Free Motion Quilting

Monday’s Moments

/ quiltinggail / 30 Comments

Sorry, I have not been posting much lately! I’ve had Covid and it’s been a slow recovery. However, I am recovering. I know at one point, I told a friend, “I feel like sewing today.” I sat at the machine, sewed 2 stitches and turned the machine off. I knew I was sick! But, for the last few days, I’ve been sewing for more than 1/2 hour a day – so that is good.

Overhauling the Craft Room

Before I got sick, I did work on my studio overhaul and took some pictures.

Here’s a Before and After pictures of the same spaces!

I now have a full ironing board to iron on. Yes, those dark brown spots in the upper right and lower left definitely indicate that I need to recover the board. But not for now! I’ll live with it for a little while longer!

And the area behind the machine where I quilt is now tidy. Hopefully, it will stay that way! It has so far!

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

I missed many days of sewing in the last few weeks … that’s OK. I’m just thankful that I only have one deadline at the moment!

  • January – April:  117 / 120
  • May 1 – 15:  5 / 15
  • Total: 122 / 135
  • Percentage = 90% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

It was fun to free motion these quilts … all different and using different motifs!

Finishing these baby quilts used 7.5 yards of fabric.

  • Fabric Used since the last report      7.5  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       39.75 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    6.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 23.5 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from several weeks ago:

  1. Quilt & Bind at least 2 more Baby Quilt Panels √   DONE
  2. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project not done
  3. Clear Cutting Table and Ironing Board for Craft Room Overhaul √   DONE
  4. Work on May Island Batik challenge. √   DONE
  5. Work on Pop Star Quilt √   DONE
  6. Work on Squirrel Attack Quilt. not done
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish May Island Batik challenge.
  2. Work on Pop Star Quilt
  3. Sandwich Squirrel Attack Quilt (see below).
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, host a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

1. Foodie Blog Hop: These fabrics are from my stash. You’ll just have to wait until May 24th to see what is happening with this fabric!

2. A Squirrel Attack: The flimsy is done – but I forgot to take a picture …

3. I have been working on Sandra Walker’s Pop Star Quilt … Yesterday, the instructions for adding the border were posted. You can access the steps at MMM Quilts HERE.

Quilting:

Need to sandwich the May Island Batik project and get them quilted! And also need to sandwich the Pop Star Quilt.

Again, I’m counting 2 baby quilt panels as 1 UFO that is finished. That means that I only have 4 more UFOs to finish this year! Sigh … I thought I had found ALL of the UFOs before, but alas … there are likely more hidden away! I was secretly hoping that this would be the last year for me to host PHD in 202? But, if I keep discovering more – I’ll be hosting PHD for many years to come!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Friday … the end of the week …

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It has been a busy week … yesterday, I zoom quilted with several guild members … it’s always a LOT of fun and I managed to get 2 tops to flimsy stage. One is next month’s Island Batik challenge and the other is my Squirrel Attack quilt! Both are now waiting to be sandwiched.

I do have a finish to show … one of my blog followers suggested that I finish the baby panel with the kitty on it. I listened to her … and here it is! It was a LOT of fun to quilt … and miraculously the green for the binding was just the right amount! This UFO has Hobbs batting and was quilted with Glide thread.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday’s Manifesto

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

Garage Sale

I believe the guild Garage Sale was a success. I got rid of a LOT of stuff! It was great! I was very happy to only bring a small amount home!

I also was able to donate about 10 quilts to the baby quilt and comfort quilt guild charities! That also freed up a bunch of space!

As my dear hubby was helping to load the car, he gently told me that perhaps I might not want to bring home as much stuff as I took! I had to laugh, as I had absolutely NO intention of shopping at the garage sale …

However, when things are staring you in the face, you HAVE to shop! The blue fleece was at the table next to me and after an hour, I broke down and bought it. It will back 2 baby donation quilts. And the ruler handle … oh yes, the ruler handle. Whenever I’m at a retreat with Patti, she always has a long ruler with a fantastic handle on it. I gravitate to that ruler and absolutely LOVE the extra stability the handle adds. So, of course, I HAD to have it!!!

Now … to get things back in order in my sewing studio!

Overhauling the Craft Room

For awhile this past week, my studio looked WAY worse than it did when I first posted pictures … but that’s OK … sometimes, you have to make a mess to clean up, right? Anyhow … here is the progress this week:

Here’s Before and After pictures of the same spaces!

It looks a little cluttered behind the sewing machine on the right … but that’s my leader & ender project … and it’s allowed to stay there – ready for sewing! Yes, several rulers hang behind this machine.

Another area … The bags on the floor were emptied and things put away. The sandwiched quilts and various other things are in appropriate spots. Finally, there is a permanent home for my Accuquilt … with the Island Batik scraps ready for cutting … much better than putting it away all the time!

My quilting area … the SAD light stays and the laptop gets moved so I can view whatever as I’m quilting or zoom quilting or ??? Another leader and ender project ready when I piece on this machine and the area is clear for quilting. So, hopefully, I won’t quilt spare pieces of fabric into the back of whatever I quilt!

All that is left is my ironing board, cutting table and computer desk! GROAN …. but I will work on them …

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

I missed 3 days of sewing this week. Two because I was getting ready for the garage sale and one on the day of the garage sale …

  • January – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 24: 21/24
  • Total: 111 / 114
  • Percentage =97% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

Finishing this baby quilt used 2.5 yards of fabric.

  • Fabric Used this week      2.5  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       32.25 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   2 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    6.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 26 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list a week ago:

  1. Quilt & Bind at least 2 more Baby Quilt Panels only 1 done
  2. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project not done
  3. Finish going through the Fabric and Project containers. √   DONE
  4. Work on May Island Batik challenge. not done
  5. Clear at least one more surface in the sewing studio. √   DONE
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS!  not done
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

Here’s the UFO Baby Quilt I finished.

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt & Bind at least 2 more Baby Quilt Panels
  2. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project
  3. Clear Cutting Table and Ironing Board for Craft Room Overhaul
  4. Work on May Island Batik challenge.
  5. Work on Pop Star Quilt
  6. Work on Squirrel Attack Quilt (see below).
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

1. Foodie Blog Hop: These fabrics are from my stash. You’ll just have to wait until May 24th to see what is happening with this fabric!

2. A Squirrel Attack: As I was going through my containers … I found left-over strips from a jelly roll quilt … well, they spoke very loudly to me and said, “USE ME NOW.” Well, I have learned that it’s usually worth listening to fabric when it speaks to you. This is one half of them and there will be sashing added between the rows.

3. I have started Sandra Walker’s Pop Star Quilt … Sandra is a fabulous designer and I absolutely LOVE making her quilts. This one is a sew-a-long … Each week, there are directions on what to do. I have chosen some Island Batik fabrics and they are cut out and waiting. The first sewing directions are available … so I need to work on it. You can access the steps at MMM Quilts HERE.

Quilting:

I still have several baby quilts left to quilt!

Since I have several baby panels to quilt and last week I counted 2 as 1 UFO. I’m going to continue that. It’ll be at least another week or 2 before I get another one finished! So the only change is that I’ve added my new starts.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

A Finish for Friday

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

Here’s a picture of the latest baby quilt panel. It was a fun quilt to quilt! Of course, I adore Winnie the Pooh – so that just made it even more fun! And yes, this is a finished UFO!

I’ve spent the last few days gathering and gathering and pricing things for our guild’s garage sale tomorrow! I even broke down and went through some of my fabric bins!!! I can’t believe I did that! But, I did find fabric that I have had for ages … and even though I know I would use them in some project in the future, I do have a a LOT more fabric that I love more. So, I figured that was the fabric to keep, right?

This is most of it … but there is a couple more boxes …

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Meeting a New Friend

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A blog follower contacted me and said she would be in the neighbourhood, “Would I like to meet up?” Well, YES, I would!!! We met at Essem Textiles. She had ordered some sweatshirt fleece from Essem and brought in her sweatshirt jackets … they were pretty cool! Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of them. However, when she told the owners who she was and they knew where she was from! They didn’t realize that she was a quilter as well as a garment sewer.

We met and talked about quilts and quilting. She is one talented quilter! Here’s a picture of us – but look at her quilt! Isn’t it absolutely fabulous? If I remember correctly, she said it’s 110″ x 110″. HUGE!It’s a mariner’s compass with lots of other blocks. She designed the quilt. I was in awe!

Here we are taking a closer look at the quilt:

Aurifil Color Builders

Aurifil has a great page out … showcasing the Italian Cities Color Builders and all of the challenges that the Island Batik Ambassadors made. It’s well worth going and taking a look at the fabulous talent that my fellow Ambassadors have! Click HERE.

Wonderful World of Color Blog Hop

This week is this Colourful Blog Hop! Come back on Wednesday and see what I made!

You can see the complete schedule HERE.

Overhauling the Craft Room

Last week, I showed you pictures of my room. There is one surface tidied up and cleared off (well, 2, if you count the little tv tray that I use as an extra space when I’m piecing!) All of the fabric was put into appropriate bins, not just moved to another spot!

Here’s a Before and After picture of the same space!

I have ALMOST finished going through every container … a few more to go!

This will get DONE!!!

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

  • January – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 17: 17 / 17
  • Total: 100 / 100
  • Percentage =100% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

The teddy bear quilt used 4.25 yards.

  • Fabric Used this week      4.25  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       29.75 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 25.5 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Quilt & Bind Teddy #3 √   DONE
  2. Quilt & Bind at least 2 Baby Quilt Panels √   DONE
  3. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project not done
  4. Go through the Fabric and Project containers. in progress
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

Here’s the 2 baby quilt panels that are quilted and bound. The one on the left was partially hand quilted and I machine quilted it to its finish!

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt & Bind at least 2 more Baby Quilt Panels
  2. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project
  3. Finish going through the Fabric and Project containers.
  4. Work on May Island Batik challenge.
  5. Clear at least one more surface in the sewing studio.
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, host a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

1. Foodie Blog Hop: These fabrics are from my stash. You’ll just have to wait until May 24th to see what is happening with this fabric!

Quilting:

The following baby panels still need to be completed.

I’m counting the 2 baby quilt panels as 1 UFO that is finished. That means that I only have 6 more UFOs to finish this year! Sigh … I thought I had found ALL of the UFOs before, but alas … there are likely more hidden away! I was secretly hoping that this would be the last year for me to host PHD in 202? But, if I keep discovering more – I’ll be hosting PHD for many years to come!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Teddy Bear Class #1

/ quiltinggail / 21 Comments

A few weeks ago, I taught a Teddy Bear class at Essem Textiles. It was very popular and there was a wait list! The class will be repeated on April 21 and 28th! Contact Essem to sign up … there isn’t many spots left!

This Teddy Bear pattern is in the Book “Fat Quarter Baby.” In the class, I offer 2 sizes, along with speedier cutting and piecing directions. The pattern in the book is 33:=”x 37″ and the larger size is 41″ x 46.”

Here are pictures from the class:

Some are busy cutting their fabrics!

This is Madeline’s. She’s started to quilt it with a serpentine stitch.

Linda almost has her top completed … so cute with all the dotted fabric!

Nancy claims she’s not a quilter! I beg to differ with her! She’s done an awesome job with this teddy bear.

I love Lorraine’s with the honey bees! Perfect!

This was Anne’s first Teddy Bear and she didn’t quite have enough fabric for the back … so she learned how to do the diagonal stripe … super simple and very effective!

Anne’s 2nd Teddy Bear

And this is Simina’s first quilt! I think she’s hooked!

And here is the one I made: I used Hobbs 80/20 batting. It is quilted with a thread that is new to me “Seracycle.” It is made by Mettler out of recycled 100% PET bottles. SEW – what did I think? The thread quilted very nicely. The small spool did not contain enough thread to sew this quilt and I had to substitute a white thread to finish the quilt. It’s a great idea, but the spools need to be bigger. If you are interested in using Seracycle, Essem Textiles carries it. I think it would be great for garment sewing.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Saturday 

Monday’s Status

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

I’ve had a busy week! And I have gotten lots done! My Macaron Mystery is completed. This was a mystery quilt from  Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs. I love her mystery quilts! You can be sure I’ll be following and quilting when she starts the Melodic Mystery in July!

And … did you see Gracie the Gorilla? A Funky Friends pattern for Island Batik’s April challenge. She was so much fun to make! I used Island Batik fabrics, Schmetz needles, and Aurifil thread to make her!

Overhauling the Craft Room

Kim of Persimon Dreams and Kim of Gogokim have joined together and created this Overhaul. If you saw my room, you would KNOW that I NEED to do an Overhaul!!! In a couple of weeks, our quilt guild is having a garage sale … a perfect opportunity to get rid of some quilting junk useful items … I’m not totally following their direction, but I am in the process of going through EVERY container. And I’ll tackle every surface!

Here’s some pictures … as the room was before I started going through things: What a mess, eh? Every available surface cluttered with projects and fabric I need to put away, some baby quilts to be quilted, things to be unpacked from my latest class, fabric to be sorted through, papers cluttering up my computer desk, and left-over batting and fabric on my cutting table!

I’ve already gone through my books … and they’ll be on the free table at the garage sale. I don’t expect the guild library will want them … some are quite old!

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

  • January – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 10: 10 / 10
  • Total: 100 / 100
  • Percentage =100% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

Macaron used 12 yards of stash. I was thrilled to pieces when I realized that I had the perfect backing! It’s nice to be using up my stash.

  • Fabric Used this week      12   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       25.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 21.25 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Bind Macaron Mystery √   DONE
  2. Bind BBQG mystery quilt √   DONE
  3. Teddy #3 – Finish top √   DONE
  4. Complete Colour Your World Blog Hop project √   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt & Bind Teddy #3
  2. Quilt & Bind at least 2 Baby Quilt Panels
  3. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project
  4. Go through the Fabric and Project containers.
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, host a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

1. Foodie Blog Hop: These fabrics are from my stash. You’ll just have to wait until May 24th to see what is happening with this fabric!

Quilting:

I have 5 Baby Quilt panels lined up to be quilted and 2 that need binding. Boy, will I ever be glad when I no longer have cute panels in my stash! Some of these were panels that were given to me … I sandwiched them ages ago, but the quilting didn’t happen! And, I did find some of them when I went through a container – part of the Overhaul! 2 of the Baby Quilt panels are partially hand quilted … they will have machine quilting for the finish!

One UFO was finished: Macaron Mystery! That leaves me with 7 more to complete for my PHD in 2022. The New Starts are gradually getting completed! Personally, I really like how completing the New Starts does NOT add to the UFO list! And it is gradually getting smaller!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Macaron Mystery is Complete

/ quiltinggail / 34 Comments

This is a mystery quilt that was offered by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs. This is the 2nd mystery I’ve done of hers and I have LOVED doing each one. I know that some of you highly dislike doing mystery quilts, but she offers to give you a sneak peak – so you’re not totally doing a mystery. However, since I LOVE mystery quilts, I do it as a mystery! No peeking for me.

Cheryl’s directions are very clear and easy to follow! Here’s a few of the progress pictures of this mystery:

The fabric all came from my stash. As did the backing fabric. It has Hobbs 80/20 batting and I used Glide thread (Mercury) to quilt it. The binding is the medium blue print.

And the completed quilt! (And yes, I did alter some of the setting triangles to make the quilt symmetrical. The quilt insisted on it!)

And some quilting close-ups! Some free motion and some ruler work.

And … Cheryl has announced that there will be another mystery quilt starting in July! I already know that I’m going to join in! It’s called the Melodic Mystery! Are you going to join?

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

I Have MPD … do you?

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

That’s right, I have MPD … I hadn’t heard of it until today. I seriously have it!! It’s actually a serious case.

My sister sent this to me … sigh! It’s from Quilt Digest’s FB page and apparently you can buy it on Amazon HERE … but it’s currently unavailable. That’s OK … I know I have MPD and really don’t need a sign in my studio to tell me about it! I’m happiest when I’m working on 2 or 3 or 4 projects at once! I love the challenge of keeping them all straight!

Eye Candy

If you want to see all of the Island Batik ambassador projects from March, Mania has them all together in one blog post with the threads that each ambassador used. Go HERE to see them all!

This was mine, made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

  • January – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 3: 3 / 3
  • Total: 93 /
  • Percentage =100% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

I have NO finishes this week. But that’s OK … I have 2 quilts that are ready for binding and they both use fabric that came from my stash … so hopefully next week, I’ll have some different numbers.

I did use stash in a couple of my March finishes … The backings for the SAHRR (see HERE), the Time in a Bottle Quilt (see HERE) and the GAYG table runner (see HERE). 3 1/2 yards, 1 1/4 yards, and 1 yard respectively. That totals 5 3/4 yards!

  • Fabric Used this week      0   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       13.50 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 8.75 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Finish quilting Macaron Mystery √   DONE
  2. Work on IB May challenge √   DONE
  3. Work on April’s Colour Challenge √   DONE
  4. Sandwich and possibly quilt BBQG mystery quilt √   DONE
  5. Teddy #3 – Sew for class sample Finish IB March project √   DONE in progress
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Bind Macaron Mystery
  2. Bind BBQG mystery quilt
  3. Teddy #3 – Finish top
  4. Complete Colour Your World Blog Hop project
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, host a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

1. Teddy #3: These fabrics are from my stash. This is still in progress

2. Wonderful World of Colour: In progress … you’ll see this at the blog hop later this month!

Quilting:

Nothing being quilted at the moment … but Macaron Mystery and the BBQG Mystery are both quilted and waiting for their binding!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday’s Mishmash

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

I haven’t posted any of my regular Sunday/Monday things for almost a month. A LOT has been happening here in my studio … and then there was the retreat … and then more stuff happening! I’ve been busy!

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

  • January Feb:  59 / 59
  • Mar 1- 27: 27 / 27
  • Total: 86 / 86
  • Percentage =100% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

1 1/4 yards of fabric has been added to my stash. It’s not too exciting … just a plain beige flannel to back the fabric of another teddy bear quilt that I’m making. (It was started to use as a sample in the class!) However, the flannel is pretty cool … the picture didn’t turn out … but it is beige and has little flecks of black / dark brown in it – it almost looks like muslin! (

I did use stash in a couple of my March finishes … The backings for the SAHRR (see HERE), the Time in a Bottle Quilt (see HERE) and the GAYG table runner (see HERE). 3 1/2 yards, 1 1/4 yards, and 1 yard respectively. That totals 5 3/4 yards!

  • Fabric Used this week      5.75   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       13.50 yards
  • Fabric Bought this month:   1.25 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 8.75 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Finish IB March project √   DONE see HERE
  2. Work on Macaron Mystery: Sandwich √   DONE
  3. Work on Time in a Bottle: Quilt, prepare binding √   DONE see HERE
  4. Complete April’s Colour Challenge not started
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish quilting Macaron Mystery
  2. Work on IB May challenge
  3. Work on April’s Colour Challenge
  4. Sandwich and possibly quilt BBQG mystery quilt
  5. Teddy #3 – Sew for class sample
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, host a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

1. Teddy #3: These fabrics are from my stash. This Teddy will be for demo in a class.

Quilting:

  1. Working on Macaron Mystery:

2. May IB project is next in line

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Retreats are fun!

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Two weeks ago, I went to the guild’s January retreat. That’s right – January’s retreat happened in March. It was postponed due to Covid. But it was a LOT of fun!

There are a LOT of pictures …

First meal of the retreat …

Games: Secret Sister Gifts

Strip Poker: 50 shades of grey & Blue/ Green batiks

A Lots of projects being worked on

And the dresden craze: Candyce Grisham was a guild speaker earlier this year. She had a fabulous presentation and her book Dresden Reimagined is now in several guild member’s hands. (If you’re looking for a speaker – she’s great!) 2 of the ladies were working on many of the different dresden patterns in the book and soon, there were others in the room that also became addicted! And, one lady used the dresden for her sunflower for Ukraine and later used smaller petals for her leaves (sorry, no picture).

I know that I missed taking pictures of some of the projects … sorry about that!

My Finish for the Week

My SAHRR for 2022 is finished. You can read more about it HERE. (Made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil Thread).

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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SAHRR 2022: The Finale … the Parade

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You may be new here and wondering about it … you can read more about it at the following links:

My Quilt

This quilt was made with Island Batik fabrics (Flutterfly collection & solid white), Hobbs white 80/20 batting, and Aurifil thread.

And here’s some close-ups of the quilting!

Friend’s Quilts

When she sent me the picture, she said, “This is where I’m leaving it Gail. Thanks, it was fun.” I think it looks great!

Kathleen said, “This is my finished project, it was definitely a learning experience. Because I started with such a small center block, some of the other blocks, size wise, were a bit of a challenge. Thank you for facilitating this project.” I think you did a fantastic job, Kathy!

 Here’s Mary’s. She was running low on fabrics so she got very creative. I love the final result. 

Donna also ran low on fabrics but made it! Shadowed quilted stars and diamonds and elephant footprints in negative spaces. Great fun!

Here’s Dawn’s: I love all the greens she used!

Jacomina wrote: I have no blog and I participated on a lark in the SAHRR2022. I put on a last round of borders and it is a disaster so they will have to come off again. It was fun in a way, as I like improv sewing, but it is not a very good quilt. I enjoyed the challenge even though that was not in my programming for this year. It just happened because I was in the Netherlands and all quilters were asked to make heart blocks for the victims of the flooding this summer when the rivers broke in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. I made one following the directions and later a second heart thinking that I knew the dimensions and it turned out to be much too small. So here I was with this orphan block. Well, I totally disagree with Jacomina! I think this is a beautiful quilt! I love the hearts in the outside corners … it’s Lovely!

Edited: 2 more, sent in a little late

1. Charlene

Except for the background Charlene used her scraps of batiks for this quilt. She still has the last 2 sides of sho fly blocks to make. She had to go buy more background fabric! WOW!!! This looks fantastic!

2. Chere says: Well round 6 is done . I’ve got shoofly blocks, and some spacers in between. This quilt is  far bigger than I thought it was going to get. But it’s OK. Hope to get it sandwich together next week and quilted. It will have purple binding.
Have a few scraps left, have to see what I can do with them. Overall it was fun . I ended up learning new block names and blocks ,along with new techniques. Look forward to the next one.

I’m glad you had fun, Chere! Your quilt is beautiful!! And I agree that the purple binding will be perfect!

Now, it’s your turn to show us!

Show us your completed SAHRR or the one in progress!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Visit the other co-hosts to see their Quilts!

1st Round: Anja @ Anja Quilts

2nd Round: Emily @ The Darling Dogwood

3rd Round: Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us

4th Round: Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

5th Round ME!!! @ Quilting Gail 

6th Round: Chris @ Chrisknitssews

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

International Quilting Day

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Or … Worldwide Quilting Day!

Here’s my front yard … they’re all made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.

As I was out taking a picture, I met a neighbour that has a quilt in her window … and she works at a quilt store in the community. So, of course, I had to walk down the road and take a picture!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Time in a Bottle Blog Hop

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Carol, of Just Let Me Quilt is hosting this blog hop.

Here is the challenge:

  • Create something with an hourglass block in it. 
  • It can be one block or 100 blocks…totally up to you.
  • You can make a quilt, a bag, a potholder, or whatever.
  • Just have an hourglass block in it somewhere.

Here is my first Hourglass block:

I had a few 60 degree triangles left over from the Island Batik “gradations” project that I made in January. You can read about it HERE.

But, I needed 45 degree and 90 angles to make the hourglass block. Accuquilt to the rescue! I paired all of these triangles with Island Batik’s solid grey material. 50 blocks later, the quilt was put together, the border added and the quilt was finished.

And, for the most part, my gradations are all gone! It’s bitter sweet. I was able to have fun using them and I actually got 3 quilts out of the fat quarter bundle they sent!

This quilt was sandwiched with Hobbs 80/20 and I use Aurifil #2600 (Dove) to quilt it. I started with my walking foot and a small serpentine stitch to outline all of the triangles, then I free motioned a swirly flower “thingy” in the grey areas. The binding is a scrappy binding and it is used with the same serpentine stitch that I quilted with.

This quilt will be donated to the Boundary Bay baby quilt committee.

Here is the list of Time in A Bottle Bloggers

Visit each of them to see their interpretations of the theme!

March 14

March 15

March 16

March 17

March 18

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

So Scrappy @ Scrap Happy
Oh Scrap @  Quilting is More Fun than Housework
Frédérique  @ Quilting Patchwork Applique
Monday Making @  Love, Laugh, Quilt
Design Wall Monday @  Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

2 Different Classes

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Both of these classes took place at Essem Textiles in Cloverdale. There are 2 more classes planned and others coming in the future. The Fat-Quarter Teddy Bear starts later this month (in 2 different sizes) and the 3D Pinwheels will be in April. The Teddy Bear class is almost full – but Essem will start a wait list for a 2nd class if there is enough interest! If you haven’t sewn at Essem – you are in for a delightful surprise. The classroom is fantastic, lots of plug-ins, great lighting and the hosts are the BEST!!!

Quilt-as-you-go Table Runner

I taught this class a few weeks ago … the participants were amazing and the table runners so diverse! It was pretty awesome … Here’s a peak at them – finished or in progress

Here is Kathy’s … all finished – including the binding!

And here’s Tina’s … the flowers and dragonflies are so pretty!

I haven’t received pictures from any of the other, but here they all are in progress. They are all so very different!

This is my Quilt-as-you-Go Table Runner. I finished it today and it’s my TGIFF for this week! I used fabrics from Island Batik’s Vintage Lace collection. You can read about the quilt that I made with this collection HERE. For the table runner I used the following fabrics:

  • Center: Mini Floral Vine Fall
  • Yellow: Mini Floral Vine Corn
  • Green: Dots: Pineneedle
  • Border & Binding: Medallion- Lace Fall

The center was quilted with Silly Moon’s “Drop” ruler.

Today’s Machine Binding Class

I taught the group a ton of tricks for binding quilts totally by machine. I think they enjoyed learning my radical techniques!

Here they are – hard at work. On the le

2 of the participants brought their Quilt-as-you-Go table runners to learn how to do those tricky angled corners and the regular 90 degree corners. How did I miss getting pictures of 2 of the projects? (Sorry, ladies!) As you can see, the bindings turned out fantastic! I’m super impressed with the 2 that did the straight line final attachment. It took me a LONG time before I ventured from decorative stitches! All of the ladies did a fantastic job!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Little to show, but lots happening!

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I’ve joined Jen, from Patterns by Jen in doing the monthly colour blocks.

This month, it’s the Pink Peppercorn. (which is actually a berry, not a peppercorn!) The patterns are free each month. However, if you miss a month, there is a small fee, but you can still get the block! You can get the pattern HERE.

This block came together quite quickly … and I used Island Batik fabrics!

And, we are to show off our Pink Quilts. Here are some I have made over the years!

Stitching Stuff

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

  • January – Feb 59 / 59
  • March 1 – 6
  • Total: 65 / 65
  • Percentage =100% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!

No shopping and no purchases this week … and nothing finished …

  • Fabric Used this week       0    yards
  • Fabric Used this year:        7.75 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                  4.75 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Finish IB March project √   DONE
  2. Work on Macaron Mystery: Sandwich not done
  3. Work on Time in a Bottle: Quilt, prepare binding √   DONE
  4. Complete April’s Colour Challenge not done
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! Not Done
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Prepare projects to take on retreat
  2. Prepare for Binding Class
  3. Macaron Mystery: Sandwich
  4. Complete April’s Colour Challenge
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Piecing

#1: IB April project is in process. This is a fun project!!! I’ll be showing you in April!

#2. IB May project is started. This one is taking a LOT of time! I’m glad that I started early!!!

#3 IB June  is started and is my current leader & ender.

Quilting:

  1. Currently working on SAHRR

No finishes so far in March … and no New Starts finished … yet. If you would like this chart, you can access it HERE.

PHD Tally 2022- with formulasDownload

If you would like this colourful Task sheet, you can access it HERE.

Retreat!

I am going on a retreat next weekend!! WOO HOO!!! Lots of fun!!!

Packing … I need to get some projects ready to go … and hopefully, I won’t forget some of the main things I need!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Teaching a Fabric Basket class and More

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Baskets using Batting!

So, last week, after having a root canal, I taught a Basket class at Essem. There was only one participant in the class, Wendy. She was super speedy and was able to finish up her basket very quickly! She’s used a variety and Kafe fabrics and her basket is stunning! Don’t you agree?

Here is my basket. I used fabric from my stash. I used 2 fabrics and like the effect! If you’d like to learn how to make this basket – let Simina or Rajan at Essem know and they’ll start a wait list.

Machine Binding Class

On March 10, I will be teaching a binding class at Essem. You will learn how to attach binding totally by machine! There will be lots of time-saving tricks and the results will be amazing! I’ll be demonstrating regular binding, scrappy binding, and flange binding. Bring projects ready for binding and you will leave with the binding completed! Contact Essem Textiles to sign up for the class. There are only a few spots left!

Did you see my Row by Row Quilt?

This week, it was my day to share my February Row by Row quilt on Island Batik’s Blog Hop! It was such a fun quilt to make, with beautiful fabrics from a collection called “Vintage Lace” by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.

This quilt is 50″ x 60″. I used Accuquilt dies to cut the whole quilt. It’s quilted with a Schmetz needle, Aurifil thread, using Silly Moon’s “Beanie” rulers, and has Hobbs 80/20 batting.

Same Quilt, Different Fabric

Last week I showed my finish “In the Woods” featuring Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle that is in the Island Batik Catalogue. You can read about it HERE.

This week, my pattern tester, Carol, posted a picture of her quilt … it has a totally different look using different fabrics! I love it. You can read what Carol has to say about the quilt pattern HERE. Thank you for testing the pattern, Carol!

I am always fascinated by how different quilts look when you use different fabrics!

Let me know if you would like to purchase the “In the Woods” pattern!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Saturday 

TGIFF & a Friday Finish featuring Evergreen and Pine

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TGIFF stands for Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday and I’m hosting the linky party this week.

Here is my finish

This was a “secret” quilt that I was working on in the fall. It’s for the Island Batik catalogue. It was a fun quilt to make and I loved fussy cutting the animals … they are SEW cute! The Fabric collection is Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle. It should be in stores this month! And yes, I used Aurifil thread for piecing and quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting. Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern!

And here’s a picture of each of the fabrics that is in the quilt! I used all of them … can you find them in the quilt?

Linky Party

Show us your Finished Project for this week!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

My other Finishes this week!

This was a super fun quilt to make. It’s made with Island Batik scraps. You can read more about it HERE. The pattern is from a great book that I highly recommend! “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation.

I was Featured

Both Jennifer, from the Inquiring Quilter, and Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation featured the quilt I showed last Friday, 3 D Pinwheels. Please contact me if you would like to purchase the pattern.

Happy Quilting

Linking to:

Tickled Pink Blog Hop

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Carla, From Creatin’ in the Sticks, announced this blog hop WAAAY back in December and I immediately knew what I was going to make! I pulled the fabric and … set it aside … but I got back at it in January and actually finished it pretty quickly!

This little mini quilt is made of scraps of Island Batik purple and pink, plus a couple of strips of pink hearts from a Scrap Builder’s bundle that I received in December. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and it was quilted with a light mauve thread.

The pattern is from the book “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation. It’s a fabulous book … and I’ve made a few quilts and mini quilts from the book!

Visit the other bloggers!

I promise that there is a plethora of eye candy if you visit these sites!

Monday, February 14th

Tuesday, February 15th

Wednesday, February 16th

Thursday, February 17th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

A Finish to Show you on Friday!

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Way back in the fall, I was madly working on some Secret Quilts. These were quilts for the Island Batik catalogue that came out a while ago. But, we’re not supposed to show you until the fabrics are available in the stores. Well, the fabrics are now available – so I can show you!

This quilt was made with “Contempo” a Signature collection, designed for Kate Colleran by Kathy Engle. Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL??? And I paired these beauties with Island Batik’s solid grey and solid black.

Believe it or not, this quilt is actually amazingly simple to make! Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern! (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)

This quilt used Aurifil 2600 (Dove) for the quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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