Happy Valentine's Day !

 What a beautiful sunny morning...maybe the calm before the storm???

Looks like a good day to have a walk and catch some Vitamin D. 

I started my day, of course, with a bit of slow stitching. I've been poking away at the 6" blocks for my A Curious Journey BOM. 

These blocks were supposed to represent flowers, with green stitches for stems. But before I had really looked closely at the pattern I though they were clouds and rain, so I changed the colour to blue perle cotton and they are clouds and rain...

I've been knitting on my Maja cardigan. The picture is from yesterday, and this morning I've knitted up to where I will start the ribbing for the top of the sweater...

This sweater just comes to the waist. I had thought to make it a bit longer and I may have done a couple of extra rows, but it's lucky I didn't do much more as I had just the right amount of the blue yarn. 

This sweater was supposed to be part of a knitalong on Facebook but that was cancelled because most of that participants are in Nordic countries and they've had a shortage of the yarn that is called for. Luckily there are many people on the Facebook group that have knitted regardless, so lots of inspiration to be had. Funny thing, even though most of the people can't find the Icelandic yarn, I was able to order it from a shop only about an hour from where I live in Ontario!

It's always fun to learn something new. This week my "new" will be steeking this sweater. That's when you, in this case, knit the sweater in the round, then cut it up the the front centre of the sweater,  and knit the button bands on. lol...stay tuned for how that goes!

I'm going to try to be strict with myself once the sweater is done. I want to get back to quilting my Shimmer quilt. I'm sure all it will take is one week, maybe two, to have it finished. It's been loitering for too long now. I had meant this to be entered into the Fall Fair in 2020, but when that was cancelled the quilting of Shimmer seemed to stall.

And, no, I did not pose the animals for the photo!...

On that note, I think I'll get on with my day. Have a wonderful day, and maybe have a visit with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching to see what others are working on today.

Sunday Stitching

 We've had such blustery weather this week here in Southern Ontario...nice weather for catching up on some slow stitching (although, do I need an excuse???).

Today is much brighter, but very cold...not a bad day to get outside for some exercise except for the fact that all my joints are achey this morning....so another fine excuse to get some slow stitching done!

I've been poking away at my A Curious Journey BOM. This is a mystery sewalong, but I thought I'd put everything up on the design wall to see how it's looking. I have no idea yet how the blocks will go together, other than the fact that the four large blocks are sewn together.

I was working on these blocks this morning, many of the blocks have a bit of embroidery with perle cotton...

There are also 25 Windswept blocks to add to the mix...

....and I have quite a few of the 6" blocks still to do. Hmmm....maybe a bit of prep-work is in order for the day!

Again I've had my Auntie Green's Garden out to evaluate...

Even though it's been in the time-out pile for a couple of years, I still love it! This quilt will be my main focus after A Curious Journey comes to an end.

This was the first week of the Boho Heart Quilt Sewalong. I did manage to get this week's blocks done and I really like how they turned out. I'm determined to keep up with this and not let it fall by the wayside (famous last words!).

I am linking up, as usual on Sundays!, with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. Enjoy your day!

Slow Sunday stitches

Like always, I managed to get some stitching done early today with my morning coffee.

I finished the Bathing Beauties block for my A Curious Journey quilt...

They aren't supposed to have faces but I feel like they at least need eyes??? We'll see...they are pretty cute, as is, also.

I also got one of these blocks almost done...there will be four of these...

I think the next time I do a post I should try to get everything up on the design wall that is completed for this quilt. There are 4 large blocks, and many, many 6" blocks. It's a mystery quilt, so I won't know the placement of anything yet, but it'll be nice to see what I've accomplished so far.

I did finally finish the final Windswept block for this quilt....

.....twenty of them, in all!!! I do like the bit of embroidery that is on  some of the blocks.

So, many of you know that I became a runner four years ago. During Covid it's become more and more difficult to find motivation to get out there for a run. Even remembering that my doctor told me months ago when the pandemic was in it's infancy that I should continue to run for the mental benefits. 

I haven't had a real attempt at running for over a month now....and even then it was pathetic....so discouraging. I've actually had thoughts of not running again...but I've invested so much energy into it already....and I remember how it was difficult for me to breathe while walking up Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls only a few months before I took up running. The heart health from running has been incredible.

A couple of days ago I finally started to read this book that I've had for probably 2 years now...

The Galloway Method focuses on short run/walk intervals...something good for older runners to avoid injury.

I actually got myself out there this morning on my favourite route in Waterford and experimented with the Galloway Method. I have to say, I felt like a "real" runner again, and I finished feeling strong. I needed this confidence booster!

In Ontario we are under Stay At Home orders, except for a few reasons, one being exercise. I can see why, as I feel terrific now after getting some fresh air and exercise. (Around my neck is a face covering that I pulled up when I chanced upon other people on the trail. There was actually a few young families out for a stroll today.)

On top of the Black Bridge...

I hope I remember this feeling through the week. It's going to inspire me to get out there again! I encourage (challenge?) everyone to get outside for a walk in the next few days. 

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge for January....complete!

 I'm off to a good start with my January blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. This month the colour is pink.

I'd decided to make at least ten blocks per month for my Chapman Coverlet to help move this quilt along a bit. Usually this is an excellent take-along project....but with a "stay at home" order now in effect there is nowhere to take this along to! 

The blocks are only 2" finished, so they whip up in no time. Afterwards they will be sewn into "four-sies".

Below is  a picture of what I have accomplished so far. Some of the top ones have been sewn together.

 

I had a nice comment on Instagram from a quilter who has completed her Chapman Coverlet. I took a look at hers and she says it took 1400 blocks! I don't know if she meant the individual blocks or 1400 of the sewn-together ones. I'll be able to do the math, as she also told me how big her quilt is. 

I had the thought to calculate how big I want my quilt to be so I would know how many blocks I need....but I don't think I want to know just yet....sounds too scary, lol.

It's a pretty laid-back day today. I'm using some of the day to do some applique prep-work for my Curious Journey quilt. 

This BOM is a mystery quilt. Maybe after I complete a few more of the small blocks I'll put everything up on the design wall to get an idea of how this may go together. I know some people can't handle the though of doing a mystery quilt...but I love them!....and, of course, I'm a sucker for a sewalong.

It's a beautiful, sunny day outside...we've been having such extremely dreary days lately. Maybe I'll put on some real clothes later and go for a walk to soak up some Vitamin D. 

I am linking up with SoScrappy for the RSC21 (Rainbow Scrap Challenge '21). 

How is everyone?

 Here we are...a week already into the new year. 

In Ontario, where I live, we are in a lockdown situation to try to curb the numbers of Covid cases. I think the next week should give us a bit of an idea of whether it is working or not, as we are now 2 weeks into lockdown...which is also 2 weeks after the pre-Christmas scramble. 

I'm going to try to continue to look on the bright side of things. I feel fortunate to be someone who has always been a homebody....and extremely fortunate to have a number of hobby's to keep me active...quilting, knitting, reading. 

I have to admit, this time of year is always difficult for me so I'm going to double my efforts to look on the bright side and keep somewhat active. Maybe a nice walk is in order today.

I've been enjoying my knitting...I had started this sweater early in 2020 but it got put aside so I could work on Christmas knitting. I knitted the sleeves since Christmas and it's now complete. It's also very comfortable and I'm so glad it fits!

Of course, I had to start on the next sweater right away!...

As for applique, on Saturday I worked on some of the blocks for my A Curious Journey BOM...

There are so many assorted 6.5" blocks that I still need to do for this BOM...but it's getting there!

This morning I worked on some of the applique blocks for my Spice Market quilt. This quilt is mostly machine-piecing, but there are 5 circle blocks to do. Here are the three that are done, so far...

See the little block in the above picture?...68 more are needed!...so I'll just do a few every once in a while and they'll get done.

The difficult part of these blocks is that I feel no forgiveness with the solid fabrics. It's hard to hide stitches!....I will just do my best and be happy with them. 

These blocks start with some reverse applique. Here is the block from this morning...

Here it is stitched, and cutting away a layer to start the next bit of reverse applique...

....and here is where I left things this morning....

I think next time I'll have to get pictures of the design wall showing my progress on Spice Market and on A Curious Journey. 

I've continued to "cull the herd" when it comes to my UFO's. It is such a relief to let go of some of them. I'm hoping this will free something in me to actually get some of them completed!

I did finish my Farm Girl Vintage quilt this week. This was a UFO that I never had doubts on finishing. I just need to do the hand-sewing on the binding....not my favourite thing, although I know many who enjoy it. 

That's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well...as well as possible...and keeping busy doing something you love doing. 

I  am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow stitching on a Sunday

It's a lovely morning here, and, as always I've started my day with a bit of hand-stitching.

I'm almost finished with this "Covid squirrel"...my Hills 'n' Hollers quilt...

...only one more piece to applique, then it will be done. I'll sit down and do that after writing today's post. 

I did have an unexpected bit of applique to do on this quilt this week. I added these bits...

No one will ever know (except you) that they are not actually a design element, but a cover-up for the dreaded "unfortunate scissors incident", lol! Life happens....but in quilting it just presents another good use for some creative applique, am I right??

Here is the quilt up on the design wall...so close to being done...

I feel like this one will need "big-stitch quilting", which I think will be difficult for me...after all, I've spent the last forty years trying to do small, even, traditional stitches! Another thing, how does one even know how much perle cotton to buy to quilt a piece? Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I'm actually just remembering that I have done big-stitch quilting on a piece a couple of years ago, so I'm sure I'll be fine.

In this past week, wouldn't you know it, I've come across yet again another sewalong. 

This one is offered by Lucy Engels out of Scotland and is called the Naive Melody quilt. It is a quilt that evolved out of herk own Covid lock-down experience.

The sewalong starts on September 1st and consists of doing a block per day for 100 days, and is an Instagram sewalong. You can look up the hashtag #naivemelodysewalong....and Lucy at @_lucyengels.

Here is a link to the sign-up page, and you can have a peek at the quilt...https://mailchi.mp/ddd2442d077b/naive-melody-sal

When you sign up for the sewalong you get an email with a discount code for buying the pattern, which is very reasonably priced. The blocks are 6 1/2" unfinished.

It's a quilt that can be easily made from your stash, can be done with hand applique or machine applique, and the simple shapes are repeated in many blocks.

Of course, I've had to test the first 2 blocks...

I hope some of you will join me in this sewalong! 

Edited to add: I've just found out that instead of 100 blocks in 100 days, the sewalong will be 4 blocks per week....so even more manageable!

I'll end with showing off my latest attempt at sourdough bread. Just for fun I threw in a handful of dates and walnuts. It was definitely a success!

Have a lovely Sunday. I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Oh, and another thing....I've tried to change the commenting on my posts so that I need to approve them first....I'm not sure if it's working properly. I've done this as I've been getting so many spam comments lately. I'll have to see how to add on the captcha(sp?) about "not being a robot". 

Old dog, new tricks....

Well, I wish I was someone who used the Covid time as an opportunity to work on their UFO's....but I've been caught up in a couple of sewalongs along the way.

I've said it before....I'm a sucker for a sewalong!

The latest one is hosted by @thenextstitch on Instagram. She started a sewalong a few weeks ago called @shutdownstitchalong....I think because her area in Melbourne, Australia had entered a shutdown again because of an uptick in Covid cases. (I just have to say....up until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never ever heard the word "uptick" before. Now I hear it all the time and here I am actually using it!)

During this stitchalong we are encouraged to slow stitch for at least 15 minutes a day. Hey, I start everyday with slow stitching, so I'm in!!

Somehow during the beginning of the sewalong I saw the quilt Hills 'n' Hollers being shown and remembered that I have this pattern and what a good opportunity to try it. 

Should have worked on a UFO, right?...oh well. 

I thought it would be a great opportunity to use my Jen Kingwell Stash....just needed a background fabric. So, I made my way to my local quilt shop, Quilt Junction. Well, didn't I find out that Lana has started carrying a couple of Cotton & Steel fabrics....and I have a lovely stash of C&S fabrics sitting in a box at home. So I switched thing up to use these fabrics.

You can see that I basted down all the pieces first to make sure the "hills" were spaced out nicely across the fabric. 

I baste in my applique once in a while....normally to attach all the "vines" in a piece of applique. It takes extra time, but I find it worth it in the end.

When I posted a picture on Instagram showing my progress in the sewalong, a friend commented that it looks like surfboards....I like that and I think this quilt will now be known as Beach Blanket Bingo!....anyone old enough to catch that reference???

Once the surfboards were in my head, my brain somehow leapt over to a pattern I bought recently and thought that if I incorporated part of that pattern it would kind of look like sun rays. The pattern is "Hunt" by Carolyn Friedlander...

So I read through the pattern and was surprised to find out that she uses a whole other method of applique in this design. 

It scared me and thrilled me at the same time, lol!!!

I've been a quilter for over 40 years now and I've got a lot of my methods down pat....but I always enjoy learning a new tip or trick that I may be able to add to my toolbox. 

Here are all the pieces pinned to the background...

The next step was to baste each piece down....with the stitches precisely 1/4" from the edge of the applique piece. Not difficult when you've been a quilter for a while as the 1/4" measure comes quite naturally, right?

Then I was to needleturn applique the pieces. But wait a minute....for years now I've been finger-pressing my seam allowances....how was this going to work????....that was the scary part. I was prepared for the fact that this would not be my best work, but it would be a learning experience.

So I started this morning...on a straight section as the curves were going to be the messy part...

Well, here's the brilliant part of this method....those basting stitches really make a nice "edge" that my needle used to follow as I was needle-turning. So pleasing in an inexplicable way.

Then came the curvy bit, and it worked out just fine. I'm quite happy with my work this morning, and I can see using the "Hunt" pattern for a full-sized quilt.

I will digress for a moment.

A long time ago I read this book and I came to call it my applique Bible...

Almost everything in this book revolutionized my method of applique.

 When I have trouble with curves (and circles were my nemesis for a long time), I always remember this bit of the book...to just make that next stitch a good stitch, concentrate on just that stitch...and this passage of the book served me well again doing the curves this morning. 

My design wall is full at the moment, but I had to see how Beach Blanket Bingo was really looking...

I like it....a lot!!! I can even hear Annette Funicello singing in the background as she dreams about Frankie Avalon.

This quilt has been quite the journey that has morphed in many different ways since I began the #shutdownstitchalong!!

On the design wall is my Halo quilt....a long-time UFO that will finally be a real quilt because of another sewalong on Instagram.

I put the blocks up haphazardly to live with for a while and shuffle them around when I see something that needs shuffling...

Already I know that this is a quilt that will call for hand-quilting.

Halo will be my One Monthly Goal for August. I am linking up with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal.

I am also linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching

Some pretty pieces of fabric....

I started the day as I always do....with a bit of hand-stitching.

Anyone who knows me knows that I like to start my day like this, but what you don't know is that at the same time I enjoy listening to podcasts. 

I thought I'd pass along a couple of favourites for those of you who like podcast as well. Please feel free to comment with your favourites!

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions, but this year I did....it was to listen the the Ted Talks podcast everyday. Not too difficult, as they tend to only be twelve or fifteen minutes each....but packed full of good and interesting knowledge. Well, I haven't kept up, but I do still enjoy it often. 

Another good one is Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. He is an American actor who, a lot of times, plays a bit of a goofball. He is surprisingly well-read and has very interesting guests and topics.

Anyway, on to what was being poked at today....

This morning I worked on the last two tulips on Block 2 of A Curious Journey BOM by Susan Smith...

It is now complete, except for removing the water-erasable pen marks....

I'm liking this BOM....and I'm liking the use of my hoarded Tilda fabrics :)

A lot of designers like to have all the applique pieces stuck on to the background fabric all at once with a bit of fabric glue.

 I'm not a fan....actually, I should admit that I've never done it since it didn't appeal to me at all!!! I really thought that it would be a nuisance, with un-sewn pieces just getting in the way as I appliqued.

I figured I should at least give this method a try.

Well, I have to admit that this was not the case. It was "okay"....but will I do it again?....probably not.  I do encourage you to give it a try though....what works or not for me may be the opposite for you. There is no right or wrong way....just many "right" ways, wouldn't you agree? (Although, I'm sure we all have that one quilty friend that is always quick to announce there is only one proper way to do things, lol)

I also stitched a little block for The First Day of Christmas by Susan Smith. I hate to admit, this was a kit that I purchased late one night when I was quite tired....way too easy to push the "Add to Cart" button during this pandemic, isn't it?????

This week on Instagram I came across a stitchalong with @thenextstitch...

If you are on Instagram I encourage you to have a look. There is not a specific project, or anything to buy. We are encouraged to do a bit of slow-stitching for 15 minutes per day. The bonus....she (I can't recall her name at the moment, maybe Wendy?) is going to do a bit of a tutorial on Instagram once a week. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one. These videos do not disappear, they will be accessible all the time.

Something I got back to this week is my Temperature Quilt for 2020.

I've been keeping track every day of the forecasted high temperature....but somehow haven't sewn on it at all since March 27!

On our lovely rainy day on Saturday I did manage to get a row of geese flying sewn down the right hand edge of this piece. Each goose measures 2x3.5 unfinished and the piece is approximately 30" square so far. 

That's all for now. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, so an outing is in order, including a visit to the Good Bread Company in Vittoria...yum!

 Hopefully a little extra stitching time, too!

I am linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. Try to visit with Kathy and see what others are slow stitching today. 

The brain is a mysterious thing....

Something strange happened this week.

A few years ago now I had been working on a quilt called Auntie Green's Garden, by Irene Blanck.

I loved it and I loved working on it....until I didn't. 

About a year ago I asked myself the tough question....did I really think I would get back to working on this quilt?? The answer was "no". 

I actually felt a little relief in letting myself off the hook. I figured I would just quilt up what I had completed so far and call it a quilt.

What a shame :(

Fast forward to this past week...I really haven't thought of Auntie Green in a long while and, for some reason, it popped into my head and I said to myself that this quilt really deserved to be finished in it's entirety.

Where the heck did that come from?...who knows. Like I said in the title of this post, the brain can be so mysterious. 

Here is the quilt as it was left, a long time ago...

So, there is a floral border on the top and bottom to do, then a vine thing around the final border. So close!

I think I'll put aside other applique until this one is done. 

There is one problem though.

When I put this quilt aside, it gave me freedom to get rid of fabrics that I wasn't so much interested in anymore....which are a lot of the fabrics needed for this quilt. I hope I can "make do" with what I have left in my stash.

I wish I knew how women in the past... or even now...would hand-quilt a crosshatch pattern on their quilts without it getting all wonky. I imagine that kind of quilting on this quilt....and the enjoyment I would get out of stitching it. 

I'll have ask Dr.  Google!

(I've taken a minute to look up this quilt on my blog...and it has indeed been at least 4 years since I contemplated working on it)

I had plans to do a long run this morning, but it's snowing pretty good here at the moment (hmmmm, an unexpected sew day??). I think I'll delay my run until tomorrow and actually do a bit of prep-work on Auntie Green's Garden...then I'll know that this is a real thing and not just a wish...sounds like a plan, right?
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This morning I completed the binding on my Temperature Quilt 2019...

If you'd like to see the completed quilt, have a look HERE...I wrote a post about it on Friday. 

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching, and with Cynthia for Oh, Scrap!.