A friendly challenge

My friend, no blog Mary, and I have decided to challenge each other to bind one quilt per month.  

With 11 quilts to bind plus 3 more at the LAer (no blog Mary won't reveal how many she has!), this was the perfect challenge for both of us.  Anyone wondering why I call her "no blog Mary"?  I can't remember, but the name has stuck.  When she sends gifts my way, she always writes "no blog Mary".  Oh, the things we do to amuse ourselves!  LOL

This is my quilt that I will work on this month.  It would be nice to hang this quilt up next month with all my other red/neutral quilts.

My quilt will have the gingham fabric on the bias for the binding.

The quilt below is from no blog Mary.  Beautiful job!  

Her quilt will have navy blue binding.

Yes, I think this challenge is just what we need.  Sometimes a gentle push gets us going.  

This photo shows all of my quilts (except one) that is my challenge for this year.  Fun times ahead, for sure!

On a different note, this is a hibiscus plant that was pulled from my sister's garden this past fall.  What a beautiful bloom!  Let's see if I can continue to make it bloom.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

All that binding!

Yesterday, I picked up 5 quilts from the LAer.  Lots and lots of binding to come!  This is a good time as the temps. are starting to cool down now and to have these on my lap in the evenings will be most welcome.

I do have a finish but no photos to show you.  Binding and label are done.  Tick, tick.  Just need a sleeve and then wash and dry and then photos to come.  Happy, happy, happy to have something finished after quite a dry spell of just finishing tops.

Cottage season is starting to wind down and I will be spending more time at home now.  But not quite yet as there is some work that needs to be done to the cottage.  Staining of the outside and some painting inside as well as new floors laid in the two bedrooms.  The cottage is small and the work is something that can be achieved in day trips here and there.  Only a few more weeks and then the cottage will be closed for the winter.

Last Friday, I zoomed for the first time with a number of quilters from around the world.  Chookyblue is the hostess and she has been trying to get me to zoom for quite a while now.  Friday was a rainy day and I stayed home and viola ..... zoom, zoom, zoom!  To all those ladies that I met and are reading my blog for the first time .... hello again and it was lovely meeting you! 

Cherish your day, cherish your life! 

Two quilts

I've been going through busy times of late and I don't seem to have much to talk about in the way of quilting.

Today, I do have something to say.

First off, I'm working on finishing two quilts.

This one is my "Antique Sampler" by Susan Daley.  This photo was taken in my friend's garage.  We met for a few hours last week and this is what was brought over to work on.   Binding is on, but it is not finished yet.  

Why not, you wonder?  Well ..... since I'm so fussy about my quilts, extra steps are taken to finish it off to my satisfaction.  Anything that is appliqued on my quilts (that are machine quilted) I like to add hand quilting to help anchor the applique.  So, I've been hand quilting around each circle and stitch-in-the-ditch around the motif inside the circle.  Yes, yes, yes, I'm crazy and obsessive.  That is me and they are my quilts, so I will do whatever I want to make me happy.

So, why didn't I just hand quilt the whole quilt?  Well, this top has been sitting on a shelf for years waiting for me to hand quilt it.  The way I look at it, my LAer does half the work for me and I do the other half and those tops are finally getting finished.  If I wasn't so obsessive, then she would do all the quilting and be done with it.

Next, binding is being hand sewn down on my quarter log cabin quilt.  No applique on this quilt, so it will be finished soon.   Photos of both finished quilts will be coming your way in the next wee while.  

Next .... yesterday, I presented a trunk show to a small number of ladies.  I wore my mask and some of the ladies wore theirs also.  It was odd to do a trunk show like this, but it was good to feel normal again .... except normal won't be for a while.  Our area has had only 40 cases of Covid-19 and only 1 death.  All the cases have been resolved.  The health experts have done a marvellous job of contact tracing and insisting on isolation for those who have been exposed.  We all have to be smart about this deadly virus and wear our masks and wash our hands and keep our distance.  Be smart about it!

Yesterday, I wore my patch autumn jacket to do the trunk show.  On my way there, I stopped off at a local coffee shop and the man serving me my coffee remarked on how much he liked my jacket.  Well, that was my chuckle for the day because I nearly didn't wear that jacket because it has been around for 12 years now and it is starting to get old.   So, guess what I'll be wearing today when I take my sister out for groceries?  Yep.

Well, time to get another suitcase opened up and pull out those quilts and refold them and put them away in the quilt storage cabinets. 

I wonder when another trunk show will be done?

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Close!

The trees around town and on our hill are starting to change colours.  It is that time of year.

I have a pumpkin quilt that needs binding and with the nights and days starting to cool down, this is the perfect time to tackle that mountain of quilts waiting for binding.

As I was sewing on binding, I was thinking and looking at what was left to do.  Will I have enough or does it need another strip of fabric to be cut.

How close is this?

After careful measuring and sewing the two ends together, this is what was left.  1-3/4" left.  That was close.  The angels were looking over me on that note!

Soon, I will have another quilt to show you.

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Binding away!

Yesterday, I got "My Corona Flowers" back from my lovely LAer.  Last night, binding got started until my eyes were just too tired to sew anymore.  Today, the rest of the binding is now on.  Nights are starting to cool so sewing binding is what I will be doing soon.

So ...... how many more quilts need binding?  See the top shelf on my quilt cabinet?  There are six quilts that need binding!  Better get cracking and get them moving closer to the finish stage.  Every time I look at my cabinet, I start to drool.  Do you blame me?  LOL

Binding, binding, binding .....

Cherish your day, cherish your life!

Binding and more binding!

My hexagon wall hanging is all finished now.  Just need to cut the correct size rod and I can show you the final quilt hanging.  In the meantime, here is a sneak peek of my progress this week.

Binding got cut out and sewn onto the quilt.  Look at all that hand quilting!  Oh my!  My hands hurt like heck, but it was so worth it!  There are a few more smaller tops that will be brought out and basted for more hand quilting as I quite enjoyed the process.  I tried a massage gizmo that will be great for my hands after each session of hand quilting.  The before and after was amazing and with that gizmo, I feel confident of doing more hand quilting.

Once the binding was on, I couldn't stop myself until it was all done.  Sleeve and label went on next.

Next up in the binding cue is this Xmas quilt!  Love it!  There will be photos of three finished quilts to show you soon.

To round out my week, these items are all due for a couple coats of Varethane.  Chairs and cabinets.  The quilt rack you see will get transformed to white.  Just waiting for another nice day to spray paint.

We have had a few cool mornings and our daytime temps are in the mid-teen's.  Our gas fireplace has come on to give us a bit of heat in the morning.  Autumn is making it's presence known once again.

Have a great day!

Linking to:
http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/
https://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

A Garden Trip!

Here is my latest quilt.  So very pleased to have another quilt done and off my list.  Now, it is time to really enjoy this quilt.

This photo was taken on Sunday and then we had another dump of snow.  Still a lot of snow on the hill but daily we can see a difference and photos help to remind us that the snow is really, really going away.

As I was taking a photo, there was a movement out of the corner of my eye.  What?  I kept snapping photos.  Did I capture anything? 

This red squirrel came in for a closer look.  It didn't appear nervous with me there at all.  It was just very curious and it wanted some of those peanuts that we put out for the resident hill chippie.  Would it like some batting scraps for nesting?  Got plenty of those.

After washing and drying it was time to take another photo to show you how nice and crinkly it turned out.  This photo was taken today and can you see how much snow has melted since Sunday? 

 I'm trying to find spots in our backyard to take photos.  This is a new spot and good for small quilts.

How much do I love this quilt?  Quite a lot according to the number of photos taken.  LOL

Quilt Details:
Block Name:  Great-Granny Square
Inspiration:  reading blogs about making these blocks
Started:  July 2014
Top Finished:  August 2014
Quilt Finished: April 2019
Quilt Size:  62-1/2" x 78-3/4" (65-1/2" x 82" before quilting, washing and drying)
Batting:  Hobbs 80/20 poly cotton.
Machine quilted by:  Kat's Quilts

Since that quilt is done and being displayed in our home, it is time to move on to something else.

Binding on this quilt is happening as we speak.  It will be finished in time for a little girl's birthday next month.  More on this later.

When I need a break from binding, there are more leaf units to be done on this top.  Two borders are complete (top and bottom).

Yesterday, the garage girls did a road trip down to Orillia and Barrie.  Orillia Quilt Guild was having a sneak peak of quilts from New Zealand.  Ailsa Craig (https://ailsacraigartscentreampquiltfibreartsfestival.wildapricot.org/2019-festival) is hosting them this year and the sneak peak was amazing.  The quilts we saw were on the modern side and I quite enjoyed them.

A bit of shopping occurred and I came home with bags of fabric for quilting plus for making table cloths.  When my family get together at our home for supper, we set up two tables and I do like to have matching table cloths.  Making the table cloths are cheaper than buying them ready made, plus they are more unique. 

So, that will keep me out of mischief for a while.  LOL

Have a great day!

Linking to:
http://www.esthersquiltblog.com/
http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Not much

I've been sidetracked with a cold this past week .... so not much got done.  Last Thursday, DH and I went out for lunch to celebrate my birthday.  Later that afternoon, my throat was sore and by that evening, that was it for me.  Fever and stuffed up sinus and chest and that was the way it was for about four days.

Friday afternoon, while watching the weather station on t.v. for severe storm updates, had me reaching for my phone to call my elderly aunt in Gatineau, Quebec because there was a report of a tornado touching down.  "Are you O.K.?", I croaked.  "Yes, we are still under a tornado warning but we just had a really bad storm."  "No, Aunt, you just had a tornado because that is what I'm hearing on the t.v. here."  They were fine, but she reminded me to take some Tylenol to help reduce my fever.  Too funny.  I was concerned about her and my cousin (they are in their 80's and live together) and here she was dispensing medical advise to me.   My sister phoned a few days later and that was when we learned that the tornado stopped just three blocks away from their senior apartment complex.  No wonder they had a really bad storm and their apartment faces the direction the tornado was travelling.  Things could have gone to worse at any moment.  Someone was watching over them.  Still, it breaks my heart to see all the damage in Dunrobin, Gatineau and Ottawa.

For the weekend, I was down and out and dozing in my chair mostly.  This quilt that needs binding sewn down was pulled out and was worked on here and there.  It kept me warm and gave me something to do when I felt like doing something.  Three sides are done.  Whoo Hoo!

The leaves are starting to turn colour.  In fact, we have seen some trees around town with colour since August.  With such a dry summer, the colour display may not be as vibrant this year.  The nights are cool and daytime temps are hovering around the mid-teen's.  The fireplaces in our living room and t.v. have been on to help with the dampness and cool temps.

By Monday, I was starting to feel much better and was able to pick up a niece from school and bring her to her piano lesson.  Since my timing was going to get me to the school ultra early, a quick stop into a garden nursery just to browse away the extra time and found this delightful cat garden ornament.  It just had to come home with me.

Our garden has lots of statues and ornaments.  They give it a whimsy which we delight in.  Mind you, there is a time to call a halt to getting more.  Where did we get them all?  From purchases.  From gifts.  From hand-me-downs.  From downsizing.  From the garbage.  From everywhere.  Our hill garden is huge and the ornaments will be dispersed so that they don't look too grouped together.

Also, while at the garden nursery, this hummingbird feeder was bought as well as tulip bulbs.  The bulbs need to be planted soon and we will be looking forward to a lovely display next spring.

So, that was my week.  Not much got done .... but that will soon change as I'm now gearing up again.

I forgot to mention that last Tuesday, my friend Darlene and I did another trunk show at our day guild.  Again, lots of questions.  We have one more trunk show and an EPP workshop next month in Fergus, Ontario.  We are so excited.  Plus we found out that the workshop is full.  EPP is alive and kicking.  Whooo Hooo!

Have a great day!

Linking to: http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/ and http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Latest Happenings

Not too much in the way of quilting is getting done this week.

Instead, the paint brush has come out of hiding and that is keeping me busy.  Odds and ends around the house that has been on hold for a year or two or three.  What can I say.  I'm a quilter and that is what I prefer to be doing!  The reason for this surge of house work is that our friends from Australia are coming to spend a week with us in October.  They just can't see the same blue painter's tape around the house that was there three years ago. 🐱🐱

Still, I need to do some kind of hand work.  Why not some binding?  It is starting to cool down and having a quilt on my lap will keep me warm.  But first though, I am machine quilting the borders.  Stitch-in-the-ditch (SITD).  For some reason, when my quilts come back from the LAer, I like to SITD to finish them off.  I find the quilts look better.  The extra quilting helps to anchor the quilt.  Am I the only one that does this?

So, binding has finally been made for this quilt and as soon as the borders are done, the binding will be sewn on and I can spend time sewing the binding down and watching t.v. in the evenings.  This is a very large quilt and it will take me a few evenings, for sure.

Slowly, but surely, the applique on the borders is getting done on this top.

Next up is some more upholstery.  Between painting, some hand work and upholstery, I'm keeping myself busy and motivated.  Often times, I feel that not much gets done.  Browsing through my blog says otherwise.  Good thing my blog is there for me to see my progress through the years. 

Have a great day!

Linking to: http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/ and http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Borders on .... FINALLY!

Procrastination ..... I think that should be added to the numbers of things that I do very well!  🐱🐱

Remember this photo?  I was on a roll to get the borders on these five tops.  This first photo was taken June 22, 2017 as the motivation to just get them done ..... darn it!

 On July 21, 2017 .... two tops done!  Oh my, this gave me inspiration.

Then, September 14, 2017 .... three tops are done.  Yes, yes, yes.

A slight pause, but by February 25, 2018 four tops are done.  Then, my feet kinda dragged a bit.

Still, finally by today's post, all five of these tops are officially DONE.  Borders on all of them.

Do you realize that it has taken me over a year to get those borders on?  Yes, procrastination reigns supreme with me!  Must be in my genes.  🐱🐱  Should I do this again?  Take another photo of five more tops that need borders?  With my record .... hummm .... no, it didn't work out as well as I thought it would!  Still, that is five projects out of bins and three of them have been quilted to date.

So, the story continues for the final top.  My lovely split apple core.  Loved working on this EPP project.  Here the inner borders are added.  Then off to the cottage for a few days leaving this top on my design wall and a mess in my studio.

Back home from the cottage and the desire to get the outer borders on.  As you can see, I have the proper work space for getting borders on.  Table perfect height and length.  No excuse, really.

Ah ... FINALLY, borders are on!  How happy am I?  Glorious happy!  This top is big.  101" wide and 95" tall.

My DH asked if this was one for the LAer.  No, not this one.  I have had visions of machine quilting this one in a simple grid pattern and no other design will do.  You can see how the design has been marked up on this photo below.  So simple.

To see what all those folded up tops look like .... well, here you go!   Two of them are completely done.  The one on the upper left and the one on the bottom right.  The quilt on the upper right is quilted but has no binding on it yet.  You know, when I think about it, it was a good idea after all.

While the iron is still hot ..... maybe I should as well get borders on this top too!  Another EPP project.

To round out my quilting for this week, the binding is getting sewn down on this quilt.   It really feels odd to me to not have any borders on this quilt.  Different for me.  Light bulb moment ... this top and quilt got done a lot quicker than usual .... no borders!  Hey, perhaps that is how I should do my tops from now on!  LOL

What else have I been up to?  Getting ready for trunk shows.  Two this month and one next month.  More on them later.

Have a great day!

Linking to: http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/ and http://needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com/

Different things

Lately, I've been busy tidying up my studio and that means tidying up projects that were so-so.

Take this top, for example.  I was never happy with the outer border.  This finished top has been sitting on the shelf since 2009.  Why?  The fabric has a definitive large pattern in it and when it was cut, I didn't pay attention to that issue and my borders turned out yucky.  Some may be happy with it, but not me.

Finding a replacement fabric took time.  Over the years, fabric was purchased BUT not the right one.  That time has come and now the ripping out borders has begun.  A beautiful teal fabric that doesn't have a noticeable pattern and brown borders were found.  Perfect now.  I can see my lovely brown striped fabric that I recently bought more of for the binding.  How happy am I now?  Very happy!  

This quilt is getting that lovely striped brown fabric for binding.   Can you see my hands clapping in glee?

While I'm at it, this shelving unit has not had any of the ufo's worked on in years.  Time to remedy that.  It has been a while, my friends.  There are so many lovely projects there!

Have a great day!