Tag: Quilting

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

UFO’s also known as unfinished objects

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If you have been a quilter for any length of time you most likely know about the above term and possibly possess one or more or several UFO’s.

I personally prefer to think of them as works in progress. For what ever reason some projects need the next step maybe a new idea, additional fabric or time to complete. Most of mine are waiting to be quilted and because I put customer quilts first that pile grows. One thing that I am careful to do is to choose and purchase backings so that they are ready for quilting. I also have binding fabrics on hand.

I usually do personal long-arming over the Christmas holidays which will be here before I know it. So it’s time to plan.

This was a kit, I purchased it after quilting a customer quilt and just wanted to piece it. It was a fun relaxing project.
I love this top and have a quilting plan and backing. Sometimes it is just nice to play with a familiar block and colour. I often piece for relaxation.
This one was a kit from Craftsy. I used to really enjoy that site and ordered fabric from them while it was offered.
I do have the 12th block pieced, it is from a designers mystery from The Fat-quarter Shop. I stalled on the finishing kit, it’s all neatly packed away in a box that I enjoy pulling out from time to time. It may resurface this coming year, time will tell. I stalled on it as I didn’t enjoy the suggested piecing technique, I now have a new ruler that will make finishing it a breeze.

Oh and there are more, thankfully I believe that they can become leader ender projects this coming year.

My Moda Block Heads top that I recently completed is also on my list for quilting.

It was with all of those projects on my mind that made me really think hard about starting the colour collective!

My Longtime Gone is still in process… I am still really loving that project and will continue to plug away at it it’s at the halfway mark. I completed the court house step blocks last week.

These blocks take more time in the planning stage than piecing.

So why did I decide to jump into a new project? Because piecing and colour play is fun and relaxing and eventually I will get it all done and if not I am having having fun trying!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Lorna’s Quilts

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It’s been an interesting first week of November. Some mornings I have woken to a white world and this mornings temperature was 10C. Some days were so pretty with blue sky and sunshine and others were darker and a little gloomy.

Unfortunately when I took pictures of the quilt below the daylight was not working in my favour, so the quilt is not showing it’s true brightness. I still want to share it as it’s a pretty quilt and the quilting still shows in the picture. I used the pantograph Here and There.

Thankfully this one turned out better.

Oh and the butter yellow beautiful backing really shows the pretty stitches!

Both the above quilt and then next ones had been waiting for a while to be quilted. They were both a bit of a walk down memory lane as I recognized both their fabrics and patterns.

The first quilt shop in Thunder Bay was called Patchworks, Diana the owner ran fantastic classes, clubs and programs. I often still quilt tops that originated from that shop, I also often hear Quilter’s talk of how they miss that shop. Diana retired several years ago.

There also used to be a chain store called Fannys Fabrics, it was huge and had a fantastic corner of quilting fabrics, and so nice for me in those days they also had a corner that was set up for children to play. Some of the fabrics in the next quilt reminded me of that store. We Quilter’s still miss it even though it has been gone for many years.

Back to Lorna’s quilts.

Diana’s shop was well known for its warm earthy country colours. Thimbleberries was really big in that era of quilting. This isn’t one of them, it just brought it to mind.

The majority of my customers like to have me trim their quilts, which I offer as a free service. It is a lot easier to trim on the Pantograph side of my machine.

I chose the pantograph Bayside and loaded the quilt sideways in order to have the design flow in the right direction. I really love the result.

Lorna requested that I provide the backings for her quilts…a great excuse to visit Donna and her quilt shop in Pass Lake. I mentioned that in a recent blog post but wanted to share that is where these backings were purchased.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Mary’s Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt

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Oh how I love blue quilts! This one made my heart sing the moment it arrived on my doorstep! I could hardly wait to quilt it however it had to wait its turn. Well that turn arrived and the quilt has gone home.

I love piecing and did check out the Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt and considered for a moment jumping in, however I had a couple projects on the go already and customer quilts in the que.

I chose the pantograph Feather Grande by Bethanne Nemesh and it just danced along on this beautiful quilt.
The quilting really shows on the back, again those blues!!
Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Field Trip

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Life has been very full and heavy at times lately. My friend Kim and I decided we needed a visit with Donna at her quilt shop.

I was needing some wide backs for customer quilts and Donna always has such great wide backs. I was able to find just the right ones and even one for my Moda Block head quilt.

Donna is always so friendly and fun to spend time with!
She enlarged her shop over the winter…how will she fit it all on her bus when she can finally get back on the road!

For those who don’t know, her shop is called Fuelled by Fabric and is usually a mobile shop using a refurbished bus that her husband found online.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Colour or Color

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Well I am Canadian so it is colour, though I am very much looking forward to taking part in the Color Collective (of course from the States).

I have never really been able to decide on one favourite colour as it seems to always change, though in the last years I do find a lot of comfort in blues.

In my early years of quilting I loved the softer colours and gravitated towards very soft colours probably because I found them to be soothing I needed the safety and comfort in those challenging years raising children as a single Mom working in a stressful office.

Seaside Rose was a favourite collection years ago it was a Moda collection by Three Sisters and I loved Carrie Nelson’s pattern Summer wind.
I made the same quilt a few years later with a Fig Tree collection a little brighter and bolder.
I also made quilts with the French General collections.

My friend Alva was always encouraging me to play with more colour to use real colours true reds for instance. She had such an eye for colour. She left me with with many lessons and colour wheels and fabric examples.

Over the years I became tired of the soft pastel quilts. Lately I am craving more, more colour, more contrast perhaps but maybe more wow in my choices! Maybe just change. Life should evolve and change, right?

Alva’s Crane quilt was pieced the year after her son Jeff passed away too young. It was a healing quilts for her, though I doubt a mother really completely heals from that pain. This quilt has colour and so much more to it. Cranes taught me to savour the piecing journey…life doesn’t have to be a race.

So now, I am ready to embrace Colour and learn more about it. I have the tools, colour wheels, books on colour theory and of course information on the web.

If your are at the how do I understand Colour and Quilts stage of your journey I recommend Karen Browns you tube videos she has some very good and easy to follow videos to help you understand Colour Theory.

https://www.justgetitdonequilts.com/blog/categories/colour

Her site and You Tube videos are a fantastic resource for not only new quilters but also seasoned quilters as there is always something new to learn.

Where are you on your Colour Journey?

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Scrap Quilts and Planning

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I love this recent customer quilt, it was one of two, this one has such a fun colourful backing.

I chose the pantograph Waterworld as it continues to add the movement in the border fabric.
The fun fabric choice for the backing is delightful!!

I spent part of yesterday rearranging some of my fabrics and checking through my collection of solids…what a surprise to realize how much I have accumulated over the years. Some was gifted from a precious friend who has been along my journey for many years making the up coming plans even more fun.

2022 is coming and before I know it will be here, I am considering goals for myself. I not only plan to work with solids but hope to plan a few leader ender projects and see where that takes me. I have always loved scrappy quilts and I certainly have more than enough variety to play.

My quilting journey brings so much to my life!

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Mid October

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We have been incredibly spoiled this fall with warm days. A couple of days ago the high was actually 20C which is unusual for this time of year in this area. Now that the October full moon has passed the colder air seems to be upon us at least it sure feels like it this morning! It’s -4C with a feels like -8C…

Liam has been with us this week and I remind him that in a month or two those temperatures will seem warm! Still it sure makes it hard to crawl out of a warm bed in the morning and we will very soon be turning on the furnace.

We have been busy around here getting ready for winter. The gardens are empty and tilled, the pool is covered and parts stored away. It is time to give in and bring the boots in from the shed and tuck away the summer shoes.

Thankfully my quilting keeps me warm and happy. My customer quilts delight me. I love the transformation from top to quilt!

I continue to work away on my Longtime Gone quilt. The most recent block is trip around the world. It was laid out for weeks before I finally sat down and sewed.

This block consists of 121 1.5” squares. I have fun choosing different backgrounds for these blocks.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Flamingo Quilt

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How bright and cheerful is this quilt! Halina has been making such fun scrappy quilts and this one was no exception.

I chose the pantograph Hearts and Blooms partially because of some of the blooms found in the fabrics but the backing called fo4 the hearts.

The Flamingo fabric she used for her borders is so delightful! It really amazes me with how many quilts that I quilt that I often have never come across many of the fabrics in them also how rare it is to have duplicate quilts to quilt.

Wendy's Longarm Quilting, Thunder Bay, Ontario

Lady of the Lake Quilt

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This was one of Susan’s first quilt projects that she purchased when she first began quilting. It sat waiting for her to feel ready to tackle all of those half square triangles.

As usual her quilt top was perfectly pieced and a joy to quilt! it was quilted using Bethanne Nemeshs pantograph Feather Grande.

I love the yellow and grays together

How pretty is this backing!