Monday, November 26, 2012

Snippets Wreath


Date:  2008

Reason:  This was a project done by LBCQ at Dora's house.

Fabrics:  The border was a gift from my friend Kath

Lessons:  The snippets technique includes using an iron-on applique on the wreath pieces that are cut into small "snippets" and arranged in the desired shape.  Iron on several layers for best results.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Zachary's First Lesson



Date:  November 2009

Reason:  The birth of a cousin's baby.

Fabrics:  My mother-in-law gave me the bumper pads to pick apart for the fabric.  The blues were from my stash.  The colourful binding was from the bumper pad ties.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Polar Fleece for Streets Alive


Date:  November 2012

Reason:  I found some forgotten about polar fleece that would be easy to get out of my house by making it into a quilt!

Thoughts:  This quilt will be donated to Streets Alive.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Flamingoes and Kittens and Chicks, Oh My!

Date:  Feb 2012

Reason:  I love eye spy type fabrics and wanted to experiment.

Fabrics:  Nearly all my eye spy fabrics were given to me.

Thoughts:  I was just finishing this up when my sister's third baby arrived, so this went to her.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Cheater Wall Hanging


Date:  June 2009

Reason:  A friend who works at MCC gave this to me to practice quilting on it.  When it was finished, I donated it back to MCC for resale.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Log Cabin Pillow


Date:  Feb 2011

Reason:  Dora gave everyone at LBCQ a set of one hundred squares.  I used mine to make a small log cabin top.  Much later (when trying to get stuff out of my closet) I made it into a pillow, which my older daughter immediately claimed and still uses.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Baby Blue


Date:  April 2012

Fabrics:  Ann gave me some extra blocks that were already sewed into 4-patches.  The blues were from my scraps.

Thoughts:  This is the first quilt I ever tied to machine quilt and I am so excited by it.  For a first attempt, I was completely stoked.  I knew I'd be doing it again!

This went to Christian, a baby at our church.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Bunkhouse on Point


Date:  December 2010

Reason:  Mum and Dad painted their bunkhouse and made it so pretty inside.  I wanted to contribute to it so I made this for them for Christmas.  I chose these colours to match the bedding.

Best deals:  This was made entirely from scraps.  My friend Gloria gave me a bag of leftovers.  The border is from that bag.



Thoughts:  I didn't use a pattern for this and it was the first time I did anything "on point" it's far from perfect.

I started making 6½" squares when my scrap drawers got too full.  I also used blocks like this in The Colour Garden.

It was a ton of fun to use blue and yellow DMC floss to stitch around the seams.  I tried my best to use a different stitch for every line.  It was very challenging and required some research.

Mother thought this was too nice to put in the bunkhouse :)



Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Lori's Gift #1


I find myself with many quilting faeries.  I am grateful.  It means that I can make lots of quilts for people that need them.

Most of the fabrics in this quilt is from Lori.  Kath also gave me some of the fabrics as well as the fill.

I did this as a quilt as you go.  As you can see, it is as out of square as you can get.  I haven't a clue  how I managed that.

Kath and I had a good giggle over my squaring issues - I gave it to her to distribute.  It either went to Mexico or MCC, I don't know.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Emmalee's Fight


Two years ago, the daughter of one of my favourite people got sick.  Leukemia.  A nightmare of epic proportions followed.  What would you do if your three year old said "please stop the pokeys, I'll be a good girl."?


Just this month, two years later, this family got the blissful news that, six months early, her treatments are ending.  There are not enough words for the joy.

A friend of mine gave me the triangles - extras from one of her projects.   The back (yellow) was left over from another project.


Lessons:  Be careful of thread count.  All flannel is not created equal.  Loose weaves can be a lot of trouble.

Thoughts:  This was made in the Quilt as you Go method.  It's such a fast way to make a quilt!

It is my understanding that this the quilt went with them to cancer care.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Diane's Quilt


Date:  November 2008

Reason:  Diane wanted a Southern Stationers quilt like the one I made for Leslie.

Special Fabrics:  Diane provided t-shirts.  I used my own denim for the rest of the top.  The back was purchased at the local fabric warehouse.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Mine

I was trying to make a joke, but the joke turned out to be on me.  I took fabrics I thought were ugly and put them into a potholder.  How beautiful is this???



Here's another potholder with the same pattern, different fabrics.  Doesn't look early as nice, does it?!


Fabric selection is everything.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Colour Garden

I have this thing about scraps.  I can't toss 'em.  Until they are less than 1½" square, they are stashed by colour into a fabulous 6-drawer plastic organizer I found at Canadian Tire.


The problem with this system is the drawers get full.  A couple years ago I started sewing those scraps together by colour and cutting them in to 6½ squares because that's the ruler I had available at the time.

I also used blocks that I had made out of curiosity and practice.


This quilt was a UFO for a long time until I decided how to sew them together.  Then the call came in June - what can you do for us by September?  This was one of three.  I wish I took a better picture of the finished product.


The quilt was unveiled in a hospital room in Edmonton.  Everyone was pleased. *whew*


I should start a new scrap quilt.  I feel that this one was a success!

Lessons Learned:  I need to make note of the thickness of this fill.  It was too thick - although it made for a cozy quilt, it was difficult to put through the sewing machine.



Thursday, July 26, 2012

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Cheryl's


Cheryl is a huge fan of light neutrals.  One day I'm going to try to do an entire quilt in ivorys and whites!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Purple


Date:  July 2012

Reason:  My sister's wedding

Inspiration:



Lessons:  I'm just starting to machine quilt, so this quilt clearly shows my progress.  I think I found the idea tension for machine quilting . . . once I was 90% done.  C'est la vie.

Thoughts:  I love this technique so much I have two baby quilts started using the same style.

This quilt also displays a lack of wavy edges!  Yahoo!!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Bunket


This was one of my first quilts.  I was 16.  I made it with my Grandmother.  All of the fabrics were hers. At bible camp that summer, everyone signed it the week I was a camper (I also worked at the camp).  For a couple years after that new friends signed the back.


I only remembered I had this quilt last week when our family went back to that same camp so my girls could have some of the same experiences I did.  

I used a Sharpie on it, but alas after *ahem 15 plus years* some of the names are faded almost completely away.  I think the type of fabric had a great deal to do with which names faded and which didn't.  There is everything from knits to cottons to denim to sweater material and everything in between.

It's one of the uglier quilts you will ever see and one of the quilts I'm most attached to.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Brenda's


My husband chose the cat print :)

Can anyone tell me what the star block is called?  I didn't take careful enough notes.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Tipsy Topsy


Date:  July 2012

Reason:  I needed a test quilt for new fill I am trying out.  A baby-sized quilt seemed the way to go.  Also, I saw Leah Day's modern quilt technique and thought it would be fun to put a "twist" on these traditional 4-patches (haha).

Special Fabrics:  Five of the blocks are from dozens and dozens that my grandmother has given me over the years.

Lessons Learned:  Finally, I think it's been established WHY I had such wavy edges.  Leah cautioned against putting too much strain on the edges and I've realized that I practically play tug-of-war to bind my quilts because I'm so close to done I can taste it.  When you add the fact that two of my waviest quilts had double machine sewn bindings, it's no wonder they looked rippled.

Tipsy Topsy looks much better.  Thanks so much, Leah!

Thoughts:  Although I didn't do the fabulous quilting method that Leah is teaching for this quilt, I definitely want to try it out because it looks amazing.

I'm already getting bored of the straight stipple so I need to think about how I can incorporate an all over quilt method to enhance the blocks, not just stitch over them randomly.

Also, I think a larger stipple would have looked better on this quilt.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Change Pad


Date:  2006

Reason:  I wanted a pad that I could change diapers on.  I wanted something warm and easily washable.

Fabrics:  I used leftover sweater fabric from the previous post (used inside out for softness) and denim from my very large collection.

Thoughts:  I modeled this after "Chinese Coins" but it obviously isn't done correctly.  Note to self to do a 'real' Chinese coins some day!

I wasn't concerned about making this square.  As you can see, I didn't even try.

Six years later, I am about to retire this pad as it is not needed anymore.  I'm feeling a little sentimental about that.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Leslie's Quilt


Date:  2006

Reason:  The boss of the place I was working wanted a quilt to commemorate the different shirts that the business had designed over the years.  This is my first commissioned piece.

Fabrics:  I used my own denim stash and the shirts that she gave me.  The dark blue corduroy that I used for the back was from the local warehouse.

Lessons:  This was early in my quilting life:  PREWASH FABRICS!  (It seems basic now).  The darker denims discoloured some of the tshirt fabics.

At the time, the walking foot was what I used for quilting.  It helped ease the way across stretch fabrics (i use a darning foot now).

Use thinner batting for a denim quilt.

Thoughts:  Remember to take a picture at the end!!!

I kept track of my hours.  It came out to 32!

Charge more next time.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Monday, July 2, 2012

MCC Rag Quilt

Date:  June 2012

A friend who works at our local MCC Thrift shop gave me some flannel that was donated to the store.  I made it into this quilt and it will either be sold at the store or sent overseas.

I've got tubs and tubs of denim still to use up so I'll likely be able to make another rag quilt with the flannel I still have.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Thank You Table Runner



Date:  December 2008

Pattern:  This was adapted from Australian Country Threads Pg 42 - 1st Edition Collector's Edition.

Reason:  A thank you gift for being care group leaders for five years.  They were dairy farmers so I knew a cow theme was in order.

Lessons Learned:  Stuff cut on the bias is stretchy.  My Aunt taught me some triangle logic.

Thoughts:  A class in triangles would be a good thing.  Learning how to keep a decent deadline:  Also a good thing.  This took almost two years to complete.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Weekender Diamond for Jaurez


Date:  October 2008

Size:  Twin-ish

Inspiration:  An orphanage in a garbage dump in Jaurez, Mexico.

Special Fabrics:  A friend donated 4" squares - fabric samples from the Weekender clothing line.  Another friend gave me the back and the fill.

Lessons Learned:  Stretchy fabric is evil.  Patience is necessary.

When my friend gave me a small bag of scraps, it didn't occur to me that it would make four tops!  This is the first of those.

Here's a "now I can laugh" moment.  After I finished wrestling with all four tops, a friend told me it would have been easier using a ball tip needle  *face palm*

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Mum's


For my mother.  Paper pieced.  In my first year of quilting, I don't think it occurred to me to square up.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

In Progress: Tipsy Topsy


When I saw this post by Leah Day I knew it was the perfect opportunity to use some more of the blocks that my grandmother has given me in a creative way.

The timing was also great because I have just started using a new kind of batting and I wanted to test quilt a smaller design before I finish a commission using it.  The last thing I want is a surprise on a piece with a deadline!

I really want to have this finished by the end of the week so I can start quilting my commission.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Life is Precious


Date: 2008

Reason:  Applique Class

Fabrics:  The leaves and stem piece were provided by the class teacher, a friend from LBCQ.


Lessons:  Needle turn applique, piped borders

Thoughts:  This is one of my first attempts at machine quilting - I only had a walking foot back then.  I wanted to continue the stems and leaves into the quilting.

This is actually a bit of an emotional wall hanging.  The leaves that my friend provided were leftovers from a quilt that she made while sitting in the hospital at her husband's side.  Using the same pieces that my friend did during a very hard time in her life reminds me that life is precious.  I just can't take it for granted.

My friend's quilt (called Lifelines) and her story is in the book Little Bits of Comfort.


Thursday, June 21, 2012

Jane's


Quilting for a quilter is always intimidating.  These are paper pieced

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Lilac Fields


Date:  2008

Reason:  A friend gave me corduroy blocks that were already cut and pinned into a pattern.  I like treats!

Fabrics:  The backing is a pink sheet that another friend gave to me.

Lessons:  Corduroy frays a. lot.  After I put it together I washed it and SO MANY seams frayed.  I took the opportunity to use a pretty variegated thread and some fancy stitches and sewed over all the seams.

Thoughts:  A very good drag around the house, picnic on the kitchen floor type of quilt!

Friday, June 15, 2012

Pink Baby


Date:  June 2012

Size:  30 x 30

Reason:  I took some pretty pinks from the blocks my grandma gave me because I knew they would make a cute baby quilt.

Fabrics:  Scraps from my stash, my grandma's blocks and a baby blanket of my daughter's.

Lessons:  My machine quilting is getting better!  Although I'm not doing Leah Day's tutorials per se, most of my quilting information comes from her blog:  http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com.  She has oodles of videos.  My opinion of machine quilting went from "pshh, not happening" when I saw her first video to "I could try it once" to "wheeeeee" after my first quilt.

On the half square triangle centre, I did a loopy style of stippling to hopefully emulate the flight of the butterflies that are appliqued in the centre.

Thoughts:  I still need to learn what I am doing wrong or how to fix my wavy edges.  Is it a quilting issue?  Am I a bad measurer?  Do I need to square my quilts better?  Probably it's all of the above.

I used a baby blanket we no longer needed.  I kept the 'satin' binding from the blanket to use on the quilt.

I traded this to a co-worker for some NuCerity.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Ali's



Ali will ever be a purple girl.  I did two like this for her Christmas 2006.  This is paper pieced.