Finished Quilt!

The October and November UFO is finished! 
This the Aurifil BOM pattern from 2016. The layout is by Pat Sloan and her finished blue and white quilt can be seen here. It is so exhilarating when a labour intensive project is done done done! I know that you understand how many hours went into picking out fabric, cutting out all the pieces, constructing the complex blocks, sewing the sashing and blocks into a quilt top, basting, quilting and then finally binding the edge of the quilt. 

I machine quilted each block differently so it really is a true sampler quilt with each block being unique in the design and in the quilting pattern.



For the first time ever I had difficulty sewing the binding onto this quilt because there is no quilting in the borders... just stitching in the ditch in all the border seams. 

Making mountains out of molehills!

I tried to sew all the way around the edge of the quilt before attaching the binding but it didn't help the problem of the build up of fabric in front of the needle. I think it's because some of the outside border pieces were a bit too long. If I would have done some quilting in the border, it would have pulled in the excess fabric. Instead there was a little hill of fabric at many of the seams and I ended up having to tack down a little fold with applique. I hope it's not too noticeable in the finished quilt.

My motto: finished is better than perfect!

Here is the back of the quilt. Nothing fancy, just 3 hunks of fabric sewn together. Maybe you can see the quilting design... straight lines in the sashing and each block quilted with a different pattern.

The finished quilt measures 61" X 80".

Hop over to One Monthly Goal to see more projects finished in November. Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Lost UFO is unearthed!

One of the many benefits of having a quilting blog is the ability to trace UFOs when they are found in an archeological dig! When doing some deep cleaning recently I found the pieces to a mystery quilt offered by Heather Spence. My blog informed me that this project was called "Jack of Hearts" and it was started in 2012. 

Oh my... I don't remember making these blocks at all. I do recognize the fabrics... some from my guild friend Marions' stash, some scraps from my nephew Andrew's little boy quilt (he graduated from high school already) and some old stuff from my stash.
I searched the pattern on the internet and found that this is how the pattern shows the layout to be. It doesn't look like hearts to me. It looks like boxes.

So I played with the blocks on the design wall and like this layout better. I have already figured out how I will machine quilt diagonal heart patterns, so I have to get the blocks sewn together and ready for quilting. 
This project has never been on my UFO list because it was MIA. But now it's found, I am eager to finish it and think it will make a great donation quilt.

Design Wall Monday

The first step for the Quiltville mystery called "On Ringo Lake" was posted on Friday. 

These are the fabrics that I am starting with. Some pieces are fat quarters and some are small scraps. I'm also adding in some Shweshwe fabrics left over from the Humble Quilts mystery quiltalong in October. I may change the paper bag browns for darker golds when I see the next steps.

Step #1 was making simple 9 patch blocks which I have made hundreds of times before. But I had a bit of trouble getting the blocks to come out the right size. I needed to use a very scant 1/4" seam. My friend Sandy is sewing along with the mystery also and we got together and sewed our 9 patch blocks on Friday night. My blocks are on the left and Sandy's are on the right.

It's so fun to know that quilters around the world are sewing the same block as I am because they are working on the same project! Words cannot convey the wonderful feeling that this gives me and although it sounds a little corny, I do feel a sense of oneness with the peaceful/pieceful global community.

If you want to see the blocks of other Ringo Lake quilts, visit the mystery linkup for step #1 over at Quiltville.
And to see more design wall postings, hop over to Small Quilts.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Thanks for dropping by the weekly hand stitching party where we're all about needles, threads, fabric, inspiration and self care! There is no advertising here, no black friday sales, no machines to give us grief, and no stress whatsoever! It's just pure relaxation, taking deep breaths, and taking one slow stitch at a time. 


I am trying to work on Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews. Every year I make little gifts for them, everything from photo calendars, fabric bags, pillows, luggage tags, to fabric bowls, mug mats, and pillowcases. It's a challenge I enjoy, trying to think of something special to make, and then making about a dozen of the same thing. Doesn't this look like a Christmas wreath?  
It's not supposed to!

This year I'm knitting a special gift (to remain nameless in case I can't actually figure it out!) My knitting ninja friend Gayle has been teaching me how to knit on 4 needles. Knitting with 4 needles actually means knitting with 5. The stitches sit on 4 of the needles and 1 of them is a transition needle. It's very complicated! 

And my FNSI "friends" recently freaked me out by calculating the number of items I have to make and the number of days there are left until Christmas... yikes! It means that I have to finish one item every 2 days for the next month. Take a deep breath. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Slow Sunday Stitching is stress free!

What are you hand stitching today? Are you working on any hand made gifts for Christmas and starting to wonder if chosing a slow stitching project was a wise choice?!?! LOL
Link up your blog post below and share your progress with us.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Scrappy Saturday - Mad City Mama

It's the finishing time of year for our Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects. Last week I got my Knot blocks sewn together into a quilt top and this week I'm on to another RSC project.... Mad City Mama. This is a pattern from one of my all time favourite quilting books called Adventures with Leaders and Enders (see other versions of the block when Bonnie Hunter was teaching her pattern here).

I started these blocks in January 2016 and have had the 8 blocks sewn since the spring. 
This is the place at which many of my projects get stalled - at a decision point near the end of piecing the top. I couldn't decide which colour to pick for the last block. There is no wrong answer here, and I just had to make the decision.

I finally decided that this quilt top is going to be finished in 2017 and that the last block is going to be lime green (which my friend Barbara considers to be a "neutral" colour!!) There are over 130 scraps in each Mad City Mama block, so I have gathered a nice pile of green bits to cut up (sorry about the overexposed photo... lime green is very bright!) and I hope to use this last as a leader-ender project when building my Quiltville mystery blocks.

To see what other RSC projects are being finished up this month, hop over to the weekly link up.

It's Christmas Time!

Today is like Christmas morning for quilters!
Santa (aka Bonnie Hunter) is bringing us the gift of a new mystery quilt adventure! This year's adventure is called "On Ringo Lake".
I'm going full size with this mystery, which will make a quilt about 75" x 90". 
I'm changing my colours to fit the Edyta Sitar fabrics I have been saving for this special project. There will also be lots of scraps, and odds and ends tossed in with these fat quarters. One of the many creative things I've learned from Bonnie is the more variety you have, the most interesting your finished quilt is! 
I have been trying to convince some of my quilting friends to start this mystery too and they are coming over tonight, so we'll see how successful I was and who will be cutting and sewing the first step with me.
Are you sewing along with the mystery?!?

It's a Finish!

Baby quilt #2 for my friend is finished! 
The pattern is called "Through the Looking Glass" by "It's Sew Emma" and it measures 38.5" x 42.5".
I used up some of the smaller scraps in the backing of the quilt but I forgot to take a picture of that.
What is cuter than a baby quilt?
A baby on a quilt!
And what is cuter than a baby on a quilt?
TWO babies on quilts! 
Here are the babies on their quilts. It's been a long time since I've seen such tiny humans and they are total sweetness! I can't wait until their Mommy recovers more and I can have a longer visit to cuddle them in their quilts.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends who are spending time with family and friends today!

Mid Month UFO Report

My October/November UFO is seeing some steady progress. Like a true sampler quilt in which every block is unique, I am quilting a different design in each block. Some blocks are mostly free motion quilted with squiggles, stippling and/or arcs, and some are mostly straight line designs. 


This block was all squiggles and very quick to finish.
It is interesting to note that this project was an Aurifil Block of the Month from 2016 (free patterns still available here), and I am quilting the Aurifil quilt with... my favourite Aurifil thread!



It's a fun creative exercise to look at each block and construct a quilting path.
In the most recently quilted block there were only 2 stops/starts. The dark red triangles are unquilted, the white triangles in the centre have curved arcs from corner to corner in white thread, and all the other triangles were quilted with arcs in red thread.
I have quilted 10 of the 12 blocks, so only 2 are remaining. Quilting the baby quilt interrupted the UFO progress, but still it seems like a November finish might be possible!

Design Wall Monday

On the design wall today are my 32 flower units for the Magnolia Mist quilt. 

I have arranged them in groups of four, just for fun. I have no idea how these blocks will come together because it's a mystery quilt! 
One thing I have been thinking about while sewing these blocks, and at the risk of sounding like an old fuddy duddy, I miss the good old days of pressing seams to the side or "to the dark". I really dislike pressing seams open and it seems that most block and mystery patterns want you to press open these days. I know this sometimes helps blocks to lay flatter, but every block takes longer to press and needing to pin every seam join is annoying. When the seams are pressed to opposite sides, it's so easy to butt seams together perfectly without using pins. 
Any thoughts on this issue of pressing seams open or to one side? Maybe it's just me?!?!
The next set of instructions will be posted on December 7th, so this project is going back in the box until then.
To see more design wall postings, hop over to Small Quilts.

Slow Sunday Stitching Medicine

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! 
This week I have been thinking about stitching as medicine. The process of taking repetitive stitches, slowing the breath, being only in this moment, and concentrating on a simple task engages the parasympathetic nervous system in a way that nothing else does. It forces the body to relax and to heal. It's called the "rest and digest" or "relaxed and content" state, and for me there is no quicker way to achieve that state than by hand stitching. 
Today I need to calm down and relax. My Dad had emergency surgery this week, and thankfully he is doing amazingly well today, but once the crisis passes, you start to recognize that the stress of worry takes a toll on everyone who loves him. 
When I am concentrating only on taking my next stitch, I am not worrying about whether my Dad is going to live or die. I can finally relax and start to feel healthier myself.
I'll be stitching down the binding on the baby quilt I made last week. This is my favourite hand stitching activity, so I will really enjoy my slow stitching time!

What are you hand stitching today? 
Please share your project with us and link up your blog post below.




   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - Knots

November and December are for "finishing" Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts. I have "a few" RSC projects that need finishing! At the top of the list is the Knot blocks which were pieced 5 years ago.
Well guess what?
Those blocks are now sewn into a quilt top!
Woohoo!
I debated about the cornerstones quite a bit, but decided to keep them and think it gives the quilt top a bit of a 3D effect. I also debated about a border and the quilt decided it didn't want borders. So the next task is pin basting and then on to quilting. Is it possible that this quilt might get finished in 2017?!?
To see what other RSC quilters are working on, hop over to the weekly linkup.

Machine Quilting Tip

Besides using a type of thread that your sewing machine likes (my machine is exclusive to Aurifil these days) the other really important choice is what type of needle to use. 
I use a different needle for quilting and for piecing. I know a few people who never change their needle until it breaks - I'm looking at you Louise!! LOL
I always change my machine quilting needle after quilting every large quilt, or after 2 or 3 small quilts. It is really important when your needle is making thousands of stitches through 3 layers of materials at a high rate of speed to have a sharp needle. Needles that develop spurs or become slightly bent can result in costly machine repairs. Needles are cheap but sewing machine repairs are not!

Here's my tip: place the needle container near your machine so you always know what type of needle you're using. You can see on the little ledge on the right side of my machine that I have my Schmetz Topstitch needle case there (and you can see that it's empty because I go through a lot of needles). It's a visual reminder to me of the type of needle that's currently in the machine. If I want to stop quilting and start piecing, I would want to change the needle. For precision piecing, especially with tiny pieces, I prefer the Microtex Sharp needles. 
Yes there is a difference!
If you have problems with tension, skipped stitches or thread breakage, I would encourage you to try a new and/or a different kind of needle.

It has been a long time since I stipple quilted anything. It's one of the quickest and easiest quilting designs to use and since the baby quilt has to be finished, it got stippled. And look at that... the binding is prepped and ready to go on!

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks

My Dad has been in hospital this week, so there's not been much quilt studio time for me. Thankfully he's doing much better and hopefully will be coming home today or tomorrow. I have had lots of time for hand stitching and will show that on Sunday.
But with all the commotion, I completely missed that Quiltmaker has released the newest 100 blocks magazine. 
It's my favourite! 
The Quiltmaker blog has a lot of posts this week and giveaways happening - click here to check it out. I will be scouring the local book stores to see if I can find a copy around here.
Happy Quilting!

Whipping up a baby quilt

A friend of mine just had twins... baby #3 and #4. 
Of course they needed their very own quilts.
Baby boy is getting the Berenstain Bears quilt that I finished last month and Baby girl is getting this quilt that I have been working on this week. I've had everything since the spring quilt retreat but of course I procrastinated it until the babies arrived and the quilts weren't ready!

The pattern I used is called "Through the Looking Glass" from Sew Emma. The main fabric is an adorable owl print from Robert Kaufman.

Here is the quilt top. It was quick and easy to put together and before I knew it,
I was already pin basting the backing, batting and quilt top sandwich and it was ready to quilt.
Baby quilts are so fun to make!
Linking up to the Baby Quilt Party

Design Wall Monday

Meadow Mist is gifting us a free mystery quilt called Magnolia Mystery. It started in the summer and a new step is posted once a month. The pace is perfect to work on in between all the other quilts we are creating.

I finished trimming the bazillion HST blocks from September, and began assembling the units from the November instructions. Here are some of my blocks on the design wall, in an arrangement that has nothing to do with the pattern. I'm feeling very virtuous using up all these scraps from other projects! Nothing will be purchased for this lap quilt (except maybe some backing fabric if I run out of scraps).
In addition to enjoying a fun mystery project, there are terrific prizes to be won by those who finish their project by February. It's not too late to join in the fun!
Linking up to Small Quilts and Oh Scrap!

Slow Sunday Stitching - Lighting

Welcome to the weekly hand stitching party! We invite you to settle in for some relaxation, visit our inspiring stitchers at the links below, and take some time to put a few stitches in one of your favourite projects.



Since the time change last weekend, I've been reminded that at some times of the year, most of my hand stitching is done in the dark. Which means that proper lighting is a very important consideration since I plan to be hand stitching my way through the cold, dark winter. I'm trying to learn how to knit on 4 needles and am having a terrible time reading the instructions and seeing the stitches. Just look at this mess! 
Oh dear... and there is a lot of counting involved! 

I enjoyed reading Teresa's blog post this week on the same topic of lighting (read it here) and found it interesting to see some of her lighting solutions. I'm on the lookout for one of the "Beam 'n Read" lamps that Teresa recommends. 

There are lamps beside every stitching spot in my house, but I also have a few extra lamps that have become my favourites, because one light is just not enough! I had a portable Ott light that I really liked, but the bulb burned out and I have yet to find a reasonably priced replacement bulb. 

Mostly I am using my favourite Ikea lamp .

The winter hand quilting project reappears!

Convenient features:
*the base is solid and heavy which makes it secure and not easily toppled.
*the goose neck is flexible and can be focused right on your stitching area.
*it gives a nice pool of perfect light to work in. 

Inconvenient features: 
*this is a plug in lamp, so you must be near an electrical outlet to use it
*you need to be sitting near a table to set the lamp on



I also like this portable lamp (with no identifiable brand name) that is sold in quilting stores around here. 
Convenient features:
*it charges itself from the computer and provides direct light right over my hand stitching.
*it folds completely flat, is lightweight and is a great take-along light source. 

Inconvenient features:
*it requires a flat surface to sit on and because it is lightweight, it's quite tippy. I usually use it when stitching at a table, and I can sometimes balance it on my lap. I have also been known to prop it up over my shoulder when sitting in waiting rooms with poor lighting, and have also set it on top of a stack of pillows in hotel rooms with terrible lighting.
*the charge doesn't last very long with maybe about 1/2 hour of light, which is not nearly long enough for my hand stitching needs!

And while you are thinking about your favourite lighting solutions, you can enjoy James Taylor singing with the Lowcountry Voices "Shine a little Light".

 If you have a lighting suggestion to share with us, we are all ears (to help our eyes)! We want to stitch all winter long!
Link up your blog post with your lighting ideas and/or share your suggestions in the comment section below.

   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

Scrappy Saturday - All Tied Up in Knots!

For the rest of the year, the Rainbow Scrap Quilters are encouraged to finish up some of their scrappy projects. That is my downfall. I love to use up crumbs and scraps, and sew them into interesting blocks, but then there are all those hard decisions about how to get them into a finished quilt.
At the end of last year, with a lot of effort I was able to finish my Spools quilt top... and even though a whole year has passed, it's still just a quilt top. UGH! For that project I need to purchase a large hand quilting batt, and get it pin basted.
I had a serious talk with myself about setting some goals to finish some of my Rainbow Scrap quilts. I cannot start next year with the same list of unfinished projects as I started this year with!!!
So this month I'm going to focus on my collection of Knot blocks. The pattern is from the Quiltmaker's 100 blocks magazine, issue #3. Did you catch that? Issue THREE! That's how long ago it was that I started this project. 2012! 5 years of indecision is long enough! 
I was going to finish this with the quilt-as-you-go method but I already have another labour intensive QAYG project on the go and it will take at least another year to finish. 
So I'm going to just take the next steps to move this project closer to completion. I found some fun sashing and border fabric and hope to get these blocks sewn into a quilt top soon. 
To see more Rainbow Scrap projects on their way to becoming finished quilts, hop over to the weekly link up.

Gifting Quilts Dilemma

Since reading recent thought-provoking blog posts by quilters Audrey and Julie, I have been really thinking a lot about quilt gifting.

To give or not to give a quilt ... that is the dilemma. 
I no longer care if the quilt will be liked by the new owner, if it matches their home decor, or will be put into "deep storage" as something they either don't like or like so much that they want to "save it"/not use it. I give it because of the joy of giving away something special that I have made. 
All quilters know how long it takes to make a quilt. To select a pattern/design, to find the right colours and fabrics, to cut and sew the quilt top, to purchase the correct type and size batting, to complete the machine or hand quilting, and then finish the whole thing with a binding. It's a large investment of my finances, my energy and my time.

And if I gift that investment to a person or organization, I do so because either I want to donate to a worthy cause or because I love someone enough to want them to have quilt I have made, to provide comfort and warmth, and to be a tangible reminder of how special they are to me and much I love them.

However, having said all that, I'm going to bravely talk about my dilemma of giving quilts to a certain person in my family. In the past I have given quilts to my children because of course the children of a quilter should be surrounded by quilts! 
But here's the problem - my sweet 4 year old Granddog Max loves quilts too. I have written about him before (read it here). More specifically he loves to cuddle up in and consume quilts. It really is his favourite thing to do. 
Here is the most recent casualty. Can you see all the holes in this quilt where the sun can shine right through?!?

"Mom can you fix this?"
What should I say/do?
There are a few other quilts at my house that Max has chewed holes in, and I have repaired them and then placed them out of his reach. But this one was at his house. 

Binding edges!

I guess I either have to be fine with having holey quilts, or not give any quilts to stay at Max's house. 
Should I put the time and effort into fixing this one? And then let it go back to his house for further ravaging?

Max's quilt... long gone!

In case you are wondering, I did make Max his very own baby quilt. And he chewed on it until it was just a pile of threads. I thought he would outgrow that when he outgrew his puppy stage, but that didn't happen.
Ideas are most welcome!!

Magnolia Mystery Update

Progress is continuing on my Magnolia Mystery. It's slow, but it's certainly progress!

I got out my cute white Featherweight 221K called "Sweet Baby Jayne". It's such a joy to sew on this machine but I worry about wearing her out. However, I also do not want her to spend her whole life in a dark closet with no attention at all. So on special occasions, I treat myself to a sewing session.  Her stitch is lovely and her sound is soft and sweet.

There are 3 different block patterns to sew for this step of the mystery and I made a sample of each block. However I sewed one of the sample blocks incorrectly, so right from the start I was using the seam ripper. The correct blocks have the paper notes pinned on, and the wrong block is under the seam ripper. It has since been dismantled! All the block components needed to sew the required number of blocks are now ready to mass assemble. Progress should be much faster now...fingers crossed!

Design Wall Monday - Donation Blocks

Over the weekend I sewed some blocks for the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild. 

4 donation blocks

They are collecting blocks and making quilts for 
the victims and first responders of the mass shooting there one month ago. I heard about their block collection from Julie who blogs over at Julie's Quilts. To see the beautiful donation quilt she made - click here.
The block pattern they are requesting is from the tutorial for "Greyscale Quilt" which can be found over at Cluck, Cluck, Sew. The hardest part was figuring out the cutting instructions to make the A blocks and the B blocks. But once that was done, the sewing was really enjoyable.

It made me smile to notice that one of my fabric choices matched my little scissors! What are the chances of that?!?

While sewing the first blocks, I heard on the news about another mass shooting, this time in Texas. I just kept on sewing. We also had a shooting in my quiet little neighbourhood this past week, and thankfully no one was injured. What else can a quilter do about these tragedies, but sew, and make quilts to comfort those affected by the violence?
These blocks will go in the mailbox tomorrow to hopefully arrive before the deadline of November 15th.
To see more design wall posts, hop over to Small Quilts.