This winter some of my customers who normally head south for the winter have made the choice to stay put. Jeanette also decided to get some of her projects from the past completed.
Jeanettes Stars. I chose the pantograph called Here and There, the hearts on the backing played a part in that decision. I love the perfect density in the quilting.
Another Block of the Month quilt of Jeanettes from years ago. She commented how much nicer today’s cottons are for quilting. Still this quilted up beautifully and will be used instead of just blocks in a box.
Jeanettes Block of the MonthRhapsody is one of my most popular pantographs
I always offer to trim my customers quilts at no extra charge. Using my 12’ table on my Longarm makes this task a quick and efficient task.
Today is a provincial holiday, it is meant to encourage families to spend time together. Of course this year we are in a lock down due to Covid and discouraged from spending time with anyone who doesn’t live in your household.
We are still living in the deep freeze, however hope is on the horizon and we will be in the minus teens tomorrow and next weekend is looking like minus single digits! That is exciting especially since the forecast looks kinder for the rest of the month.
I have continued to work on my blockhead blocks, I don’t want it to become an unfinished project so will work away until it tells me it’s finished. I am itching to start something new.
Moda Blockheads (Block 56)
Isn’t block 56 pretty. In a previous post I shared my used of Deb Tuckers Wing Clipper ruler to make my Flying Geese blocks. I own both sizes and use them often.
I love the accuracyBlock 17, the flying geese units finish at 3/4” x 1 1/2” so accuracy was essential with little room to play with.
I have mentioned previously that the year my Longarm arrived I also joined a quilt kit club put out by Moda called Moda University. It was fun to receive a different quilt kit each month…for a while anyways.
I liked having piecing projects at the time that just allowed me to practice both piecing and Longarm quilting. When I first joined, I had no idea how busy my customers would keep me.
My friend Florence started offering to piece some of my kits for me and the Valentines Quilt was one of them.
It’s been an extremely cold and busy week, thankfully the temperatures may be warmer next week still cold but bearable.
Working on this recent block my mind was elsewhere I guess or maybe I was just tired and I trimmed my half square triangles to the finished size which led me to make a much smaller than intended version.
It was meant to be an 8” finished block.
I then proceeded to make another block but decided to give the 1/4 foot a try on my Juki and again night time tired sewing I failed to make sure it was a scant 1/4” so my block is smaller…both blocks will however find their way into the quilt.
It is my quilt and the reason I chose to make it was to have fun. I enjoy making different blocks and using new methods and rulers.
I have the blocks on a design wall which I highly recommend having.
A black a white picture is so helpful with layout.
The latest customer quilt is off the machine and will wait for it to be delivered before I post pictures. Other than just a peek.
I was able to enjoy a slower weekend and after finishing a really fun customer quilt that I will share more about soon, I spent hours playing and finished a few more blocks.
Yesterday’s block was all half square triangles that finish at 1”… right up my alley for those who know me!
I love blue! When Olfa came out with their navy blue cutting mat I had to have one so no only did I order the full size but also the smallest ones. I really like the contrast when using light colours.
The large mats are a pretty big investment and when trimming many small units it makes sense to use a smaller mat instead of wearing out sections of the large one, at least for me as I tend to piece at least a little bit every day.
I use my bloc loc ruler often, I really love the accuracy it affords. I have not tried the different papers that are available yet.
Moda Blockheads 3 block 26
Green isn’t a colour that I normally reach for in my quilting life so having it in many of my blocks for this quilt has been a stretch! I do like this little block it was fun and easy to make!
I am still slowly working on my blocks for this quilt and haven’t decided how many more I will do. Piecing has always been something that I really enjoy and for the most part like to take my time as accuracy is my goal.
This morning I finished block 37. I had been procrastinating a bit as joining square in a square blocks can be a challenge. This morning I remembered seeing a tip on a utube by Edita Sitar and it sure worked well.
First of all though I made my little blocks using my Simple Folded Corner Ruler.
Yes, the ruler is upside down…I am left handed.
When joining these units I use a pin to match the corner points on the inside square and once aligned I very carefully place the join under the needle of the machine having removed the pin first. By hand I lower the needle just before the centre of the points and sew the rest of the seam.
Before finishing the seam I check to see if I’ve made a good match.I pressed this seam open to reduce the bulk.A sweet 8 1/2” block
Joanne approached me about quilting a quilt that she was just starting. It was for her Granddaughter and was different than her usual more traditional projects.
When she finished the top and brought it to me, she left the quilting to me. I immediately fell in love with the colours and the backing that she chose.
I love orange and this backing made me think of flames. The top was perfectly pieced and fun to quilt. This was one that was hard to give back.
The top before quilting In progress Joanne bound it with the orange backing fabric and her Granddaughter loved it!
Well that was a January! It’s seems to have flown by, we were fortunate for the most part to enjoy mild weather though one week was a lot colder than I like.
Winter isn’t over in Thunder Bay for a couple of months…
I meant to share these pictures from December earlier however life has a way of moving quickly…
December 27th 6:25pm Erik took this picture from the roof of the garage, while dealing with snow…if you are wondering why he was up there.I was inside…if you look carefully you can see me in the kitchen. We love a hearty bowl of homemade soup for supper. This is my chicken and wild rice soup.Early Christmas morning looking out the kitchen window.
Such a fun way to play with fabric or to make something that is fast and easy to finish are table runners. Every so often I am asked to help finish these projects. Fay sent me these pictures of her completed runners.
As a Longarm quilter I have met many quilters, some are brand new at this art and others have being making quilts long before I knew about them. I have always loved my friendships with women who are ahead of me on this life Journey. Lorraine is a true treasure she is now well into her 80’s and many times has said that this is her last quilt…not long after she will call with just one or two more.
Lorraine January 2021
Lorraine moved into a retirement home a couple of years ago, she had told me then she was finished quilting. Not long after she called and said that all the people there talk about is their age and health troubles. So she set up her utility closet as her sewing room and got busy. While she has been a wonderful customer she has also blessed me with so much of her wisdom. Despite many health issues she continues to be a very bright light and her friendship a true gift.