It's a top

Since I will be out-of-town for day guild meeting next week, I will show my Pizza Box challenge top.

Here is a before photo of when I was working on the blocks.  Three more blocks were made to bring the total to 12 blocks and then the appliqued leaves came out to play.  Gosh, when I look at this photo, it sure is fuzzy.  I took it with my ipad and I'm not sure about the quality.  

Ah, this photo is so much better!  Well, here it is .... this autumn top is done!  The quilting design has already been figured out and it will get quilted and ready for showing at the next day guild meeting in September.  I'm very happy with my blocks that were made by others.  When I asked that they use autumn colours, this is what I had in mind for the final look.  The leaves brought everything together. Yep, very happy indeed!

This is the fabric that I provided and was to be used in each block.  This fabric has been in my stash for years and was the inspiration for the layout of the blocks and the applique.  Perfect, I would say!  :o)

What else have I been up to?  A call from the LAer had me rushing over to pick up this quilt that she just completed.  Problem though ... I threw out my back and will have to wait a while before I can struggle with this quilt and the binding on my sewing machine.  It is a huge quilt (100" square) and the weight right now will be just too much to handle.

After picking up this quilt, DH and I stopped in to visit my brother and SIL.  We met their Aussie visitors that stayed with them for a week.  They are from Newcastle and  Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia.  What a pleasure it was to meet them and have a wee chat.

I will again be linking up with http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/  and join in with other Canadian quilters to show we have done this week.

Have a great day!

Pizza Box Challenge

Last September, my day guild had a challenge using pizza boxes.  It started off with me putting in one 12-1/2" unfinished block and a half metre of fabric (to be used in each block) into a pizza box and bringing it to the next meeting.  Handed in my box and got to pick another box.  Make a block and hand that box in at the next meeting and get a different box.  Repeat for the next 8 months.  I did request that anyone picking my box to use autumn fabrics.

Last month, everyone that participated in the challenge got to take their own box home.  The challenge is over.  This is what my blocks look like.  What a thrill it was to look at each block.  We all took turns admiring each box.  Mine are perfect!  They say Autumn.  I have plans, but those will be kept under wraps for now as everyone is to bring in a completed pizza box top to the June meeting and I know that a few guild members read my blog and I want to keep this a secret until then.  So, this is what I've been busy working on.

Just in case you are wondering if my Kentucky Stars has been abandoned .... nope.   Only 3 more star flowers to appliqué and some outline embroidery and this top is done.

I'm linking today's post to http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/.  Take a leap and hop on over to see what other Canadians are working on this week.

Have a great day!

Now, it's barns

Life has been busy and sicky.  I've come down with another cold virus.  That is two now.  It seems that there are some lucky people that get this cold virus twice.  I'm one of the lucky ones.  Anyway, it seems to be going away now that the nice weather is here.

A month ago, I bought a barn panel at a quilt show in Orillia, Ontario.  This is how it looked after cutting the blocks apart.  

To make this top bigger, sashing is definitely needed.  There was not enough of one green fabric to do all the sashing.  Why not mix it up and use up what was on hand.  So, I did.  Different look, eh!

At a local quilt store, there is red barn board fabric that will be perfect for outer borders and barn pictorial fabric that will be perfect for the backing.  So, a trip down the highway this week and that fabric will be purchased and borders attached.  Gotta get this one done.

Seeing this top reminds me of my visit to Lancaster in 2014.  As soon as I saw the panel, well, I just HAD to buy it.   Pleasant memories.

Have a great day!

Kentucky Stars

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling with a cold virus.  Not much got done.  A little bit here and there.  I missed out on a couple quilting events.  But, I didn't want to pass my cold onto other folks and they thanked me for staying away.

So, what did I do?  My Kentucky Stars got a bit of attention.  One by one, those Lover's Knot blocks got sewn together.  Then one day, the hanging was assembled.   Great, now I'm on a roll.

  

Then the pulling of fabrics commenced and auditions went on.

Suddenly, all the pieces fit and this is where I'm at right now with this project.  A few days of sewing and most of the appliqué will be done.

Today, I'm linking up to http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/ to join in with other Canadian quilters.

Have a great day!

Out-the-door

In my quest to get my tops finished, I've been forced to bite the bullet and pay someone else to machine quilt some of my quilts.  I must say that it is hard for me to have another person do my quilting for me.  Call me silly, but it is pride to say that I did a whole quilt.  Now, I can only claim partial work.  Still, reality is yelling at me to have those tops done and I have to listen to reality.  I'm not getting any younger and my fingers, hands, arms and shoulders are telling me they hurt when I quilt.

This beauty is the first one to go.  It was a struggle to get it out the door.  Why, you ask?  It was the backing.  It didn't want to co-operate with me at all.  Like, it was telling me that it wanted me to do the quilting.  Nope, I can't do the machine quilting.  Just too hard.  In the end, it got a funky backing.  Actually, I've always wanted to do a funky backing and this was the opportunity to do it.  So, the backing got made and the backing and top got put into a bag and out-the-door they went.  I told the lady there was no hurry.  So, you will see it sometime this year.

So, that is the first one to go.  Which one will go next?

Have a great day!

Working on these

Now that my secret quilt is finished, I can get back to working on this project.  Not much has been done except for a few leaves and the bottom row sewn together.

My split apple core has grown but much more needs to be done on it.  This will be my take-a-long project for the cottage this summer.  It will be double size and will fill this entire design wall.  So, a lot of empty spaces to fill in.

Have a great day!

Edit:  I'll be linking this post to http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.ca/.  This site shows what other Canadian quilters have done each week.  So, pop on over and see what Canada is producing this week.

It's been a while

I've been busy ..... in the renovating mode.  Things in our home are starting to wind down and we are so happy with the results.

We had new kitchen counter tops and back splash installed.  I so love this herringbone pattern.  My intention is to have the kitchen cabinets painted off white and then the back splash will really pop out.  So for now, this will do just fine.  My kitchen will never be a modern look, but it has that cozy comfy look about it.  It fits in with my quilts.  LOL

Our E*A*T in section of the kitchen.  Did you know that those letters also spell out T*E*A and A*T*E.  Family members have been having fun switching those letters around on us after they have been for dinner.

Now that the kitchen is done, I am moving onto other areas of the house that need painting and touch-ups.

My quilting was not abandoned during this time.  My secret quilt got done and ahead of schedule.  It was originally due for completion on May 3, but it got finished on April 29.  I know, silly about those dates, but it kept me motivated and I'm so thrilled to have it finished.  My goal each day was to have certain sections done and some days more got done and that is why this quilt got finished earlier.  Sorry that you will not be able to see it for a while, but be assured I will have an interesting post about it in the fall.

Some more revamping got done in my studio.  It just feels so good to have things sorted out and organized.  This closet was packed with boxes and bags and now it has most of my UFO's all stacked up and easy to see and get at.

 This shelf got revamped again.  It has some UFO's and all of my finished tops.

See the arrow?  That entire row are all tops with backings.  Before, they were stored away and you know the saying "out of sight ... out of mind".  My goal is to get more of them finished this year and now that I can see all of them, I'm hoping this will be my motivation to see those piles start to dwindle down.

The temperature is starting to warm up here in the Great White North.  All of the snow is gone from our hill and backyard.   It is now time to start thinking about plantings for our summer garden.

Have a great day!