Photo Quilt...

Above is a pic of the custom photo quilt I'm just finishing up for a client.  I normally don't make quilts to order, unless it's a quilt shop sample but since it was my sister's neighbor who asked...why not.  She plans on giving it as a Christmas gift for her mother-in-law.  There are 24 photos in all and measures 56x76.  I just have to find time to quilt it now. 

I have been so busy in my studio lately I have lost touch with my blog.  I must find time to post again, I have sooo many pictures to share!!!

Strip Search...

I started this quilt in June for my sister's 40th birthday...and then summer got in the way and it got shelved.  Well, this past weekend I decided to dig it out and get it done.  I've got a pile of ufo's that are in dire need of some attention...perhaps finishing this one will motivate me to get busy with the others.  I used a Jelly Roll of Autumn Journey by Kansas Troubles that I had hanging around, some border fabric from my stash and the pattern Strip Search.

I finished piecing the top on Saturday....  Quilted it on Sunday, using a copper colored thread and the panto Falling Leaves II. 

I purchased this panto a number of months ago and have been avoiding it as I knew I would need a bit of practice time on this one before I would put it on a customer quilt.  The panto is beautiful with all the different leaves but the back tracking on all the veins is such a pain...looks like I'll need another practice quilt before I'll offer it to clients.

And then I bound it on Monday.  With the help of the pups of course.  They sure love quilts...as soon as they get sight of one they follow me around and just have to lay on it to test it out.  Yay!!!  Project complete!!  Happy B-day Sis!!

Copper...

What a sad little boy.  Copper had a sore spot on his belly that he wouldn't stop licking so after a quick trip to the vet, she sent him home with a cone.  Oh, he was so dissapointed and at first wouldn't move an inch with it on.  Poor little guy. 

Timberline quilted...

After being a flimsy for over 8 months, I finally quilted my Timberline.  I ditched around the star sections and quilted a longarm feather in the cream sections with another feather on the outside border.  I really wanted to quilt heirloom feathers as they are my favorite but with the cream sections being so small and without quilting anything in the dark logs it would have been way over quilted.  I needed an airy feather so this worked well. 

It will be awhile before I can get it hung in my home as it is now on display at Freckles Quilt Shop where I will be teaching this advanced class in October. 

Here is Jasper...he just had to pose for one shot!

And here is Copper...

Giftie...

During one of my camping trips this summer, I came across this pattern booklet for making the cutest wee blocks and using them as quilt art.  There are quite a few patterns to choose from, all making up mini 1.5 inch blocks.  They are traditionally pieced...NOT paperpieced!!!

For a little giftie for my quiltie friend, I found an old frame and selected a few of my favorite blocks, dug through my itty bitty scraps of reproduction fabric and whipped this up for her.  As you can tell by the pic, she just loved it!!!  Afterall, it was she who gave me the stack of reproduction scraps to make my previous 9 patch mini quilt.  Thanks Heather!!

Mini's...

My love for mini quilts goes way back, when I was introduced to paperpiecing and found it so easy to make the perfect little quilts with perfect little points.  Somewhere along the way, I got tired of paperpiecing and stopped making the little guys.  That is until this past winter when I joined the Jo's Little Women club at the local quilt shop.  With my new found LOVE for reproduction fabrics and precision piecing this club was perfect for me.  These quilts are made using traditional piecing methods....not paperpiecing.  Here are a couple of projects that I managed to get done.

The above quilt measures 21x29 inches and would make such a cute little doll quilt.  I'm not normally a cheddar fan and had to do some convincing in order to purchase it but just love how it pops out the 4 patches.  Sorry my pic is so slanty... 

This little guy is my ALL TIME favorite mini quilt.  It actually came from last years club but I couldn't resist it's charm and HAD to make it as soon as I saw it.  Thanks to my dear friend Heather who came rushing over with her scrap bins to help me find the perfect fabrics.  This 9 patch on point mini quilt measures 12x12 inches and each finished nine patch block measures 1.5 inches!!!!  Remember I said NOT paperpieced.  I found it hard at first to manage the itty bitty pieces but soon got the hang of it.  I still have to quilt these guys but couldn't resist showing them off now.  When this one is completed it is going to live on my lazy suzan on the middle of my dining room table!!  I'll show ya later...

It's time...

So you know it's time to update your blog, when your quilty friend says...UPDATE YOUR BLOG!! Ha ha!!! Sorry fellow bloggers, I kinda let my summer run away on me. Tons of camping and quilting! However, it is now....'the most wonderful time of the year'....and the boys have gone back to school and I can actually hear myself think...Woohoo!! I have been keeping busy at the longarm and of course have started a bunch of new projects that I can't wait to share with you!

Today I had my two nieces, aged 4 & 6 over for the day. I was supposed to be at the longarm all day as I am on a tight deadline but I played hookie instead and sewed with the gals. The wee one, Hayley and I made a mini doll quilt. We sorted through my big basket of flannel scraps and came up with a little postage stamp center surrounded by a bunch of borders. She was so cute, everytime we added a border strip she would say..."ooo, it's getting bigger"... with a huge sweet smile.


Shelby and I decided to make this adorable little bag, perfect for a little girl. I rooted through my zillions of charm squares and found that the latest one added to my collection from a dear friend was absolutely perfect for the job! (I have one more pkg left and I think I know the perfect little girl for that one..hehe). Anywho, Shelby was busy sorting through all the charms and picking out her favorites and laying them out into two patterns...one for the outer side of the bag and one for the lining. This bag took exactly 40 squares and is reversible.

Aunty loves you girls!!!

Blog it!

Miss Millie and I had the pleasure of having my dear friend Linda (sorry I don't remember how to link you) and her husband for the day. We thought we'd have scads of time to visit, but as luck would have it Miss Millie wasn't just off her rocker, she needed her brain examined too!!! I say luck...but luck for me was really having Linda and her handy dandy husband (who happens to know a great deal about APQS maintenance) take charge and whip her into shape. I can't wait to get a quilt loaded and take her for a real spin!

While in the studio Linda was drawn to my cutting table accessory rack and told me I had to blog it! I thought that was funny cause I've had that thing for YEARS and have moved it from house to house, and it is always the first thing hung up in my studio and has kept my gadgets up and off my cutting table for forever. I've always been one for organization, especially in my studio! This little dealy is from Ikea in the kitchen department. When I bought this one it was the only style to choose from but now they have a few different options for rods and hooks and even have little bins that can hang off of it too. I think I should pick up another one with bins to hang behind my cutting table for my millions of bobbins that don't seem to have a home....or maybe get the one that has the shelf attached for more display space....hmmm. Ikea is a dangerous place for those who like to organize!!! Even my sewing table and the cutting table in the picture is from Ikea. I love it because you can customize a table to suit your needs. I chose a glass top for the cutting table so that it can double as a light table for tracing!!! Ahhh yaaa!!! And the saw horse type legs with the built in shelf are awesome too...I am able to make the table whatever height I want for cutting and my scrap baskets fit perfectly on the shelves underneath for quick scrap organization!

Simplicity...

Back in the fall during my trip to Arizona, I picked up a bunch of Simplicity fabric to make a quilt for one of my oldest friends 6 year old daughter. I chose this line of fabric as her favorite color is pink! And as it turned out, before I showed her the fabric she shared with me the paint chips of the colors they had planned for her room makeover. EXACT same colors!!! I selected the courthouse step block and alternated the setting. I had just enough of the outer border fabric to make a 10 inch border, which I really think the quilt needed as the print is so pretty. The photo makes the blocks look very washed out but they aren't that light in person. I quilted it with a darker rose So Fine and used the Wandering Daisies panto which is such a sweet girly pattern with all the daisies and hearts. It covers her queen bed nicely and I'm told it is her favorite part of her room.

Civil War Love Letters...

What some might think as an absolute nightmare....quilting a civil war quilt....I was actually quite inspired by it. I was never one for tons of paper piecing, loved the results, but hated not being able to cut exact pieces for the blocks! I'm not a willy nilly kind of quilter and I hate wasting fabric so I've sort of stuck to my traditional ways of piecing and have found myself modifying new patterns to get the most out of my fabric. Anywho...when my new dear friend came into my life with this absolutely stunning masterpiece I didn't know what hit me! I had seen another version of the Love Letters quilt made up and honestly didn't give it much thought, except that it was lovely, huge and WAY too much work for me. It wasn't until I began quilting this one for my new client that I absolutely fell in love with this entire concept. Instead of fretting over the million itty bitty seams in every itty bitty block, I found myself admiring each and every block, the fabric, the history and the dedication my client gave to this jewel of a quilt....and the quilt just pulled me in. Every time I advanced the quilt, it was like unveiling a new treasure. I adore how she sashed the blocks in tiny strips of mismatched fabrics, I am convinced that it is this setting that makes me love it so much. Somehow, in the weeks that passed, I committed to making the latest Civil War quilt....Civil War Diaries!!! I will post on my progress soon....there is progress!

I couldn't resist snapping a picture with the quilt as it hung in the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts show this past weekend. My only regret is that my new friend isn't standing right there beside me. Congratulations 'D' on your work of art, it was an absolute honor to quilt it for you!

Festival of Quilts

I attended the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts today in Calgary and it was an absolutely beautiful show. The most perfect setting for a quilt show with such a historic backdrop for the many quilts on display. I truly enjoyed the company of a dear quilting friend as we wandered through all the old buildings enjoying their history, each one unique and properly placed along the streets. Hundreds of quilts were placed inside and outside the homes and businesses, on front porches, fences, in the yards and along the tree lines. We took the entire day to appreciate each and every quilt for the time and skill it took to create such beautiful works of art, and I must say 'thank you quilters' for putting your quilts on display, it is because of you that the quilt show is such a huge success!! See you next year!

Meet the boys...

The pups have adjusted marvelously and have such amazing little personalities!! It's hard not to cater to their every whim. Especially when they look at you with those loving little eyes! I'm trying so hard not to spoil them rotten!
Above is Jasper...look at that face!!! He has this most adorable chipmunk look to him, how can you not just melt! He weighs an ounce more than his brother and his fur is so bushy and has a slight curl to it.

Here is Copper! The littlest out of the litter and full of spunk that's for sure! He has such a spring in his step it is absolutely adorable.

Pups...

Is this not one of the cutest puppies you have ever seen???? DH has allergies and so my boys have been without pets...as my oldest would say...FOR 13 YEARS!! As it turns out, after a little research, we found out that he's not allergic to Yorkies! Pure luck would have him working in the same community of the breeder we found on the same week they are ready to go home! It didn't make sense for me to drive there as well, so he took the responsibility of going and picking out a puppy. "A" Puppy. He went and he saw and before long we were not only getting one puppy....we were getting two puppies!! This is the pic he sent me of one of the boys we are getting. YAY!! He is so adorable!!! I can't wait to see them both, they come home today!!

Class Samples...

Two more class samples done and ready to be hung up at the quilt shop. This spring term I will be teaching four different classes at my LQS. Three classes using the square in a square ruler.
Level 1 - Beginner is the Constellation wall hanging, pattern comes with the ruler.
Level 2 - Intermediate is the Pineapple Diamond wall hanging, pictured above. Pattern from the Advancing on II Square in a Square book.

This quilt can easily be made into a lap quilt with the addition of a few more blocks.

I'm not so sure about the stripe fabric I was given to work with, I should have picked something else as I find it too distracting. I LOVE the outer border fabric though, I will have to pick some up for myself I think.

And Level 3 - Advanced is the Crimson Stars wall hanging. This wall hanging only measures 30"x30" with 6" blocks!!! The pattern, from the Advancing on II book, also has a 10" block option so that is good for those who want to make a bigger quilt or that do not want to fiddle with the wee square in a square blocks. Very striking quilt though I must say.

So there you have it, now you know what's been happening in my studio as of late.

My stitches come out this afternoon so I'll be at the longarm for the rest of the week trying to get caught up.

Retail Therapy...

I picked up a couple fat quarter bundles from my LQS. The larger bundle is all Buggy Barn fabrics and the smaller bundle is called Zen II. I fell in love with the purple and sage in this line. Not sure what I am going to make with them so until then they will live in my fabric hutch. I would like to go back and get some more yardage of Zen II for potential borders before it's all gone...don't think this line will stick around very long.

I absolutely fell in love with this winter wall hanging by Crabapple Hill called Over the River and Through the Woods from the moment I saw it. I finally bit the bullet and ordered it online and can not wait to start it! With all the hand embroidery I have selected this quilt to be my summer project. We just purchased a new RV and plan to camp most of the summer as a family. So while the boys are off exploring, I plan to plug away at the beautiful embroidered scenes in this quilt.

Okay now for this beauty!!! My DH gave me a gift certificate to my LQS for Valentine's Day this year. Perfect gift I have to say...nothing says I love you more than FABRIC!!!! After careful consideration....(okay...it was more like a big sweeping grab)...I picked a kit for The Queen and Her Court quilt. I can't even describe how adorable this fabric is. The mix of cream, pink, green and brown are simply striking, not to mention the block arrangement with the dancing applique flower vine! I am forcing myself to put this one away while I complete my other BOM's I have on the go and then completely focus on this one and give it the undivided attention it deserves.

So there you have it. I've been shopping a lot more than usual, falling victim to a little retail therapy. Not being able to sew after having surgery on my right hand has been more than difficult. But think of all the fun I will have once I'm healed and have full function of my hands. Shouldn't be long now, I will have my stitches out in a week and should be right back at it.

Stuffs...

I headed out to a shop in the city and picked up a few yards of fabric and a new bag pattern...The Shopper. I can't wait to make this awesome bag! It's huge and will be so great to carry all those big items. I also picked up a little valentine wall hanging and my saturday block for the month.

Who knew??

Who knew you could quilt a quilt on the longarm using muslin instead of batting!!! As per my clients very adamant request, I reluctantly tried it and without too much difficulty I managed to quilt the beast. I say beast because this quilt was made out of flannel, top and bottom and was 116in square and weighed a darn ton. I had to get DH to come down to the studio and help me fold it when I'd finished. I can't imagine what it would have weighed had I quilted it with batting instead. For the quilting, I did a freehand loose meander all over and outlined each appliqued heart with a squiggly line. I hope the client likes it and appreciates how much I fretted over her quilt. I'm hoping this was the first and the last time for a muslin middle as it was difficult to try to work in any fullness with no batting to soak it up in.

KLUNK!!!!!!!

My very first broken needle!! I couldn't believe the sound that it made when it broke! I nearly shot through the roof, I was so scared! :O I was quilting a customer quilt, flannel pieced and some of the seams intersections were all pressed to one side and there was a mountain of fabric under there. I'm actually surprised now that I think about it that I didn't break more than one needle on that quilt. First things first, I checked the quilt and as my luck would have it...no hole, I then went over my baby (Miss Millie), put in a new needle and checked all her parts and to my surprise she was good also!!! I was able to continue quilting, and get it completed for my deadline...phew!!!

Foundation by the Yard...part 2

Alright so here's the scoop... The quilt in the previous post is made using "Foundation by the Yard". Same idea as "Foundation Piecing" or "Paper Piecing" except the foundation by the yard is printed on a heavy muslin fabric and is left in the quilt instead of torn off like the paper versions.

The panel is cut up into the individual blocks and borders, which are sewn using the same techniques as foundation piecing. Sounds great...right???

Hmmm...not so much!! Why, you might ask??? Well, the best way I can describe it is to compare it with a printed panel. Great idea if you leave the panel and quilt it as is but try and cut the panel apart and sew together using your own design and you soon find out that the panel fabric is not square nor printed square. That's enough to drive a quilter crazy!

So after you get all your blocks pieced and your border strips pieced and go to put it together, you soon find out that each block is not perfectly square, and to set it together with another one, the printed lines don't match up. You can't even square up the blocks on your own as some are made completely wonky and you'll cut off or sew off your points. I tell you this thing drove me nuts and if I hadn't been commissioned by the LQS to make it, I would have pitched this thing in the garbage long ago! So, if your thinking Foundation by the Yard sounds like a great idea....DON'T DO IT!!!!!

Foundation by the Yard...

I finished this quilt about two weeks ago and just haven't had time to blog about it! Busy with hockey, hockey and more hockey! I will be back soon to tell you more about this quilt...there is a story!

2009 Challenge

At the beginning of January I decided to join the many quilters taking the 2009 Challenge completing one project a month. That's 12 finished quilts in the next 12 months!!! I can do it! And the crazy part is it won't cost me a thing as I have more than enough projects waiting for my undivided attention. If your interested pop on over to May Britt's Blog at http://abyquilt.blogspot.com/ and join the wave!!! Thanks for the challenge ladies...I can't wait to get quilting!! (I couldn't get the link to work properly so if anyone can help me...)