Just in case...

I thought I should post some fun online quilt events, just in case you have the same serious illness that I have... "startitis".  
It is an incurable disease and very debilitating for creative people.  But the good news is that you can manage the symptoms by signing up for a quiltalong and starting new projects whenever the illness flares up.


The two new projects I recommend starting today are:

1) Sunny Side Up      

This is a quiltalong by Judy Laquidara. You just need to collect some fabrics and get sewing. 
I am making this quilt for one of the wedding gifts I will need this summer. 



I am making a scrappy version using my collection of  Kansas Troubles fabrics. These are my 9 light fabrics. I have finished sewing step #4 and step #5 was just posted. If you like sewing stars and 4 patches, you will be in heaven with these blocks! You can easily get caught up if you want to join in the fun.

Photo from Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber

2) Fat Quarter Club's "Deck-ade the Halls"
It is the 10th anniversary of the Fat Quarter Shop and they are celebrating by giving us a gift! It's a fun Christmas quilt pattern with the steps/blocks being released every 2 weeks.
You will have a great quilt finished in time for Christmas gift exchange if you start now!  The fabric requirements can be found here. I am buying some white yardage for the background and am using up stash for the blocks. The gingerbread are the first blocks to be sewn, so I have found 3 browns and a red to start my quilt.

Design Wall Monday - Votes For Women

On my design wall today are the first 25 blocks for my version of Barbara Brackman's "Votes for Women" sampler quilt. There will be 49 block patterns posted, so this project is at the half way point for me (NB...there have been 39 block patterns posted already, so I'm a wee bit behind!)

I have been using up my reproduction fabric scraps and wanted to see all my blocks on the wall to figure out what fabrics/colours need to be increased or decreased in the blocks yet to be made. I think I need more cheddar, and maybe more green? What do you think?
Also, when I looked at the photo on the computer, my first thought was how much I dislike that umbrella handle. Do you think it stands out too much, or is it just my eyes? It seems too skinny or too dark....or something. Opinions, comments and feedback are welcome!
To see more design walls, hop over to Patchwork Times.

Slow Stitching Sunday

When in the "Musee Des Beaux-Arts" I found this wonderful painting made in 1886 by Charles Huot.

I love everything about this painting, especially the use of light, and looked at it for a very long time. The details and the quality of this 127 year old treasure were just amazing.  It is so sweet how hard the students are concentrating on their projects. 
My favorite sewer is the one by the window who is trying to thread her needle...I can relate!
I hope you are sitting by a window today, or better yet, sitting outside, threading some needles to enjoy some hand stitching. I hope you will link up your blog post about the project you are hand stitching so we can be inspired. Happy Stitching!

Scrappy Saturday

Part of the fun of participating in the rainbow scrap challenge is sorting through the bits and pieces of fabric I've been saving and figuring out a way to put the bits into quilt blocks.
This week I cut up the pieces for 12 more Alamo Star blocks.





Today I'll be "wasting" some time with family functions. LOL! And you know me, I'll try to squeeze in some quilting time too if possible! 

Votes For Women

For some unknown reason, I skipped over block #23 when sewing my Votes For Women blocks. 
I remedied that this week and stitched up the block called "Girl's Joy: An Ounce of Persuasion". It went together well and came out to be the correct size.

So then I sewed up the next one, which for me was block #26 "Ladies' Wreath Mourning for Mother". Barbara wrote such an interesting post on the history of contraception. It is so hard to believe that it was illegal for unmarried women in the USA to use contraception until 1972!

Photo from Quiet Play

Next block for me to sew is #27 and I'm working on a plan for how to sew it without the dreaded set-in seams!
Are you making some time to sew today?

The effect of small changes

I embroidered a little piece for the Stitch Me Up blog hop back in March. The problem was that I didn't like it when it was almost finished, and it was headed to the (very full) UFO closet.  So many creative ideas were shared in the 
comments on that post that were helpful to me. I enjoyed reading all the suggestions of how I could improve this project and decided to start with these 3 small changes:
1) I will call it "vintage" which means "old" or "of a previous era", and insist that I meant to create a vintage effect!
2) add green thread into the swirly flowers designs - great idea and I love it!
3) quilt some swirly designs in the empty spaces.

I basted the little quilt and did some hand quilting with beige thread, and with a single strand of green floss, and I was amazed at how the texture brought it to life and made me like it so much more. Just wait until you see when I'm done. This really reminded me how small changes can really make a big difference!

Blog Land Fun and Draw Winner

Are you following along with the fun in quilt blog land this month?
*May 6th was give-away day over at Sew Mama Sew with lots of fabric up for grabs....maybe today is your lucky day?
*Over at the quilting gallery is the "Between Heaven and Texas" blog hop celebrating Marie Bostwick's newest book. They are posting great star block patterns to collect.
*Quiltmaker's blog hop celebrating the new 100 Blocks magazine is almost over...what fun that was!
*Also there is a year long Virtual Quilting Bee going on with many beautiful block patterns and tutorials.
*AND I would like to announce the winner of the "Montreal sampler" - just a few basic fabrics that I picked up at the Taylor Sewing Centre (which was a welcomed break along the very boring Hwy 401 drive). 

The winner was drawn from the 11 link ups on the Slow Sunday Stitching link up, and  the winning number (as picked by my son) is...#5 which is Sophie!

May UFO

I forgot to post about my UFO project for May. It is one of my favorite projects from the past couple of years - my version of the red letter quilt along that was hosted by Lynne in 2011 over at The Patchery Menagerie. I loved that quilt along - I learned a lot, had so much fun, and ended up with a quilt I love!

I hope to finish this quilt in the month of May. I have been asking the quilt for quilting suggestions, but so far, I am not hearing anything!!! 
Hop over to the May Linky party to see what other quilters are going to finish up this month.

Montreal

I am just back from a quick trip to Montreal. I tagged along with a friend who was attending a conference, and I greatly enjoyed visiting a fascinating city where I had never been before!

It was fun to practice speaking french, which I learned in high school and was amazed at how much came back to me really fast! 
And what can I say about the amazing food? Especially "les boulangeries"...YUM!
I must admit that I was surprised by the total lack of quilts or textiles of any kind in the museums or stores. Perhaps I did not go to the right areas? 

I found some wonderful sculptures  sprinkled throughout the city and enjoyed finding them randomly sitting on benches.




My favorite place to visit was La Basilique Notre-Dame  which was the most beautiful church I have ever seen. My photo does not in any way reflect the beauty. The sound of the organ with 7,000 pipes  was incredible (the largest pipe is 32 feet and the smallest is 1/4"!). And hearing the bells ringing on Sunday morning was something I will never forget (the largest bell weighs 11 tons!).
I spent a lot of time right where this photo was taken, lit some candles and said a few lot of prayers for my brother, who is quite sick again. I have returned in time to take him to more Dr. appointments this week. He could really use some good news (and more prayers, if you're so inclined).
It is good to be home again...can't wait to spend some time in the sewing room!

Mystery Monday

Nothing much has changed on my design wall this week. This is still how my design wall looks today. 
I really want to finish sewing these RRBC blocks together, so I'll keep at it until I'm done.

I've been busy traveling this week, so haven't had much sewing time.

I love fountains!

Does this fountain give you a hint of where I am?

How about this photo?
This is soap that looked and smelled good enough to eat!

Does this clue give it away!

Can I park here or not?!?

Have a great week!

Breathing on Slow Sunday Stitching

http://get-it-together.ca/going-with-the-flow

This Slow Stitching Sunday is brought to you by the word - breathe. 
With each stitch you take today, try to remember to breathe in love and hope. 
AND...enjoy every stitch you take!

Today I am hand quilting my Journey of a Quilter. I am still enjoying the journey of this project, which has been travelling with me for a long time.  
Can you tell from this photo that I am quilting on a rooftop today?  Can you guess where we are hanging out?  *Hint* - I am in a city I have never been to before! Do you recognize it? The trees are budding and the green signs of life are finally returning here. I will give a few more clues in tomorrow's blog post...stay tuned!

What are you hand stitching today? Link up your blog post below and I'll have a draw to share some of the fabric I bought on this trip.

Scrappy Saturday

Over at the Rainbow Scrap Challenge we are transitioning from green to blue scraps.

Here are the Alamo Stars that I am working on this week.

And I'll be looking for some "sapphire" bright blue scraps to work with. Hop over to SoScrappy to see what other quilters are sewing up this week.

May for Me!

It's May and Marcia is hosting "May for Me" again this year. I had a lot of fun participating last year (you can read about it here) and I decided to sign up again. There will be linky parties and prizes, but most of all, you make a commitment to make some time to play. I think I can manage that, even with working two jobs, feeding 2 kids, taking care of a sick dog, helping to care for a sick brother, and running a household. 
I am going to start the day with some of this.
And then I'm going to treat myself to some relaxing quilt blog surfing. There is so much going on in blog land...
here are some options to enjoy:

*Quiltmaker has released another issue of their wonderful 100 blocks magazine and they are having a blog hop. There are many fun blogs to visit every day and they are giving away loads of magazines, fabric and other treats!  



*Maria Bostwick has released another book called "Between Heaven and Texas". The Quilting Gallery is hosting a fun blog hop to celebrate.I already won a copy of the book...woohoo! I have read all her other books, so can't wait to read this one!

UFO defeat

It was my goal to get my Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll blocks into a quilt top this month, but sadly I have to admit defeat. It's coming along well, and I am happy with how it is looking, but the sashings aren't even all attached yet. I am reminding myself that this is a big quilt, and there are 28 blocks with 20 HST points to try not to chop off, so it's really slow sewing.
Not to mention a complicated border that I haven't even thought of tackling yet.
Unfortunately, this thing is going back in the UFO closet as soon as I get the chance to stuff it in there! I need to work on something easier this month!
Hop over to Patchwork Times to see more design walls.

Slow Sunday Stitching

It's Sunday!
Time for rest, renewal, and relaxation.
And how best to achieve this?
For me, it is hand stitching.
This past week I discovered (via the LibQuilters) another wonderful BBC show called "The Great British Sewing Bee". 
It's kind of like Project Runway, only with regular people who are sewing enthusiasts. I enjoyed watching the first episode while doing some hand quilting, and can't wait to watch the next episodes. 
My favorite quote from episode #1 was from Tilly :
The last thing you want to do when you're hand stitching.... is panic!


You can click here to read more about the Sewing Bee or watch the episodes on YouTube.
Today I hope to be sitting outside hand quilting - for the first time this year. The forecast is SUN! Woohoo!
Link up your hand stitching blog post below and share what you are working on today.

Leader/Ender Update

 My current leader/ender project is the Alamo Star block. I've been making them since the fall last year. They are so cute and fun to sew, but I must admit that it is tedious work to cut out all the little pieces...17 tiny bits for each block!
When the colour of the month is announced for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, I get out my batik scrap box and start cutting more leader/ender blocks to sew. This month is green...so here are the Alamo Star blocks I cut out this week to be leader/enders while I finish sewing my UFO quilt top together - before Tuesday! Have I mentioned lately how much I love these Clover binding clips? They are perfect for holding block pieces together! 
Hop over to SoScrappy to see the green projects being worked on this week.

Bonus HST's!

Do you sew a second line on your HST's to make baby/bonus HST's???!? I am fanatical about this and always save these bits. 
When I was looking for some fabric to fill in the side setting triangles on the edges of my UFO's on pointe layout, I found a whole box FULL of little baggies of baby HST's. All sizes and colours...so much fun! 
What a great collection I have! I was remembering the projects (or trash bins) they originally came from and was so excited about what I could make with these, that I forgot what I was originally looking for!


Now what was I doing here in the closet? 

Oh yah...looking for UFO fabric! 
The fabric I had planned to use was just too pink, so I went in search of a green or brown.
So there went another evening of UFO progress/ sewing time wasted!  








Now I only have one more week to sew these blocks into a finished quilt top before the end of the month...yikes!

Earth Day

Did you celebrate Earth Day on Monday? 
I almost forgot about it this year, and the only thing I did was go for a long walk and enjoy Mother Nature and the great outdoors.
I took a walk-about in my little backyard and saw that my rhubarb has begun to sprout up! We love rhubarb, in juice and in desserts, so I was happy to see my patch returning this year.
I also noticed that 
the rabbits have returned (insert sad face). 
This is the evidence I noticed on my Rose of Sharon bushes. 
If you have read my blog for a while, you know that I have been battling the rabbits for the produce in my garden, and as I was contemplating how to build a bigger fence to protect this summer's vegetables, guess who came to visit!?!? 




It was as if he was saying... 
"yah lady, just try to keep me out of the garden"!

Treadling on Tuesday

Look at the wonderful spool pin doily that Mary so generously sent to me! I just love it!
I had tried to learn to crochet one of these using the spool pin doily instructions posted on the Quiltville blog, but it was not working out well for me.  I learned that crocheting involves a whole new set of skills!

My first attempt was looking more like a machine cover, than a spool pin doily...
way too big and full of holes.

Just look how perfect Mary's doily looks on my treadle! 
See the little flower decal peeking out from under the doily...cute!
It protects the machine from wear and tear when the thread spool spins around when I'm treadling at top speed, AND it looks adorable too!
Thanks again Mary!

Design Wall Monday - Mid Month UFO Report

My UFO for the month of April (Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll) is on the design wall today. 

Some progress has been made.  The sashing strips are cut, and the blocks are being sewn into rows. I haven't made as much progress as I had hoped to by mid month, but that's okay since I met some other quilting goals in April. I finished my FUN quilt, made some mug rugs, and I machine quilted a memory quilt for a friend. 

Now it's time for some concentrated RRCB focus so I can get the blocks together and put the borders on next weekend in order to meet my goal of a finished quilt top by the end of the month.
Check out more design wall projects at Patchwork Times, and more UFO mid-month reports at A Lovely Year of Finishes.