Tag: Ontario

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

2025 Quilting and Life

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I spent some time looking over the last year of pictures on my phone this morning, here is what I noticed…

First of all and this is on a personal side, I ended 2024 making some big changes and choices in my health and wellness journey. I changed my diet and removed most processed foods and pretty much all ultra processed foods. I made a no food after supper rule as well.

After reading the book Younger Next Year for Women, I also made exercise a higher and daily goal for myself. The book encourages retired people..which I am not but maybe getting there, I am going on 63…to make daily exercise your new job.

The main goal of course is for longevity but not only that but active and healthy and happy longevity.

In this very recent picture I had tried on a top that belonged to my eldest daughter that she bought when she was about 18, it was fun to slip it on.

Some favourite books along with Younger Next Year for Women, include Thinner this Year, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins.

In a future post I will share some of the podcasts and you tube videos that have really resonated with me this year. We are so fortunate as Women to have so much more information about our health at our fingertips!

2025 found us travelling in the Motorhome to Arizona and area…I absolutely loved the Bike Loop that our campground in Tucson was beside and I keep thinking it would be great to be back there for a few weeks or so…the fresh citrus was definitely a bonus!

Travel wise we had a fun trip to the Dells with some of the kids and grands this year!

Speaking of Grands…I spent a lot of time with the younger Grandchildren. The pictures really reflect that as they take up a large portion of the albums.

My Dad and I have especially enjoyed having my Brother living here. He retired this year and moved here in the spring.

Quilting wise….

On my own Quilting Journey I continued to work on the Postage Stamp Quilt and Started and am getting closer to completing my Small World by Tara Faughnan Quilt.

This shows some of the blocks…

I have almost all of the blocks made to finish the Postage block Quilt.

I have also been playing with blocks from Tara Faughnans block studies..

I clearly need to spend more time on personal projects.

Though and thankfully and I am so appreciative of my wonderful customers, many who have also become friends…they are the reason why most of my quilting time is spent with my Longarm and finishing other peoples quilting projects! Just a small sampling…

Thank you to all of my customers, friends and of course family who are all so important to me in this wonderful life and for sharing 2025 with me!!

I wish you all the best in 2026!!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Very Special Gift of Love

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One of my customer finishes in December, this quilt was pieced by a long time friend of mine. She was the one who first encouraged me to use my sewing talents to supplement my income while raising my daughters.

She often shared costume lines with me when she had a whole studio of dancers to sew for before their spring recitals! This was before studios started ordering ready made costumes.

Unfortunately due to some health issues my friend was unable to finish this project that she pieced for her sweet granddaughter.

She had pieced her quilt with the batting so it was a bit of a challenge re longarm quilting as there was a considerable amount of bulk where the points meet. We solved that by adding a thick layer of polyester batting, which also added a lot of poof to the quilt. (The thicker areas are nestled into that batting and less noticeable)

My longarm sewed through this extra thick quilt beautifully. I am a hand guided quilter ie no computer.

We chose the quilting design Rhododendron giving fantastic coverage without density.

When I was shopping for the backing fabric, I just knew this one with the fairies would be a perfect choice! It absolutely delighted my friend and her daughter and granddaughter!

Her quilt was finished at delivery, I chose the binding fabric and love how beautifully it plays with the top and back of this quilt. I hand stitched the binding down after attaching it to the top.

We also added a label so that her Granddaughter will have the information on her quilt.

Pictures were shared with me of the gifting and that the quilt was absolutely loved at first sight!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Quilting and Life…

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I read an article yesterday about why it sometimes feels like the days and time just flies by. The article suggested making some changes such as challenges and learning new things instead of always following the same routines. Something to ponder for sure.

My Longarm and I have been busy finishing quilts for my customers of course. I am so thankful for my APQS Millennium and that the company is so true to its word about service. Using a longarm as much as I do there are times where parts wear out and need to be replaced or just readjusted. My experience has always been excellent over the years as in twenty years…just saying 😊

I have been watching art meditation reels on Instagram lately. I find them relaxing and inspiring. I am always in the lookout for fun activities with our grandchildren.

One meditation used Paint Sticks which were new to me and I found a box of 36 colours and took the chance and ordered them. When Minka popped over with her Mom the other day, I shared a plan I had and she went right to work testing them out!

I have always loved art and playing with creating and now I have little people in my life that love to join me!

Along that line Tara Faughnans block studies continue to inspire me and although Garnish didn’t initially excite me as much as others once I got going on it I fell in love with making the blocks and playing with the dusty colours!

My personal piecing time has been a little more limited lately than I would like. Over the holidays I plan to gift myself with some play days just for me. I will also have some play days with Grands as well.

On one last life note my Dad ended up with a short admit to the hospital due to a post scope infection a couple of weeks ago. His care from the moment we entered the Emergency department to discharge a few days later was absolutely outstanding!

He even had a good view from his bed once he was admitted. Most importantly he recovered very quickly, no doubt in part to his focus on healthy lifestyle!

Something else that we Canadians perhaps take for granted at times but that I am extremely grateful for is that the bill Dad will receive for all of that care is $0. We do pay taxes for sure but no one here has to stress and worry about money when they or their loved ones need medical care.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Northern Quilts

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There are so many amazing Panels available now and this one is no exception. I absolutely love my customers borders and colour choices that she used to grow the panels and add her person touch to them.

She is a longtime quilter and at 86 yrs she is still going strong! A fantastic role model.

When choosing the quilting design I was considering one pantograph that really adds to the movement and look of the Northern lights however feel it didn’t do anything for the lake.

When the design Ripples came to mind I knew that it would perfectly fit the bill.

Thread weight and colour make a big difference in the final outcome. When I don’t want the thread to steal the show I choose a 60 weight which sits beautifully in the background for the most part. I chose a very soft blue that does show up minimally where it contrasts.

Her quilts were trimmed and ready for binding when I delivered them to her…(both complementary services)

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Life and Quilting

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My days do seem to fly by, I spend several hours most days working on customer quilts. As much as I love that I also really love piecing quilts.

Joining Tara Faughnans block studies this season has been a fantastic addition to my quilting practice with both learning a new block and playing with a palette of her choosing it really does make for great fun in my life.

I will share more but for now these are a couple of my blocks from the first month that I plan to mount on canvas.

Other samples that I have made are earmarked for some other fun ideas.

My Small world quilt blocks almost fill my design wall and my postage stamp quilt continues to have a few blocks pieced and is slowly being completed.

A friend of mine suggested trying an eye pillow at bedtime made with flax seed and lavender…so I did make myself one and a few more for others…

With the winter months approaching there should be more time for studio play.

We are so wealthy in Grandchildren and have had the pleasure of their company and all the fun and joy that they bring with them!

On a personal note and adding to what I have written in previous posts…. A year ago tomorrow I made a decision to remove certain things from my diet. Alcohol was one and following that dispite for the most part eating a healthy diet I have made changes and tweaked it to better match my health and wellbeing goals.

There is so much to learn about food and it’s not always easy to navigate away from ultra processed foods but it is worth the effort. The Yuka app has been very helpful.

Adding more exercise and learning more about what we women need at my stage of life for bone,muscle and heart health has been enlightening as well! I have so much fabric and so many ideas that healthy longevity is a big time personal goal.

So to that some personal progress gifts!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Autumn Quilting

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We have enjoyed an amazing long autumn, this picture of course was taken a month or so again as the leaves have all fallen now.

We had snow yesterday, which made for a pretty walk late yesterday. I do love the crisper air for walks. The forecasted temperature today will quickly melt what was left behind yesterday.

Of course since my last post I have been busy in my studio working on customer quilts. I will share more about the last month or so in my next post.

This post I am sharing a quilt that its maker really wasn’t sure how she felt about it, it’s an early one of hers and like she said if she was doing it again she would have chosen some of the fabrics differently.

That said, it’s a perfect Autumn quilt!

Most of my customers leave the decision of quilting design to me and this quilt called for the design Leaf Pile! I love the density of stitching along with the various leaves adding more visual appeal to an already great quilt!

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

This next picture shows how it looked just before coming off the leaders. I am often asked why my quilts have a smoother finish front and back. I do not float quilt tops unless there is a reason that it’s necessary. That way I have more control over the tension of both top and backing while I am quilting.

It’s a personal preference for sure.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A First Quilt! An Extra Special Gift 💝

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A first quilt made as a very special gift!

Its maker chose the quilting design Forest Floor as the recipient loves the outdoors.

This pantograph has such a wonderful density and is such a perfect Autumn design.

It’s always fun to flip over the backing and see how it looks as well! In this case the indentation and not the stitching is what shows up more.

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

The quilt was made by the Bride and presented to Her Groom on their Wedding Day this past weekend.

Photo taken by Zach Baranowski

Such a wonderful gift Congratulations to the Bride and Groom!!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Christmas Quilt Story

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The story of this lovely Christmas quilt really makes me smile!

It was pieced by a longtime and expert quilter, which I could tell by her piecing. I have quilted other quilts of hers as well.

Sadly (and of course not why it makes me smile) she began developing dementia as this one was being completed and is no longer able to quilt.

The part that makes me smile is that her family has chosen to finish her quilts so that they will be used and enjoyed.

There was a lot of bulk in some of the areas where the corners met and I didn’t want to add any distraction to the piecing/design of the quilt with the quilting. I chose the pantograph Bayside for its soft flow…I also love how it plays so nicely with the candy cane backing!

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

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

A Bear in a Tree (quilting and life)

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I love summer and this year we had, at least in my opinion, lovely weather.

Unfortunately for the bears and for our community the weather we had did not produce a great crop of berries for the bears!

So what is a hungry bear to do, especially when it’s time to fatten up and get ready to hibernate…they do love apples and so we had a visitor. The city and area has had far more visiting bears than usual!

Neighbours up the road from us have had a Momma and her three cubs hanging around for a few weeks. I suspect this one is one of the cubs and spent the day returning to our tree despite our presence.

We usually wait until after the first frost to pick the apples but choose to pick them that day…so it’s back to making apple juice again.

On the quilting front this Bear in the Tree quilt recently left the studio. It was quilted using the design Star Swirl and I stopped around the appliqués in order to allow them to pop. (They were outlined and minimally quilted in order to keep the density similar to the background)

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

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

An Irish Chain Quilt

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Green is a colour often associated with Ireland aka the Emerald Isle. So what better colour to use for an Irish Chain Quilt!

This one was lovingly pieced by my customer as a gift for her daughter. (who loves green!)

We chose the quilting design Nocturne Feathers, a fairly new addition to my collection and an additional design by Bethanne Nemesh.

My customer and I met at the local fabric store to find a backing for this quilt and we found a perfect brighter green for the backing ☘️

As a side note, if you are purchasing backing yardage it’s a good idea to have an idea of how much you will need for your quilt as sometimes staff at a fabric store perhaps aren’t quilters so aren’t aware of the calculations. Shops that specialize in quilting generally do know and are a great resource. I am also happy to help with the calculations so you end up with the right amount.

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