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!

What was she looking at?

On Monday, this week, I had family over for dinner.  This is the quilt that is hanging in our dining room right now.  I always have considered this our Xmas quilt and it gets hung up end of November.

As we were tidying up the table, my niece picked up her 14 month old daughter and when the baby looked at the quilt, she let out a big OHHHHHHH.  This photo would have been at her eye level.  What did she see that made her remark so?   My little niece doesn't say much, but this caught us by surprise.  My sister, niece and I started to chuckle.  Yep, another family member is hooked onto my quilts.

You have seen all my ribbons that I have acquired throughout the years.  Some people think I'm famous (I have to giggle at that) and some people think I'm really good at what I make.  Thank you for those thoughts.  The best reaction I have ever received was from my little grand niece.  If she was that impressed at her young age, well, I guess you are all right.

So, as I go about making this quilt (of course, I'm doing my own thing) for her ...

and as I add piece

after piece

after piece

and some more, what will her reaction be when she opens her gift?  Time will tell.  I'm anxious to find out.

Questions have been asked about my studio.  It is functioning but still in a transition stage.  In other words, it is a mess, but I can finally do some sewing.

The photos below are at different stages.  I so love bead board and I finally got some in my studio.

 Shelves ready to store my bins.

 They are loaded.

Curtains help to hide the mess.  A bit more of sorting still needs to be done before I can call this section complete.

My sewing table has been changed around.

Against the window wall, there is 10 feet of cutting space.  My big ironing board is on one of the tables and it is so nice to use the full length of the board.  Just this change has made a huge difference in my life.  Things have gotten easier.  How do you like my window curtain?  A big piece of styrofoam does the trick for now.  The window frame needs to be painted and then I can add curtains.

 This wall is complete

My design wall is back in place and being used.

 There is one more wall to paint (the wall on the right) and once that is done, then I can finish sorting.  I'm so happy with my paint colour.  It adds such charm to the room.

My stash has been used this past year and two bins were emptied into a third bin.  That was thrilling to see.  Two bins emptied.  Hallelujah!

Wait, Aunt Rosie don't get so thrilled just yet.  Holy scraps .... Houston we have a problem!   I'm awash with scraps ...

I can see a lot of sorting coming soon .... LOL .... oh well!

Time to link this post to The Needlework and Thread Network.

Have a great day, eh!