Oriental fabric inspired

Back in time....not that far back...about Mar 27/2022:

I decided not to leave just yet and share a bit of quilt inspiration.  I had a customer quilt, to quilt, that I thought was great for using some focus fabric.  I am always on the lookout for a pattern to use up the oriental fabric that I have.  I thought this quilt pattern was a good one.

The crane fabric in the picture above is the focal fabric and what I used to pull all the colours for the rest of the pieces for this quilt. I wish I had gotten a picture of my customer's quilt, because hers was beautiful and very different than mine.  She used a pretty springtime type fabric with flowers and bugs/critters and her fabrics to coordinate were bright and cheerful.  Two completely different styles of quilts, but they both work.  I thing any fabric combinations would work well with this pattern and I plan on revisiting this pattern again at a later date.

This pattern is very easy to put together.  In this quilt it is really only the one large block repeated a total of four times and the block is rotated.  If you look closely you can see the middle sashing that makes and plus sign.  Within each plus sign quadrant you have the large block.

While I was quilting my customer's quilt, I was taking notes.  I wrote the pattern up with measurements and directions.  That evening I went to my mother's house and cut all the fabric I needed.  The next day I assembled all four blocks, put them together with the dividing sashing.  After my afternoon tea, I loaded the top and quilted it.  I even shocked myself!!  lol  My mom binded it for me.

This quilt was just delivered to a division of Quilt of Valour on Sunday and will be presented to a wounded veteran.

2022 Shop Hop - Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe

327 Erie St., Stratford, ON

The last shop that my mother and I went to last weekend was Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe.  This is a nice shop with many sections full of fabrics, patterns and notions.  They have a large room/section for children's fabric, and other rooms/sections for different styles of fabric.  They even have a sale room that has a lot of fabric too.  I forgot to take a picture of this store, so I got this one online.

This is defiantly a place you want to visit.  I've been here a few times and they always have something that I am looking for.  I picked up a few fat quarters from the different sections and I got the bottom two from the sale room.  They had so much there.  It's worth the drive.

Tomorrow I will start going through the shops that my mother and I went to this past weekend.  We finished them all.  The last four out of the eleven shops.

Today during my breaks I went down to my sewing room to trim quilts I quilted on Sunday, and tried to assemble a backing for one of my own, but my machine was acting up.  The tension is really off.  Though it is on and off, but mostly off.  I have a feeling I am going to have to replace some part on this machine that I have had for a very long time.  It's a work horse and has live a very hard working life.  I am not ready to let this one go.

I've got to find that sewing machine technician in this area that a friend recommended and swap my machines out, until I get this one back.  I think I need to bring in a few machines.  My moms been complaining about hers too.  So I guess it's time.

For the rest of the evening, I think I am going to surf the blogs and get caught up.  Enjoy your evening everyone! 

A bit of this and that (QW)

About a couple of weeks ago, I came to the conclusion that I would come to regret putting my mini log cabin blocks into a quilt at this time.  I now have a king size bed in this house and these blocks were intended for my previous queen size bed.  Sad as it made me, I packed them away and decided that I would just face it, and admit to having to make 11 more large blocks to increase the quilt by one row on the side and one row on the bottom.  At first (about a month ago) I was in denial, because I was excited that I was done with this little bitty pieces...but now...reality...11 more blocks equates to another 176 mini log cabin blocks that measure 3" finished, and for every mini log cabin block there are 13 logs which comes to 2,288 pieces that I have to sew....OMG....and here I thought I was done...yikes!!

Lol...all kidding aside, I realize that it will make me happier if I just make the required blocks to bring the quilt to king size.  I've already copied the paper pieces to make them and have gathered the basket that I had, with the smallest of scraps.  I just need a bit of time to do a few other things, before I dive into making the rest of these.

One of the things I wanted to catch up on was a panel that was donated.  The panel is not very big and didn't take too long to put together.  I worked on these blocks to make as borders.  All I have left to do now is quilt and bind the piece.  More pictures to follow on that one, once it is done.

There is also this one that I started...yes, I started yet another quilt...lol.  This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern called Bitcoin.  I was using this as my leader/ender to the blocks above.  This one is really just getting started.  Not sure if I will make it as big as Bonnie's quilt, but I just couldn't resist using up more of my 1 1/2" strips.  My version is going to be a bit more on the pastel side, as I am trying to use up some of those hard to use medium coloured pieces that don't necessarily read as light or dark.  So far I am liking the direction these rows are going.

This next picture is just here as a place marker.  The (QW) in the title is my search word, to find all my inspiration and quilts that I want to do (QW = Quilt Wannabe).  It looks like another scrap buster.  I do like patterns written by Cozy Quilt Designs.  They are easy to follow.  This will be added to the one day list....

Today I am quilting customer quilts.   Trying to get caught up with paperwork and hopefully with enough time left over to assemble a backing for a donation quilt I am working on.  

Enjoy your day!

2022 Shop Hop - Kalidoscope of Quilts

17528 Elginfield Rd., St. Marys (Perth South), ON

I pasted this place the first go round...lol.  This was a new to me shop and it too was out on the backroads, amongst farm fields.  I missed the small white flag sign and only realized it when my GPS showed that I had passed it.  I saw the sign much better coming from the other direction.

I got the picture above from google, of the inside of the store.  Doesn't that wall of fabric look yummy.  This shop was actually in the basement of the owner's home, though you wouldn't guess it by the interior of the shop.  It was well lit and nicely done up. There were also a lot of nice goodies here, with the usual fare that you would expect of a quilt shop.  There was fabric galore, kits, books, notions, you name it.  They even had a largish area for wool.

At this store I picked up a kit/panel by designer Kathy K. Wylie, part of her Time After Time quilt.  This is just a panel, but OMG the quilt in real life is absolutely stunning.  I had the good fortune to meet Kathy at one of the Mississauga Quilt Guild meetings way back, just about the time that she had finished this quilt.  I cannot express just how gorgeous this quilt was!!  And all the tiny pieces!

It is a large quilt.  The picture below is me trying to get a close up, but it does not do the quilt justice.  There is enough there to see how much work went into the making of this quilt.  Every wedge represents a month, and every month's flower was appliquéd to the black background.  Can you just imagine her painstakingly applying all those tiny pieces.  It is mind boggling. 

 

At the guild meeting, she was selling the tools that she uses to do all the intricate appliqué work, that she has imported in.  I bought a few pieces.  I'll have to dig them out some time and post about them.  The tools are amazing.  It is true about having the right tools for the job.  I swear by that, in any trade that you do. It makes life so much easier.

So now I have to get going.  Mom and I are off to a few more shops today.  I am really enjoying getting out and about after so long of being cooped up, and I am enjoying spending the time with my mom one on one.

Enjoy this beautiful day everyone!  Take care and keep safe.

2022 Shop Hop - Sew Creative

 22486 Adelaide Rd., Mount Bridges, ON

Our next stop (last Saturday) was Sew Creative.  This one was the furthest, of all the shops, from Acton.  It was a nice little shop with a fair amount of goodies to look at.  There was also a longarm in the back room of the shop and what appeared to be two resident dogs.

This picture was from the front entrance.  They had the sale table there on the left.  A few rows of fabric bolts on the right and on the other side of the sale table. A nook further down on the right with a bunch of patterns, some kits and things with the notions at the back door on the left just after the large cutting table, pulling double duty as the cash register table.  Obviously, there is more to the store than just what you see in the picture.  But you get the picture, sort of speak, that the store had a lot packed into every available space.

I got a dark chocolate brown fat quarter to go with my collection, for a quilt I want to make, and this was the stores shop hop block.

As I am behind in posting the stores we went to last weekend, and we plan on a few more today, I am going to post another shop hop visit shortly to try and catch up.  Stay tuned for a second post...

2022 Shop Hop - Country Patchworks

 515533 11th Line, Woodstock, ON

Our first stop of the day (Saturday) was Country Patchworks.  I've been here before, but like before I still pasted the place.  I didn't even see the sign until I was on my way out of the driveway.  I told my mom to roll down the windows and snapped this shot.

This shop is attached to someone's home and is literally in the middle of nowhere on a country side road.  This is the entrance to the shop and looks like it was initially the home's garage.  But outside of passing the place, this place inside is nice.  There is a lot of fabric, patterns and notions to look at.

There is a section for backing fabric to the left of the door, I believe a classroom is up in the loft, a sale section in the basement, on top of the large garage area with rows full of fabric.  Lots to look at that is for sure.

While there I picked up some fat quarters in dark blue, aqua, chocolate brown, and black.  In the sale section I got a landscape pattern for $3.  The picture is not so great, but it is of rolling hills/fields with a  red barn in the distance.  I've always wanted to try doing a landscape in fabric!  The other pattern is this shops block for the shop hop event.

Mom's Noah's ark quilt

Today was a gardening day.  You would be surprised what you can get done in 15 minutes of time here and there.  I work full time and we log in the computer from 9-5pm, with two 15 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch, otherwise it is work, work, work.  So sometimes, in order to get things done, I have to boogie...lol.  I have my tools in one spot, ready for when I have the time.  I set my timer for 15 minutes and get going and see how fast I can do it.  First break, I started pulling out the weeds that were in the cedar hedge along the one side of the property.  Second break, continue doing more of the weeds against the house on the same side as the hedges...lunch time (after eating) more weeding...lol.  Can you see the theme here...lol.  It still takes time, but I was tearing at the weeds, with my shovel and snippers, getting as many as I could get out.  In between breaks I just leave my tools were I ended, knowing that I would be coming back.  After work I finished off the one section from the road to the back of the property along the cedar hedge, and accumulated enough to fill five waste bags that are now at the side of the road for pick up tomorrow.  

One small section done, with plenty more to go.  Since we moved here, last year, I have been working hard on the inside of the house and leaving the outside for later, but the weeds are taking over.  I have a couple of tree stumps that have decided to grow back and currently look like a really badly shaped bush, surrounded by over grown plants and weeds that are almost as tall.  But today if felt good to make some progress around the yard.

Other than my handwork with my morning tea before work, not much quilting got done today.  So, I will leave you with this... 

Back in time to March 9/2022:

This is my mom's quilt that we put together with the Noah's ark strip at the top.  This quilt was made as part of a challenge set by the person, to whom we deliver the Project Linus quilts to.  She had been given a donation of fabrics for the use for Project Linus.  She sent out an email to all her participants who make and donate quilts for the cause.  The challenge was to make a quilt using the fabric that was donated and supplement it, if needed, with some of your own fabric, to make a Linus quilt.  The pictures were later sent to the person who donated the fabric.

The Noah's ark strip was one of the fabrics my mom got in her package including a few of the others used to make the squares for the main part of the quilt.  We took our inspiration from the colors in the scene and cut out a bunch of squares.  The burgundy was used to separate the top from the main quilt and was used for the binding.  Mom put it all together, I quilted it, and mom did the binding.  I think it turned out lovely.

I am now sitting here resting my back after my walk with the dog and all the gardening.  I think I will stay here for a nice long time and do some reading.  Enjoy what is left of the evening!