A SQUIRREL ?? !!!! oh no!!!

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Oh yes!!!

A blogging friend of mine, Sandra, from MMM Quilts is having a quilt-a-long. For a couple of weeks, I’ve been telling myself, “NO … don’t start this quilt.”

Sandra hosts a quilt-a-long every year. And every year, I regret that I didn’t do it! And for awhile, I was pretending that I didn’t want to do it. But who was I kidding?

SEW … this year is different and I’m going to do it!!! Follow Your Own Path! Yup, I’m going to follow my own path and sew along with Sandra!

There are 2 sizes … but I thought the small one would be perfect for a baby quilt! The cutting directions are out. I have pulled my fabric, but haven’t started cutting! The fabrics are all Island Batik. The background is “Moonstone,” an Island Batik basic. The top left and bottom right are from “Primo” by Ebony Love. The top right is a basic called “Lavender” and the bottom left is a nameless fabric, likely a basic. I’m using the solid grey as the shadows of the arrows.

Are you going to join me in this Quilt-A-Long?

Design Wall

Piecing

#1 Blue Table Runner It is started … this is for the monthly Rainbow Scrap Challenge. As you can tell, the first couple of rows are sewn together … the rest is webbed.

One of our guild members posted a link to a website on “Learn to make Half Rectangles with this Easy Technique.” Well, since I didn’t want to be distracted by a squirrel project, and the technique was for a table runner – to me it was an easy decision to try the technique. You can visit QUILTsocial for all of the steps.

I tried to follow the directions, honestly, I did. But I messed up with the marking of 8 of the rectangles, so basically the table runner is backwards. And, I only used 4 fabrics instead of 6 … so I had to play a bit – but it was fun! I always enjoy playing!

And yes, The fabrics are all Island Batik, with Coconut as the background!

#2 June Island Batik Challenge: is in progress and being used as my leaders and enders. (Sorry no pictures).

#3 Follow your own path: As stated above … I have the cutting to do.

Quilting: 

#1 House Wall hanging. This UFO is now pieced and sandwiched. It needs to be quilted.

#2 Speed Dating still needs a facing. “Story-less Improv.”

May Island Batik challenge is quilted and I will give you a sneak peak of it … That’s the only peak you’ll get until my day on the Blog Hop.

Stash Report

May’s Island Batik challenge is completed and I used 4 yards of fabric from my stash for the backing.

  • Fabric Used this week     4   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       39 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0  yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      9 yards  (my husbands amounts as well)
  • Net Fabric used                  30 yards 
  • Husband’s purchases:  0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!

Stitchin’ Time

I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.

I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day

  • January – March –  80 / 80
  • April – 18 / 18
  • Percentage = 100 % 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

TO DO 

Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.

Last week:

Again, I did not focus on my “To Do” list … but a couple of things got done.

  1. House Wall Hanging: finish putting together √   done
  2. Healthcare Hero’s Mystery: Make backing not   done
  3. Speed Dating: Add facing not   done
  4. May Island Batik: sandwich and start quilting √   done and bound!
  5. A & A’s quilt: Make extra blocks if decision has been made! not   done
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS!    not   done   
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes  √   done    

This week’s list:

  1. Focus on the TO DO list
  2. Cut out Follow Your Own Path
  3. Quilt and finish House Wall Hanging
  4. Healthcare Hero’s Mystery: Make backing
  5. Speed Dating: Add facing
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Later this week:

I’m participating in the “In the Kitchen blog hop” … My project is done. Photo is taken and I just need to write the blog post. My day is April 22 … Thursday!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

SAHRR – Parade Finale!

/ quiltinggail / 29 Comments

SAHRR is the Stay at Home Round Robin that happened on this and several other blogs. 7 bloggers got together and each one decided what the next round would be! SEW fun!

When you do a Round Robin, you are actually the designer. You are given a theme for the round and it’s up to you to decide HOW the round is done. The following quilts will show you the fantastic variety of what each quilter decided to do.

Enjoy!

Continue reading →

Second Monday in April

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

I’ve been busy in the studio!!! Not a day goes by that I’m not working on something!

Design Wall

Piecing

#1 House Wall hanging. I started working on a UFO. It was a little kit in a bag: A cute little house wall hanging. I must admit, that when I opened the bag, I was a bit disappointed with the “green” house colour. See the pale, olivy grunge … well it didn’t do anything for me. I substituted the darker green in the picture on the right. Much better, I think! Unfortunately, I do not remember where I bought this kit.

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BBQG’s Jan/Feb Mystery Quilts

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I have a LOT of finishes to show you. In January, I hosted a mystery quilt for our guild (Boundary Bay Quilt Guild). It’s a lot of fun for me!!! This mystery was written by Sue P … a member of the Peace Arch Quilt Guild. I did it as a mystery several years ago. I repeated it again this year. Thank you, Sue, for permitting me to share this quilt pattern with the guild! This post is dedicated to YOU!!!

I absolutely LOVE how the same design looks SEW very different with different fabrics and different layouts! And THANK YOU to all the guild members that sent me their pictures!

This is Kathy S’s: I love the tree’s!

Continue reading →

TGIFF on the first Friday in April

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

Yes, it’s TGIFF … I LOVE this linky party and host it every so often. It’s a great way to see other bloggers and what they are working on!

I know … I know … some of you are thinking “Wait, is it Friday? I thought it was Thursday!” And you’d be correct. I am posting this on Thursday – so that others around the globe can see it on Friday. Does that make sense?

Unfortunately, I do not have a NEW finish for today, but I have had several finishes this month! Don’t you just love finishes?

My favourite for this month is … well, I have 2. Both of them are made with Island Batik fabrics! The one on the left is my scrappy Starry Irish Chain that was made for March’s Island Batik challenge and the one on the right is my version of the SAHRR. You can read more about them HERE and HERE.

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Almost the end of March

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

I had a fun day today, sewing and chatting with other Island Batik Ambassadors. It’s certainly fun getting to know each other! To discuss what we’re working on, what concerns us, and what’s new!

Design Wall

Piecing

Last week, I said that I had nothing on my design wall. Well, that wasn’t exactly the truth … I just had nothing NEW on the design wall … I did have the pieces from the class “Speed Dating with Improv.”

And, they have changed a bit … they are now sewn into a block and need borders.

As we were taking the course, Krista (the instructor) told us to think of a story to help with the assembly. Some of the ladies had fabulous stories and you could see it in their quilt layout. Me? I couldn’t think of a story. On a Zoom chat, (as this was being assembled, someone suggested that I had an apple in the middle. OK … I guess so, if you use your imagination … So, the final title of this little sampler might just be, “Maybe it’s an apple?” OR … what do you see in this sampler? PLEASE tell me …

Quilting: 

My April Island Batik challenge is being quilted. (Sorry – no pictures until April

Stash Report

The SAHRR is finished and although the top is all Island Batik, the back was from my stash … so that used 4.5 yards of fabric. You can read about it on tomorrow’s post!

  • Fabric Used this week     4.5   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       35 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0  yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      9 yards  (my husbands amounts as well)
  • Net Fabric used                  25 yards 
  • Husband’s purchases:  0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!

Stitchin’ Time

I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.

I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day

  • January – February –  59 / 59
  • March – 28 / 28
  • Percentage = 100 % 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

TO DO 

Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.

Last week:

I accomplished everything on my To Do List!!!

  1. Finish SAHRR √   done
  2. Borders on Healthcare Hero’s Mystery (this is for the guild …) √   done
  3. Start putting Speed Dating top together √   done
  4. Make Table Runner for the Scrap Challenge – green this month √   done and posted about HERE.
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   done   
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   done    

This week’s list:

  1. Finish quilting and binding April Island Batik Project
  2. Start A&A’s quilt
  3. Sandwich  Healthcare Hero’s Mystery (this is for the guild …)
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

I will post more about PHD in 2021 on Wednesday with a linky party for YOU!

What’s coming up on the blog in March and April and May?

Tomorrow!!!!! March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts

And … I’m waiting to find out what colour April will be! Then I’ll think about a table runner!

In April, there’s the “In the Kitchen” blog hop happening!!

Doesn’t this sound like a fun fun, FUN blog hop??? And … I just might have an idea of what I’m going to do!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Salt and Sand Blog Hop and Green Table Topper

/ quiltinggail / 72 Comments

In January, Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, announced that she’d be hosting this blog hop in March. Of course, I signed up immediately! And, even though I knew that I could change my mind (happens often), I actually had an idea of what I would make for this blog hop! And, surprise, surprise, I didn’t change my mind.

I made this cute little Zipper Bag … It is an Anita Goodesign called “Shadow Work Design.” I altered the design a bit, because I didn’t have any sheer fabric. All of the fabric is from Island Batik (are you surprised???) Most of the bag is made with Coconut – one of their wonderful basics – available all the time. The applique is a small piece from Nautilus Floral-Baja from the Mystery Collection. This is the same collection that I used in February for my “Create for a Cause” challenge. You can view that quilt HERE.

Since I wasn’t about to go to a wet, soggy beach, I took this picture in the front yard. If you use your imagination, the lava rock can represent beach rock and the side of the raised bed could be a log, right?

And, since we have a few flowers blooming, I had to take a picture of it with the flowers! And trust me, those hyacinths smell heavenly!

BLOG HOP

Here’s a list of today’s blog hoppers … Lots of eye candy for you!!!


Just Let Me Quilt
Websterquilt
Samelia’s Mum
Quilt Fabrication
Little Penguin Quilts
Just Sew Quilter
Inflorescence

Monthly Table Topper / Runner Challenge

I had a lot of fun making my March green table runner. I thought I’d try some of the improv blocks I learned from my “Speed Dating” class (see HERE). Using the techniques I learned, it was pretty quick, easy and fun to put together!!! And, no, the quilt I started in the Speed Dating class is not finished … YET!

This used Island Batik fabrics: light and dark grey solids, and the greens were: Marble Frog – BE, Celery, Bubbles: sprout, and 2 other greens that were in my IB scrap bag. The backing is a combination of Celery and Light grey solid. You can see the back HERE. Hobbs 80/20 Cotton batting was used and it was quilted with Aurifil #2600 (Dove).

I must admit that I had a super fun time making this!!! Improv is fun! I like the freedom – anything goes – within my own limits!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Linking to:

The Past Few Days

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

Saturday

On Saturday, it was International Quilt Day. Time to hang out a few quilts … It was a bit windy and rainy, but all of the quilts are washable!! And they actually didn’t get too wet!

Sunday

Zoom quilting with my sister and one cousin dropped in for a chat! Both my sister and I worked on quilting our quilts. In the afternoon, I played with green fabric. I have a green table topper / runner challenge to meet this month. On the right is a picture of the back … Amazingly, I managed to finish it this evening!

Design Wall

Piecing

Would you believe that I’m NOT piecing anything at the moment? What is wrong??? I guess I’m just concentrating on getting some UFOs done. However, I have plans for an Island Batik project and haven’t even pulled fabric for it yet … and I can’t tell you what it’s going to be, because it’s a secret!

Quilting: 

SAHRR is in the process of being quilted!!!

Stash Report

I finished the T-shirt quilt. Between the backing, the hanging sleeve and the binding, I used over 12 yards of fabric!

You can read more about this quilt HERE.

  • Fabric Used this week      12   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       30.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0  yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      9 yards  (my husbands amounts as well)
  • Net Fabric used                  21.5 yards 
  • Husband’s purchases:  0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!

Stitchin’ Time

I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.

I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day

  • January – February –  59 / 59
  • March – 21 / 21
  • Percentage = 100 % 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

TO DO 

Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.

Last week:

I accomplished everything on my To Do List!!!

  1. Get Echo Lake T-shirt  quilt finished. √   done   
  2. Sandwich SAHRR √   done
  3. Borders on Healthcare Hero’s Mystery (this is for the guild …) NOT done
  4. Arrange Speed Dating top ? in progress ….
  5. Work on Salt and Sand project! √   done
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   done   
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   done    I did a major clean up and vacuum!!! There were little pieces and bits of T-shirts everywhere! And I trimmed up all the left-over t-shirts into squares or retangles for cleaning rags or whatever … they are being sent up to the camp with the T-shirt quilt.

This week’s list:

  1. Finish SAHRR
  2. Borders on Healthcare Hero’s Mystery (this is for the guild …)
  3. Start putting Speed Dating top together
  4. Make Table Runner for the Scrap Challenge – green this month
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Another UFO completed … but there are a few new Starts that need to be completed.

What’s coming up on the blog in March and April?

Salt and Sand Blog Hop … This project is done and ready for the hop. My day is Friday, March 26 ! Visit THIS BLOG to see a list of this week’s participants.

March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts

And … I’m ready for the March challenge!

In April, there’s the “In the Kitchen” blog hop happening!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Blustery Friday

/ quiltinggail / 34 Comments

The wind is blowing … a LOT!!! I’m glad that I took pictures of my finished quilt the other day!

This is the Echo Lake T-shirt quilt. There are lots of different T-shirts. Some are repeated, in different colours.

As I was working on this quilt, I was continually amazed at the work / service that each T-shirt represents. From the inception of the theme, creating the artistic logos … wow!!! Then there is the various speakers each summer that address the theme, the campers and leaders that listen, the music and songs, the people in charge of activities (archery, climbing wall, crafts, etc), the kitchen staff, the caretaker and grounds people. So many people!!! And there are people that attend the spring clean-up, those that generously donate time and/or money. And, not to forget those that don’t set a foot on the camp grounds, but pray for the campers and all the workers. And, I’ve probably left out many more people that are also involved!

Our 2 kids went to Echo Lake years ago. When they first started going, it was tents on wooden platforms. I remember the first year they build the cabins … there was open rafters … our son broke his arm swinging from them! Don’t ask … if you knew my son, you would totally understand this! Tons and tons of memories!!!

Anyhow, it was an honour to make this quilt / banner. It is HUGE … over 8′ wide and about 5.5 ‘ high. It is far from perfect! Nothing I make is ever close to perfect, but the T-shirt fabric added an extra challenge!

Continue reading →

Middle Monday in March

/ quiltinggail / 26 Comments

Lots of things happening here. All in my studio … no travelling …

Teaching

On Friday, I taught a Scrappy Irish Chain class. It’s the first class I’ve taught by Zoom. It was a lot of fun! And the ladies were wonderful!

There are 2 things that I did not like about teaching via Zoom and both of these help me in reducing my own stash!

  1. I couldn’t walk around the group with a bunch of my own 2″ or 2.5″ squares and give them to everyone to include in their own quilt.
  2. I couldn’t take a huge box of scraps and tell everyone that I wanted the box empty after the class.

I make 4 patches as leaders and enders … and occasionally, they work into a quilt. I have a lot of Irish Chain pieces and they were put back in the box until I teach this class again.

As I was demo-ing various parts, I managed to get some of the components sewn. This is 9 completed blocks.

Design Wall

Piecing

Then on Saturday, I took a class “Speed Dating with Improv” with Krista Hennebury @ Poppyprint. I don’t do Improv … I’ve not been too interested in Improv … but … it doesn’t hurt to learn something new, right? But, to be brutally honest: I was scared!!! Improv is so out of my box!!!

However, I certainly felt a LOT different after the class!!! We cut things free hand. Yes, straight lines and curves!!! With NO rulers!!!! The piecing doesn’t have to match!!! Woo Hoo!!! After years of attempting to get great points and to match corners … it didn’t matter!!! It was a LOT of fun!!!! If you’re interested in Improv, check out Krista’s classes @ Poppyprint.

I used Island Batik solids: black, white and turquoise.

Here’s a picture of what’s on my design wall. Now, to organize and arrange and put all the fillers in.

Quilting: 

The T-shirt quilt is now a pieced top … and is sandwiched. There is a TON of stretch with the T-shirts – even though they all have interfacing on the back. They still stretch! Sew, I thought I’d use Hobbs fusible batting with the hopes that it would decrease the stretch. However, there is the issue of using heat on top of the logos. Sew, I used a pressing cloth. It took 2 full days to press everything … and it didn’t always stick very well. Sew, a lot of pins were inserted!

I started out with a Schmetz 90/14 quilting needle. It didn’t like it. Then, once I re-thought what I was sewing through … T-shirt material, iron-on interfacing, fusible batting and cotton backing … a light bulb went off in my brain and I switched to a ball point needle (Janome blue-tip). Much better!

Then there was issues with the thread. I started off with Glide … it bunched up above the needle and broke a ton!! Then I switched to the same colour in a CanSew polyester thread … same problem. Finally, I switched to Aurifil and viola! It’s the perfect thread for this quilt.

Here’s some pictures of me quilting the quilt! It’s big … it’s over 6′ x 8′. It will be a wall hanging / banner.

Stash Report

The Moorewood Mystery is finished. It used 12 yards from my stash. You can read about it HERE.

  • Fabric Used this week      12   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       18.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0  yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      9 yards  (my husbands amounts as well)
  • Net Fabric used                  9.5 yards (YAY … no longer in the red!)
  • Husband’s purchases:  0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!

Stitchin’ Time

I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.

I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day

  • January – February –  59 / 59
  • March – 14 /1 4
  • Percentage = 100 % 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

TO DO 

Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.

Last week:

I accomplished everything on my To Do List!!!

  1. Pick out a backing for  SAHRR √   done   
  2. Finish quilting Moorewood Mystery √   done
  3. Get the Echo Lake T-shirt top completed √   done
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS!  √   done
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes      √   done

This week’s list:

  1. Get Echo Lake T-shirt  quilt finished.
  2. Sandwich SAHRR
  3. Borders on Healthcare Hero’s Mystery (this is for the guild …)
  4. Arrange Speed Dating top
  5. Work on Salt and Sand project!
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

One UFO completed … but the list in Starts in 2021 is getting longer …

What’s coming up on the blog in March?

Salt and Sand Blog Hop … Just thinking of this blog hop makes me want to travel and visit someplace warm! But alas, I’ll be staying home for now. But, I’m positive when we get to travel, I will appreciate it much much more!

March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts

And … I need to think of my project for the Table Runner Scrap Challenge:

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

A Friday UFO Finish!!!

/ quiltinggail / 28 Comments

I made the Moorewood Mystery, designed and hosted by Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs. This pattern is extremely well written. The monthly instructions are easy to follow and very doable during the month! The pattern is available on the website. Thank you Cheryl for this unique and fun design!

This quilt counted as one of my UFOs because it could not be completed in 2020 … (my own rules as to what makes a UFO).

Quilt Stats

  • Size: 60.5″ x 72.5″
  • It is quilted with a beige thread – Aurifil 2000.
  • The quilting is simple swirls in the background and all of the coloured shapes are outlined. Nothing fancy … but I really like how it looks!
  • The batting is Hobbs 80/20.
  • The fabrics are Kansas Troubles that have been sitting in my stash for … um … well … ya … at least 10 years … I think!!!! And, for some reason, the container with the Kansas Troubles fabric is still pretty full!!!

And a closeup of the quilting:

I was Featured

Jennifer featured the quilt with all the ruler quilting on it. You can read more about it HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

*****************************

Linking to:

A Good Sewing Day!

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

You know, it’s always a good sewing day when I get to sew with family and/or friends! These days, with no in person retreats or sew days, it’s great to have Zoom!

Design Wall

Piecing

I was Zoom quilting with my sister and 2 cousins … it sure helped keep my on track. I’m working on the T-shirt quilt. It’s not an easy quilt to work on. I’m trying to fit things together … however, I have not sworn (OUT LOUD) and so, it can’t be all that bad. However, I did watch a youtube video of Angela Walters making a T-shirt quilt and thought that would have been a way easier way to make one … but alas … I did want to use ALL of the T-shirts I was given … and they all seem to fit in – sort-of! Even though they are backed with interfacing, there is still a lot more stretch than with quilting cotton!

Oh – and just in case you didn’t know, it’s for Echo Lake Bible camp that is situated between Vanderhoof and Fort St. James in the middle of British Columbia. Our kids went there as campers eons ago and a good friend of ours is the director.

So the pile of t-shirts became a zillion different shaped blocks.

Quilting: 

Quilting has started on the Moorewood Mystery. Swirls and straight lines … nice and simple!

Stash Report

I did finish my 2 Island Batik March projects (you can read about them HERE) but since they totally use Island Batik fabrics, I didn’t count them as fabric used this week … So the numbers don’t change!

  • Fabric Used this week      0   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       6.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0  yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      9 yards  (my husbands amounts as well)
  • Net Fabric used                   – 2.5 yards
  • Husband’s purchases:  0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!

Stitchin’ Time

I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.

I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day

  • January – February –  59 / 59
  • March – 7 / 7
  • Percentage = 100 % 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

TO DO 

Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.

Last week:

  1. Complete final round of SAHRR  √   done
  2. Finish  March’s Island Batik challenge  √   done
  3. Start quilting Moorewood Mystery  √   done
  4. Cut all the t-shirts and iron on interfacing for the Echo Lake t-shirt quilt.  √   done
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS!  √   done
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes      √   done

This week’s list:

  1. Pick out a backing for  SAHRR
  2. Finish quilting Moorewood Mystery
  3. Get the Echo Lake T-shirt top completed
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

There are actually 3 UFOs that are currently in progress! Does that mean they will be finished soon? I’d like to dream that they will be!

What’s coming up on the blog in March?

Salt and Sand Blog Hop … Just thinking of this blog hop makes me want to travel and visit someplace warm! But alas, I’ll be staying home for now. But, I’m positive when we get to travel, I will appreciate it much much more!

March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts

And … I need to think of my project for the Table Runner Scrap Challenge:

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Lets Talk about Ruler Quilting!

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Did you see my Scrapbusting Challenge for Island Batik for March? You can see it HERE.

The following is about one of the quilts I made for the challenge. I was scheduled to take a Ruler Quilting course through the guild with Silly Moon Quilting Co. I grabbed some of the Island Batik neutral stash builder rolls so that I could make 5″ squares. I wanted something light so the quilting would show. Then, instead of making a placemat or table topper, I choose to make a small heart quilt.

Well, as soon as I had the heart done with the blue around it, I decided to make it bigger … and borders were added … then more borders. All of a sudden (after a few hours), I had a quilt instead of placemat.

By the way Silly Moon Quilting Co. is a Canadian company, family owned and is located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. You can order rulers directly from them or from various locations across Canada. They offer ruler quilting classes on their rulers. Did I say that I’m in LOVE with their rulers?

Ruler Quilting

The owner of Silly Moon lead the class on Zoom. She was a great instructor! Very patient and clear with her instructions. I have taken a ruler class before, with Amy K. and she’s fantastic as well. Anyhow, the blocks inside the heart were quilted during the class and used “Charming” and “Edgie” rulers.

I wanted to quilt this whole quilt using Silly Moon rulers. It was fun!

The blue border below was quilted using “Charming,” the neutral border to the left used “Turkey” and “Charming.”

Below, you can see how “Charming” made the scallops on the outside border. Cupid 3″ made the hearts that are in the blue and white border. “Turkey” made that neat small square/large square in the next blue border. (And yes, if you look closely, I still need to practice more!)

Here is the full quilt!

Hobbs 80/20 batting was used, Aurifil #2610 – Light Blue Grey, and Schmetz needles were used for piecing and quilting. (All of these were provided by Island Batik and Industry Partners).

Spare Time

I have been asked several times about what I do in my spare time! This picture says it all! (Sorry, I don’t know the original source, it’s from my cousin’s Facebook Page … if anyone knows the original source, please let me know and I’ll give credit to the original artist.)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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March Island Batik Challenge

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It’s a Scrapbuster Challenge!

Challenge #1

I do have a ‘few’ Island Batik scraps! I save anything that is larger than 2″. I know that some of my fellow ambassadors save scraps that are smaller … I’ll let them do that, but it doesn’t mean that I have to. When it came to deciding what to do, I immediately thought of a scrappy Irish Chain. I have made a few and I love quilting the feather wreaths in the plain white block. I started sewing my 2″ squares into 4 patches … all the while thinking about how I could make it more unique. I thought of stars … and I was happy … here’s the chain blocks with a few of the first stars I made. Yes, I liked it.

Sew, I sewed and I sewed and I sewed. I tried to count how many different fabrics there were in this quilt. I got to 150 and then I started to second guess myself: Is this one in the quilt, or is it a similar one from the same collection? I quit counting. As I was sewing this together, there were lots of memories … oh, I made a log cabin with this fabric … this was from a table runner … this fabric was in a quilt I gave as a wedding gift … Such a lot of fun!!!

There are 782 coloured 2″ squares and 136 coloured Half-Square Triangles. I did not count how many white squares, half square triangles or rectangles are in this quilt. I know there are a LOT.

Then the quilt is . Hobbs 80/20 batting was used. I spray baste my quilts together, using Odif 505 spray. It was quilted on my Janome Continental M7 domestic sewing machine using the following threads: Aurifil #5004 – Grey Smoke and #2021 – Natural White. The binding was sewn on with #2692 – Black. Each square was stitched in the ditch with the Grey Smoke. The Natural White outlined the star and each of the blocks on the white.

There is a single crocus blooming in the garden, it’s in the middle pot, just in front of the rose stems … but I can barely see it in the picture, so you’ll just have to trust me!

Challenge #2

This quilt was unexpected. It just happened. It wasn’t planned. I was to take a ruler quilting course (by Zoom) with Silly Moon Quilting Co. and I needed to make a placemat or table runner, using 5″ squares. I pulled out a couple of neutral Island Batik Stashbuilder rolls and cut them into 5″ squares. (Stash builder rolls are perfect for this since they are 5″ wide by width of fabric.) But, I really didn’t want a placemat or table runner with them. So I made a heart quilt with squares and half-square triangles. Outlined the neutrals in soft dusty blues. I was liking it!!! I ended up adding a few more borders. Then I wanted it to be a rectangle, not a square, so the borders on the top and bottom became larger than the borders on the sides.

I was sewing with a friend (Zoom) and she saw the penguins and wanted to know if it was a fabric that is currently available. It’s an older line because it was in the stashbuilder bundle. But aren’t they cute?

Hobbs 80/20 batting was used, Aurifil #2610 – Light Blue Grey, and Schmetz needles were used for piecing and quilting.

Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

SAHRR – Round # 7

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Just to remind you … SAHRR is Stay At Home Round Robin. If you missed the previous posts about this year’s SAHRR – you can see them

Today is the day that I tell you to add pinwheels. If you take a close look, you will see that I changed my log cabin layout from last week. (See HERE). I put 4 of them together to make a diamond … It helped to make the quilt longer and not square. I really like the look!

For the Pinwheels, I used the Accuquilt die # 4 of the 8″ Cube set. I wanted the half-square triangles to be bigger than the ones in the stars. It worked! Since I was working with awesome Island Batik Fabric, I didn’t have to worry a lot about bias!

I will be adding 6″ white borders onto the top and bottom and 3″ white borders onto the sides.

Again, I continued to use a variety of fabrics from Island Batik’s Ohana collection. I hope I have enough scraps to bind it! It’s getting close!

Make sure to visit all of the other co-leaders. Here’s their links:

SAHRR Linky Party

Here is a Linky Party to link your flimsy. MARK you calendars for March 29th !!! I will have a linky party for everyone to show their final quilts or tops!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=a8b40ada7693d64e5923

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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PHD in 2021: February Report

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How are you doing with your PHD in 2021. So far I have 4 UFOs completed, but I still feel like I’m cheating. Three were started in December and were easy finishes. All of these were made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics. The 4th was a panel, so that was also a quick finish.

I have started working on the Echo Lake T-shirt quilt. The T-shirts are cut and interfacing is on each piece. Now, to decide the layout and how to piece it together!

Linky Party

Link up and show us your PHD in 2021 Progress.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=a8b40ada7693d64e5923

Do You need Help?

A fellow candidate for PHD in 2021, Sheila from “So This is Kentucky” posted about using Trello. It’s free to start with and gives you a visual of what projects you have going. See Sheila’s post HERE. You may also find it helpful!

Rainbow Scrap Table Topper

February’s colour is Yellow. I made another coaster. Again, I used Island Batik fabrics. The yellow fabric is “butter” that is available year round. I’m not sure what the beige is (but it is Island Batik) and the green was in a stash buster bundle. The pattern is a free embroidery design from Kreative Kiwi – the Mother’s Day coaster. Obviously, I omitted the writing. On the rose, I used my yellow and oragne inktense pencils to add a little more colour.

A Book Review

The guild librarian, asked me to have a look at a new book they got in the library.

“The Big Book of Little Quilts” by Martindale.
This book is jam packed with a variety of small quilts.  They range from a fresh, modern look, to homespun and many can be scrappy or controlled scrappy. Some of the patterns are pieced, some are paper pieced, some have applique and some have hand embroidery.  There is something in this book that will appeal to you!  It is a book I will definitely take out from the library when I’m looking for something small and a little different. 

DrEAMI

This month I had a DrEAMI project. DRop Everything And Make It. I will be linking to Sandra @ MMMQuilts. These little baskets were quick and easy to make! You can read more about them HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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