Autumn Breezes

I have been following a blog called Apple Avenue Quilts for over a year now and she always post really nice patterns for the making.  I did the block of the month and am just now putting the final border on it so I will will post pictures when it is finished.  

In October last year the blog editor Jill, posted a wall hanging that was paper-pieced and I just fell in love with it.  I had learned a new way to paper-piece from Amy Butler on the Craftsy BOM website so I thought I would tackle this project.  I picked up the fabric at a small quilt shop in Beaver Bay Minnesota.

Autumn Breezes.

I am quite proud of it.  All the quilting is done

in the ditch because I thought something

else would take away from the  pattern.

I then did some serpentine stitches down the 4 sides.

Peggy

Quilt Therapy at -36C

It was another very bitterly cold day today with a temperature of -36C with a windchill of -44C.  What a day for quilt therapy and my car decided that it didn't want to start in this cold weather.  Luckily our vehicles were nose-to-nose in the driveway so YKW was able to use the booster cables and I was on my way.

The sun was shining into the plant room so we warmed up and were able to do lots of quilting.
First of all we organized the blocks in my Irish Quilt.  So now I have to start sewing them together.

This was taken with my Ipod touch so

I lost a bit of it.

Pierina finished block 4

of the Craftsy BOM.

Then she organized some of her

fabrics for blocks 5 and 6

Joyce is working on a quilt with

a beautiful panel of horses. 

Check out that cute kitten!

I was able to finish 6 of these blocks and

also put together some of the 4 patch 

corner blocks.

Lot of progress.

Peggy

Yea for the Blue and White

It is bitterly cold here today.  It is 3pm and the temperature is only -20C.  We woke up to a temp of -24C with a windchill of -36C, and I think we are in for a few days of these bitter temperatures.  I guess that is what I get for living in the north.

I finished my quilt from Joined at the Hip Blog and literally threw it out the back door onto the snow to get a picture of it.  

It landed with the corner tucked under like that and I couldn't

walk out to fix it so it had to stay.

Peggy.

Tuesday and Therapy go together

I just can't seem to get my posting done the day that it happens.  Tuesday is a busy day so the posting goes by the wayside.  We were all together this Tuesday, first day in a long time.  Even though there was lots to catch up on since Christmas we still were able to get some quilting and piecing done.

Maria was finishing up her placemats

that she started before Christmas.

This pattern is called Fine Dining from Pieced Tree Patterns.

Joyce was quilting some table mats

that she had started before Christmas.

Pierina was making half square triangles for her

quilt from the Craftsy BOM.

I spent my time getting my blocks ready to be

sewn together for Lynda's quilt.

I have some of the pieces ready to be sewn now into

a block.  Still many more to go as there will be 24 blocks like this in the quilt.

This block is from Quilters Cache

called Quatrefoils.

I wanted a block to highlight the fabric as well as the small flowers that were part of the rooster fabric.  I fussy cut 192 of these small squares for this quilt.  I tried to just cut a 2 inch strip but when I did I cut off some of the flowers so there was no other way but to fussy cut them.

I have also been trying to get a quilt ready for my Wednesday group so I spent the last few days quilting this quilt and I was even able to get the binding on it.  It will keep we cozy the next few nights while I hand sew the binding to the back.  I don't mind hand sewing it and I think it looks nicer that doing it by machine.

This quilt is from one of my last year's BOM called Joined at the Hip.

Peggy

The Green Stripper

Red, orange, yellow, green.  Green is the next colour of the rainbow so I worked on my green strip last week so it would be ready for Guild night.  These rainbow quilts will be something else to see when they are all completed.  I hope they are finished before the summer.  I had a lot of green so I used light and dark in order not to be too dull or too washed out.

Green strip

At one of the groups I go to it was time for a birthday so we had a little celebration.  I think 81 years is something to celebrate.  

A young 81 year old Leila

We even had Birthday Cake.

Peggy.

A New Year of Quilt Therapy

Tuesday was Quilt Therapy day. It was a small group if you consider two to be a group. It was Pierina and me today as both Joyce and Maria were busy. Pierina and I went shopping for fabric last week so she started her new quilt today. She is doing the Craftsy Block Of The Month from last year.  

Block Number 1

Block Number 2

I was working on framing my roosters for Lynda's quilt.  I was able to finish them all and now I have 10  framed and I am ready to start on making the blocks.

I am making some of them with red frames and some with blue frames to match the fabric in the blocks.

I was also able to make some of my piano key border for my

Cranton Village Quiltworks BOM.  I also called this

Blogger Block of the Month.

Peggy

UFO-To-Go

I saw this UFO-to-go a few months ago on Riley Blake Designs and have been waiting for the pattern. A short time ago it was posted on the website.  You can find the video HERE.  This is a great idea to transport blocks that you haven't sewn together yet but have then arranged the way they should be sewn together.

The outer fabric is laminate so the blocks don't stick to the fabric when it is rolled up but stay stuck to the batting and felt instead.

Blocks can be tricky sometimes getting them arranged in the proper order and then something comes up and you have to put things away, so this Portable Design Wall or UFO-to-Go will be very handy.

All tied up with the blocks inside.

The UFO-to-Go opened up

with blocks inside.

This one is large enough to hold a

14 1/2 inch square.

I usually make blocks between 6-12 inches so this will be useful for me for any size of block.

Peggy.

What I am Working On

I am working on putting a quilt together for Lynda.  She bought the rooster fabric in London England last year and I haven't done much with it, so we went shopping over Christmas time and she purchased some more fabric to go with the roosters.  I put together a few practice blocks today and I like them.  It is nice to work on something for Lynda because she gives me carte blanche.  I then have the opportunity to design a quilt  and put it together how ever I choose.  This will be a fun process.

The flowers in the beige fabric are part of

the rooster fabric.  I thought I would

incorporate them into the block 

and chose to put them in the 4 patch.

I took the next picture during the Christmas holidays when I could get the three of them together.

Three of my grandchildren.

Peggy

Ring out the Old, Bring in the New.

It has been a busy 2 weeks with company for Christmas and a grand-daughter from down east visiting her father and us.  I had to dismantle my sewing room so that Lynda would have a place to sleep, but I left a lot of the fabric in the room.  I figured she could live among the fabric but the rest had to go.  Things are starting to get back to normal around here.  I even put the soup pot on today.

I can now post the rest of the pictures of gifts I made for Christmas.  

For Christine & Gary

This is made from upholstery fabric cut into

5 inch squares and lined with cotton

fabric.

For Lynda

For the Grandchildren

For Maria

For Colleen

For Terry

There wasn't enough green fabric for the binding

on all 8 placemats so 

I used cat fabric for the second set.

Now I have to get caught up on my BOM and put together quilts from all the BOM that I made over this past year.

Happy New Year.

Peggy.

Our Last Therapy Group before Christmas

Maria had to work today so there were only three of us sewing but she was able to come for lunch, so that was great.  We had a little Christmas party and also got some quilting done.  

I gave my small pouches with small hot pads to use in the kitchen.

Small Pouches

Small Pot Holders

And received some wonderful gifts in return.  There were homemade cookies, homemade horseradish for YKW, homemade Italian candy and a lovely picture framed of quilters.

We have show and tell at our therapy group and this picture 

says it all.

It is hanging on the wall of my sewing room, so

I can be reminded each day of

out special friendship.

Pierina was working on her Christmas cushion cover.

Here it is all finished beside her Christmas Tree

Joyce was making large hot pads to go on the 

Christmas table.

I finished my squares for 

Joined at the Hip BOM.

I am ready to put the sashing and borders on my quilt

and will get it quilted in the New Year.

Peggy 

Christmas Wreath

I spend a fair bit of time looking around the Internet to find patterns and different things to make.  I don't know how I came across this website but when I saw the project I couldn't resist making it.

It is made with fabric flowers.

I used a fabric bow and wound my

Styrofoam wreath with fabric

instead of Burlap.

 

The pattern can be found here.

Peggy

Christmas Quilting

I am way behind on my BOM's. I have done some of the November blocks but mostly I have been working on Christmas things. I have a lot of pictures to post after Christmas but today I can include some that don't have to wait.

I made my older sister a casserole carrier out of these beautiful fabrics and I forgot to take a picture so I thought I would post the fabric anyway. I gave her the carrier when I was down their last week-end so I can post it now.

I also made a table runner for my daughter's mother-in-law.  The gift is from my daughter not me, I just made it.

This was a kit that we bought in Beaver Bay Minnesota.

The quilt shop there always has a lot of kits

that are so interesting.  There are different

colours to choose from and many

patterns.  It is always a pleasure shopping there.

Emma is coming for Christmas this year to spend the time with her father so I made her a new Christmas

stocking.  I was disappointed in the panel I bought as I thought that there was a front and a back to the stocking but instead there were 4 stockings all facing the same way, no right and wrong side.

I used fabric with cardinals on it for the backing and also if you look closely

you can see I put her name on the top.

Peggy.

Another Great Therapy Session on Tuesday

There were just 3 of us this week and a lot was accomplished by all of us.

Pierina's new grand-daughter is going to have a lovely Christmas stocking that she can fill with all kinds of goodies.

She is appliqueing the Santa on and putting

a patch on the toe.

 

Santa nicely appliqued.

 

Maria has been working on her letters for Ryan's Max and Whiskers

quilt.

 

 

She is ready to applique now and then add

the piano key border.

 

I am working on my Christmas Cushions and have

the flying geese sewn on to one of the

center squares.

 

I was able to finish both of them

over the week-end.

 

This pattern is from Moda Bakeshop.  I am really

happy the way they turned out.

They are cushion covers that I put over my

living-room cushions and when Christmas

is over I will take them off and revert

back to my regular cushions.

 

They can  be put away for another year.

 

Peggy

 

 

 

 

 

My First Quilt

When I was in Southern Ontario this past weekend visiting my sisters and two of my grandchildren, my sister Lynda brought out a quilt that I had made many years ago and had forgotten about.  This quilt was made in 1973, and I know that because I signed the front of it.  Wow, that is 39 years ago.  When you look at this quilt you can tell that I knew a little about quilting.

Some of the blocks are just squares and there are some that I have put together with odd shapes of fabric to make a square.  There is even one that is a "Courthouse Steps" block.  The quilt is totally polyester.  There is no cotton on the front of this quilt although I think I put a blanket in the center or a piece of flannel.  I did not use batting.  It is all tied.  The backing is flannel.

My Very First Quilt.

 

This is where I signed the front of the quilt.

 

One of my crazy patch blocks.

 

My Courthouse Steps block.

 

I got such a kick out of Lynda showing me this quilt that I just had to post it.  Something from my past.

 

Peggy.