What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

 Christine and I left early for our quilting retreat with the Oxford Guild this past Friday because there was a winter storm coming and we wanted to get there and be set up before the snow started to fall.  The snow started in the afternoon and kept going all night.  In the morning there was almost a foot of snow (30cm for the metric folks).  We were all snowed in and loving it.  We did not lose power and we had our sewing machines and lots of fabric and projects on hand to work on.  It was a great weekend ...

That was the catch phrase for a 1950s TV sitcom called “The Life of Riley.” It’s still relevant today for situations like the one I got into with a humble lap quilt. On the down low I’ve been making a bricks pattern quilt with an assortment of materials that range from hand dyed cottons to commercial prints, with thermofax prints and Spoonflower printed photographic fabric as well. Its chief purpose is to use up experiments and large scraps that I’ve had too long.

Construction was uneventful. I found a backing fabric, on sale of course, and handed ...

Making a quilt is not a quick endeavor. At least for me it isn’t. Back in 2016 I read a tutorial by Bonjour Quilts and left a comment about how much I loved the quilt. Then in 2020, in a newsletter by Bonjour Quilts (side note – if you don’t receive her newsletter, check it out. Kirsty writes a great newsletter and I very much enjoy reading it) I was reminded of the quilt. At that time, I started cutting pieces for the background. I believe this was at the beginning of the pandemic. Fast forward to 2021, I ...

This is a good day! I feel like life is getting back to normal. With time for a little sewing, a couple of chores, and time to write blog posts; it is evident that the work of the move is behind us. The timing could not be better as it is time for the second annual Positivity Quiltalong, hosted by Sew Preeti Quilts and Needle and Foot. This quiltalong happened for the first time, last spring. At that time, life was getting crazy and it was difficult for me to focus on it. This is made most evident by the ...

This quilt has been in process for quite some time. I finished the quilt top last March. The piecing was quite fun – I used two different charm packs from Benartex that both had a vintage feel to them. After sewing a 2 1/2″ wide strip to the top of each one, I sliced the block in 1/2 and flipped one side upside down. That gave me the rectangular blocks you see here. To add some size to the quilt, I sashed between rows. Finally I added a deep purple border all the way around.

I knew I wanted ...

Basted, some quilting begun

This is an ambitious goal as it is a lot of quilting ...

My finished top

The geese in this quilt are made with a stitch and flip method and I didn't trim out the underneath bits so it is pretty heavy. The backing is a cute ...

Lavender Geese, 1/2/2021

My #onemonthlygoal for January is to finish all 40 blocks for my Lavender Geese quilt. This will be a lap quilt which I plan to use as a throw in my bedroom during the spring and summer. I have this exact same quilt pattern made up from a coffee-themed jelly roll which I like a lot and I ...

The weeks since my previous post have flown by like a whirlwind! I've been busy painting the bath/wash room, TV-room and part of the staircase. I can't say the reno is completed; a few things are left to be done. The reno has kept me away from sewing and I have enjoyed the break from sewing and doing something else! The Christmas Quilt top is done, that's all the sewing I've done lately. 

During the lock-down (April & May), I was determined to finish as many UFO's as possible. What else to do when you ...

Hello everyone! Just popping in this morning to share a project that Beth Sellers and I ‘cooked up’. As you know, I love to support many of the talented quilt designers in our community by selling their patterns in the shop. My preference is to purchase directly from them whenever I can, as opposed to through a distributor. It helps the designer a tiny bit financially and allows me to get to know the person too. A total win-win.

Recently I placed an order with Cooking Up Quilts to restock some patterns that had sold out in the shop. Her ...

HAPPY SEPTEMBER! How come it's September already? That means we are heading towards summer (this side of the globe) AND Christmas! 

Thank you everyone for your comments on my previous post! I intended to make a few more blocks, but that did not happen. Instead I've made some mug rugs, but that is for another post.

As mentioned earlier, I worked on UFO's during the lock-down.

Here's Quiltsy Team and APQ's UFO Challenge 2020; #12 - May challenge (my UFO list #12)

Scrappy Star Batik Lap Quilt, finished May 3, 2020. The photo is not the ...

Over the course of 16 months in 2018-2019, 10 quilting friends and I made and exchanged 20 neutral blocks each month.  We could use any neutral colours including cream, beige, brown, white, gray and black and each block was to be made using two lights and a dark or two darks and a light. This way, each of us ended up with 320 neutral blocks at the end of the swap.  I divided mine into two piles--1:  white, gray and black and 2: cream, beige and brown, and decided to make two different projects with my blocks.   

I found some ...

I have not been blogging much this past year and am hoping to get back on track with it. I posted a #onemonthlygoal earlier this week and realized that the quilt that I had set several goals for is now finished but I hadn't shared it here. Ultimately I was very happy with how the quilt came out, but there were some challenges along the way! 

Scrappy Log Cabin

Last week, I showed my first finished face cloth which I had knitted and this week, I made another one.  The second one went much more quickly.  I will be starting a third one tomorrow for Slow Sunday Stitching with Kathy and the other sewers, knitters, crocheters and embroiderers. 

The variegated yarn makes an interesting pattern.  

My hexagon quilt top is done.  As you can see, I decided to add 1.5" filler strips between the columns of hexagons. I needed the quilt to be a tad wider to make the proportions right.  The size of the borders was determined ...

Last week, I showed two piles of blocks for this baby quilt--the rectangular four patches and the I Spy blocks.  I have way too many I spy fabrics but could not resist buying this one to add to my collection--who doesn't love a popsicle in the summertime?  

I got busy at my sewing machine this week and put the quilt top together, quilted it on my DSM and did the binding...One completed baby quilt in less than a week!

Since I did not want to go out to a quilt store to buy backing, I pieced the backing ...

What a beautiful day today!  Last weekend, we had snow, but today, we were out gardening while wearing shorts and sandals.   I think I like this weather better, and so does Finn.

Yes.  You read that correctly.  Today, we had snow flurries.  In May!!!  I even wore my winter jacket, mitts and a hat this morning on my walk.  In May.   It can be cool here at this time of year but it has been many years since I remember having snow in May.

Speaking of snow, my snowflake quilt is done!