Starting to do some quilting

this was 2 1/2 inch strips that I swapped, blocks are together just have to make it into a quilt, I am using the back of table clothes from the dollar store as a design wall they work great and roll up your project to take where ever you may want to finish. I am going to take this to the feast and finish at Irene`s
The pattern is another Bonnie Hunter called Many Trips around the world, it is still free on her site

i love this picture with Cheech and that curly tongue..LOL lucky shot

and this is a closer and better shot of a very handsome boy. he looks pretty good for a 9èr

Summer is over

 

quilting had taken a back burner this summer, which is unusual for me, but I got us a new Champ!! Introducing Cheech a 9yr old Chihuahua that was at the Durham Humane Society for 2 years, he came from an abusive home and has some issues that are slowly melting away. He has captured my heart and is slowly melting my husbands. I will tell you more but wanted you to know what was taking up my time.

I did go to a quilting retreat with the Rouge Valley Quilters Guild and this is the project I decided to bring. Rosemarie and Mary of  We Three Quilters did another swap but with 9in Blocks of Reds and white off whites, we found this pattern on Bonnie Hunters site (Majestic mountains) and this is what I pieced on the weekend. I have since then completely changed the layout this was just on the floor beside me as I was going along...

Well glad to be back into quilting I will have much more to show you later, but warning you are going to hear some Cheech stories too.

I won a gorgeous hand quilted quilt!

This quilt was made and hand quilted by the Wheatley Friendship club and I was the lucky winner!! I was shocked, my own mother put many stitches into this quilt, Mom quilts on Mondays and Thursdays. I am so so happy!! I am so glad that the quilting is showing on the picture too.

This is one of the hydrangea plants I have the mop head is just huge!! the picture does not show how big it is but you can see the color

This is another variety of hydrangea

couple of different lillies making their appearance!

And my Alice Oak Leaf these blooms are enormous

This below is another oakleaf variation it is a Snowflake, now do you think I am addicted to hydrangea oakleaf`s? Yes I yam…

Summer is halfway over and we have had great weather perfect for a gardener, I have really enjoyed my garden this year and have been keeping up with it pretty good.
I have started going to the gym and finally loosing some pounds, I will have some quilting stuff to show you on the next post. I got a gorgeous mini from my swapee on Kathleen`Tracy`s Yahoo group. I am also investing a little time in a surprise not quilt related but very dear to the heart will post more about that in a couple of weeks sorry for being so evasive.
I have to get some shut eye on nights that is perfect for me so I can enjoy some of the day!

Binding, Binding, & Bound

Our spring summer started out with activities that were more in demand than quilting. So I have not had any to post…until now
I had put a couple of tops in to get quilted these were the ones I showed previously well they are done!
This one below is just called sunshine I wanted a yellow quilt and these blocks I had bought at a guild members boutique someone had handed in their BOM I put the gold around them to make them bigger and then went a little further by putting them on point.
I found Tammy Murphy through a guild member and asked if she had time to quilt these just a pantograph design. I share the wealth with LAQ everybody deserves a share of quilting my quilts.


I met her at the house and we discussed thread and pantograph design, she was surprised it only took about 15min I knew the color and the design she has a wall of threads. It is hard to tell the design on this one due to the color closeness but she did a fabulous job!

Do you like the backing fabric I love it got it Sew Sisters a while back, same with the border fabric. All the fabrics were picked from the `grand stash`

The one below is the second beast loved the pantograph and thread we picked for this it went the theme of blooms. I am just finishing the binding on this one. It is big!!

I hope with the photo`s you can see the binding fabric I picked it was not easy to find in my `grand stash` but this goes with both sides and you will see below why I want both sides

I love the fabric I put on the back and the quilting of the pantographs is so close that it is a great filler and a perfect `second quilt` This was an asian fabric that was on sale at The Quilt Store believe me I paid less than 7dollars a meter for it I was very very happy….but it was a while ago when they had a sale and so it was pulled from the stash I must have bought the whole bolt cause I was able to use it all on the back this is not a small quilt sorry I can`t remember the measurements but it could fit a king almost.


I am trying to get it so that you can see the quilting I hope you can…

Then there is this wee quilt that is going away on a swap I was in…due to unforseen circumstances it is arriving late but that is okay my partner understood and I hope it is worth her wait.

Well I am not sure when I will be posting again I have taken a great turn towards my gardens this year and it is paying off, the weather has been fabulous with enough rain to make everything happy, I am just starting to feel like doing a little quilting again we will see what happens If not please have a wonderful Summer and enjoy our weather

Where to start

I have been busy, very busy so much that there was too much to post so I am going to go backwards

starting with this weekend, happy long weekend to those that have one. Cheri -quilts by Cheri had posted steps to make this project with 3 1/2in blocks I used fabric scraps from a quilt I just finished and another one. Just put this all together this weekend

I am in the shades of beige, creams and off whites  mood right now

I picked up 2  split nine patch kits a while back at The Quilt Store they both made a lap quilt but I wanted a queen so I put them together, first split nine patch I have done and learned what not to do and what to do for the next time.

this is the border fabric for it. I have it on but didn`t realize that I didn`t update a picture next time I guess.
Oh the design wall is Table clothes from the dollar store works like a charm no pins to keep this quilt up and the more you use it the more your blocks stick…2 bucks roll and go if you want. I learned this from my retreat in April the Canadian Group

Well off to see what other kinda trouble I can get myself into...

Waiting

I have not been piecing or doing applique lately but hand quilting, I have just made another turn on my Pansy in the Park quilt.

This was a thrilling turn I can see the top of the quilt so I will be foraging ahead trying to finish it.

I am waiting till dawn so that I can rearrange my van to get ready for my final quilting retreat with the Twisted Stitchers group at Elim Lodge (my favourite place). While I am posting I hear the rain tickling my window so it will be a wet travel which is fine I like the rain.
 I have brought 4 projects with me and will see how much I get done. These are the ones that were not unpacked from the previous retreat in Woodstock. I did work on the frogging one on a sew day I had at Brambleberry Cottage (Irene`s) on Thursday and got great progress that will be my first finish on retreat.

 There are going to be 20 or our group and 12 of another group that will be sharing. I will be travelling with the co-coordinator Fran since I have a Grand Caravan that can fit lots and I also love to drive. I always ask the ladies if I am allowed to post their projects and faces on my blog, most are compliant I hope I have another great slideshow for you.

On another note. I am trying to follow the blogs that I used to follow but it has been extremely difficult I was under the impression that Reader would be available till July but the option has already disappeared I am trying that blogly and find that they had not picked up all my blogs that I follow so please forgive me if you have not heard from me but you can email me to add to your blog
I feel lost without my regular blogs and reader, it is amazing how you depend on things and distressed it is when taken away….the powers that be need to understand some of us are not good with change.
well I am finishing laundry and vacuuming, nothing is better than coming home to a clean place after fun, fun, fun. I hope you all can get some stitching in too..

Quilt retreat number 2

I had a great time this past weekend and have a slide show to present. you will need a cuppa tea this is about sixty odd pictures. I didn`t take pictures of my project yes I said project. I didn`t get alot done...didn`t sleep much but got lots done with pictures taken and eating. I was not doing so well with my piecing I kept having to undo. so I kinda gave up you know when you have those moments. enjoy the show

Slideshow design made with Smilebox

3 tops done in one retreat!!

above is some of the projects I had brought with me

We stayed in that house seven of us with lots of room on Pigeon Lake, there is a snow angel there by the tree, I had to make one..

That pile of the first picture became this a UFO completed. This is a block swap I was in I think it was 2010 on Quilt with us these are the blocks I got back so then I had to think of what fabric to put with them and how to lay them out. so this is number one Tadaaaaa

Number 2 Tadaaa..to treat myself for finishing a UFO I brought a kit I had purchased from Fon`s and Porter. It was interesting when I first opened it cause the pinwheel fabric is printed…it is a panel. I had to fussy cut so I did and pieced and on the bewitching hour, I got the top done. I have not put the boarders on as yet I have enough extra fabric to add another row I would like it a little bigger. I am hoping to squeeze 2 rows out of the fabric. This is made all with Jo Morton fabrics.

Then I pieced together a quillow for a friend that had been promised 2 years ago…I forgot to take a picture of the quilt inside but did got the finished quillow pieced.

Then I came home and had brought this quilt with me to do but didn`t get it done. Sunday I got it all together made a major booo booo had to rip some rows and got it done yesterday…

The blocks I had bought at the guild boutique one of the quilt show for a dollar each I was thinking of a yellow quilt and this is what I came up with I only had the little blocks and added the HST around them. All the fabrics were just from my stash for all 3 quilts and quillow.
I am going to another retreat this weekend I hope I have the same progress.

Applique away!

My fingers are busy with applique I have one side done just have the little peep holes to put into the bows top part to make them look like bows.

Getting ready for more applique this is a UFO I started I think last year. Have now decided which fabric for the celtic part. This was a free Fons and Porter pattern, it was the only pattern that got me to like that new Stonehedge fabric.
I will have more to show hopefully in the coming weeks will be going to a couple of retreats. Spoiled myself a little 4 quilting retreats in the span of 2 months…what was I thinking!! Great to celebrate winter and before the spring weather comes where quilting will have to be put aside and get out there and garden.

I am a picker

This gem brightened up my day (car troubles again) but when we were going to get the money out of the bank, she was sitting on the side of the road

perfect beside my chair to put my quilty things in wouldn`t you say? like thread, pincushion, projects of embroidery. I know I will find a new shade for her in the thrift shop.
i love when spring is in the air and people want to chuck it out, I get to redesign my house.

No RM it is not coming to your house…LOL

Really??

i was going to piece a border on this after I had taken the original boarders off, then came up with a plan

I found this gorgeous applique swag on another quilt in the book in the last post and had to use it.

Well I think it totally dressed the quilt up. What a difference!

 I had a sew day yesterday at Irene`s in her new studio BrambleBerry Studio`s. I was able to get 2 sides glue basted for applique.
We had a wonderful time 2 ladies, Irene and myself  and we are booked for April and May sessions too. Ladies stopped by to visit Irene`s studio, we had a delicious lunch of squash soup and salad with cheese and crackers.
I am posting a link on the side to her studio, Irene is a designer and teacher and represents Northcott as a designer of patterns for their fabrics. (which we were lucky to be there when she received her shipment of gorgeous new flannels)
 Hopefully when you visit her site you will see patterns and classes that will suit your needs.
Next time I will remember to bring my camera, I had worked a night shift and pretty well had to make sure I could remember what I needed for the sewday! next time there will be more people there.

It pays

to keep signing out one of your guilds library books for 2 years. I keep signing this book out every time I go to guild for one thing I love the cover quilt, and the quilts inside I would make every one of them they are all very special quilts. Plus no one ever has asked for it to be reserved for them

but then I got a plan, do you remember this quilt? Well I took the boarder off and now I sewed it back on

i decided I am going to swag it, there is an old pattern for swag and bowtie, this is the start

I think it is going to add a wonderful dimension to this quilt wait till you see what is going between the swags it will just look so antique, just what I wanted.

I got my beautiful blocks back from my winter swap blocks, they are lovely but it was disappointing, a couple of people that signed up didn't`t send their`s in, did not contact the coordinator and left everyone hanging, too bad for Lee it was her first attempt at coordinating one. I hope this does not deter her from doing another one. I know life happens but courtesy to communicate is part of swap protocol. I have to think now how to lay these out so that I can have a winter lap quilt.

It`s Rose Marie`s fault

this is one of the beautiful gifts she had for us in a gorgeous gift bag Rose Marie posted the bag all the gifts came in. Thank goodness cause I was so excited I didn`t. It is a perfect Walmart bag for when we go shopping in August.  Rose Marie also gave us the first edition of 100 Blocks by Quiltmaker, to me this is the best edition great blocks to work on. We all loved this cute scrappy sock pattern that will be a good one to work on too, wouldn`t ya know it this was in our bag too
Go back to Rose Marie`s blog today she has posted more and you will have a great quilt show and be very jealous of what we got to explore everyday

I used my dishcloth and loved the size of it for doing dishes

so then I had to try to make one of my own…not as nice I have to wait till Mary (no blog) comes back from London England to show me the finishing. but if you look at my edges something is still not right...or maybe fly back to North Bay...hummmmm...I have a plan (that is for RM)

Knitting is instant gratification perfect for an applique quilter, look I made a slipper too, my DH loved it so I am giving him this pair and then I will make a pair a little smaller for me

I am not feeling well right now (don`t worry just a bug) but as you can see I have something to occupy my brain. I am digging in the scraps so that I can get more baskets ready to applique. Dig a little and then lay back under that quilt, dig a little and then lay back

Rose Marie also made this wonderful beef goulash dish and I remember making it many many years ago, as you can see I have another craving, another easy dish that I an slow cook and dump on a plate when we get hungry.
I just dumped it all in there,  now to wait till it cooks I hope I can smell it!