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.