Hot weather in the PNW - thank goodness for small mercies such as an air conditioner and lots of fans.

 We are having a record breaking heat wave here on the Pacific coast and it is very uncomfortable.  Our houses are not built for temperatures over 40ºC and the majority of homes do not have central a/c and may or may not have a portable a/c.  I can remember hot days in August but never in June.  As a teacher, the month of June brings memories of sports days cancelled because of rain and we used to think that summer really started at the end of the second week of July.  As of now, the elementary schools here are now closed for this week and the kids get to start their summer vacation a day or two earlier.  Our schools are not air conditioned other than, perhaps a computer wing in newer schools. 

Global warming is arriving with a blast that is making it hard to ignore the warnings. 

For any of you who follow me by email, that is coming to an end.  I have set up Follow-it as have many other bloggers who use blogspot.  You will have sign up and I have added the option to the right of the blog if you wish to continue using email to view what I have written after the end of June.  I have tried it and it works!  And simple to use.  It looks like you have to sign up for the "newspaper" choice and I also think that once you do, you will get any other blogs you follow that are using Follow It, in one email containing new posts.  

I made some pillowcases for a quilting friend who is very involved in setting up a virtual 'burn camp' for the kids this summer.  Last year it was cancelled because of Covid and this year they are trying something new so that all these kids that have been injured in a fire, can have some fun and know that they aren't alone with their scars. 

First quilt on my list for the next few days is quilted and waiting for binding. 

Pink quilt #1 is layered and waiting to be finished. This quilt is made from some of my leftover blocks.

Plus, pink quilt number 2 is layered and so is the Sunbonnet Sue quilt.  I didn't make either of these but am finishing them for our We Care coordinator.

QOVC applique blocks waiting to be stitched down.  These are the new fabrics and designs available at http:quiltsofvalour.ca

I found a UFO block.  This is from our 150th celebration and the raw edges need to be stitched down on the applique.  Time to set my machine up for doing this stitching.

I have started a second brick quilt from the 3 x 1 yard quilt book and this is one of the fabrics I am using.

The Illusions (modified) is ready to quilt.

Town square is ready to get on the B-line and quilt

A close up of the fabrics in this quilt.

Another 3 x 1yard quilt patterns: Its a Snap is now a finished flimsy.

And a close up of the fabrics in this quilt.

The Brick quilt #1 is ready for quilting.

And, another close up of the fabrics I used.

I also made more 'hug' blocks for Quilts of Valour.  The contest for submitting the blocks (made only from Northcott, Oh Canada fabrics) is ending July 1st.  That of course, means I left it to the last minute to make some additional blocks to mail in.  They were mailed yesterday and in Canada no mail on weekends so hoping that the mail makes it to the destination by Wednesday since July 1st is a stat holiday and so no mail delivery.  But, in any case, they are done and will be included in sets of 30 blocks made by quilters across Canada and the finished quilts contain signatures of the makers.  These hug block quilts are truly from made from Canadian quilters.

I did spent four days last week cleaning glass - patio glass and all the windows inside and out, in our house.  What a long job but it looks so good! 

Fresh new potatoes from our garden.  Yum!

We also had new blinds installed and I should have taken better 'before' and 'after' pictures.  All our windows in this house have (had) faux wooden slat blinds.  We have 23 windows up and down stairs and 22 of them had the blinds.  Many issues were happening with strings breaking, not able to change the slant on them and they were so heavy on the larger windows.  We changed out the six across the back of the house that get the full sun from early until sun down with a double cellular pull down blind.  The beauty of them is that when they are in the 'up' position, the blind takes up about an inch... the faux wood blinds took up about 8" when they were pulled up (which took two of us to that job).  These should insulate against the heat better and are much more easily raised and lowered by our senior, arthritic hands! 

My list for June didn't get completely finished but I made a good effort and added in a few extra of the 3 - 1 yard quilts.  I still have four days to attack my quilting of the tops I  made and if this heat keeps up, hiding in my underground bunker where my B-line is, sounds like a good plan!  

June 15th and I am progressing nicely through my list.

 I looked at my list from the last blog and seems like I might have added a few things.  Oh well. 

1. Rainbow scrap challenge: purple - 3 sets of blocks

2. PBJ: pumpkin - 2 blocks (only one is required but I realized that if I only do one, there will 12 by the end of the year and that isn't enough for a quilt so I need to double up on this project)

3.  Quilt and bind the framed 9 patch top for QOV

4. Quilt and bind the happy blocks for QOV

5. Add labels to quilt donations

6. Bind the framed 16 patch for QOV

7.  Put the Carolyn's blocks together for Heartstrings June challenge

8. Cut hearts and stitch onto backgrounds for the wonky hearts block (Mary's challenge)

9.  Cut out some fabric for the 3 yard quilts and make some kits. Lots of kits cut!

10. Do something with my t-shirts that have been sitting under the table for over a year. 

11.  Quilt and bind  the pink We care

12 Quilt and bind a We care given to me by the coordinator to finish

13> Quilt and bind another pink we care quilt from the guild.  

The framed sixteen patch is finished - quilted, bound and labeled. 

A close up of some of the fabrics I used in this quilt.

My happy blocks are done and the quilt is finished.

And a close up of some of the fabrics I used in this quilt.

The framed nine patch is complete with quilting, binding and label. 

My purple Rainbow scrap challenge blocks are completed.  I making 2 blocks using a sixteen patch, and a variety of strip pieced, friendship stars and rail fences.  All from my scrap buckets. 

The Patterns by Jen blocks are done and I reversed the light and darks.  The theme was pumpkins.  There is an oopsie in one of these blocks - which is right and which is wrong?

The heartstrings fat quarter challenge for June is a top, ready for quilting.  I added these greens to the blues for a bit of interest and they seem to dominate but I like the combination.

The first of my 3x 1 yd. quilts.  I wasn't too pleased with the effect of these fabrics in the Illusions pattern.  After reading the intro to these quilts, I realize that the pattern writer suggests one focal, one light and one dark fabric.  I didn't do that!  So, I added another frame around each of these three blocks and I think it looks a little better.  It made my 7" blocks into 12" blocks so, of course, the idea of using 3 one yard pieces of fabric got messed up with leftovers of these fabrics.  Oh well.  I also added in a panel.  I have a lot of panels leftover from our 150th anniversary and many were given to me so they are easy to incorporate into my Quilts of Valour quilts.

This one is the brick quilt and again, I didn't plan the focal with a light and a dark but this happens to look fine in the finished quilt.

I have a variety of piles of fabrics that will now get switched up to include the variety that I need to make these patterns work out and look good.

The second vaccine is done! 

My peonies are absolutely stunning.  We planted this three years ago and the first year, we had maybe one bloom.  Last year there were 3 flowers and not very impressive.  This year, I am so happy!  What a beautiful colour and I love the show it is putting on for me in our front garden. 

So, back to stitching on these 3 one yard quilts.  Am working on It's a Snap at the moment.  Watch for pictures of progress.  I am hoping that using up yardage will get my stash somewhat reduced! 

Failing at blogging.

 I feel like I am failing at blogging.  I think about posting all the time but want to do "just one more finish".  Well. the finishes were far and few between although I did gets lots of blocks made and finally, 4 quilts ready for quilting. However, I did have some finishes for UFO's from last fall.  The moose wall hanging was a row x row that I purchased in the fall of 2019 at a quilt show and started it Sept 2020.  It sat waiting for me to stitch around the moon, moose and tree for 8 months.  That got done and it got quilted and bound and is ready for me to find a place to hang it. 

The next two quilts were from a "pick up and drop off" with the modern guild last fall... I think August or September?  In the bag I grabbed from the community quilts table was this funky fabric that is in the center of the blocks.  There was enough for me to make two quilts for kids.  And then, there they sat, waiting, not so patiently. 

What I really needed was some bright flannel for the back and I forgot to take a picture but I found some bright green which worked perfectly and then I found some binding to match.  So these two are done! And then I waited to get some labels but now have them and so these are totally ready for me to return to the guild.

This third one had these prints in the bag along with the bright yellow/orange.  I found a pattern I wanted to try but after stitching it, wasn't very pleased with the result.  The prints were too close in colours, even though one is a large print and the other smaller.  I added the green border to tone it down a little and to add to the size and, on the back, a bright orange flannel.  Labeled and done!

The previous projects were completed in May... now onto June.  I FINALLY finished this disappearing pinwheel quilt made from 10" squares and a Missouri star pattern.  It was started in 2014 and I made a few blocks and had the squares all cut.  It was a pain to make because everything ends up on the bias but with lots of spray starch and going slowly, it turned out okay though a few points may be lost here and there.  I added in a Canadian flag block and it is now a Quilt of Valour. 

This is a current project on the design wall.  My Heartstrings group chose fat quarters as their choice for June challenge.  I had stack of blue fat quarters but decided that there wasn't a lot of difference in the prints and value of the colours for it to work with my Carolyn block so pulled out some greens to add a little more interest and variety.  I am still playing with the layout. 

I pulled two finished quilts from my cupboard and will add labels and then put them in the bag for the guild's community quilt donations. 

This framed sixteen patch quilt has been quilted and is now waiting for binding and a label for Quilts of Valour.

A silly little leftover project.  I put together some extra pink blocks and added a pink border and it will make a very girlie little quilt for the We Care program at guild.

I have a quilt loaded on the B-line.  More happy blocks for Quilts of Valour along with another flag panel.  These flag panels seem to reproduce overnight and they don't seem to be going away any time soon.

The last quilt that I need to get finished has the backing and batting cut and ready, waiting for the next turn on the B-line. 

Next up will be working on my monthly blocks for both Patterns by Jen - theme pumpkins for her block and purple for the Rainbow Scrap challenge.  I have my containers pulled out from the bookcase and ready to tackle!

This is a project for an installation being done in North Vancouver at the Lonsdale Library where a horrible shooting incident occurred a few months ago.  There is an option to make 8' long banners that they will hang or to make small squares that will go in this cross stitch project.  White squares that are 3" have a cross cut out of felt and a simple running stitch in embroidery thread to hold them down.  I put a package in the mail that our Wednesday Diva's made.  

This is what the final project will look like.

 

These quilt blocks got framed and put together and a wonderful long arm quilter from Chilliwack offered her services to quilt it and she picked it up this morning.  She is just finishing her APQS certification and really wants to 'give back'.  I am happy she contacted me and happened to have a perfect quilt for her to quilt.  She asked for the binding so she could totally finish it.  Apparently, she loves binding! 

My front garden is looking quite stunning with beautiful poppies and peonies ready to burst.  We had some hot weather which really helped, for 3 days, and now we are back to very cool, cloudy weather so they are stalling their openings. 

My list for June isn't too long.  I actually finished up the list from May which felt good. 

1. Rainbow scrap challenge: purple - 3 sets of blocks

2. PBJ: pumpkin - 2 blocks (only one is required but I realized that if I only do one, there will 12 by the end of the year and that isn't enough for a quilt so I need to double up on this project)

3.  Quilt and bind the framed 9 patch top for QOV

4. Quilt and bind the happy blocks for QOV

5. Add labels to quilt donations

6. Bind the framed 16 patch for QOV

7.  Put the Carolyn's blocks together for Heartstrings June challenge

8. Cut hearts and stitch onto backgrounds for the wonky hearts block (Mary's challenge)

9.  Cut out some fabric for the 3 yard quilts and make some kits. 

10. Do something with my t-shirts that have been sitting under the table for over a year. 

11.  Quilt and bind  the pink We care

12 Quilt and bind a We care given to me by the coordinator to finish

Nothing on here is very challenging other than the t-shirts so I expect to work through this in the next week or two.  However, you know that some idea or project will enter my brain and I will stop what I am doing to work on it.  Pinterest is rabbit hole that I head down regularly.  

Enjoy your June.  We are both booked for our second Covid vaccinations and I also have a mammogram appointment.  Tennis is a regular activity as long as the courts are dry.  Life beyond Covid is going to happen although, at the moment, feeling sad for my brother who has been fighting brain cancer for 6 years and now has a second tumor that has appeared on the latest scan.  Sadly, he can't be understood when he talks which must be frustrating for him and he is now in palliative care, heading for hospice when a bed is available.  I was able to chat with him yesterday as my sister visited and used her phone on Messenger so we could see each other even though it was a one sided conversation.  But, life carries on and other than prayers for him to stay comfortable and experience no pain, we need to deal with avoiding Covid and stay healthy ourselves.