Sunday 29 April 2012

Only Squares

Well I didn't get any quilting done on my rail fence quilt, but I did try out several ideas and think I know what pattern I will use when I do start it. I have my machine bobbin all filled and ready to go. What I did do was my two block of the month squares.
I am very pleased with the way it is turning out. Next I was on to the two squares for the charity quilt my guild is making. Here are the colours that my youngest daughter picked out last week.
These are 14.5 inch squares. They are going to be cut in half diagonally and then sewn back together with different halves. Then they will have hearts appliqued in the center squares. The squares have to be with pinks or reds. I am hoping that mine will get mixed with some red to tone down the pink a little.
I just folded one of my squares in half to give you sort of an idea of what it will look like. It will be much more fun with different halves sewn together! My busy work season ends tomorrow and I am only working two days this week, so I should be able to get some quilting done. I am out to a Johnny Reid concert Wednesday night and away all day Friday going to the quilt show in Ailsa Craig - the Quilts of Denmark. I think they both will be good shows. Have a great week and I hope you get time to quilt too!

Sunday 22 April 2012

Withdrawal

It has been a very busy week, with work and quilt guilds and our local quilt show this weekend. By last night, I had not done any sewing since last Sunday. I was going into withdrawal, even though I had been around quilting all week. I quick grabbed the piece of fabric I had cut for the hanging sleeve for my unloved fabric wall hanging, sewed the seam, pressed it, pinned it on and sat watching a movie while I sewed it on. I think I am going to be OK!!! Something more interesting, my youngest daughter sent me pictures of three wall hangings that I had made for her. Two started life as panels, but I think turned out rather nice.
Halloween is fun!
Christmas is even more fun, but I think you need a close-up to see that I quilted it with gold thread.
"Winding Ways" using Marti Michell templates. This was a fun trip down memory lane for me, as these were made several years ago. I love the colours in the "Winding Ways". It was all picked out by my daughter. She has great taste in fabric and we had fun shopping together. I have two squares to make for a charity quilt Evening Threads Quilt Guild is making (my daughter went shopping with me & picked out the colours for me). I have two squares to make for my block of the month quilt. Then I really must get back to my rail fence & get some quilting done. After that I guess it will be another project for my daughter as she fell in love with a "Day and Night" table runner at the quilt show yesterday, so picked out fabric for that, while we were shopping. Well that is my sewing planned out for the next while! We are expecting snow tomorrow, so at least the quilters in my area won't want to be out doing yard work, so happy quilting!

Sunday 15 April 2012

Having Fun

I was amazed by how much fun I had the past few weeks making my "Crooked Cobblestone" wall hanging. Thanks again to Wanda of "Exhuberant Colour" for sharing her ideas on-line. I know I will be making more wall hangings like this. Our projects should be fun. If we don't enjoy it, why do it? I decided to have more fun this week. We were asked to bring a small basket to guild this coming week. I did not own one and really didn't want to go out and buy one, so I decided to make one. I remembered my sister making baskets out of fabric wrapped around clothes line and then zig-zagged it together and decided to give it a try.


I was pleased with the way it turned out. A little friend that my granddaughter had left out of the toy box was pleased with it too!


I wonder how many guild members are old enough to remember when this method of basket making was popular? My sister would fancy her's up with eye shaped holes and extra pieces put in to give a really wonkey shape. Oh well enough playing.

I then got busy and did my two blocks of the month. This project is really starting to grow.


It is going to be a busy week with still working 56 or so hours and my two quilt guild meetings Wednesday and Thursday evenings. I am afraid that there won't be much time for sewing. If I don't manage to get much done, I will have to show you something else from around my home.

Try to do something fun this week and let me know what it is! Whatever it is, enjoy your time.

Sunday 8 April 2012

A Promise

I promised last week that I would finish my hanging containing unloved fabrics. I did it!
My very own "Crooked Cobblestone" wall hanging!

Maybe not much to show for a whole week, but I had a lot of fun with it! Now I know that I can work way outside my box, way outside my comfort zone and have fun doing it!

Have a great week!

Sunday 1 April 2012

Hopeless!

Not quite! I didn't do any work on my rail fence quilt this week. Now that my confession is out of the way, lets look at things a little more positive. I did get my crooked cobblestones sewn together, a backing and binding picked out, got it layered and marked out the quilting. I even started to quilt it, then life interferred, with house work & meals & shopping, etc.

I did do a very small new project. There is a push up framed panel in the ceiling of my quilting room. It is the access to the inside shut-off tap for an outside tap. For some reason my husband never got the panel itself painted. Our youngest daughter, who used to have a bedsitting room in what is now my sewing room, was over and was teasing me about it. As soon as I finished work on Saturday, I got busy and made a cover for it.


Yes, that is my crooked cobblestones layered and waiting for me. Do you see the small framed area in the ceiling, just to the right of the window? That is what I worked on.


Nice frame, but still having trouble seeing what I did. How about a closer, close-up?


A sashiko water pattern! What else would you hide a water shut-off tap behind? I did it with my Baby Lock Sashiko sewing machine. This is the machine that I have been using for quilting since I bought it last year. I use the shortest setting and it almost looks like hand quilting on the front. I thought I could use the practise, before starting to quilt my crooked cobblestones.

Have a good week & I promise to have the finished hanging to show you next week!