Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Pink, green and grey ..... a quilt!

This quilt will be going to a young niece for her 7th birthday next month.  I think Miss C will be very pleased with her new quilt.  The walls in her bedroom are painted in a different colour that are in this quilt.  You can read more about the making of this quilt here.
I just love making fun backings!  A cutting (oops .... a measuring) mistake turned into a lovely backing instead.
The snow on our patio is now melted.  The mornings are still cool up here and a person could use a quilt to snuggle into while sitting and enjoying the hill come alive this spring.  This photo shows the true colours of the fabrics.
Quilt Details:
Started: March 6, 2019
Top Finished:  March 9, 2019
Quilt Finished:  April 17, 2019 (from start to finish .... remarkable for me!)
Quilt Size:  49" x 78" (top size before quilting, washing and drying:  51" x 80-1/2")
Block Size:  5" x 5" finished
Batting:  Hobbs polyester
Pattern Source:  original layout by me
Machine quilted by:  Kat's Quilts

All that is left to do ..... make a pillowcase and this is ready for gifting.

Have a great day!

Linking to:
http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

A Garden Trip!

Here is my latest quilt.  So very pleased to have another quilt done and off my list.  Now, it is time to really enjoy this quilt.

This photo was taken on Sunday and then we had another dump of snow.  Still a lot of snow on the hill but daily we can see a difference and photos help to remind us that the snow is really, really going away.
As I was taking a photo, there was a movement out of the corner of my eye.  What?  I kept snapping photos.  Did I capture anything? 
This red squirrel came in for a closer look.  It didn't appear nervous with me there at all.  It was just very curious and it wanted some of those peanuts that we put out for the resident hill chippie.  Would it like some batting scraps for nesting?  Got plenty of those.
After washing and drying it was time to take another photo to show you how nice and crinkly it turned out.  This photo was taken today and can you see how much snow has melted since Sunday? 
 I'm trying to find spots in our backyard to take photos.  This is a new spot and good for small quilts.
How much do I love this quilt?  Quite a lot according to the number of photos taken.  LOL

Quilt Details:
Block Name:  Great-Granny Square
Inspiration:  reading blogs about making these blocks
Started:  July 2014
Top Finished:  August 2014
Quilt Finished: April 2019
Quilt Size:  62-1/2" x 78-3/4" (65-1/2" x 82" before quilting, washing and drying)
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20 poly cotton.
Machine quilted by:  Kat's Quilts

Since that quilt is done and being displayed in our home, it is time to move on to something else.

Binding on this quilt is happening as we speak.  It will be finished in time for a little girl's birthday next month.  More on this later.
When I need a break from binding, there are more leaf units to be done on this top.  Two borders are complete (top and bottom).
Yesterday, the garage girls did a road trip down to Orillia and Barrie.  Orillia Quilt Guild was having a sneak peak of quilts from New Zealand.  Ailsa Craig (https://ailsacraigartscentreampquiltfibreartsfestival.wildapricot.org/2019-festival) is hosting them this year and the sneak peak was amazing.  The quilts we saw were on the modern side and I quite enjoyed them.

A bit of shopping occurred and I came home with bags of fabric for quilting plus for making table cloths.  When my family get together at our home for supper, we set up two tables and I do like to have matching table cloths.  Making the table cloths are cheaper than buying them ready made, plus they are more unique. 

So, that will keep me out of mischief for a while.  LOL

Have a great day!

Linking to:
http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Getting somewhere!

Progress has been made on the borders.  Oh happy days!  I love the look of this border applique.  Only 12 more leaf units and this top will be finished ...
My husband and I have been busy again making a wood box for my niece's apartment.  She wanted a nice looking box for her garbage and recycle bins.  So, we obliged.
Her kitchen is very small and this box will help her a lot with storage.
Snow is melting very nicely up here.  Dare I even think about getting out some spring tulip quilts out for display?

Like these two and my basket quilt .....
A vase of tulip flowers would be lovely right about now!  It has been a very long winter.

Have a great day!

Linking to:
http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Monday, April 8, 2019

Appliqueing away ...

This is what I'm working on right now.  Boredom is starting to set in and instead of starting a new project (and thus creating a new ufo in the process - LOL), I really should work on an old ufo.  This top is almost completed.  Just finishing up the applique in the borders is all that is needed.
There are 28 of those leaf units (and a gazillion circles) to do and if 4 get done per day, this top will be finished in a week from now. 

In order that this process doesn't become monotonous and becoming abandoned again, I'm playing a silly game.  I'm appliqueing my leaf units willy nilly along the four borders.  That way, the four borders will get done in a more interesting way and at the end, I will just need to fill in the gaps instead of doing one full border at a time.  Boring ..... 

To aid me in getting them done this way, all the areas where the leaves and circles are to go have already been marked.  That in itself was a tedious task, but so very helpful now.  Also, all the leaves have been prepped also.  Just more circles will need to be made.

So, this is what I will be working on this week.

Have a great day!

Thursday, April 4, 2019

This and That ....

Not much quilting has been going on this week.  I've been busy cleaning my studio and adjacent bedroom.

During the process, didn't two ufo's surface!  Darn, where did they come from?  They weren't on my ufo list.

Red and white blocks from a workshop that Carla Alexiuk (http://www.quiltingbytheriver.ca/) did last year at our day guild.  I really need to continue making more blocks before everything is forgotten that she taught us.
More red and white blocks.  These are on my design wall and this will be worked on.   These two ufo's need to be worked on at the same time because they use the same fabrics and better to work on them together and then clean up the mess.
After doing a bit of cleaning, my ironing station has been set up again and my quilt rack is back up on my wall.  Just in a different location.
This was my old set up which I absolutely loved.  Sadly, it got dismantled because .....
.... this is my newest acquisition.  Later this spring, it will be sanded and painted white and then I can start filling it up with quilts for display and storage.  This is part of my five-year plan to reduce and finish tops, ufos and stash.  Bins and shelves will start to disappear from my studio and this unit can be moved to a different location.
This project below has not been shown for a while now.  Much progress has been made.  Will the end of April see the embroidery completed?  Only time will tell.
Meetings in the garage continue regardless if it raining, snowing or sun is shining.  We show up and have a blast!

Karin has been busy finishing rug hooking projects.  Can you see the cat?  Not the best photo with the light from behind her.
Barbara is sewing binding on a QOV quilt.  My embroidery project is what I brought with me to work on and you can see it on the bottom of this photo.
 Claudia made more log cabin blocks for this hanging.
Claudia also showed us the project she is taking with her to New Zealand (she is there now) for her vacation.

 Darlene is going to be a grandma and she showed us all the baby items she has made .... so far .....

So, now what should I work on?  This mess .... OMG!  How did this happen?  I do love my room with all these lovely mini quilts.  Made by friends from all over the world.  This mess needs to get sorted out lickety split so that when entering, my wall of art can be enjoyed for all to see.
On that note, have a great day!  LOL

Linking to:
http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/