Burgundy scrap quilt

I get inspiration from everywhere!  I can't seem to stop the flow of ideas.  Now most would say that it's a good thing, however I sometimes feel it goes against me.  I keep coming up with more ideas on how to use up my scraps, and that would normally be a good thing, however I have already more quilts started then I can get done in a reasonable amount of time!

I do cut myself some slack when I am doing quilts for charity or when I am using up scraps to tame the mountain of fabric, so I guess I'm ok with this new quilt......lol......it meets both criteria.....lol.....sometimes I think I am my own worst enemy.....lol.....YES, I am starting yet another quilt!!  I just have to use up all the burgundy scraps I have! 

I saw this picture on Pinterest yesterday.  The source is Julie's Quilts and Costumes blog, called Design Wall Monday 11/28/2022, but I don't think she is the original designer, and she makes no mention of where it comes from.  

I am taking this inspiration one step further and I am doing it the Bonnie Hunter style with strings.  I've broken down the design a bit.  Most of the red parts will be burgundy strings, except for the middle block, which I will do an hourglass block instead.  I put it in EQ to check out my version of the design and I think it will work out lovely.  See picture below.

Today being Saturday, with no immediate plans, other than a walk later in the day, gives me a lot of time to play around in my scraps.....stay tuned.....it's either this or the tote I spoke about in yesterday's post...

Take care everyone.

Twister Tote

I saw this bag at a quilt store about 4yrs ago and wanted one of my own.  The shop owner was doing a workshop for the construction of the tote, so they didn't have any more patterns and the store was too far for me to go back to take the workshop.  So I took it as a sign that it was not meant to be....

About a year later, what should I come across in another quilt store....none other than this same pattern.  I then took that as a sign, that I was to make it after all...lol...and it wasn't lost on me, the fact that I just talked myself out of and then into the purchase of this pattern...lol.

At the same time, my mom had picked up a pattern for another bag that she was interested in.  It wasn't until about 2mths ago when I came across the pattern and asked my mom if she wanted to make our bags together, because she also hadn't found the time to do her own.  Her answer was yes.

So, 3wks ago on a Friday, I went to my mom's place.  Fridays are usually dinner at my mom's.  We worked on each of our bags and we both got to the stage of fusing the pieces to the fusible batting, which gives the bag some structure and stability.

Today, being Friday, I head to my mom's place with the intension of finishing this tote.  I got the above panel, a part of the front of the bag, attached to the other two parts, that are also a part of the front panel (as seen in the photo below on the left hand side).

This three piece panel also has the inner lining attached to the backside.  The second piece on the right hand side is part of the back of the tote, however for some reason, I missed the instructions to cut a piece of main fabric for the third piece that makes up the full panel for the back of the tote.........dead stop!!!  The main fabric was at home...

So much for finishing the tote today.....  My mom didn't get hers done either as she got distracted with making doggie beds.  Instead we quit early, relaxed and chatted until dinner.  

I'm back home now, but it's late.  Maybe I can tackle it tomorrow...

Take care everyone and have a great weekend!!

The history of a simple traditional log cabin quilt....

The history of a simple traditional log cabin quilt....  It all starts with a picture from Pinterest saved back in 2022 some time.  A little seed of inspiration followed by repeated admiration of the picture and examining the fabrics up close.  The post took me to the original source, where I learned more about the maker and the process she took to make it.  The more I admired it, the more I fell in love with this quilt. 

Information for context:  This quilt was made by the maker with French General fabric in all the shades of red and creams, through all the different lines of their fabrics.  I wanted my quilt to be the same, or at least as closed as possible to the feeling of warmth that I get when I look at this picture.

Fast forward a bit, when we took a trip to Ottawa back in Feb/2023 during my son's reading week.  I being a true quilter, already scouted out all the quilt stores within an hours drive of where we were heading....lol.  It turned out to be one of the worst days we could have gone, as we got hit by a snow storm part way up.  With the snow came delays.....  A long story cut short, we made it to the shop that carries a very large selection of French General fabric, where I proceed to take one of each....lol....within my colour scheme.

When we got home, I promptly washed all the fabrics, and little by little, throughout the year, I proceeded to cut all of the fabric I needed for all the blocks.  One distraction after the next and this got put aside, where it stood for a long while, cut and ready to start....then I hit what I am calling a road block, with my diagnosis of breast cancer in late April/2024. 

During the time off work, dealing with my health issues, I didn't do a lot of sewing. About the only thing I could do was get myself to all the appointments/treatments and in between....take long walks with my dog.  I would walk usually on average 10km per day, just to clear my mind. Walking out in nature, was about the only thing I felt I had control over.  Though after the first surgery and treatment, some time in June through to Oct/2024, I had to take those walks alone, as I couldn't take the chance of the dog sprinting and pulling my stitches.  My strength just wasn't up for it.

Much later, as I started to mend, I knew I wanted to start sewing again.  I missed sewing so much, but I just couldn't bring myself to concentrate on doing it.  I figured I'd try to ease myself into it.  I decided to try and do some easy paper piece sewing of these log cabin blocks.  If nothing else, I should be able to at least sew one block a day...... 

It took me until Dec 16/2024 before I could get motivated and when I took this picture of the first completed block.  I thought I was going back to work some time in the beginning of the New Year 2025, so I thought, I have to get back into the swing of things....get back to my life and a bit of normalcy.

It didn't happen every day, but it did happen many days.  All the fabrics were already cut from back in 2023, so all I had to do was sew them down while following the lines on the paper....  Some days I even got a second block done!!  Things were starting to go smoothly, my health was getting better, blocks were being made, I was feeling more like myself and with the help of my family and of my sewing friends who gathered to sew, my quilting mojo and spirts started raising.  

Though that was short lived, as I encountered a second road block in Jan/2025 with the onset of another surgery Mar/2025, for the other side.  By this time, I had already been through it once, so I knew what to expect....  Don't get me wrong, it was still an ordeal, however my support team and cheerleaders were already in place, and forever keeping my spirts high.

This time around after recuperating from surgery, I was able to gently ease myself back into sewing these paper piece blocks.  It didn't take much, as they weren't hard.  By June, I calculated that my time off work mending was going to be coming to an end shortly, so I bumped up production and started doing them every day, and sometimes as many as five in a day, on a good day.

By July 9th, the quilt top reached to this stage.  All the blocks were sewn, trimmed, de-papered, and assembled into the barn raising layout.  I am loving it!!!

My health is much better these days and I was able to return back to work on the first day, yesterday Aug/2025.  It will be a gradual return to work, to retrain and catch up on all the new things that went on while I was away.  Today I have the day off, so this top is going to be getting it's borders put on.

From the beginning, this quilt has always been destined for our bed (my husband and I).  It took a long time in the making and it's still not quite done, but getting much closer.  This quilt will forever have profound meaning for me, as I navigated through a difficult time in my life.....and through it all with the help of my family and friends, for whom I am and will forever, be grateful.

Stay turned for the final finish once I get it quilted and bound.

Take care everyone.

Handwork progress on my Gathering Flowers quilt

A couple of weeks ago, I pulled out the blocks for my Gathering Flowers quilt.  I am, from time to time, reevaluating my list of UFOs.  This particular quilt is my oldest UFO.  I started this back in 2011.  At that time, I went gong ho and started quite a lot of the blocks.  I started by making the bias "stem tubs" (not sure if that is what they are called).  I attached all the stems on 15 out of the 20 blocks that I had traced.

For instance, in this block, all the green vine stems were already completed back in 2011.  I wondered why I stopped there, when I only had the bow and some berries left to do.....  

I figured that out very quickly, when I started to work on this block again.  What I had done was traced and cut out the bow pieces backwards.  I've since recut the bow pieces and moved forward with this block, then I did the berries and then finally the embroidery stitches.  I am glad to say that this block is now done.  It was going so good that in one evening, I finished this block and then moved on to the next block. 

This next one is a wreath of leaves and berries.  This was one of the first blocks I attempted back in 2011, before I started working on the stems.  I was new to applique at the time and I didn't like my leaves.  

I had about five of them on before I put it aside.  Fast forward a bunch of years and I decided to remove the leaves and try again.  They turned out better, as I've had some practice with other types of hand work, but then something came up and this had to get put away.  Like the block above, this block was done in one evening.

Was it too much to ask for.....  I tried for three in a row with this next block the following evening.  The double heart in a vine circle with leaves and berries block.  Like the other blocks, the green vine parts were already completed in 2011.  This time I was able to add in the two hearts and two leaves, before it got late and was time for bed.  

I'm very happy with the progress that I've made so far and I'm not giving up on this quilt just yet.  Two and a half more blocks done!  That's great!!  I have renewed my interest in getting these blocks done and finishing this, my oldest UFO!!  Wish me luck....that I don't get distracted, yet again....lol

Take care everyone.

A Finished Top

I was inspired by this weave blanket that my mom owns.  Every time I would see it, I was drawn in.  I took several pictures of it and measurements.  I figured "one day" I was going to replicate this blanket into a quilt.  Well, that was a couple of years ago (posted about it on March 16/2023)....

Much later, when I came across some fabric that looked like a weave pattern, I purchased what I needed.  Then, there is sat for a while......a long while.....  I already had too many projects on the go.  So, I told myself to get some of the other quilts done before starting this one.  And I did!

"One day" finally came.  A few days ago I pulled out the fabrics and started cutting.  Cutting the coloured strips wasn't that bad, but the 1" size fuchsia and the 3 meters of white cut into 1 1/4" strips were tedious and time consuming.

As of yesterday, I had half of the top completed.  Today, my goal was to finish this top, as I am going back to work tomorrow.  This is my version of the weave blanket above.  It's a bit brighter then the original blanket, but I love it!  It's so cheerful!!

I still have to trim the sides straight, but I figured I would wait until after it is quilted.  Not sure when that will happen.  I'm just so excited to have the top finished!

Here's a close up picture of the top.  See how the fabrics look like a weave pattern and how tiny the fuchsia strip is?  It finishes as 1/4" high.....insane!!

Have a great evening and take care everyone.

Something new! Why not!!!

 Here is a teaser for you!  

What seems like miles upon miles of strip sewing....   White sewn to the fuchsia and I'm in the process of adding the second white strip to the other side of the fuchsia. 

This much still left to sew...

This quilt that I started was inspired by a weave blanket that my mom owns.  I had the fabric for over a year.  Even though there are many other projects left to do, where I left off, I just couldn't resist starting this one.  It is on my list and the rest of the fabric was already cut out and waiting....so why not!!!  

Take care everyone.

Hi there

I'm really at a loss, of what to say and how to address the chaos, that has been part of my life since shortly after the last post I wrote over a year ago.

I won't go through all the details, other than to say that I have been dealing with breast cancer.  Two surgeries and radiation complete, with some time to mend, both physically and emotionally.  I am so grateful, for all of my family and friends.  The support they provided....words cannot say enough.  I love them all.  

I think that is all I want to say for the moment on this topic.  Now, finally I am getting ready to get back to work.  Getting back to my quilting and moving forward with my life.

Thank you to everyone in my quilting life that has been there for me.