Tropical Twist

May I present my first finish of October. Tropical Twist is done and ready to be listed in my Etsy shop.

A bit of a tropical setting sets off the vibrant colours of the batik fabrics in this quilt. It feels so good to get a pretty stack of batik fat quarters off the shelf and into a quilt. 

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. 

PQ 14.4 A Novel Project

The past week's challenge was to make a quilt inspired by a book. Those of you who are regular followers know that I am an avid and a lifelong reader; I was an English as well as French teacher as well for 30 years. So it was too hard to choose one book; like Trish I could ream off 50 favourites, some of those favourites read within the past year, like The Dictionary of Lost Words, or Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, or The Golem and the Jinni finished just three days ago. So I based my project on a series, the Outlander books, though as you'll see, it's really so much more than these beloved books by Diana Gabaldon, every one of which I have, including The Outlandish Companion!

The Calanais Standing Stones are in the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis. My mini is based on a photograph from Historic Environment Scotland. Calanais Standing Stones is another very informative site with more photos of these magical 5000-year-old stones.

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.

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.

Storm at Sea Finish

Finally, half a month late, my One Die Wonder Challenge for Island Batik is done!

Rather fitting to show a Storm at Sea quilt as we have been in a wet, gloppy snowstorm all day here, and it was snowing when I walked down to the lake edge for the photo shoot. So yes, there are a few white blurs on the photo, and now you know what they are! Yesterday was April, today is February. Springtime in Canada, eh?

I'm Back and Back at it!

Pretty much what my husband said when he realized I would be up at 5:30 on Thursday, the morning after we arrived home to teach yoga! All good. I love my life. It is nice to get away and be warm, but it is lovely to be back home. Here is what I gazed at one of the ten days we spent in the Sarasota and Port Charlotte areas of Florida:

And here is my view on my dog walk Thursday morning:

Awesome colours, sounds, sparkles, both! Head on in to see what Lake Erie looked like Saturday morning after two pretty cold nights!

November OMG

I have not been so great at stating OMGs, and when I have, not so great at finishing them I feel, though I haven't backed that up with stats.

This month, I plan to finally get these pillow shams/cases done to go on our bed. I took off the seashell ones that go on in midsummer just yesterday and washed them, so it's high time. As per usual, there are a couple of other gotta-do's ahead of them.

Bear Paw Dance Finish

I was a few days late for the finish of this quilt, as it was our Island Batik September challenge, and now it's taken a few more days to get a post together, because my daughter and darling grandson have been here visiting from Alberta. You may have seen the finish post on Instagram, where he not only was a most capable quilt holder, but also a pretty amazing quilt photographer to boot!

Here is my spin on the traditional Bear Paw block, which I've named Bear Paw Dance, because I've 'blown apart' the block and I have the paws waltzing around the centre four blocks! This is one of the quilts on my Q3FAL list which is here.

Bear Paw Dance

The flimsy is done, and I'm in love! This is an original design, and I cannot tell you how much of a rush it is to have a drawn or digital design of mine come to life in fabric.

This is the Child's Play September challenge given to us Island Batik ambassadors.

Bear Paw Progress

With seven days left in the month, I thought I should give you an update on my Island Batik challenge quilt for September. We are to create a juvenile-inspired quilt, minimum 45X60" using the die we were sent in Box #2. I got the Bear Paw die, which, you may recall from my box opening video, was the very first quilt block I ever made, and which is responsible for the utter obsession with all things quilts!

So why have I been stalling on this month's project? Two reasons: one is that I couldn't come up with a design that grabbed me, and two is that I was nervous about the die. I know! I've used the AccuQuilt dies several times, and they are slick, but this one made me 'concerned' because I knew I wanted to do multi-coloured bear paw blocks and the die is such that you cut one block at a pass...or two... or three! Took me a bit but a little reading of instructions (I'm good at that, always have been) and then thinking about said instructions, and then putting them into practice, with my own spin on things, and we are off!

Parts cut for four blocks

Beat the Heat! Island Batik Blog Hop - Ripples

Welcome to my stop on the Island Batik Blog Hop where we are showcasing Spring 2019 collections. I got the fantabulous Electric Desert by Jackie Kunkel collection.

Isn't it divine? For the challenge we had to create a lap size or larger quilt, using as many of the fabrics in our line as possible. I used every single one of these 31 chops! I knew I wanted a modern style of quilt, but as per usual, I waffled on what design to do: invent a fresh one (started to sketch out some basic blocks to use my AccuQuilt Go! dies), then thought I could do my own design that was recently published in an ezine, and actually started cutting the 2.5" strips for it with that fabulous die, and then, I opened a recently purchased book that I just love, and want to make every quilt in it, The Quilter's Negative Space Handbook, by Sylvia Schaefer. You know when the universe aligns and you just feel it deep in your heart, your solar plexus your mind, your third eye and you hear the choir voices soar? Yeah, that all happened....it was heat all right, of the This is the one! kind.

A quilt in a tree, Lake Erie in the background...pretty much all you need to know about me in one photo.

Island Batik Ambassador Box #2!

It was Christmas in July here a couple of weeks ago.

Twice a year, as ambassadors, Island Batik sends us a box, a big one, of goodies: fabric, thread from Aurifil and batting from Hobbs Batting, and this year another AccuQuilt die, to use over the course of the next six months in our challenges. As an extra challenge/requirement, we had to make a video of ourselves opening our box this time. Gulp. So. For your viewing humour I mean pleasure, you can click below and spend seven minutes (yeah, I seem to have the gift of the gab) of your life that you will never get back, watching me open, live, no pre-viewing, sneaking a peek, just live at the time, seeing what was in that beautiful box!

Night Watch

I am on a roll! Two challenge pieces done well ahead of time! This month the challenge came from Aurifil, "to use any fabric art/non-traditional quilting/sewing/thread-painting technique using three Aurifil thread weights." We were to include three photos of how weights were used. Photos is never a problem for me! 

All of the fabrics, threads, and batting were provided to me by Island Batik, Aurifil and Hobbs, respectively. Allow me to walk you through the process that ended with this not-square, not round, not oval quilt.

Patio Chillin' Table Topper

This little DrEAMi! happened because I saved all the corner cut-offs from making individual flying geese from Lift Up, (how interesting, posted July 12, 2018, almost a year ago to the day), knowing they'd grow up into something useable, and then it was Wendy who gave me the 'something useable', idea a really cool table centrepiece for her patio table that you can see here at Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life. However, it did get stalled because of really big deadlines. So I put it onto my Q2FAL list because I wanted to use it this summer! I'm so glad I did two DrEAMi sessions to get it done!

Pastel Froth

Well look at me: it's not the last day of the month, or the first day of a new one, and my challenge is done! It was actually done a couple days ago, but A. rain all day yesterday, and B. sore finger from hand-stitching the facing meant I took breaks. This was an interesting challenge again this year: I made myself try this Texture Magic I've had for a few years with all the fabric to make the original project, but have kept putting it off. It also made me sit down and just do it: a faced binding. Yeah, I've quilted for over 20 years but have never finished a quilt in this way.

You know the saying about the biggest or hardest part of trying something new is the first step? I know that for a fact! Yet every time I do 'just do it' whether it's going for something scary in yoga like drop backs or going off on a travel adventure, or trying something new in my quilting/sewing life, I am always the richer for it, and the rush I get from facing the fears and conquering them is wonderful. Why don't you come on in and see what I made, or if you've been watching the progress on Instagram, then see how it all turned out?