Gloomy Tuesday

We certainly aren't getting any summer weather here in the Pacific West Coast.  Another day of gloomy clouds and cool temperatures.  But, the good news is that I don't have any guilt for not being outside doing 'chores' or gardening.

Yesterday I decided to add a bit of free motion quilting to the white background on my Scrap Happy wall hanging and I think it finishes it off a little more.

Since it is Canada Day on Sunday, I decided I needed another red/white table runner to use in my window space as you go downstairs in my house.  I have a stack of red and white maple leaf blocks that I have been working on since last summer to use in Quilts of Valour but decided that I could three of them for a runner. 

This is where it is located in my window well or whatever it is called.  I suppose it could be a window seat but seems a funny place to sit and read? So, instead, I use the space for seasonal decor and change it around every month or so?  I have other things I add to the space - some duck decoys and a bit of pottery. 

Now, I have three projects to finish from my winter sewing.  I need to add some free motion quilting to the guild mystery quilt.  There is a 10" Let's Twist all layered and calling my name for some quilting and the wine quilt that will head to California that needs layering and quilting.  So, after lunch and my daily walk for the mail, I am going to motivate myself to sit at my machine and get started.  Would much rather be working on something new, different and exciting! 

Sewing Sunday

I have been a little busy outside of my sewing space.  My husband has a new knee and so outside chores and nursing seem to be my responsibility as well as driving him to his appointments, getting his medications, generally trying to be upbeat even though he is still in an incredible amount of pain. 

Friday was my first day of having a bit of time to play and I cleaned up my sewing area, dusted, and gave both my Pfaffie and my Brother a good cleaning, filled bobbins and changed them around so that I now am ready to do some piecing and finish quilting a few projects in the coming days. 

Yesterday I decided to scrap my great intentions of finishing all my machine quilting projects before I started any new piecing.  Great idea!!

Last summer I began making some maple leaf blocks - the pattern is available on the Canadian Quilts of Valour website and I have handed out a few hundred copies of this block.  One quilter at the last guild meeting gave me a few that she had made.  Not too sure what happened to the quilters who took the other 199 copies? 

A big thank you to Marge for showing me this setting.  I think it is perfect!

Yes, I know one of the blocks is switched to another direction - thought it added the Amish touch of not being quite perfect?

I also spent some time today getting out my Canada Day wall hangings, garden flag and table runner and placemats.  Under my window in the stairway there is a lovely oak counter/sitting space where I like to have some seasonal displays and I realized that I need a runner for that space.  Since I have been making these red and white blocks for over a year now, I took three of them and created a runner that I will hopefully get layered and quilted tomorrow. 

I am getting a little more time to spend with my sewing machine as my husband becomes a little more indepedent in his recovery. He is managing to get in and out of bed on his own, walk with crutches and get his own snacks meaning I don't have to rush when beckoned.  More time for me to play until I have to go outside and work in the yard. 

Happy Wednesday

yippee.  A day without rain!  Always is a good day when that happens. 

I have some finishes so more happiness for me.  The first is a quilt top that I stitched in Arizona this spring and it was quilted by Danielle from Mission, BC.  This is a Quilt of Valour and am including a picture of the backing fabric as I was impressed with it. 

This small wallhanging is from Country Junktion and this is the May pattern. 

I love this wall hanging!  Makes me smile looking at it.  It might need a bit of free motion quilting in the white background?  This was another project I made while in AZ and didn't have time to quilt it before we left.  I think it will go back to AZ and live in my sewing room there on the wall. 

Second UFO this week!

I knew once I got going on the quilting and binding of these tops that I had sitting here, I would be crossing some projects off my UFO list.  And here is another one that I have done this week.  This is a Yellow Brick Road pattern and I used some fat quarters that I bought in a kit from a quilt shop that has sadly closed its doors.  I think I had the kit for about 3 years?  I made the top last September but didn't get it quilted before we headed south for the winter.

This might a good quilt to keep on hand for a 'just in case' quilt.  Sometimes it is good to have a quilt for those times when you need one to give to someone who needs some comfort? 

It looks pink and brown in the picture but the pink fabric is really a red and white plaid. 
Haven't thought of a name for this one yet, but I will. 

And, because I am really wanting to work on some piecing, I dug out my maple leaf blocks that I have working on since last spring and decided to copy a quilt that was made for Quilts of Valour by Marge.  She set her maple leaves with hourglass blocks and this is what I have done so far. 

Once I get this one done I think I will still have lots of maple leaf blocks so will come up with another idea as to how to set them. 

Mesa Sunset is finished

Last June, at our guild quilt show, I bought this kit and pieced it last August.  This week, I managed to quilt it and get it bound.  One more quilt off my list of UFO's. 

This quilt might go live in Arizona?  On the other hand, the weather is so dismal here in BC, it might stay here so I can see a bit of brightness?

West Coast rain... getting very soggy.

Oh my goodness.  We joke about coming home to the West Coast for winter after spending the real winter months in Arizona but it isn't so funny any more. 

I have done some quilting though nothing major to show you.... but wait because once I have my bindings finished, I will posting my pictures of projects that are crossed off my list.  Am getting anxious to start playing with new projects and get back to piecing.  However, I did digress from my personal mandate of quilting all my tops before I started anything new. 

Couldn't be done. 

So, in time for Canada Day... ta da!!

This is a Patrick Lose project and I saw one hanging in his studio in northern Phoenix while we were on our shop hop in March. 

A Patchabilities pattern.  Love these! 

Back to my quilting and binding.

Another Sunday

Here we are, another Sunday and I am reviewing my week.  Not a lot accomplished but I did manage to cross 'stuff' off my list.  My roll top desk is looking very neat and tidy, I have been to physio for my knee, the podiatrist for my toe/foot problems, have baked some lovely rhubarb muffins, picked up my new glasses and quite like them, have watered our grass seed that we planted a week ago and it is beginning to 'green' and have been on a daily hospital run to the pysch ward to visit our daughter and take her the daily allotment of cigarettes (which is annoying but as she says, she is there to get mentally adjusted, not to quit smoking) .... whew!
Quilting? Sewing?
Actually, I did help my buddy to clean up her studio last week and I do have a quilt that I quilted and have the binding done!  Yippee... another ufo, albeit not very old, is finished.  I started this fall and used fabric from my Wednesday Diva's ugly fabric swap.  The fabric was 6½" square which didn't work with the Let's Twist rulers so I created my own and just went full steam ahead. 

And, I played with some appliqué while watching tv this week and have my projects ready to layer and buttonhole stitch/bind. 

Hopefully this week will some more progress in the direction of something completed... maybe a few somethings?