I am not superwoman.....damn

The problem usually begins when I forget that I do not have super powers. And no matter if I am reminded of that by the end of the day, by the time I wake up the next morning and my feet hit the floor, I have forgotten that lesson learned. It is like there is a reset button in my head. Even if I start to hear little whisperings of self doubts, I brush them aside and carry on as if I will finish every project within the unrealistic time frame I have established for myself. 

I also often forget that I am not the most zealous traditional quilter. Or, rather, piecer. After I put together one block, I am looking over my shoulder for that 3D printer so I can whip out the rest of the blocks I need and get that top pieced! Note to self - write impassioned letter to Santa asking for 3D printer. I can print off extra arms for myself, too, right?? And fabric? I have lots of uses for one of those babies!

I was so, so optimistic this morning..I was sure the top would be pieced, I would be quilting by mid afternoon and then tomorrow I would sew the binding on.

Yes. I really think this way.

The reality? Well, my husband called at 3:50 pm. It went something like this:
Rej: How’s your day? 
Me: What! What time is it?? I thought it wasn’t even 3 o’clock yet!
Rej: Yeah, well it’s almost 4. Did you run today?
Me: Run!! I am still in my pyjamas! Did I eat lunch?? What time did you say it is??
Rej: (who is used to my rants and talking to myself) Ok, I will be home by 4:30. It’s cold out so dress warm..(Our deal is, if neither of us has run or biked that day, we walk. So, walk it was.)

Sigh.

You might be surprised to learn I even thought I would work on a second project today, “in my spare minutes”..Unbelievable.

A quilt for Kate

This is the second of two quilts I pieced and quilted for friends of my daughter as thank you’s for kindness shown.

The new owner, Kate, chose greens and a simple layout for her top. I passed along some ideas for her to chose from and she liked the quilt she saw made from a quick sketch someone posted on pinterest with cutting dimensions and pressing instructions. The top sewed up quickly! Simone and I collected the selection of greens, I cut it all into 2.5 inch strips and then sewed randomly. Then I chopped these strips into the sizes of sections required and pieced 30 - 16 inch finished blocks. 

The before shot

The back is a lovely black cotton I picked up at Avonport Discount Fabrics last fall as we travelled back home from Yarmouth. It was our 28th wedding anniversary and remember being so grateful that my sweet and ever patient husband would wait while I fabric shopped and then not even ask about yet another bolt of fabric, let alone black fabric, that I was bundling into the hatchback!

I offered Kate something swirly or hearts as the stitch pattern and she chose hearts. Since I had just finished another quilt with hearts, it was an easy pattern to get back into it and I happily quilted away. I still have the binding to do which I will piece from the scraps left over and sew on next week.

I know Kate has just purchased her first home so I am hoping her new quilt will be a well loved addition.

A quilt for an old friend

When our young teenage kids were dating, and they still needed drives everywhere, we hit it off immediately, with our first hellos in the driveway. Gradually our conversations carried us into each others homes. We would talk and talk until the wee hours of the morning, laughing, always laughing, with the kids hanging around, listening in. I can’t remember specifically what made us laugh so hard, so often, but I know we usually kept the kids waiting for us to wind down, way past a reasonable hour. 

Sadly the teenage romance didn’t last and we no longer had those opportunities to see each other. When we ran into each other, it never seemed to be a convenient time to stay and talk longer. The effects of that broken love reached far beyond our two teenage children..

A lot of people dislike Facebook for what are probably valid reasons. But, I am not one of them. I have reconnected with so many old friends because of this form of social media and I am grateful. One of these is my dear, dear friend of my son’s high school days. Lately she is being kept busy with more health issues than any one person should have to handle.

I love her and I miss her and because of that, I made her this. I haven’t delivered it to her yet, but when I do, I hope she likes it. 

Mad About Teal - A Customer Quilt

This is another quilt I recently completed for a local quilter. This quilter is fairly new to the quilting scene and I know she will be creating more wonderful pieces as she continues. I was very impressed when she showed me her pieced back! I love when newbies step right into the quilting mayhem and ignore the quilting sheriffs out there..When I started quilting, I made my own rules and that same way of thinking has brought me much quilting joy over the years. I wish the same for her...

This is a small quilt called, “Mad About Teal” and I used her idea of swirling lines for the centre and continued with the same, adding perpendicular lines in the borders. It turned this lovely little quilt top into a cosy, comfy lap quilt for a very lucky girl!

Encouragement for new quilters!

I am trying to encourage five creative, young women to become quilters..

Do you think these stacks of hand cut charm squares will help?? These great bags I received at Road from the Gammill dealer are just right for filling with some necessary piecing goodies. But, not so much to overwhelm..just enough to peak their interest.

And I am going to offer them a little workshop this summer, if they are interested. 

Note to self: add some chocolate..

Non-commital Piecing and Baked Goods

Here are some glimpses at a couple of projects I have on the go right now. 

The finished (yippee!) quilt top is called Garden Fence and is a quick, easy top to put together. I am not usually a repeat, multiple block kind of sewer, but this top really appealed to me for the person I intend it. I think Bali Batiks suit it very well, I had just enough of the sashing fabric, and the backing I picked up in Maine last summer will be perfect. Now, to decide how I want to quilt it..

The other project is an easy 2.5 inch strip project. So far I have cut a selection of green fabrics into this width strip and now I am sewing them together in groups of 3 and 5. It is non-commital sewing and just right for breaks from my other work. And playing with placement of the strips and the resulting blocks I cut from the sewn strips will be downright fun.

I quit the kitchen once my kids left for University and Rejean willingly picked up the slack, with great style I might add! He hasn’t expresses any interest as yet in baking, so every once in a while I indulge and that usually means muffins.

My well loved copy of Mom’s blueberry muffins

Today I made these super delicious blueberry muffins from my Mom’s tried and true recipe, using lovely New Brunswick blueberries picked by my sweet and talented sister-in-law, Pauline.

Today I am linking to the Needle and Thread Network.

House of Yards

Talk about irons in the fire. I have a quilt on my longarm. I have a top waiting for the borders to be added. And this is a simple quilt so the borders will be simple, yet I still haven’t managed to get them sewn on. Then I have to quilt it. And bind it. And I have a bunch of other projects that I want to do/need to do/ would rather be working on that will just have to wait until I find more time.

I know I will get everything done. I work best when I have a lot on my plate. But, I also realize that I am taking over the house once again. 

My longarm takes up part of the back end of our living room, sitting nestled close to my spin bike and our treadmill. Somewhere in my craziness, I brought up my ironing board and iron and they are still next to my machine. This weekend I didn’t want to hide away from my husband so I moved one of my domestics upstairs to the dining room (yes, our house layout is unusual - our kitchen and dining room are on the second floor). The machine is there still and  is kept company by a growing pile of fabric and tools. I have batts lying on the stairs heading to the third floor. I have a pile of Kroy yarn I just ordered also in the dining room. I have a wicker purse of my Mom’s filled with socks needing mates knit and half socks I need to finish that I carry from room to room. I have stacks of quilting books in our bedroom. I have taken over a closet upstairs for batts (I know my hubby reads my blog occasionally so now he knows where I have tucked them!). And of course, I have an entire room downstairs devoted to fabric, machines, materials and tools..

I don’t think there is anything quilt or fabric related in either bathroom. Or in the garage.

Sometimes I feel kind of bad about claiming so much space for my passions. I try not to do this because sometimes it overwhelms me, too. But, when who you are is so intertwined with creating, this happens. I am fortunate that I share my living space with a man who appreciates what I do and can be counted on for subjective advice just when I need it. Of course, he has no idea that “must be creative” was part of my criteria for finding my soul mate!

All this fibre action means I should connect to The Needle and Thread Network this week.

Comfort quilt

Comfort quilts. The reason for creating them is often a sad, miserable turn of events in someone’s life. 

The mom of one of my daughter’s close friends received news no one ever deserves to get. I suggested Simone contact Victoria’s Quilts and request a quilt for her. Simone asked if I would consider making a quilt suited to the mom’s tastes. Simone and I chose fabrics via Facetime and I got started. 

I have never designed, pieced, quilted and bound a quilt so quickly.

I used  a variety of fabrics from my rather extensive collection, a backing I had picked up in Maine and Omni natural thread. Simone requested a poly batting so that the quilt would be puffy and cuddly.

I used some of my new skills learned in a workshop with DeLoa Jones and completed it with freehand continuous quilting.

I hope it brings some measure of comfort as our friend receives treatment.

Stamping out those urges to clean!

I feel like my house is falling in ruins around me. I have piles of my “stuff”, my creative play tools and materials, everywhere. I have to be careful when I let this happen because eventually it eats at me and then I run in circles tidying and not accomplishing anything creative at all. I purposely refused to schedule any more paying work this week, just to let myself have some creative time. This is also the time when popcorn can be an entree.....

Although I am biting at the bit to finish a quilt on my longarm, I have been doing anything but. I have managed to fill my hallway with piles and piles and tubs and tubs of fabric, all in a feeble attempt to organize, or perhaps integrate the new fabric purchases. I like to mix my fabrics up. That way the newer is not playing so much on my conscience if I don’t see a stack of new stuff shining bright as a new penny (remember those? I loved pennies!). Maybe that is why I always rush to pre-wash my new pieces. Makes me feel like they have been here longer. For whatever reasons, I am organizing. Well, sort of. It should be organized when I am done. I hope.

I have sewn some bindings on so that I have some handwork, if I should happen to remember how to turn my TV on. Don’t ask. I am not technically savvy.

I also started some blocks that I have been wanting to try since my Mom gave me a lovely quilt book last summer. I have some 30’s prints and I love 30’s designs, so it seems I should get myself in gear. My biggest problem is that I am not so great at making repeat blocks. Case in point? I made one and stopped. BUT, I am planning on making more. Just not today.

I have also been sketching. I am a summer sketcher. Maybe it is the light. Maybe it is easier to sketch when you aren’t wearing 3 sweaters and gloves. Anyway, I am doing some of that. And when I was cruisin’ through my moleskin, I apparently was “drawn” to a little flower sketch I did two summers ago. Without really thinking about the process, I replicated it on a piece of Soft Kut and made a stamp. All of a sudden the morning had passed and I have a nice little stack of stamped bits and pieces.

I refined the stamp as I made prints until I was happy with my design. I decided to not carve the centre but will pop some little stamens in with paint later on. I know I drew this from a flower on my deck but it has a Hawaiian feel  to it to me. 

I also decided to try some other stamps that I had been carving in spare minutes. Good thing I did because sometimes I have a tendency to over carve my design and I had been considering taking the knife to them again. I learned I am happy with them just as they are. Well, for now at least.

Reminds me of a cartwheel. Must have been all that Americana influence on the weekend. And the one on the left is blurry because I overprinted it. The gold I used first was too light so I mixed some Green in and printed again. 

I really like using metallic fabric paints for stamping, especially on my hand dyed fabric. I tend to use two colors on each stamp although the ones above are just one. I used two with the odd star design.

I almost didn’t try this stamp, dismissing it as too simple. Ah, sometimes I need to step back and remind myself of that great creative advice: Simplify, Exaggerate, Repeat.....

Check out The Needle and Thread Network with me and see what’s up with Canadian fibre folk.

A quilt for empowerment!

Recently I quilted this lovely top. My friend’s niece has been accepted with Canada World Youth and she will be completing a 6 month placement in Bolivia and Ontario. Her program will focus on educating young woman in AIDS prevention, domestic violence and empowerment issues, all worthy areas to focus young time and energy. I have to admit, I am a little jealous of what sounds like a life altering and empowering experience! Her whole extended family is doing some intense fundraising for her trip and this quilt will be used for that purpose. I was more than happy to help a little bit by quilting the top and getting it out into the public as quickly as they could.

I especially love that Olivia actually sewed some of the blocks herself as she learned some piecing techniques from her Aunt Sue.

Of course, there is a name for this scrap busting technique, but I have to be honest, even though Sue just mentioned the name, I forget again.....I do know I tried this technique and my fabric wasn’t nearly as pretty and fresh! The idea is to sew your scraps together to make fabric and then cut your blocks from the resulting fabric. I think there are endless possibilities for colors and shapes using this technique.

The backing is a a nice light, crisp fabric; the batting is a super loft poly; thread is a 30 Wt cornflower top and bobbin. I used a pantograph design called Starburst, but it is actually a flower design so I think the designer just ran out of flower names. 

I hope the tickets they sell provide a jumpstart on Olivia’s fundraising!

Today I am linking to the Needle and Thread Network.