February and March Binding Challenge

Another month and another quilt done for both no-blog Mary and myself.

This is Mary's (before on the left and after with the binding) February quilt:

This is my quilt (more on this in another post):

For March, we have chosen our quilts.

These are Mary's.  Aren't those penguins adorable?   She is going to do these three small mini quilts for her challenge. 

This will be my quilt:

Mary mentioned to me that she is still pulling quilts from her closet and she still has bins in the basement with quilts to bind.  Holy Moly ..... just how many quilts does she have?????  She won't tell me and I'm kinda thinking she is too scared to start counting!  LOL  At least with this challenge, she is getting quilts finished, which is such a good thing for both of us!

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Oh, those challenges!

February is over and now I can tally up what was done for that month with the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge and my monthly binding challenge.

February was such a busy month for me outside my studio.  Lots and lots of appointments for hubby and school pick-ups and hosting hubby's 75th birthday.  I'm lucky to have got done more than I thought.  It appeared that I didn't do anything, until I started adding up what I actually did.  Surprised me!  Bonus! 

First off, all of these quilts now have their hanging sleeves and there are no more to be done.  Yeah me!  They are all stored away ready for their turn for display.  While sewing on the sleeves, two quilts didn't have labels!  Oh dear me!  I'm so careful about adding labels always to my quilts and don't understand how two got missed.  That issue has been resolved and everything is up to date.

Then, three rows have now been added to the top and bottom of each of these sections.  Those sections are now ready to go to the next stage of having applique added.  More on this later or maybe a wee bit later.

My binding got added to this quilt.  More about this quilt on a separate post.  What you see is the back of the quilt.  I had one extra block and thought it would look interesting on the back.

One more block got finished on this QAYG (quilt as you go) Log cabin project   I'm doing big stitch hand quilting in the ditch.  Batting was frankenpieced for the new block.  Bonus!

This is what the block looks like from the back.

Then before the clock struck midnight, one more block got sewn .... it just needs to be done as QAYG.  Happy about that as this project has stalled.

Now, for the month of March, #4 has been chosen to work on.  This is what I have assigned for #4:

NICU baby blankets

gift or donation quilts

adult bibs

frankenpiecing batting

QAYG Log Cabin

So, based on the above, hopefully this top for donation will get more progress done on it?

Strips have been cut to make a scrappy bargello quilt and this is my start.  This top will also be a donation quilt and I will just putter away at sewing and cutting up those strips.

Binding will be added to this quilt.

My Log Cabin QAYG will have a few more blocks added to the project.  This block that was finished last night is now pin basted ready for sewing the binding down and big stitch hand quilting.  More batting was frankenpieced!  Another bonus!

Here is the link to others participating in the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge.

Our winter has been so unusual this year.  Not much snow.  Instead we ave been having rain and then this week we had bouts of hail, rain and thunder and lightening.  You can see the hail in the photo below.  It was bouncing off the patio and hitting our window and startling us.  After the storm, we had really cold temps and a fast freeze and then this coming week, the temps will be nice and warm again.  Bizarre weather.  The way it is going, cottage season will be starting up sooner than normal.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Red/Neutral Quilts

You would think with all the red/neutral quilts that I have made over the years, that I would have experienced bleed out problems with the reds .... but no .... I've been lucky and I will share what I do to omit that issue.  This is my method and it works for me.

All my fabrics are washed once they get home from the fabric store, quilt guild, thrift shops.  They are washed in cold water using Tide soap.  I cut up a colour catcher sheet in strips and spread them out in the washing machine (I prefer a top load washer).  If there is a lot of red/pink in the colour catcher strips, I do a wash again with new colour catcher strips.  The second time in the wash, the strips usually are a light pink.  At this point, the fabric is good to go into the dryer.

After my quilts are quilted, they are washed.  Cold water and Tide soap and another colour catcher sheet that has been cut into strips and distributed in the washer.  If the strips come out a medium pink, the quilt is washed again using new colour catcher strips.  At the end of the second wash, if the strips are barely pink, then into the dryer the quilt goes.

Now, some of my quilts (along with all of the colour catcher strips) are totally dried in the dryer and some are dried on a clothes rack.   If a quilt will be dried on a clothes rack, the quilt goes into the dryer for about 10 mins. (along with all the colour catcher strips) and then onto the rack. Below is how this quilt is drying on the clothes rack.  Do I get nervous that there might still be some bleed out when drying on a rack?  Heck, YES.   Some of the backings that are lighter in colour have splotches of pink that shouldn't be there.  Am I worried about them?  Nope .... it is on the back.

By the way, the above is how all my fabrics and quilts are washed and dried.  We can also have bleed outs from other fabric colours.

Now, sit back and enjoy seeing all of my red/neutral quilts that have been made so far.  I still have oodles of red fabrics ..... so more red quilts will be coming.

This quilt below had blocks that were swapped between three people and I know that there are some fabrics in those blocks that were not washed before sending to me.  I just went with my washing the quilt method and no bleed outs.

So, now you know ....

I have a tab at the top of my blog for all my red/neutral quilts along with the washing instructions.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

On a Whim

So far, this month has been a bust for quilting.  Life has been busy and I'm tired by the time evening rolls along.  Now that it is mid-month .... I had better get my butt into gear and get something done!

I did pull out my donation box looking to see what was in there that could be used.  These two blocks were pulled out and I wondered what could be done with them.  There were other blocks but .... blah .... they just didn't work.  So, these blocks stayed and then I started to play.

At night guild, we were shown a new block to do and once instructions were sent to me, viola, here is the block.  Except, I did a boo-boo and didn't quite make the block correctly.  I'm ok with my mistake and all four blocks will stay as is.  No, Jack the Ripper is not coming out.

Then, in the box was a strip of these pinwheels and they got ripped out and used.  Four churn dash blocks got made.  The blocks are starting to add up and fill in spaces.

Then another four blocks of this one.

Below is what my top is looking like so far.  There is still one more block to do and I'm searching for a pattern.  I'm thinking of doing the potholder method to quilt this top.  I've been wanting to experiment with this method for some time now and think this will be perfect.  If it doesn't come out the way I envision, it will be a utility quilt for the cottage.  If it looks nice, then it will be up for donation.

Last week, my sister and her two daughters and I had a marvellous evening out dining in a dome outside on the restaurant patio!  We were told to dress warmly and in layers.  The dome was heated but we were provided with blankets to wrap around our feet and legs.  The temps was just above freezing and we just sat back, drank and enjoyed the food and company.  We had a blast!  My sister's hubby did the driving of us back and forth so that we could drink and not worry about who would be the DD.  Below, is my sister (on the left) and I.  There is a photo somewhere of the four of us, but I just couldn't find it in my files or phone.   

The month of January and half of February were like spring.  No snow and daytime temps were above freezing.  The snow was melting.  Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  Then, we had a dump of 6" of snow yesterday.  So, so happy to see that for this summer and forest fire season.

Two deer came around this morning and nibbled on our euonymus plant.  We think it is the same deer that decimated it last winter and remembered and came back again.  No problem, the leaves will grow back in the spring as it did last spring.  No photo of the deer, just their footprints in the snow.  Hubby woke me up at 6:15 a.m. this morning to show me the deer.  After admiring the deer, I crawled back into bed.  We were busy later shovelling the snow.

From time to time, I receive emails from followers who have been reading my blog for many years now.  They just want to say how much they enjoy my blog and how much they have been inspired.  Some, I can reply back to but most are no-reply addresses.  Thank you, kind readers.  I'm getting close to 1.3 million views, so I know that I have reached out to many quilters over the years.

Yesterday, I received an email from a gentleman whose wife has terminal cancer.  She is an avid reader of my blog and he reached out to me to tell me.  So, if you are reading this and you are the wife of Jason Burnside, 'hello' and thank you for reading my blog.  I hope that you also have been inspired by something on my blog over the years and have enjoyed reading about and seeing my quilts.

So far, I have made over 200 quilts ..... from NICU blankets, to runners, place mats, lap size to queen size quilts.  You, dear readers, have been part of the reason for me making so many items.  You have kept me motivated to show something on my blog and the results are there for me to see.  Many of the quilts have been kept for hubby and I ..... but quite a number of quilts have been gifted or donated and I'm moving into more of the donation period now.

Next week, I will have been blogging for 17 years.    As long as my eyes and my hands work and I'm alive, then I will be blogging for many more years.  Heck, I have the stash to keep me busy!  LOL

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Summer Picnic

There, my January binding challenge is done.  Yeah me!

This was a LOT of hand stitching, but, so worth it in the end.  Whenever this quilt is shown, everyone remarks at all the embroidery that I did.  Nooooo ...... those images that you see are all from a pre-printed panel.  All I did was fussy cut them down to size and appliqued them onto a hexagon frame.

A mix of white, cream and off-white fabrics have been used throughout.  Below, it looks more beige on the right hand side, but it is just a shadow.

Then, I've also been asked about the hexie border.  Was that a printed panel also?  Nope, that is all hand pieced.  It was remarked that I have a lot of red fabrics.  Oh yes, I do!  LOL   The hexie border was a lot of work, but so worth it in the end!

I do like how the vertical diamonds in the the centre gets carried onto the top and bottom border.  Had to do a bit of thinking on how to bring everything together.  That happens when I come up with my own design.  Sometimes, that is the reason for a project to sit on the shelf for a long time until a light bulb moment happens.

Every time I look at the quilt and the images, it reminds me of summer and a picnic blanket .... thus the name.

Quilt Details:

Hexie size:  1-1/8" on the edge

Started:  July 2020

Top Finished:  August 2023

Quilt Finished:  January 2024

Quilt Size:  55-1/2" x 62-1/2" (top size before quilting, washing & drying:  57" x 64")

Batting:  Hobbs 80/20 

Machine Quilted by:  Kathy Wareham using Gothic Vine by Willow Leaf Stufios

This quilt is now hanging along with all my other red/neutral quilts for February and then it will hang again in June.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

February Binding Challenge

No-blog Mary and I have pulled out our quits to bind this month.

Mary pulled out this sweet child's quilt:

My quilt will be this one:

This one might be a 'maybe' if a certain little boy gets moved to a big boy bed.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

February Chookshed Stitchers Challenge

Well, well, well .... January was a good month for me in getting stuff done for the Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge.

I was able to get borders onto my donation top and it will be going to the LAer soon.

Even though this EPP piece wasn't part of the January challenge, this was worked on and 3 rows on the top and bottom were added.  It is not part of the February challenge, either .... but will be worked on again as I do want this project done sooner, rather than later.

Last month, four pieces of batting got frankenpieced and one will be used to complete this little NICU blanket and will be part of my February challenge.

At least one of these quilts will have a hanging sleeve added.

Another thing that will be worked on is my binding challenge.  A post will be coming about that.

I am linking up to Dreamworthy Quilts blog so that you can see the other blogs that are participating in the challenge.

Before anything gets worked on .... my sewing machine needs to be cleaned and oiled and my studio cleaned up!  My studio is a dreadful mess right now and no photos are being shown.  It is a tad embarassing!  LOL

Cherish your day, cherish your life!