The Light-hearted Quilter

Searching for the Perfect Pattern

2012-01-23T17:30:00.000-08:00

There is an age-old question that says: Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? For quilters this could easily be re-phrased to say: Which comes first, the fabric or the pattern? As I'm beginning to realize, it is much easier to select the pattern first.
Having arrived home with a collection of fabrics in my suitcase, but no specific pattern in mind, I've spent the last week hunting for the perfect pattern for the collection.

As with nearly every quilt I make, I start out wanting to do something original and out of the ordinary but within the limits of my capabilities. Possibly these are conflicting ideas, but I'm ever hopeful. I got out my pencils, ruler, eraser and graph paper and sketched some ideas. One in particular seemed promising, so I decided to test the block design by gluing small pieces of the fabrics onto a half size photocopy of the pattern. And it was a good thing I did, for it was clear that my fabrics didn't work in my original design.

Abandoning, my design tools, I turned to quilt books and back issues of quilting magazines for the perfect pattern. This took quite some time, as I examined pattern after pattern, in between reading the interesting articles that I came across in the magazines. By now, I was getting quite frustrated. I really wanted to get going on those fabrics, but, couldn't find a pattern that appealed. Finally, I decided to lay the fabric collection aside for a while, get out my machine and do something that required no originality, but would diminish the boxes of scrap fabrics, which always seemed to be full and, hopefully, my frustration. Log cabin blocks seemed a good choice. So today, instead of using these lovely fabrics

I'm sewing these 'wonky' log cabin blocks:

I hope by next month's blog, I'll have found the perfect pattern or at least have a log cabin quilt well underway.

Batik in the South Pacific

2011-12-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

Since coming to Singapore in September, I've been learning a lot about batiks. Of course the internet is a great source of information, but there's nothing like seeing the fabrics before your eyes, and this region is the place for that. There are quite a few places in Sing

apore itself that sell the traditional Indonesian batik fabrics. The designs are quite complex and at one time were hand drawn and dyed using a wax-dye resist method. Most of these are now machine printed on cotton and are sold very reasonably to the mass market. Here are two patterns I've acquired here.

On a recent trip to the island of Langkawi, off the west coast of Malaysia, I had the opportunity to visit a batik workshop and see a different style of batik. This time the design was handdrawn onto cotton, outlined with wax, then handpainted before the fixative was added and the wax removed. You can see by the following photos the very different results from above. These are handkerchief-sized pieces which I purchased at the Pisang Arts and Handicrafts centre.
There are also batiks made by tie-dyeing and stamping, techniques I'm hoping to see when we go to Bali next week.

If you are a CQA member you can read more about the Langkawi visit in the spring edition of the Canadian Quilter.

With Christmas preparations in full swing here in Singapore, may I send my best wishes to each of my blog readers for a happy Christmas with all the blessings is can bring, and many happy quilting experiences in the New Year.

Japanese Fans Photo

2011-11-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

Japanese Fans

2011-11-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

Although most of my time in Singapore has been focused on our little grand-daughter, I've managed to do a little quilting. The picture shows the completed top for a wall-hanging which I call "Japanese Fans." I was given the centre panel as a gift last Christmas and decided to add the fan borders and do some quilting on it before I finish it. The fan blocks were machine-pieced and then appliqued to the backing squares. I will layer it and quilt it when I get back home in January.
I've also made a foray into Arab Street, which is a wonderful experience for anyone interested in textiles. The street is lined on both sides with shops, which sell mainly silks in gorgeous colours and for a quilter or anyone who loves vibrant colours, it is a real visual treat. I did find some cottons among the silks and other fabrics, and of course there are lots of traditional Indonesian batiks, with their intricate patterns, available, but they didn't tempt me, as I've found them difficult to use in my quilting in any quantity.
A visit to the Singapore Botanic Garden, especially the Orchid Garden, gave me inspirations for a number of future projects and we also visited the World Orchid Conference Show, which featured 50,000 orchids from all over the world. What an amazing show! Words fail me to describe it! Another surfeit of colour with orchids of all sizes, from the tiniest which almost needed a microscope to be seen, to the large showy "corsage" style. My mind is awhirl and I've still almost two months more before we return home in January. I'm sure my sewing machine will be very busy for the rest of the year!
Happy quilting!

Something New

2011-10-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

It's not November yet, (when I would normally update my blog) even here in Singapore, where we are a day ahead of North America, but I couldn't wait to show off our lovely little granddaughter under her little quilt. In the minutes between cuddling and admiring her, I have managed to make some progress on the appliqued fan blocks that I brought along as a traveling quilting project. There are 26 of them and they will form the border around a printed panel given to me last Christmas, which depicts a Japanese lady holding a fan. Sorry no pictures yet, but I will put it on my blog when I have it all pieced together. In the meantime, the tiny work shown above far surpasses anything else that you might want to see! Isn't she beautiful? Her doting grandparents certainly think so.

Happy quilting!

Singapore

2011-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

We've been in Singapore for over a month now for the long awaited birth of our grand-daughter. Although I've been busy sewing - curtains for the nursery, sheets for cradle and crib, and diapers - yes, diapers. Our children are very environmentally conscious and realizing the effect that so-called "disposable" diapers have on the environment, have opted for non-disposables. So grandma has up-dated her skills from the time she sewed diapers for her own little babies and having found some "nappy flannelette" (as they call it here) at a bargain price of one Singapore dollar per metre, got to work.

But even with all the baby preparations, I've managed to connect with a quilter friend from my last visit. Marianne Bos is a quilt artist and has produced a variety of beautiful work which you can see on her blog http://www.mariannebos.blogspot/ . Through her I have been able to visit a group of quilters who meet every week. They are the ANZA (Australia and New Zealand Association) quilters, one of several ex-pat quilt groups who meet here in Singapore. Like quilters everywhere they are a friendly group and it has been a pleasure to sit and sew with them and to see the variety of projects they are working on.

Of course, I never travel without a quilting project of my own, so this has allowed me a quiet space of time for my own work.

As we'll be here for two more months, with a little perseverance, I should be able to finish them before I leave.

What a difference a Month Makes

2011-08-16T12:05:00.001-07:00

This photo is quite a change from the dreary picture of my last blog. We've had some spectacular sunsets lately and this is one of them. The improved weather has meant that we've enjoyed some side-trips to towns within a day's drive of Edmonton. The most recent was to Camrose (about an hour's drive) which was celebrating "Founders Days" and among the festivities was an arts and crafts display. I had a lovely time seeing the quilts of the local quilters' guild and chatting with Judy Hoehn who had several of her lovely "multi-fabric" quilts on display. Since I've been trying to use up my own left-over pieces of fabric, I was interested to see the variety of designs which she had used and received more inspiration to continue down that road myself.

Last month's blog showed a multi-fabric work in progress and I'm happy to have it completed. I changed the title to "Blooming Garden" and as you see used a watering can for the centre panel. This was a Quilt-As-You-Go" design of my own, inpired by a number of sources.

I've already prepared a little project to take with me as we travel to Singapore next month to welcome our little granddaughter into the world. I hope to meet some quilters there and be inspired by their work, too. Until next time,

Happy Quilting

Great Weather for Ducks and Quilters

2011-07-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

The above picture was taken from my window today. The rain is falling and the lake is rising. We've had one of the rainiest summers of recent years which is bad news for lots of folk, but looking on the bright side, a day like today is good weather for quilting.

So I've continued to work on my quilt in progress, which is another attempt to use up the stash. This quilt (which I've provisionally called Garden Flowers, for lack of something more interesting and because I used mostly floral patterned fabrics) is my own design but derived from a number of different sources. It begins as a disappearing nine-patch and I decided to make it a quilt-as-you-go pattern.

When the nine-patches were sewn and cut into four, I stitched a narrow strip of green along the seam lines of each quarter.

Next I cut same-sized squares of batting and backing and layered the squares together. I stitched along the edge of the green strips and stitched a leaf design in the largest square. This is the back of the block.

The next stage will be to sew the blocks together in rows using sashing strips. Here is part of the layout with strips of fabric laid on the blocks to show you the idea.
There is a centre panel to be made yet. But that will be next month's blog, if I get it done by then. In the meantime, I've lots of keep me busy. If the rain continues I'll have a nice cosy quilt to put in the ark!

Change of Pace

2011-06-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

After bingeing on baby quilts for the past two months - six and a half finished and the binding left to do on the seventh- I've turned to something totally different. It's been several years since my little show of fabric landscapes. These are not quilts, but use fabric to make small (5x7 inch)landscape scenes. I've put them in note cards to be given to special people, but in the future I hope to make mini-landscape quilts, or perhaps, postcards. It's fun to be back working with fabrics to create an imagined scene or re-create a scene from a photo.
Here are a few that I've finished so far.

Cute and Cuddly

2011-05-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of the great news of another grandchild on the way, this grandma's immediate response of joy was followed by thoughts of baby quilts. So that's what I've been doing this past month. I've completed six so far and have a couple more to finish. Even for a doting grandmother that may seem excessive, so I hasten to add that not all will be for the new family member. Some will go to The Salvation Army Auxilliary's Harvest Auction, held each October, by which time we will be in Singapore for the birth of our new grandchild. There's nothing like getting a head start! And I have such fun making baby quilts. You will see by the pictures the quilts are quite simple and have a range of styles and colours. We don't yet know whether pink or blue should be the dominant colour, so there's some of each and some different also. Here are a few of them. Click on the image if you would like to see more detail.

Boxcar Buz

2011-04-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

While I just managed to get my February blog in under the wire, March has just zipped by with no blog, and here it is, April already. Not that I wasn't busy quilting in March. In fact I was so busy that I didn't have time, (or perhaps, take the time) to update my blog. Two projects occupied my time and space. One is not completed yet, but I'm making progress. The other is finished and you can see it above. Like all quilts it has its own story.

Last fall, a friend showed me the pattern for "Boxcar Buz" as it is called and asked if I could make the wall-hanging for her. Knowing we were going away for several months, I agreed to do it in the new year, if she wasn't in a hurry for it. She smiled at that and said a few more months wouldn't matter as she'd had the pattern for years. Her husband, Gerry, had been a model train enthusiast and one day had come home with the pattern and handing it to his wife said, hopefully, "You can make this, can't you?" Her response was along the lines of "You must be joking." She was not a quilter and realized that this project was not for her. So the pattern got packed away and almost forgotten, until she came upon it years later after her husband had passed away. Gerry had been a good friend of ours, so I was happy to take on the challenge. As I worked, many memories of the fine man he was and the good times we had shared came to mind. When I struggled with a difficult part, or accepted that my work wasn't going to be perfect, I thought if Gerry could see it, his keen eye would see its deficiencies, but, gentleman that he was, he probably wouldn't say anything about it.

Reading the information that came with the pattern from Crystal Clear Designs, I learned that the pattern was created in memory of another railroad buff by his daughter.

With its many small pieces, it was a challenge, but I'm glad to have done it and also glad that it's done.

Quilting Encounters Downunder

2011-02-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

Auckland, New Zealand

After spending two months in the balmy summer weather of Australia and New Zealand, where the temperatures were around 30 deg. C, it was a bit of a shock to come back to Edmonton's biting winter cold and temperatures closer to minus 30 deg. C. But from a quilter's viewpoint, having less incentive to go out and more time at home is a plus. Having been away from my quilting "studio" for so long, I was eager to get back (especially since my carry-on bag was full of fabric which wouldn't fit into my already bulging suitcase). So less than 24 hours after I arrived home, the fabric was all washed and I was starting work on a new project. (More about that in a later blog.)

However, my two months "Downunder" were not without some quilting related experiences. As you would imagine, I visited quilt shops wherever I saw them, and found that in spite of the high cost of quilting cottons, most of which are imported, there are many very enthusiastic and accomplished quilters in both Australia and New Zealand.

In Port Stephens, about a 3-hour drive north of Sydney, a group of quilters were meeting at the Community Arts Centre the day we visited there. When I met them and explained that I was a quilter from Canada, they immediately asked me to join them. Some of them had visited Canada and another was excited about her plans to visit the Houston Quilt Show. I spent a very happy time comparing notes, looking at their projects, and generally enjoying myself, until my patient husband looked in the door and I knew it was time to move on.

In Whitianga, on the Coromandel peninsula in New Zealand, at an outdoor market, a stall full of brightly coloured quilts caught my eye and I stopped to talk to the owner. Her eye-catching quilts were priced at a very reasonable figures and when I remarked on this, she explained that she kept her prices low so she would sell her quilts more quickly, as there were so many more patterns she wanted to try. In fact that was the only reason she had the stall at all!

In the tiny town of Bungendore, NSW, where we'd stopped for a tea-break and a walk round, we found "Bungendore Country Patchwork". In Devonport, Auckland I was delighted to see fabrics with New Zealand motifs in "Cushla's Village Fabrics."

In Taupo, NZ, it was

"Clever Hands, The Patchwork Quilt Store"

which enticed me in.

'"Nancy's" in Wellington had a great selection of quilting and embroidery supplies. In all of these delightful shops, it was a pleasure to chat with the friendly staff (who were sometimes the owners) and I couldn't leave any of them without at least a token purchase to add to my stash.

So, here I am with happy memories of a wonderful trip, more fabrics to enjoy and plenty of ideas for future quilts. What more could a quilter want? Well, a little warmer temperatures would be nice!

Christmas Quilt

2010-12-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

About nine years ago, we were in Australia and in the course of our trip I was asked to give a talk to a ladies' group which included some quilters and also some new to the craft and to provide them with a small handwork project which they could work on and, if necessary, finish at home. I decided to show them three ways to make the bow tie block and several ways to set it, and then allow them to make the block of their choice by hand. I chose Christmas fabrics for my demo, thinking I would later put the finished blocks into a Christmas quilt. It was many years before I completed the quilt above, which I called "Bows in Boxes", but I was thinking of that quilt lately as we are off to Australia for Christmas and an extended visit which will include three weeks in New Zealand. I've not planned any quilt related activities, but, I'm sure there'll be some quilt shops along the way for me to visit and chat with quilters there. If this blog is not up-dated for quite a while, you'll know that I'm still travelling.

To all my quilting friends, those I've met and those I've yet to meet, my best wishes for a happy Christmas and many good quilting experiences in the new year.

Successful Sale

2010-11-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

After months of planning, organizing and sewing, our Mission Possible Sale is over and I'm happy to say it was a great financial success, raising approximately five thousand dollars for projects in developing nations. Attached are a few photos, taken rather hurriedly near the end of the set-up day, hence the rather poor quality.

On a personal note, I was pleased to see that three of my larger quilts plus several wall-hangings and lots of smaller items were purchased, one intended as a gift for a family member in eastern Canada. And my reversible quilt will be going to a new home, some time in the future.

So after an intensive two months of quilting and sewing, I've been taking it pretty easy, with only one little project started, but several others waiting in line. One of which is a quilt, or quilts, based on the mosaic designs I saw on our trip to Italy last April. They are only in the design stages so far, but I know the type of fabrics I want and will be on the look-out for them as we travel to the US and "down-under" in December and January.

Happy quilting.

The Last of the Stashbusters

2010-10-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

This past month has been a time of finishing projects that were started earlier in the year. They were all "stashbuster" quilts and I have now finished five with a little more quilting to be done on the sixth and last (for now) quilt. These are all going to the "Mission Possible" Arts, Crafts and Bake Sale on November 6th in support of Salvation Army World Missions. The money raised will go to such projects as providing clean drinking water, medical and school supplies, and micro-credit to create a source of income for poverty stricken families, often women and children.

Two of the quiltswere especially interesting to me. The green/brown reversible "quilt-as-you-go" was the first time I'd tried this technique and it proved quite easy to finish, if you enjoy hand sewing. My quilt is 51"square, but I could see doing a larger one and using a different pattern for the blocks sometime in the future. Another plus for this pattern is using up lots of left-over strips and pieces of batting too small for most other projects. I used cotton batting, which is very stable.

The other quilt is made of left-overs from a queen-size quilt I made last year. I altered the original design and had a lot of half-octagons and four-point stars left over. Originally I was going to use them as the backing for a quilt, but my "quilting consultant" (aka Gordon) persuaded me that they should be made into another quilt top, so I did.

I hope someone else likes them enough to buy them at the sale. We have lots of items coming in. Sewing, (especially quilts), crochet, knitting, woodwork, greeting cards, books and original photos are some of the crafts being sold. By this time next month it will all be over and (we hope!) a great success.

QESP (Quilter's Extra-Sensory Perceptions)

2010-09-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from a three-week visit to Newfoundland, the focus of which was to be family and friends and, unlike my last trip there, I had no plans for any quilt-related experiences.

But I'm convinced there must be the quilting equivalent of ESP, which, subconsciously, draws quilters together. For somehow or other, quilting seems to make itself a part of every trip I take.

And this trip was no exception.

A highlight of the visit was a reunion of graduates of my alma mater, Memorial University. This was an exciting event, as I reconnected with classmates whom I hadn't seen for years. At the start of the final banquet, I knew only two other couples (long-time friends) seated at our table, but before the evening was over, I had found two new quilting friends who just happened to fill the empty seats at our table - Phyllis, from Conception Bay South (CBS) and Iris from Ottawa.

Naturally we talked quilting, exchanged names and email addresses and promised to keep in touch.

Later on, Gordon and I visited Piecemakers Quilt Shop in CBS and who should walk in but Phyllis! While we chatted, another quilter joined us, and Phyllis introduced her. She was Bonnie, whom I had email correspondence with, but had never met in person.

By this time, Gordon had gone outside and was deep in conversation with Phyllis' husband. No doubt comparing notes on being a quilter's husband!

There was another quilting connection as well. The day before I left home, the autumn issue of Canadian Quilter arrived. I only had time to glance through it, but as I did, I saw the photo and article on The Pigeon Inlet Quilt, recently completed by quilters in Bay Roberts, NL and now displayed in the tourist information centre in that town. I determined to see it, if at all possible.

QESP was operating as I mingled with other alumni prior to the banquet. Before long, I found out I was talking to Eileen Newman, the quilter who had made the central block of the Pigeon Inlet Quilt. Later on, as I viewed the quilt, itself, I marvelled at the workmanship of Eileen and the other quilters who imagined, designed, and constructed such a remarkable quilt.

Non-quilters might call these connections the long-arm of coincidence. But as a quilter, I know it's more than that. It's definitely QESP!

August Activities

2010-08-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

In spite of what I predicted last month, I have managed to do some quilt related sewing. The impetus has been the fact that my friend Linda and I (together with the Women's Ministries group in our church) are organizing an arts, crafts and bake sale, scheduled for November, to help raise money for Salvation Army projects in developing countries.

In order to have well-stocked sales tables, we have asked everyone we know who does some form of craft work, whether it's with fabric, wool, paper, paint or wood to make a contribution. The response has been great. But naturally, Linda and I want to make as big a contribution as possible. Although neither of us have openly admitted it, this is just another excuse to keep on quilting. Linda calls it "quilting with a purpose."

So over the last month I've made a few tote bags (see photo above) and some Christmas coasters. I've also made a start on a strippy quilt-as-you-go quilt and so far have finished 28 of the 36 blocks planned. I've wanted to try this pattern for a while and another plus is that it's another great stash-buster project. I'm hoping the final sewing together will go smoothly, as I've never finished a quilt in this fashion before. Time will tell.

That's all for now.

Happy Quilting!

TA-DAH!

2010-07-11T16:39:00.000-07:00

And here, as promised in last month's blog is "School Friends." I'm pleased to have finished this bright ( 3' x 4 ') wall-hanging, because with visitors and friends coming and going, and trips out of town ourselves during the summer, not much quilting is going to get done until the cooler and more settled weather of autumn rolls around.

So whatever you are doing this summer, I hope you are having a good time. And that, if you are a quilter, somewhere, somehow, whether it's a visit to a quilt show or fabric shop, or a get-together with a quilting friend, or perhaps just a few moments to browse through a quilting magazine, you manage to get a little time to indulge yourself in your favourite pastime.

Have a happy summer!

More "Stash-Busters"

2010-06-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

The unseasonably cool, rainy weather of May and June has been good for the trees, grass and quilters. With gardening put on hold - not that I do much gardening anyway - I've been able to complete three of the six quilt tops that I put together earlier in the spring in my on-going attempts at "stash-busting." (See photos.)

As you can see, they are each very different in colour and design, but all fairly simple, which they have to be if I'm ever going to use up my stash of 30-plus years.

On top is a burgundy and green "disappearing nine-patch" pattern. This has become one of my favourite patterns for a fast and easy quilt.

Beneath that on the left is one I call "Autumn in the Square" which was great for using up the pre-cut 2 1/2 inch squares which I had accumulated.

Next to that is a strippy purple, gold and green lap quilt. The strips I sewed onto muslin squares over a period of months, when I was between other projects. Eventually there were enough blocks for a quilt and the green sashing seemed to set them off nicely.

These three will be given to a charity Arts and Crafts sale, which my quilting friend, Linda, and I are organizing for next fall.

Also in the works is another larger (3 ft. x 4 ft.) "tropical" fish scene. But more on that next month, when I hope it will be done.

April Travels

2010-05-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

If you were looking for my April blog and found there wasn't one, there was a very good reason. For most of the month Iwas travelling with family in Italy, with a week in London at the end of the trip.

What an experience it was! I'm still trying to mentally process everything I saw. We travelled from Venice south and west to the Bay of Naples, Pompeii and then north to Rome. Everywhere we went we saw treasures of art and architecture dating from hundreds and in some cases thousands of years ago. Of the many things that impressed themselves upon my quilter's mind were the marvellous designs of mosaics in marble, stone and glass that decorated churches, palaces and the homes of the rich as far back as the first century! Some of these patterns were reminiscent of quilts and some of the elements are still used by quilters today.

The two pictured above (the mosaics not my husband and I!) were preserved in the ruins of Palazzo Teodorico in Ravenna. But we saw similar and even more elaborate designs in Pompeii and Rome.

After the excitement and riches of italy, London might have been a bit of an anti-climax if I hadn't already booked tickets to see the exbitbition "Quilts 1700 to 2010" at the Vicotria and Albert Museum. After two and a half hours of looking, reading, and listening I was exhausted, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see sucha wide-ranging exhibition and one I will never forget. (For more on this check the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum. You will find more there than I could ever tell you.)

So now it's back to my own quilting, with a mind buzzing with ideas for future quilts.

Good luck with yours!

Old and New

2010-03-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

"The March wind doth blow and we shall have snow." So the old verse goes. That is pretty well always true for Edmonton, but this month has been surprisingly spring-like with the piles of snow and sand plowed up during the earlier months reduced to dirty heaps along the edges of the roads. Early spring (if I can be so bold as to assume it has already arrived) is not the most attractive time of year in Edmonton.

However, my mind has been occupied with more interesting things than the weather, as I continue in my self-imposed struggle to use as much of my fabric stash , while buying as little new fabric as possible.

The shoe-boxes which contained a miscellany of squares and rectangles are gradually emptying and the quilt-top I made using a lot of them turned out to be surprisingly bright and cheerful, in a very traditional way. I began by sewing pieces together, then combining them into a large square to which I added a variety of pieced borders, none of them very complicated but all seemed to work together in the end. It was sort of a personal round-robin. (See photo at beginning of blog for the quilt in progress.)

Next I took pieces left over from another project and combined them with black sashing into what I intended to use for the quilt backing, but my "quality-control advisor" (aka my husband) said he really liked it and it should be the front of another quilt. Which poses a problem as I shall have to go and buy fabric to back two quilts now!

Currently, I am working to combine the over 30 four-point black-prints stars, (left over when I changed the design of a previous quilt) with vivid orange diamonds. This one is tricky as there are eight points meeting at one place in the design. If I persevere, this will be one striking quilt! And, if nothing else, its orange and black combination will be great for Halloween!

All this, and the end is nowhere in sight, but I'm having lots of fun.

Next month, we are off to Europe. I have already purchased tickets for entry to the Victoria and Albert Museum's 300 Years of Quilts exhibition in London. Stay-tuned for a report in May and

Happy Quilting!

Getting Away From It All - Except Quilting!

2010-02-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

While I have been diligently trying to use up the small pieces in my stash, not a lot was accomplished on that front in February, because we took two weeks to get away from the snow and cold and visited beautiful San Diego, California.

We had a very enjoyable time seeing the sights and sites of San Diego and it was made even more enjoyable when our daughter Susan joined us for a few days. We spent several days in Balboa Park enjoying the warm sunshine, the beautiful gardens, museums and the artists' village. Even then, we didn't see it all.

Another beautiful area was the Old Town, which recreates the buildings and atmosphere of the early days of San Diego's history. The quilter part of me was especially interested in a project which I came across when I noticed two women in period costume seated at a quilt frame. Naturally I was intrigued, and in talking to them discovered that they were working on a reproduction of the earliest known quilt in San Diego, the Juana Machado quilt made in the 1800s, a red on white appliqued quilt. I was invited to sit down and add a leaf to the work in progress, so while Gordon and Susan looked around the town I appliqued one red leaf on the quilt (see photos).

We also managed a day at Ocean Beach, walking along the sand, watching the waves, the dogs (who have their own stretch of the beach to enjoy), other visitors and finished up with a meal at Joe's Crab Shack- yum!!

Of course I had come with a list of fabric requirements for current projects and after visits to four different fabric and quilt shops, I had all the fabrics on the list and more beside.

All in all, it was a very satisfactory experience.

Resolutions

2010-01-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions, as such, although I do make resolutions at various times of the year and one made at some point last year was to try and use up as much of my stash as possible, especially flannelettes, which were overflowing their plastic tub. Baby quilts were the answer (see previous blogs) and I was doing very well combining the bits and pieces of flannelette that I had already acquired. The tub was two-thirds empty with only a few pieces on the shelf waiting their turn to be sewn into quilts. Then I ran into the common problem of needing just another metre to use as a backing for a top I had just finished. Nothing I had on hand was suitable. Naturally this meant a trip to the fabric store, where I fully intended to purchase only what I needed. But, alas, the remnant bin was too good to resist and (like any quilter worth her salt) on seeing an offer of "Buy one, get five free" I started to rummage and hit pay dirt! Before long my hands and arms were juggling six pieces of flannette totaling over five metres and for a cost of only $8.50. Ignoring my previous resolution, I purchased them together with the material I really needed.
Once at home, rationalization began (baby quilts were always in demand and the price was impossible to beat) and so did three more quilts. My total to date is 13, with one or two more to go to use up most of the pieces I now have. Only four remain with me, the rest having been given to various charitable enterprises and of the former, one will be given to a new baby later in the month. So my resolution still stands. I can almost see the end of the flanelette. Then there will only be seven more tubs (and a few boxes of assorted squares and strips) to go!
That is, if I avoid the remnant bin!

Christmas Preparations

2009-12-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

Every December I get the urge to make something "Christmassy." Usually the urge comes about the second week of the month, when I'm getting out the decorations and putting my Christmas quilts around the house. By this time it's way too late to make anything big, but I open my box of Christmas fabric left-overs and settle for something small : pot holders or hot mats last year; gift bags the year before. This year I decided to make mini (5-inch)-Christmas stockings.

Theoretically, these were to be made very simply and quickly. But in my case, theory and practise didn't coincide. I'll spare you tedious details, but suffice it to say, I finished only one little stocking to my satisfaction and abandoned the attempt. Falling back on an even simpler idea, I made a set of folded coasters for a hostess gift and realized the annual "make something Christmassy" urge had disappeared.

Late as it is in December, I decided to photograph the items to add a touch of Christmas colour to this blog and that didn't work either. Whether it was the fault of the camera or the computer or me (and I have a strong suspicion it is the last), something didn't work the way it should - so no photos either.

As I thought about these frustrations and plans not working out, I remembered that the First Christmas wasn't without its frustrations either. I'm sure Mary and Joseph didn't expect to have to put their newborn in a manger or spend the night in a stable. But the Christchild came nevertheless.

And this year, too, Christmas will come, and what truly matters is not the external preparations but the preparations of the heart.

In the words of an old Christmas song written by Emily Elizabeth Elliot:

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown

When Thou camest to earth for me

But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room

For Thy holy nativity.

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus.

There is room in my heart for Thee.

May The Christchild come with all His blessings to your hearts and homes this Christmas!

The 3 R's of Quilting

2009-11-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

"Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." is a well known mantra of modern society, but quilters have long been advocates of these "three R's." Quilts have been made from cast off clothing and fabric scraps of all kinds.

In my continued efforts to implement the three R's in my own quilting, here are some of my recent activities.

Reduce. I've been trying to reduce my stash considerably, especially the pile of flannelette that I have accumulated from the remnant bins of a local fabric store. Making baby quilts is a joy and was the logical choice for using these fabrics .

I have to admit that I did purchase some new flannelette for the backing, but I've made nine baby quilts so far which will go to local charities. ( See the photos for some of them.)

Reuse. Among the pile of flanelette were some used pillowcases. These I trimmed off the seams and opened, then stitched together to use as cosy backing for the baby quilts. I also stitched together left-over pieces of batting, using a wide zig-zag stitch, to make one larger piece for a quilt. In the best quilting tradition, narrow strips were pieced into blocks and borders.

Recycle. Long pieces of thread used for basting, when removed from the quilts, were wound onto an empty spool or bobbin to be used again in another project.

Even with all the using up, there was still waste from the the trimmings. One of our guild members uses the selvage edges trimmed from fabrics to make knitted rugs. So these go to her. I found a great idea for using the rest of the trimmings on the internet at http://www.quiltinggallery.com/ courtesy of Sue of http://www.quiltedescapes.com/ Here it is:

Here's a great way to throw out your scraps without feeling guilty. Using an old pillowcase line a garbage bin with it. While you are sewing throw your scraps of fabric into it. When the pillowcase is 2/3's full, sew it shut and take it down to the local anmal shelter. They make great beds for cats and dogs. they are 100% washable and nice and soft for the animals! ... the shelters love it because they fit in the cat cages perfectly and the bed can go home with the animal, so it's something comforting for them while they adjust to their new home.
Thanks to Sue and happy quilting!

EDQG 30th Anniversary Quilt

2009-10-20T15:33:00.001-07:00

This quilt was made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Edmonton and District Quilter's Guild by the seven members of the 30th committee, of which I was proud to be one. Guild members were aked to submit the names of their favorite quilt blocks and the committee chose the top 30 to use in the quilt. At the end of the year of celebrations, in June, the names of all the members were included in a draw for the quilt. The lucky winner was thrilled to have the quilt as it celebrates a special milestone in the guild's history.

October

2009-10-19T10:12:00.001-07:00

This month’s blog is late in coming because, once again, I’ve been traveling. My husband and I were in Washington, DC, doing research for a book he is writing. I would love to be able to report that I did some fruitful quilt related research as well, but, alas, that’s not the case.
Before we left home I checked on the internet and found out that The Smithsonian Institute in Washington has a large collection of quilts, which I hoped to be able to see. What I didn’t know, was that the collection is not open on a regular basis, and tours are given only twice a month. By the time I discovered this information, I had missed the latest tour, and so was quite disappointed. I found out that there are a few other quilt collections in DC (at The National Trust for Historic Preservation and The Daughters of the American Revolution Museum, for example), in addition to the one at The Smithsonian, but as we had left our sight-seeing time to the end of our visit (work had to be done first) I was unable to see any of them.
Oh, well, that’s life.
Apart from that disappointment, Washington was lovely. The weather was warm and sunny, ideal for being out and about. We did spend a few days taking in the beautiful sights. Memories of the magnificent architecture of the public buildings, the visit to the Lincoln Memorial, the beauty of the Mall with its lovely reflecting pool; the treasures of the Smithsonian (but no quilts!) and the friendliness of the people we met, will stay with us for a long time.
A week spent in Mesa, AZ on the way home was extremely hot ( 95 -104 deg. F) which meant we were pretty much confined to air-conditioned places. On the bright side, that meant a few fabric and quilt stores where I picked up some of my favorite travel souvenirs: fat quarters!
Now that I'm back home and the laundry is done and put away, it's back to the real world of quilting.
My next big project will be a memory quilt in honour of my nephew David, who passed away in September after a courageous battle with cancer. More on that next month.

Happy Quilting!

September Song

2009-09-08T13:10:00.001-07:00

"It's been a long, long time from May to December

"And the days grow short, when you reach September..."

Contrary to what the well-known song says, it doesn't seem all that long, to people who live in a climate where winter seems to occupy nearly eight months of the year. Summer just seems to race by and is never long enough. But the days are definitely growing shorter here. The sun rises a little later each morning (and so do I!) and there are no more long, light evenings. Looking on the bright side, however, quilting guilds and bee groups are meeting again and providing inspiration for those of us who are trying to decide on our next quilting project and have been missing the pleasure of getting together with other quilters.

I include myself in both those categories.

I've just finished my trio of disappearing nine-patch flannelette baby quilts which were a pleasure to make (see photo above of one) and am eager to get back to one of my "fishy"UFO's. I have some new fabrics (and lots of "old" ones, also) to try out and see what develops.

In June I purchased several packages of cards suitable for inserting fabric art pictures. I made a few of these several years ago and enjoyed the process so much that I've decide to "have another go."

Our guild will have its first meeting of the guild year this month and, as always, it will mean greeting old friends, perhaps making some new ones and catching up on the latest trends in quilting, as well as being inspired by the always amazing "show and tell" and the interesting speakers who share their quilting experiences and expertise with us all.

Soon there will be a call for charity quilts, which I always enjoy making, and that will be another project for the autumn months.

Being a quilter, means always having something to look forward to.

Happy Quilting!

Dog Days?

2009-08-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

August days are generally known as the "Dog Days" of summer. That expression conjures up lazy images of just lying around in the sun, doing as little as possible, eating and sleeping and eating some more. At least that's what the dogs in our family seem to do most of the time, not just in August.

But for us this year, those images don't apply. August was a comparatively busy and productive month, although not solely in the quilting line.

We are blessed in Edmonton and area with excellent farmer's markets, and market gardens, U-pick farms and acreages are within easy driving distances. At this time of year they are a treat to visit and we did just that several times this month. In the markets, in addition to fruit and vegetables, preserves and baking there are stalls selling unique arts and crafts, including jewellery, woodwork and, yes, quilts.

It was the vegetables and fruit which interested us most. My quilter's eye and love of colour were captivated by bright orange carrots displayed alongside fresh green broccoli, red cabbage, green and yellow zucchini, newly harvested and scrubbed white and red potatoes, pearly onions, juicy red and yellow tomatoes, dark red beets... and the list goes on.

And the fruit! My mouth waters just thinking of it: sweet, juicy BC cherries (the best crop in years), blueberries, blackberries, red and yellow raspberries, and apricots to mention just a few. Who could resist such bounty? Not us.

We had already brought home 30 lbs of apricots from our earlier trip to BC and these we either made into jam or froze for later use in pies and puddings. From the farmer's market we purchased 20 lbs. of beet to pickle. This was in addition to the 10 lbs we had already received from a friend's garden.

Next came the saskatoons (for those who are unfamiliar with them, they are blue berries that

grow on a shrubby trees and their unique flavour is a treat in jams, jelly or pies). We went to a U-pick acreage on a beautiful sunny day and spent two hours picking to our hearts' content, coming home with three gallons of these delicious berries destined for jelly and the freezer. Another day was spent with friends at their farm, where we enjoyed a visit and a delicious meal and came home with two more gallons of saskatoons.

Lucky for us both, my husband enjoys berry-picking and is equally willing to help out with the preserving when we get home. So our freezer is getting full (Did I mention blueberries?) and our cold room shelves are laden with colourful, bottled preserves.

In the depths of the winter to come, we will enjoy the "fruits of our labour" and a taste of saskatoon pie will be a welcome reminder of warm, sunny August days.

And, yes, I did manage to do a little quilting. I have another "fish" to add to my collection and have totally fallen in love with the ease of making baby quilts using the "Disappearing Nine-Patch" pattern. Attached you will see photos of "Hotlips" (above) and a colourful little DNP baby quilt.

That's it for this month.

Happy quilting!

Summer At Last

2009-07-20T14:08:00.001-07:00

After a prolonged and cool spring, we are finally enjoying some warm summer days. There's not a lot in the quilting line being accomplished by me, but I have managed to complete another fish wall hanging and have another one in the works. After completing "Grandfather Cod" I decided to make something very different; much less subdued. Hawaii is about as much a contrast to the North Atlantic as you can get and so "Wahini Cod" (below) was the result.

Our little neighbourhood quilting group has suspended operations for the summer, but at our last session, I managed to get a flannel baby quilt put together, when one of the ladies asked me how to tie a quilt. I had the top and backing ready, so we speedily layered the quilt and then with five sets of fingers making the ties, it was quickly done. I sewed the binding on soon after but haven't yet stitched it down on the back.

A ten-day trip to the Kootenay region in BC with our son, daughter-in-law, and three grandsons (3 yrs, and twins who are 19 mos.) was lots of fun. I haven't spent as much time in playgrounds and at the beach in years! The scenery in the Kootenays is spectacular and we enjoyed the whole experience.

We returned with 30 pounds of fresh apricots, most of which have been turned into our favourite apricot jam, with some frozen for future pies and puddings.

I decided on the spur of an unguarded moment to learn how to do hardanger embroidery. I've tried many different types of handwork over the years but have never done hardanger. Armed with a beginner's book and materials to make a simple doily, I figured I could learn it on my own. I thought in terms of having a nice relaxing occupation while watching TV. I have discovered that I certainly can learn it, but usually after making all the mistakes possible and much frustration, picking out of stitches and re-doing.
Relaxing, it isn't. It is impossible (for me, at least) to watch TV and embroider at the same time. For one thing, I find it easier to see with my glasses off(!) and for another, counting threads requires close concentration. Hardanger is well named!
But I am persevering. If I live long enough I may actually complete the doily.

That's all for this month. Happy quilting!

June

2009-06-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

This has been a landmark month for Edmonton quilters and it's barely half over. This year the 30th Anniversary of the Edmonton and District Quilters' Guild coincided with our bi-annual quilt show and we went all out to make it special. It was held on June 13/14 and we called it "Quilted Expressions."

In addition to the quilt show (200 quilts) there was a merchant's mall, quilters' boutique, and demonstrations of various quilting techniques, as well as a display of hand-cranked and treadle sewing machines. For those of us involved in the preparations and operation of the various areas, it has been a busy time, and although physically tiring, it has been mentally stimulating for us all to see the beautiful work that has been done. The whole event was a great success. And although I'm still recovering, it was a pleasure for me to work with so many talented, creative people, who were willing to do all that was needed to make it happen.

I entered a few items for sale in the boutique, and two of my fish wall-hangings found homes. One was a new one I had just completed called "A Close Call." (see photo).

When I came home from the show on Saturday, my body needed sleep, but my brain was on sensory overload. Sleeplessness had a positive side as it produced more ideas for future projects.
Now I'm working on a few more fish. I can't seem to get fish out of my system. Perhaps it's my maritime background! Stay tuned for the next one to make its appearance.

Where Has May Gone?

2009-05-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm just getting in under the wire with my blog post for May. Where has the time gone? What have I accomplished in the sewing line?
At the beginning of the month I made a list of all the sewing projects that were waiting to be done; some already underway, others just in the fabric stage, some only ideas. There were ten on the list.
Three major projects have taken most of my time.
To begin with, on our trip to Malaysia, I succumbed to temptation and, lured by the beautiful, colourful silks, I bought some, with the intention of sewing them into an outfit for myself. This was a real learning experience for me in many ways. First of all, I had never sewn with silk before, with the exception of a few silk ties I used in a crazy quilt. But with helpful suggestions found on the internet, I was able to avoid some of the worst problems, such as the movement of silk when cutting it -put some paper under the silk, lay out the silk, pin the pattern to silk and paper and cut through all layers including the paper underneath. I also learned the proper size needles, stitch length and the best thread to use. The biggest problem came with the adjustment of the pattern to fit me, no small task when parts of the body are three different sizes. But, it is finally done, and if not totally to my satisfaction, it doesn't look too bad to wear.
However, I also know why I stopped sewing for myself a long time ago and it will probably be much longer, if ever, before I try something like that again.
Project number two was the completion of a queen-sized quilt that I began last fall. I chose a pattern called Paperweights, because it used lots of different fabrics, and it was my intention to use up as many of the older fabrics that had been in my stash for years and years. Like most of my quilts, the finished article bore only a passing resemblance to the orginal. Once the top was finished, I was faced with the daunting task of basting and quilting it. With the help of my friend Linda and her long-arm sewing machine, that too was finished.
Third project: a bedspread from some lovely cotton fabric purchased in Singapore. This was by far the simplest project of the three, as I just seamed lengths of the fabric together, quilted in straight lines and added a binding. It now adorns our bed and its matching valance is installed over the window.
It's a great relief to have all these projects completed and I'm looking forward to working on some smaller "fun" projects. Two more fish have been swimming around in my UFO stack for far too long. They need to find a suitable habitat.
Let's see what June brings.

Flowers, Friends and Fish

2009-04-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

It is only a little past mid-April and here I am. That's a definite improvement over March.

April has brought lots of changes. With the arrival of warmer weather (although not as warm as we would like) the piles of snow pushed up by the plows in winter has melted from all but the shadiest locations. The ice has finally left Bearspaw Lake, on which our home is located; the geese, who stood around forlornly on the melting ice for a few weeks are happily swimming in the water and have been joined by the ducks - mallards and golden eyes - which spend their summers here. And neighbours have pots of pansies on their doorstep, adding a colourful touch to an otherwise drab landscape.

On the quilting scene, I have put together the backing for a queen-sized quilt which I pieced last fall and am ready to take it to my friend Linda who has offered to let me try and quilt it on her long arm machine. That will be a new experience for me and I'm hoping it will be a positive one.

The preparations for our Guild's 30th anniversary quilt show, sale and banquet in June are well underway, and, as a member of the 30th anniversary committee, I've been attending extra meetings and work days in preparation for those landmark events.

A few of my neighbours expressed an interest in learning to quilt, so six of us meet every other week and with the help of my next door neighbour, who is also a quilter, I am taking them through the learning process a step at a time. We began with simple stitched and folded coasters and have graduated to elongated nine-patch place mats. If they persevere, we will move on to baby/lap quilts and then "the sky's the limit."

And finally, I managed to get back to my own "fun" time and made another quilt in my "Fabulous Fish" series. This one is Number 9 and was made to fulfil a request from a Newfoundland friend for a codfish. A cod is not the most colourful of fish, to put it mildly, so "Grandfather Cod" is rather subdued, as you can see, below. But I'm not finished with the species yet and have plans for my next codfish to be a very colourful mutation.

And that's it for this month.

March In- March Out

2009-03-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's already the end of March and I haven't written a new post for the month yet. Where has the time gone? What have I been doing?
We arrived back home on March 9th. So the first week and part of the second was gone. By the time we unpacked, adjusted to the time change and sorted out our lives again, another week had gone by. All the while, the lovely fabrics I had purchased or been given, plus those I had already, were calling me to create.
First, I made a set of four placemats and napkins from a Batik fabric I purchased in Malaysia for our neighbours who had taken good care of our home while we were away.
Next, thanks to the generosity of Marianne Bos in Singapore, I was eager to get started on a postcard quilt to showcase some of my fabrics from Pacific countries. The postcard quilt (my name for it, which may or may not be the name others know the pattern by) is relatively easy to put together. The basic block is a 4 x 6 inch rectangle bordered by two 1-inch strips which makes a 6-inch square. These squares are then arranged alternately vertical and horizontal and sewn together in rows. I added extra strips to the outer edges of blocks which didn't have any.
Most of the machine quilting was done before the edge was finished. To finish off I sewed facing strips on the front, cut them to match the irregular edge, turned them over to the back and stitched them down by hand. The finishing was a little tricky, but when it was completed, I was glad I had done it that way. Here is "Postcards from the Pacific."

Finally, this past week I put together a simple top for a baby quilt in blue flannelette.
No wonder I didn't get time to add to my blog until now. At least that's my excuse!

The World-wide Quilting Web

2009-02-22T05:18:00.000-08:00

The wonders of modern technology never cease to amaze me. I am currently in Singapore visiting my daughter Kathy and her husband Mark. Today we talked to our daughter Susan in California and via Skype were able to see our little grand-children on the other side of the world in Canada.
From a quilter's perspective, the web is agreat asset. I was delighted to meet this past week with quilters here in Singapore, having first contacted them through the web. Thanks to Janice, my contact who invited me to meet with the ANZA (Australia New Zealand Association) quilters and to Maurine who hosted us in her home. Each lady was working on a different project and in addition the group undertakes a charity project each year. I was especially interested in the project to make blocks which would be later made into quilts for victims of the bush-fires in Australia. The blocks are called "wonky stars" and they will be collected and sewn together by Australian quilters. Here is Alison with some of the blocks she had made.

When disaster strikes, quilters all over the world immediately start to do what they do best. Their quilts comfort and support the needy recipients by letting them know that others care about them and want to help.

On Wednesday, I met with quilt artist Marianne Bos (you can find her website by Googling her name) and we had a lovely two hours of quilt talk, sharing experiences and information, and looking at her beautiful quilts. Here she is with two of her wall-hangings.

I've never met unfriendly quilters and these ladies were no exception. Thanks to you all for welcoming me and letting me see and photograph some of your work.

Before leaving home, I checked out fabric sources in Singapore on the web and have visited most of them on my list, as well as some I didn't know about until I got here. My suitcase gets heavier and heavier with each shopping trip. And we still have two more weeks to go!

I think I already have enough projects in mind to keep me busy for the next few years.

Winter World

2009-01-08T17:38:00.000-08:00

January brings the snow
Makes your feet and fingers glow.
February's cold and sleet
Freeze the toes right off your feet!

This old Flanders and Swan song, hit it just about right for the weather here
in Edmonton. Since mid-December we've been in a deep freeze. And I mean really DEEP! Down to minus 40 deg. Celcius (where the Fahrenheit scale meets it) overnight and with wind-chill factored in. Daytimes not a lot better, averaging minus 18 C. or so. When the temperature has risen to minus 10. deg.C it feels positively balmy! Snow has fallen "snow on snow" as the old carol says and we are living in an almost white world. There's no doubt it's winter in Edmonton!

Christmas was a bright spot in an otherwise dark world, with the lights and the warmth of family and friends making it possible to ignore, if not enjoy the weather. And now that the festivities are behind us, it's back to quilting. One consolation of the cold is that it's great weather for quilting. If you have all your supplies on hand you can just hunker down and be creative. And when you get tired of that, you just cuddle up in a cheery quilt and read a good book.

Having completed some Guild projects, I'm back to my queen sized "Thirty-years of Fabric" quilt, and am just about finished putting the top together. This is the easy part. The more difficult phase of basting and quilting it is to come. Each time I've finished a queen-sized quilt, I've said, "That's the last big quilt I'm going to do." But here I am working on another one!
I guess I just never learn.

Having begun this post with grumbling and ranting about the cold weather, I'll finish this on a warmer note, for next month I'll be in Singapore. So in my next post, you may very well find me grumbling about the too hot and humid weather in that tropical city! But no doubt, I'll be enjoying the fabric shops and market stalls and with any luck, I'll be able to meet some quilters as well. Keep tuned.

December

2008-12-12T19:52:00.001-08:00

December is almost half over and I'm just writing my monthly posting. The winter weather which has arrived recently makes me want to choose a good book, get out a warm quilt, cuddle up and have a relaxed read.

Instead like many of you, Christmas preparations have taken a priority over reading and even quilting with me, although I have been working sporadically on a queen-size quilt. About a week ago, I decided to take a break from the large project and do something small and "Christmassy". My scrap box had a pile of cut half-square-triangle pieces in Christmas fabrics and knowing that time was limited I decided to make some hot mats, possibly to add to gifts. Working with triangles is always fun and without much effort and only four half-triangle squares per mat I was able to come up with four variations, which I quickly put together and finished with some left-over binding. I like them so much I just might keep them for myself!

Here is a photo, taken in a hurry, but you get the general idea, I hope.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my quilting friends.

Autumn in Alberta

2008-10-06T12:08:00.001-07:00

Where has the time gone? September was a busy month for us with visitors and a one week visit to BC packed into it. We had a great trip and enjoyed sunny skies all the way. One of my favorite views on the Yellowhead route is the view of Mount Robson that you get on the return journey after you pass Moose Lake (where we have never actually seen a moose!). The day we drove that way, the skies were clear and there was just a light snowfall decorating the top of the mountain, which contrasted beautifully with the brilliant blue skies. It was the best view of the mountain we have ever seen. I wish I had taken the time to get a photograph.

The weather in Edmonton has been absolutely glorious and my marigolds are still looking good. But as the days shorten, I'm back to my quilting projects and have finished off three more tea cosies that were requested by a friend. Here they are.

After I finished my last queen-sized quilt, I thought that would be my last big quilt, but this month I started on another one. I purchased a pattern called "Paperweights" by Aardvark, which I thought would be a good way to use up the bits and pieces of fabrics that I had on hand. As always, my quilt will not be exactly like the pattern but I am enjoying working with so many different colours and prints. Stay posted for further reports.

Beautiful Newfoundland

2008-08-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from our travels in Newfoundland this past summer. Watch this space for more photos in the future.

River near Point May

Lobster Pots, Newtown

The view from our B&B,
Hillgrade

The 'red house' Burin

Memories of Quilting on the Edge (Quilt Canada 2008)

2008-07-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Over a month has passed since I enjoyed the delights of Quilt Canada 2008 at St. John's, NL, but the memories are still strong. Here's just a part of what made "Quilting on the Edge" such a special experience for me and I suspect, for many others.

1. Friends. Meeting some old friends, but making many more new ones. Not having a quilting "buddy" to share the experience with was a very good thing, for every time I sat next to someone I didn't know (and that was often) I had great conversations and was once again made aware of the friendliness of quilters. One conversation in particular, which began with a compliment about my book ("Crazy About Quilting"), continued on and off for several days. By the end of the week, we had not only discovered mutual friends and family connections, but exchanged invitations to visit and pursue our friendship even further.

2. Workshops. I took two from quilters at opposite ends of their teaching experience. Joan Reive was conducting her last class and Vicky-Taylor Hood her first at Quilt Canada. Both are talented quilt artists and shared their very different techniques for making landscape quilts. In both workshops there was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and I know that I will use what I learned from them in future projects.

3. Quilts. Everywhere. Bed quilts, wall quilts, table toppers, coasters, clothing, bags, luggage tags...the list goes on and on. Wonderful quilts, large or small, all created with imagination, technical expertise and love.

4. Food. I expect that many, if not most, of us who attended the wonderful dinners at the St. John's Convention Centre or the final banquet at the Fairmont Newfoundland, left NL a few(!) pounds heavier than when we arrived. Local dishes such as fried cod with scrunchions, figgy duff, and Atlantic salmon, were just a few of the culinary delights we sampled. And the desserts! Oh, the desserts! Did we enjoy them? You bet! Did we limit our chocolate intake? Not in the least. Did we enjoy ourselves? Of course.
One chef was reputed to have said, that group of women such as we were ate more than a convention of iron-workers! With such delicious food prepared for us (and no shopping, no cooking, no cleaning up) how could we resist?

4. Scenery. In spite of one day of very foggy, wet weather, most of us were impressed by the rugged beauty of the Avalon Peninsula and many were planning to tour other parts of the province after Quilt Canada was over. For myself, born and raised in St. John's, being "home" again and staying with my brother and sister-in-law was a special treat. My brother is an avid gardener and the "scenery" that I remember was the loveliness of his garden in the spring.

Other memories? There are lots. But that's enough for now. If you have never been to a major Quilt Canada event, start saving for Calgary 2010. If St. John's was anything to go by, you won't be disappointed.

Crazy Quilting - Ideal Travel Project

2008-05-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

If you, like me, enjoy doing handwork and like to have something to work on when you travel, try crazy quilting. Small projects like teapot cozies or small purses can give you hours of enjoyment as you try various stitches and patterns. These items also make very pretty and useful gifts. Here are two of my latest projects.

Quilters' Quotes

2008-03-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

May, 2008

I place the pieces of my quilt
In order and design.
The path it takes, the love it makes
Forever will be mine.

-Jan Rank, Australia

Q(uilters') Tips

2008-03-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

7. Use pin curl clips, or plastic coated paper clips to hold binding in place when sewing it onto the quilt.
8. Save small pieces of thin cotton batting. They are great for wiping off cutting boards, dusting around your machine, or picking up loose threads from any smooth surface.
9. Another use for masking tape. Wrapped around the hand, sticky side out, it can be used to pick up tiny threads from a seam that you have just ripped out. I keep a roll of painter's green masking tape among my sewing supplies.

More Q(uilter's) Tips

2008-03-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

4. When purchasing fabrics from different sources, write in the selvedge edge the name of the source from which you purchased it, in case you need to get more of the same.
5. Before washing fabrics, cut a small piece off each corner. This will prevent ravelling and tell you later if the fabric has been washed or not.
6. To determine the grain of squares after they have been cut, gently stretch the fabric square in each direction. There will be more stretch in the crosswise grain.

Something "Fishy"

2008-02-26T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have just finished the seventh in my series "Fabulous Fish" wall-quilts, inspired by Susan Carlson's book "Free-Style Quilts" and the end is nowhere in sight. I start with the outline of a fish - sometimes based on a real fish and sometimes a variation of a previously used outline. I select the colour palette I plan on using and the fish seems to take over from there. Rarely does the finished quilt turn out as expected. I am learning to be bolder with colour and freer with design. Borders, which I've often added just to make a quilt large enough, are now a challenge and also a delight, as I have fun experimenting with different fabrics and designs. As the wall-quilts are small (usually under 25 in x 15 in) finishing the borders never becomes tedious. Here are two more samples of fabulous fish.

Top: Golden Grumpy

Bottom: Marble Fin

Q(uilters') Tips

2008-01-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

1. A thin sliver of soap is useful for marking temporary lines on dark fabrics. It shows up well and can usually just be brushed or rubbed off. Always test on a scrap of fabric first.

2. Use masking tape as a guide when doing straight line stitching. It saves lots of time marking.

3. Sew with navy thread on black fabric and black thread on navy fabrics. It will be easier to see if you have to take out a line of stitching.

The Light-hearted Quilter

2008-01-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world of the Light-hearted Quilter (also known as Ada K. Moyles). And what an exciting, challenging, sometimes frustrating, but always interesting one it is. I invite you, as this blog progresses, to share in my accomplishments and sometimes, perhaps, failures, as I pursue my passion for quilting.

If you are a quilter, quilt-owner, or merely interested in quilting, I hope you will find something of interest in my blog.

In addition to making quilts, I also write about quilting. Look for my book "Crazy About Quilting; the Adventures of an Average Quilter" (Published by Whitecap Books) to read some of my quilting adventures.

I am especially interested in stories about particular quilts. They may be antiques or modern, baby or king-size, but if they have a special story, I would love to hear it. If you own such a quilt and would like to share your story, please contact me.

Currently, I'm working on a series of quilts called "Fabulous Fish", inspired by Susan Carlson's book "Free-style Quilts." This is a great book if you are looking for a way to express your creativity using non-traditional methods. I'm having great fun, using some of Susan's techniques to create my own wall quilts. The picture below is one of my early efforts.