Wendy’s Quilting and Life

Sano muikku

March 21, 2011March 21, 2011 wendysquilting

I’m still busy working on my Sunny Trails Quilt and loving it more and more, though I might add that instead of using the solid grey as the pattern suggests I’m using the pinstripe..I thought I’d figured out which direction I wanted the stripes and then realized too late that I needed to make a change. It’s all good to go now.

I also have 4 quilts that need the binding sewn down hopefully sometime this week.

So I thought I’d share a little more about my trip to Finland last summer…

While we were in Finland Erik thought it was funny that his relatives would say “Sano Muikku” when they took pictures. It has the same effect as saying “say cheese” only Muikku isn’t cheese.

Then one day I came across a post at this blog Northshorewoman.blogspot.com. I found her blog to be a very interesting read.

You see Muikku is a real treat in Finland, they are small fish that are seasoned and fried as shown, and so yummy. So instead of Say Cheese in Finland it’s Say Fish!

I think Erik’s cousin was very surprised at how much I enjoyed them.

Moda Bakeshop, Quilting

Sunny Trails Quilt

March 20, 2011March 20, 2011 wendysquilting

I fell in love with the Sunkissed Collection (Sweetwater for Moda) and was doing really well restraining myself. That was until I came across this pattern on the Moda Bakeshop site

I love this pattern and esp the fabric. I am always drawn to yellow in quilts so this one drew me right in. I’m already thinking of other fabrics I’d like to see this pattern done in. If only I didn’t need to sleep, then maybe I’d have more time to to make all the quilts in my mind.

The pattern is by Corey Yoder and her blog is at littlemissshabby.com (I will warn you that her blog could be very dangerous if you are not looking for a new project to start!) but what candy for the eyes!

I think I ordered the fabric that very day, then I had to wait because I’d decided to have the fabric shipped to my house instead of the border, the wait was a little more than 3 weeks!! If I’d had it shipped to the border I could have had it in 3 days. (lesson learnt)

It is snowing here today…..so I’ll go spend the afternoon with my Sunny Fabric!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

National Quilting Day?

March 19, 2011March 6, 2021 wendysquilting

Did you know that today is National Quilting Day?

Pretty much everyday is a Quilting Day for me it seems. Even when I’m busy doing other things I’ll be pondering the next step on a project or a new project or some other plan related to quilting. I know to some it may sound like I have a quilting obsession but I was once told that I’m a Passionate Quilter. I like the sound of that so much more, don’t you?

I’m still working away on my Sunkissed Project, oh I love this collection. I really should have bought more of it, but I have to draw the line with myself more often than not.

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

Sunkissed

March 17, 2011March 6, 2021 wendysquilting

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.

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.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Floating

March 16, 2011March 6, 2021 wendysquilting

Do you remember the post when I showed you this?

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.

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

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

March 15, 2011March 15, 2011 wendysquilting

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

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!

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

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

a few after diner drinks…

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Vintage

March 12, 2011March 15, 2011 wendysquilting

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.

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

March 11, 2011March 6, 2021 wendysquilting

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.

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.

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

February 27, 2011March 30, 2011 wendysquilting

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.

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.

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

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

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.