True Blue Canadian

Mail came

2012-02-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

I was very fortunate this morning. The mailman delivered goodies to me.

This little Polish snowman with the smile, Iwo, is a creation of Agnieska. Here's her Flikr site and her Etsy site. I was introduced to this wonderful felter, who creates such cute little creatures, by Bumblevee, a western Canadian blogger who, herself, makes cute little felted creatures and also more human looking friends.

And then, there are these.

Little puffs by Karen Ruane, better known as the Contemporary Embroiderer. I won these little puffs and chose to have printed fabric in them.

Here's a close-up of Karen's work. The tails are on there so that I can attach them onto something. I have a feeling I should make something special just for these little beauties. Go check out Karen's blog if you don't know about it already and perhaps sign up for one of her wonderful classes. I took her button class and learned so much.

Small things

2012-01-29T18:18:00.000-05:00

While little Luc was here, the sewing machine was not idle.

Luc usually feeds himself if the food items are chunks like avocado, banana, cheerios or toast. He really gets messy and when he was here, he only had one big bib which was a converted tea towel. I decided to make him a couple more and took some fabric off my shelf that I was just going to use for bag linings or something. This is done pillowcase style and was so easy to make. It is, of course, double and washed so well. I was happy to get the fabric used up and off my shelf. Luc doesn't care what it looks like and I have other fabric in my sewing room that I plan on using to make more. They are approximately 17" X 19". I also have a lot of double fold bias tape so I was happy to use some of it up too.

I think I had one metre of fabric and it yielded three bibs. These were in constant use and then were put into the washing machine. They got caked on food quickly but at least Luc's clothes stayed clean.

I also had time to make him some fleece pants. Some had elastic at the hem and some didn't.

Finishing up

2012-01-25T14:47:00.000-05:00

This is what I am working on this Wednesday. Go see what others are up to at the Needle and Thread Network, here.

This is a small quilt that was a BOM, called "Flowers," from Diana in 2010. I did not want to hand quilt it since it has so many seams.

One of my excuses for not working on it sooner was that I didn't have a walking foot before. I just purchased one after Christmas. I wanted to machine quilt this and a few other tops that I have.

The quilt is a combination of piecing and embroidery.

These are the threads I am using. The yellow on top and the pale green polyester in the bobbin. The floral is the backing fabric. It's polyester/cotton and looks a paler green in this photo.

Now go check out the link above. It may give you some inspiration.

All too short

2012-01-23T15:01:00.001-05:00

Little Luc's visit was all too short. He left yesterday with his mommy and daddy. We took them to the airport.

Little Luc was tired and fell asleep almost immediately in the car ride to the airport. But his days were full and here are some highlights.

On Monday he went for a walk with me and his Auntie Ayla.

Always on the move, he liked playing with the belt on my treadle machine.

He got to be carried in the Ergo by his uncle Mark when we went on the subway.

Everything was fascinating.

Having a cookie with great grandma and uncle Muggy.

Cuddling with Auntie Ayla.

Playing with uncle Eric and his puppy Arja.

Being fed by Auntie Maili.

Wearing the sweater that I made him to keep him warm on his little visit to meet his daddy's old friends.

Showing off a new t-shirt. "If you think I'm cute you should see my uncle." Little Luc was hungry even if the uncles wanted him to sit still for the photo.

How many people does it take to get a little boy ready for bed? One aunt and two uncles.

Spending some time with the whole family on his last morning here.

But the very best thing was telling his whole family that he will be a BIG Brother in September!!!!

The last photo op at the airport with daddy, mommy and pops.

Busy

2012-01-17T11:19:00.001-05:00

I won't be able to do much of anything this week.

We have a little visitor staying here and he is keeping us all busy. Here Luc is watching morning TV. It didn't last long.

There were new items to explore in his world.

He's a wee bit messy when it comes to eating but the thumb helps with digestion.

See you all later. I think he's waking up from his nap.

Champagne Quilters' update

2012-01-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Even though we had a break over Christmas, we still managed to take a couple of turns on the frame shortly after beginning again.

It doesn't look too bad but it certainly is a big quilt. We opted for just a thin border to tie it all in.

Here are the ladies I quilt with, Ann and Marg.

A couple of handmade gifts

2012-01-13T10:35:00.001-05:00

While I didn't make many gifts last year, I did manage a couple that have already been used.

My eldest daughter, Laila, bakes a lot and in our family, we have always covered our rising dough with a linen tea towel. Well, at the end of 2010, on May Britt's blog, she mentioned embroidered baking cloths. It seems that it is mainly a Norwegian thing. There, they have a separate cloth just for the purpose of covering your baking. I had purchased some linen from a church bazaar and made this. It's a variation on a design by Lisa Young. This photo was taken on Christmas day 2011 just hours after my daughter opened the gift.

My middle daughter, Maili, wanted another beret. White this time, she said. It just so happened that I had a skein of bulky white yarn and so, I made this. It took the whole skein and Maili really likes it. She said that it's warm. Since we seem to have our first snowfall of the season today, she is wearing it.

Finishes

2012-01-11T11:30:00.000-05:00

I am trying to finish a few things today.

I'm really close to finishing this book. It was our book club selection for January.

I'd like to finish this little Ursula Schertz frog. There's not much left to do.

And this little sweater only needs the side seams sewn up and the the tails buried.

And now, why not take a look at what other Canadian's are doing this week.

The Needle and Thread Network is a wonderful site where you can see other Works In Progress on this Wednesday.

New curtains done

2012-01-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

I like completing things and now these cafe kitchen curtains are done and hung.

It's been a dull day and even with the lights on, the photo is darker than what I wanted. Flash didn't come on because there was more light coming from windows to the right.

One metre of cotton one-inch gingham, 60" wide, on sale at the end of the year with Fabricland's 40% off sale. The only bit of fabric I bought and it was an impulse buy at that. Now I'm wondering if I should have bought the lime green gingham instead. Oh well, these will have to do for now. I'm sure I will get used to them.

Works in Progress Wednesday

2012-01-04T13:12:00.001-05:00

And this is my submission to the Needle and Thread Network. Go take a look what other Canadian bloggers are up to on this Wednesday.

My portable design wall is not big enough to hang this quilt on it so I put it on my upstairs hall floor. The fabrics I chose, and showed a couple of posts back, really didn't have to match or co-ordinate. All you need for this pattern is to make sure that your thinner strip is darker than your other two. It is not complete until it has been quilted and bound and I won't work on another quilt from the book until I finish this one.

I don't know if you can tell...

from these photos...

but the green fabric has a directionality to it. I had to make sure that they were sewn correctly when I put the blocks together. I have a lot of the lightest fabric left so I may just use it up by putting it on the back. We'll see.

A start on a new quilt

2012-01-02T16:57:00.001-05:00

Well, all the blocks are cut and sewn.

Here's a photo of part of the layout for the quilt. All that remains is to sew the blocks together. Not today, there are too many of them and I want to go do something else.

Like, perhaps, make new kitchen curtains out of this.

Or celebrate my son's 33rd birthday.

Happy Birthday Mark!

To you all

2011-12-31T01:06:00.014-05:00

To everyone who read my posts and to those of you who commented, a HUGE THANK YOU! I do hope that you found something interesting and perhaps enlightening in them.

Best wishes for a wonderful, healthy and creative 2012.

Mug rug

2011-12-29T12:06:00.001-05:00

A mug rug with a difference. Mug rugs can be any shape so why not be inventive. I made this one for a friend.

Sorry that the colours are off but the photo was taken in the evening. If your friend is a cat person, you can draw a rough outline if a cat. Get creative and do your own thing. You don't have to use other people's patterns. I was inspired by Sonja's version. It really isn't hard - all you have to do is try.

Every Inchie Monday #52

2011-12-26T00:05:00.001-05:00

Yellow: a color like that of egg yolk, ripe lemons, etc.; the primary color between green and orange in the visible spectrum.

And that concludes one whole year of inchies. Fifty-two weeks and 52 inchies. For those of you who want to try your hand at inchies, go ahead. They are fun little one inch pieces of art. There is a whole new series starting in the new year. All the word prompts are already there so you can even start early and get some done. Here's the link to the site.

Have a wonderful, creative 2012.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T15:44:00.000-05:00

From my house to yours.

This is the Christmas quilt that is now completed and delivered that my daughter Laila made and I quilted.

On top of the tree is a clay star that my blogger friend Gina made.Visit her blog here and check out her etsy site here.

Here's the whole tree decorated.

And here's little Luc with his onsie that says "What Santa doesn't bring me Grandma will."

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy Hanukkah or Happy Holidays for those who don't celebrate Christmas.

Something new for the New Year

2011-12-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

I thought that since I had so much fabric in my stash, I should use it up. During this year, I came across the quilting book club (which no longer does anything) and they started a quilt along using a couple of books. These were mainly geared to beginners but anyone could participate. The first book they used this one.

I purchased the book because I wanted to see what all was in it. There are 13 different quilts and all of them are in different sizes. Some have a multi-size materials list in case you want to make a baby quilt size or a lap quilt instead of a bigger, single bed size. I decided that I would work through the book using only the fabrics in my stash. Hopefully I can get most of them done without having to purchase anything - including the backings, but that remains to be seen.

This is the first pattern in the book. Easy peasy and basically a lap size.

Since I needed a diversion from what I was doing, I went ahead and pulled some fabrics from my stash.

These are the fabrics I chose (light, medium and dark) - mainly because I had enough to make a lap size quilt out of them. We'll see how far I get. This will be an ongoing project for next year. I really don't think that I will be hand quilting these. Two of the patterns are done in solids and those ones I really like. I know all of the quilts can be done in solids but I did want to use up the printed fabrics that I have accumulated over the years and this seemed like a neat idea to do just that.

I hope you are all keeping well and not stressing over the holidays. You can only do what you can do and believe it or not, you really have no influence over how quickly or slowly the mail is being delivered if you have sent something and it has not yet arrived or you ordered something that has not yet come.

Relax. It will all turn out OK in the end.

Every Inchie Monday #51

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-05:00

Green: a secondary color that has been formed by the mixture of blue and yellow pigments.

One of my original inchies. I just sewed a bunch of green fabric that I had on hand.

Shades of green.

Every Inchie Monday #50

2011-12-12T12:22:00.000-05:00

Blue: the pure color of a clear sky; one of the primary colours.

Simple and subtle Blue acrylic paint with a blue gel pen.

Strange how the background took on a blue hue. It's actually a pure white envelope. I was playing with a stamp pad and it gave me this great textured background for the inchie. Too bad that the glue smudged.

Champagne Quilters' Christmas

2011-12-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

Last night was the end of our quilting for the year. Ann leaves next week to spend Christmas with her son and his family in Oklahoma. Ann's son is in the Canadian Air Force and gets sent to various locations in Canada and the U.S. Last year at this time she was on her way to Florida because that's where her son was stationed.

Anyway, we always have a special 'tea' after quilting and exchange gifts on our last evening of quilting before breaking for the Christmas holidays. I totally forgot to bring the camera to show you all how small the quilt is now. To us it is smaller even though there are still quite a few evenings left to work on it. I will take a photo in the New Year and then you can see our progress. Well, this is what I got from the ladies.

From left to right, kitchen towels, Ferrero Roche Collection chocolates, homemade shortbread, a package of

500 yellow headed quilt pins and a triple pin cushion.

I'm off to put the pins to work and I have already sampled the shortbread.

Have a great weekend.

Every Inchie Monday #49

2011-12-05T11:23:00.000-05:00

Red: any of various colors resembling the color of blood; one of the primary colours.

Red acrylic painted inchie with red glitter, red beads and sequins and a red button. All decked out for the holiday season.

W.I.P.Wednesday

2011-11-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

Once again I am taking part in the works in progress Wednesday at Needle and Thread Network. Click on the link and visit the other needleworkers who are taking part.

This is now off the frame and I have to get the binding done - along with the label and a hanging sleeve.

My eldest daughter Laila put it together and started quilting the tree in gold thread (sorry for the poor quality photo.) The gold thread is not an easy thing to quilt with because it keeps shredding. She gave up the quilting because she didn't really have the time to devote to it and handed it to me to finish. I put it on the frame either at the end of October or beginning of November.

The pattern is from The Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. It was one of their Mystery Mailouts several years ago. I took this photo to show the quilting of the empty spaces - I put holly leaves in there. Quilts on the frame aren't usually basted first but since this was Laila's quilt, she started quilting it in a hoop. I suppose she has seen me make enough quilts to remember what to do. I think she did a wonderful job with both the piecing and the embroidery. She even changed the border - adding a black with metallic instead of the original which was to be a red and off-white plaid. I have the exact same quilt but it is still in pieces. This one has given me the desire to finish mine.

Every Inchie Monday #48

2011-11-28T01:00:00.000-05:00

Amusement: anything that amuses; pastime; entertainment; enjoyment.

Cartoons, the funny papers.

Not my UFO

2011-11-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

My friend Judy sometimes gifts me with things she no longer wants. She dyes her own backing for her quilts and does not like to use the 'leftovers' so I told her one time that I would take them off her hands. They are soft and mottled in colour. Other times Judy gives me her UFOs since she no longer wants to deal with them. One of the UFOs that she gave me was this.

This clear plastic chocolate box filled with, not chocolates but with...

pre-cut pieces for this...

a lovely Christmas table topper. I probably should finish it so it doesn't stay a UFO for any longer than it already has. I just have to find the time. The pattern was found in American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, December 1999 issue.

Quilter's dilemma...

2011-11-24T13:37:00.002-05:00

running out of fabric. Does anyone know of a source for some of the hockey fabric shown in the this photo?

I was contacted by a fellow quilter who sadly ran out of this same fabric. The store where she purchase the fabric sadly no longer exists. If there is someone who knows of a source for this fabric please leave a comment or email me.

Thanking you in advance for any assistance you can give.
The fabric has been found! Thanks to everyone who left a comment and suggestions. Thank you too, to those who read this post.

On a second note: does anyone have instructions on how to change the blogger settings so that the photo will enlarge when clicked on instead of going into the display mode that was forced upon us? I read it on a blog that I follow but have been unable to find it again.
Thanks to Michelle of http://brainangles.blogspot.com/ my photo dilemma has been fixed.

I tell you, bloggers are the best. Thank you!!!

W.I.P. Wednesday and a special day

2011-11-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

Here's my Work In Progress for the Needle and Thread Network. Click on the link and visit the other needleworkers who are taking part. It's always nice to see what others are working on.

It's knitting once again for little Luc. His mom chose the yarn - she didn't like the baby colours they had in the recommended yarns. This one makes its own stripes and as you can see from what's on the needle, the two sleeves that I am knitting at the same time will be different. I figured it would be easy to distinguish what is the front and what is the back of the sweater this way. All you have to remember is what sleeve gets the dark stripe at the cuff and which one is the light one. I am hoping to finish it soon since I have other knitting that I started and should finish up. This one apparently is an easy sweater and I wanted to try out the pattern. Hopefully, next week I will have some quilting to show.

Today I am looking after Arja, a Shih-poo who belongs to my youngest son and his girlfriend. Arja is a bundle of high energy and loves old Baxter and the kitties. They, of course, want nothing to do with her. So, I guess we will be taking lots of walks today.

And 31 years ago today I gave birth to my third child, a little girl we named Maili.

I don't know how many years apart these were taken and the top one is several years old now but I thought it was nice to see.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAILI!!!!

Every Inchie Monday #47

2011-11-21T14:41:00.001-05:00

Pretend: to appear falsely, as to deceive; feign: to make believe.

Children and the world of make believe. Pretending to be a cowboy. I grew up watching westerns and even had a Dale Evans outfit.

Just a little sewing

2011-11-15T09:22:00.001-05:00

Since the little guy goes through a lot of bibs and they are constantly in the wash, I decided to use some of my stash to make him a bib just to see how it would work out. I had never put velcro on a bib before - they were always made with ties.

As you can see, I didn't even iron the fabric. I was just intent on getting it done before he woke up. I used the Friday/Vendredi bib as a pattern and put some flannel in between to soak up any liquid that might find it's way past his little chin.

Every Inchie Monday #46

2011-11-14T10:49:00.002-05:00

Daring: adventurous courage; to have the boldness to try; venture; hazard.

I think you have to be pretty daring to try surfing.

I'm going to be daring here and post another photo.

Since I do not gamble, I think that taking a chance on a couple of dice is daring.

I'd also like to add another one to a previous post for Book inchie.

I came across this and liked it better for the theme on Book.

Little visitor

2011-11-12T12:10:00.000-05:00

I will be busy for the next little while because of this little guy.

Woops, sorry, wrong photo.

I meant this little guy, Luc, who arrived last night, safe and sound.

Remembrance Day

2011-11-11T01:00:00.010-05:00

Lest we forget.

I direct you to my fellow Canadian's blog who, earlier this week, posted this article...

http://shirl-oneofakindfiberarts.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-am-proud-canadian-and.html

For me

2011-11-08T08:19:00.001-05:00

When I was at the Rouge Valley quilt show, the only thing I purchased was a small quilt kit. It was sold by Picton Fabric World, a quilt store in Picton, Ontario. It is the same vendor I had purchased the Hallowe'en mini quilt kit at an earlier quilt show.

Isn't it cute? I couldn't decide on whether I wanted this one or one that had Santa and a snowman but this one can be hung on the wall longer since it is winter-themed not just Christmas.

Here's one done up. I asked if I could take a photo so that I could figure out which fabrics go where. The vendor also told me that in the kit is extra fabric to make binding since the instructions call for a pillow case finishing and she thought binding was nicer. I agree.

These are books I ordered for myself as a birthday gift - the knitting books are courtesy of my daughter. Thank you. I had borrowed them from the library and they were so good that I decided I would like my own copies for my own library. The quilt book is 'just because.'

Have a great, creative week. I will be busy getting ready for a very special little guest and his mom who are coming for a visit.

Every Inchie Monday #45

2011-11-07T11:19:00.001-05:00

Life: the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, especially metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment.

"Along with RNA and proteins, DNA is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life."

Note: the quote above is taken from here.

Another quilt show Part 2

2011-11-04T23:52:00.000-04:00

I am hoping to get the rest of the photos in this blog post. I hope you like the show. I did.

There is just something special about applique quilts.

Here's the blurb for it.

Applique and piecing. Something a little different.

This is another pattern by Country Creations. Apparently it is "not a difficult quilt [to make] but very time consuming."

The blurb.

A batik diamond quilt. Simple in design but very effective.

I do like southwest themed quilts.

More batiks but with applique this time.

A fun, bright crazy quilt.

Something a little different using just a few colours.

Bargello done with just squares.

Fowl anyone?

A lot of love went into this.

Look at all those triangles.

I almost missed this one because it was so high up. I'm not very tall so it's hard to take shots that are above my head.

Positive/negative in scraps.

Framed maple leaves. An appropriate fall quilt.

Another quilt with a limited colour palette but quite effective.

Tree of life and if I'm not mistaken, it is hand quilted. Nicely done in the border.

Ah yes, this one. The maker made it for her mother.

And here's the last quilt. Another quilt pattern by Harebrained Happenings.

The blurb - and look, it's hand quilted. It's such a popular pattern that it was also made as a second prize in the raffle.

I do hope you all enjoyed the quilt show. I only bought one small kit and I'll show it to you later.

One more quilt show

2011-11-03T00:29:00.001-04:00

This time around it was the Rouge Valley Quilt Show.

This quilt caught my eye.

Here's the info on the quilt.

This is just such a happy, bright quilt. The pattern is by Harebrained Happenings.

The maker of this quilt liked the angel fabric and wanted it to be a feature in the quilt design.

Same design but in blues.

A wonderful quilt design in blue. Anyone know the pattern name?

A log cabin with a difference.

Double nine patch. Great, colourful quilt.

Trip around the world variation.

What a great layout.

One way to use up your stash - cut it into strips and start sewing.

Baby Wave. The maker said that it was an easy quilt to put together.

A four patch that was made to show off the hockey fabric.

Another Harebrained Happenings pattern. I just had to take a photo of it. Look at the hubcaps. There is a Doggy Daycare pattern too.

I do like silhouette patterns. It's a Country Creations pattern.

Some of the quilts were hung so high up that it was hard to view them.

What a simple but effective pattern.

An eye spy quilt.

I've always been interested in fashion and this quilt just had to be photographed.
Note: Allie informed me that the pattern is in this book.

A really great way to lay out a sampler.

Wonderful movement in this.

I do like plaid quilt patterns.

Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

A Bear's Paw pattern done quite differently.

For those of you who are making the Over the Hill pattern, here's one in brown.

The blurb for it.

A square in a square pattern. I really like the background fabric and the fact that the blocks have the same fabric in them.

Another simple but effective pattern.

And the final one for today. A panel nicely framed.

Mail came and other things

2011-11-01T10:49:00.000-04:00

and this is what the mailman left me.

I won a giveaway that Cathy was having and it coincided with my birthday. Perle cotton embroidery threads in a variety of colours. I didn't have any Perle cotton but now I do and there are a few projects that I have in mind for them.

These are my quilting and other specialty threads. I am working on the quilt you see. When it's all done, I'll show you the whole thing. I didn't make it but I was responsible for it being made - if that makes sense. All shall be revealed in the next few weeks.

More Hallowe'en costume fun

2011-10-31T12:29:00.002-04:00

My eldest son has had a Hallowe'en party almost every year now (last year his best friend got married on the 30th so there was no Hallowe'en party - but a reception) and he usually has a suggested theme for those people that may have trouble thinking of something. This year's theme was children's literature. So several people showed up dressed appropriately. My husband and I are always invited but we never dress up. They have loaner costumes (a mask or a hat) for people like us who do not have a costume.We didn't stay long and as we were leaving other characters arrived but alas, I have no photos of them. Here's what I do have.

The host and hostess. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell.

Another pic. Both outfits came from Value Village. Peter Pan's outfit was a wool crepe dress that was a tad too tight so his mom undid the side seams (bless the maker who didn't use set-in sleeves) and cut off the hem (which was unfinished) to add to both sides. The collar and the colour of the dress is what attracted the couple to the dress. Peter Pan and Tinker Bell added the rope belt, the tights and cut the hems of both dresses to make this very inexpensive outfit.

Tinker Bell's wings are courtesy of VV also.

Peter Pan's hat and booties were a quick make from his mom's stash of cotton velveteen.

Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Topsy-Turvy and Little Miss Sunshine made an appearance. Too bad Mr. Topsy-Turvy's hat doesn't show up so well in this photo. Click on the pic to see it better, it is there. I love the Mr. Men and Little Miss books. These two are celebrating one year of married bliss.

Can you guess? Besides the witch, who are the other two characters? (scroll down for the answers)

Captain Hook. Someone on the subway asked if she was a sailor. ???

Cat Woman and The Joker - before they rushed off to another party. The mom had nothing to do with these costumes other than loaning a tapestry needle, some white embroidery floss and some fabric glue to hold the feathers onto the gloves. (amazing what the studio holds)

Peter Pan and his brother Aramis - another costume made with some assistance by the MOM.

Those cuffs and the boot covers made from some vinyl that Aramis's mom had in her stash. All other paraphernalia (hat, sword and cape) came from the Dollar Store or some store like it. The hat was spruced up by some cut and glue.

The siblings. Peter Pan made his dagger.

d'Artagnan.

The family! There's Devo and the Cat in their usual headgear - courtesy of the host and hostess.

And now, are you all wondering who those characters were with the witch? Well, that's Tintin with his dog and the other fellow is a character from one of Gordon Korman's books; Artie Geller from the book, No Coins Please.

And then, from another party, another sibling...

David Bowie wearing the original cuffs (which I hear were a hit) with her Park Ranger.

And lastly,

Baby Flash incognito.

Happy Hallowe'en one and all. Stay safe. I hope you smiled.

Every Inchie Monday #44

2011-10-31T10:32:00.001-04:00

Graffiti: markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall of a building or public restroom, or the like.

As in this picture.

Hallowe'en costume

2011-10-29T18:36:00.000-04:00

BABY FLASH

Mini quilts and Hallowe'en sewing

2011-10-28T09:06:00.001-04:00

I finished the little Hallowe'en quilts.

My daughter has yet to pick this one up.

My youngest son got this one

and this one with the cat went to my eldest son. It was appropriate since he and his wife have two black cats.

This is the backing for all of them. I have wanted to use it up for a long time. I still have lots of it left so I guess I have to make more Hallowe'en quilts in the future. I sewed a ring to the back of all the quilts so that they can be hung on a nail. I machine quilted them at the same time that I sewed the fused pieces on. I also tried out that spray baste. Sticky, yukky but it did work. I have not washed them. They may shrink.

I am now working on costumes. I made 4 more cuffs for my son and his girlfriend who are going as Musketeers. Two cuffs have already been picked up - with the quilt. I now have to make a couple of tabards and boot covers.

This is the fabric my son chose. Royal blue is the colour he wanted and we found some in fleece. Fabricland had a sale on lace and so the eyelet was buy one metre and get 3 for free. We got 8 metres and it's going to be sewn on the tabards. I told him that when Hallowe'en is over I'd like the tabards back (no one ever wears anything from one year to the next.) I thought I could make little Luc an outfit or two out of the fabric. Luc's mom immediately thought of Superman for next year. I was thinking more along the lines of a pair of pants and a jacket. There's a lot of fleece so I'm sure I can get lots of things for the little guy out of it.

My other son is going as Peter Pan. He and his wife found a wool crepe dress in the perfect colour green (but it does not show up in this photo or the one above) at Value Village. Someone had made the dress but not finished it. I washed it on the delicate cycle, took out an elastic that was sewn at the waist and ripped open the side seams. I have to cut some fabric off the hem and add it to the sides since the dress was a tight fit. There may be enough to make a hat but we'll see.

Wednesday

2011-10-26T09:33:00.001-04:00

So, this is what I am working on.

What the heck is that?

A wrist band?

Almost, but no, it's a cuff. My daughter has an off white blouse and she wanted ruffled, wide cuffs on the sleeves for her Hallowe'en costume. She knows I have a lot of fabric. For some reason this piece of muslin was just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity to be put to use. I only had to cut off a small piece to make it into a rectangle and then cut the rectangle in half. After that I had to figure out how to construct (sew) the cuff. It took some thinking but I have now perfected my technique and it's a good thing too since my youngest son liked the way they turned out and has requested two for him and two for his girlfriend. They will be going as musketeers. Those costumes have yet to be sewn and then there's Peter Pan...

Go on over to http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/ to see what other people are working on.

Every Inchie Monday #43

2011-10-24T16:32:00.001-04:00

Encouragement: to inspire (someone) with the courage or confidence (to do something); to stimulate (something or someone to do something) by approval or help; support.

Words of encouragement and the universal hand gesture. Way to go. Atta boy. Well done. Keep it up.

Racking up the degrees

2011-10-21T11:30:00.000-04:00

Well, well, another graduation was held yesterday. This time it was the author son Mark, who received his second, yes second, Master's degree. A Master of Arts in Communication and Culture.

Here he is patiently waiting for his name to be called. (Sorry that the photos are not that clear but we were sitting in the balcony and the zoom on a little Elph only does so much.)

I attended the ceremony with his wife, Kate and we both were so busy taking photos that we missed noting why the audience laughed at this point. Even the Chancellor chuckled. It was after we looked at what our cameras caught that we realized what a photo op we captured. (Note: the lady to the right of Mark is placing the hood over his head.)

Outside, just after the ceremonies with that important piece of paper. The only un-posed photo that was taken.

Here he is with the President and Vice Chancellor of Ryerson University, Sheldon Levy.

Here's the master's hood (that's the the v-shaped 'cape' that is placed over the head of each graduate during the ceremony - see photo above.)

Mark and his lovely wife Kate. These photos were taken in the Quadrangle and the facade to the right is the only remaining part of the original Department of Education/Normal School of the 1850s.

Mother and son.

Proud mother and son. There are two distinct seals on the degree because the program was a joint one with Ryerson University and York University.

Posing with his lovely wife the in the gymnasium where refreshments were being served.

Posing with the Ryerson mascot, the Ram. We wondered if there were other universities that had their mascot show up at graduation ceremonies.

Here he is with the Chancellor, G. Raymond Chang.

And lastly, I was instructed to pose under this sign.

However, not everyone makes a Mark. Some make a Brian, or a Tom or a Hugh, - you get the picture... It was Mark's bit of humour.

Wednesday

2011-10-19T16:17:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Wednesday again and here's what I am working on at the moment.

I purchased a Patch Abilities kit a couple of years ago at a quilt show and I am finally putting it together. I may make all three. I'll see how it goes. The little quilts finish at 6" X 22" and it's fused applique so it should go quickly.

Hop on over to http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/ and see what everyone else is working on.

Some gifties

2011-10-18T09:39:00.000-04:00

Oh look, it's a special day today.

There's a special mocha cake - my favourite and this one was so moist.

And flowers.

My quilting buddy Judy got me the Lil' Twister and some Moda Marbles.

This is a better shot of the Lil' Twister tool.

And, I found out yesterday that I won a giveaway. When I receive it I will show you what it was.

Hope you all have a great day. I am off to have lunch with my daughter in a bit.

Every Inchie Monday #42

2011-10-17T11:09:00.000-04:00

Dreams: a succession of images, thoughts, or emotions passing through the mind during sleep; a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake.

This image reminded me of what many people look like when they are daydreaming.

Seasonal quilt and sort of a challenge

2011-10-14T11:52:00.001-04:00

It all started when a friend had a pattern for a pumpkin wall hanging. I asked to borrow it because I liked it and thought it would be nice on my wall (I don't make many big quilts in case you didn't know that by now.) Anyway, I remember that orange wasn't such a popular colour then (this was in the early 1990s) but as I look at this little quilt I see that I came up with two shades of orange. The label on this one says that I called it Pumpkins (yeah, I know, really original) and that it was completed in 1994.

The fabrics are all cotton polyester because I love working in solids (those little calico prints were/are not for me and that's basically all that was available for a long time for quilters.)

As you can see, there are two shades of orange. I must have been in a hurry to get this done because it is machine appliqued and I know that all the pieces are backed with interfacing because they are stiff. I should have sewn the inside of the pumpkins with darker thread since it doesn't show up at all.

I even sewed the pumpkin vines with the sewing machine. I was inventive (pat on the back.) You can see that I did hand quilt it - because that is what I do. The measurements are 17 1/2 x 23 inches. (click on any of the photos to see a closer view)

The quilt will go up on the wall somewhere. It has been sitting in the cupboard long enough (notice the fold lines?) Thanks to Mary of Outside the Line who kick-started my brain by reminding me of this little gem with her UFO pumpkin/jack-o-lantern quilt post and for emailing me to tell me to blog about it. My thanks also to Carole, the guild member who loaned me the pattern (sorry but I do not know from who or where it originated.)

Sort of a challenge...

And so, are there any other pumpkin/jack-o-lantern quilts out there that you would like to post about so we can all see what goodies are out there? Just leave a comment and a link to your post or photo.

Upcoming quilt show in Toronto

2011-10-12T01:48:00.001-04:00

In a month from now, the York Heritage Quilters Guild will hold their eleventh quilt show

A Celebration of Quilts XI - Art for Body & Soul

If you are in Toronto on November 11, 12 or 13, why not take in the show? It is located in the Don Mills and Eglinton area, at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, 6 Garamond Court. Tickets are $5.00 in advance and $8.00 at the door. For more info go to www.yhqg.org.

There, I hope I have answered the who, what, when, where, why and how. The links will let you know more.

Every Inchie Monday #41

2011-10-10T18:51:00.000-04:00

Curiosity: the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.

The act of writing news items: answer the who, what, when, where, why and how. It doesn't matter whether it's a general news item in a newspaper or if you are imparting news about a meeting, these questions need to be answered.

Hallowe'en already?

2011-10-08T21:21:00.001-04:00

It's actually Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and right now it is more like summer - not fall. The weather has been simply gorgeous with temperatures in the mid 20s for the past few days. Today it got up to 23 and tomorrow it's supposed to be 27. Thanksgiving Monday is predicted to be around 26.

I have not been idle - I have been busy in the sewing studio. My middle daughter went to see her only nephew, little Luc, and she brought a few things with her. Luc's mom asked me if I wanted to have some fun and make him a costume for Hallowe'en. It seems that the neighbours are expecting him to be trick or treating on the 31st. At first it was to be Superman but then she said I could make a Flash, a Green Lantern or a Superman costume. Well, off I went to check the pattern company offerings online. I didn't even know that they made costumes starting at 1/2 size and going up from there. I decided to go with Simplicity 2506 and I used the little mouse version minus the ears, bow tie and belly. I chose to make Flash since he is mainly all one colour - red. I purchased some nice arctic fleece so that little Luc would be warm and also so that the one piece outfit could be used after Hallowe'en.

This is how the final costume turned out. I was advised by my eldest son that the symbol on the chest had to be there. I could forget other stuff but that symbol was a must. I hadn't even noticed it when I did my research on the outfit.

I made two pair of bootees. The yellow ones are for the costume and the red ones are to be sewn on after Hallowe'en so that the red fleece one piece can be worn when little Luc goes out daily with his dad. The centre symbol is just basted on and the belt has velcro on the back. I made the hood/helmet out of red flannel since it is two layers (it is fully lined) and fleece would have made it too thick.

It got the seal of approval and when little Luc tries it on, I will hopefully get a photo.

I have sewn a quilt top but it needs to be made bigger. Once it is put together I will post a photo before it goes on the frame. Right now though,I need to sort out sewing studio and bring it to some sort of order so I can find things.

Happy Turkey weekend!

Every Inchie Monday #40

2011-10-03T13:10:00.000-04:00

Destination: the place to which a person or thing travels or is sent.

Since I am always the navigator who reads maps and tries to make some sense of symbols while my husband is the driver, I thought a map was the appropriate inspiration for my Destination inchie this week. I've not crossed an ocean and believe in seeing my own country first. Canada is so vast and very beautiful. I have, however, been to Jamaica - in my James Bond-inspired youth.

Little hats

2011-10-01T09:31:00.000-04:00

Since my daughter asked me to make some hats for little Luc, I have been on a roll trying out different patterns. I have a few little patterns and the latest one that I chose to make out of a small piece of plaid fleece that I found in my stash is McCall's 6235. The drawing of the hat makes it appear curved but it is more like the photo and boxy.

It is small and sewed up quickly. Being fleece helped with hand sewing the hem. I didn't have to thicken it by taking an extra seam allowance since fleece does not ravel.

This, of course, is the crown. I do like it when the written instructions and the diagrams are clear and not ambiguous.

In the previous post I showed you what I was working on and now the little hat with the pom pom is complete. The first pom pom came out a tad big so I had to make another one.

I really like the way the yarn makes it look like I was clever and changed colours to make those little white designs but, it's all in the yarn.

Now I'm off to do some more sewing. I have a deadline so I should be moving along.

I'm hooked

2011-09-28T17:07:00.000-04:00

on knitting these days. Thanks to the yarn manufacturers, who offer free patterns, I can pick and choose what I want to knit. I had never made a knitted hat before but after the first one for little Luc, I can't seem to stop.

This is the one I am working on at the moment. It's a Bernat Baby Jacquards yarn called "I'm a Big Boy" and I really like how the different colours become stripes. Variegated yarn has become a favourite.

And on another note, I seem to have had an uninvited visitor yesterday. I opened the front door to leave and this little guy (or girl) appeared to have made my verandah his/her home and was lounging around.

I took this shot from my front window since I didn't know if he/she would stick around by the time I got my camera and positioned myself at the front door. As it was, he/she had skedaddled by the time I got there.

Every Inchie Monday #39

2011-09-26T11:55:00.000-04:00

Wisdom: scholarly knowledge or learning; the quality or state of being wise.

A bit of tongue-in-cheek humour today with Wisdom. I wonder how else one is to drink from the bottle if one does not 'Remove [the] Cap?' It was found on my recent trip to BC.

Another quilt show - Part two

2011-09-23T10:11:00.001-04:00

And so, here is the final installment of the Yorkshire Rose Quilt show.

I do like the American southwest and the art that comes from that area. This was another favourite of mine from the show.

I think this was started in a workshop. Black, white, a bit of yellow and my favourite blue.

Weaver Fever is what this pattern is called.

It is amazing what one can do with scraps. I really like this layout.

Bright colours with black to set them off.

This lady really liked making these little quilts.

They were really cute and would make a nice addition to a child's room.

This quilt came about from a crayon challenge. Each participant picked a crayon from a paper bag and was to create a quilted item using the name of the colour of the crayon as inspiration. Tropical Rain Forest was the colour of the crayon.

A bright New York Beauty.

This hand quilted, whole cloth quilt is by my friend Penny who made it as a wedding gift for a young lady to whom she was a nanny.

The backing is a tone on tone yellow.

A close-up of the quilting.

This was a little different.

As you can see, this one won a prize. It was part of a challenge.

An explanation of the quilt.

This was part of the same challenge. I'm sorry I didn't take a photo of the fabric that was to be used. I was in a bit of a time crunch.

Just a couple of fabrics makes a nice quilt.

Here's a close-up of the machine quilting. I wonder what's so antique about the star?

I love everything about this little quilt.

I should have taken a closer look at this one to see if those are in fact little tiny pieced triangles in the sashing.

A star within a star. The border print might have made a good selection for a One Block Wonder quilt.

I saw this quilt from afar and it wasn't until I got up close and really looked at it that I realized what it was.

I love the explanation for the title.

Another little quilt that caught my eye.

For you Jacobean quilt design fans. It is, of course, hand quilted.

I agree with her on the vibrant colours.

For those of you in love with hexagons. I almost forgot to photograph this one my first time viewing it but I spied it again on my way out.

I like the way she positioned the striped ones. That's a lot of machine quilting.

And now, if you were oooohing and ahhhhing the hand appliqued Jacobean quilt and/or the hand piecing of the hexagon quilt, feast your eyes on this one.

It is a log cabin quilt in the barn raising setting BUT...

it's all yo-yos.

That's it, that's all.

Another quilt show

2011-09-22T10:10:00.001-04:00

This time it's the Yorkshire Rose Quilt Show. My husband did ask, as we were on our way to the show, why I was going if we had so much to do around the house. I said that I hadn't been to a quilt show in a while and that this one was in the city - not an hour or two away. I usually only spend about an hour at a show so that wasn't too bad. I even got to chat with a couple of white glove ladies - one was a friend I hadn't seen in a while so it was nice to catch up and there was also a fellow blogger touring the show. My husband and I still had plenty of time to do stuff around the house because I like to attend quilt shows first thing in the morning when they open and it's not so crowded. Anyway, on with the show. Grab a beverage, sit back and enjoy.

These are in no particular order. I think I took a photo of this one because of all the colour. The black around each block sets them off nicely.

I noticed that there were several quilts with African themes.

This was cute - that's why I took a photo of it.

Wonderful colours.

Click on any of these photos to get a better view and hopefully, you can read the little blurb. This was made in memory of a dad using his linen hankies, ties and trousers.

Please excuse the lighting on some of these photos. While the venue was adequately lit, there were huge windows with lots of daylight pouring through - hence the shadows.

Beautiful applique with lots and lots of hand applique. Click on the photo to see it up close.

My friend Penny made this and she is a hand quilter - no machines for her. Sorry for the blurriness. I was in a bit of a hurry because there were people in the way.

I don't know why I liked this quilt.

It was hand appliqued and hand quilted. I think it was these little birds that I liked. They were different from other appliqued birds I had seen in quilts.

Another colourful, scrappy quilt. Prints with solids.

This was an unusual quilt. At first one would think that the middle is a pieced block but if you look carefully, it is a printed fabric that looks pieced.

This one was made with snippets of fabric held together under netting.

Bamboo always seems peaceful. Great colours.

Stunning One Block Wonder quilt. It would have been nice to see the original fabric.

Another One Block Wonder. Sorry for the blurry photo.

Another African-themed quilt.

Lots of lighthouses. This was machine quilted. I liked the way she added the rocks and trees into the sashing in the central part which made it seem as if they were all together in one place.

This was a fun quilt. I thought of making one of these but so far, it's only a thought. The thong parts are 3D.

Something different for a nine-patch - with elephant fabric.

A 3D pinwheel quilt.

A teen tiny Christmas quilt.

I took this photo for my daughter. She likes Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Bill (or Fisherman Fred or whatever.)

Another applique quilt but this one is machine quilted.

And I leave you today with one of my favourites. It's little but I like it.

Part 2 tomorrow.

New things and not so new

2011-09-21T09:39:00.022-04:00

I'm knitting these days and the items are all a surprise so I can't show you just yet. I hate to admit it but I bought some yarn. I am using what I have also and so it's not that bad. I think I will use up more than I buy though. I keep finding some really nice things to knit. Every yarn manufacturer has free patterns on their web site so one needn't purchase patterns. It just takes time to browse the patterns, print them off or save them for the future.
I think I'll go sew a few things now since my sewing list is being added to constantly.

On the quilt front, here are two quilts that I will be putting into the York Heritage Quilt show in November.

This one I have shown before. I named it Spring Tulips and it was the result of a Spring Mystery Mailout from The Quilt Patch, a quilt shop in MooseJaw, Saskatchewan. They have a Christmas (winter, actually) Mystery Mailout that you can sign up for right now. The quilt is only available through the mail.

This one, called Fantasy Flowers, was a result of a challenge that my quilting buddy Judy and I came up with. We both purchased black and white charms and we were allowed to cut them once only (we could add other b/w charms if we wanted/needed.) Three other colours could be added in any shade (I chose green, purple and turquoise) and black and white were not considered colours so we could add as much as we wanted. There was no size limit. It was fun coming up with guidelines for the challenge and we did it on the subway coming home from the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival which is now just called the Creativfestival.

This was Judy's quilt. She showed hers in the Lindsay Quilt Show two years ago and I was surprised that we both used turquoise. We have another challenge that we gave ourselves and that's another quilt which has no size limit. It's an African theme and we have exchanged fat quarters of animal prints and African-themed fabrics but we are not limiting ourselves on what we use. Neither one of us has started yet even though we've had the fabrics for a couple of years. These are long term projects (obviously) since we both have other quilts we want to work on. They will get done when they get done and we remind each other of them every once in a while.

Every Inchie Monday #38

2011-09-19T01:06:00.003-04:00

Sparkle: to shine or glisten with little gleams of light.

I'm not really this neat - to glue all those little sparkles on. This is part of a box.

Visiting

2011-09-12T15:18:00.001-04:00

I've been away. I went way across the country again to see little Luc - and of course, his mom and dad.

Before we arrived, little Luc helped mama and papa to pick apples.

Here I am just arrived at the airport. Want to guess who I said hello to first???

But Mummi wasn't alone this time because Pops came too.

The weather was great - no rain and not too hot.

We even had a barbecue at the neighbours. The view is wonderful - right across the Fraser River.

Mama made sure Luc was appropriately dressed for when the sun went down and it got cooler.

Many photos were taken in the one short week we were there.

I love this jacket on him - it's a cotton knit and it's reversible.

Lots of time spent outdoors.

A bit of sight-seeing. This is Farwell Canyon. The water was a beautiful aqua colour.

In the neighbour's corn field.

Eating raw fresh corn right off the stalk. Tasted just like candy.

Mama with her new haircut.

Spending time with Pops. Little Luc was fascinated with the leaves moving in the breeze.

Always time for cuddles and hugs.

Time for naps too.

Time for play.

And Luc has even managed to find his fingers. The trip was all too short but filled with wonderful memories.

An overnight flight with a 3-hour time zone change can take a lot out of you.

Back to normal finally.

Now I am knitting and there are lots of sewing items on my 'to do' list. Stay tuned...

Every Inchie Monday #37

2011-09-12T01:04:00.002-04:00

Kiss: to join lips with in this way; to touch gently or lightly.

Makes for a nice toothpaste ad.

Every Inchie Monday #36

2011-09-05T01:58:00.000-04:00

Cozy: snugly warm and comfortable.

This looks like a cozy place to visit or to live. Peaceful.

Every Inchie Monday #35

2011-08-29T14:44:00.000-04:00

Change: to substitute another or others; to transform or convert; exchange for or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category.

The birth of a baby brings so many Changes. A couple becomes a family - a mom and dad. Another child becomes becomes a sister or brother, then there is the aunt and uncle, grandmother and grandfather. Of course, there is the never ending (or so it seems) job of Changing diapers.

Let's go to the Ex

2011-08-27T15:49:00.000-04:00

That's the theme song heard every year at this time advertising the Canadian National Exhibition - better known by one and all as the CNE or just simply "the Ex." Eighteen days leading up to Labour Day, the Ex opens up and everyone knows that the summer holidays will soon be over and school will then begin. It's the last chance teenagers have of obtaining a summer job - even for a couple of weeks. The last day of the Ex is always Labour Day and then the first day of school falls the next day. Always has been. My children went every year - with or without the parents - until other things became more important. When my sons (and my eldest daughter) were older, they volunteered as Scouts (Venturers) and helped push wheelchair patrons around the grounds. Free transit tickets to get to the Ex, free admission and free food is what they got in return. To young teenagers it was a lot of fun. One day was usually Kids Day and that was a very crowded day. I think we avoided attending then. It has changed over the years but the smells are same - fried onions, hot dogs, cotton candy... This year of course, they had deep fried butter (no kidding), deep fried Twinkies and several other deep fried concoctions. My youngest son Eric actually had a Krispie Kreme hamburger - said to be about 1500 calories.

Note: photo ~~stolen~~ taken without permission (I'll get it later.)

The reason for this post is to bring you all down memory lane. Last night my husband, my daughter, her boyfriend and myself went to the Ex to watch Neil Sedaka. He was singing in an outdoor venue called the Bandshell. The concert was free with the purchase of your entry to the CNE grounds but because my daughter has connections, the tickets were free. It was a great night weather-wise and the music was truly wonderful. Neil Sedaka's Greatest Hits was the very first LP I bought as a young girl. I listened to it constantly and new all the songs.

This was taken just now. It wasn't hard to find the record because it was the first one in my record box.

Not a good photo since my daughter's boyfriend didn't have a zoom on his camera. All of these next photos were taken by my daughter Maili.

Luckily, they had big screens.

Neil Sedaka's older now (who isn't), but his voice is still good.

He sang some oldies.

And he sang some new songs that he had composed only two weeks ago.

We didn't have seats - we stood but that was OK. You could move to the music better then. The concert started at 7:30 p.m. and it was still light out. By the time it ended, at around 9:00 p.m., it was getting dark. We left the area and headed to the Midway then.

Crowds.

Stuffed things to be won. My daughter and I wondered what happened to all the stuffed toys once they got to their new home. Really, what does one do with them? We saw two not-too-big men carrying a huge stuffed monkey with a banana. I guess their girlfriends were impressed. The thing was just as big if not bigger than they were. Comical it was.

Lots of games of chance and people just waiting to take your money.

A ring toss that my daughter decided to try for. 5 rings for each of us to try our luck. I didn't bother and nothing was won. Those are all small glass bottles with taller gold coloured bottles. I guess you get a bigger, better prize if your ring lands around its neck.

This is a ride that goes up slowly and then plunges towards the ground quickly - ending softly at the bottom.

Colourful Ferris Wheel.

Another ride.

Lots of lights.

Lots of food stands.

Lots of people. The faint purple light in the middle of the photo is the CN Tower.

Lots to see with a lot of walking.

My daughter checking out the magic mirror - making her short and squat.

We split a waffle with ice cream. It was good and refreshing.

Strange names for rides.

And lastly, the Conklin Clown. It's the Conklin Group that operate the rides at the Ex.

We didn't go into any of the buildings because it was late. We headed home after touring the midway. I always liked the horse palace and looking at the farm animals and the butter sculpture but things are now changed and I don't know if they even have horses anymore. Sometimes it's OK to change things but sometimes they should just leave things alone. I miss the old Ex.

Every Inchie Monday #34

2011-08-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

Imagine: to think, believe, or fancy; to conjecture; guess.

Just imagine that this sign appeared on everything you wanted to purchase.

Some might say it's a scary thought.

Every Inchie Monday #33

2011-08-15T11:51:00.000-04:00

Strength: the quality or state of being strong; bodily or muscular power; vigor.

A bit of nostalgia. I grew up watching Popeye gulp down his can of spinach to gain strength.

What's new on the quilt front

2011-08-11T08:10:00.000-04:00

This is what I'm working on.

This photo was snapped when the sun was pouring in the window.

Then the sun went behind a cloud and I figured I would snap another photo. The colours are truer in this one. I don't normally use my moveable design wall in the former dining-room-now-computer-room but it saves me from walking up and down stairs as I audition the fabrics for this quilt. The quilt is bigger both ways than the wall so I may be going upstairs to use a bedroom floor soon. Or, I can overlap the strips on top of one another so that only half the strip shows. I have a feeling I may be moving things around.

It's for the little girl in London (who is safe and worked from home.) Long overdue but there was a bit of sewing for little Luc so Ayla understands why this hasn't progressed as much as it should have.
The pattern is an Atkinson Design called Fire Escape. Ayla chose the fabrics for the most part. I'm sort of working my way from the outside into the middle. It's using up a lot of the fabrics from my stash (Ulla's challenge of using up your stash to make space for more 2011) and I fear I may run out of turquoises. Oh well, I guess it's a good reason to pick up a bit more.
Another Atkinson design I like is Urban Cabin. It's nice done both ways - with strips in the middle or one solid piece. A few years ago I bookmarked a couple of star patterns in magazines that I had and recently I came across those magazines. One of the patterns turned out to be Lucky Stars - yet another Atkinson design.
I think it's the simplicity of style and the use of solid-reading fabrics that I like about all of these. If you would like to see more of Atkinson Designs, here's the link.

Every Inchie Monday #32

2011-08-08T01:00:00.000-04:00

Rust: any film or coating on metal caused by oxidation; a stain resembling this coating.

Two little keys that I placed in a bowl with some vinegar. Wait a few days and voila, rust. They are on a fabric inchie that I distressed with acrylic paint, an ink pad and a marker. I think it's one of my favourite inchies.

Halton Quilt Show - Part three

2011-08-07T01:39:00.000-04:00

This will be the last installment of the quilt show.

I love solids and I love bright colours.

This one is so pretty and delicate looking.

This looks a bit complicated but it really isn't.

Another quilt with brown and blue but a log cabin this time. I like the curvy-ness.

Here's the write-up on the Winter Wonderland quilt. I have posted photos of this done in various colours. I love it when quilters make a pattern their own by using the colours they love.

I wonder how long this would have taken to make if it weren't paper pieced? Patience and a lot of work went into this.

Love the movement and colours in this fan quilt.

This is the border on the fan quilt.

Something a little different.

The explanation on the quilt.

A close-up.

And yet another close-up.

Another wedding dress quilt.

Stars and triangles.

I do believe that this was made by a male member of the guild.

Sorry for this shot. There were just so many people there and I couldn't wait for all of them to get out of the way of my camera.

And now for something a bit different. The show had some extra quilts displayed. These were from the Canada Packers Quilt Collection. Their permanent home is in Milton, Ontario at the Country Heritage Park.

The Parliament Building in Ottawa.

Umbrella ladies.

A lovely Dresden Plate.

A Hawaiian style quilt.

The description.

All of the Canada Packers Quilts are hand quilted.

I have seen the collection before but I was surprised with this one. I don't remember ever seeing it before.

Not necessarily a typical pattern but certainly typical in colours - red and green on white. Click on the photo to see the gorgeous quilting.

Like I said, red, green and white. Wonderful quilting.

Well, there you have it. Another arm chair quilt show finished. I hope you all enjoyed it but there is nothing like viewing the real things. I urge you to go see one 'live' for yourself if you can. The admission is usually only 5 or 7 dollars and the shows are usually held in arenas, churches, schools or community centres. Quite often the members of the group putting on the show sell their own quilts, knitted items and other crafts at the members boutique and there are usually several quilt store vendors with their wares. Lots to see, great variety and very inspirational - whether or not you quilt.

Halton Quilt Show - Part two

2011-08-06T01:00:00.000-04:00

Continuing on...

Just by looking at this quilt you can figure out how to make it. I like the way it's laid out.

This would look great hanging in a den or a man's office.

Black and white with a bit of colour.

Snails trail in red and black.

Another snails trail but using a lot more colours. I like them both.

Colourful kimonos.

Another colourful quilt done in strips of fabric with flowers appliqued on top.

Hummingbirds with a lot of machine quilting.

I don't know what it was about this quilt that I liked. I'm not a red or a yellow person. Perhaps it's the simplicity of the design which is just rectangles of bright floral fabrics.

A quick bull's eye quilt. Raw edge applique of circles in various sizes.

A wonderful nine patch.

Blues - or rather teals and browns.

And another in the same colour palette.

And now for some smaller pieces. These are some cute minis.

This would make a very nice gift for a gardener.

3D flowers.

3D geranium.

And the last one for today, wine grapes done with yo yos.

Halton Quilt Show - Part one

2011-08-05T01:05:00.001-04:00

Quilts in the Gardens took place at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario on May 14th and 15th of this year. I had promised to show these during a slow summer period and so, here they are. I would like to say that the venue was gorgeous - even if one of the main rooms could have used much better lighting.

As you can see, down below are some of the vendors. It was a great place to shop because of all the natural lighting. However, because of where the air conditioning vents were located (and because they were on) some of the vendors were cold. Others cleverly covered up the vents. I only bought one kit but I did get to talk to a couple of the vendors.

Other than the two above, this was one of the first quilts you saw as you entered. Very simple applique and design and it just goes to show you what can be accomplished. I think it's fresh looking.

Rich colours in this French Braid quilt.

Another applique but still not really overly difficult.

One of the reasons I love going to quilt shows is to see the variety in sizes, colours and patterns of quilts. This one combined piecing with applique.

Another vibrantly coloured bargello quilt.

Stunning. Compare the piecing of this one with the one below.

Simple basic triangles but very effective because of the colour placements.

I had to take a photo of this one. It's the back of a quilt but I love the fabric.

This quilt is basically just two colours - yellow and blue but the quilter used many different shades of both those colours to make a wonderful quilt.

Fish. I think, if memory serves me correctly, the quilter built this quilt around a piece of fabric her son brought from an Asian country.

An innovative sampler done in fabrics that read as solid.

As I have mentioned before, there aren't many people making medallion quilts anymore. It seems that everyone wants quilts that quick to make. This one takes dedication and time. I didn't note whether or not it was hand or machine quilted.

Just as I don't think I will ever make a hexagon quilt, I don't think I will ever make a double wedding ring quilt either but I do admire people who do. This one has a very nice appliqued border - something that double wedding rings usually don't have and an unusual colour scheme in the rings.

And now we come to the quilts in the big room with poor lighting and lots of people. Please keep this in mind for the rest of the photos. These two little wall hangings look like fun to do.

Please click on these photos to see them bigger.

The quilter has an explanation as to what this little quilt is.

Another quilter and the description of the quilt.

I thought this was a little different in the area of challenges. The quilter had to pretend to have a themed luncheon or dinner. The challenge was to produce a cloth of 43-45 inches square (pieced or appliqued with a backing fabric and finished edges), a napkin (unique and related to your theme) and centrepiece "must relate to your theme and it must include something botanical." A white dinner plate would be provided.

What a wonderful display.

Obviously not a really popular challenge but I do commend those who decided to try it.

That's it for today. I do believe there are enough photos to do two more days of the show. Stay tuned...

More help is needed

2011-08-04T07:41:00.000-04:00

Japan’s survivors still need our help! Can they count on YOU?

Quilts for Japan based in Calgary, AB is a group comprised of quilters and caring individuals dedicated to bringing hope and comfort to the people of Japan’s recent Tohoku disaster. Our shipment of over 1700 quilts has now arrived in Japan and is currently being distributed by CRASH Japan.

Jonathan Wilson of CRASH has approached us with a plea for help. With the continued long and difficult days the survivors face with no jobs to go or homes to run, depression and feelings of hopelessness are starting to overwhelm them. Their diminishing sense of well-being is of grave concern.

CRASH has informed us that they were so inspired by the Quilts for Japan project that they have decided that in an effort to help provide something meaningful for the survivors to do and in an effort to try and uplift their spirits, CRASH is going to have its volunteers teach the survivors how to quilt. In order to make this possible, CRASH needs our help.

As a result Quilts for Japan is now entering into its second phase of relief efforts for the people of Japan, Project Threads of Hope and your assistance is greatly needed.

We are asking quilters to donate pre-cut quilting kits (as specified on our website; www.quiltsforjapan.ca) as well as sewing and embroidery supplies which are required for the survivors to complete quilt, sewing and embroidery projects which we are making available to them.

This phase of our efforts allows everyone to participate. Whether or not you have ever quilted, sewed or embroidered, you can choose to donate any of various sewing and embroidery supplies which will serve to bring hope and a sense of purpose to a survivor’s day.

Help by spreading word of our efforts to your friends, family members, colleagues, local churches, quilt guilds and friends on Twitter, Facebook (join the Quits for Japan Facebook group) http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_160658547321617 and other social networking sites.

Please help us make a positive difference in the very difficult lives of these people. No donation is too small to make, nor measure of hope to give.

Many thanks for your continued support for the people of Japan.

Bev Rogan

Quilts for Japan

Project Threads of Hope

"Sending what we love"

info@quiltsforjapan.ca

Every Inchie Monday #31

2011-08-01T01:23:00.000-04:00

Sunset: the time when the sun sets.

Sometimes

2011-07-27T17:53:00.000-04:00

it just doesn't pay to rush...

I thought I would try out the sizing of the little t-shirt. I have quite a few pieces of knit fabrics.

I thought I would use my serger and did one sleeve fine. I left it because I had to answer the door and when I came back to it, I serged the other sleeve. Except I didn't double check to see how I was sewing it and so I sewed it incorrectly. Luckily, I have a couple of metres of this knit fabric and I didn't stress over it.

I re-cut the pieces and re-sewed the shirt today on my Kenmore using a knit stitch. It worked fine and now it's done. Since hems always tend to stretch when sewn, I interfaced the hems with some lightweight knit type of fusible interfacing. Now I want to make the shirt with the button front. I made several for both my boys when they were small. As a matter of fact, I am still sewing shirts for one of my sons - Mark. Eric, whose birthday it is today, (Happy 29th Birthday) prefers store bought shirts.

A little chuckle

2011-07-26T01:48:00.003-04:00

Just a few photos in the life of Luc.

Momma hen gave birth.

I don't think little Luc aka farmer Luc is impressed sitting on his log throne.

But, I must say...

proud Grandma (Mummi) thinks he is a cutie.

Every Inchie Monday #30

2011-07-25T09:48:00.000-04:00

Nest: a place used by birds, insects, fishes, turtles, rabbits, etc., for depositing their eggs or young.

A bit of fabric, a chocolate wrapper and some paint dabbed onto Q-tips. The little nest.

Small things

2011-07-23T19:12:00.000-04:00

While out shopping today, we went to the cookie outlet just to see if they had anything that tempted us. This is what I picked up.

I like 'baby' cookies and these were only 25 cents.

What really amazed me was the detail on the animals. As you can see from the image above and also the picture on the package, they look quite good. They were thick too. I ate the horse and my husband had the lion. If we're in the area again, I think I'll pick up a couple more little bags. They fill the need for that bit of sweet that crave every once in a while.

Wilting

2011-07-21T16:49:00.000-04:00

Or maybe I should have said baking...
I don't even want to know hot it is outside. I had to take Baxter out and that was too much. Tonight is the last night of quilting until the fall but I just don't want to go out there. Ann picks me up and I know she has air conditioning in her car and I know Marg has central air so that's OK. It's just the getting from the front door to the car and then into Marg's house that I am not looking forward to. We have no need for a sauna - just step outside and you can get all the heat you want. Me? I like to breathe.

I don't know if you can tell but my bushes are wilting under all this heat. They need some water.

My poor hydrangea. There are tomato plants out there too.

Just click on any of the photos to see the drooping leaves and branches. Maybe they'll get watered while I am quilting.

And here are Baxter and Digit. They were like this for a long time yesterday. Sound asleep. It usually doesn't take so long for Baxter to realize how close one of the kitties is to him - but it was quite a while before he moved away.

Supper is taken care of for today since I made a zucchini pie yesterday and because there are just two of us living here, there is half a pie left for dinner tonight. The zucchini came from my daughter's garden. Here's the really easy recipe.

Zucchini Pie

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup oil

1 medium onion, chopped (I grate it at the same time I grate the zucchini)

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup biscuit mix (like Bisquick)

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a pie plate. Bake for 25 minutes in oven at 375 F. (I left it in for about 30-45 minutes.) For variety, add mushrooms, bacon, ham or other cooked meat or other veggies.

Super quick and tasty.

Bargain, bargain

2011-07-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

For this week only, Sew Sisters Quilt Shop is willing to ship your purchases for free anywhere in Canada and the U.S.

http://www.sew-sisters.com/

And of course, you can check out their blog and their facebook too.

(Note: I have no affiliation whatsoever with this store - I just wanted to let you all know about their offer)

Every Inchie Monday #29

2011-07-18T01:16:00.003-04:00

Books: a written or printed work of fiction or nonfiction, usually on sheets of paper fastened or bound together within covers.

I like this image of old books. They look well used and loved with little place markings sticking up from them.

Another update

2011-07-17T07:54:00.001-04:00

Well, we have continued on with the blocks for our charity quilt and we have 7 more blocks to do before we quit for the summer. Here's what it looks like now.

These are photos of what the quilt would look like if all the dark scraps were put together and all the light ones touched each other. Marg said that everyone who saw each version liked the setting we have now, the "butterfly" version better. So, I was outnumbered. It really doesn't matter since all of our quilts have been a collaborative effort where we compromise.

And lastly, I came across this photo of my sons. It just goes to show you what 2 grown "boys" do during intermission of the very last hockey game. The shuffleboard game arrived at our house last year sometime and it's good for a quick game.

Diversion Part 2

2011-07-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

A fellow blogger, Kay, had a tutorial for what she called a Potato Chip quilt. It was an interesting concept and so I decided to try it out. As stated in my previous post, it needed 38 strips but I got carried away and cut 39. The interesting part about the whole process is that you don't know how it's going to end up looking.

I started sewing these strips together last night and now it's all done and ironed. It measures 57" X 64".

Out of my head and now, on to other things.

Diversion

2011-07-14T12:04:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while one takes a detour. I should be working on something else but I had already cut 10 pieces which were in a see-through plastic bag. I started out just wanting to add one or two strips. That led to a few more strips and before I knew it, I had to cut the amount required - 38 strips - but I got carried away and there are 39 different fabrics here - not counting the accent.

This is a pile of 2 1/2 inch lengths of fabrics. Mainly blue, green and purple with the yellow as an accent. When it's all put together, I'll post a photo of it.