More quilting

I was at a good part of an audio book that I was listening to on the way home from work today and wanted to continue listening, so I went to do some stitches on my sewing machine appliqué wall hanging. I have the ribbon parts pinned in place and started sewing it down. Just getting started.

Yesterday before heading over to mom's for dinner I was able to finish all the in the ditch quilting on the log cabin quilt.  Still trying to commit to the main quilting design.  Had something in mind, but I hesitate on starting.  I am thinking that I have not committed to the design 100% yet, so until I do the quilt will sit for a bit.  It's easier to delay the quilting than to start taking it all out if I realize that I don't like it.  The one thing for sure is that I want a diagonal quilting design, hence the diagonal in the ditch quilting.  I also want a different design for the dark side than on the light side.

Hope everyone passed a good Easter.

In the mood for quilting

Yesterday later in the day I was able to get two blocks done from the Framer's Wife blocks and while doing  them I also got some more red points as my leaders/enders done.  Today I was in the mood for quilting.  Started quilting my log cabin quilt.  So far I have about half of the in-the-ditch quilted.  This is one of my favourite patterns.  The settings are endless. The log cabin block is strips that are sewn to a square in the middle and you attach the stripes in a continuous circle until you finish the block.  I am not going to spoil the surprise.  You will have to wait until the whole quilt is quilted to see the quilt and the layout that I chose.

Not much else to show you right now as I was again busy around the house.  As the weather was beautiful I spent some time outside cleaning up the gardens.

Pinwheel quilt made by Mom

Isn't it pretty?  This is a quilt that mom made for one of her granddaughters as a birthday gift.

It all came about when I invited mom over one day to go through some of my quilt books for inspiration.  She wanted to make something not too complicated.  As we went through the books I caught my eye on the pinwheel quilt.  I continued to show mom different samples of pinwheels in different colours.  She was taken by one particular pinwheel quilt.  We dissected the pattern and colour placement to determine what exactly she liked about the quilt.  

Later there was a trip to the quilt store (Sister's Choice) to select the fabric.  When you are making a quilt for someone in specific you need to keep in mind who they are and what their character is.  This quilt was made for Allison. She is an energetic, vibrant young lady who enjoys motion, bright colours and her favorite is lime green.  We kept this in mind when choosing the fabrics.  Every part of the quilt to me represents Allison. The energetic and motion are represented by the pinwheels themselves that look like they are spinning.  Vibrant is represented by the bright colours and the young lady is the playful design that was chosen.  There is lime green in there too. 

Here is a close-up of the quilting.  The plain blocks have a two layer design, that from this angle looks like a flower.  The first white border has a wave pattern quilted on it.  The next photo shows the large border, also done in a wave and the second small border as well.  

We lucked out with the large border.  Initially at the first quilt store we found all the fabrics for the middle of the quilt, but could not find anything suitable for the borders.  Over the next week or so Mom put together the centre of the quilt.  We visited another quilt store(Hobby Horse).  There we tried out all different fabrics, to no avail.  Later just as we were packing up to go this blue caught my eye from under a stack of bolts, just a sliver of the blue. We gave it a try and just knew it was the one.  It managed to make all the centre colours pop. The backing fabric was chosen from the main flower in the large border and some of the pinwheels (seen in the top photo if the whole quilt, bottom right hand corner).

I hope she likes it.  Her grandmother did a great job. Definitely something special. 

Piecing time

Today I was able to get a couple of hours to do some piecing.  I was all over the place with part of this quilt and part of that one.  I just couldn't concentrate.  Too much running around today with issues to take care of, but I needed some me time desperately.  This week I am on vacation to catch up on home renovations, but I feel like I am not really accomplishing anything.  I know this is not true as I am working on the house, but all the stuff I am doing takes time and does not show.  Who is going to see that I repainted the ceiling white, repaired and repainted the walls, or sealed the grout of the shower tiles?  No one but me.  But it needs to be done.

In the picture above, at the top are the remaining spider web wedges, to the right below them are a couple more spools and below them are different pieces of Bonnie's Celtic mystery quilt that I am doing in Christmas fabrics.  I can now put the spider web quilt top together, the spools are starting to add up and the mystery quilt parts as well.  Do you see the little tiny HSTs (half square triangles) at the bottom right hand corner?  Those are from the chevrons just above the HSTs.  They measure only 1 1/4" square, which will finish at 3/4" square.  Yes, I think it is crazy to keep these.  With the amount of chevrons I have to do though I would end up with a lot of these HSTs.  I like to do mini quilts from time to time.  Maybe I could use them there.

People already think I am insane with all the quilts that I am working on, why not give them more to talk about?  Only people who are not quilters, actually think I am insane, because in comparisons to some quilters I am very tame.  I felt much more relaxed and at ease by the time I quit for the day.  Tomorrow is to be another busy day.  Being Good Friday the kids will be home. I need to paint the walls, baseboards and doors.  I will see what time I can allow for some me time piecing some more.

The buzz word for 2014

Yesterday I was able to get some quilting done.  Was able to finish quilting the horizontal in the ditch lines on the faux applique quilt. Fixed any sections that I didn't like and decided to put the quilt away for a bit.  Took out the remaining nine wedges for the spider web quilt that I need to do.  I am so, so close with finishing this quilt top that I am motivated to continue with it.

I was listening to one of Bonnie's quilt cams the other day and caught a phrase.  She was talking about something that she had either heard or read that day.  It was regarding some other blogger group or her face book group that was talking about the buzz word for 2014.  These days at work and elsewhere, there are goals, statements, words or a play on words to represent what the focus for the year will be.  This year in quilting, apparently the buzz word for 2014 is "Finish".  It could mean a lot of things to different people, but in the quilt world the obvious is to "Finish" the quilt.  I have been aiming for this goal for the past few years.  My practical side of my brain agrees and strives to finish quilts from my list without starting anything new.......the imaginative side of my brain does everything it can do to put up road blocks so that I cannot achieve this goal.  As is my nature, I lean toward the imaginative side of my brain more often.  For the past few years I may have gotten 10-15 quilts done per year, however I would have started just as many.  Some were finishes of existing quilts and others were quilts I managed to start and finish within a short amount of time.

Did I tell you yet, that I consider a quilt done when I have only the binding to put on. So, that means that according to my list I have 23 quilts left to finish (we call these UFOs, Un-Finished Objects).  Plus I have another 4 quilts that only need the binding tacked down by hand.  I don't know why that is, that I don't wait until the binding is on fully to consider it done, but that is how it is.

More to come about the UFOs some other day. For today, I did "finish" the last of the spider web wedges.  Now I can get this top to the "finished" stage very soon.  Every step I do gives me more motivation to keep going.

Do you remember the drawer of scraps I started with.  Didn't even make a dent.  Look!!!  I'd swear the scraps breed at night in the dark.

Pineapple Blossom Takes Flight quilt

This morning I have been trying again to access the pictures to embed a slideshow, with no success.  But I came across this photo and thought I would share it with you.  This is the quilt that I entered in the quilt show and won a 2nd prize ribbon.  It was the first and so far the only quilt show I entered into.  The show was 2009 Off the Wall and Under the Covers with the Mississauga Quilters' Guild (Ontario, Canada) and the 2nd prize was in the category of Best First Time Entry.

This was the attached caption:

Pineapple Blossoms Take Flight

I love scrappy quilts.  When I kept seeing quilts done using the block 'pineapple blossom', I decided I needed to make one,  however I did not want a plain border as the others.  I got my inspiration from the block on how to design the border.  A gift for my step-son, as a Christmas gift.

Owned by Brett Jenkins

I remember making this quilt and all the different fabrics. Another great way to use up your scraps.  As I think back to that time, I envision Brett on the coach at my parent's house where we all got together on Christmas day to open presents.  His fiancée Jeanette sitting beside him and the shocked look on his face.  His face looked even more shocked with bewilderment when I asked for the quilt back.  He didn't know what to say, until he laughed after I told him that I wanted it back just for a little bit so that I could put the quilt into the show.  Can you imagine the surprise for Brett and Jeanette when I told them that their quilt won a ribbon.

The second scene that ran through my head from during this time was Christmas Eve sewing into the night and through to the morning trying to finish the quilt in time to gift it on Christmas day.  It became a family affair when hubby and the kids woke up and realized I was still trying to finish the quilt. Someone got the box and wrapping paper ready someone else started inspecting the quilt to remove any loose threads or dog hair. Everyone doing what they could. I sewed the binding on by machine, and while everyone was opening presents at our own home I was finishing the binding by hand.  Later while I went for a shower my daughter wrapped the present.  We made it to my parent's house just in time.

Nothing like last minute rushing around to get the blood rushing.  It's not like I left it to the last minute, but more a matter of under estimating the amount of time it takes to make a quilt from start to finish.  I find that I do it often, under estimate time.

This quilt and the next quilt were the first two quilts I actually gave away to family.  Up until this point, all the quilts that I made went to charities through the guild or through Project Linus.  It gave me pleasure to give these quilts away to family.  This next quilt was a Guild Mystery quilt.  More about this quilt another day.

Pictures of the 2014 Orillia quilt show

Couldn't do the slide show due to compatibility with my computer where the pictures are and blogger, so I decided to add a bunch more pictures of what was at the show. Today again didn't get any quilting time in. Had to deal with the kitchen counter situation.  Took the whole day with still more to be done. When the kids got home, it was taking care of homework and dinner.  Tomorrow have some work to try and finish in the bathroom, but I do intend to get some quilting time in, hopefully after lunch.  Enjoy the pictures.