Happy New Year's Eve

My calendar blocks are now complete.  It was a fun project to do over the year. I hadn't done a Block of the Month for at least a few years and this was a nice way to get back into it. Hopefully it will become one of my first completed quilts for 2016. 

Wishing you a safe and Happy New Year's!

Zigzag into the New Year!

This quilt is one of my own design. I started it in 2011 and the top was finished in 2012. It was a good size when it was done but it felt a wee bit too small. I was never quite sure what to do with it, so it sat for a couple of years. On my quilting retreat this year, I brought it with me and decided to add borders along the side. I had had my son check it out for me and he felt it was long enough, but not wide enough. I liked having the borders along the side but not on the top because it felt like it made it seem wider without boxing in the design. I had originally planned on making a Jacob's Ladder quilt with the fabric and so I had a few blocks left from that idea.

 I put them on the back, and I love the design. I worked on this at 11:00 pm at the retreat when I was the only one left up quilting. One of the good things about a retreat is the ability to clear your mind of everything but the quilting. This has now been sent to the quilter and will be one of my first finishes for 2016!

Friday Night Sew-In

Here is my report for my Friday Night Sew-In.  I got all the squares sewn together for the Snowman Wallhanging that I started working on last weekend at my quilting retreat. I have had this quilt kit for about 15 years and figured it was finally time to start working on it. The quilting retreat was the perfect way to get it started. It was easy to focus on it without distractions, since the pattern is just like a jigsaw with every piece needing to be in the right spot.

Going Places

My Fast Forward quilt by Jaybird Quilts is all finished. I used a roll of 2 /12 strips by Riley Blake called On The Go. I decided to name the quilt Going Places, because children always seem to be so active. It is hard for me to keep up with all their activities at times but it is fun to go places with them. I had a lot of fun making this pattern and I really enjoyed using some other than white for the background. This quilt will be going to a friend who has become a grandmother for the first time. Children's quilts are always my favourite to make.

Linking to Finish it Up Friday, TGIFF and Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop!

Cheery Cherry!

This quilt has been a WIP for a long time. In my new perspective, of better finished than perfect I started working on it again this summer. I have the top done now, and it makes my heart cheery to see it. I have not been cheery for quite a while, but I think this quilt has made me cheery again. I have stepped away from using borders, but for this one I am going to find some cherry fabric to put the cherry on the top. It always feels great to get something close to completion.

Linking to WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network and at Freshly Pieced.

Blogger's Quilt Festival : ROYGBIV

My reading rainbow quilt is all finished. Years ago, while on vacation I bought quite a few fat quarters of Fossil Fern. I was never sure what to use the fabric for, until I found the Moda pattern Mind The Gap. To me the blocks look like books put on a bookshelf. I love, love this quilt. It is very much me, and going to remain mine. It brings me happiness to have it covering me and I am definitely going to enjoy reading under it. I love quilting so much but when I get frustrated I think I will use this quilt as inspiration to keep going.

 
 

 

 The backing is from Robert Kaufman. When I showed the quilt at my quilt meeting, the people sitting in the back thought I had pieced the back. Now on to the next one! 

 

 I am joining the Blogger's Quilt Festival put on by the amazing Amy in the ROYGBIV category. The quilt festival is always so inspiring. Please think about adding your quilt  to the festival.

Reading Rainbow

My reading rainbow quilt is all finished. To me the blocks look like books put on a bookshelf. I love, love this quilt. It is very much me, and going to remain mine. It brings me happiness to have it covering me and I am definitely going to enjoy reading under it. I love quilting so much but when I get frustrated I think I will use this quilt as inspiration to keep going.

The backing is from Robert Kaufman. When I showed the quilt at my quilt meeting, the people sitting in the back thought I had pieced the back. Now on to the next one!


Linking to Finish it Up Friday, TGIFF and Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop!

Happily WIPing

I have been happily working away on my WIP for the past while. I am going to a retreat next month so I have been taking out some of my WIP to decide what should be done for them. As I look at them, I am figuring out how I want to finish them, and then I have started working on them. If I keep going this way, I may not have much to do for my retreat! (Don't worry there will still be lots to do!)

 It is very exciting to seeing my quilts come to fruition. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going!


Linking to WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network and Freshly Pieced.

Binding Love

I happily spent Friday Night Sew-In curled up with my quilt, watching a movie with my son and sewing on my binding. This morning I got it out and have been working on it some more. I don't do a lot of hand sewing but I do enjoy putting on the binding. I get to use the quilt while I put on the binding so it feels like opening a gift before Christmas! When the quilt is for someone else, I try to put loving thoughts in it as I bind. This quilt is a gift for my self and the love and happiness are in it too.


Linking to Slow Stitching Sunday.

Still Time for a Picnic!

The weather has been so hot here; definitely hotter than it was in August! That means we still have lots of time for a picnic. I have been enjoying making this quilt, though the flip corner can sometimes be frustrating to get just right. I have not spent much time, organizing an layout for them. I feel that will be the big surprise at the end. I cut 3 to 4 blocks from each fabric. I won't have enough when I am finished for the 80 squares but then I can cut some more. I find it is better to start out with too few or too many and then I can play with the layout, and see what needs to be added or taken away. I have really come to enjoy quilts without borders. It feels good to know that once it is sewn it is all done.

Linking to WIP Wednesday at the Needle and Thread Network and Freshly Pieced.

A tisket, A tasket

 ... some really cute baskets!

I have all of my 20 baskets done now, and I am ready to piece it together. I have to admit I found the smaller size of the blocks fiddly to work with. I realize that I prefer paper piecing smaller pieces. I know once it is all together, I will quite enjoy it, and at some point in the future make small blocks again.

Linking up to Design Wall Monday.

Time for a Picnic!

My nieces and nephews are getting older, while I am hopefully I am staying relatively young. I decided that it was time for me to start making them new quilts. I asked my niece in the spring what was her favourite colour and she told me blue and orange. It is a colour combination that I have never worked with before. A few weeks later I found a beautiful top and when I got home I realized that it was blue and orange with some yellow. Then I saw blue and orange quilts everywhere. Choosing a pattern is one of my favourite parts of quilting but I could not decide what to make. I had lots of blue and orange fat quarters, and I did not want to buy too much extra fabric. I happily went through my books and magazines and then decided on the Picnic pattern by Kim Bracket from her book Scrap-Basket Sensations. I have made one of her quilts before and I loved the design of it and the ease of making it.

I love the look of it and how freshly vibrant it is. I can see this being another quilt that I would love to make in a different colour scheme.

I also got my August paper piecing done. It has been a sweet fun project. When I was away on vacation I picked up another small paper piecing project. I would love to get it started but have some other projects to finish up first.

Linking to Design Wall Monday.

Nick of Time Tuesday

It is almost the end of the month and I realized that I had not completed my July calendar paper piecing. I got it done today, just in the nick of time.

I have been focusing this summer on getting my WIP done. My snowman quilt almost has its blanket sewn together. With all this heat it is hard to believe that it will soon be time to think about Christmas gifts.

Today is also my 19th anniversary. It has been a wonderful 19 years!

Linking to Linky Tuesday.

Briar Rose

My quilt top for Briar Rose is now done and I need to decide if I am going to add borders. My blocks are bigger than the original pattern so I am going to play around with ideas for the borders, or perhaps no borders. I love the fact that other than the background, this is a completely scrappy quilt. I have definitely been drawn to scrappier quilts lately. This had originally started out as a baby quilt, but now I think it has become a quilt for myself.


Linking to Monday Making.

Fabric Friday - or In Your Own Backyard

I had been searching a long time for some backing fabric to go with my Mountain Mystery quilt done some years ago. I had scoured the Internet and not really found what I was looking for. Then in June, one of my LQS was having a sale, and there I found the perfect backing fabric and the exact amount that I needed was left on the bolt. It has now gone off to be quilted.

 

I also got some great other treasures from there and some of the quilt shows. I have been trying carefully to buy items for projects I already have, but the sweet quilt kit spoke to me. I know families have seasons for many things, basketball, baseball, hockey, fishing, but we have quilt show season! Spring is one of my favourite times of the year to see all of the beautiful quilts that have been made. Then in the summer I get to use my fabric to make beautiful quilts of my own!

4 1/2 inches

Here are 2 squares. One is a simple half square triangle and the other is a basket block filled with intericate piecing, and yet they are both the same size - 4 1/2 inches. One of the most amazing things I find about quilting is how small blocks can both be simple and complex, yet in the end both will create beautiful quilts.

Here is the half square triangle all grown up.

The basket block with her friends.

Quilting may be frustrating and difficult at times, but never boring! Look what you can do with 4 1/2 inches! 

 Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced, and The Needle and Thread Network.

Slow Stitching Sunday

I finally have the redwork done for my table top quilt. It is wonderful to have it done. It is the first time I used the printable paper to stitch my design, so I am eager to see how well it comes off.  This summer will definitely be one to get projects moving along, and I am very glad that this is one of them.

Happy Canada Day!

I am proud to be Canadian!

Miniatures

Well, I can't believe that I already half way through my calendar quilt  and that it is almost July. With everything that is being happening in June, I almost forgot to make the graduation hat. I am definitely looking forward to some summertime relaxing. Not having to wake up the kids every morning for school is what I think is one of the best things about summer.

I was in the mood for miniatures, so I kept going with my basket blocks. They are 4 1/2 inches. I can't believe how many seams and shapes you can fit into such a small space. It really helps me work on my quilting to make blocks this tiny.


Linking to Design Wall Monday.

Spools of Friendship

I am so happy to have this finished. My Spools quilt, now called Spools of Friendship is finally done. It was put into my quilt show last week using Boutique fabric by Chez Moi a favourite of mine. The spools of friendship remind me of the threads that bind us together as quilters and the threads of friendship that bind me together with the people who support and appreciate my quilting.  It started 3 years ago as a quilt along with Nicole of Sister's Choice Qults, Thelma of Cupcakes 'n' Daisies and Lisa of Stashmaster  for the Spools pattern by Camille of Thimble Blossoms. I changed the arrangement of the Spools a little bit, and then it sat for a couple of years while I tried to decide if I want to add another border. The original pattern had the simple white border, but I kept feeling like something needed to be added to it until late last year, when I decided that done and loved, was better than perfect. I am looking forward to using this, but with the heat and humidity we have had lately it may be a while. I still have some scraps left of this fabric and will definitely be making another quilt using them.

Linking to TGIFF, Finish It Up Friday, Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop!

On The Go - WIP Wednesday

With my quilts ready for the quilt show, I decided it was time to get back to some of my other projects. My Fast Forward quilt is now a quilt top. I love the movement and flow that it has. Sometimes it seems hard to find great fabric for boys and I am thrilled to have found On The Go by Riley Blake. Now on to my next project!

Linking to WIP Wednesday at Needle and Thread Network and Freshly Pieced.

Design Wall Monday - Briar Rose

I am really hoping to get a lot of my PHD's this summer, but at the same time I keep finding wonderful new projects I want to make. I worked on this project over the weekend, and I am almost ready to start putting the blocks together. It is so bright and cherry which I love for the Spring time. I have not been too good so far, on working ahead on quilts that feel seasonal. When it is autumn, I love to work on fall quilts and when it is winter, I love to work on Christmas quilts. Maybe one day that will change. I am reaching a stage too, where I am making more quilts for myself and I have to say I am really enjoying it. I am very excited too that next week is my guild's quilt show. For the first time we are having a children's section, and my daughter has entered a quilt into the show. She is a veteran of attending quilt shows, so she knows all about the viewer's choice voting. She has made me promise to vote for hers as my favourite which of course I will do!


Linking to Design Wall Monday!

Journey to the Centre - Redwork

My redwork is coming to a finish as I near the centre. Once it is finished it will becoming a table top. It has been a great project to work on it. I pick it up when I want to, and I work on it when I want to.  It feels a bit like the glass half full/empty situation. On one hand it is great to make things for other people, and the deadlines that come with that help me get things done. On the other hand, it is wonderful to make things for myself, but then when someone else needs a gift, my project gets put to the side since I don't have a deadline for it. Both are good, and the ying and the yang help keep quilting, and redwork enjoyable.

Linking to Linky Tuesday.

WIP Wednesday : The Season for Sun

 

My Fast Forward quilt is coming along quickly. I love seeing all the fabrics together. Baby quilts are my favourite to make. They are always filled with so much hope and joy.

I started on this tiny calendar quilt in January. I know I could have this all done in a weekend but it has been to do them once a month and watch as the seasons past. I am thrilled that it is sunny and bright here right now. My quilting room gets lots of sunlight in the Spring and it is always a great place to be.


Linking to WIP Wednesday at the Needle and Thread Network and Freshly Pieced.

Fast Foward

Sometimes it feels as though life is in fast forward. It feels as though it was only yesterday that my friends were talking about their children getting through high school and university and now many of my friends are becoming grandparents. I saw my friend last week, who just had a her first grandchild - a boy. Of course my first thought was a quilt. I was at one of my favourite quilt stores last week and they had this really cute bundle of 2 1/2 strips by Riley Blake called On The Go.

I loved the fabric and then went home to find a pattern. Finding a pattern went quicker then I thought. I found the pattern Fast Forward by one of my favourite quilt designers - Jaybird Quilts. I started on the blocks last week and then used the Friday night Sew-In to finish the blocks and now need to add the background fabric to them.

This pattern has gone together so quickly and has been lots of fun. It reminds me of my children who are growing up so fast. I swear I just bought them new clothes but when I turn around the clothes are too small, or they've gotten too tall to wear them. Yesterday we went to a quilt show and had a wonderful time. Then we went and did our annual Spring clothing shop day. It was a wonderful day, and though I know things have to move forward, I hope they don't have to move fast forward!




Linking to Design Wall Monday.

Sunshine has been knitted!

My sunshine socks have been knitted. They are much needed for the gloomy week we have had here. My daughter tried them on last night. They are a touch big for her but she is growing so fast, that it feels as though it will only be a couple of weeks and they will fit her perfectly.

I started on my next pair of socks already. Another pair for my daughter. I had started these socks in another pattern, but then noticed that Michelle at Michelle's Romantic Tangle was using the same yarn (Lemon Drop) to make socks. I liked the pattern she used so I decided to be a copycat and make the same ones. I like the pattern it is making, and like she said it is easy to follow.

Linking to On the Needles, Finish it Up Friday, Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.

Briar Rose - WIP Wednesday

I have most of my blocks done for my Briar Rose quilt by England Street Quilts and now need to start to organize them in a pleasing manner. The first border will complete the design of the blocks. It was a nice quilt to work on this weekend. We had lots of sunshine. I have an idea of using this pattern again for a different quilt. I like how the blocks frame each other so nicely.I have been working on a few scrap quilts at the same time, and I feel as though there is an infestation in my quilting room. Scraps of all sizes are all over the place. It is a good feeling to be quilting.

 

My mother-in-law gave me a quilting gift certificate for Christmas. The shop was closed for the holidays so when we stopped to see her at Easter I also stopped in the shop. I already had the Nancy Drew fabric and was looking for other fabric to go with it. I really want to start on it but I would like to get a couple of other quilts done first. 


Linking up to WIP Wednesday at the Needle and Thread Network and Freshly Pieced.

Trying to Knit Sunshine

We've had had a lot of gloomy days lately, so I have been spending more time lately working on these socks. The colours are so bright and beautiful, that it makes one hope that Spring will soon be here. After these one are done, I think I will go back to something with more of a pattern. Sock knitting can be very addictive and I am glad I have that addiction!

Linking to On the Needles.

Snowballs keep things rolling - WIP Wednesday

These snowballs seem to be addictive. They are fast to make, look prettier and aren't as cold as the real thing. I like the fact that finally the quilt seems to be moving along, and how all the work I put into the nine patches is now paying off.

The snowballs have also gotten me rolling on some other projects. I started on me Be attitudes quilt. I have the first background block done. When I was looking for the fabric for it, I found this spring time quilt kit that I had completey forgotten about.

I made the first block in it as well, and it is definitely one of the smaller blocks I have done. I am back to having lots of projects on the go, and I must say I am enjoying it.

Linking to WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network and Freshly Pieced!