Tag: Life

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Winter Vacation 2026 part 2

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It made me a little sad to see the bikes loaded back up onto the motorhome! I truly see the appeal of cycling not only is it a great way to get and stay fit it’s FUN! It reminds me of the freedom as a child riding my bike!

Our first overnight on our way home was in Las Cruces New Mexico…the forecasted temperatures for Tucson were for 40C for right after we left, I happen to enjoy the heat more than Erik. Thankfully it wasn’t as hot in La Cruces but hot enough that we really enjoyed the pool!

And the Sunset on our after supper walk!

We spent a couple of nights at the Santa Rosa Lake State park, we stayed there last year as well and really enjoyed hiking around the lake along with our after supper hikes.

Our daytime hikes were a little too hot for Erik 35C but for some reason those temp sure felt great to me!

We finally checked out Buc-eyes… https://buc-ees.com in Amarillo Texas. The brisket and pulled pork sandwiches were really tasty! The candied pecans were also a yummy treat!

We stopped to visit the Kansas Welcome Center and when I saw this display I just had to get a picture!! I also made Erik pose with them as well!!

Driving through the burning of the Flint Hills felt eerie with the more yellow Smokey sky and smell.

Visiting Winterset Iowa again was such a treat and I will write a separate post about both the Museum and the fantastic quilt shop there!

Aside from visiting the quilt shop and museum in Winterset we were treated to one last day of summer weather! We made great use of that with a fun hike in their city park!

The drive north included Minneapolis which we normally side skirt around by visiting Hastings and Stillwater MN and we both agree that we will do that in the future.

Our last overnight stay was in Hinkley MN where I needed my fleece lined leggings,Winter Coat and wool headband and gloves again in order to take our evening walk…it was not an easy transition back to the cold again!!

You can tell that we were North again parked beside an ice fishing trailer in Hinkley!!

The last cold travel days did make being back in the house welcome! The rest of March and April was very chilly and snowy, however our days were also filled with a lot of wonderful family time and of course Quilting for me!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Winter vacation 2026 part 1

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So we did take a trip with winter…leaving the snow behind and journeyed back to Tucson with the motorhome at the end of February.

It’s was a fun filled active vacation! I made a point to scope out places to walk where ever we camped! The campground in Topeka was close to a wonderful bike/walking path that took us along the Reser’s Food plants. They were interesting to check out, however I have all but eliminated ultra processed foods from our diet…

I am really looking forward to having Costco open here as it was easy to continue my eating plan while travelling!

With that said…we did enjoy some pistachios and pistachio ice cream in Alamogordo!!!

The drive and rv parks along the way were great and I won’t lie having the warmth and sunshine was more than welcome!

We stayed at the same KOA in Tucson as last year. It is right along the Tucson Bike Loop and I could hardly wait to ride again! Having the same amazing grapefruit tree on our site of course was an additional benefit!

We rode almost every day each day adding additional miles to our ride each day after almost three weeks we were at 27 miles. We did come across a snake on the path happily it wasn’t interested in us!

One day when we were riding we came upon a group of women at what I call the watering station. They had birthday hat’s attached to their helmets and wore wings and birthday sashes! The gal that I spoke with said that they get together for birthdays and ride the miles of their birthday…she is 78! How fun is that! There were more than a dozen of them.

Tumamoc Hill was a great adventure, it was a 1.5 mile almost straight up walk the views were fantastic!

We also visited Kartchner Caverns, the tour and seeing the inside of the cave was absolutely amazing and breathtaking! There were no cameras allowed, but if you are interested in caves it is well worth looking into!

Afterwards we went on a hike in the same park, no one would ever guess that underground is such an incredible natural marvel!

We also walked a few miles every evening making it a very active for us vacation! We also spent many of the afternoons relaxing by the pool! The cool water was very welcome.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Some Fun!!

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Some background to the story of this picture…after quilting their Bargello Quilt before my vacation and hearing a funny story that I shared my friends, Tim started referring to me as the Quilting Queen!

Tim and Donna came for a visit with this week with a gift!!! Thank you so much you two!!

I was told that I need a crown and now I have one! 💝

In some other news, I am currently piecing a quilt top from a kit for a customer. It’s a pre cut kit and so far so good and I will share my review on the kit as I progress. these blocks are trimmed to 14 1/2”.

I still am working slowly on my block studies course, though my customer quilting takes precedence.

My project Wendy as it’s come to be known, re my personal healthy living journey has been so successful and I am loving the energy that my choices have gifted my day to day life! More about that in a future post.

The quilt on my frame in the first picture will be finished today…what else is there to do on a rainy day than quilt 😊

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Quilting Side of Life Donna’s Selvage Quilt

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My year has been busy both in the studio and in my life away from it.

On the Quilting side, I do have many customer quilts to share and I will try to catch up in the coming weeks! I will also share more about our winter vacation and what a fun adventure it was.

I had so much fun working on Donna’s selvage quilt…

A selvage quilt is pieced using saved selvages from fabrics often saved from years of quilt making and often donated pieces from friends.

Donna shared these statistics with me…she used a total of 23,400 inches of selvage, that’s 1,950 feet that’s approx 1/3 of a mile. I weighed her quilt after quilting so it included the foundation fabric used for piecing the 100 percent cotton batting along with the batting and it weighed 13.5 pounds. She has since added the binding.

We, well mostly Donna’s husband Tim chose the quilting design Prism. The angles of the design are a fun contrast to the piecing stitches and looks fantastic on the back.

Her quilt was trimmed and ready for binding at pick up…and she didn’t waste any time adding the binding!

She also shared this picture of the quilt on their King size bed (before binding)

Her quilt will be displayed at the quilt show in Dryden in you happen to find yourself at the show and you will very likely run into Donna and Tim there as well!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Elephant Quilt

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This was such a fun quilt to work on!!

I had just received a new order of pantographs when it came in and both my customer and I agreed that the design Autumn Splendor Feather would be a wonderful choice!

As I have mentioned before, using my imagination to choose designs is a fun technique. I envisioned the elephant walking through the forest.

This design added another layer to the quilt and of course was really showcased in the negative space to background in the quilt.

The backing fabric was a fantastic splash of colour complementing the quilt top.

The quilt was trimmed and ready for binding at pick up!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Snowflake Quilt

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It is no secret that I love blue and white quilts! I love small intricate piecing and this quilt was so beautifully pieced and such a pleasure to quilt! Yes it did go home with its maker but not until I added my touch!

The pattern is Tahoe from Laundry Basket Quilts and it began as a kit from there however it needed to grow and so more fabric was purchased and it was made to fit the bed.

As it was named the Snowflake Quilt by its maker, she chose the fun bold snowflake quilting design for it.

This is not a quick quilt to make, the precision takes time and in my opinion definitely worth the effort!

Her quilt was trimmed and ready for binding at pick up!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

O Canada a Quilt

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As a Proud Canadian it was truly my pleasure to add my touch to Leslie’s beautiful quilt!

We chose the quilting design Maple Syrup, adding the swirling maple leafs over her quilt just felt right!!

Somehow I missed getting a picture of her backing which was full of Canadian vehicles and fun!!

Of course her quilt was trimmed and ready for binding at pick up!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Quilting can make all the difference!

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The maker of this quilt told me that she wasn’t overly crazy about this quilt. So when she picked it up and her mind had changed it truly brought me joy!

She had requested that I choose the quilting design. I decided to include her in making the decision by sending pictures of two ideas that I had and she chose a newer one in my collection. She chose Autumn Splendor Feather by Bethanne Nemesh

This design is a little more dense than other designs however it isn’t tight and the quilt has a lovely drape. Add to that, the rich gorgeous soft flannel backing that has a soft design allowing the quilting to really shine…its maker was truly in love with her quilt!

That’s a part of my job that I really love!!!

Her quilt was trimmed and ready for binding at pick up!

I offer quality quilting services and treat each quilt that I work on with the care that I would treat my own.

Each quilt and quilt backing are pressed and checked over before I load it onto my longarm. Occasionally I come across an area that might need a quick fix, and with my customers permission I will repair before quilting.

Most of my customer take me up on my offer of complementary trimming so that their quilts are ready for binding…I do send all of those trimmings home with their quilts!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Happy Flowers Quilt and Quilting

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Well, I don’t actually know the pattern name for this quilt however it brought a wonderful happy feeling into my studio as I worked on it!

When deciding on a quilting design for a quilt like this it might be tempting to think that it calls for a floral design.

Does it really need more flowers though? I like to consider designs that will complement the piecing, so while it is a quilt full of flowers and leaves what might create more of a flower garden feel.

That is why I chose the design Tickle Too with its swirls and feathers that in a way add a feeling of vines in the flower bed. In my imagination anyways!

My customer agreed with my choice 😊

Taking the time to match the pattern when I am able too is worth the extra time in my opinion and so it is a complimentary service I provide along with piecing the backing. Can you see the seam?

Her quilt was trimmed and ready for binding. Most of my customers also choose this complementary service.

Thank you for visiting my blog! I enjoy sharing my work and thoughts with you and I hope that you find inspiration in my posts.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Welcome to February!! Quilting and Life

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Thankfully it seems that Januarys cold snap has moved on. Winter of course is far from over in Thunder Bay, though this mornings daylight appeared earlier and of course the sunset is later each day.

One of the reasons that February is extra special for me is that it is when I first became a Mom!! My beautiful daughter Sarah completely transformed my life 40 years ago.

I am so very thankful to be Mom to my 4 wonderful daughters who now inspire me and often help guide me in life. ❤️

Happy Valentines Day!! I absolutely loved quilting this Shattered Heart Quilt. The pantograph was chosen by its maker and is one that I ordered for this quilt.

Just as becoming a Mom transformed my life so did the arrival of my APQS Longarm Quilting Machine!

My quilting business has brought so many wonderful people into my life! Many have been in my life from the beginning and many that have found me along the way!

It enabled me to go from a full time to a part time position when my house and life were so full of my growing daughters..and their friends. It also enabled me to leave that job and regroup before taking another much more fulfilling job all while quilting almost full time along the way.

My long arm arrived 22 years ago just before New Years and that January was the beginning of this amazing journey.

January was a very busy month in my long arm studio and it’s always so exciting to work on each quilt that comes my way to quilt…of course February will be busy too 😊

I have almost alway held another job over the years in the health care field.

My final one,outside of my quilting business was my favourite one which was working for Wesway. For those who don’t know about Wesway…it provides respite services, in both the community and in respite homes working with all ages. I worked in both and met so many wonderful people.

Well I closed that chapter in my life last month and retired from Wesway.

Life is so interesting and so full of changes isn’t it.

I will be back to sharing customer quilts and their stories in my next posts!