More time for piecing...

Hmm, I seem to be getting a bit more time for piecing lately. I know it's from me changing up my daily schedule and I'm liking the productivity!

I usually have some progress on my handwork...and that goes for this week, also. I have finished this block for my Simple Folk...

I wish I hadn't fallen so far behind on  Simple Folk, which was the Sarah Fielke BOM for 2018. Especially since the first installment for 2019's BOM  is being released in the next 24 hours.

I also sat down after work yesterday for a coffee break and some hand-piecing on this week's block for the Hand-Pieced QAL....

I am happy with block #2 of the Harry Potter QAL hosted by Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts. This block is Hermione. It's not too late to join in on this one!

(note to self....clean the lens on the camera so as to get clearer photos)


I've been working at my Border Creek Mystery. I think this will be a bright quilt!

I've been dabbling with some Dear Jane blocks. This one has been on my bucket list for a very long time, but I've always struggled with tiny blocks. I think I'm ready (really????)...and now is a good time, as there is a sewalong beginning in mid-February on Instagram, so there would be motivation and accountability (really????).

Here is the block on the design wall so you can get an idea of "scale"...

Now it's time for a bit of an abashed confession...I seem to have two more "starts" looming in my near future. I'll go into that at a later time.

For now, it's time to make the long commute to the longarm. Believe me, on a frigid day like today, I'm even more thankful to be able to stay indoors. 

Stay warm, stay safe!! xo

Today I am linking up with Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek-Makers.

This Winter's day needs a bit of colour!

It's so true that the holidays makes you lose track of the days. All day yesterday it felt like Sunday to me. Now that it's actually Sunday, I feel like I have a bonus day to the weekend :)

....and I needed the extra day....to complete my One Monthly Goal.

I dragged my feet on this one, it seems. I don't know that I'm terribly happy with my fabric choices....but I'm happy that it's done!

My goal was to finish Block #4 in my Queen's Garden....

It seems to be a bit dark and boring to me...but it looks fine hidden amongst the rest of the flowers in the garden, I think...

Yesterday, as I was getting caught up on my Border Creek Mystery, I realised that I was just aching to work with some COLOUR!!!

This was as I was doing the tedious job of trimming-up. (Which I usually avoid by utilizing other methods, but this quilt is a mystery so I followed directions.)

....a lovely, messy pile of colour!

This had me digging into a box containing a project destined for the future....but I had to play with just one block to get my colour-fix in!

There's always something so special about the very beginning of a quilt, don't you think???

I was able to get a few stitches into the colourful fabrics and it made me feel much better. Funny, isn't it, how that works?

I'm supposed to meet my friend for a nice, long run in Port Dover this morning.....but I did not expect to wake up to a snowy morning! Oh well, I'll get ready and see how it is in a bit.

Sometimes it's difficult to push myself out on these grey Winter days but one thing I do know....once I get out and do it, I never regret it!

I am linking up with Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching, and with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal - December finish.

My goals for today....get a run in, do a bit more stitching, watch last night's episode of Outlander (which should be amazing!!!).

Gratitude X3

I've had a nice start to my day with a bit of slow stitching.

It's going to be a busy Summer day, so I am always grateful to the peaceful way I begin each day.

Today I put the finishing touches on a block from my Simple Folk quilt....the block was from a couple of months ago, I just never got around to doing the heart....

.....and, yes, I do know that it turns out looking like a fancy, old-fashioned rubber glove! lol...

That didn't take long, so I continued on with a bit of binding....

I am grateful to seeing a friend's binding on a similar quilt....it turned out to be the perfect binding for mine!.....absolutely perfect!

Can you see that I've used the word "grateful" twice already....not on purpose. But I did listen to a podcast this morning while slow stitching....it talked about trying to say three things that you are grateful everyday. Evidently, this can help change your outlook on life, which I've heard before but always seem to forget. Maybe I'll have to set up some kind of reminder until it becomes a habit.

I will gift this quilt to my grandson at his 13th birthday party today. I am not happy whatsoever with this quilt in the end, but I'm sure he will love it...and I'll make it up to him in the future with another quilt, I am sure!

Here is Kirby, after a race he ran with me this Summer, which I don't think he'll ever do again! I am very grateful to have this young man in my life, xo.

Today I am linking up with Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching.

Almost a real quilt...

I'm spending some time today sewing the binding down on my grandson's birthday quilt...

I know people like doing the binding, but I'm not one of them....but it does mean the quilt is almost finished!

I tried quilting it with wavy lines which seems to be popular lately and I do like the effect. I don't know why it's such a difficult thing for me to do though! The last third of the quilt certainly doesn't look the same as the first third....I think I was finally catching on to how to make it look a bit better. I find it hard to make the wavy lines look "random".

Once it's done I'll give it a wash with some colour catchers to see if I can get rid of the marks on the quilt, of which you can read about HERE.

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I hope to find time today to do some prep-work for more applique. 

I finished another block this week for Simple Folk.....

I was a little nervous of the execution of this block, but I love how it turned out in the end!

This week I also tweaked a couple of blocks that were bothering me. I switched out the purple leaves on the upper block that seemed to blend in too much, and I changed my swans. I'm much happier with the results....

On a gardening note.....I think this is our second year attempting to grow garlic, if not our third, and we finally have success!

How funny though....I'm not one to like pictures of myself but this garlic made me so happy I think it really shows in the picture :)

A nice harvest, and will try to grow more next year.

This week I'll watch some YouTube videos so I can learn to braid the garlic.

Today I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Have a wonderful Summer's day and try to stay cool!

Out, out damn spot!

The last few days I've definitely felt out of sync with the universe! I'm pretty sure it's not a full moon right now, so I have no explanation.

After working on a client's quilt yesterday, I mounted my grandson's birthday quilt, hoping to take time to get it done this week.

This is the one where I had a problem with some kind of stain on the quilt, which you can read about HERE. I'm not sure the mark will come out in the wash, so I figured I'd sew a label to the front of the quilt to cover it before quilting...just in case. 

Do you see what I see?....here, take a closer look....

Hmmm, I think it's more noticeable in person....the indigo fabric is running! I'm sure I washed these fabrics ahead of time. A friend of mine is going to give me a couple of colour catchers so I can wash the quilt after it's done....here's hoping for the best!

So, I have the quilt all ready to go, and now realise that I have to get a small quilt done for someone first.....so after I write this post I'll make my way to the sewing room to take this quilt off and hopefully get a fresh start with it later this week.

It's one of those weeks where I just would like to curl up with a bit of applique and ignore responsibilities! 

I did have a wonderful experience last weekend....my son and grandson ran the Smugglers' Run with me....

It was hot, and the trail is highly technical, but we had a lot of fun! I say the same as I did last year after that race....never again!!! lol

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 good one!

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!

6 & 6 in 2018...+3

There all kinds of blog-posts out there offering us motivation to make a dent in some of our UFO's this year.

6 x 6 in 2018 is the one I am choosing to try. You can read about it HERE today at Pomegranate and Chintz.

The concept is to finish six UFO's and have six new projects.

I've wanted to carefully pick the six to finish...they need to be quilts that I'll actually have a chance of sticking to and enjoying, although Meredithe assures us they don't have to be "finishes"...they can have "Significant Progress"!

So, here are mine, in no particular order....

1. Nature's Neutrals

This quilt is so close to being finished. I just need to add two more rows of blocks. I also want it quilted and bound...truly finished.

2. Happy Days

This is one that I'd wanted done last year in time for the Fall Fair, but it didn't happen. It will actually be on the agenda to quilt this month, so it will be first UFO on the list. One of the guild's I belong to is having a quilt show in May and I'd like this in the show.

3. Marvelous Mini

This was a sewalong offered by Temecula Quilt Company. I'd like to finish it to donate to a raffle at the quilt show.

4. My Small World

I barely started this one a while back, not even sure where the bits are, but this is still a quilt I want to get back at and finish. So, for that reason it is going on the list. It may be one that only sees "Significant Progress"....but I'll be good with that!

5. Down the Rabbit Hole

I've been working pretty steadily at this one and would like it done for the quilt show.

6. Border Creek Mysteries

This is the one that I'm a bit red-faced to come clean on. 

My local quilt shop, Quilt Junction, offers the Border Creek Mystery quilts every year. They are beautiful and very well-written patterns. 

I'm currently taking part in my fourth of these mysteries. And...here's my guilty secret....I've not finished any of three past ones. One of them hasn't even been started. Two of them are so close to being real quilts and I'm practically caught up on the current one.

My sixth on the list will be to finish all three of the ones I've started!!!

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So, the next step is to have some "starts" in 2018. This list doesn't have to be complete, as who knows what "squirrels" will pop up through the year!

Here is a bit of my list...

 1.

I have signed up for a Kaffe Fassett Mystery that starts in March.


2.

I couldn't resist signing up for the new Sarah Fielke BOM, Simple Folk", since I've enjoyed the last two so much! You can take a peek at the upcoming BOM HERE and perhaps be tempted, too!

3.

I need a new Christmas tree skirt. In December I purchased fabric for it and it will be done in time for Christmas 2018!!!

4.

I'm going to try to take part in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge offered by So Scrappy. You can read about it by using the "button" over in the right-hand margin.


I have a couple more that I'm sure will be started, but I think that's all I'll say for now!

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For my challenge, I am going to add the " +3 ". I have three small projects that have been hanging around and I'd love to just get them done.


The first is a small candle mat that I've had the kit for for maybe two years...

The second is a name tag holder to wear to guild...I've had the little kit for a year or so...

...and the third is a small kit that I got free at Quilt Canada in June 2017. Should be quick and easy, so no sense in not just getting it done!

Well, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed...but also feeling good to have a plan.

Won't you join me in 6 & 6 in 2018? 

I will be linking up with Pomegranate and Chintz today. Why don't you visit and get inspired by what others will be attempting this year!

Have a good day....and keep warm!!