Yes, I’ve had a busy week. Since Covid started, my calendar has been pretty blank. A couple of weekly Zoom things, daily walks and not much else, you tend to get use to it! Then BAM … all of a sudden, I had 2 dentist appointments (cleaning and fillings), a blood work appointment, a doctor’s appointment, a short guild Zoom meeting, a family Zoom quilting day, as well as the usual 3 weekly Zooms … Oh me, oh my … I felt almost overwhelmed. And to think, I used to have all those appointments, work full time and still managed to get a lot of quilting done! Sigh … Enough of my week … back to what’s important to me: Quilting!
Design Wall
Piecing:
Scrappy 4 patches: On point was the final decision on making this little quilt. I know it looks like a mess at the moment! I have some of the setting triangles sewn on … some are pinned and one row ready to be sewn together. I got most of this done at the family Zoom quilting day!
Here’s a list of who is showing their wonderful “Inspired by Nature” quilts. As you can see, the fabric is all wonderful and the quilts promise to be wonderful as well!
In Monday’s post, I talked about my latest UFO and how I wasn’t sure what to do with the 4 patches. Should I make a small quilt or a couple of snap bags?
There’s a LOT happening in my studio … but most of it I can’t show you yet.
This month is an “Inspired by Nature” Blog Hop with Island Batik. That project is now sandwiched and needs quilting. This Blog Hop promises to be another amazing one! Everyone is making a project “Inspired by Nature” and is using awesome fabric that will be available in stores later this month!
Of the other secret projects:
Secret Project #1 is done.
Secret Project #2 is being quilted
Secret Project #3 is ready to begin …
Design Wall
Piecing:
Scrappy 4 Patches: I have a bunch of 4 patches … these were started from a charm pack at some unknown date in the past. I found them when going through my stash. They were tied up with 2 semi-coordinating fabrics and I don’t know what my plan was or is …
Do I make another bag similar to THIS one, only with smaller squares?
Where ever you are with your UFOs … if you’ve made any progress at all … that is good! Very good!
This year, I have done (in my opinion) extremely well with finishing UFOs. So far, I have finished 17! And when I consider that one UFO turned into 3 quilts … (Florabunda) … and another UFO turned into 2 quilts … (Dog & Cat) … Yup … I’m pretty pleased!
This bag is from the pattern “Charming Bag” and you can get it at Fibre Expressions. I believe that the designer is either the owner of the store or her daughter. Anyhow … you can order either the pattern or a kit. I used a Charm Pack called “Sew & Sew.”
Before, Covid, Fibre Expressions was at most of the quilt shows that I attended in the lower mainland. I would often see a quilt covered car outside of the show, but didn’t know it was theirs! Check it out HERE.
Here’s a picture of the side of the bag with one of the ties. The ties are super handy when you don’t have the bag stuffed full! (grin)
This is a nice easy bag to make and will be great when I go to guild meetings or to quilt shows.
This leaves me with only ONE, yes, ONE UFO to complete for my PHD in 2020! WooHoo!!! (well, yes, I do have new starts to finish as well …)
Someone asked me if I’d be running the PHD in 2021! And the answer is YES! I will have 14 UFOs left and so hopefully, I will get those done next year. I think it will be a wonderful feeling to NOT have any UFOs.
How can this be? Sometimes it seems like the days take their sweet time … and I turn around and it’s close to the end of another month!
SEW – What’s happening?
Design Wall
Piecing:
I’ve been slowly working on my Charming Bag. The last picture I showed was of it pieced together. (HERE). If you go back to the last picture, you’ll notice that the ties are not in the picture. That’s because I forgot them. Thankfully, I remembered before it was quilted … it was a simple matter of taking about 3/4″ stitching out and inserting the ties.
It is now quilted. Nice simple 1/4″ lines. I like the look … and it’s what the pattern suggests. Aurifil # 2625 (grey) was used for the quilting and the edges of the ties.
Quilting:
Quilted the above bag …
Stash Report
No finishes … no shopping …
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 277 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50.5 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 260 yards
Husband’s purchases: 11.5 yards
Stitchin’ Time
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
January – Sept: 260 / 274
30 min days/ Oct: 25 / 25
Total days in 2020: 286 / 299
Percentage = 95%
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
TO DO
I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”
Last week’s list:
IB November: Sandwich not done
Work on Secret projects √ done
Work on Charming Bag√ done
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √ done
This week’s list:
IB November: Sandwich
Work on Secret projects
Finish Charming Bag
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
From the Heart Blog Hop
Did you see the post HERE? It’s a wonderful blog hop that’s happening now. Make sure you check it out. Plus … I want to know what YOU are going to make from all the inspiration!
Here’s what I made:
Are you interested?
If you’re interested in applying click HERE. You can read all about the program and what is involved. It’s a fun program to be in and one that has expanded my quilting abilities! I LOVE being an ambassador!
Carol from “Just Let Me Quilt” mentioned this blog hop WAY back in July … and of course, I jumped on the band-wagon. What could be better than a blog hop a mere 2 months before Christmas featuring small gift ideas? Carol comes up with the BEST blog hops!
Here’s my small gift(s) … they all nest inside this one!
Here they are poking out:
What they look like inside: (sorry it was hard to get a good picture with no shadows!)
And all 4 of them:
Details:
Island Batik fabric from the Deco Revival collection was used for the lining and outer side.
Make sure you visit all of the participating blogs … there promises to be LOTS of eye candy and all sorts of projects to tempt you into making some gifts “from the heart!” Let me know which ones YOU plan to make!
OK … so I don’t have a finish … but I do have a part of my Charming Bag finished. The front and back are now pieced together. It’s exciting to see some progress on this UFO!
Did you notice that I didn’t use charm squares from the pack on the bottom? I used grey fabric because I thought it would keep it cleaner. We shall see.
I have the cutest ruler by Omnigrid. It’s 4″ x 8″ and I’ve had it for simply AGES. I went to trim some squares, using the 45o angle to centre the half square triangle. It just wasn’t working for me. Then I looked at the ruler … the 45o line ends up 1/4″ from the corner. Now, if I were to use this ruler, I would have to move it 4 times to get it correct. Not happening.
I pulled out my 6″ x 12″ Olfa ruler and look where the 45o angle is … right in the corner. I’m a much happier quilter!
I’ve looked at my other rulers, including a 2.5″ and 6.5″ Omnigrid square rulers, and the 45o ends in the corners! Is it me, or is this weird?
That’s right, I’ve got a finish – but I can’t show you until the “From the Heart” blog hop! I’m glad I’m finished – I just need to write up the blog post and then I’ll be totally ready for my day on the hop (Oct. 26). It promises to be an awesome hop with lots of small gifts – just in time for you to make for Christmas!
Want some Eye Candy?
Wendy at Wendy’s Quilts and More showed pictures from Aotearoa Quilters Aqua Challenge. Amazing! This is an example of some of the entries, but you’ll have to visit Wendy’s page to see winners and the close-ups!
Quilting
I can show you a couple of more blocks from the guild’s mystery quilt. There are 16 “feature” blocks … and I quilted each of them differently using a different pattern on each block while playing with a 2″ circle and a petal ruler.
Usually, I try to have something to show on Fridays … and I like it best when it’s a finish … but this Friday all I have to show is this:
This is some playing with rulers on the guild’s mystery quilt … it’s all I’m showing because I don’t want to give away what the quilt will be. Plus, I am still in the process of quilting it … so it’s not even finished!
Other happenings …
I have TWO machines in to be serviced and have a spa visit. I took my Janome 6500 in before we left on holidays … they told me a month … I know they’ll phone when it’s ready … but I’m getting impatient!
With the 6500 visiting the spa doctor, I pulled out my trusty Featherweight and … GROAN … I’m not sure what happened, but it decided it also needed to go to the spa!
However, this meme is NOT true in my house!
I’ve also been working on some “behind the scenes” work … I’ll show you eventually … but it’s taking it’s time …
Socks …
I got my alpaca socks from Prairie Spirit Alpacas. It is cool enough today to have them on! They are pretty awesome! My toes are warm and my feet are not itchy! (they get itchy with wool). Alpaca fleece is hypoallergenic – so perfect for me! (If you order from them, put “Gail” in the code and you’ll receive a discount). (I don’t make anything from your order, except a smile!)
I’ll be ordering more socks for Christmas presents … I just need to find out if they want “Lux” for hanging out in or “Slim” for wearing with shoes …
Island Batik
Did you see the Elephant quilt that I made for Island Batik’s October challenge “Thread Painting with Auriril?” You can read about it HERE.
Scrappy Repro is now webbed together. (See How to Web a Quilt) And next up is borders … I’m thinking a burgundy for the 1st border and a neutral for the 2nd … or who knows … I need to audition some fabric before I make that decision!
Guild “Clue-Sew Fall 2020” Mystery Quilt: Sorry, no pictures … in the piecing stage …
Quilting:
I finished October’s Island Batik Thread Painting Challenge and shared that HERE. I used the fabric collection “Deco Revival.”
Stash Report
No finishes. I needed backing fabric, so I bought 4 yards.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 261 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 4 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50.5 yards (I added my husbands amounts in … )
Net Fabric used 244 yards
Husband’s purchases: 11.5 yards
Stitchin’ Time
On Sept. 6, I stated that I had stitched 13 out of 13 days in September … that was SEW incorrect! Impossible to stitch for 13 days when only 6 days had passed … it should have read “6 / 6“!!!
I only sewed one day while we were away.
January – Sept: 260 / 274
30 min days/ Oct: 4 / 4
Total days in 2020: 264 / 278
Percentage = 94%
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
TO DO
I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”
Last week’s list:
Web Scrappy Repro√ done
Work on the guild mystery quilt (I’m leading this challenge, so I can’t show you until the Mystery Sleuths have all the clues.) √ done
I am NOT an artist – as far as drawing and thread painting goes. Nope, not me! So, this was a very challenging and intimidating challenge for me to attempt!
I started with an idea … and started it and … it sat, because it wasn’t quite right …
I had this circle on the design wall for the longest time … I had cut 2 wedges out of each of the Deco Revival fabric package that I was sent in my July Island Batik box. Many of the pieces were directional and I needed to piece them to get the wedges to go in the direction I wanted.
I hesitated in piecing the wedges together, because I just wasn’t sure … and so they sat some more, were rearranged a few times and sat … and sat …
I had NO problems at all with the fabrics … I love them, but my idea … parts of it were good … parts of it were not …
So, the wedges sat.
By the way …. this fabric should be in quilt stores now … make sure you ask for it!
I haven’t finished any UFOs this month … Scrappy Repro is close … but it’s still a UFO and it’s still NOT finished.
Here’s a recap of the UFOs I’ve completed this year! There’s a total of 15, but some of them turned into 2 or 3 quilts (Dog/cat and Florabunda) … but they counted as 1.
New Starts
I’m hosting a mystery quilt for our guild … so of course, I can’t show you that until they have all the clues.
A couple more Island Batik projects … which I will show you when the time is right!
“From the Heart” blog hop is later this month, and that project is still a WHIMM (Work Hidden in My Mind)
I was going to link up to Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs for my Favourite Finish for September. At the time this is going live, I don’t see her link … I’m going to post it anyways and will link up when it’s available!
This purse, pattern byAnnie, is my favourite!!! I also think this is my favourite purse EVER!!! I’ve been using it a lot! It has tons of pockets and I’m able to keep everything organized! You can read about it HERE. This purse was made for the Island Batik blog hop “It’s in the Bag.”
I just feel like I haven’t gotten a lot done this month … but that is probably because I was away for almost 2 weeks!
3 Housekeeping / Updating things
First
Did you see my post about when we were visiting friends who live off-grid in the wilds of British Columbia? I showed a picture of a quilt being made by one of the girls. I thought she was at least 14 or 15 … and it turns out she’s actually 13!!!! WOW!! Oh to be able to quilt at that level, using scissors (no rotary cutter) is amazing. You can see the post HERE.
That’s right! Alpacas! We visited a dear friend, Carmen, I’ve known her for ages and ages … she has an alpaca farm … just a few alpacas! It was a ton of fun! Her farm is called Prairie Spirit Alpacas,
Every single alpaca has a name! I can remember a few of the names, but Georgia is the only one I can identify! She’s the one with the spots on her. We were in the barn and it was feeding time for the gals and young gents that need extra food.
Each one has a different face and expression! I don’t think they liked me very much – many of their ears were back. And some of them looked at me as if to say, “who are you?”
I hope you enjoy the slide show … and can you pick out Georgia??? And to make this about quilting … look at all the various neutrals in their fleece!
The alpaca fleece is very soft – especially from the young. One thing I love about alpaca fleece is that it is hypoallergenic. AND, it’s warmer than sheep’s wool. Now if you’re interested in trying any alpaca products, from Prairie Spirit Alpacas, put “Gail” in the purchase code and you will receive a 10% discount! I’ll be putting in an order for some socks for my cold feet!
Ah yes, shopping. While we were visiting my sister in Edmonton, we just happened to visit a couple of quilt stores!
Our first stop was Quincy’s Quilting in Leduc (just south of Edmonton). I bought a couple of rulers and no fabric. And yes, there was a lovely sleepy dachshund in the store!
At Lori’s Country Cottage I bought a few Studio 180 rulers and my husband bought some fabric … I didn’t buy any fabric. Do you remember in August, for the Island Batik challenge, I used the “Four Patch Square Up” ruler and how much I LOVED it? (see HERE) Well, I bought 4 more Studio 180 rulers. I can’t wait until I’m able to play with them!!!
Design Wall
Piecing:
I finished all the blocks that I need for the Scrappy Repro quilt. And here’s some of the blocks – ready to be organized into groups to start sewing them together.
Quilting:
I’m working on October’s Island Batik challenge (sorry, no pictures, yet)!
Stash Report
No finishes, but my husband bought fabric from the sale area at one of the quilt stores. He rationalized it all. The red might be enough for a backing, the bug fabric will go in the quilt he’s planning (for me to make) and the green is to add to my stash because he thinks I need more green). I think he is an enable-er.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 261 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 35 yards
Net Fabric used 237.5 yards
Husband’s purchases: 11.5 yards
Stitchin’ Time
On Sept. 6, I stated that I had stitched 13 out of 13 days in September … that was SEW incorrect! Impossible to stitch for 13 days when only 6 days had passed … it should have read “6 / 6“!!!
I only sewed one day while we were away.
January – July: 239 / 243
30 min days/ Sept: 10 / 20
Total days in 2020: 249 / 263
Percentage = 94%
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
TO DO
I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”
2 week’s ago list:
Work on Scrappy Repro√ done
Welcome Fall project√ done
Work on Oct. Island Batik project √ done
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √ done
This week’s list:
Work on Scrappy Repro
Work on Oct. Island Batik project
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
No changes from the last report …
BLOG HOP
This is Week 3 of a delightful blog hop. So many projects that are not quilts, but are using Island Batik’s wonderful amazing fabrics! Make sure you visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors that are showing their byAnnie creations!
For your opportunity to win some AWESOME fabrics – a fat quarter pack of Urbanization or Nouveau Soul check out the Rafflecoper at Island Batik’s blog.
Quilting Gail 