Chain.

We are downwind of the wildfire in Fort McMurray so have some smoke in the air now and then. This has been a horrible event in our province, as you've seen on the news. People are making quilts, yet the greater need has been basics like toothbrushes and underwear for the 80,000 people who had to leave that city. Some homes have burned and this week, several simply exploded, even though the fire has moved away. It is still not a safe place for those waiting to go home, even to find out if they have a home to go to.The fire is immense and still out of control.

Three more blocks

Here are the most recent finished blocks for the Lord of the Rings quilt. Again, they will finish at 7" and are foundation paper-pieced. I do love the technique so am having fun. My plan is to quilt-as-you-go if the arrangement will allow it.