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.