Our new neighbours recently had their first baby. A sweet little girl named Bristol. I made this quilt for her.
Category Archives: Quilting
Art Classes
I’ve started a 6 week online art quilt class. The idea is to use fabric, paint, fibre, beads, whatever tickles your fancy, to make a small art quilt. We were tasked with going through our photos to come up with an idea for our quilt. I found 50 images that I was drawn to and thought would make good subjects. Turns out everything I picked was too complicated for a beginner. I decided to just jump in and give it a try anyway. My thought was that I am here to learn techniques and get motivated by my fellow students. I picked 2 photos that called to me. I don’t expect any masterpieces but I do hope to learn things that I can put into practice as I hopefully grow and improve.
Blankets of Love Week 1
A week into my quilting project and I don’t have as many blocks made as I would like to. I am my own worse enemy. Why did I pick such a time consuming fiddly block when I have so many to make. Sixteen completed … so, so many more to go 😩😳
Filed under Blankets of Love, Charity Quilt, Quilting
Honouring Sophie
Last summer we learned that Spirit’s Mom Sophie had been diagnosed with Histiocytic Sarcoma, a very aggressive and incurable form of cancer. She put up a brave fight against this horrible disease until she crossed over the rainbow bridge on October 16th just days short of her 8th birthday. Her family posted this picture of her on Facebook and shared with everyone how much a part of their lives Sophie was with her loving personality. She was also the foundation bitch of their kennel. It just touched my heart. When we got home from our vacation at the end of October, I immediately started working on a wall hanging to reproduce this picture. I recently gave this fabric mosaic to Coreen and Steve of Tailspin Bernese Mountain Dogs to honour their beautiful girl Sophie.
GCH Werlwind’s Playing With Fire
Sophie Oct 25/2011- Oct 16/2019
Filed under Mosaic Quilt, Quilting, Spirit, Uncategorized
Wonderful News
Today I was informed that one of my quilts had been juried into Quilt Canada’s National Juried Show. To say I was shocked and over the moon excited would be an understatement. I am not allowed to publicly share a picture of my quilt until the show catalogue is released but they gave me this badge that I can share. The best news is that the show is being held in Edmonton this year so I will get to see it actually hanging.
Filed under CQA, Quilt Canada, Quilting
SDDA Quilt
Now that the 1st Annual Sporting Detection Dogs Association’s National Challenge Cup banquet is over, I can share this quilt I made and donated.
I incorporated the SDDA colours of purple and black and included the logo that was designed by one of our members.
I had a lot of fun quilting the white background and even added paw prints.
Filed under Gift Quilt, Lap Quilt, Quilting, SDDA, Sporting Detection, Sporting Detection Dog Association
A Quilt for Grant
This is the quilt I made for our beautiful new grandson. Erin saw a picture of this quilt on Pinterest and asked me to make it for the baby. She did a great job picking the colours.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Family, Quilting
Happy Birthday Cameron
Today is our Grandson’s 3rd birthday. I made him this very special quilt. It has a few thousand pieces in it and it took many, many hours to cut the fabric and piece it together. It was definitely a labour of love. He can either put it on his big boy bed and use it as a blanket or he can put it on the floor and play on it.
To read more about the making of this quilt and see more pictures click here.
Filed under Gift Quilt, Quilting
Quilting Surprise
On a whim, and to push myself out of my comfort zone, I entered one of my quilts into the 2019 Edmonton Festival of Quilts show. I went today to volunteer and was so surprised to see that there was a 2nd place ribbon hanging on it. There were so many amazing and inspiring quilts at the show. I’ve got so many ideas for new projects swirling around in my head.
Filed under Festival of Quilts, FMQ, Quilting
Welcome baby Cleo Isla Paige
Over a period of 3 months this summer, amongst friends and family, we had 5 beautiful babies born. Although this was the first quilt I made, it was the last one to go to its new home. I made this one for our Niece’s first baby. We didn’t know the gender and Mom wanted a marine/ocean themed gender neutral quilt using blues and greys. I found this pattern (Preppy the Whale by Elizabeth Hartman) and instantly fell in love with it. It is just perfect for a marine themed baby quilt. I didn’t know when I made it that Dad’s favourite colour was orange.
A member of our walking group saw me working on Cleo’s Preppy quilt and asked me to make one just like it for a close friend who was expecting a baby girl.
Filed under Baby Quilt, FMQ, Quilting
Baby James Andrew
On July 9th we welcomed James Andrew into our extended family. He joins his big sister Leah. This was the 4th baby quilt I made this summer. It is a little unique because it is two sided. Instead of having a plain backing, it has another quilt top on the back giving the family two options. This is the front:
This is the back:
Baby James on his new quilt (with Don)
Here is a close up of the free motion quilting.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Quilting
Welcome Baby Edward Andrew
In June we added a beautiful new member to our extended family. Baby Edward joins his big sister, 2 year old Ava.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Quilting
Big Surprise
For the first time, Klondike Days (our annual summer exhibition) featured a Makers Exhibition to showcase and celebrate local makers, creators, artists and producers. On a whim, I decided to enter my Bridges of Madison County quilt into the Longarm Quilting category. Unfortunately I was so busy that I completely forgot to go and see the exhibit before it closed. I went this week to pick up my quilt and was shocked to see that it had a first place ribbon on it. The judges comments were “Superb. Small pucker on backing but otherwise excellent”.
Filed under Quilting
Humboldt Strong
I was deeply affected by the loss of so many people as a result of the Humboldt bus crash. The Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild put out a call to quilters across Canada asking us to make and donate quilts to give to people who had been directly affected by the crash. They asked for 200 quilts. I knew I wanted to help. Then I found out that one of the victims was member of a friend’s extended family. Instead of making a generic quilt for the group, I decided to make an quilt dedicated to the family who lost their son. I hope that it will provide some comfort to them.
Filed under Charity Quilt, Lap Quilt, Quilting
Week 2 of the QAL
This weeks’s goal was to finish cutting all the neutral fabric and to piece 5 large and 9 small blocks. Goal achieved. If my math is correct, I have cut 1317 pieces of fabric to make a lap size quilt. Yikes!
Filed under Comfort QAL, Lap Quilt, QAL, Quilt-A-Long, Quilting, Scrap Quilt
Comfort Quilt-a-Long
This week marks the start of the Comfort QAL (Quilt-a-long). As soon as I saw this quilt I knew who I was going to make it for. I am not normally a fan of the “scrappy look” but something about this one appealed to me. I hope the recipient will like it too. Week 1 has us cutting all the medium and dark fabrics. I am making the lap quilt so I needed to cut enough fabric to make 79 small and 30 large blocks. Our second goal was to purchase and/or source from our stash all the neutrals that we will need.
Week 1 goal complete. Here are my bright fabrics all cut and ready to go. Quite an eclectic mix of prints and solids (436 pieces).
I’ve even got a head start on next week’s goal since I have already cut up all my neutrals as well (872 pieces).
#ComfortQuiltQAL
Filed under Comfort QAL, QAL, Quilt-A-Long, Quilting, Scrap Quilt
365 Finish…..finally
I did it!!! Only a year late but it is done. We have had such a cold, snowy winter that I had to wait for a milder day to get some pictures. It was definitely a challenge to make some of the 3 inch blocks but I am glad that I did it. Would I do it again….probably not. Now it is just looking for a good home.
I did some custom quilting in the 4 corner blocks and the centre medallion….otherwise I just used a simple e2e design called Deco Vine.
As with all of my quilts, when I sit down in the lazy boy to hand sew on the binding….my cute little fur ball always has to plant herself in the middle of the pile making it more challenging to accomplish my task.
Here are few closeups of some of the blocks:
Filed under 365 Challenge, Quilting
2015 BOM
This quilt took a long time to finish. The 12 multi-coloured blocks were made as part of QuiltEssential Co’s 2015 block of the month program. This colour way was called ‘Bridges of Madison County”.
I knew how I was going to design the quilt top long before the 12 blocks were even finished. My inspiration for the quilting came from some of the designs in the 12 blocks. I wish I had kept track of how long it took me to do the longarm work because it was substantial. I am really happy with the finished product.
Close up of the centre medallion and some of the long arm work:
I like using pieced backings on my quilts. I think it makes for a more attractive back that gives you the option to flip it over so you have two quilts in one.
365 blocks completed
I did it! I managed to finish piecing all 365 blocks….just a year late. I have even finished sewing them altogether and have the top on the longarm working on the fun part. My original goal was to finish all the blocks by year end…now I have revised it to have it quilted and bound by year end. Fingers crossed!
Filed under 365 Challenge, Quilting
We are Grandparents!!!
We are so thrilled to announce the arrival of our first grand child. We travelled to their home town on July 5th, two days before the official due date. Unfortunately the baby decided that it didn’t want to make an appearance on the scheduled date. As each day went by we got more and more nervous that it wouldn’t be born before our scheduled departure date of July 15th. I guess the baby decided that it was worth meeting us after all. Cameron James was born at 4:45am on Thursday, July 14th. He was 7lbs 12 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Mom, Dad and Cameron are all doing well and adjusting to life as a family.
Here is a picture of Cameron before they even weighed/measured him.
And of course proud Grandma and Grandpa with Cameron:
36 hours old after his first home bath.
And a few pictures of the nursery with the quilt, pillow, window treatment and crib skirt that I made.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Quilting, Two legged family
Two Sided Window Treatment FAL#4
I apologize for the rash of recent posts. I couldn’t publish my finishes as they were completed because I wanted them to be a surprise for Erin and Paul. Unfortunately I have to have them all public before the July 7th close of the 2nd quarter of the 2016 finish-a-long. My final finish of the 2nd quarter (here is a link to my original list ) is a v-shaped window treatment for the nursery. I love how it turned out. It helps to tie everything together. One side has prairie points like the pillow and it incorporates all the colours from the quilt, bedskirt and pillow. The other side is a more simple verticle green aqua and white stripe.
Linking to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Lets Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Finish it Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
TGIFF @A Quarter Inch from the Edge
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Whomp There it is @A Quilted Passion
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting
Two Sided Baby Quilt FAL#3
I have my third finish of the 2nd quarter (here is a link to my original list ). It’s a quilt for our first grandchild. I was having trouble trying to decide on a design for the quilt so I decided to go with my two favourites and make it a two sided quilt. Are you noticing a theme here. All of the items that I made for our grand baby are two sided. I wanted to give the parents as many options as possible for their nursery. I was asked to make everything gender neutral using any combination of green aqua, navy, yellow and grey.
I saw this quilt idea on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect for a baby quilt. Neither too masculine or feminine. I changed the design a little bit. Instead of each row alternating the twist I made them all start and twist in unison. I like it better this way….softer and less distracting. I made 104 of these little blocks and then trimmed them all. Despite hating all the time it takes to trim the blocks, I do get some satisfaction from looking at the big pile of perfectly sized blocks and the colourful pile of cuttings.
I placed all the blocks on my design wall to help me decide what order to place the colours.
Then came the second quilt top for the back. I made 108 half square triangles using numerous prints and solids in each colour group. Once again I used my trusty design wall to lay out the HSTs and came up with this design. I then added white strips to make the top 5″ bigger on all four sides so I could mount it on my longarm.
I wasn’t able to do any intricate free motion quilting because it would look good on the one side but the design would not match up with the quilt layout on the other side. I went with an all over design called Arrowhead.
I used two layers of batting, Hobbes 80/20 and a high loft polyester. It really gives some life to the free motion quilting.
I really wanted to put a label on the quilt for our grand baby. Unfortunately, because it was two sided, there was nowhere to put it where it wouldn’t stand out and take away from the quilt. I found this great post online where a quilter showed how she stitched words into her bindings to replace the traditional label. It was perfect. I used off white thread so that it would just disappear into the binding but you could still find it if you were looking for it. It says “Made with love 2016 Grandma Debbie”
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Lets Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Finish it Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
TGIFF @A Quarter Inch from the Edge
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Whomp There it is @A Quilted Passion
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under Baby Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, FMQ, Quilting
FAL Quarter 2 Wish List
It’s time to list all the items that I plan to finish in the next 3 months. This is an easy one. We are going to be grandparents in a few months so this quarter is dedicated to baby stuff. We don’t know the sex of the baby and they want a gender neutral nursery. We’ve been given this colour swatch…..green aqua.
The nursery will be painted this colour, the furniture will be all white and they want navy, grey and yellow accents.
I am making a crib quilt, and adjustable crib skirt, a pillow and a surprise. I can’t share any pictures of the fabric I have chosen because I want it to be a surprise….hopefully a good one.
Filed under Baby Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting
Quilts of Valour Donation FAL #2
Back in the fall of 2014 I was very lucky and won a fat quarter bundle from Sew Sister’s Blogathon Canada. It was Northcott’s Stonehenge OH CANADA line. Last year I made this quilt and donated it to Quilts of Valour Canada.
I used the leftover fabric to make another quilt to donate in 2016. This also gives me my second FAL finish for the first quarter (here is a link to my original FAL post)
I used a poppy motif in the centre of the squares and in the border. I also did quite a bit of ruler work in the light border and between the squares. The front is so busy that it is hard to see the quilting. I like the design that it makes on the back.
I altered my label to add the Quilts of Valour logo.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Whomp There it Is @A Quilted Passion
Finish It Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
Free motion Mavericks @Lizzy Lenard Vintage Sewing
TGIFF @Celtic Thistle Stitches
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, FMQ, Quilting, Quilts of Valour, Scrap Quilt
Leftovers VI and FAL Finish #1
Since today is National Quilting Day I thought I would celebrate my first finish for this years finish-a-long (see my first quarter FAL wish list here). I actually finished all the free motion quilting in December but it took me a while to finally finish hand sewing on the binding. I can’t believe that I have made 6 different quilts from leftover fabric from a quilt I made when I first started quilting. Hopefully I’ve gotten a lot better at estimating fabric requirements since then. I had a lot of fun with the free motion quilting on this one.
To see more pictures and read about the making of this quilt click here. Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patch Work Times
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion By The River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Whomp There It is @A Quilted Passion
Finish It Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
TGIFF @Anja Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabricaholic
Free motion Mavericks @Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under FAL, Finish-A-Long, FMQ, Quilting
Meet Ava
This morning I received these wonderful pictures of the lovely Ava Nicole with her quilt. What a cutie pie! She is almost 6 weeks old now. We live very far away from our family so it is so nice to be able to see pictures of her, especially with her quilt. Hopefully we will be able to meet her in person some time soon.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Quilting
Ava’s Quilt
We are having a bit of a baby explosion in our extended family. On February 9th we welcomed Ava Nicole. I thought they were due in March so I had some time to spare. I was so sure that they were having a boy that I had started on a masculine quilt. When we got the call that Ava Nicole was born, I had to switch to baby girl mode. I just love this fabric from Bonnie and Camille called “Vintage Modern” and thought it was perfect. I’ve never played with a drunkards path block so that was my inspiration.
I had some fun free motion quilting it to enhance the shapes.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Needle and Thread Thursday @My Quilt Infatuation
Let’s Bee Social @Sew Fresh Quilts
WHOOMP There it is @A Quilted Passion
TGIFF @A Quarter Inch from the Edge
Finish It Up Friday @Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Free motion Mavericks @Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing
Show Off Saturday @Sew Can She
Filed under Baby Quilt, FMQ, Quilting
WIP
I’ve got all 12 blocks completed from QuiltEssentialCo’s 2015 BOM program. They just made their selection of coordinating fabrics available, so yesterday I went and got my yardage to complete my quilt. I’ve come up with an on-point design that should finish at about 102″ x 102″.
I’m still chugging along with the 365 Block Challenge. Life got in the way and I got behind by almost two weeks. I’ve spent the last 3 days working hard to catch up. Here are my week 9 blocks which includes the big 18″ centre medallian block. By the end of the month we should be able to start assembling the centre section of the quilt.
Linking up to:
Design Wall Monday @Patchwork Times
Fabric Tuesday @Quilt Story
Linky Tuesday @Freemotion by the River
WIP Wednesday @The Needle and Thread Network
Filed under 365 Challenge, Block of the Month, BOM, Quilting
2016 FAL Quarter 1
I’m jumping on board the 2016 Finish-a-Long again. I just love that it keeps me focused and motivated to complete my list each quarter. This year it is being hosted by several different bloggers from around the world.
My first quarter list has three goals. I want to finish Leftovers VI. It was on my list twice last year so hopefully this will be the last time.
I would like to finish my second Quilts of Valour charity quilt:
And finally, I have a baby quilt in progress. We are having a bit of a baby explosion in our family so I need to get this finished before the next one is born.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Charity Quilt, FAL, Finish-A-Long, Quilting, Quilts of Valour
365 Challenge
I’m participating in the #365quiltchallenge2016 this year. It is a block a day challenge that will result in a 90×90 ultimate sampler quilt. I’m making mine a pseudo scrappy version using blue and brown fabrics from my stash plus a few extras. So far I am up-to-date on my blocks. Let’s hope I can keep it up.
Filed under 365 Challenge, Quilt-A-Long, Quilting
Life In The Dog House 