Labour Day 2026 - Autumn is coming!

 The really hot days of the summer are diminishing and we are now hovering around 26ºC mid afternoon and all of the rain experienced by the west coast of BC and Washington State missed us completely.  So, we are dry!  The leaves on the trees are turning orange/yellow/brown really quickly because they are so dry.  

My life continues as usual with tennis 2 - 3 mornings a week along with the appointments that my husband needs to deal with his skin cancer eruptions including immunotherapy (which also means blood tests and oncologist appointments).  In my quilting life I took out all of my bins of kid's/children's fabrics and went crazy making happy blocks and then another week spent making quilt tops.  My heartstrings group chose 5" squares/charm packs for August and I found a container full of squares of a variety of sizes but lot of the charm size.  Lots of fabric cutting including some 10" squares since I have a stack of kid's prints in that size. 

This is what I am doing with the "happy" blocks - framed 5" squares. This is the first one made and ready to quilt.  But, why stop there?  Keep reading to find out how many I made. 

I also made blocks for a falling charms quilt. 

Lots of squares and frames ready to go. 

Of course, I have two Quilts of Valour that I am working on but, they got pushed to the side.   And in the picture below... what a mess with fabric everywhere.  

The final result of three weeks of making small quilts - I have one empty container and the rest are labeled and organized and back on the shelf. 
 I completed 5 preemie sized quilt tops from my framed blocks. 

There are six larger quilts for kids ready to be quilted.  That means a day of dealing with cutting batting and backings.  All of these quilts will have flannelette on the back of them.

In the meantime, I also am working on L blocks and some 10" squares cut up into this other block.  

A quilter in my modern guild asked for pictures of our sewing spaces.  It is hard to get a good picture of where I quilt but these are taken from where I am sitting at my computer desk.  There is a small kitchen unit which is perfect with a coffee maker, electric kettle and microwave.  The back wall is covered in the fabric used for making nightgowns - a knit fabric and it is stapled to the wall.  I like using a stapler because it makes really tiny holes.  I have two sewing machines - my Brother 1500 which I use for piecing and a Janome Continental M7 used for applique, stitching that isn't straight stitch, all the bindings I do for the Mill Lake Quilters at Leon's and doing the quilting on smaller quilts.  I took a second picture to give you a bit of a different angle.  I love the thread rack because when I do bindings, it is easy to match the thread to the binding and the backing.  There is a cutting table which is a bit difficult to see but it is against the wall.  I have a white board on the wall which I use to keep track of quilts I am currently working on, quilts that need quilting, and another list of "one day" projects that I would love to eventually make.  

This last picture is taken from another angle... it looks like a disaster zone because I am in the midst of working on the QOV that I mentioned last blog (4 patches) and now have the kid's quilts to get ready for quilting and of course, a couple more ideas of small quilts to make.  If I waited until this was clean and tidy to take a picture, you would have wait quite a long time. 

I am NEVER bored but, if I wish to take a time out from quilting, I have a sofa and television as well as a bookshelf with lots of unread books on it.  

I have not shown my fabric storage... maybe next blog I will have taken some pictures of my storage and organization for fabric that is patiently waiting to be cut and stitched.   

I need to prepare for two guild meetings this week and get these quilt tops ready for quilting.   

Time moves quickly and now have a 2027 calendar

The week is over, then it seems two weeks have passed and very quickly, it is the end of the month.  Already, I am getting medical appointments for 2027 so I had to stop at Staples for my calendar that I love using and I got the last one they had in stock.  Obviously, I am not the only one with dates to fill in for next year? Today is the 21st so ten day left this month and am making lists to figure out what to work on and what to finish and of course, what to start! Since the end of July I have finished a few tops and they are waiting to be quilted by a friend who likes to work on quilt tops made by our local Modern Guild members.  This is the second potato chip quilt top I have made and while I don't normally enjoy using black fabric, it really does make the scraps stand out and they seem much brighter.  This is waiting to be quilted. 

I am still working on the blocks from dear deceased friend, Rose and have lots made but ready for the next step of putting them together. This will be a quilt of Valour and is using charm squares with the red and white four patch blocks. 

The challenge from Villa Rosa/Running Doe for August was to make a quilt using the pattern Sheryl.  I dug out a stack of batik fabrics that were 10" squares and found a lighter neutral to use with them. 

I also decided to make on the panel quilts that will be for Quilts of Valour.  My local guild make blocks using Northcott Oh Canada line of fabric and for every 20 blocks we make, we are given a panel and supporting red and black fabrics to make a quilt.  

This is not quilt related but I was really happy to spend an afternoon with my niece and she and her significant other have purchased their first home.  She spied this bookcase and knew it would fit perfectly in her house.  This was originally in the basement of my husband's family home and I snagged it 45 years ago and it was originally used for my fabric storage... fat quarters fit in it nicely.  When we moved 16 years ago, it became the storage unit for all my CD's and VHS tapes.  Now, some of those are in the trash, some are being donated to the thrift shop and my next task is get the cd's from my car that are in cd wallets and put them back into their original cases and then, who knows?  My niece thinks that people are interested in the older ways of playing music because streaming can be expensive and you never really own the music or movies?  So, time will tell what I do with my music but it will be a fun trip down memory lane to go through them all.  

This was the first potato chip block quilt top that I made and it is waiting to be quilted.  A fun way to use up scraps and the name is because just like potato chips where you can't eat just one, making these blocks is the same... you can't stop after one. 

The panel I described above is now complete and ready for quilting.  This will be another quilt ready to wrap around an injured member of the Canadian Armed forces. 

There was a bit of deja vu moment when I found this quilt in the bag I picked up from the long arm quilters home that contained tops for binding.  I had made this quilt a year or so ago after winning the block lottery that we had at guild.  It was turned in to be quilted and I totally forgot about it.  It is now finished and ready for donation through our community quilts program. 

Another finished quilt that I have completed the binding on.  This was Sheryl Villa Rosa pattern from July.  The fabrics came from the community quilts group who put a variety of fabrics into bags and hand them out at guild meetings as a challenge.  I added in a few other fabrics plus the black to complete this and the binding is now done as well. 

The modern guild long arm quilter finished this top and I have put the binding on.  Another quilt to go a deserving person or family in our community.  Many of these quilts go to transition houses where mothers (and sometimes fathers) are safely tucked away with their children to escape an abusive relationship.  The larger quilts are good for these families as the children quite often want to cuddle with mum to feel safe.  The second of two log cabins that I made in July. 

This month's Villa Rosa challenge is a pattern called Sheryl and this was top before sending it off to be quilted.  A great use of batiks that I am not sure where they came from but am guessing I picked them up from a donation at guild that was from the death of a quilter. Her fabric will be a finished quilt ready to keep someone warm and give them a fabric hug. 

Another bag of fabric that came from "Leon's"... the home where our guild community quilts are stored, organized, quilted and donations of fabric, binding, backings and batting are accepted.  This bag is probably from a few years ago and I had the best of intentions.  

I added in a few fabrics of my own and came up with these blocks and they are now put together into a quilt top and waiting for quilting and binding. 

I am still working on these blocks... it looks so busy, I am changing them up a bit to see if I can calm it down.  

The finished panel #1 quilt - quilted, bound and labeled.  A true group effort with the guild making blocks, Quilts of Valour sending the panel and black fabrics, me stitching it all together, a long arm quilter donating her time to quilt (thank you Colleen) it and then it returned to me for binding and now ready for a presentation to an injured Canadian member of the Armed forces.  

Log cabin #2 made from scraps.  Many of these scraps come from the leftovers from all the binding that I do for community quilts - a group now known as the Mill Lake quilters.  My scrap bins are still full but I can get the lid on so that is a big step in reduction of my fabric stash?  

We have been having a lot of very warm days and smoke filled air so being inside and spending my afternoons stitching and looking at Pinterest (too many ideas, not enough time) along with the usual appointments for my husband makes the days go by too quickly!  Possible rain is coming and am hoping to do some baking with our abundance of zucchinis!  At least the temperatures will drop even if we stay dry but at the moment, it seems a bit crazy to turn on the oven which heats up the kitchen and keep the a/c running to cool it down?  

A very late start to school and Labour day weekend so still lots of time left in August to complete a few more tops and start some new projects! 

 

Last week of the month so time to quilt... or maybe not?

 Normally, in my schedule of things to do, the last week of the month is time to quilt the tops I made in the previous 3 weeks.  A slight modification this month because I did do a bit of quilting last week and I have got 3 of my quilt tops ready, with backing and batting, to be quilted on a long arm.  There are two of these scrappy log cabins with two different layouts plus my Running Doe July sew along using Double Delight as the pattern.  For this quilt, I dug out one of the plastic bags of fabric tossed in my direction at one of our modern guild meetings.  I added in a few more fabrics and this is the result.  The main fabric was a butterfly print with all of these colours.  

All bundled up and ready to drop off for quilting through a modern guild member who offers her time to quilt any tops destined for our community program. 

This is one of the projects that got completed with my last in, first out rule.  It is from a surprise box from Quilt the North and is a Vancouver pattern designer with this representing ocean, forests, water and mountains, all part of our landscape. Pacific Waves by Berry Hill designs.  
 

Another project finished is Bright Side Up.  This was also a wall hanging in a Quilt the North surprise box. I did the free motion free hand on my domestic and it was a challenge since I normally do my free motion on larger quilts on the frame.  

I did the binding on some placemats for a friend and realized that we could probably use some new summer ones on our table so pulled out some fabrics and got these two made using quilt as you go method. 

I have red potato chip blocks done as well as my yellow and blue.  I have enough blocks now for a quilt top so those will get laid out once I get some wall space.  

Making this potato chip blocks is addictive (I was warned) and a few weeks ago, did the binding on a quilt that I liked so much, I decided to make one.  I have all the leftover strips 2.5" x 4.5" from making these sets of coloured blocks so I charged ahead even it wasn't on my list of projects waiting. 

My strips are organized in piles of each colour and have since cut more green pieces.  I am not sure how large I will make it but will keep stitching unless some of these piles are really small or maybe even used up. 

I have been sewing along with Running Doe of Villa Rosa  for over a year and am accumulating more of the patterns with the difference being that normally the pattern is 4 x 6, like a postcard size but when she sends them out to us, they print off on regular printer paper.  I gathered them and took the time to get my patterns sorted alphabetically and cross them off on the master list from Villa Rosa.  

 

A special quilting friend died a few years ago and her husband finally decided to let another good friend pick up all the quilting fabrics that were left in her studio.  In her fabrics there were some blocks for Quilts of Valour started and I decided that I could make more, along with some help from my Wednesday Diva group, and complete a quilt top that she had intentions of making.  The block is simple with two four patches combined with two Canadian themed fabrics.  I am putting them on the wall so I can keep track of how many I have.  

I do have a quilt from a friend to load on the frame and get completed so that should be next on the list of projects.  Three days left in the month.  Our weather cooled off after living with a/c for a few weeks and the rain was welcome but it sure makes getting dressed a challenge... is it a tank top and shorts day?  Maybe t-shirt and capris?  Or, like today, changing at noon from tennis clothing to long pants and long sleeved shirt!  Meals have gone from menus that keep the kitchen cool to wanting something that requires the oven to give the kitchen a bit of warmth?  

Keep on quilting!  That is my daily motto!  No matter how fast I sew, the project pile doesn't seem to diminish.  

Last in is now first project out

 Normally we use the phrase First in/first out but I have decided to work on some of my projects waiting and am going with the last project acquired that entered my home is going to the next project to work on and finish.

So far, am loving this.  My last post showed a number of projects finished and a few were acquired fairly recently.  

Since my last post, I am a year older and feeling a bit like I need to hurry up and finish projects, complete ideas, and use up fabric since this is my eightieth year... lol... my dad always went by the year he was in, not by his actual number of birthdays.

Green potato chips blocks are now complete so that makes blues, purples and these ones done.  Six blocks per colour means 7 colours needed to get a quilt that is 60 x 70.  So, four colour families left to work on.   

Log cabin blocks are done but my math was totally wonky... I need 42 per quilt and now have enough blocks for almost 2 quilts?  I have no idea how I got an idea into my head that I needed to make as many as I did but am happy to only need 10 more to have a second top made.  This is a slow but steady use of leftover scrappy strips of fabric. 

I don't make these kind of scrappy projects often because it creates chaos and total disaster zone around my sewing machine. 

Canada Day was coming soon so the decor had to have a bit of red and white plus maple leaves and Canadian flags.  Kept it simple because it was only me that was seeing the decor... well my husband but not so sure he notices things like this. 

I am including this picture because it makes my heart so happy and great motivation.  This is a set of twins born who were living in our NICU and covered with their quilts ... both of which I made.  They only show the one quilt but that  is enough to motivate me to make more! 

Since I am showing baby pictures... this is my great granddaughter... so happy and now over 6 months old!  

This quilt is finished and was made from blocks I won in our guild January block lotto.  I kept it simple and it was quilted by the Mill Lake quilters and came back to me for binding.  

Another quilt that I did the binding on but took this picture because I loved the larger blocks and the simplicity.  This was made with Aunt Gracie fabrics and I am keen to make a few of these using this block.  I think I can figure it out... a bit of math and half square triangles with corner triangles and it will be simple and show off the chosen fabrics.  

Double Delight is the next quilt for the Running Doe sew along for July.  I have been slow to decide what/which fabrics to use so grabbed a bag of fabric I picked up at a guild meeting.  The Mill Lake quilters put together fabrics that they think might work well in a quilt and hand the bags out.  I don't like to admit that I have had a few bags hanging around under my table for too long.  I pulled out the fabrics from the bag and then added in a few of my own.  
 

I see idea on Pinterest and realized that if I didn't make something that I saw and liked right away, I would never remember.  This block is made from two 8" squares of fabric... some stitching, some slicing and rearranging and then more stitching to put it all back together.  Super simple!

More potato chip blocks made using aqua and teals plus a UFO from Quilt the North that came in one of their monthly boxes.  I have the top made, now I need to spend some time quilting it.  The pattern shows some great ideas, quilting a different pattern in each of the colours/blocks.   That will be time consuming but a good challenge for me to quilt "outside of my comfort zone".  

The first set of log cabin blocks is up on the design wall waiting to be stitched together.  It is always good to take a picture and see if a block is placed incorrectly and yes, one block is wrong in the bottom left corner.  Much easier to fix it before I stitch it.  

I worked on Sisterhood by Villa Rosa patterns and it is now quilted by Mill Lake Quilters and is bound and ready for donation.  This is such a simple pattern and love that I used up a package of Tonga batiks of unknown age. 

One more UFO that came in a mystery box from Cherry Tree Quilts in Kelowna, BC and it is now completed with quilting by Mill Lake Quilters and binding by me.  This pattern is a 3 yard quilt and so simple.  

One more quilt finished using Bonnie Hunter's leader/ender pattern.  I love this block because it uses leftover 2.5" strips of both neutral and colour and you need 19" of each.  It is mindless stitching and if you are a quilter and don't know what a leader/ender is, it means I never cut my threads... when I have finished stitching a block, I feed the first step of the leader in and stitch it.  I cut the thread between it and what I stitched previously and when I go back to my machine, I just start stitching on what I am working on.  It saves thread and you don't have to go back and trim off thread tails.  

I am adding a picture of the sunset a few nights ago.. the sky was a glorious pink colour bouncing off the clouds.  

One more set of potato chip blocks, in browns.  Am slowly getting there, working towards my goal of seven different colours.  

So that leaves me with my Running Doe sew-along to cut and piece plus a quilt I brought home today from a friend at my Wednesday quilt diva group that is for a survivor of residential schools and I need to choose my next colour and cut for potato chip blocks.  I only have one quilt to bind for the Mill Lake quilters so that will be a quick finish.  

Weather is warming up here in the Pacific Northwest... hot weather means a/c running, doors and windows closed and I am stuck here at my sewing machine (oh darn!!).  Stay cool where ever you are or warm if it is winter for you.  I have lots of clothes to choose from for this weather after having all my summer clothes come home to me after selling our house in Arizona.  Lots of shorts, capris, and t-shirts as well as skirts for tennis.