I’ve been dreaming, drooling, admiring and wanting to make this cute table topper from Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting!
And I needed a new table runner for my coffee table … it was time for the pumpkins to be retired for the year. What’s a gal to do … it was obvious … it started easily with pulling fabric … and then it sat for a day … and then I started to make the first cut … and then the second cut … and before I knew it, it was almost done … SEW then I had to finish! And finish I did!
The Boundary Bay Quilt Guild gives numerous baby quilts away to various charities in the lower mainland.
The co-ordinators of the program had a Baby Quilt Making Day. You come and make … guess what – a baby quilt! There are kits you can choose from, tons of fabric to make up a kit of your own, or you can bring fabric from home.
I choose to make a quilt from my stash … I’m on a mission to decrease my stash – one yard at a time – so it was the obvious choice.
My only regret about baby quilt making day is that it was held on Nov. 30. Which, according to my own rules for PHD in 2019, this quilt must be finished before Dec. 31 for me to recieve my own PHD in 2019!
Here’s a slide show of everyone at the Baby Quilt Making day:
When this challenge was first mentioned, it sort-of indicated that it was to be something 3D … so I got to thinking … bags, sewing machine covers … oh the possibilities. Then, in late September, a quilt was indicated. Something with a 3D effect. I knew exactly which quilt to make and which fabric to use!! Continue reading
I know, I know … you hate it when I say I’m working on a secret project. But it is finished and I can show you after Christmas. I can tell you that it involves some of these fabrics:
This month, half of the Island Batik ambassadors were involved in the “A Piece of …” Blog Hop and the rest of us were challenged to use our favourite tool and make a quilt. I started out with one idea and made the top. However, I had forgotten to take pictures of me using the tool with the Island Batik fabric. Now that was plan dumb!!! So – that quilt got put aside and I changed my tool and design. I did use EQ to plan both quilts. That was tool #1. Continue reading
I don’t have a finish for Friday, but I thought I’d show you this quilt that I made for a sweet, sweet young lady, “V.” I made it for her when she was born. I believe she’s 5 now! Her parents told me that they put the quilt away for when she was bigger than a newborn. “V” now has the quilt. Continue reading
Meet Randy the Rhino!!! He is one of the wonderful patterns available at Funky Friends Factory! If you sign up for the Funky Friends newsletter, you can get a free pattern for a bear! And Funky Friends provide fantastic directions as well as pictorial tutorials. Continue reading
It is pouring outside. We are thankful it’s not snow. We’d be buried 10 feet deep if it was!
Years ago (and I mean YEARS ago), a friend asked me if I’d sew these blocks into pillow shams for her. Her mom had made them a quilt and intended to make shams out of the left-over blocks to match. Then dementia set in and her mom was unable to even attempt to finish them. I said “yes, I’ll finish them.” I bought the green fabric to do another border and the backs. (The green fabric was bought at Wild Rose in Orting, Washington a few years before they closed and they’ve been closed for about 4 years).
My friend’s mom died this summer and then guilt set in. I worked on the shams at the quilt retreat, but decided that I needed to quilt the tops and I didn’t have batting or backing to finish them there. SEW, I finished them this week. I used invisible thread and just quilted in the ditch. Nothing spectacular, but just perfect for the blocks!
It’s a relief to have them finished … I no longer have guilt about them sitting there not being done. And, they’re not even on my UFO list!
From the post about my gift for the quilt retreat. You can read about it HERE.
One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!*****************************
Oh my! The retreat was a great time. They always are! So many different projects, so many ideas, so much help … so much food … and 2 people brought halloween jellies and candy corn … groan! … too much sugar … click HERE to see the slide show of other people’s projects.
Yes, the retreat is over. It is done for another year! It was a wonderful time of sharing, quilting, laughing and laughing!
We played games! Instead of strip poker (See HERE) we used the LRC die and played with loonies (Canadian $1 coins). It was fun to the end. Then there was a scavenger hunt … looking for all sorts of things sewing and non-sewing related. One thing that we needed was a selfie of the team, taken in a car. Neither my partner or I had our own cars at the retreat. Much to the surprize of the owner, we hopped into the back of another car as she and her partner were getting out! We have a gift exchange at the retreat and played a game with each of us ending up with a gift we didn’t make.
One of my secret projects in the recent weeks was a snappy bag and a roll of toilet paper.
Oh YEAH!! A retreat!!!
I love retreats!!!
There are a group of 18 17 of us going to Edenvale in Abbotsford. 17 because one lady is too ill to attend! 😦
What am I taking? A zillion things … WAY more than I’ll get done!
I have another finish!! I cut into my Island Batik rayon and finished a top! It’s the same pattern as the one I showed last week (see HERE) – except I altered the neckline a bit. It fits perfectly! My hubby is not home at the moment, so no photos with it on me! Just one of it pinned onto the design wall!
Continue reading
I’m working on Smith Mountain Morning from Bonnie Hunter’s book “Scraps & Shirtails II.” You’ve seen the odd picture in recent posts … It’s a UFO from 2015 that was started in a workshop with Bonnie at Camp Arnold – near Seattle. Washington. The workshop was fantastic!! The quilt will be fantastic!! (visit Bonnie’s blog Quiltville.com for lots of eye candy and free patterns.)
I think I might be going crazy! Who in their right mind starts a quilt with 3 million pieces (don’t count them, I just might be exaggerating! but not by much). And then decides that she wants to make it bigger? YUP – I was crazy when I made that decision! Continue reading
Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday … is a linky party. If you have a finish this week, feel free to join in the fun and share what you’ve been working on. (Scroll down for the linky party)
I’ve been thinking that I need to sew up some of my garment fabric. Yes, I do have some. There was a time, YEARS ago that I used to make all my own clothes – including blue jeans. But, other than some pjs, I haven’t sewn any clothes. I have a beautiful piece of Island Batik rayon that I received in my first box. BUT … I didn’t want to risk cutting it up and sewing a garment if the pattern wasn’t going to fit.
I dug out my patterns and found a t-shirt type top that I had made years ago – like 20 years ago. (And 20 pounds ago!). I measured the pieces against a top that currently fits and thought I’d try it. I had some blue rayon fabric that I got – who knows when or where … and started cutting.
I have been sewing. Smith Mountain Morning is slow going …. tons of pieces fro each block … but I’m determined to get ‘er done!
Several projects are now in progress:
I’ve been sewing … a lot … but not a lot to show for it.
I saw this picture on a facebook page … and just cracked up. The skeleton is obviously working on hand quilting “Good Fortune.” It’s Bonnie Hunter’s mystery from last year. And, I love the soft colours that were used! Or have they just faded over time??? (grin!)
Do you remember, WAY back in August, when I was a participant in Island Batik’s “Beat the Heat” Blog hop? I featured this quilt and fabric:
Soil & Seeds
Yes, you read that correctly! I have a finish. YEAH!!!!
Do you like or dislike squirrels? We have black and grey squirrels in our backyard. And we enjoy watching them scurry along the fence, hopping onto the trees and burying nuts in our garden. A friend of mine said that squirrels are just rats with fuzzy tails. I disagree. They are cute and fun to watch!
Recently, (like in the past year) I’ve been noticing on quilt blogs that some projects are called “Squirrels.” I didn’t understand exactly what this meant, and I went searching. Google searching. When I researched “squirrel quilts” – that’s what I got – a bunch of links to quilts containing squirrels. Not what I was looking for.
Googled “squirrel quilts new projects” … BINGO … a definition of what I was looking for. Quilt Diva Julie had the explanation! Thank you Quilt Diva Julie! (Photo & Definition is from Quilt Diva Julie’s blog.
SEW … all this talk about squirrels … and yes, I did have a sudden distraction that pulled me away from what I was diligently working on. Our guild has a Facebook page. This Saturday, a baby quilt kit making day was happening. One lady posted the cutest quilt with a baby on it. Of course, it was scrappy and blue – that’s why I thought it was cute. I quickly figured out how it could be done … easy peasy. Then Saturday came and I wasn’t able to make it to the baby quilt kit making day. Sew, to get rid of my guilt, I decided to make the quilt. It was easy to start.
That’s as far as the squirrel has progressed. I will web this together and figure out if I need 2½” border or 3″ border to make the quilt 40″ x 40″. And, it’s using up some of my stash! And that’s always a good thing!
Quilting Gail 