Marie’s Beautiful Batik Quilt

Marie has a huge collection of batiks, many that I have never seen, and it was so much fun quilting this lovely top for her, all the while admiring the fabric designs!

I know that Marie likes stippling designs and pantographs, so for this quilt of hers, I decided to try a pantograph I had ordered and never used. Actually, I broke down and ordered 5 pantographs last winter and this is the first one to make it out of the wrapper. I decided it was time to give it a try!

A section of the back

The design is called Feather Breeze and is by Lisa Thiessen of Threadsongs. I chose to buy it because it is a lovely, flowing design and I chose it for Marie’s top because it would enhance the simple, striking pattern she had chosen to piece. I used a variegated thread on the top thread and a solid orange hue in the bobbin.

The quilt is for Marie’s sister and her sister chose the backing herself. I think Marie was a bit surprised by her choice of this bright, vibrant fabric, but we agreed it suits the quilt quite well!

I am inspired to start piecing some of the rather large stack of batiks I have on my shelves. The wonderful thing about a pattern such as this is the variety of prints you can use and still have lots left for other projects!

First Snow and My Frozen Tears

I don’t take well to having any kind of a schedule on Mondays. Even when I worked full time, I would prefer to work longer hours the other days of the week so that I would have Mondays for me.

This morning I had to attend a meeting at 10 am and as my husband got ready for work, I lay in bed, bemoaning the fact that I had to get up and that not only did I have to leave the house, but also that I couldn’t attend the meeting in my pyjamas..My whining started before I even had my glasses on and when I caught on that he was ignoring me and my rant, I asked him what kind of day it was out there. When he replied that it was a white world, I sat bolt upright in bed and if I recall correctly, I screamed, “WHAT!” With a flourish he whipped the curtain back so I could see for myself and I know tears pooled in my eyes..

I am not a huge fan of cold weather. Or snow. Or ice. I don’t like driving in it, I don’t like other people travelling in it. I don’t like being cold and I always am. Case in point, I am currently wearing a hoodie (with the hood up) and have a heated magic bag in my lap. My husband says it is obviously the season of gnomes because when I am home I tend to look like one as I transition from summer’s bare legs and feet, to multi layer coverage. He is used to me wearing a toque at mealtime, along with a selection of scarfs round my neck. He is also aware that I own three magic bags that sometimes can be seen peeking from inside one of my layers when I am really chilly. Meanwhile he is in short sleeves and bare feet.....

My mother told me that I wasn’t always cold. When I was 13 and a Girl Guide, I was part of a group of three Guides who chose to work on receiving Outdoor Winter Camping Badges, a spanking brand new badge offered. Well. The night we built our lean to (back in the days when you could actually cut tree branches and build outdoor fires), dug our outdoor latrine and cooked our supper in a snow bank just happened to be the coldest night recorded that winter. It was -54 degrees with the wind chill. I have a very vivid memory of lying in my sleeping bag with its frozen zipper on top of a layer of spruce boughs and an icy tarp and staring longingly through the trees to the brightly lit windows of the farmhouse where our leaders were nice and cosy.

But, we all hung in there, had lots of fun, made some crazy wild memories and were the first three Guides in Canada to receive our badges. I came home with my waist length hair full of huge hunks of ice that mom spent hours on melting and combing out. And I came home with a chill that I have never been able to shake. Well, except for when I was pregnant with my son. But, that is another story for another time..

Totally unrelated to my winding tale, but because every post deserves a photo, here are two baby quilts that I quilted for Florine. These sweet little quilts have found they way to brand new babies in Edmonton. Hopefully these new little folk will be kept nice and warm in these adorable and colorful quilts.

A Client’s Appliqued Quilt with Scallop Border

Freda has been a quilter for many years and at age 84, continues to piece any number of tops. She enters shows, is a member of the Chocolate River Guild in our area and always has a quilt for sale.

This is a quilt I recently quilted for her and it is now being bound in a lovely scallop edging by another quilting friend, Patty. 

I decided to take Freda's applique design and use it as a guide for creating my quilting designs. I stitched a flower in each of the scallops and then, quilting leaves in combination with the flowers, created some vines around the centre block, in the four triangle spaces surrounding this border and in the outer corners. I also stitched 4 partial false blocks to break up the white space and quilted half flowers in each. 

I choose to outline the appliques only and stitch in the ditch around each block and sashing.

A Log Cabin for a Graduation

I am very grateful to the members of my local quilt guilds who trust me to quilt their tops and help finish their projects. Almost every client tells me to quilt as I see fit, use the thread colors I think best and have fun! And although I realize full well the responsibility that comes with that, well, what a lot of fun that is for me! 

Sharon has trusted me with a number of quilts and this log cabin made of Moda prints is a recent project of hers. She provided me with an 80/20 cotton batting and I used my favorite Glide thread for both top and bobbin. I quilted a free style scallop shell in the center, added some loops in the middle border and the quilted bead board on the outer border. I think the quilt turned out very nice and I bet the lucky recipient is very happy with her new quilt, a graduation present.

Today I am linking to The Needle and Thread Network. 

More Monday Marvels Quilts

This summer I was able to quilt a few quilts for the Monday Marvels, a local quilting bee. These quilters donate their time to create quilts for several Moncton organizations and are often called upon to provide a comfort quilt when a need arises. They had a number of tops needing completion so since I purchased my longarm, I have tried to help them out by quilting some of these.

I received two very similar tops and quilted them in the same motif, in case they found a home when matching tops would be fitting.

The before shot

I had a lot of fun working on these because they are quilted in my own overall motifs. I really enjoy being on the needle side of the machine and hand guiding it to create my designs.

The after shot of the second quilt

I am hoping these two quilts find loving homes, and the new owners enjoy the softness and cuddly feel the extra loft poly batting helps create.

A Client’s T-Shirt Quilt

My friend, Maureen is great at creating quilt tops for clients. She is often asked to piece memory quilts, including t-shirt quilts. She takes on any project with a huge smile and a winning attitude and often times I have seen her take partially finished projects and turn them into beautiful quilts for people who might not yet have the skills required for the project they have started.

This quilt is one she has pieced for a client using t-shirts saved for years from travels all over the globe. The wonderful thing about this quilt is that the shirts have been worn, and worn well. There are streaks of mud and dabs of paint and you can tell the shirts, like the person they came from, have lived a life well lived.

We decided a large meandering stitch would best hi-light the shirts so using a poly batt and a co-ordinating grey thread, I quilted a large stipple over the top.

Another Client Quilt

There have been quilts coming and going, sometimes so quickly, it barely registers that another one is finished. I realize my presence on my blog has been infrequent at best, but that is only because of a busy schedule. 

But, without further ado, here is a quilt I longarmed for Marilyn, a fellow Greater Moncton Quilt Guild member and a new member of SAQA.

So many quilters are extremely generous souls and Marilyn is no exception. This is a quilt she has made to be donated and I know it is being well loved and appreciated.

I have always been terrible at remembering the names of quilt patterns and fabric lines and this habit of mine continues apparently, but if you ever want to know what they might be in a particular quilt I include in a post, just leave me a comment, or email me and I will find out for you. 

I quilted this in a free form feather style ala Angela Walters with lots of echoing and used my favorite Glide threads, top and bobbin. I can’t say enough good things about this thread. The service at Fil-Tec is great, the thread is so wonderful to work with and the colors are simply perfect. They have just released a small selection of new colors and I am itching to order a few more to add to my rather extensive stash..

Sun, Sand, and Swimming on a Sunday in September

Here in my area Sunday was beautifully summery, reminiscent of July days. Before my head left the pillow that morning, I was cajoling my husband into a trip to the beach. An early lunch allowed us an early start and we drove to nearby Parlee Beach for some sun and fun.

We weren't surprised to see a few others with the same idea and a low tide encouraged a number of walkers. We counted a total of 7 adults and a handful of children in the water, all seemingly oblivious to the strong winds that whipped stinging sand in the more open areas.

We had barely gotten our knees damp when we struck up conversation with three very polite and chatty young gentlemen visiting the beach while filming a movie in the area. I exchanged shark snorkelling tales and had a short discussion about snakes (?) with one of the two stunt men while Rejean chatted with the other, as well as with the third fellow, an actor. Rejean took a photo for them wading in the waves and they joked about jealous wives and girlfriends back in Montreal working while they enjoyed the east coast. Then they wandered off in search of seafood while we continued along the shore. My daughter always jokes about me and my frequent conversations with young guys, and I really have no idea why this is a fairly constant thing for me, but maybe they find me, a middle aged, chubby woman non-threatening, or maybe they are missing their moms?? Anyway, they were very fun to talk with and I think they might have stayed longer had they not been hungry..lol Always delightful, these conversations!

After we walked the shore and checked out the wharf area, we came back to the beach and had a wonderfully refreshing swim in the ocean. One fall when our children were in middle school, each afternoon I picked them up after school and drove to Parlee with a van load of their friends and we swam until 8 pm every night! That lasted well into the last week of September and I haven’t seen me in the water this late in the season since then. So, this was a great treat! And to be able to lie on the sand in the hot sun (25 degrees!!) afterwards was icing on the cake! 

Last night the rain pounded down, but the temperature stayed high. This morning the sun is pushing its' way back out from behind the clouds and it is going to be hard to stay on task today..sun, sand and the possibility of an ocean swim are the sirens call for me. 

Ocean swimming on September 9th

A lot has been going these past weeks. I have neglected blogging in exchange perhaps for being more productive. Or, perhaps not. Maybe I have simply been enjoying the last fleeting days of summer....

Today I enjoyed a long leisurely swim in the ocean. Yes, on September 9th. It was wonderful and clear with gentle waves and beach solitude.

Solo synchronized swimming is the best because improvisation is encouraged..

Glimpses of a Maritime summer

Looking toward Charlottetown, PEi across the Charlottetown Harbour

A typical incredible roadside view, Cumberland, PEI

A couple of happy bikers on the south shore of PEI

Our favorite honey stand which works on the honor system for payment, a standard for road side stands in the Maritimes

The absolute best..Blueberry Honey although the Blueberry Cream is equally as delicious

The view from under my rainbow umbrella

The skies over my favorite NB beach

Throwing a few lines off a wharf in Petit Cap, NB

So many seaside treasures, this an abandoned crab shell picked clean by the gulls and washed by the ocean