Let's Be Friends - a new sew-along!

There is a new sew-along starting July 1st from Border Creek Station called Let's Be Friends. There will be two blocks issued per week....you can read more about it HERE. 

My LQS will be offering a weekly support group, or Show and Tea as she puts it. Sounds like fun....I'm in!

There are kits available for this sew-along, but I'm going to shop the stash. I have just the right amount of background fabric that was rejected from a previous project, which you can see HERE.

For my other fabrics, I will use 30's reproduction prints. I think it will work....I'll find out after the first two blocks this week!

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I've been trying to play catch-up this week when I've had a spare moment or two.

I'm a bit behind on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I think I have three sets of bird blocks to do.....and I had a couple of months worth of Squared Away to piece. 

I'm almost ready for the July colour when it's revealed, I just need one more pink block. Here is what I've accomplished this week....

I am doing three blocks per colour and the blocks finish at 7".

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I was happy (and surprised) to come across these little blocks...

I had looked all over the place for them in April when I intended on making a small mat out of them to donate to the draw at our Quilt Show in May. Of  course, they were tucked away in the proverbial "safe place"!

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I couldn't resist starting a new block for my Simple Folk quilt...one of Sarah Fielke's current BOM's.

I've had a couple of other applique pieces on the go, but I also think I was stalling on this one because a few of these blocks will include a bit of "pieced applique" bits, which I found a bit intimidating.

It turns out that the process was easy-peasy and I like it!.....

Here are all my blocks, so far, on the design wall....

I'm quite pleased with it. There are two things I had wondered about changing, but decided to let be.

Then, when my husband came in to look at the blocks up on the wall, he pointed out one of my doubtful bits on his own! I think that decides the issue for me....I'll have to correct it. Most of the fabrics really pop, but in the top block the purple "teardrop" shapes really blend in a little too much. I think I'll be much happier in the end if I fix them.

I tend to not overthink my quilts too much, just go with the flow. But, when the need arises, I have no problem going back to tweak things just a little.

I'm also not fussy on my fabric choice for the swans. I'll let that one go a little longer and see how I feel later.

In my neighbourhood we are bracing for an extreme heat wave over the next several days. At some point I need to cut the grass out front, but other than that I think I'll be spending a bit of time in the sewing room....sounds like a plan!

I am linking up with Confessions of A Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?. Have a visit and see what others are working on today :)

Have a lovely day and stay cool!

Summer rain

What a perfect morning for some slow stitching.....somehow a rainy, dreary morning makes for an even cozier time for doing handwork.  

I'm ready for a slow day. Two of my sons came over yesterday to help re-roof our shed....needless to say, they got wet....but it got done, thankfully.

Meanwhile, I was holding down the fort in the house with a 4-year old, a 2-year old and the 16-month old twins. We had a lot of fun, even more-so when we discovered that The Wiggles is on Netflix and we had a dance party, lol.

And, thankful for my Instant Pot so I could make up an easy-prep lunch that was enjoyable for wee ones...

So....tired at the end of the day, after two days of more activity than I'm used to. Should have meant for an early bedtime, but we found a show that we both liked, Happy Valley, and we kept saying just one more episode....until well past midnight. So....I think a little extra slow-stitching will be on the agenda today!

I've been poking away at the second block of Tomato Soup - The Sequel.

These blocks finish up at 24" and I'm having fun working with the bright, beautiful fabrics. 

I like this one and was happy to finally find a spot for it...

Here are my first two blocks together on the design wall.....

Hmm, I can tell it's a gloomy day since the pictures aren't picking up the vibrancy of the fabrics.


That's all for now, except for the following PSA.....


For bloggers out there who've had problems getting notified of comments, read THIS POST at Fun With Barb for a Blogger Fix. It took just minutes and the problem seems to be solved! 


I am linking up with Kathy today for Slow Sunday Stitching, where I think I'll indulge in a little extra time looking at what others are working on today!

Feels good to have a "finish"!

Yay, it's "Finished or Not Fridays".....and, for once, I have a Finished instead of an Or Not!

Here is a picture from a couple of months ago of this intended lap quilt.....

Here is one finished, in an different colour-way....not mine, a friend's.....

In the meantime, my soon-to-be-13 year old Grandson asked for a quilt for the bigger bed he was getting. When asked, he said he'd like a blue quilt much like the quilt he has used here since he was a baby. Don't you just love it when you get some quilt-appreciation from your family!!! 

So, I figured I would just bump this quilt up to a double-sized quilt with a couple of borders.

Again, in the meantime, I learned a super cool technique to make a 1/4" inner border. Love it!....especially since it would replace ever again doing a little accent flange (which, if a longarm quilter were honest with you, would tell you they are a pain in the bum to deal with!). 

So in this picture you see the main body of the quilt at the bottom, then the white border which was to be the final border. I added the two blue borders with  that lovely little white 1/4" white border inserted in between. Doesn't it just set it off nicely! 

The most important thing to do with this technique is to not daydream while sewing!....you have to really pay attention.

To see a tutorial so you can try adding a narrow border to your quilt, have a look at a post by Barb Robson HERE. I'd say that once you read her post, get a couple of scraps and actually go through the steps to see what you think!

I have to admit, my first three sides of the narrow border were done slightly incorrectly....but I realised it by the fourth side and it turned out so much better. I will definitely be doing this technique again!

Somehow, while adding the borders, I got a little yellow mark on one of the white borders...maybe the size of half a dime....no idea what it was.

I figured I'd try to get right at it and dabbed it with a Q-tip and bleach...and let it dry.

Then I was faced with a yellow mark about the size of a 1-1/2" circle!

I figured what the heck, try one more time....

.....and, of  course, it's now it's about 2.5" in diameter! Oh, brother.

So, I guess as soon as this gets quilted it'll be headed for the washing machine.

Also, can you notice in the picture the blue "vein" beside the stain? There are so many long dangly indigo threads hanging around the back of this quilt, it's going to be a nightmare trying to make sure that nothing shows through the white fabric when I quilt it.

I'm wondering if black batting would solve the problem?  What do you think? I know it may dull down the brisk white fabric, but maybe that's the lesser of two evils???

I am linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?.

....and now I can rest....

It's time to try to get back on track with my sewing and blogging.

I've come to the end of my "very busy six weeks", which all started way back at our guild's quilt show and culminated in the Diva Race on Toronto Island this past weekend. 

During that six weeks we had a lovely trip to Nova Scotia, coming back with the burning question, "Does anyone ever have a good hair day in Halifax?".

As for sewing....not much done around here lately, but I hope to get back at it this week. I need to get cracking on my Border Creek Mystery quilt as it will be a birthday gift in September...

It just needs the pieced border, then some multiple borders to bring it up to the needed dimensions.

I also have to get sewing on a wedding quilt for my son and his fiance. I was reminded yesterday of the quilt I had intended on making (thanks, AM!), so set out to get the fabrics needed. My husband said that since I was doing the making of the quilt, he would do the paying of the materials.....nice deal!!!

Not a great picture as it's a grey start to the day today, but I'm sure you'll be seeing more of this in the coming weeks :)

Today I am linking up with Lorna for Let's Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts, and with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers.

Have a lovely Spring day!

Ruler Review

Something different to write about today. 

I thought I'd do a product review of a new ruler that I've bought. I have absolutely no affiliation with the product, I just wanted to give it a try and pass along my findings to fellow quilters.

This review is of the Simple Folder Corners Ruler by Doug Leko.

You know when you do the stitch and flip method for snowballing corners?...that is what this ruler is for. There are other applications, such as flying geese and square in a square blocks.

Here is the ruler...

The first advantage is that there is no problem trying to figure out what size of fabric to cut. My pattern called for 2" unfinished squares, so that is what I use for use with the ruler.

There is no drawing of any lines, you just place the square on the base fabric...

Place the ruler in position...

(Looking at the above picture. I can see a tiny mistake. Doug Leko does state that we should keep things squared-up by making sure the lines on the ruler fall along the side of the block....in mine, the line coming down from the #2 on the ruler should lay right on the edge of the fabric. Pretty close, though!)

Something to note in the above picture....there is a diagonal line that will soon be your sewing line....what used to be a drawn line using the old method, but no drawing using this ruler.

Now, make the cut...

Now, sew using a scant 1/4" seam...

Be careful to be gentle sewing the seam...it's a bias cut and could stretch.

And, see that little piece that was cut away? I know some people will sew that together to get an extra HST from it. Well, using this ruler, it automatically comes out to be a perfect size, no trimming.

The only trimming is the dog-ears on the HST.....meaning, no dog-ears at all on the main block!

In the above picture, you can see that I prepared all of my snowballed corners and just pinned them 'til they get to the sewing machine. 

Here is my block completed, as well as the little HST's.

There is another option with this ruler, and that is to use an over-sized piece and trim down afterwards. I wondered why would one bother?....but I do think it would make for an even more exact piece, especially if you are not quite confident in your sewing skills.

Here is a link to a video on YouTube with the creator of the ruler giving instruction on the use of it...

https://www.facebook.com/FatQuarterShop/videos/10154684101773358/

I bought my ruler at my LQS, Quilt Junction. 

In the end, I can think of only one thing I would change, and it's not even a true problem. I like to hang my rulers on a peg board, so it would be nice if there were a hole in the ruler like many other rulers have.

It is a bit pricey, but not at all out-of-line with what rulers are costing these days. 

So, I definitely give this ruler two thumbs-up and I'm sure I will use it often!!!

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Here is a picture of my latest running adventure...

This was this past weekend at the Dundas Conservation Area, the race called the Sulphur Springs Trail Race. I did the 10k....others did 25K, 50K and 100 miles! 

I was a bit nervous, but in the end it was a truly beautiful experience. When I got to where I took the picture, I was actually a bit choked up at the beauty around me.

And the ultra-marathoners!....so many of them took the time to give me encouraging words. I met some great people on my trail run and realize that this will be a race I will register for year after year. My favourite.....so far!!

I am linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social ( I can't wait to try my new ruler on my BlackBirds quilt, one of Lorna's patterns, should be perfect for it! ), and with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers.

Have a wonderful Spring day!

It's been a while!

Well, I knew a while ago that May was going to be a very busy month....but I didn't know that I wouldn't even have a few moments to do a blog post!

The jam-packed calendar continues until mid-June.

Here are a few highlights of the month so far, beginning with our quilt show at the beginning of May.

I was able to see my Down the Rabbit Hole hanging. This was the quilt that was completed just in time! 

Part of the fun was strolling around looking at the quilts with Gail of The Cozy Quilter and Kathy of Kathy's Quilts. 

And I was only able to visit with one of the vendors (due to a series of events brought on by the terrific wind storm that weekend), so was only able to make one purchase...

I wish I could make time to do some prep-work on this before heading to Nova Scotia, as it would make a perfect travel project, but I don't know if there is time for that!

The quilt show was followed by a quilting retreat. Why is it that it feels so relaxing while on retreat, but you come home exhausted???

Here is our hostess, Lana of Quilt Junction...

Here is our set-up for the three days, in the ballroom at the Elm Hurst Inn ....

....and the beautiful view from my room...

I managed to work on a few projects, such as my RSC18, Squared Away...

...and some of my Simple Folk pieced blocks...

It was also fun to see what others were working on!...

....and I even had to get a picture as proof that I am no longer a salmon virgin...

...that's a big piece of salmon! I figured if I was ever going to try salmon, doing it at a 5-star Inn may be the place to do it!

I did manage to get all the blocks completed for our BOM we've been doing at the Haldimand Guild this past year....

I am going to like this quilt once it is done. The irony is that despite the simple blocks, there were many errors in the pattern which made it frustrating. The further irony?....it wasn't until I had all the blocks on the design wall that I saw that I had made a huge design error in the planning of this! So funny! Oh well, keeps one humble, I guess!!  I'll elaborate at a future time.


Right on the heels of the quilt show, and the retreat....race weekend!

I had three races that weekend....not sure I'll do that again, but I did have a lot of fun!

.....and managed to have a wee visit with my daughter at the Optometrist where she works....obviously we have good taste in sunglasses....

This past week was more of the same...so busy with visitors from Alberta. Somehow I still managed to get a bit of applique accomplished. 

Here is the first block of Tomato Soup, The Sequel (almost)(finally!!) done...

Today I am linking up with Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Bee Social, and with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers.

Have a lovely day!

Quilt Show news and some slow stitching

It was especially nice to sit with my stitching this morning. It feels like such a busy time lately that I feel fortunate to have a hobby that takes me out of the busy times and allows me to just "be".

I've been poking away at this block, which is one of the Sarah Fielke BOM's for 2018, Simple Folk...

My go-to method of doing circles is not conducive to fussy-cutting. I'm not terribly fond of my circles on this block....it would have been a perfect opportunity to test the Appliquick method. Oh well, I'm sure there will be more opportunity in this quilt to try it...I'll live with this block, warts and all.

I'll be going on a Quilt Retreat this week and, of course, I've packed way too much....but it is good to have choices!

I hope to get the pieced blocks for Simple Folk somewhat started. This is what they will look like...

This is the big weekend of our guild's Quilt show in Simcoe, Ontario. 

We had a wonderful start on Friday....and then a huge wind storm blew in with gusts of up to 120km winds. 

About an hour before the show was to finish up for the day the electricity went out at the venue and we had to close early.....and the power didn't come on again 'til mid-Saturday!

So, the show did not open on Saturday....we are having the second day today. Thanks to social media, we're hoping that the word has spread. 

I haven't even had a chance, myself, to take in all the quilts, as on Friday I was volunteering at the show's boutique booth. So I'll be looking forward to seeing the show today....as well as meeting a couple of fellow bloggers!

I did whip around quickly before the show started on Friday to get pictures of my quilts hanging. I love the look of my Tula Pink City Sampler and look forward to it finally being on my bed after the show...

I'm still happy with the coral sashing....even though I originally went to Quilt Junction looking for grey fabric!

One of our vendors specializes in EPP, Eagle's Wings Quilts....and she also happens to be a blogger who links up with Slow Sunday Stitching!

I haven't done much EPP in a couple of years, but I do love to do it, so I picked up this pattern to start at some point...

That's it for today...wish us luck on a successful day at the quilt show! I hope it works out after all the hard work everyone has put in :)

I am linking up with Kathy at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.