Project Quilting 15.2 Sky Color

I got SO excited at this week's prompt for Project Quilting because I am a bit of a nut when it comes to watching the skies. I have a lot of it to see from my sewing room windows which face south, east and west. Yep tons and tons of light. Our house is pretty much like that, one of the main reasons I agreed to buy it is that it is filled with light thanks to lots of windows.

Here is where the challenge ended:

It had some definite growing pains along the way and missed the deadline by a couple of hours.

One of the things I love most about PQ challenges is getting to paw through my glorious stash. This challenge was no different. So we were to make a project that evokes sky colour (I use Canadian aka English spelling) with only 10% cerulean. Love that word, a beautiful name for the colour sky-blue. Blue is my favourite colour, so making a quilt about the sky without it at first seems strange, but not when I think of the sunset I saw Sunday night, hours after the challenge was posted. Look at those fiery pinks and oranges and the reflection in the clouds overhead. This is pure Mother Nature, no filters or enhancement.

or the sunrise on Monday, again no filters or special touchups:

Rainbow Neighbourhood Quilt Top and Link Up

First of all a happy birthday to that most famous Canadian, my dear Dad.😍🥳

He was born on this day, in 1926, in the little town of Legal, (it’s French, so it's le and gal as in girl, emphasis on gal) Alberta. He always gave us kids a chuckle because each year he’d write on the wall calendar ‘the birthday of a famous Canadian’ much to our mum’s annoyance, though we knew it was feigned annoyance. Well, mostly feigned! My annual QAL has evolved into starting on my birthday, and ending on my dad’s.

Without further ado here is my twin-size flimsy! I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

This year the top is due on June 15, but there is a difference for the final parade. Since both quilts, but especially the twin, were more involved than in previous years, I've set the final parade for finished quilts and tops for June 30. 

Project Quilting Update

In truth, I had totally forgotten about Kim of Persimon Dreams PQ 13.4 this past week, because of a few things. One was focusing on my Postcard from Sweden next third of the quilt (check). The other was the ongoing Grifter Convoy or kukluxkonvoy that, for the record, had absolutely nothing to do with mandates, but more to do with overthrowing our entire government, far right hatred, and conspiracy theories galore. A third was that figure skating also figured into my sewing time, as I cannot 'watch' TV and sew at the same time; something suffers.

Here, on a much happier, creative note, is my PQ 13.4 challenge, Mining for Diamonds.

That was about as still a photo as I could get in the crazy wind! The sunshine was just so good to show off these beautiful colours.

 

I made this from my still plentiful stash of gorgeous Island Batik fabrics. They are so very generous with their supply of beautiful fabrics for their ambassadors.

On Point

Here it is! My December challenge for Island Batik, my last challenge as ambassador, is done! I've named it On Point. You know how I love double entendres.

As I said in the process post, this is the first quilt where I've actually designed a portion of it because I want to showcase the quilting I know I'm going to do there. I wanted to do ribbon candy there and thought the strips of aqua and flame would show it off perfectly. The pearls row finishes off this section to perfection (though they are definitely not perfect!) adding to the meaning of the quilt's name. The quilting becomes a part of the piecing. I love it. And wee-ooh wee-ooh, but didn't HandiQuilter talk about this very phenomenon in their newsletter?! This was after I'd  made this section, so imagine my surprise!

To Do Tuesday and The Current Quilt Process

Last list of the year, well last public one that is. I make lists mentally and physically in my day planner every day! 

Several items need to get done by the 31, never mind the 5th of January.

1. Finish my December challenge quilt for Island Batik.

2. Write my Best of 2020 post

3. Write a planning for 2021 post, maybe. I already have a mental list started but I do believe in writing goals and directions down, though I don't always state them publicly, but doing that helps keep one accountable, doesn't it?

4. Write my gratitude post for Thursday.

5. Finish at least one more item on my Q4FAL List. The completion rate has been dismal this quarter but that's because I spent a major amount of time, and still need to spend a wee bit more, on a quilt for an upcoming magazine.

The Final Season

Welcome to my stop on the Island Batik blog hop! I've been dropping hints and showing some peeks at my tree blocks, some partially done, and one, the winter one, complete. They were quite the hit, and I can honestly admit I loved making them, and love how they turned out. I wanted my audience to see them and love them too.

However, I did want to convey a pretty strong message about my beloved trees, both the fabric and the sentient ones.

Inspired by Nature Blog Hop Week 2

I hope you got to check out last week's quilts for this last Island Batik blog hop of the year, and were as wowed as I was. Read on to see the fabulous bundles of fabric being given away anywhere in the world (I love that about this company).

My turn is on is on Wednesday! Let's hope for less winds and some sunshine for tomorrow's photo shoot. The sun is out today and the gales of yesterday have abated somewhat... Did you notice all the gorgeous fabrics in the blog hop graphic above? You cannot beat batiks for depth. All right, without further ado, here is the lineup for this week...

Trees Work in Progress

I've been pretty quiet here on the blog lately. If you follow me on Instagram, you know I've switched from making tea cosies to making trees. If you hop around Quilting Blog Land at all, you're probably aware of the last blog hop of the year for Island Batik ambassadors that started this week.

This is a theme near and dear to my heart! I've been giving some hints on Instagram as to my quilt.

Spill the tea! and OMG

When I was teaching, I was right on top of pop culture thanks to my students. Nowadays, my daughters and grandson keep me informed, along with social media, music, and TV to some extent. It was on Molli Sparkles' blog where I first heard the expression 'truth tea' several years ago. Then my daughter Brianne was using the expression, 'I've got tea' to mean I've got some juicy news/gossip, and 'Spill the tea' which means, tell me all. She it was who asked me to make her a tea cosy. Remember this is my non-quilting-loving daughter. Over the past year or so, she has been requesting quilts-(but not quilty, mind you) related items, or giving me suggestions for Etsy shop items. With the Alberta frigid temperatures of a week ago (and today they're balmy out there; welcome to life on the prairies) she was drinking more tea. Instead of making it in a cup, she was using her teapot, and requested a cosy to keep the tea warm. She had the idea to put these tea sayings on it and sell some in my shop. So of course, instead of continuing, wait, going back to, working on my magazine quilt (remember Pumpkin Season interrupted it) I chased this very tempting squirrel over this past weekend. And caught it.

It's in the Bag Blog Hop: Back At Ya Backpack

Today is my day to present the bag I made for the Island Batik blog hop.

I chose to make the backpack 'Back At Ya 2.1'. It's a smaller sized backpack, and the perfect size for me. I was given four pieces from Island Batik's new line Nouveau Soul with which to make the bag. Read on to find out how you could win some of this gorgeous line of fabric for yourself!

Okay I just have to stop right here and say, Nouveau Soul was made for Sandra!! I have said several times how DO they do this, as in choosing the perfect fabrics, colours, but this one? A name with a French word in it, uh bonjour, c'est moi, Sandra, professeur de français, and Soul just makes me think yoga...

All the notions required to make the bag, along with the pattern itself, were supplied by By Annie, the threads by Aurifil, except for a couple that are my own purchases, and the machine needles by Schmetz Needles, except for the jeans needle which I purchased some time ago. 

Well I just had to take my backpack out into the neighbourhood for a test run!

Lee & Maria's On-Farm Market, just 0.5 km from home

I've carried many a bag of produce and other groceries home from here, (ouch my cramping fingers) so having a backpack in which to put my purchases is now a welcome addition to my homemade bags collection.

How about a little closer look?

Annie chose well! Do you see the Art Nouveau styled tulips? Love!

Island Batik Update

I hope you've been as wowed as I have with the bags on display last week! I have to say that the quality of the instructions, accompanying videos, techniques and bag parts is outstanding. I am steadily, albeit slowly, working away on mine.

This made me super-excited last night. Don't worry; the flap is not crooked, no clue why it appears that way. I was looking for the little dooma-hickey you use to pop out your SIM card, and came across the little wooden Handsewn tag that I believe I received from Sew Me A Song in with an order a while back. Or it could have been in with a Pile o' Fabric order... In any event, I knew immediately I'd put it on the flap!

I am working with a few pieces from the Nouveau Soul line, a line I just love. All the fabrics we are using are from the Spring 2020 collections, which are going to be available very soon in your LQS.

All right let's take a look at this week's lineup.

A Positive Spin

Finally, after a lost day due to a migraine, and a chopped up weekend due to adulting and gorgeous weather that I didn't want to totally miss out on, A Positive Spin is done!

Another name popped in my head when I set up this shot (yay for a timer on my phone camera, as I am behind the quilt and the camera!) 'Twisting by the Pool".

This is my August challenge quilt for  Island Batik. They supplied the fabric, Hobbs Batting supplied the batting, Aurifil the thread for the entire project, Studio 180 Designs supplied the ruler, and Schmetz Needles supplied the needle I used to piece the quilt!

This was a bit different of a challenge in that I didn't get to decide what fabric to use; I was given a 10" stack of William's Garden, yardage of a dark purple Basic, and a light purple, Bubbles, along with a Deb Tucker tool. I added in Island Batik's white solid.

A Couple Of Requests

A few months ago both Brianne and Brady made some quilty requests. Of course Mum/Nana will acquiesce! Brady requested a plain grey, (man-style) toiletries pouch for things he might need when he starts Junior High in September, like deoderant. He wanted sections, as I did in his iPod and charger pouch. I felt like trying a new pouch pattern, so I looked in my hard drive and bookmarks and decided upon the Open Wide Pouch by Noodlehead.

It's a great tutorial.

Antarctic Tiles - AccuQuilt Challenge for Island Batik

Squeaking in under the wire with my July challenge for Island Batik. Foof! This has been a crazy busy month, with four quilt finishes, three of them big ones, and three begun and finished within the month. Oh and let's not forget the three patterns I released this month (wow!) in my Etsy shop. 

So this challenge was quite unique. We were given the AccuQuilt GO! Me cutter with two dies. It was not for us to keep, however. We were to make a quilt using only the two dies that come with the GO! Me, and make a small quilt. Then we would give the quilt to someone who is new, or fairly new to quilting, along with the cutter and dies! Merry Christmas indeed!

I have several quilter/yogi friends. It's really quite marvelous how many I've found through teaching yoga. Some are very experienced, and some are fairly new to it. I chose my friend Nancy. She is a teacher too. Like me, she recently retired, and, like me, she has a deep love of trees and nature. She is a creative soul. I thought she would enjoy using this cutter to go a little deeper into quilting. 

Ready to take to Nancy's house

What is in my Island Batik Box #2?

It's been HARD having to wait until nearly the end of the month to show off all the goodies I received in my second box. I will be using these over the next six months. All of the fabrics, thread, batting, bag pattern and notions for it, and needles were supplied by Island Batik, Aurifil, Hobbs Batting, ByAnnie, Schmetz Needles, and Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Designs.

Just look at that collection of colour! They always give us two sets of six Basics and Blenders and several yards of a neutral. I'm so glad I got some pinks and greens and a couple of reds this time. If you'd like to watch me open it live, you can see this on YouTube!

Grace Once Again

For the month of June, we have a 'free' challenge, meaning we can make whatever we want. I knew I'd work with the Faded Blue Jeans line by Kathy Engle, and make a quilt. I wasn't sure what, exactly. You can read the background about the quilt and see the flimsy in this post, so I won't repeat myself.

I got the quilt quilted on the weekend and bound on Monday. I took it to Seacliff Beach after supper for some evening light on it against Lake Erie.

I love how it turned out.

Works In Progress and Yoga Poses for Quilters

This is one of those posts that's been mostly written but has just sat unfinished for a few days. I haven't felt like finishing it for whatever reason, can't exactly say why. I've spent a fair amount of this past week on the computer, (hmm, so maybe subconsciously I'm sick of being on it!) figuring (good brainpower work) for a couple of upcoming quilts that I can't talk about right now, 😉, and I did write another post since my last one. It is a post on yoga poses to help loosen tired and cramped muscles after long hours sewing. You can read it on my friend Leanne's blog, Devoted Quilter. She asked me a few weeks ago if I would do a guest post on her blog with some yoga poses to help quilters. I used to do a series on Sundays, called Sunday Stretch for Quilters, which you can find under the tab, Yoga Posts and Recipe Links. I hope you'll head over there after reading this, or go now, and come back! There are wrist, arm, shoulder and low back poses accessible for most, if not all, of us. Thus, I didn't get one of my weekly goals completed, but as of Friday it was. Here is my Grace pattern done in Island Batik's Faded Blue Jeans line, which I just love.

The June challenge for Island Batik is a free one, make whatever you like. I had planned to use this line for a quilt, but wasn't sure exactly what to make. Then when such a senseless, evil tragedy occurred in Nova Scotia in April, I knew I'd make a quilt for the #QuiltsforNS drive hosted by the Maritime Modern Quilt Guild.

Centred Pattern Release and You Got This!

I am so pleased to release the quilt pattern for Centred, available as of today in my Etsy shop, Sandra Jane Quilts. I am doubly pleased to present the second version of my pattern, which I have named "You Got This".

This is the quilt I made during my Centred QAL.

It is hard to let this one go, as I love this multi-coloured version so much! However, thanks to a recent story on our local CBC Windsor News, I became aware of Launch Pad Recovery Center and its work with recovering addicts. I am so in awe of people who have chosen to beat their addiction problems which are often, but not always, caused by mental health issues. I love this part of their mandate: "Our holistic approach allows healing of the Mind, Body and Spirit."

The Ultimate Home Décor Blog Hop Week 3 & To-Do Tuesday

It is the third week of the Island Batik 'Ultimate Home Décor' blog hop. There are four this year, all with giveaways! I hope you caught the array of inspiring home décor projects last week, from quilts to triptychs, from cushions to runners, oh my.

The hop runs May 4 - 26 with new Island Batik giveaways each week, giveaways at pretty much each ambassador's stop, and tons of inspiration and eye candy featuring the newest collections.

Centred QAL - Blocks B2 and B3

I cannot believe that the final four blocks are out today, and the next time I 'see' you, it will be with flimsy 'in hand'! I laid my twelve blocks on the design wall today and had a little shiver of excitement pulse through me, because oh wow, it's going to look terrific! From what I've been seeing on Instagram and in the linky, yours are going to be giving that same shiver. 😍 I cannot wait to get my last four done and in position. They are half done as I type, so with any luck, they'll be in a photo at the end of this post!

Remember there is a hashtag pool for the quilt along too, which is a great way to see what others are up to. It is #centredquiltalong
It is still not too late to jump on in, now that you're seeing how easy these blocks go together, and how they fit together! The main page with the schedule and links to all the posts is here.