Moda, Schnibble, Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

I had a dream

Yesterday I received an email from WestJet a Canadian Airline with an offer that I could fly from here to Hawaii for 300. if I bought the ticket within the next 48 hours. Well I’m not going.

Though I guess my subconscious thought I should and I dreamt last night that I was there, oh there were so many people there. What was I doing though? Collecting Fat Quarters that’s what! Towards the end of the dream I decided to go swimming and ended up floating down a river and dreaming in my dream about more fabric, suddenly it occurred to me that I’d have to find a way to bring my enormous pile of fat quarters home and I woke up.

Now that I’m awake and ready to start the day, it’s time to load a quilt on the longarm and get  quilting and continue on with the fun I’m having with Lucy’s Crab Shack…

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more to follow

flowers, Uncategorized

Quilting Rules and the Modern Quilting World

I love quilts, I’ve loved quilts from the first time I noticed quilts and my passion for them has only grown.

My first quilting teacher was Eleanor Burns, who I watched on PBS and before a VCR. I would take notes and then make the project. I also read every book and magazine that I could find. As money was tight I made many miniature quilts as the fabric requirements weren’t overwhelming to my budget.

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I fell in love with the precision of piecing, I love pressing my pieces and seeing perfectly matched seams and sharp points.  I pride myself in my work.

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On the other hand though, I’ve never appreciated the “Quilt Police” I want to make what I want to make, in the colours that I choose and the styles that I like. Quilting should be fun. I often think of a grade 7 teacher who tried to explain to me that purple and orange, and blue and green do not ever go together..that made no sense to me!

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Lately, something new has been catching my eye, I’m loving the Modern Quilts that are out there. Colours and styles are changing and I want to play! Sometimes I just want to cut up fabric, sew and press and see what happens. Sometimes I just want simple. More often than not lately I want to try different.

This weekend I played with some Kate Spain Fabric and made my version of a quilt that I’ve seen in a few places. It’s still a work in progress, but it does have my wheels turning with more ideas.

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so simple, just strips sewn together, cut and framed, and solid blocks framed with pieced strips. Such a quick and relaxing project. Perfect for these hot weather days. I love the bright happy colours and patterns in this line too. This is still a work in progress, I haven’t decided on borders. It will be lap sized though.

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I know that this project is barely dipping my toes into the water of Modern Quilting but I think there will be more, so much more!!

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I was asked to …

I was asked to quilt this by a friend of mine who is a member of a small quilting group in South Gillies. I was given free reign on how it would be quilts so I chose to outline the applique and freehand fill the background of the centre. Freehand swirls in the green border, feathers in the pink border, and piano keys in the final border.

This quilt will be raffled off in support of the South Gillies Community Centre.

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Uncategorized

The Month that Flew By

June has always been a busy month for this family with 3 birthdays, school ending and trying to spend as much time outside as possible.

My youngest graduated high school

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Katie loves being an Auntie and so many pictures include Liam..he thought he’d try her hat on for size.

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Speaking of Liam, this month he started crawling and no sooner had he figured that out and got it down pat, he then realized that he can pull himself up and walk around holding tables, chairs etc.. he truly is a man in motion. He is 7 months.

Katie designed and made her grad dress herself. She has always amazed me with her imagination and talent.

She bought some yardage (the green satin) and a wedding gown from the Sally Ann and…

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Quilting, Uncategorized

Police Patch Quilt

When my customer first approached me about having this quilt made, he had the collection of patches and wanted a quilt made with them. With some great suggestions from my friend Alva this is what we came up with. Do you have a collection of patches that you are interested in having made into a quilt? For more information email me @ wendysquilting@gmail.com IMG_6618

Family, Grandson, Life, Texas

Grandsons and Texas

My grandsons became buddies as soon as they saw each other. During our visit to Texas Liam started sitting unassisted and pulling himself from here to there. He was wide eyed watching his big cousin Jerry and I’m sure thinking of things he’ll do to be like him.

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I love these little guys more than I could ever say. How Cute are they together in the stroller! I wonder if they’ll have as much fun shopping in a few years..somehow I think they’ll choose their Dads and Uncles over us girls. But for now we sure had fun.

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and being the Grandma, means that when someone gets a little restless why not buy a cookie!

We celebrated Jerry’s second Birthday while we were in Texas.

Jeremy (Dad) made and decorated the cake.

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Sarah (Mom) made and decorated the cookies.

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Such a sweet family!

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The birthday boy..

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One morning when Jerry woke up, and I went to get him from his crib..he wanted his hat and bear headed to the living room and..

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off he went to start another busy day!

We arrived home last night, I miss them already.

Family, Life, Texas, Travel

Yoga

Sarah is my firstborn, also first to fly from the nest and first to make ma a Grandma. She has brought so much into my life!
One of the many things she introduced me to is Yoga which I’ve practiced off and on for the last few years. I’ve been practicing regularly for the last six months now and I really can’t say enough about how much I love it!

Anyways, as a early Mother’s day gift Sarah treated me to a weekend yoga retreat at the beach not far from where she lives. It was a wonderful weekend, lots of yoga,wonderful walks along the beach. Terrific healthy food, and making new friends.
So far Texas has made a great impression on me!

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Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Little Show and Tell

When Terri first sent me pictures of this quilt as she was working on it, I fell in love with it. I love her colour placement and that this quilt was made from her stash fabrics. The Echinacea flowers were appliqued using very soft brushed flannel or was it velvet, what ever it was the dimension that her fabric choice made was perfect. I used a Panto by Nicole Webb called Fro Fro.

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these pictures were taken in MARCH in my back yard! Our weather has been so mild this year and the grass was actually dry. Very unusual for this area.

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Helena brought me her Oriental Lantern with instructions to quilt it how I wanted to…

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Uncategorized

Spring

and suddenly it seems that spring has arrived! It has been unseasonably warm here in Northern Ontario this winter but the last several days have been fantastic! Sunshine and warmth.

anyways here a few of my latest jobs

(before I begin this little quilt show I’d like to give my quilt model Derek credit and a big thank you!!)

Alva’s sweet flannel baby girl quilt:

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Norma’s Underground Railroad.

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and Sharon’s Snowman Quilt

 

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I just love how the back looks!

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Family, flowers, Longarm Quilting, Quilting

Happiness is…

February 3 is not only my daughters birthday but also the 26th anniversary of becoming a Mom. What a wonderful, challenging, fulfilling, stressful at times but mostly rewarding career of love being a Mom has been. When Sarah was born I was 23 and looking back I sure was young and naive, but I was young and grew in so many ways because I was a Mom. Happy Birthday Sarah!!

This little quilt had been here for a while, it belongs to my good friend Alva. When I loaded this quilt onto my longarm I wasn’t sure how I was going to quilt it but it very quickly spoke to me and I just had fun, I played and the ideas flowed as I doodled along. I enjoyed quilting this one so much that I felt a bit sad to have it finished.

Alva picked it up at the shop last week, and later that day I was brought another one to quilt! We may have a long way to go before there are flowers blooming outside but these sunny little quilts will help remind me that spring is coming. (This quilt was a BOM a few years ago)

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So the title of my post… well for me Happiness is being a Mom to my 4 beautiful daughters and to the men in their lives and being a Grandma to my adorable grandsons. Having friends and family who encourage, support me in my life and are so much fun to have in my life! Workwise it is helping others to finish the quilts that they have created, I am so thankful for my customers and friends for allowing me that joy!