Every now and then someone will contact me about a quilt top they made years ago and would I be able to help them finish it.
This sampler had been waiting over 20 years. It was well worth bringing it closer to completion!
Sweet Sampler
Tag: Quilts
Purple and Orange
I remember in grade 7, which would have been around 1975…one of my favourite tops had purple and orange stripes. I loved wearing it!
I also had an art teacher tell me that those two colours don’t go together there fore I was to rethink my assignment. Hopefully teachers today don’t stifle young creative peoples ideas such as back then.
Years later while making my first block of the month quilt…I decided to deviate from the pattern a little with my own idea and an at that time period friend exclaimed that I couldn’t do that! Well I did and I remember liking that mine was more unique!
Two things brought this to mind today first is this customer quilt!
Next I have been puttering away at my Moda Blockheads quilt and am wanting it off the design wall. I have been wanting to make a sisterhood block so made one for the Moda quilt.
I haven’t done a lot of paper piecing and so this one gave me some challenges when putting the units together esp the centre. I ended up tacking down the points that really need to meet before sewing the whole unit. The paper is still in the block, I am sure once it’s in the quilt and quilted I will be quite happy with it.
I also really enjoyed how nice and round and smooth the appliqués turned out. The tulip brand needles I used were so smooth and easy to sew with along with 60 wt thread. Though in the further I may use 80 wt for appliqué instead.
Dresden Plate Quilt
My customer told me that she really enjoyed making this quilt playing with with both fabric and design. I really enjoyed adding my touch by using the pantograph Feather Grande by Bethanne Nemesh it adds both a whimsical touch and a little formalness with the feathers.
Cathy’s Quilt
Cathy’s version of the one block wonder type piecing was such a perfect quilt to work on this last while were every day brought rainy grey days. It’s bright green was a reminder that all of the rain will bring out the colours of spring before we know it!
This is a picture of the fabric that she began with. I believe it is by Jane Sassaman .
Her piecing was perfect and so effective!
I used the pantograph Rhododendron that Cathy chose and it was the perfect compliment to this quilt.
Liam and Grandma’s Day
As promised Liam really enjoyed his breakfast yesterday.
We spent time outside in the woods practicing with the sling shot…he really has this figured out now and was really excited that he can skip stones on the pond with it! We also had fun navigating the deep water on some of the roads in the back of the property due to the large amounts of rain this week. Our rubber boots were well used!
When we came in he enjoyed a bowl of his most favourite thing for lunch…Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup…I don’t tell him but I buy the low sodium version which make me feel a little better about it. He loves crackers and ice cubes in this soup.
Then it was time to head to the studio!
We spent the afternoon making and attaching the binding…I think that I will sit with him and do the hand stitching while we watch a movie.
Spring Break, Liam Adventures and Quilt
This week is what was supposed to be March break for Ontario schools it was changed to April due to Covid…with a plan to reopen schools on the 19th. Plans change and now the schools will remain closed and students are to continue with virtual learning until further notice.
Liam and I made a plan yesterday for how we will approach virtual learning when we start again. It has been a very real challenge to keep him in front of that laptop for learning.
Erik taught him how to use a slingshot over the weekend, so we went for a walk in the woods so that he could practice his shot. No critters were involved.
On our walk to the mailbox Liam reminded me that we spent last March break together so now it’s a tradition. He assures me that he will always want to hang out with me.
The mailbox contained a big envelope that caught his attention and he opened it as soon as we got home and read a lot of it!
We took Liam to the Dells in 2019 with a plan to return the next summer…that didn’t happen. Liam still loves to talk about that adventure and we have promised that when it’s safe and we can that we will go again.
We spent the afternoon quilting his quilt.
It was a challenge at first and then I decided to try standing behind him with my hands over his and help guide the machine. By the time we finished he was the driver and had really gotten the hang of it! This morning we will trim it and make the binding.
Years ago my Auntie Marie suggested that we had blueberry pie for breakfast…I mentioned that to Liam so guess what’s for breakfast today! We are making the most of these days together and hopefully get also making lots of great memories!
Stash, Scraps, Work and Life
I love Saturday mornings not that they are really any different these days from other mornings…I love to start my day slowly with a fresh cup of coffee.
Did you know that you can buy a smart coffee cup and that you can set the temperature on your phone? The coffee stays the same temperature until your last sip!
I still love my coffee in my special to me mugs…but someone is retiring in 6 weeks and has always wished that his coffee would stay hot…
Onto my stash…I have been slowly re organizing my beloved collection…one of my daughters who loves to live minimally suggested not long ago that I purge my sewing room! I told her that I am still regretting the fabric that I parted with when I moved!!!
Quilting has been one of my main passions for most of my adult life however most of that time was full of responsibilities of caring for family and earning our living.
My Longarm quilting has been and will continue to be for others and occasionally myself…all of those quilts have added to the non stop inspiration!
So my stash stays, it grows and I happily and excitingly accept gifts of peoples scraps that would otherwise go to waste…because I can see that as seasons change so do seasons of life and I am finally at the stage that I have been preparing for!
Life was full and busy this week, Liam really enjoyed our field trip and kept me on my toes keeping him fed! He tells me that I make the best food!
I really cherish these days that we share together. He will head back to the classroom the week after next. So far anyways as Ontario is closed to all but essential…
I had planned to buy cards to mail my swap blocks with however…that was a cannot buy item when I was out the other day. I have cards here to use and thankfully we could still buy stamps!
It’s been a rainy several days …not a lot of sunshine. This customer quilt has reminds me of our colours soon to be out the windows!
Today I am taking a class with Daisy Aschehoug of https://warmfolk.com ….more on that soon.
Pass Lake Field Trip
Liam was here for a few days this week and will be back next week. He loves to use his IPad so I have been having him research areas around Thunder Bay.
I wanted him to choose the backing for his donation quilt so we made an appointment to visit Donna and her shop Fuelled by Fabric in Pass Lake. I will share a picture next week of the perfect backing that was chosen. No pictures were taken as he was much more interested in going up their Mountain and exploring outside. It was a fun Day for us all.
Some fabric followed me home…
This backing has been on my mind…it’s a little too much for what I have currently been working on but when I saw a 6” strip by 100” I knew that it need to come home!
When Quilting Makes the Quilt
When Joan brought me this quilt she said that she wasn’t overly excited with it, she had a huge amount of fabric for the backing. A large beautiful print that deserved the extra time to match. I piece many of my customers backings.
I chose the pantograph Flying Paisley and a 40wt linen glide thread.
Quilters are often so surprised at the difference the quilting makes to their tops. In this case we both agreed that the quilting really made it sing!
Liam’s Quilting…part 3
Liam and I spent part of Monday afternoon working on his quilt. The rows are all together and he was pretty pleased with the results.
Now to choose the backing and we will slip this quilt onto the Longarm once I finish the current customer quilt.
