Red and Pink are my Colors

Hi everyone.  Hope you are getting through the winter months and having fun working on projects.  We have just completed a week of a-40 to -45C windchills!  I can tell you I have gotten a few projects done just by staying indoors.  The flue landed hard here even closing one wing of our hospital but I think the cold windchills have taken care of those bugs.

Here is my second finish for 2013, a snowball quilt.  I was super excited to find some flower quilting designs while visiting Marcia's Quilting Blog.  She has a longarm quilting business and does beautiful work.  I have always struggled with flowers, just can't keep them round.  Now seeing how Marcia does hers inspired me to try again  and I think they are okay, at least, the best I have done so far.

The photos could be better, however, this was during the snowy freezing weather dull days.  I made this quilt entirely out of scraps.....maybe about 600 2-1/2" squares.  It looks real pretty all finished up and will be going to a cancer patient.

Since it is February and I have time to play a little, I am working on Connie's twister heart project and you can see her tutorial here http://www.conniekresin.com/2013/02/twisting-heart-valentine-tutorial.html
Here I am so far....

See the tiny 2 1/4" template I used to cut the squares.  I have never done this tiny of twister blocks so I used my scissors to cut the blocks apart after I traced the template with a FriXion pens.  When I get it done, I am going to link to Connie's Freemotion on the River. Connie is also having a giveaway today if you live in the US.   Have a great day everyone.

Moving Slowly Along

My new hip is just amazing and there is no longer any pain.  This hip feels like it has belonged to me forever, not just one month.

I am registered for a Home Base Business and Craft Fair November 24 here in Swift Current.  At last count there are 83 booths so it should be a wonderful show.  It is quite some time since there was a local Christmas Show of this size and I think the public will be pleasantly pleased with the different booths.  Please join us if you are in our area.  Location is the Stockade, in the Exhibition Grounds from 10-5.  A one day show only.

I am up to my eyeballs in sewing.  I will give you a sneak peek in a few more days.  My stamina is still a little low but things are starting to come together.  Sorry I am so slow getting pictures up but will have some new surprises soon.

Thank you to those of you who have been checking in on me and I hope you are enjoying some more sewing time.  My thoughts have also been with each and every one of you affected by Storm Sandy.  I hope each day brings better times.

Back In Gear

It has been a bit more than a week of recovery and I thank all of you that check in for new updates.  You are such an important part of my quilting ventures.  It is quite an amazing process of getting an artificial hip...3 weeks today....I have absolutely no pain of any kind and just have weakness in that leg.  I am already getting around in the house nicely with a cane.  I am faithful to my exercises as they say they help reduce the pain and strengthen the leg.

I haven't done very much sewing as I couldn't sit for very long and it takes time to get all those drugs out of your system.  I had the hardest time last week to make a pinwheel...just couldn't get the thought process right.  That is all cleared away now.  I do not do much  in seasonal themes but I did do a couple "Hint of Christmas" pot holders.  They still need a bit of quilting to finish them off.  I love the little sign "work for freezer space"! 

I am booked in for a Home Base Business Trade and Craft Show on November 24th.  I paid my fees but wasn't totally convinced I could be ready for this but I am doing really well so I am getting excited.  We have moved to a larger venue and it is only a 1 day event so I am anticipating a larger turnout.
I am putting together a child's quilt from a panel I had.  I am calling it tossed alphabet.  Here I am laying it out for a preview and I am pleased how well everything is fitting together.  I thought I would add squares of the pinwheel fabric set on point across the top and bottom of the banner.  I think I should expand that green outside border to maybe 3".  That striped will be the binding done on the bias.  Any thoughts you might have as to this layout are certainly welcomed.

The original panel was finished with a blue border...do any of you think I should go that route?
Please feel free to leave suggestions and comments that will help me improve on my project...I love to hear from you.

I am linking this post to Freemotion Quilting by the River.
 

UFO Drawings

I certainly appreciate all the feedback I received today and tonight I have done some drawing.  I made an exact size block and have drawn some leaves, etc. on it.  Those 2 blocks "square in a square" are the ones giving me problems.

Sorry it turned sideways.  The leaf vine is my border up each side.  I seem to loose the maple  and oak leaf every time I put something around them. The center squares aren't very big.  So I tried this:

I ignored the center square and filled the bigger square with a leaf.  I was also wondering about replacing the fern with either a dead tree or a pine tree.  What do you think?  I could maybe find a stitch to fill the maple and oak leaf similar to what I did with the plain leaf.  I appreciate any feedback you wish to offer. 

It's UFO Sunday

I can't believe it is Sunday again and time to pull out a new UFO.  I finished my 2 projects from last week but didn't take time tonight to do pictures so I'll post this on Linky Tuesday at Freemotion at the River.

This new item is a sofa topper that I started last fall.  I was planning to take it to my craft show but the amount of quilting didn't fit into the time slot I had to finish it.   The first picture is the overall quilt and please excuse the fold lines as this has been put away for a while. The colors aren't showing up that great but are done in black, greys, taupes.  It is made up of the same block turned different ways and then side borders.

Here is a closeup of one block.  I have done the leaf and my feather looks more like a leaf than a plume.  There are also some loopy loops and a narrow strip of ribbon quilting.
Here is my dilemma, what do I put in the borders around the squares?  Should I do leaf designs in all the areas?  I like the leaves I have done and may add a maple leaf in one of the squares.
When I get the quilting figured out for this one block, should I repeat the same quilting in all the blocks? The narrow strip on the side is a border that I was going to do leaves on a vine.
 

Fun Fabric Friday

Has anyone been stashing up on good fabric sales.  I did, and today 4 packages arrived. WooHoo!  The sale is still on over here at Quilt It Shop.  This is their annual big inventory sale and I think it is terrific at $4.50 and $4.00 a yard on all inventory.

The bundle on the left is creams and neutrals for some pillows/place mats.  I got 2 baby panels and the center bundle are some coordinates.  The panels are 24" wide so need to add something.  Third bundle is for a modern quilt with a grey background fabric.  I am going to a Christmas Craft Sale in late November so I am sewing for that.  I love all the fabrics I received and it was like Christmas in August for sure today.  Also, the shipping was terrific too so go see what they have.

Christmas in August

Just catching up on what everyone is up to.  I finally have a small item finished to show you.  This table runner is done with Christmas scraps so I am calling it "Christmas in August".  I am liking how it turned out and I have been wanting to try some circular quilting and this seemed like a good project.  I did rows spaced 1/2" apart and staggered the circles across the runner.  I didn't get a real good picture to show the design and the quilting but here goes.  The design is the small twister ruler.

The circles weren't that hard to do as I thought I might end up oval not circular but it all went pretty good.  I would like to try a bigger item, like a baby quilt.  I have no idea how far experienced quilters space their circular lines so if anyone out there can provide some insight, I would love to hear from you.

These photos are again taken in my flower garden.  I spent several hours last week cleaning out some of the expired flowers and moving some pots around.  It's good to be back online after our modem gave up on us leaving us for several days with no TV and no Internet!  Hope you are having a wonderful week.

I am having a few problems writing posts lately but I can post a picture so they are coming first.  How was your weekend?  Ours was splendid, couldn't get any better with family, pets, sunshine and food!  I made this little baby quilt from 2 charm pacs of California Girl, oh how I love that fabric and I could make another of this pattern, just so much fun with a modern flair.  I used the 3" twister ruler.  I FMQ using a free style pattern on my trusty antique machine. Hope you enjoy seeing this finished.

We are experiencing just a tad bit of Heat the last few days and it feels very HOT and HUMID to us drylanders, he, he!  It is a good time to stay indoors with a fan nearby and do some sewing.

As you probably know, I am so addicted to string quilts and I am always on the lookout for a new style as inspiration.  Here is one I found lately with som white and black center strips.  I am making this a skinny quilt to use as a wall hanger or bed topper.  If I don't like how it progress, I can just change the layout and it will be a throw.  Either way, I know I am going to love this one.

This will be 4 rows across by 8 down but I only have 9 blocks done to do a sample layout.

I did this baby quilt strip style from baby jungle fabric that I have had since maybe 2007.  I get so much inspiration from Mary on Scrap Quilting that it is a daily stop to see what's new.  Such a generous lady quilting most of the quilts for the Heart String Quilters charity group and always sharing finished quilts highlighting the quilting as well.  Here is the start of my strip quilt.

The humidex and temperatures are lower today so we are going to BBQ steak and have a good supper.  I have just about had my fill of sandwiches for a while.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, I sure had a productive one while we snuggled indoors for 3 days of rain.  Today there was enough sunshine to get out doors and take a few pics.  Here is my retro picnic table cover to match my umbrella.  I am very pleased with it considering all I had was a newspaper for a template.  Here is the link click to go to the tutorial for this really cute table center piece that I used to make my bigger version.

Everyone used to make jokes about my umbrella, well now it is right in fashion so I thought a table cover would be nice.

Rainy Day Finishes

It is 12 noon Saturday here in Saskatchewan, the fireplace is lit and we have already had 1 3/4" of rain this morning so I figure this is a good day to get some projects finished up.

Up first on the list is a little lap charity quilt I made last year.  I have been experimenting with new quilting designs and have one I am feeling quite good about using  and this little quilt seemed the right project to debut it.  Sorry for my picture quality today, I have no where in the house to take good pictures.

Here is a close up of the quilt design.  A couple little wiggles but it is coming together well.

Next I put the binding on my retro spoon and fork wall hanging that was a project over at Stash Manicure.

So now I am on my third project....my retro picnic table cover.  I am just doing some final adjustments so it will lay flat in a circle and then some backing.  I will post it finished on the table when the sun is back shining and a link where you can make a cute circle table mat.

It is rather fun to have a day like this once in a while and no point pouting about the rain.  I 'll be back when the sunshine comes out.....they say Tuesday!!!

I have been away far too long, sorry!  To start things off,  I have my Lorex quilt together and basted so it is now ready for quilting.  I love how it turned out.  It is a good size too, 70x86".  I have my quilt design picked out  an up/down lines and shapes for bark.  I can hardly wait to get started.  Here's a picture of where I am at.

I have my March doll quilt to finish up and get in the mail.  It is something new and I love working on it.  I have such an interesting partner, Fay Baldwin who lives in the US and I have the nicest friend and neighbor, Fay Baldwin.  How cool is that....to have 2 great friends with the same name!

We have had a week of incredible weather +19C....woo hoo! Spring is here!  I was out walking every day making myself somewhat stiff and I could have a morning coffee on the south side of my house in the sunshine.  You have to go through long winters like we have to appreciate sunshine but don't forget the sunscreen.  Well that is all I have for today so enjoy spring and sunshine wherever your live.

New Modern Quilt

Oh, I am so excited to start my new modern quilt.  Last night I pulled my fabrics that I have available to use but whether or not I use all of them is still debatable.  Here is what I got, what do you think.

I am going to use blocks from Sew Mama Sew BOM that you can find herehttp://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/12/modern-block-of-the-month-bom-december-sew-along/I just love these patterns and when you scroll down you can see how 1 block will look as an entire quilt.

I have a couple projects to finish up first, of course!  I need to quilt my string quilt so I can take it to the Cancer office.  I need to finish and mail my Doll Quilt for the swap on the Quilting Board.  Bonnie`s mystery quilt Orca can wait a bit long.  It needs lots of work yet and I need to get back in that mood so I can stick with it until it is done.

Sewing, sewing like a mad woman.  I am so excited about this coming Saturday, it is the Home Trade and Craft Show.  It is only one day but with 30 booths, there will surely be some good sales.  Here is what I want desperately in the show...my sofa/bed topper.  I love how it turned out and now I need to focus on the quilting, so far so good.

This is all I am going to show you until it is finished.

Of course, the kids are ready and excited to go.  Here is one keeping check on me!

Cross you fingers for me.  I have been to Saturady shows the last two weeks and they were terrible.  The weather was bad and -20 windchills so no one was in the mood to shop.  I have lots to show you after the Saturday show.

Happy Thankgiving to all my American friend