Last week of October

 I had to move my quilting week up by 7 days which really threw me off my new routine.  However, there is a need for Quilts of Valour in Comox, BC and I offered to help the rep by gathering, finishing and sending her 23 quilts.  

I did have help from the Vernon presenter who sent me 8 finished quilts and one top.  I also had another top turned in for quilting plus, I put together a few quick ones and also had a few on hand.  A real boost came from a quilter in Surrey who sent me a notice that she had 3 finished quilts.  Whew!!  

All that I need to do is make a list of the quilts, bag them and find someone heading to or through Comox on Vancouver Island and has room for a lot of quilts in their back seat!   A big job done although I have a request from my Kamloops presenter for a few more quilts for him to have on hand.  

First is a batik double hourglass (Villa Rosa pattern) that I made using up a Hoffman dot jelly roll with a few more of my own strips added in.  It didn't really look very Canadian so, on the back, I had a small panel, grey, with a map of Canada, so added that into the backing fabric.  

It isn't a great picture of the back but you get the idea of how I used the smaller panel to add a touch of Canadiana to the quilt.

This top was made by Janet, a member of our Wednesday quilt Divas group and it is labeled and quilted and ready to head to Comox.

A super simple pattern that uses blocks with a black sashing on two sides and then they are turned to create the brick look.  A 3 yard quilt with easy piecing and it was a good way to use up some Canadian/red fabrics.  I used some red fabrics that were available at our last guild meeting... a generous donation by the husband of a deceased quilter. Instead of putting the fabrics away, I left them out so I would use them first.  I have a quilting friend who calls this legacy fabric. 

In the package of quilts from Vernon, there was a top waiting for quilting from the Silver Star quilters so that got finished with quilting, label and binding. 

This is the back of the next quilt.  I had another panel of Canadian cities and I still love the idea of using these panels on the backs of Quilts of Valour. 

I refer to these as Carolyn blocks as I have used an idea that I saw while looking at Pinterest one day and the measurements were given for each of the pieces - and it makes great use of fat quarters with very little waste.  The centers are 5.5" inches with a 2.5" border around and then a 3.5" border on the outside. The finished blocks are 15" which makes a nice size and it goes together quickly.  Since I used mostly leaf and autumn fabrics, the Canadian panel on the back makes it perfect as a Quilt of Valour.

This block is available on the Quilts of Valour website and is called Parade Square.  Another simple block to make with a four patch in the center and then the borders/sashing added.   A friend saw this white fabric with the red maple leaves for a good price when she was at a quilt shop and bought me some yardage... thanks Marge! and I used more the red legacy fabrics mentioned above to create these blocks.

The last pattern in the Running Doe monthly challenge (Villa Rosa designer) is called Grandmother. I might have made this quilt a little too busy with such a wide variety of fabrics but, I like to use what I have on hand and I did have the squares of Canadian themed fabrics leftover over from a previous project so decided to use them.  And again, more of the legacy red fabrics used in the 9 patches.  That ends the Running Doe challenge although she does have a new one starting in January.  I certainly made some patterns that didn't appeal to me and I would never have purchases so I did step out of my comfort zone some months.  

Last weekend I decided to do something about my sewing machine arrangement.  I have been thinking about it for awhile.  It may not stay like this as the machine on the right doesn't get a lot of light at night and I don't really have any table space beside me to add extra light where it is needed.  It is possible, (groan) that I might just turn the machine and table on the right back to facing the television as that worked well for many years.  I was trying to get more table space behind each machine as I stitched on quilt tops, stitched on bindings (which I do by machine because of aging hands that cramp up when stitching by hand).  I will say that a lot of dust bunnies and bits of fabrics got vacuumed up in the move.  Wow... so much dust! 

These blocks were our modern guild's block lotto in early October and I need to put them together.  There is no lack of ideas by all the quilters that saw them on the design wall ... leave them as is, add sashings... add a border.... ??  The theme was fall flower colours... quite a variety but will make a colourful quilt for donation.

Always nice to end on a bright note.  We have had every kind of weather and it can change hourly.  After a brutal weekend of rain, this rainbow appeared late in the afternoon. 

Time to get these quilt registration numbers recorded and figure out which bags I have on hand to package them in and then someway, somehow, get them to Comox, BC.  It will happen and not only will I be happy, so will the Comox QOV rep as well as all the recipients who have been nominated for a quilt presentation.  Quilted hugs bring smiles and happiness. 

First week of October- binding done!

 Binding done and working on a major clean up!

This is finished Strip Twist made in June 2023 so, a UFO!  I didn't know where to donate this quilt but decided on Quilts of Valour.  

I used a panel on the back that is a map of Canada thinking that it made the quilt more Canadian?

I had a stack of brown rail fences that were aging in a box and I also had a pattern called Honor from years ago which gave measurements for cutting off the two opposite corners of the blocks and adding fabric to create a bit of a star.  In order to make this one more Canadian, another panel was used on the back.  Kudos to Stephanie of Heartstrings for the suggestion to use panels on the backs of quilts.  Brilliant idea and all my panels are now gathered together and ready to use!

The September quilt-a-long with Running Doe (Villa Rosa) was a pattern called Buttons.  I struggled with which fabrics to use but took out a kit from a mystery box from 2023 and used the set of batiks.  I added in a couple from my own stash and because I didn't want a really large quilt, I made two.  One has 20 blocks and the smaller one used 12.  

Confetti is another quilt that I made using a bundle of fabrics from the same mystery box from 2023.  I am trying hard to use up and make the quilts and other projects that arrive in my home and I do love these boxes but not always thrilled with the patterns they include.  A fun quilt and was inspired by a triangle quilt being made at a sew in with the modern guild in August.  Thanks Debbie for the idea.

I am still working on making these double hourglass blocks.  The heartstrings group chose jelly rolls as the September challenge and I did make Honor with rail fences but, I wanted to use an actual jelly roll and found this Hoffman dots package tucked away in the UFO container.  I need to add some of my own fabrics to get the quilt to a finished size that I like but it is my leader and ender project at the moment and is perfect for stitching during Friday night zoom session with modern guild friends. 

A quilt top came from Susan G in New Brunswick last October and I have quilted the other tops earlier this year and the final one is done.  Such a pretty quilt and I think it will awesome for a wheel chair quilt or for someone sitting in their recliner.  Done and labeled.

All of the quilts I finished this month used "frankenbatts'  which means batting pieced together from leftover strips.  The bindings and backings came from my stash and the best part is - only one quilt waiting on a hanger and now that I know where I want to donate it, it will get finished and I may not wait for the end of the month. 

Lots of idea but am concentrating on using fabrics that are in bundles and still have a few from the mystery boxes but am determined to move them from waiting to be used into a quilt top. The main list of project is similar to other months.

- Rainbow scrap challenge (color choice is up to us)

- Patterns by Jen and block is in black/gray

- Double hour glass blocks finished

- Cut and create kits from bundles on hand

- quilt the top that has been on a hanger for a few years. 

- stitch a block for the modern guild block swap this month

- Heartstrings: fat quarter is the monthly choice of precut

So far, the list is not too long but, I will be adding to it as I create kits for mindless stitching. 

October - time to put September behind us and move forward

 My husband's radiation is finished and now he is healing from the ordeal and spending a lot of time sleeping.  For me, time for the caregiver to attend some of her appointments for her well being - today the optometrist, next week the dentist and ongoing C-pap phone appointments to keep me on track.  We are back to playing indoor tennis which is a bonus on a rainy or wet day.  

September was fairly productive.  My heartstrings group chose jelly rolls or 2.5" strips and I pulled out a set of aging blocks, found a pattern from years ago called Honor and it meant adding some triangle corners.  After finishing the quilt top, I realized that I should have use a darker or brighter corner fabric, but the top is done! It is labeled and quilted and waiting for binding.  I used panel on the back which makes it more suitable as a Quilt of Valour. 

While digging around in my bin of projects patiently waiting, I found a really old Bali pops jelly roll and decided that it would be a great time to use it.  My choice of pattern was a Villa Rosa double hourglass.

I won't have enough blocks with using just the package so am adding in more blocks made from strips from my stash of batiks, trying to find ones that have dots.  There isn't a lot of choice but I will intersperse them among the ones that are true dot pops. 

 

The last week of the month is is quilting time and I knew I didn't have a huge number of quilt tops on hangers so was a bit slow in getting started.  Our garden is still producing crazy amounts of zucchini and tomatoes so some picking time was needed.  I also needed to get the grass cut during nice weather when rain was in the forecast.  But, I did get started and now have a stack of them quilted and they are waiting for binding.

This triangle quilt that I worked on during the last modern guild sew in was put together and is one of the finished projects.

I also finished up the brown scrappy strips that I pieced for my monthly rainbow scrap challenge.

These are my brown leaders and enders that was inspired by Bonnie Hunter called oopsie daisy blocks. 

Running Doe chose Buttons as their pattern for the month of September and I was hesitant to get started because I wasn't inspired.  I went through my container of bundles of fabrics, (same one where I found the Hoffman strips) and there was a kit of yellow/pinkish batiks that came in a mystery box and I didn't like the pattern with it so, I decided it was a great way to complete the challenge. 

I did add in a few other batiks and ended up with two tops.  One is slightly smaller than the other but I think they are bright and cheery and need to figure out where to donate them. 

My bruises are fading after my fall but now I have a C-pap machine to contend with.  I would love to say I am leaping out of bed in the morning and my sleep is awesome.  But, I can't.  It is taking some getting used to as I am NOT a back sleeper and love to be on my stomach which doesn't work... so attempting some sleeping on my side and trying to make that work but, I feel like most of the night, I am awake.  The data however, shows that I am sleeping much better and having very few apnea episodes so... time will tell.  

First week of the month.  Binding week and I had great plans to start yesterday and ended up outside in the garden.  Today, I had great plans but, after morning tennis, a noon eye appointment, and starting to write my blog update, the power went out.  The best laid plans went awry.  Oh well... I did search out my lanterns for power outages, plugged a battery operated light into my power bank and just as it was getting a little bit dark (and just when I thought dinner would be a can of soup on my gas range), the power came back on.  

So, working on this blog after dinner, while a chocolate zucchini cake bakes and I will attempt to get one quilt bound before my 8pm sewing curfew.  (self imposed but nice to spend some with my husband before he goes to bed).  

Mid September and feeling organized

 It is a bit of a strange month for us because my husband is having daily radiation and I drive him to and from and lend moral support for the process.  The appointment times are all over the place with no consistent time other than they seem to all be before or shortly after noon.  So, my days are very messed up with little tennis being played and hard to plan any other appointments or activities.  But, we are on the last few days and will be finished on Monday (hopefully).  

Once I had the bindings and labels on the quilts after the first week of September, I worked on my rainbow scrap challenge blocks using browns.  Heartstrings challenge is jelly rolls or 2.5" strips.  I dug out all my containers of brown fabrics and I have a lot because I use that colour for backings of a lot of Quilts of Valour.  It was overwhelming but I pushed on.

I had a set of quilt blocks, rail fences using 4 strips and wanted to turn them into a quilt top.  I made more blocks and then added a corner at a bit of a different angle to two opposite corners.  This idea was taken from a very old pattern called Honor.  On the design wall and then put together and pressed. 

It seems a bit blah?  But, I am going to use another panel for the backing and maybe the recipient will like it better?  A two sided quilt. 

I went ahead and made most of my blocks for the rainbow scrap challenge... a lot of cutting and stitching and creation of a total disaster zone. Triple rail fence blocks and the pile of garlic knots. 

The L blocks, the small corner triangles, the 8 pointed stars... and hiding at the bottom is the Patterns by Jen block, which was also a brown choice.  I only made one block because if made a second with the light and dark switched out, it would look the same? 

I finished up with making string blocks using brown strips.  The Pattern by Jen is more visible in this picture. 

After tidying up, the brown strips fit back into my strip bucket nicely although it is very full. 

We had a Saturday sew in with the modern guild and I had these fat quarters from a mystery box and didn't like the pattern that came with them so chose to make Confetti.  I cannot remember the book that this pattern is from but super simple from 9" squares. 

There always has to be one block stitched incorrectly.  I am not perfect!

The blocks are on the wall and now put together into a kid's quilt.  A strange grouping of prints but ends up being bright and happy. 

I stopped and cleaned, tidied, vacuumed and generally did a massive organization job and everything looks so much better and my tables, ironing board and cutting mats are all clear!  Temporarily. 

A bit of a time out because of a massive fall while heading up the stairs with my hands full and missed the top step somehow and landed in the windowsill head first.  My eye is healing, my forehead still hurts badly and won't show you the bruises on my hip and butt!  

The garden is producing so  many tomatoes!  See that lip on the stair?  I think that is what my foot caught when going up, late in the evening, with my hands full and not using the railing.  Lesson learned. 

I did spend a day outside using the lawn mower and weed wacker to tidy up our three levels of garden in the back of the house.  A wetter than usual August has everything green and growing, including the weeds.  The roses are very happy and the geraniums are loving the late summer sunshine.   I am hoping next year to scatter wildflower seeds in the empty vegetable boxes and add more colour to the lower levels. 

Off to plan my next project which is button box by Running Doe (Villa Rosa) and maybe use up another pack of fabric that came in one of the mystery boxes.  Time to deal with all these aging kits and fabric bundles that are sitting and growing old.