Doll quilt

I am now signed up for a swap that I found on Instagram where you are making and swapping a doll quilt. What do you consider a doll quilt? what size would you make it? there is a criteria to be met and that helps with the guild lines on making a quilt for my partner.
We are able to give hints of what we are making and the fabric selections. I had previously posted the pattern now I have my selection of fabrics. I will be using many reds and muslin for a more antique look. The biggest stipulation is hand quilting which I love anyways.
 I have already started cutting the blocks some are only 1in!

sweet as they come! look at that wee leg thrown over the edge his fur is as silky as it looks 

I hope you are able to get some stitching in today it is supposed to be hot and muggy with some rain today

Sneaking another peak

Well as you can see I tried to be a little designer with the cut but of course didn`t work...
I had to do this that Micki is just a tease and only posted a bitty bit of hers oh what is a quilter to do!! it looks fabulous go take a look and also see her new furry adorable friend

back to work just thought I would give you another taste to see what I am up to instead of cleaning up before my quilty friend comes over...she`ll understand...quilting is just so much more important than housework!! all I can say is I have a clean bathroom but there are dishes in the sink and I am typing instead of vaccuuming...

See ya later

my mojo is back

well I am much happier this time.. I had no idea what I was going to make for my summer mini quilt swap.. I was blank. The person that I have to make this for is sort of a fibre artist. I have no fibre art skills...but I think my piecing skills are good..so I gave her a little of me.


I took an old fashion pattern "Waves" and thought this was a perfect way to celebrate summer. I grew up on the lake for a short time (Lake St. Clair) and loved it. So first come picking the fabric and then cutting and piecing and ironing



Then it was cutting those lovely little corners off... in building this quilt I realized that I didn't have enough wave fabric.. back to checking out the stash...found something!! WHEW!!

above you can see the fabric that I didn't have enough of all those wonderful waves..the off white fabric has little dots that looks like rain drops hitting the water and then we have those triangle as the waves.

This was all built in a day machine quilting is very simple I think the pattern shows enough movement...but if the receiver wants to quilt more in the water blocks they can.. I will not be offended.. I still am not the best machinequilter. The quilt is 18in square..hope she likes it.. this is summer to me.

I have lots of photos uploaded but don't want to overload the people on dialup so will post more tomorrow...just glad my mojo is back.. now i have to make one more project and then I am not signing up for anything els..nothing!! I have so many projects on the go right now.. as you all know.

Don't forget to check out the side bar Dorothy has now posted her first "Sweet Nostalgia" Block

Quilt on ladies and gents and thanks so much for visiting.. I am going to Sew Sisters for their 29 % off birthday sale.

Summer moments in July

My dad was able to make more quilt holders for me so we put up another quilt this is in my living area. This was the first stack and whack I ever did...and sure wasn't my last doesn't it look great with my dad's great talents

This is what it looks like in with my day bed there.. the trundle bed was his mothers I was very fortunate to get it.. I know the 2 quilts don't go together but I love the brightness of the other quilt. it is called it is a bugs life.. when you see it on a big bed the blue looks like a ripple of water.

Taa DAAAAA.. my mother made this isn't it awesome!! this is her first mini swap and her first mini that she has made hand appliqued and hand quilted even down to her prairie points. She has this done and it is going to be on its was soon.. the person receiving this I think is very fortunate. She fussy cut the fabric you can click on the pic and see the butterflies and hand drew the design freehanded... you can see a secondary design in the quilting.

Here is mom holding her mini.. now you can see that it is a great mini..

mini parade

These are the mini's that I am working on. I have only to put the binding on... I know everyone knows this is a double wedding ring. I am currently in 2 swaps and one of them won a draw to win a mini that I make. So I will be sending one of these mini's to her but not sure which one.

This one I am just starting it will be for the summer swap for Quilters Blogger the person will get wonderful dimensional butterflies I will post when completed... I just wanted to show the butterflies getting ready to flutter away on this wonderful background.

This one will also go to one of the members in Quilters last Resort as well... one of the ladies in Connecting Threads mini group made a Trip Around the World and I loved the pattern so of course I had to make one. just putting the binding on this as well. Machine pieced and quilted.

I know that I am going to make another one of these for myself. All these are patterns that I have taken outta the Mini Quilts Mags that are now out of print...Maybe if I keep making them and posting what I am doing they will start reprinting them again. I go through their mags over and over. Mother also got her pattern for her mini out of this mag.

thanks for visiting I know the posts are irregular but as you can see my hands are busy. I have not had alot of time to catchup on everyones blogs but will soon.. have a great long weekend.

lots going on!! Happy Canada Day

My dad came to my home last week with a wonderful surprise!! Look what he made me hangers for my quilts..he was so worried that I wouldn't like them he was right!! I love them.. he is now sent home with making a couple more and also a few frames for some mini's and a quilt ladder!! you can see that I have my One Block Wonders on Display..oh happy day

I still have my Winter Wonderland quilt on my bed but it is so nice and light that it is great to sleep under for my parents.. this was done in 6 months when we had our SARS scare I was quarentined 2times cause I worked at the ER were it started and then was working at the other hospital where we had a break out.. it was a very scary time for me.. I had bought the focal fabric on a whim (before the scare).. there was a teacher there and she asked what I was going to do with "all" (8meters) that fabric.. not sure yet but now you can see what. I found the pattern in a Quiltmaker Nov/Dec 2002 mag machine pieced and then hand quilted it in 6 months.. it is my memory of walking my dogs in the winter time...at that time I was not allowed to go anywhere.. you don't realize your freedom until it is taken away from you.

This is the other One block wonder doesn't my Dad's quilt hanger's look awesome!! he is looking for orders if anyone is interested that lives close enough to deliver (postage would be expensive) or maybe one of the stores in our area would like to have some there to sell my dad is very reasonable just email if you are interested. Alot of thought and caring goes into these

This is a mini that I am working on.. pattern was from a Fon's and Porter mag last 2008 borrowed the mag from my mother but gave it back

And this is an ongoing project I am working on.. it is my own round robin. The pattern in the middle was designed by someone in a Prim group I belong to and I wanted it as a medallion. The next blocks are an old pattern English Ivy.. it is one of most favorite patterns I have used it before and one day will make a whole quilt with it.. but love the effect it makes as a boarder.. now to think of another round.. it will be applique for sure..

I also have been visiting and catching up on what others are doing in their blogs I really love the design wall theme that is going on!!

Well Happy Canada Day hope you are able to do something great to commemorate.. We went to Montana's and ended up ordering the "Great Canadian Burgers" with sweet potatoe fries.. delicious!!

what to do with a mini?

everyone wonders what to do with a mini.. well one thing is you can pin all your blocks with the pins you accummulate as you go to quilt shows...the quilt pins I get from these wonderful guilds are gorgeous I hope you can see them when I post the pic click on the picture and it will enlarge so that you can see better.

the cat pin in the middle is what my mother gave me when I was only 18 years old one of the only things I didn't lose. You can see Shrine pins there from my dad and also an angel pin that my mother gave me that is supposed to go in my van to watch over me when I drive.. but I think I am more dangerous with a rotary cutter.. this is in my sewing room.

This mini I won at one of the silent auctions at one of the quilt shows a couple of years ago it was plain and I thought it would be perfect dressed up as my pin saver
....and then we have below..you can see my mini's that i have accummulated here.. this is not all of them but a majority.. some I have made, the heart applique and hand quilting the 4patch mini and the stack and whack mini with the same material pink and chocolate fabrics the rest through quilt shows and their silent auctions and our Yorkshire Rose Guild auction, and Rouge Valley Guild auctions which brings me......(drum roll please)

We raised over $3000.oo for our mini auction this year... I think that is super for the 90 quilts we received and only 1/2 the guild we used to be (now only 75 members) that is a good chunk of change!! I am very proud of our guild everyone was very helpful and when hands were needed I only had to ask once and they were there!! I have to give a big "THANK YOU" to our guild!!

The yellow and green quilt I bought at a yard sale for 2 dollars and the cats love it this is their quilt to lay on the day bed. I have washed it many many times with no loss of color great fabric. The dried Hydrangeas are what I got from my garden last year..hope i have a great harvest this year...thanks for visiting and your wonderful comments you are great!!

I also wanted to post my postcards that I got from my Crazy quilt swap. I have had these since March everyone was on time!! (not me and usually I am not late) but they perservered and I didn't get my name up in headlights for being late.
Aren't they beautiful!!

I have started a critters and things blog you can go to my profile and see it there.. just wanted to keep this one quilt related and the other "life stuff" in the other...you will notice there will not be as much posted on the other one.. why?? my life revolves around quilting!! LOL

Almost on its way

I took a while with this quilt there are decisions that I was not sure of and wanted to make sure that they were right. I am not sure if anyone saw this at the beginning when I first started blogging... but it is a quilt that I put together with blocks from a nine patch and a bullseye swap that a member had participated in and then passed away. It was very sad for me and many of the members cause we all started in a forum called Quilters Talk by Fon's and Porter then it shut down abruptly and we lost all of what we had accumulated there.. pictures, tips and tutorials and friendships.
We were fortunate that members had started bonding and emailing each other and were able to let each other know of another group we all were heading to that another member organized...well we had problems with the "tech person" and that closed!! then another member decided that was it!! she and her hubby made another site and it turned out another member had the same idea so we now have 2 sister forums that have their own members running it with trusting originators to help make them a home. I have the links on the side bar Quilters Last Resort and Coming Together to QuiltIn all this transition and just settling in our dear Merrybee passed suddenly and we had the opportunity to meet her lovely daughter...Shelley.
Shelley said she had all these blocks and not sure what to do with them so I offered to do something with them. I got the blocks and thought I could whip it up for Christmas... didn't happen I had it planned and partially together but had 12 blocks left that I had to get in the quilt my motive was to use all the signature blocks none were going on the back of the quilt!! Plus it was for her husband so what kinda boarder was I gonna do.. that is what took the longest. Finally had that figured out and then I had to find a LAQ cause I sure could not machine quilt it..I kept practicing but there was no way I would only make a mess...my Friend Sandy Lindal (the one that did my mini earlier) quilted it for me with whimsical fluttering bees and flowers how perfect!! in the nine patches she used this wonderful scroll pattern and a great leafy pattern along the skinny boarder.
I have the binding on and now am making the signature block.. guess what it is you are right!! it will be a bee. I was able to get the pattern from

So on the note of friends I would like to thank everyone for their time out of their sewing and voting on which Miniwill go to my swap partner...it will be the thimble.. the reasoning makes sense.
The bonus all those that had commented are put in a little box and I pulled out #6 Mary in Lake Pulaski... will get the black and white one.. I know I didn't say it was to be a draw.. but with all the hands up on everyone wanting it I thought it was a great idea.. Mary I will email you for your address.. thanks again everyone for your wonderful time!!