An old UFO bites the dust

This is a Christmas quilt made from some really old blocks.. so old that I don't remember what swap they are from but if my name hadn't come up as "Queen" in my UFO group, I would have never taken the time to put them togehter.  One block is made incorrectly, two blocks just don't 'go' with the rest but they were made, sitting there although they were various measurements... very few were an accurate 12½".  I found fabrics in my limited stash here in Arizona and decided to border them with red and green, trimming them to a consistent size, and then alternate the colours.  I added in a narrow and a wider border and got it layered, quilted and bound and it makes a perfect sofa quilt.  If anyone remembers this block swap, let me know!  It was from at least 15 years ago.  And maybe much longer than that! 

Mid December

Once again, story of my life, quilting is taking a back seat to playing tennis and being social at our winter home in Arizona.
Here we are waiting for the annual Christmas parade.  Of course, good friend Darlene, provided yummy appetizers and there was plenty of wine and beer.  We had planned on hot chocolate and peppermint schnaps but it was much too warm.  Didn't need a jacket!

The mug rug swap for December found this lovely one from Sue in Colorado in my mailbox.

And, this is the one I made to send to Laura in CA.

Then, the inevitable happened.  My name came up at the top of the list in my UFO group.  UGH.  I had my previous quilt blocks on my design wall and stared at them for almost a month and nothing jumped out at me to try for a setting.  So, I took them down and pulled out some Christmas blocks that are so old I haven't a clue which swap or with which group they are from.  Will guess Quilter's Funtalk?  But maybe or maybe not.  No names on any of them.  But, when I put them on the wall and checked measurements, some were not 12½" inches and I knew I had to do something so I could square them up.  I added a red border around some and a green border around the rest.  All the fabrics I used were from my stash that I have here... most of my Christmas fabrics are fat quarters and that wasn't going to work but found enough of two fabrics that worked well together and looked ok with the blocks.  I found more fabrics to use as an inner and outer border and this is ready for me to layer, quilt and bind and be ready to abdicate the throne to the Lady in Waiting!!
I need to do some Christmas baking and this cooler weather we are having is good motivation to both bake and quilt.

This will make a nice quilt to have on the sofa to cover us should an evening be a little chilly.  Not too big but big enough!

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here even though it is very warm.  Was over 80ºF today and seemed strange to be decorating for the season in the heat. But, thanks to my good friend Darlene, the tree is up and decorated. 

I am in a monthly mug rug swap and this is the beautiful one I got from Terri.  

 I made a mug rug for a swap here in our village.  We will be exchanging on Monday. 

My design wall has some blocks on it from a class I taught for advanced piecing and it was at least 15 years ago.  I taught at the Otter Co-op and am sure I taught this class while I was still teaching so that is quite a while ago.  I need to figure out a setting for the blocks and get it finished as it has been a UFO far too long. 

One of my Hallowe'en projects is finished.  Am 11 months early for next year.  This will be a table topper and I messed up badly while piecing it but if I don't tell you what I did wrong, maybe you won't notice? 

One more simple project

I forgot to post the picture of the mug rugs I made.  Two were made for a friend for a pay it forward and I also sent one the same to someone in a mug rug exchange. 

A month is a long time.

Lots has happened since my last post.  We cleaned up our 'northern' home and got it ready for winter and then set the heat at 55ºF and locked the doors, set the alarm and left for our sunnier, warmer 'other' house.  It is always a whirlwind when we arrive.  Everything needs dusting and cleaning, wood needs to be oiled because the air is so dry, corners vacuumed, baseboards washed and don't even talk to me about windows.  Then we are busy with connecting with our 'old' friends, back on the tennis court, returning to our other activities like quilting, softball and pickle ball.  I have finally sorted out my projects that I left behind, added the fabrics and patterns I brought with me and am increasing my 'fabric stash' with all the pre Thanksgiving sales.  Prices are too good to resist and all have free shipping.  What is a quilter to do?

I have managed to mess up two different projects but am going ahead with them anyway and have two simple projects finished.

 

A pumpkin hanging for my 12" stand and a hallowe'en fabric tote.  Both kits from Connecting Threads that were on clearance after Hallowe'en.  Am working on being 11 months ahead rather than a month behind.  Getting read for October 2015! 

This is one of the projects I messed up.  I am not sure if it was me being lazy when reading the directions or the instructions weren't clearly written or illustrated but am going to put it together anyway.  There should only have been three colours in each block and they should look like eyeballs.  This will be a table topper so not too concerned about my mistake and for sure, am not picking it all out and redoing! 

 We have been busy planting and decided that instead of our front garden being full of petunias and colour, we would go with something more permanent like lantana.  The petunias die in the heat of the summer and have to be replaced every fall but, hopefully, the lantana will grow and spread and be colourful all year round.  It does well in the heat here so we never have to plant in this garden again! 

We purchased a birdbath today and I also bought some flowers and got my pots planted for some back yard colour to go with the citrus trees.  The oranges are slowly ripening.

Fall is here.

This is the last quilt top I will have worked on before we leave for a sunnier climate.  

QOV blocks handed in to me today Abbotsford guild made from the mug hugs that I have had available.  They will get put into the mail to Edmonton to be included in quilts for injured soldiers that are made from blocks from quilters across Canada.

Definitely Fall - fog in the valley below us with tree tops sticking out. 

A mug rug made for a friend.  Turn your head sideways!  

Ending the month with sunshine and some new projects

These are some of the blocks that have been handed in to me from the hugs in a mug for Quilts of Valour.  Gives me ideas for what fabric choices to use for the next sets that I make.  Thanks to all of your who are contributing and donating to Quilts of Valour.

This was yesterday's project.  I saw a method online using charm packs for 9 patches and then slicing diagonally and adding in a strip of fabric so played with a charm pack that I had on hand.  Now, I need more of those charm packs and found two at my local quilt shop!

On Wednesday, Marge showed us a Turning Twenty quilt and said she made it in a couple of days so grabbed 20 fat quarters and started cutting yesterday afternoon and laid out my blocks.  Ready to stitch the rows together.

But,, first I have some bindings to make and a two quilts that need quilting for my good friend Annie B who has had a second stroke.  And, I got motivated to cut out the fabric for a kit I had purchased for half price with football fabrics!

Time to get my machine purrrrring!

This is my Warp and Weft challenge from the spring for FVMQG.  A little late but at least it is finished.  We had 6 fat quarters and I added in another six fat quarters so that it would be a good size for donation.  Fun, bright quilt on a rainy day.

Ending September

First day of fall and my house is decorated, though minimally.  I am on countdown to changing houses so am trying to finish up a few projects.

I did finish my geraniums wallhanging, finally.  I started it in summer 2013 and somehow just didn't get around to quilting and binding it until this week.

Our modern guild gave quilts to two of our founders on the guild's 4th anniversary.  There was a work party to put together stars that we all contributed but I had to miss that due to having company in August so offered to do the binding on one of the quilts.  Fun, funky stars.  

I also finally completed my modern metallic challenge.  I missed the deadline by a few months so went ahead and made it larger than the guidelines.  Finished!! 

We have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year and they are under the upstairs patio so, should be protected from weather (current rain/drizzle) that we are having though maybe the ripening will slow down a bit! 

My last 5 pictures were taken at the Countryside quilters show in Langley this past Saturday.  They had the quilts arranged on pews and it looked spectacular although a bit difficult to photograph favourites.  I took pictures of quilts that I thought were great scrappy ideas.  

Working away but not getting very far

I have been trying to get organized and make up some mugs with fabric and instructions for a block that will be used in Hugs Across the Nation for Quilts of Valour.
For more information, check out www.quiltsofvalour.ca and you can see what quilters are making across Canada.  Each mug will cost you $5 and you make the block, give it back to me or mail to QOV in Edmonton for inclusion in quilts for wounded soldiers.
A great idea and was really successful at Quilts Canada so some of us reps decided to give our local quilters the opportunity to participate in the program.

I completed a sample for Hamel's quilting, Coastal Bliss.  A beautiful quilt but not for beginner quilters!  The kit is available at the store and this is the sample you will see hanging to go with it.  The fabrics are beautiful and are very "west coast and/or aboriginal".

I have made a door prize for modern guild meeting on Thursday.  Looks crooked but when I measure, it isn't?  Must be my camera angle? 

 Can't believe it is getting towards the end of August and I haven't posted any pictures to my blog!  Where have I been and what have I been doing?
Had company for 8 days and also had grandsons here for a few days. They requested green waffles so that is what they got - and, they ate them!

We made a trip to the Hood River area, border of WA and OR states and my good friend Dee took me to a lovely quilt shop called ETC.  I found some border fabric for my metallic challenge from the FVModern Guild.  Now the challenge was due last April and it isn't supposed to be this large, BUT, it will get finished.

This is another challenge from the FVMG that is more current and not due until September (I think?) and it will be done on time.   We had six fat quarters to work with and I added in more to create this simple quilt.

I will be putting together some Hug Mugs for Quilts of Valour.  Buy a mug for $5 and you will get the instructions and fabric to make a block plus the mug.  The block is then sent back to QOV for inclusion in quilts that will be made, using blocks from across Canada.  The blocks must be made from Northcott's Oh Canada line of fabric and the quilts are called "Hugs Across the Nation".  Quilts are given to injured soldiers or wounded warriors.  The fabrics in this line are really quite fabulous and are definitely Canadian.  Northcott has been printing the Oh Canada fabrics for three years and each year they continue to co-ordinate with each other.

This is a red and white wall hanging/table topper that I made as a sample for a kit for Hamel's Fabrics in Chilliwack.  Really simple pattern that goes together fairly quickly and would be stunning to show your Canadian spirit.  Would also look fabulous in fall colours.

I forgot to take a picture of the original rag quilt I made for Hamel's last month.  It is a child's size quilt out of the same fabrics.  This is a small rag quilt for a cat/dog/doll made from the leftovers of the original quilt.   

This quilt is called Coastal Bliss and was originally the shop hop blocks from the Vancouver Island shop hop.  Hamel's will have the entire top in a kit form including all the blocks and the finishing fabrics and directions.  Warning that this quilt will not be easy to put together for beginner quilters but if you can follow directions, you will be able to put it together.  It does require some partial seams and making a freezer paper template but the instructions are very detailed and specific.  The designer is Canadian and this is truly a West Coast quilt.  The fabrics are batiks and are very aboriginal and coastal in their designs.

So, not any real finishes so far in August but have accomplished a few things in my limited sewing time!

end of July - how did I do this month?

I finished a silk scarf a few weeks ago and forgot to take a picture.  This was purchased as a kit at the sewing show at Tradex in March. 
Was different to sew on silk!

I made this quilt from some fabrics that were different for me to work with. I am not usually a black person but loved the black and cream.

A tonga batik kit is finished.  I wanted to make this to see how easy it is and it is so simple, I have cut myself a bunch of strips from my batik stash to make another couple of these.  Will be good quilts for Quilts of Valour.

A really funky pattern that I made, wandering into "modern" mode.

Thus ends July and I am down to two projects that need quilting.  One is a wallhanging from last year and another is a donation quilt that my friend Annie made blocks for and I finished it up.  But, they go on the list for August!