There is a quilt hanging in our quilt show this weekend who’s maker did an absolute amazing job not only making the quilt but also designing it!
I volunteered as a hostess last night, meaning that ai was wearing white gloves and was allowed to touch and show the backs of the quilts to those people interested!
Joyce’s attention to detail on her quilt is extraordinary and I found myself returning to it over and over again as did others.
Her scribbling technique had me wanting to head to my studio to play last night though I thought better of it and put myself to bed!
This morning I found a Craftsy link of Cindy Needham demonstrating the scribbling technique if you are interested.
First of all, how exciting that the Superior Quilt Show returns next Month. This is the Thunder Bay Quilters Guild Quilt Show that is normally held every second year! Of course the last few years haven’t been business as usual so it is even more exciting to have the show return!
The response of the membership has been fantastic and while normally there has been a call for extra quilts over and above the limit of three quilts per member this year the number has been capped. So I will have 3 quilts in the show along with any of my customers who have chosen to enter their quilts.
If you are in the area I hope that you will not only come and check out some of the incredible quilts and quilting that are done locally!
Yesterday was a fun day of quilting, first of all my friends and I enjoyed a day of sewing at the Rec centre along with a fun potluck lunch! We all agreed that we should do that more often, the potluck that is. We meet every Monday at the centre already.
I am currently piecing scrappy 16 patch blocks which sure can make a mess. It’s fun to see the variety of projects being worked on.
After supper I attended the Thunder Bay Quilt Guild meeting which is currently held on Zoom. I have mixed feelings about zoom meetings…I really don’t mind not having to go out at night but I do miss seeing people in person along with their quilts.
The guild is busy getting ready to hold the long awaited for quilt show!
The program last night was about Gadgets, what people love and what they don’t. One of the gadgets that was mentioned as unliked was Deb Tuckers Wing Clipper rulers, these are my go to rulers for flying geese and probably my most used specialty ruler.
Below is Debs you tube demonstration.
Do you have a favourite ruler for making flying geese?
One other favourite that was mentioned was Frixon pens, and yes I agree that they have their uses, however I would not personally use them to mark a quilt for quilting… the ink may disappear with heat but I have seen it return when cold so if a quilt is being transported in the winter the marks return. I do suspect washing the quilt will remove the residue. Just my opinion.
Well the month has begun in the deep freeze! The feels like temperature this morning when I woke was -42C. I am extremely happy to be able to be at home all day today!
January was an extremely full and busy month and I am so grateful for all of the people who entrust their quilts to me to help complete. Other than finishing my Longtime Gone quilt top and a little sewing on Mondays at the Rec centre most of the month was spent working on the Longarm.
Just a peek at a recent Northern Lights Quilt…more to come.
The Thunder Bay Quilt Guild is gearing up for the long awaited Quilt Show in May so we quilters are all extra busy these days. I am planning to show some of mine and hoping to fit in one or two into my my Longarm schedule. (If you are wanting a quilt done by me for the show please let me know soon as my schedule is getting pretty full.)
On the life side… I enjoyed a full day this week watching Liam and his school team play in a basketball tournament with his Mom 😊
And today marks not only my 37th Anniversary of becoming a Mom …
Ann took part in the Thunder Bay Quilt Guilds sew along last year and her result was spectacular. Sadly my December pictures do not really reflect the true colours in this quilt. Oh I miss the sunshine…
She chose fireside for the backing which really showcases the quilting. I used the pantograph star swirl and it really dances on this quilt. We both agreed that it was the perfect choice.
I remember being told early in my quilting life not to use yellow in quilts! I am so glad so many of those silly colour rules have been tossed aside because yellow is to me one of the happiest colours!
We had been staying at the Chelsea hotel in Toronto and for the most part it has been a great choice.
My back will thank me for being back in my own bed tonight as I have been sleeping on the pull out. I did let the staff know how horrible it was with springs pointing up through the thin mattress however there was no response.
We are both happy to be heading home and so thankful that our mission is complete and has been successful.
Billy Bishop Tunnel on the way to the airport.
Tonight is the first meeting of the 2021-2022 season of the Thunder Bay Quilters Guild. I first joined this guild in my 30’s and took a short break in my early 40’s while going to school and adjusting to a new life with my daughters. I am looking forward to hearing the plans so far I know that it will be offered on zoom even if we are able to start gathering in person.
I am also looking forward to this years sew along, not that I really need another project! There was also the announcement of another swap as last years sisterhood swap was such a success.
Last night was the final meeting until fall for the Thunder Bay Quilters Guild.
The guild had arranged to have Rose Parr as a guest speaker. She spoke about Sew Smart-the Ergonomics of Healthy Quilting.
My cutting and pressing station are the perfect height for me, although I did realize that my chair was too low at my machine so tried changing it to the suggested height and experimented through the rest of the meeting with some crumb piecing and yes I prefer my chair higher!
I had started to sort through scraps while waiting for the meeting to begin and when I came across a little baggie of solid scraps I had a strong desire to play 😊 and by the end of the meeting this is what I came up with…
I was too late to send my Sisterhood swap block for last nights meeting however I do plan to use it for a bag at some point.
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!!!
My friend Marlene recently gifted me with fabric that I have always wished I had bought more of! It just makes me smile.
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.
Sometimes a couple things need to be added to an order to reach free shipping 🤓
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!
Sisterhood Quilt Swap blocks ready to go.
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.
My paper piecing adventure has finally begun..it started with the paper and then I decided I wanted the ruler!
I have paper pieced before but it had been years…so I did spend some online time refreshing my memory and also discovering new tools etc…
Carol Doak taught the first quilt class that I took…she was teaching at Quilt Canada and a new friend suggested that we take a class… that was in 1991! I never finished the project, however I met Alva in that class who really took me under her wing and mentored me for years.
I highly recommend Carols paper, I know that there are other ways and means but her paper made it easier.
I watched a YouTube video by Berene Campbell on the appliqué portion of this project which was well worth the time. As a long time Longarm quilter I have a pretty good stash of thread so found just the right colour and weight.
I thought that I would start out with mine to make sure that I knew what I was doing before I embark on the blocks for the seven others in my group. It was fun and will be on the table this week to complete.
Wendy’s Quilting and Life 