Christmas is over!

What a busy month and Christmas day.  Chalk that day up for being done and enjoyed by family.

I was busy this month putting bindings on quilts.  It was a hard go with this guy plunking himself down on top of what I was trying to do.  I did get three quilts done this month.  Yeah me!

 Two almost identical quilts.  The borders are different blue fabrics. So, why two?  Read on.

Quilt Info:

Pattern name:  "Berry Smoothie" by Villa Rosa Designs

Size:  61" x 78"

Batting:  Polyester

Machine quilted by:  Kathy Wareham

So .... why two?  My grand nephews will be two and three at the end of January.  They fight over toys, so we end up buying two of some toys.  I just knew there would be a lot of crying if they didn't each get the same quilt.

Christmas morning and this little guy was opening up his sack.  He is thrilled with his new quilt.

When the oldest nephew saw his brother's quilt, he said "I want that" twice.  Oh dear.  A young niece was helping him open his sack and told him he had the same quilt.  Whew .... all was well again!

The oldest loves his new quilt!

I was busy making this pillowcase for a young niece who is going to summer hockey camp.

After the quilts were opened up, I was reminded again by a niece that she needs a quilt for her new bed.  She has moved from a single to a double and none of her quilts fit.  There is a reason why I make quilts.  They are enjoyed and wanted!  LOL

We have had lots of snow and cold weather this month.  A new snowblower was purchased for me.  A machine that I can handle.  It is battery operated and so easy to operate.  When I went to the store, I asked for a machine that I can handle and not jolt me off my feet once it gets started.  We had a snowblower that did exactly that.   The sales rep. showed me a machine and said that it was the easiest and least complicated one to run.  Sold!  I'm happy.

As the month and year closes down, I still would like to finish up two projects.  We'll see if time allows.  I'm not spending as much time in my studio lately.  It shows with the lack of posts on this blog.

Oh, and nine years ago today, our family made a trip to our cottage on Boxing Day.  That was such an enjoyable day.  You can read about that day here.

Cherish your day, cherish the rest of this year, cherish your life!

Happy New Year!  2025 ... Bring it on!

A very old UFO

This quilt was my last finished quilt for 2019, but didn't have time to post about it before as it was a Xmas gift.

This quilt was started so long ago ..... as in March of 2004.  I didn't like where the project was going and it was shelved.  Then in February 2007, a new look was designed and then the work was started.  Because something new and exciting always caught my eye and my attention, the project was shelved again and again.

Finally, this summer I was determined to finally get this project going again.  So, up onto my design wall it went and then it sat and sat.

My sister was visiting me to do some clothing adjustments before she, her youngest daughter and I went on a vacation to Costa Rica and she saw the blocks on the design wall.  Oh lovely, she said.  She didn't remember that this was for her!  It was that long ago!  OMG and LOL.

Once I really dedicated my time and attention to finishing the blocks and assembling everything, it only took a few weeks to do.  Oh dear .... so much time wasted!  I know that I'm not the only one that falls victim to this waste of time/energy .... so I'm in good company.

Fussy cut circles.

Embroidery close-up.

This quilt was finally gifted to my sister and her husband Xmas 2019 as their 40th wedding anniversary.  It was originally intended for their 25, 30, 35 wedding anniversary but it never got finished until just before Xmas 2019.  Finally, done and gifted.  Whew!

Pillow shams were made and quilted but they still need to be finished and then they too can be passed over to my sister.

Quilt details:
Started:  March 2004 and restarted February 2007
Top finished:  Nov. 2019
Quilt finished:  December 2019
Quilt size:  101-1/2" x 100-1/2" (top size:  103-3/4" x 103-3/8")
Pattern source:  no pattern .... designed by me using EQ software
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20 cotton polyester
Machine quilted by:  Kat's Quilts using "Knit 1/Purl 2" quilting design

Another empty bin ..... yee haw! 

Have a great day!

Snowball quilt

I've been keeping up with my weekly snowball blocks that Temecula Quilt Company is hosting every week.  We are to make 8 light and 8 dark snowball blocks each week.

Right now, I'm slightly ahead of their schedule.  That is ok because if I miss a week or two, I'll be on schedule then.  This is only one half of the blocks laid out on my design wall.  The other squares are already cut out and just need to have the snowball bit done on them.

November and December months saw me busy making things.

Two mug rugs for a guild pot luck luncheon, which I had to miss since I threw my back out.

Two girl blankets for our local NICU.

Two boy blankets also for the NICU

Two pillow cases for a charity.

A Xmas ornament from a kit that was given out to us at night quilt guild.

Two QOV blocks that were in a kit.

 A doily runner for a niece.  My sister and I rummaged through our doilies that we each made plus some that our Mom made.  These runners are quite popular right now.

I sewed all the doilies together using my sewing machine and it worked out very well and it is nice and sturdy.  A lot of pins were used to keep the doilies in place and I did the sewing together in small sections.

Four adult clothing protective covers:

On a sad note, we said good-bye to our sweet Miss Ashes in early October.  She was just shy of 16 years.  We had her for 9 years and what delight and joy she brought to us.  So, no more pets now.  How different it is in the house without our two cats.  Oh well .... we were so lucky to have had them.

Christmas was wonderful, but busy ..... and it is so nice to have that behind us and now get ready to welcome in the new year.  What will I do this coming year?  Time will tell.

So to all, I wish you peace and joy for 2018!

Secret quilts

Well, now that Xmas is over, I can finally share the finished quilts that were made a couple of weeks ago.

The sheep quilt for a grand-niece.  The pattern was in Quiltmaker Reader Favourites, Vol. 1, Summer 2015.  I changed the pattern (as usual) and am happier with the look.

This is the backing.  Perfect for a hexagon quilt.

This pattern was very easy and very quick to assemble.

There were a few missteps along the way and a bit of ripping out had to be done.

I love the sheep.  The sheep is made out of minky fabric that was given to me by a Garage Girl.  Go here to see how the sheep was made ready for applique.

It was a chore to work with to say the least, but the end result ..... well, priceless and so tactile.

In order to zig-zag the sheep in place, I had to resort to using a seam ripper in order to hold back the pile at the edge in order to stitch.

Afterwards, using my fingernail all along the zig-zag edges, the fuzz was fluffed up and all was back to normal.

This is the ruler that was used.  Very helpful.  I have since loaned the ruler, the pattern and the remaining minky fabric to a Garage Girl friend so that she can make the same quilt.

A close-up of a butterfly to hide a flaw in the fabric.  You would have never known.  LOL

The flowers.

Some hand quilting to secure the flowers.

Don't you just love this sun?  This pattern came from my EQ7 software program.

Then, we have Cain's quilt for a grand-nephew.  An original design by me.

Both quilts were machine quilted with a touch of hand quilting here and there.  What I can't do well by machine, I can do by hand.

Take a close look at the rail fence blocks.  They were cut from a striped fabric.  Clever, eh!  I bet you will look at striped fabric differently now.  Why not let the striped fabric do all the work for you with great results.

A Thomas the Train pillowcase.  This is his $50.00 pillowcase.  Why $50.00?  Well, by the time the fabric came from the U.S., with the exchange rate into Canadian dollars, the shipping and customs, it was $50.00.  Not a bargain for sure, but Cain loves it and that is all that matters!

This is my new set-up in my studio for machine quilting.  I was able to crank out both quilts in one week.  That just blew me away.  The Styrofoam boards work great.  I'm able to rest one arm on the board beside me and the quilt has support beside me and in front of me.  Perfect solution.  There is a new trick to basting the quilt using Styrofoam boards and I will be showing you that process soon as there is another quilt ready for basting.

The Styrofoam board in front of me is supported on a step-ladder.  It worked very well to keep my quilt from falling down to the floor.

On Xmas morning, this lady received her sheep quilt.  This is the lady that has ohhhhhhed at my quilt in the dining room.  Once she saw her quilt, she turned and looked at me.  I think she associates quilts with me and her hands are doing a lot of pointing.  She can't talk yet, but her mind is working.

A closer inspection to really see the fine detail.

This guy couldn't stand still long enough for me to get a good photo.  A little excited, perhaps?

It was a great Xmas and so glad to have these two quilts done and gifted.

I'm linking to The Needlework and Thread Network.

Wishing you all the best for 2017.  2017!  Holy scrap .... where did this year go?

Have a great day!

Elf busy

Nothing exciting in my corner of the world.  I've just been busy working like an elf.

A lot of appliqueing has been going on.

Some hand quilting, too, when I need to wind down at night.

I did make a Christmas stocking and two pillowcases (only one shown here as the other one has been gifted).

A sheep got prepped for machine applique.

So nice and fuzzy.

Here is a photo of the back.  A piece of knit interfacing was sewn around the edges before the piece was turned inside out and then the interfacing was cut away to leave a bit to stablize the sheep for sewing.  Talk about fuzz .... ugggh.  It was everywhere until I learned to put my sheep in a bag and just pull at the edges and grabbing any extra fuzz that wanted to fly away.

Winter in our neck of the woods is here to stay.  Very cold weather is expected by the end of this week.  A good time to just stay indoors and sew!

I'm linking up the The Needle and Thread Network to join other Canadian bloggers this week.

Have a great day!