Leah Day's Building Blocks

Date: January 1 - October 26, 2014

Size:  48 x 56

Pattern: Building Blocks by Leah Day

Reason:  I love that I can FMQ on my domestic machine and although stippling is wonderful, I wanted to learn new techniques.

Fabric / Best Buys:  Almost entirely scraps.  I only dipped into my stash for the yellow and blue and white.

Thoughts:  This was a really interesting class and learning process.  Even though I've FMQed many quilts before I could feel myself getting more comfortable as the class went on.

I used a 2" binding strip instead of 2½".  It made a nice thin binding.

Lessons Learned:

1)  My sewing machine does not like to FMQ with poly as the top thread (it breaks lots).  Poly in the bobbin works just fine.

2)  Pencil washes off of white fabric

3)  I don't like premarking quilting patterns, but it really helps with accuracy so suck it up.

4)  Don't undo your work just because it's not perfect.  The triumph is in the learning and growing.

5)  If doing different colour ways front and back try to have ONE colour in common to make choosing a binding colour easier.  Just sayin.

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.

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.