Fabric holders and cat fight!

When I am thinking about a new project, fabric is pulled from my stash, ironed and placed on various holders in order to keep the fabric pressed and at hand for when I’m ready to start cutting.

Here is a clothes dryer (and it sure is sturdy) that holds the bulk of the fabric.

A quilt rack (purchased at a thrift store for just a few dollars) and rigid Styrofoam boards.

Here is all the red fabric for my red/white challenge quilt.

The girls ….. you thought they were sweet and adorable ….. well …. they are, but a few times a week they fight. I still can’t believe that I caught them in action. Peace and quiet prevailed a few moments later.
Tomorrow afternoon, I will be making my way over to Debra’s place for lunch and a sew-in. She will have lots to show me! :o)

Have a great day!

What's missing?

You know, , I’m really a blue/green type of gal (there are 3 totes of blue and 2 totes of green in my stash) and you can easily see that with these quilts.Then, just to spice things up a bit, here are some of my quilts with every colour under the sun thrown in …

… and then the softer side of me comes through with these quilts.

So, what is missing? Red and white quilts.

You know, I don’t have one single patriotic quilt …. not one!! Jennifer (way over there in Aussie land) made a table runner to help her Canadian friends celebrate Canada Day this year. How embarrassing is that?

After she left our house, it got me thinking …. a lot. I have been looking at red/white quilts for a while now and even did some designs in EQ6 some time ago … but I haven’t done anything about it.

Now over at Allyson and Nicole’s blog (were these gals reading my mind?), there is a challenge going on to make a red/white/cream quilt and I signed on. Step 1 is done.

Looking around in my stash, I have found these so far. Where in the world did they come from and how come so many found their way into my stash? Remember, I’m a blue kind of gal. Step 2 is done.

Here are a few of my blocks so far. Step 3 is started and that is a good thing.

Looking at my stash of reds, I predict there will be a few more red/white quilts to talk about.

Have a great day!

BTW ..... if any of you want to know more about the quilts shown above, just click on Quilts at the bottom of this post (last line where it says Labels: Quilts, Challenges) and there are pages and pages and pages for you to read and where you can look at my quilts more closely.

Aussie gifts and an UFO

I have been ever so lucky lately to receive gifts from a couple of Aussie ladies! :o)

Firstly, Jennifer gave me these lovely Aussie fabrics and calendar when we first met a few weeks ago (where has the time flown?). There was some chocolate …. but that went away rather quickly …Last Friday, I said my goodbyes to Jennifer and her DH. They fly home to Australia tomorrow. Will we ever meet again? It was lovely meeting them and you just never know who you will meet while blogging. Have a safe journey home, Jennifer and Kevin.

Secondly, I won a giveaway from Julia and her package arrived this past Thursday. After picking up all the gals and driving to the quilt show on Friday morning, we parked in the parking lot and had a mini show and tell. We all did a lot of oohing and aahing over a Halloween quilt that Jennifer made and Julia’s items that were in the package. Thank you Julia …. they will be well displayed this coming Xmas.

In my last post, I showed a photo with my quilts and UFO’s. Looking over some of those unfinished projects and the stage where they are at, I’ve decided to finish this project. All the HST’s were already made and trimmed and just sitting in a container. This week they have been made into pinwheels. It will be so good to finally get this top finished. Even Hank agrees with me.

Have a great day!

Aussies in town

Jennifer from Bronze Wombat is in town with her DH to visit their son and Kiera Oona. I have been busy showing her the quilty side of life here in Toronto. We have been to a couple of quilt shops and the Creative Festival this past weekend. I won't show you my fabric that was purchased, but shall we say that there has been a vast enhancement to my stash ......

Today, my DH and I hosted Jennifer and her DH to lunch at my place and to a viewing of my completed quilts and some finished tops and lots of UFO's that have never been posted on my blog. Let's just say that she had an advance peek of stuff to come next year.

Here we are in our basement (which is something that Aussies don't have back in Australia). Did any of you notice that fine cast on Jennifer's arm? She fell and broke it last week. It was certainly not the souvenir that she was hoping to bring back home.

... and this is part of the aftermath of my show and tell. Even Hank is probably wondering 'what happened'?

Friday morning, Jennifer, Kiera Oona, Debra (from Patchwork Sanity) and myself are going to a quilt show in Ajax and then lunch afterwards. Should be a lot of fun.

Have a great day!

Edit ..... they are visiting their son (not only Jennifer's son) ..... oops.

I'm trying my best to get some UFO's finished before New Year's Eve (a challenge that Finn is having) .... but Hank is constantly coming over and climbing onto my quilt frame to see what I've been doing and then settles down for a nap. How can I quilt with her on my quilt? So after some gentle persuasion, she moves off to find a better place to sleep. .... but she is back and has brought a friend. Ashes is waiting her turn to see what I have been doing.

So, you might as well have a peek too!

Have a great day and to my fellow Canadians, Happy Thanksgiving!

Turning Leaves again

Park City Girl is having another on-line quilt festival and this is my entry. I showed this a few years ago and the time is right to show it again. Fall is definitely in the air here in Canada ..... the night time temps are below 10C and daytime tems are in the low teens. Colours are changing all the time.

This quilt was given away to a niece and each time I look at the photo, I am thinking of making another for myself. The leaves are hand appliqued and the quilt is hand quilted.

So enjoy this quilt again and check out all the other quilts that are entered here.

Have a great day!

Pattern Source: Quiltmaker magazine, September/October 2002, No. 87

Quilt Size: 54" x 70" ... a nice size to cuddle under and stay warm.

I Love Stars

This little mini was made a few years ago. For such a tiny little thing ..... there sure was a lot of paper piecing going on to make those hearts and stars. It is hand quilted.

Pattern Source: Miniature Quilts, issue #31 (quilt title: Don’t Tread On My Heart)

Have a great day!