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

Hills 'n' Hollers

I've been enjoying my slow stitching this week (what else is new, lol).

It's always exciting to start something new.

 I've had the pattern for Hills 'n' Hollers for a while now, and was inspired to start it as part of an Instagram sewalong, #shutdownstichalong. I'm sure those who know me know that I'm a sucker for a sewlong...but I think a lot of us are! Is it FOMO...Fear Of Missing Out???....maybe sometimes, but most of the time it's the enjoyment of doing something with a group of people.

Here is the row of applique that I laid out on the back of the longarm earlier this week to get the spacing of the Hills right....

It's working up quite quickly. The pieces are about 6 or 7" tall and there are thirteen of them. I think this was my third morning working on them and I have only one more hill to stitch.  

In this next picture you can see that I basted all the pieces onto the background before starting the applique. I've done this in the past when there is a lot of vines on a long border, and it made sense to do it this time, too.  It really doesn't take long at all to prepare with the basting stitches, and it's all secure with no pins getting in the way.

I had intended on using my stash of Jen Kingwell fabrics for this project, but when I went to my local quilt shop I saw that they have started carrying Cotton and Steel fabrics (love!). I have a lovely stash of Cotton and Steel fabrics so I switched up the plan and am very happy about it.

I hope today to take some time to prepare the next row of hills. There is only one more row in the small size of this quilt and the hills are somewhat taller.

Here it is on the design wall with my Chapman Coverlet blocks...

Hopefully you can find some time to do something you love to do today. We may be in for some thunderstorms today so some extra stitching may happen in my house today.

I'll be linking up with Kathy today for her Slow Sunday Stitching.

And, just because, I'll share a picture of my run yesterday at the Jarvis Lions' Park. It was too bloody hot and it wasn't pretty....but I did enjoy the game of hopscotch that someone had provided...

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. 

A finish and a start....

This week it feels so good to be back to a bit of needle-turn applique.

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately, and a bit of handquilting. 

I added a few pieces to this block of my Animal Album quilt, designed by Kim McLean, one of my favourite designers. I think this is the third of her quilts that I have done.

What got me back to my applique was receiving the instructions this week for Block 2 in a BOM I'm doing, A Curious Journey by Susan Smith. I've started a Susan Smith quilt in the past which is currently in the UFO pile :(

Here is Block 1 of this quilt...

For Block 2, I decided to actually follow instructions. Some designers will have you glue all the pieces onto the background all at once, then start stitching. I thought the un-sewn pieces would just get in the way...and at first they seemed to, but after just this morning working on this block it feels ok. 

Will I continue with this method?...probably not. But I do believe in at least trying because you just never know when you'll find something that will just tweak what you already have in your tool box.

That is not all of the applique pieces, there will some fish swimming about in the middle, etc.

Here is what I accomplished this morning....a little bit of stems and tulips...

Some other slow-stitching this week was sewing the binding on my Unity quilt, which was the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. Man, I worked hard on the piecing in the last week to get this done. I didn't do the last border because I just needed this one done. I hurried so much that my final border did not work out just right. I regret that, but told myself that the 4-year old that was receiving this for a birthday present would not notice, or care....what a rotten attitude, I know....and I'm not usually one to think this way. I hate to admit it, but there you go...now you know!

And here is Lachlan with his quilt....only a week late for his birthday!

Coming up this week is Canada Day. To celebrate, my grandson, Kirby, and I signed up for a Canada Day Virtual 5k (all the races so far this year are virtual, so sad).

We ran the race yesterday at the track that is in the Fisherville Lion's Park.

It was hot...too hot for me. I'm not a good runner in the heat and humidity, but we got it done! 

It makes me so happy that my grandson likes to run with me!

I always wear a "buff" on my head when I run and I bought this one for my race in Scotland last year...

It was nice to wear it again yesterday to celebrate our Canada Day Virtual 5k!

On that note, I'll wish you a happy Canada Day...hopefully we can all find a way to celebrate even if that means a little extra time to get some slow-stitching done!

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. I think I'll take a bit of time to see what others are working on today, hopefully you can, too!

Peaceful handquilting

I thought I was finished with making PPE. 

I haven't made any masks, but I've sewn scrub gowns and many scrub caps. I liked the fact that I was helping out in a way that we sewers can, but I was happy to be done with it.

Then I went to the dentist this past week to have a tooth repaired. The dental assistant had a home-sewn scrub cap on and I commented that she must have a sewer in her family...but, no, she bought it off of Marketplace online. That got the conversation going....on how the dental office were now looking for more of these caps. 

So, what's a quilter to do??? 

When I try the caps on they kind of make me feel like I belong in Little House of the Prairie...

It was quite an eye-opener, seeing the new protocol they are utilizing at the dentist. I feel sorry for them....but I was glad they were able to fix my tooth.

My Slow Sunday Stitching consisted of sewing buttons onto the caps that I've completed. The buttons are to hook the mask elastic onto, to help avoid constant friction on the ears. My son, who works in a hospital, says the buttons are a "game changer". I have four more caps to finish off today....then I'm done!....lol, we'll see.

Like I said, I haven't made any masks, but a good friend of mine made me a nice one...

...can you tell that she is a running friend???

After I finished sewing the buttons onto the caps I picked up some hand-quilting that I haven't touched in months. This is a pattern called Shimmer...

I'm using Coral YLI quilting thread which is showing up nicely on the front and on the back.

I always seem to forget the feeling of peace that comes over  me as I hand-quilt. In these stressful times I should make more time for quilting as I do look at it as my yoga.

I had wanted to have this one ready for the Fall fair this year...but in all probability the fair will be cancelled for 2020.  Here's my opinion....maybe they could reduce the fair this year to just agriculture/animal displays and the Homecraft displays. I'd better keep stitching on this quilt "just in case".

A couple of years ago I started working on Jen Kingwell's Halo quilt. I think I made two blocks and stalled. A couple of months ago I spotted an Instagram sewalong for Halo and figured this is what I needed to get me sewing on this UFO.

Here are my blocks, so far, not necessarily in their final spot...

My kind of quilt....full of jolly scrappiness!!!

Everyone's gardens seem so wonderful this year. For me, I was overcome at the beauty of my Wisteria. I've never seen it so lush and full of blooms...

....and the aroma was just as wonderful.

That's all for now....I'd better get at the last few scrub caps and hopefully make some progress on my Bonnie Hunter Unity quilt....which is intended to be a birthday present for my grandson who will be turning 4 next week. I've given myself an extra week lee-way to get this done. Hopefully by the next Slow Sunday Stitching day I will be working on the binding!

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

Slow Stitching and a vintage finish

Well, we made it through our first heat wave of the season and are having a much cooler weekend...but perfect for getting some gardening accomplished!

I was ready to give up on my perennial bed, but we're giving it one more shot. Hopefully the work we do this weekend will pay off in the long run. 

This time of year is so lush and beautiful and a couple of favourites in the garden are my Weeping Cherry tree...

...and my Canadian Redbud tree, which was just humming this week with big, fat bumblebees. They are so intent on their work that you can get up close for pictures...

Even though we have a lot more to accomplish outside in the garden today while it's still nice and cool out, I hope to get a bit more knitting done. I'm liking that I can knit outside in the warm weather....something that wasn't easy when I would take applique outside. This week I started another Christmas present, a pair of socks  knitted from the toe up....

Knitting socks from the toe up is something new to me this last year and I quite like it. This pattern called for the Judy's Magic Cast On. I have tried the Turkish Cast On and am liking the "Judy" method more. What did we do before YouTube!!

The colour-way for this yarn is Hamburger....I know the recipient of these socks will love it.

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Recently I had fun doing some custom quilting on a vintage quilt top that I've had for 15 years. I bought a few vintage tops on Ebay back then, intending on practicing my longarm skills....but I've never taken the time to actually do anything with them.

With the slow-down caused by Covid-19 I thought I'd take the time to quilt this Double Wedding Ring quilt. Lol, I bought this top thinking it would be good practice for when someone would eventually bring  a DWR in to be quilted....but that's never happened.

I always love working on a vintage quilt....and I've done a few over the years. Most times it is someone bringing in a top that they've found in their grandmother's hope chest. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when working on these and I find myself smiling a lot when I work on them. I almost feel the original quilter's happiness on seeing her quilt being completed. I know some may say it's a shame they aren't being hand-quilted....and as a handquilter myself, I totally get that....but I also believe the piecer would like to know that her quilt was a "real quilt" to be loved and used, by whatever means possible.

This quilt was totally hand-pieced....quite fitting then that I talk about it on Slow Sunday Stitching day, don't you think??? I'm in awe of the work that went into this and would love to know how long it took.

I actually have a few questions about the quilt other than how long it took. Like, how come the piecer didn't try to remove the blood stains where she must have really jabbed herself with the needle?....

.....and why was there one piece of fabric removed from the quilt....and never replaced...

Luckily, I did have a piece of fabric that was a close match...

....and managed to piece it in, no problem...

As for the blood stains....I tried the old trick of using saliva to blot it out. It is always said that it should be your own saliva to get your own blood out of the quilt....and I do know that this works, from experience. I don't know if it's because the blood stain isn't my own, or that the stains have been there for decades, but it didn't work on this quilt....but worth a try!

I do have to say that this quilt had many "issues". It ranks second in quilts that had issues in all of my 16 years of longarm quilting. I could tell right away that not only could I not "quilt it out", but that I'd have to disregard the fullness in spots and have puckers fall where they may. It was by no means going to be a "show quilt"...but that's ok, since it was always meant for practicing on. That being said, there are many quilting errors that I made in the quilt....on a client's quilt, or one of my own, I would have picked these mistakes out...but I didn't bother on this one. Most of the quilting problems were by me trying to become ambidextrous with the ruler-work....I think I need more practice!

I was going to use 80/20 batting in the quilt, as I thought it would have a more authentic look....but I chose wool batting hoping to fill out some of the fullness with the batting's loftiness. It didn't work, but I do love the feel of a quilt with wool batting!

Here are a few photos of the fun I had with the quilting...

I do regret not doing something a bit more creative in the green/pink 4-patches. These were actually the most troublesome parts of the quilt so maybe if I'd quilted them differently it would have hidden the fact a bit more. Oh, well! 

You can see how the wool really gives definition to the quilting. In the end, I absolutely love this quilt. It is about 80" square and I do intend on using it as it is so soft and cozy.

On a quilt with scalloped edges you really do have to use a bias binding to make the job easier...but what a pain doing all of those inside corners. Plus, I don't know if there is a way to calculate how much binding you actually need for these quilts, but if there is I don't know of it. Luckily, I made too much binding rather than too little.

....usually I attach the binding while the quilt is still on the longarm, but not with this one. I forgot how cumbersome it is attaching it with the domestic machine.

Now, I'm itching to make my own Double Wedding Ring quilt. I've only made one once before, probably 20 years ago. It was one someone paid me to make, so it's not even my own. 

I did find the book I used to make it though....it's a book by John Flynn and has a slick trick to make it an easier process. After I finish the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt (which I need to get done soon for a gift), I hope to start on a DWR of my own so I don't forget and never do it.

That is a picture of the quilt before I started sewing down the binding....but that is done now and, after many, many decades of when the quilt was first started, it's now a real quilt and I'm very happy with it. I enjoyed the quilting and I will enjoy using the quilt :)

Something I have not made at all is face masks. I've done gowns for our local nursing home, and many scrub caps. I had been using my running buffs for a face covering but now I have a mask custom-made for myself by my running buddy, Paula...

It's actually a sad state of affairs that putting on a mask has become the new normal :(

I appreciate, though, how lucky I am that I don't have to wear one constantly like some other people do in their jobs. 

I am linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. It's quite chilly this morning, so I think I'll have another cup of coffee and see what others are working on today before I head outside. 

(Hopefully this post turns out ok, as there is a new Blogger format that I'm trying for the first time.)