I actually have 23 finishes for today! What???? 23 you ask???
Well, yes. The guild has requested that members make small bags for our guild show in 2024. I went through some of my stash and found fabric that absolutely does not go with any other fabric that I have. I cut out the bags, marked the opening lines and used the bags as a ‘leader and ender’ project. It actually didn’t seem to take long to make them as they were done while I was working on other projects!
Scissors
Do you have good sewing scissors? I used to, but over the years, they have become “not so good.” Maybe from cutting paper patterns when cutting out fabric? Maybe someone ‘borrowed’ them without my knowledge. Whatever the reason … they are not like they should be.
One day in January, I was teaching at Essem and they had received some scissors. The price was very good and I thought I’d give them a try! Well, they are absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! They cut through fabric, like butter. So very smooth and very sharp!
I don’t see the scissors on the website, but I know if you contact them, they can send you some!
I’ll be Teaching
On March 25, I’ll be teaching “Hugs and Kisses” at Essem. Phone or email them to reserve your spot in the class! You can read more about this quilt HERE.
Winner of Island Batik Fabric
When I posted my February Island Batik Puff Quilt, (see HERE), I said I would have a give-away.
Today, I used a random generator and it chose #33, which is Carol. I have sent her an email and the fabric will be shipped to her within the next week.
My ironing board cover was a disaster! So many dark marks … I was going to change it before I took it to the retreat a few weeks ago … I’m glad I didn’t, because it gained an iron imprint!
So, I took 2 layers of Hobbs 80/20 batting and some fabric from my stash and made a new cover! It’s so nice and clean, I almost hate to use it!
Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. Both of our kids have gone to the US to see a football game. So, for me, it’s a great excuse to NOT cook a turkey dinner! PLUS, we are going into Vancouver to have lunch with our nephew, niece and great nephew! Looking forward to this special time!
My Cousins’ Visit
My cousins, Connie and Paul have been visiting for the last few days. It’s been a LOT of fun. Last week when we were on Vancouver Island, we had an unexpected meeting with them. They were coming out of the Coombs store with ice cream cones and we were just heading to the store to buy some! It was such fun!
The fun continued once they made it to the mainland. We went to the Granville Island and of course Connie and I had to visit the Cloth Shop! I was good and only bought some stabilizer. (you don’t need to see a picture of stabilizer!) Then we took the Aqua bus and toured False Creek. Then, we just happened to drive by “Dress Sew” and we gals popped in for a few minutes to have a look! We couldn’t resist the sale items!
The next day was a trip to Dinkydoo fabrics and I did 2 yards worth of damage. This fabric was on sale … and who can resist the sewing themed fabrics? I obviously couldn’t!
This was followed by a walk at Redwood Park and at Crescent Beach to watch the sunset. (Photo credit to Connie!)
New Classes
I will be teaching several classes at Essem in November. You can register for them HERE.
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!
With company here, very little stitching happened!
January – September: 234 / 272
Oct : 4 / 9
Total: 238 / 283
Percentage = 84%
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!
We went over to Vancouver Island for a week of camping! Except for one rainy day, the weather was perfect!
We enjoyed French Beach, Port Renfrew, Stoltz Pool, the Malahat Skywalk, Rathtrevor’s Beach and a quick drive up to Courtenay to see our old home. I found that the Malahat Skywalk was absolutely stunning! Of course, I’m biased because my daughter’s structural engineering firm designed it. But, I think I still would have enjoyed it!
Holiday Shopping
We only stopped at a few quilt stores. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of the stores. At Bib and Tucker in Victoria, I found some Island Batik neutrals (Almond and Egg white) and bought 2 yards of each, plus some Aurifil thread. Then at Sweet Pea in Parksville, I bought a pattern. Huckleberries in Courtenay had some spool bobbin thingies that I thought I’d try. I’ll let you know how they work out.
Favourite finish in September
Meadow Mist has a linky party each month for our favourite finishes … Mine was an Island Batik challenge using Deb Tucker tools and the “Flourish” fabric collection. You can read about it HERE.
New Classes
I will be teaching several classes at Essem in November. You can register for them HERE.
November 2 & 9: Puzzle Quilt
This is a 2 day class. From the book, Fat Quarter Baby. This looks like a super easy quilt, but when you deviate from the absolute directions in the book, there is a bit of a challenge. However, it is a very doable quilt to make – with my handy hints! This was made with a Fat Quarter Bundle that Semina put together!
November 16: Travel Posts
From the book, Color Block Quilt Making. This quilt is fairly easy to make. And you might get the top done in a day! It’s a nice lap sized quilt!
I made the top with Grunge fabrics … Semina will make you a kit if you want!
November 23: Scrappy 4 Patch and Easy Angle.
This quilt has many different layouts and sizes … All use the same basic block and use the Easy Angle Ruler. The class will have you making half square triangles with ease and you’ll be well on your way to finishing the top!
You can use your scraps … or choose to make a 2 colour quilt (like the blue one).
November 30: Winter Branches Table Runner
This is an easy table runner to make and you should finish the top in class. It’ll be perfect for Christmas gifts! Semina can make you a kit, or you can use your own fabrics.
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 – September: 234 / 272
Oct : 0 / 2
Total: 234 / 274
Percentage = 85%
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 taught a class at Essem Textiles on how to paper piece WITHOUT sewing on the paper.
They all worked on a Storm at Sea block. This was the block they had for inspiration: (made with Island Batik fabric, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread was used for the quilting.)
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.
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!
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!
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!
For the last 2 Thursdays, I was teaching at Essem Textiles. We were using the book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting” by Kelly Young.
The first week we made slabs … Kelly discusses one method in the book, but we covered about 6 different methods of making slabs.
Everyone got busy making their slabs … there were all sorts of slabs happening … blue, teal, purple, pink, and a whole mixture of fabrics …
Making slabs can be very freeing when you haven’t done it before! I “caught” one lady using her seam ripper and told her to put it away and just cut off the offending piece of fabric … so she did! There is NO place for a seam ripper when making slabs!
Here’s a few pictures from the first week ….
The “homework” was to finish the slabs and cut them to size as per the instructions in the book. Some of the slabs were easy to cut, and others had a LOT of cutting … but everyone came back ready to roll.
Karen was going to make a large version of the hot air balloon, but didn’t like the way her slab was going, so she decided on making 4 hot air balloons and putting them in one quilt! I like all the polka dots and the blue grunge she choose for the sky!
Prismatic was a popular mini that Robin, Judy, Sue and Joan worked on. Purple, blues and teals were the popular colours for this mini!
Sue managed to get her top completed by the end of the 2nd day! Isn’t it great? I like how she mixed up her colours in her slabs and just went with it!
Robin was also working on the ornament quilt in traditional Christmas colours … red & green. She had completed 2 ornaments before class and worked on the 3rd ornament, using Tri Rec ruler, in class. It’s going to be a beauty!
Cathy, was super keen, and made the hot air balloon before the first class, worked on the Heartstruck quilt during the first class and finished it at home. When making Heartstruck, she used a variety of neutrals – so it made it super scrappy! Which looks great! At the 2nd class, she worked on the Churn, Churn, Churn mini. It was fascinating to have a glance at her book. She had followed along with the blog hop (see HERE) and wrote down how different quilters made the different mini quilts. Oh, and she’s also started on the houses for Funky Town. (hmmm, I think she LOVES this fantastic book!)
Here’s some pictures of her work!!! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the houses she’s started.
Yes, I worked on a couple of mini quilts as well, but didn’t make much progress on them! It was too much fun visiting and seeing what everyone else was making!
Oh ya, and the venue! Essem has a cosy spot at the back of the store. It is absolutely lovely!
But here are the 2 quilts I made prior to the class! You can read more about them HERE and HERE.
I was Featured
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter featured the 2 birds I was given at the retreat. You can read about it HERE.
Quilting Gail 