Author: wendysquilting

Professional Longarm Machine Quilter in Thunder Bay Ontario.
Quilting, Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Sunkissed

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My much anticipated mail has finally arrived, this collection is so wonderful. It’s bright and sunny and reminds me of some of the clothes I wore when I was small.

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March can still be a grey month here the weather does let up and the snow starts to melt, but that means lots of puddles and all the mess left behind from the sanded streets and walks.

I’ve made more progress on Emily’s quilt, the final round of ribbons are ready to be sewn. This quilt will take a backseat while I work on the Sunkissed top but I still plan to have it finished by the end of the month.

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Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Floating

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Do you remember the post when I showed you this?

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Well inside those tubes were the new wheels for my longarm. I love my APQS Millennium and have spent many many hours quilting with it. One thing I wasn’t crazy about though was my machine felt heavy and I felt like it took a lot more of my strength to guide her than I though it should.

Then came my very favourite personal technician who is also my very favourite guy! Erik put my new wheels on my machine on Saturday. I don’t think my wheels have ever been as perfectly adjusted as they are now.

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and let me tell you, my machine floats now, I love it! I could hardly wait to load a quilt and try them out!!!

So on Sunday that’s just what I did

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After my oldest daughter took all her quilts to Texas, my other girls were complaining that there weren’t enough snuggle quilts for the living room. I used a flannel back for this quilt and oh my it was fun to quilt! What a difference!

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Rauma

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We went out for dinner in Rauma and Erik’s cousin Erikki said we’d go out for Kebabs. I thought we we’re going to have shish kabobs. Not quite

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That is all finely sliced beef under the pita like bread and salad on the side. I was never really sure of what I was ordering…..sometimes I was suprised.

This dinner was really good but enough food to serve my family for supper!

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Erikki’s son Patrick had just come from soccer practice and happily ate everything on his plate and helped another cousin finish eating hers.

after dinner we went for a walk around town and came across this site

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From a distance it really did look like women that were swimming in the canal! It turned out they were very realistic statues.

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a few after diner drinks…

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Blogroll, Finland, Summer, Travel

Lace Making and Old Rauma

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I’ve always been interested in lace and years ago I was interested in learning to tat, I was about 19 at the time and I didn’t know anyone who knew how and any books I could find were not very helpful so I gave up the idea.

While we were in Finland last summer we visited the town of Rauma and it  just happened to be Lace Week!

This girl was demonstrating the art, it was fascinating! I’m not sure that it’s something that I’ll be taking up though!

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Old Rauma was fascinating, it has  a population of over Six Hundred. Nearly 30 hectares of aged wooden houses are from the early 1700’s. A total of 600 buildings  narrow and narrow winding streets and alleys and irregular lots. Many of the buildings have become shops but there are still many that are peoples homes.

It was fascinating.

 

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No matter where we girls live…..some of us have to have our workshops!

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Vintage

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When I was small, this bowl was what my Mom mixed cookies in. I really only remember her making shortbread at Christmas in it. At some point she must have gotten newer mixing bowls and the set of 2 bowls became mine.

I hate to admit it but I took my bowls for granted, and I’ve used them regularly for the last 25 or more years. My 4 daughters have all used it many times as well. The smaller white one has lost all the details and the bigger one (not the one in the picture) is fading fast.

Anyways, this bowl holds a lot of memories for me, when I was a little girl this bowl seemed enormous to me, it was a magic bowl that meant cookies would be coming. (not a regular occurrence so it was exciting at least to me)

For years now I’ve thought about getting a new mixer. ( I wore out a Sunbeam after 15 years, it really was a workhorse) I replaced my Sunbeam with another but it only lasted a couple of years with a lot less use. The one to have it seems is the Kitchenaid one, but I just never bring myself to get one.

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I can’t help but think that I’ve managed this long without, and do I really have space for one to live.

Maybe I should just see if I can find some new Pyrex Aqua mixing bowls instead hmmm

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Brightness

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I do have all 30 blocks to the stage shown and also all the outer rings ready to join and add to the blocks so slowly but surely its coming. I’m hoping to have this one finished and ready to enter into our spring quilt show this year.

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This little one has been waiting to be quilted for, hmm well over a year. Its such a sunny happy quilt, it could be a baby quilt but I think I might just have a perfect place for it to live for awhile anyways.

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I’m still waiting for a couple of shipments to arrive, sometimes its just so hard to be patient but I did order them on the 18th of Feb and its been long enough!! It just reminds me why I like to have my orders shipped to the border.

and todays goal? I should have Katie’s quilt ready to bind and hopefully be a little further along on Emily’s quilt.

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Awesome

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How would life be if we really stopped and appreciated the small positive things that happen each day in our life?

 http://1000awesomethings.com/ I think I’ll spend a little time checking out this website.

I’m trying to come out of hibernation, but my authentic self really involves my quilting, its what I do, it’s what I love…..its a major passion in my life and has been for a little more than half my life. It brings me joy, that maybe only another quilter can understand.

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I used variegated thread for the top and in the bobbin and I really like the way the  design shows on the back. I sure wouldn’t have been this brave when I first started longarm quilting.

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One Christmas I made each of my daughters a quilt, I surprised Emily with this very bright quilt because she had always loved the bright colours. At the time her room was painted Tigger Orange and Piglet Pink and this quilt worked so well in her room. She still loves her bright quilt but she is now a young woman and has new tastes so she chose a collection called Mill House Inn for her next quilt, I’m working on it and I’ll share more as it progresses

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its coming along, this is not a quilt to be pieced quickly so its taking me a little longer than I’m used to but I’m loving it so far.

I also have this sweet little pile calling me to transform

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We need a new snuggle quilt for the living room and these colours will be so happy for the summer.

Too much time hibernating causes too much time looking at other peoples blogs which led to another project in the cue using the Sunkissed collection by Sweetwater for Moda that I can hardly wait to get started on…. we have a new quilt shop opening here very soon and I am so thankful that Lucy has ordered this collection….its so pretty and looks so summery to me.

 

So while all the above makes me want to spend more time in my studio, the days are getting longer and some days the temps are warmer and I’m starting to think about fishing, camping and gardening, summer is going to come.

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Hibernating

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That’s a good word to describe how I feel these days. Sarah and Jerry have been in Montreal for the last 12 days….now it’s official, he has dual citizenship and she has her Visa approved. They’ll be  back for a short while and then back to Texas.

I’ve sure enjoyed having them here, Jerry is such a fun little guy and being the Grandma is the best! 

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We’ve had no shortage of snow, and cold this winter. I’m hoping for milder weather for some cross country skiing.

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I’ve spent a lot of time hiding in my studio.

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The above picture is a recent finish. I’m finishing up the binding on my Elizabeth quilt,  Katie’s quilt is ready for quilting and I’m working on Emily’s quilt.

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Look who’s here!

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My daughter and her husband ended up driving up from Texas and were exhausted so went right to bed after supper leaving Auntie Emily and Grandma to spend some quality time with Jerry. He is such a sweet baby and so happy and inquisitive at 7 months. Well until he started to get tired and realized that he didn’t know where Mom and Dad were, of course he woke them up but now that little family is asleep at least for now…