Our weather is still crazy but am not complaining when I see the weather on the East Coast and around the world... however, we are in drought conditions and wouldn't mind if some rain diverted in this direction. Our gardens still need daily watering but we are also getting loads of tomatoes, cucumbers and tomatoes plus an abundance of flowers.
This has been a busy 'good' month for me. I started off determined to finish some quilt tops and feel like I have accomplished a beginning to end on some of my projects. I posted a finish in my last blog that was the first one... Landslide. Then came Bricks made from all my leftover pieces of Quilt of Valour fabrics (Canadian themes). I used a gray for the sashing which seemed a bit dull, but in the end, I like the look of it.
I am calling this Hodge-Podge only because I pulled out leftovers from a variety of quilts made for QOV and added in leftover Rainbow scrap challenge stars and rail fence blocks. A true scrappy quilt.
Finishing this "Catch a Nap" autumn themed quilt. I had ordered a mystery box from Dragonfly quilting, one of the quilt shops in Surrey, BC. When my box arrived, it had a lot of kits in it and have a Villa Rosa patterns as well as the fabric for front and binding. As I looked at all the kits, I decided that they will not become UFO's but will be finished in a timely manner. So, this one is done!
The awesome long arm quilter that volunteers to quilt for Quilts of Valour, had a few finished quilts for me this week. This quilt was made last summer and it was a block by Preeti and I made a very scrappy quilt from leftover bits and pieces of batiks. I will make another scrappy one of these again.
This is a 3 yard quilt, Roman Holiday and I am ignoring the poor job I did of placing the blocks correctly. I made it last fall and have no idea why the blocks are mixed up but, it is finished and hopefully wraps someone in a quilted hug through QOV.
One more quilted by Dianne Mitchell of Chilliwack as a donation to QOV. This is a 3 yard quilt called Urban Chic. I will make this one again... it looks effective even though there are only three fabrics.
A leftover 16 Patch quilt. I had some blocks leftover from quilts made a few years ago for some friends... and the leftover masculine blocks got put into this. I know, hockey and tools aren't just for men, but it felt like they would work in a quilt for a QOV recipient and I added in some tea/coffee mugs as well as a some baseballs and some sweet treats. A mixed variety and again, will be a quilted hug for an injured Canadian Armed forces veteran or someone still serving our country.
I switched gears after quilting and binding the larger quilts and got out a table runner from a kit I purchased from a quilt show in May. I was a bit frustrated making this Abandoned Pumpkins project. There wasn't enough orange fabric to make the 4 pumpkins pictured in the pattern and I had to dig out some that 'might' work with the eclectic Tim Holtz fabric in the kit. It ended up ok and will look on my dining room table but still, a bit disappointing to start cutting and realize that you are short two strips on each pumpkin?
"The Big Easy" tablerunner was another kit included in my Dragonfly mystery box and again, just get it made and ready to use or gift. Super simple, quick and easy and now two of the projects are completed!
I finished this Quilt of Valour using Parade quilt blocks and it began with some blocks leftover from the first one I made earlier this year. Another QOV that uses up some leftover strips and chunks of fabric.
On the Second Saturday of the month, our modern guild has a sew in and we share laughter, inspiration, stories (maybe a bit of gossip?) and many techniques and pattern ideas get shared.
The September step for the Meadowland mystery got completed which was a lot of half square triangles.
This is the center block for the mystery so between the two pictures, you can see the fabrics that I chose.
My September goals for the next two weeks (exactly 14 days left in the month) are:
1. Rainbow scrap challenge plus blocks
2. Rainbow scrap challenge scrappy strip blocks
3. Load on the frame and quilt then bind Simplicity II
4. Quilt and bind Tonga Batik Kimberley
5. Maybe quilt and bind Janet's QOV
6. Cut a few 3 yard quilts to have on hand
It felt good this week to attend our traditional quilt guild meeting and hand over the 17 preemie quilts I had made this summer. Less in my closet that houses finished quilts.
