Moda Blockheads 3, Thunder Bay, Wendy's Quilting

Family Day Weekend and Blockheads Update

Today is a provincial holiday, it is meant to encourage families to spend time together. Of course this year we are in a lock down due to Covid and discouraged from spending time with anyone who doesn’t live in your household.

We are still living in the deep freeze, however hope is on the horizon and we will be in the minus teens tomorrow and next weekend is looking like minus single digits! That is exciting especially since the forecast looks kinder for the rest of the month.

I have continued to work on my blockhead blocks, I don’t want it to become an unfinished project so will work away until it tells me it’s finished. I am itching to start something new.

Moda Blockheads (Block 56)

Isn’t block 56 pretty. In a previous post I shared my used of Deb Tuckers Wing Clipper ruler to make my Flying Geese blocks. I own both sizes and use them often.

I love the accuracy
Block 17, the flying geese units finish at 3/4” x 1 1/2” so accuracy was essential with little room to play with.
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Joan’s Kaffe Quilt

Joan’s quilt was the first customer quilt of the year. I quilted it during a very grey cloudy week. The brightness of the Kaffe Fassett fabrics with the white background and oh the backing was just the ticket to light things up a bit.

I chose the pantograph by Bethanne Nemesh, called Nemesh Feather Grande which to me really suited the quilt. I also love stitching this out and that particular week I needed some relaxing stitching which it provided.

Joan’s quilt

Unfortunately, the sunlight did not reappear before the quilt was picked up and the only picture of the finished quilt was before it was trimmed. Joan will bind it with the solid green that is in the top.

Oh and check out the backing!

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Quilting with Friends

I just returned from my second quilting retreat. It is so much fun to quilt with friends and to not only see what they are making but also to share ideas and new notions and techniques there that others have found.

These retreats also allow for hours and hours of sewing uninterrupted by things like errands, cooking, cleaning etc… this particular retreat includes meals that eliminate the need to even decide what to eat! The major bonus is that every meal there was fantastic! So fantastic that I really need to take walking breaks next time.

I chose to work on my Winter Village quilt that I hope to have ready to hang up in January.

Do you sew with friends? I also quilt with friends almost every Thursday evening if you live in Thunder Bay and would like a group to quilt with even if you are a beginner and would like to learn more let me know and I will share more information about a new group!

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Change

Life gets busy and before I knew it I hadn’t pieced anything in ages. My casual, part time job took front stage over my quilting time and add a few other commitments and life became way out of balance. Suddenly something happened that truly forced me to stop and catch my breath and to re-evaluate my priorities.

A little over a month ago I was invited to an amazing quilting retreat. Three days of uninterrupted sewing, all meals were were amazing and best of all spending the weekend with kind nurturing and supportive quilting friends helped to spark my joy in quilting all over again!

It’s not that I had lost interest it was just that life had taken over.

I started the weekend putting my kaleidoscope blocks together

I spent a few hours working on my scrappy 16 patches

And finally began working on my Fatquartershop designer mystery block of the month from 2012! It had been patiently waiting!

I had seven blocks completed when I got home and it didn’t take long before I had all 12 finished and moved on to the finishing kit!

My Mojo has returned! More to come!

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Courtney’s Quilts

 

It it was a pleasure to  meet and quilt these two quilts for Courtney. For the first quilt she chose Hobbs wool batting and the Bubble Pantograph. This was her first Machine pieced quilt. I love the backing that she chose. The Bubble pantograph has been so popular and has been chosen by several of my customers in the last year!

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Courteny hand pieced her star quilt, it was beautifully sewn together. She chose the star swirl pantograph for it and Hobbs 80/20 batting.

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Disappearing Blocks

After watching tutorials from Missouri Star Quilt Company over the winter I decided it was time to play a little. Using some Kaffe Facett layer cake fabrics and white yardage I gave these blocks a go. It was really different with the bias edges but I found that as long as I pressed carefully and didn’t stretch the fabric piecing went smoothly.

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I still have borders to add and am planning to use white.

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Two Very Different Quilts one thing in common

Two customer quilts one by my friend Betty, this quilt I will admit stretched me a little… The quilt is comprised of European shaped coffins and the fabric used has skulls and roses etc. she explained to me that it has to do with the Mexican Day of the Dead…

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Next is Joan’s Mile a Minute quilt that is Jelly Roll pattern and made with the Little Black Dress Line from Basic Grey for Moda.

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I ended up using the Rhapsody Pantograph which I fell looks perfect on both of these very different quilts!

On another note, this has been a very long and cold winter! With working full time at a job that I love (though the shift work is a bit tiring) and being busy with customer quilts, I realized last week that I couldn’t remember the last time I let myself piece something that was for my own personal pleasure. So I pulled out one of my many treasure boxes of works in progress and pieced the eleventh block of one of my BOM’s from the Fat Quarter shop. (I like to think that I am savouring these projects instead of racing through them) …well it works for me.

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Fun Freehand Quilting inspired by Judi Madsen

Ok the days are getting longer…it’s good to see more daylight everyday and although it’s been a longer and colder than usual winter I continue to try to be optimistic that spring is still determined to show up within the next couple of months!

This quilt of Margs was here for some time, it was in the cue and almost to the time to quilt stage when Marg brought me here Thimbleberries block of the month and asked to do that one first.

Right about the time this quilt came up again this book also arrived

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And I knew that I had to play, I love it when my customers let me play with their quilts! And thank you to Judi Madsen of greenfairyquilts.com for so much inspiration!

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January and Possibilities

Ok time really is getting away from me, ESP when it comes to blogging!
Just a quick recap from the last few months, I have been very busy with customer quilts as well as working as a respite worker for Wesway. Christmas as always seems to show up before we are ready though as always it was a wonderful time with family, oh and for those who don’t know…Erik and I became engaged!!!!
My oldest was home from with her family (I guess I should acknowledge that Texas is her home) Jerry really enjoyed his visit! At 3 1/2 he sees snow as fun and didn’t care that it was cold out either. His Dad really had fun fort building as well, his Mom while being a great sport has really grown used to the Texas weather.

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Jerry and Liam had fun getting reacquainted, and Jerry informed his Mama that Liam isn’t Baby Liam anymore cause he is big now!

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On the quilting front I have really enjoyed a new book by Judi Madsen of Green Fairy Quilts called Quilting Wide Open Spaces, such an inspiring to me book. She and her husband also run an online fabric store that I have ordered from numerous times with great satisfaction. So I am always happy to recommend them to others, their prices are awesome to as is there integrity!

Speaking of quilt shops I heard that there is a new shop in town! Super exciting news!!

I attended our Possibilities club tonight, I have missed too many of these meetings due to work this year. (I haven’t even made it out to a guild meeting this year though it looks good for next month!) anyways tonight’s meeting was fun, casual and full of fun and exciting ideas!

And yes I am and have been busy quilting customer quilts for the most part. I will share a glimpse of one as the customer hasn’t seen it yet…lots of fun with freehand and inspired by Judi’s book.

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