Quilt Tales for the Heart and Mind Presentation

I  am pleased to let you know that my 'inaugural tour' as Cathy dubbed it, was a resounding success.

Isn’t this absolutely wonderful? This little cushion sign was made by Cathy in Port Perry as a gift for me. 

Here is the other side:

Beautiful work, beautiful message on both sides! I love it so. And she knows me well: in my favourite colour.

Gratitude #68

Good morning. Yes, I did not write this up ahead of time because I wanted to write it from where I am: the incredibly beautiful Catskills of New York. This was the view out our bedroom window this morning.

That is through the window (as you can tell) with my iPhone, no filter. Clearly, it down't do it justice, and clearly, that view takes your breath away. Mountains are on the other side of the cute little cottage we are staying in. We have mainly come to visit our dear friend John, who has appeared from time to time on the blog with his beloved dog, Brandy, now over the rainbow bridge. I am excited to explore, and watch for more photos here and on Instagram. Can you imagine how pretty it is in spring with those apple trees in bloom? We are staying in Janette and Eddie's (friends of John's and now of ours) cottage on their beautiful property.

Green Work, Pumpkin Placemats and DrEAMi! #66

Two thirds of the way through writing this post and I looked at the date and realized tomorrow is the last Saturday of September (just WHERE did that month go?) so I need to double up and make this the DrEAMi post too. The pumpkin placemats at the end of the post are actually a Drop Everything And Make it project!

My RSC work is done for this month. Angela asked us to work some more with blue, but I've already done light blue and turquoises, and I'm itching to work with bright green, so that is what I did, making another hot air balloon block. This makes a total of eight.

I plan to make one more for the layout I have in mind. I think it will be a multi-coloured one.

Pumpkin Season

My pumpkin quilt is done, slept under last night, and OMG completed over and above the original plan! This is also on my Q4FAL list and it is my submission for October's Inspiration Collaboration, which I will discuss towards the end of the post.

Oh I do love this quilt! It is completely made from scraps, both old and vintage. That photo has not even been 'enhanced'; I felt the colours were exactly as they are in real life. I am so happy that the sun came out in the afternoon on Thursday when I took these photos. It was supposed to rain most of the day but it only did up until about 9:30 am but it was cloudy until around 2:30 when I was finishing sewing on the binding.

Fall Runner

One of the 17 items on my Q3FAL list is making a runner for my Etsy shop. I'm happy to say I've checked it off the list!

Rather in keeping with the theme of 2020 where we've all spent so much more time at home than usual.

I, like many others, like the buffalo plaid look to lots of fall décor I'm seeing and I thought hmm, what if I created my own buffalo plaid pumpkin using 2.5" squares? Fun!

Oh Canada

Seems to be a theme for the past few posts, doesn't it?  Not intentional.  Yet kinda cool, especially on today, as I think of my neighbours to the north--north of me is Detroit, Michigan, and to the south across Lake Erie--south is Sandusky, Ohio.

You are probably thinking, wait, you made an entire quilt of maple leaves floating on one giant maple leaf like, a week or so ago?  Yep.  Windfall.  That was my own design and for the Autumn Abundance blog hop.  This particular block is a test for Cindy at Stitchin At Home, who has designed a Canada quilt as a block of the month for her guild to do over this next several months, with the finish in time for Canada's 150th birthday on July 1, 2017!  I'm testing the blocks for her.  She constructed her leaf a little differently than mine.  It looks great amongst the leaves, several of which I'd picked to scatter on my quilt.

I also tested the puppy block for Joanne at Canuck Quilter.  I have very limited time for sewing and blogging over the next couple of weeks, so I couldn't do the entire baby quilt for her, but she's got several testers for the owl and ducky versions, such a cute quilt.  She writes great patterns; hope you check out some of them on her blog link, and maybe pick up a copy of this pattern once it is available!

Woof!

I was thinking Naala, aka Rottweiler when I did this one.  Pretty cute, huh?  It might end up in a cushion or something for Brady.  He loves dogs.  The mum that the puppy is resting against is one that comes back each year, such a vibrant burgundy-red! It survived a recent transplant quite nicely.  

The glorious Fall weather continues: I leave the house five times a week at 5:45 am for yoga, either doing or teaching, and I've only had to scrape the windshield once.  That was such an ever-so-light scrape, as the frost was just a touch.  All our flowers and all the flowers in town (well those who haven't been rather goofy IMHO and yanked them out) are flourishing:

 So many roses in town are still thriving, blooming.

Close-up.  Canada colours, eh?!

Back to our American neighbours on their Election Day, which will undoubtedly affect us, not to mention the rest of the planet.  We were on the north side of the Detroit River last week.  The drive along Jefferson Avenue to Dayna's never disappoints; why take the freeway when you can revel at the jaw-dropping mansions on one side of the road, and the jaw-dropping views of Lake St. Clair on the other?  And then, there's the stunning colours...

The photo does not come close to doing the colours justice, but you get the idea.  I hope all will be well with them.  Our two countries are so very similar in many ways, but so very different in others.  Yet we live side by side pretty amicably.  Would that all different cultures could do so in peace and understanding.  Variety is the spice of life, as they say; why should everyone be all virtual clones of each other, and look and act the same?  Wouldn't quilts be pretty boring if all the millions of them on this planet were one colour and all the same shades or tones of that colour?

Tolerance, cooperation, and we, like the fabrics in our quilts, can all play nicely together on the quilting frame.  That is my own humble opinion and hope for our world.

:-)

Linking up with

Free Motion by the River

Sew Fresh Quilts

Autumn Abundance Blog Hop - Windfall

It's Day 5 and it's my turn to show you my project that I have been super-excited about since its inception for this Autumn Abundance Blog Hop.

First of all a tremendous thank you to Bernie of Needle and Foot for birthing this idea of a Fall inspiration blog hop this summer.  When she asked me if I'd like to be a part, I was like hell ya!  I mean, ahem, I was like, oh for sure! And then kicked up my heels at the thought of getting some free fabric and license to play and create...  Second, a massive thank you and wow-wee from my heart goes to Paintbrush Studio who so generously agreed to sponsor this hop.  Be sure to check out their blog, which I follow by bloglovin' and by email so I never miss a post, Inspired By Fabric.  I also follow on Instagram.

Strong and Free

That's my country.  A line from our national anthem.  We Canadians are a rather laid back breed for the most part.  Quiet.  Polite. Peacemakers.  I am very proud of that description of us.  I'm also very proud of my country and I love it.  This post has a few Canadian images and thoughts for you.

Sunset on Lake Erie October 15 at the home of friends of ours

Maple Leaf Forever

Not sure of the variety, or wait, I think this may be an oak?!! My friend Doug taught me that red oaks have pointed leaves...please do let me know.

Okay this next definitely is a maple, known as Autumn Blaze.  I got that name from the guy who owns these spectacular beauties, trees I have photographed every year for the past five Falls that I have walked past them.

I think the big one right in front of me and on my right is a silver maple. Maybe a red maple!  Autumn Blaze is a hybrid of those two I learned.

A little maple of my own has been a-happenin' in my sewing corner...

Love it when seams line up purr-fectly!

Speaking of purring, Bella has been right beside me every step of the way on this secret project which will be revealed this coming Friday!

From cutting, to discovering my desk lamp throws some lovely warm heat (don't worry; the iron wasn't on), to settling down all nice and cosy, ensuring both sides of her head got toasty, to oops!  Guess she sat too near the pile of HST trimmings...

Back in the summer Bernie of Needle and Foot asked me if I'd like to be a part of a hop she was planning for the Fall, to showcase a fabric company's Fall line of fabrics.  For sure!  Paintbrush Studio is our sponsor and I picked Windfall for my project.

Some of the incredibly rich hues in this gorgeous line.

Here is a teaser photo during construction:

And during quilting:

The Autumn Abundance blog hop runs all this week.  Be sure to check back as I will update the links below as each post goes live.  You should get some great Fall inspiration!

Monday - Bernie at Needle and Foot
Tuesday - Janine at Quilts From the Little House
Wednesday - Mari at The Academic Quilter
Thursday - Tish at Tish's Adventures in Wonderland
Friday - moi!

Back to Canada.  I've been thoroughly engrossed in another fantasy by Ottawa, Ontario resident Charles de Lint, Trader.  I am nearly finished; if you like a good fantasy, especially one that paints the veil between Faerie/Spiritworld and ours as being very thin, and blends Celtic lore with Native American, then you will love his work.  The Little Country is the first of his that I read, with Moonheart and its sequel, Spiritwalk, in a three-way tie for favourites.

While working on my quilt, I decided to go through some CDs that I was organizing, ensuring they are loaded into the laptop (and therefore my devices) for easy transport.  This was the point at which I realized how I'd unknowingly been surrounding myself with Canadian art while I worked on my Autumn Abundance quilt.  I'd completely forgotten about this gift from my mum from several years ago, a Canadian Brass CD, love!  Bach's fugues have mesmerized me since I first was learning them (and they are hard!); the intricacy and interweaving of themes in each 'voice' quite a work of art and organization, not to mention genius.  In keeping with the fantasy atmosphere, Canadian Loreena McKennit's haunting melodies are just the ticket.  They've been getting a fair bit of play recently.  I do believe I own every one of her CDs, and, imported into the laptop though they all may be, I will still keep the hard copies!

Canada is such a rich country in many ways from resources, to a variety of peoples, cultures (we are multicultural and proud of it), vistas, and interesting weather to be sure!  Out west in Alberta, they had an unwelcome blast from Old Man Winter a couple of weeks ago, and he is hanging on yet with his icy fingers...
Still, there is incredible beauty and magic to be found:

Photo courtesy of my sister Linda, taken by her son

I think she should enter that photo in a contest.  I just love it!  The snow is pretty much gone now.

2000 miles to the east and 700 miles south of Edmonton, I sat and enjoyed the sun and water on my walk yesterday.  Canada is indeed diverse.

Can you spot the black Lab swimming? Ah, would Rocco have loved to be with him...

A little later on that same walk, I had to stop and take a photo of this fabulously decorated house.  People really go all out in my little town, but this circle of dancing ghosts was just so creative! I immediately heard the music of "Outlander" in my head, thoughts of the dancing white witches in the standing stones overlaying the ghosts in front of me.

Ahh, Outlander...Scotland...one day I hope to go there...  Finally, a nod to Canada's 'mother' country, from none other than my own proud to be English, mum.  She sent me this photo the other day, her lunch of homemade broccoli soup (she makes the best) on her Union Jack placemat I made her last year, and in the background a tablerunner from probably about 15 years ago that I also made her. How I love seeing my quilts being used and loved.  

Photo courtesy of my mum. Thanks Mum!

Be sure to check out the Autumn Abundance Day 1 post right here!

Linking up with
Cooking Up Quilts
Sew Fresh Quilts

Fall Resplendence - A Finish

This small quilt really packs a punch IMHO.  And it is one of the goals on my Q3 FAL list! I sewed the top last summer/fall when I was doing all the wheelchair charity quilts.

I pulled colours from the leaf print to make the half hexies.  Two of the half hexagon fabrics, the orange and the green, are in the same line, a VIP from Cranston Print Works Company.  The rest are all scraps.

I drafted a pattern for the half hexagons, which isn't hard to do: you just need the finished measurement of the short sides, and then if you think about it, a half hexagon is made up of 3 equilateral triangles, so voilà, template made.

Dave, husband to Tish, and author of the blog, Dave the Quilt Engineer (each of them are having a giveaway, on until tomorrow btw) said in his post about his diva of a cat, "'if it fits, I sits' (not just for boxes)".  Thus it is with my Bella.  See what I mean about cats getting the same memos?  As soon as I laid this down, hot off Avril the Avanté, to get a photo, Bella was like, "Mmmrrow? for sure I'll test it for you, and don't even worry about my good side; they're ALL good!" as she blinked, owl-like at me.

She was sure to get involved in one of the most exciting parts of the quilt process in her mind's eye, binding:

Here is the back, assembled from leftovers:

Brady's Halloween quilt, two chunks from non-blogged about quilts: a piece of brushed cotton from a Thanksgiving quilt, and the brown from another very cuddly quilt.

Love the texture I got from a pretty simple quilting motif.  I did wavy 'organic' lines in the leaves sections and this circles with wavy line connectors, very similar to a design Judy of Quilt Paradigm used on one of her latest quilts.  I don't have a circle template for my longarm, but I do have one to trace around, so I traced the circles onto the fabric and then just FMQ-ed them as well as the wavy line connectors.  They aren't perfect; you can see a wobble in the black fabric, but I'm okay with it; I'm not a robot.

The label.  I wrote right on the piece of green I needed as the pumpkin brushed cotton wasn't quite wide enough.  This is the 10th use (that doesn't seem right somehow, feels like it should be more, hmm) of my mmm! quilts labels from Ikaprint. (no affiliation but Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts is, so go there first and click on through!

I haven't decided whether I will keep this one or sell it or maybe donate it to a needy place.  Speaking of donating, I finally dropped off the first quilt I made for the Henry Glass Fabrics Desire to Inspire Challenge.

This is in the vestibule of the Sexual Assault Crisis Centre in Windsor.  I asked for this one to go to a boy as it is more masculine in feel on both the front and definitely on the back.  I now realize that I have never given you a more in-depth look at all of my projects for that Henry Glass challenge.  I need to do that.  I already gave the Centre two I made in April when it was Sarah's Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge.

Back to Fall Respendence.

Loving the slowly opening mums! Here we'd set them out to catch the rain, which is still falling off and on today.

We need to take the boat out once or twice more in order to make room for some fresh gas to put in it while she waits over the winter.  But she did make a good backdrop even though it was drizzling while I was taking photos!

One of my favourite style of shots. Mmm!

It's nice to check another off one off the list...haven't made great progress this quarter.  I've been doing other, unforeseen quilting, as well as experiencing some other life stuff, so I apologize for not getting back to you in a timely manner if you've left a comment. I hope to catch up this weekend.  Remember to vote in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival! Easy peasy, just click the 3 that you like in each category.  Here is the one I entered, Rainbow Kitty Rows in the ROYGBIV category:

The post I wrote for the festival is here

Quilt Stats:
Pattern:  based on a tutorial from Quilting is More Fun Than Housework
Size: 42 1/2 X 49 3/4"
Fabric: scraps and stash
Batting: Warm n Natural
Quilted: on Avril the Avanté;  52 236 stitches
Threads: pieced with Gütermann; quilted with Essential variegated thread 21224 Autumn Splendor

Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts

And My Quilt Infatuation

and Leanne of She Can Quilt for the Q3 FAL.

Sunday Stash for Fall...and Needles

I've added some vibrant hues to my stash, and they are a perfect set for today as we officially started Fall a few days ago.  btw it's exactly three months to Christmas, just sayin'...

This is Windfall, generously sent to me by Paintbrush Studio Design and what an incredibly rich array of colour!  There are just two tone one tone leaf 'prints' in the collection, a maple-shaped leaf and an oblong, birch-shaped leaf, but just look at the variety of colours in which they printed those two patterns--mmmm!

I got a fat quarter pack and a little yardage for the project (or two) I have in mind.  I already made a button basket out of some of the red, which you can see here.  I will be taking part in a hop later in October, hosted by Bernie of Needle and Foot.  You can take a peek at the others's fabric in the hop (we each chose a different Fall line) by clicking:
Tish at Tish's Adventures in Wonderland
Janine at Quilts from the Little House
Mari at Academic Quilter

Here is one more shot of this gorgeous fabric (and what a lovely hand it has) by one of our chrysanthemums, such a pleasing mid-Western tradition (or is it American, period, and once again, our southern section of Canada has adopted it?) of front porch displays that evoke thoughts of wonderful pumpkin pie and apple cider and muffins and football and cozy hours by one's sewing machine...

Even though I still wore flipflops, capri pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt yesterday to lunch with a friend and then later to dinner with a group of other friends, including a most enjoyable cruise on the Detroit River in one of their boats, I was able for the first time since Spring, to wear one of my beloved dress scarves around my neck!  Which reminds me....I have some fabric somewhere to make an infinity one, hmmm, gotta put my hands on that.

I am still hand-stitching the binding down on Dayna's quilt, but I loaded another, which is on my Q3 FAL list and got a start on it yesterday morning:

Flowing 'organic' wavy lines in the leaves sections and a design my good friend Judy used on a recent quilt that I decided to try here. My circles aren't quite perfectly round, despite drawing them on using a circle tracing template, but once the quilt is washed and crinkly, it will be just fine right?!  I'm loving the Essential 100% cotton variegated thread from Connecting Threads, (no affiliation) a gift from another good friend, Preeti.  :-)

Which reminds me of two things:
1.  The Bloggers Quilt Festival  - one day and 10 hours left to enter...I haven't done that yet!! It's been a rather crazy last couple of weeks for multiple reasons.  SUCH inspiration you will find in each one of the categories.

2.  Did you remember to snag yourself a class for $20US/$26CA this weekend at Craftsy?  (affiliate link) Think I may watch some more of my latest Angela Walters one while my husband cries over, er cheers on, his beloved Detroit Lions.

Eye of the Needle
Bada BOOM!  Once more a post comes full circle, and how I love it:  This is the last Sunday of the month and many of you are looking for Sunday Stretch, and this promised pose for your hips especially when you have bad knees... It will be here within the next couple of days, promise.  This one took precedence as will hopefully one more, my entry into the Bloggers Quilt Festival.  :-)

Linking up with
Molli Sparkles

Suh-weet!

I've been absent from QBL for a bit, but that's because I'm down at our Florida home for 10 days, where my mum and aunt joined me for 8 of them.  These two "wins" were waiting for me when I arrived!

The charm square pack is what I won from Stitches 'n Giggles in the July ALYOF hosted by Sew Bittersweet Designs.  I love Zen Chic designs; I made Pocketful of Sunshine with Sphere.  :-)  I finally remembered to spend more time on her site, and MAKE A DECISION!

On the right is the wrist pincushion I missed receiving by days in April.  We'd headed back north by the time it got to my mailbox.  I won this in the Succulents giveaway at Crimson Tate. It is from ellesquare, as you can see by her adorable label.

I left this riot of colour...

Burning bush in the foreground, Maples, Weeping Willow, and ?? beyond

and this serenity...

Lake Erie November 4

to revel in this sparkling surf...

My other beloved body of water, the Gulf of Mexico, November 11

and smile at these scampering little souls...

Are they my Lake Erie sandpipers down here for the winter?

for 10 days.  Now I'm heading back north to Lake Erie where, OMG, it's been in the low 60s several of the days I've been melting in loving up the steamy high 80s/low 90s with a "feels like" 95 or more!  My heart is more than full; it feels as if it will swell up out of my throat with wonder and happiness and sadness all mixed up and messed up together.

I haven't even had time to miss my Bernina as it's been a whirlwind of wonderful sunny Florida the entire time.  Am I going home to recuperate from this 10-day sojourn? Nope.  I'll be sewing up a storm all weekend at a retreat I'm attending for the first time in the little town of Harrow, just a few miles from my beloved Kingsville.

Lots to share next week!

Squirrel! Strikes Again

Yep.  Squirrel!  On Thanksgiving Monday afternoon and evening, this happened:

Eeep! I love it!  I've had this fabric for quite some time; folded up all together waiting for the right pattern.  I'd bought the focus leaf fabric and the orange and matching medium green leaf prints at the same time.  They're all the same line of Cranston VIP prints from Fabricland.  I added in the Classic Cottons yellow, a Moda Marbles deep purple, a Timeless Treasures black paisley, the Buggy Barn deep olive green, and the brown, a Purrfect Christmas by Benartex (had to research it as all I had on the selvage was "Purrfect Christmas").  All of those except for the olive green are scraps from other projects.

Sidenote:In Amanda Jean's Sunday Morning Quilts book, she and coauthor Cheryl suggest always trimming the selvages off first so you get nice long pieces for use in selvage projects, but I'm a geek in that I love to know the manufacturer, line and designer, so I always leave them on.  When I buy fat quarters, I always try to get the side with the selvage information on!  I've been that way since pretty much the beginning of my quilting life.  Anywho.

So when I saw Cynthia's quilt, "Quick Half Hexie Baby Quilt", even though I hadn't set eyes on this bundle of fabric for a while, I just knew her pattern was the one for this fabric!  I used her measurements, drafted up my half hexie as I don't have any of the Jaybird rulers and went to town.  I might have overcut by half a dozen the half hexies, but oh well.  I was so excited to sew this up!  It went together in a snap, and when I looked back at Cynthia's quilt Tuesday morning, I realized in my enthusiasm, I kind of missed the point of her quilt:  separating a whole hexie with the strips of focal fabric.  I emailed Cynthia, asking if she thought I should do some ripping and rearranging or go with it as it is, and you know?  Before I read her reply, I decided it's okay.  It's, um, improv, really.  I didn't pay attention to keeping the colours in the same order, nor did I pay attention to symmetry.  It sings to me of the colours I see around me at this lovely slowly changing time of year.

Me amongst the bananas this morning

I'd hoped to insert a glorious Fall photo here, but not too much is changing yet; the black walnuts behind us, of course, are the first, and lost all their leaves a couple of weeks ago.  I wish I knew all the trees by us, as one is almost all gold, another is pure deep green, another is fading green, Jude's Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus for your benefit, Mum!) is half deep green and half deep red.

Last year I gathered several leaves, pressed them, and then I pulled batiks that reflected their vibrant colours in preparation for making a quilt to reflect Fall's glory.

The leaves have faded over a year...I'll have to gather some fresh ones over the next few weeks!

...and then we went to Florida.  This is where the quilt sits nearly a year later.  Yet I knew I had the other Fall fabrics for the half hexie quilt stowed away.  So the squirrel scurried downstairs, and within minutes had located the stowed fabric, pulled it out and got to work!

I just knew another stash of fabrics would work into a smaller version of this quilt for a wheelchair quilt.  So yesterday I made this!  I paid full attention to symmetry and colour order in this one.

All these except for the pale pink feathers fabric are from the guild's charity fabrics I brought home for quilts.  I've already cut these into kits for more wheelchair quilts, to be picked up at next week's guild meeting.  It's neat to see the same fabrics in different patterns!  Should have another, maybe two to show you this week.

Linking up with Freshly Pieced and Sew Fresh Quilts.  Lots of squirrels, er, inspiration over there!  These two will be on my Q4 FAL list, which I will have for tomorrow, as that is the deadline!