Charity Quilt for a Senior #2

And a finish for a Friday.  :-)  Hold onto your hats for a LOT of pictures.

I decided that this year I wanted to give a minimum of two quilts to the seniors' residence across the street from our home in Kingsville.  Unfortunately, but really, yay, no seniors in that residence are in wheelchairs.  So I called another, Royal Oak, and they were happy to accept quilts from me, quite tickled, in fact.

Playing with the layout on the design wall

The lady to whom I spoke said there are a few residents who rarely have family visit :-((( and so she will ensure these go to them.

Slight change, and I went with this instead of over-thinking things as I am wont to do!

We made charity quilts for wheelchair-bound seniors once before in the Alberta guild I belonged to.  These two need their ties sewing on in the top two corners yet.  That way the quilt stays secure on the lap without danger of falling off and catching under the wheels.

I seem to be on a diagonal kick with the layout of quilts I design...

Flimsy done

I had fun with the back, since I didn't have enough of the Robert Kaufman fruity fabric.

Think I STILL have about 20 3" blue squares left!

I had several squares left from Shamrock.  So when Cindy at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework started the latest Scrap-a-Palooza quilt, I just knew I could use them up in this quilt, my eighth of her scrap-a-palooza series.  I started sewing the 9-patches a couple of days before we left Florida, knowing that I would have an all-over print that I could incorporate for a few large squares.  I love jewel-toned colours.

This is an oldie, bought in a small town quilt shop on sale; at the time I thought it might work for Paula Nadelstern kaleidoscopes, but nope not symmetrical

I don't know why I only had half the width times about a yard and a quarter.  I have NO idea what I did with the first half...Stack 'n Whack?? If so, I gave the quilt away...  Or maybe my friend LuEllen and I split this fabric?  Uh yeah, it's been that long...

I'm happy to say this is all that is left, this plus two strips from the edges that are on the strips pile...(for more string quilts in all probability).

What do I do with these??

I cut several 2.5" squares of the fruity fabric, and I will cut more of the deep red (I still have a fairly large chunk of that left since I only needed 15" X the length of the quilt).  I am glad to see that I have learned from Cindy about scraps as far as organizing in strips and 2.5" squares, but I don't know what to do with these 4-5" by 9-13" ... I will save them for now, and maybe they will grow up into a bars quilt down the road, right?

Pre-washing texture...

Instead of a meander like I did in quilt #1, I picked a meander from Christina Cameli's Step by Step Free Motion Quilting.  I just LOVE this book, so glad I added it to my FMQ book collection.  This is Lilypad, and I love it!!  I did it on a larger scale for the most part, as I wanted this done fast.

Post-washing texture...love it.

In each of the four fruity 7.5" blocks I did a Dot to Dot design of Angela Walters'.  I wanted to practise ruler work before tackling Dayna's graduation quilt.

Wait, what?  Dayna's quilt?  I know, it's not been on the blog officially, as it was a surprise for her, although you did see some of it in this tutorial... I will post about it now she's seen the flimsy. I might not have finished the gift in time...and it's not the first time I've been late with a gifted quilt, red face of shame...

A view of the back:

It's really cuddly.  I used Pellon Nature's Touch 100% cotton batting as I did in quilt #1.  I just love this soft batting.  No affiliation, but I should talk to them; I'm giving these quilts away, and waxing poetic about their batting, right?!

Closer view so you can hopefully see the effect of the Dot to Dot designs.

So then I took the quilt outside onto the front porch as opposed to the washed-quilt shots on the floor of the front entryway...

For the binding, I just turned the backing to the front with a double-fold à la placemats.  I love the way it turned out!

I used Fufu's rayon and outside of a couple breakage issues, it quilted great, and has blended and sunk in wonderfully with the fabrics.

This design of Angela's is awesome in a busy print, and easy to stitch out!

Another great design of Angela's, good in a busy print

Trying to get all 3 in a row of the Dot to Dot designs

Both quilts!

This shot makes me happy!

The folded up shot, blue string quilt on top...

And

Fruity quilt on top--can you spot my signature initials/name?

Ha, just thought Tutti Fruity (sp) would have been a good name for quilt #2, but I didn't name either one.

Quilty loveliness

Charity Quilt Stats:
Size: ~29X37"
Pattern: Scrap-a-Palooza #15 Rainbow 9-patch
Fabrics: scraps from my stash
Batting: Pellon Nature's Touch 100% cotton
Threads: pieced with Gutermann; quilted with Fufu's Rayon, The Bottom Line in the bobbin
Quilted on my Avanté

What's next?
Well, this

Hands2Help Charity quilt-to-be for Because You Matter

and this

Fabrics for one of Cheryl's quilt patterns I'm testing--needs a neutral, yes?

Random:
My mum gave me a two-mug set that I just LOVE, when she was here.  It's from Serenity Lavender Farm.  We both helped to support her business when we stopped in for a visit!  I knew I'd use the box the mugs came in in my sewing corner, and last night, I got rid of the $1 store basket as a catch-all on my cutting table/pressing area, and replaced it:

I love organization, but pretty organization is even better!

Gotta say how much I also love my Elmer's school glue for binding now, mmm!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict (whoop! whoop! for my finish) and Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish it up Friday, and TGIFF which is at...HEY!  it's in Edmonton, Alberta, where I was born and raised :-)  at Slostudio. 

One Lovely Blog Award

Two days ago I got the most lovely email.  Lisa of Sunlight in Winter Quilts, a sister Ontarian, wrote to tell me she'd nominated my blog for this award!

Was I ever touched.  I had never heard of this, but it is a terrific idea as a way to recommend other blogs to your readers, and thus, find new blogs, and make new friends.  Moreover, it really makes a person's day when they hear they've been nominated.  :-)

The idea of this award is to basically spread the love, by nominating other bloggers, mostly newer ones, that I think should be recognized.  This way, we bring attention to blogs that we think are lovely, that we enjoy reading, and that we think others should too!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Spring 2015 - Entry #2

I am happy to share with you my choice for my second entry into the Blogger's Quilt Festival! Although I have had just a small amount of time to glance through some of the entries, I am just so impressed and inspired by what quilters around the world are doing every minute of every day, 24/7!  It's a feast for the eyes, a massage for the spirit, a flame to ignite creativity...and it's F. R. E. E. !!!  Thank you Amy!

Although the main voting begins May 22, you can now vote for your 3 favourite quilts in the Viewers' Choice.  Go here to vote.  Anyone with an email address can vote for the favourite three within the entire festival.

So without further ado, here is my second entry, my Seashell Runner.  I am entering it into Small Quilts.  It is too big perimeter-wise for the mini quilts category, and I already put a quilt into Art Quilts, and I'm not sure whether this really is an art quilt...maybe they need a runners category, right?!

I bought the pattern several years ago in Florida at a quilt shop.  I wanted something designed by a local, and I'd planned to make it for the condo we owned at that time in Florida.  I picked up several fat quarters of batiks I thought would work.

And there it sat, in a drawer, for several years.

This winter, I took it down to Florida once again (yep, it went down...and back north last winter, not gonna lie) and put it on my Q1 FAL list.

And got it done!  Here is the back:

All the satin-stitching and quilting detail looks pretty cool.

I was so pleasantly surprised that it fits absolutely perfectly on the coffee table in our house we now own in Florida.  Love that.

I brought it back north for show 'n tell at my Kingsville guild meeting, and was even more happy to find that it fits here on our coffee table!  We live on Lake Erie, so the shells theme works here too, maybe not so much the sharks' teeth and starfish, but that's okay.

It's pretty unique as far as quilted runners go; each shell or shark's tooth is made individually and then all the shells, starfish and sharks' teeth are tacked together.  You can read more about the process here and here, and the finish here.

One more detail shot:

You can find this quilt in the Small Quilts category.  Remember that the thumbnails change places each time you visit a page, so you have to hunt through all the tantalizing pics to find the one you want.  Good strategy for more than one reason, wink.

Voting starts May 22, but you can vote now for Viewers' Choice - pick your fave three quilts!  It is so interesting (and a vortex to be sure, but a good vortex) to go and see all the many many entries.  And thank you so very much to Amy at Amy's Creative Side for organizing this twice yearly event--she's been doing this since 2009!!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Spring 2015 - Entry #1

Good thing I have good friends like Judy who cue me in to the happenings in quilting blogland. Otherwise I'd remain under my rock, that, or find out about things too late.

So I did know about Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis May 15-17; I've really enjoyed reading all about the prep work that goes into making a booth for the show in Carrie Nelson's posts for Moda Fabrics.  Well, Amy at Amy's Creative Side holds a Bloggers' Quilt Festival for those of us who can't attend market, so that we get some eye candy and inspiration, fun and friends to help quell the emotions of wishing we were there!  I just found out on her festival page that she has been doing this since 2009, twice each year! Wow.  I've entered twice before and each time encounter new blogs and many many creative people.

My first entry is Gears for My Gearhead, a suggestion by Judy.  I would not have even thought of it!  I am entering it into the Art Quilt category. Here is the original finish post and here is the construction post.

Vamps Like Us, Avril We Were Born to Quilt

Get it?!

(sidenote: so this was basically ready to go last night, minus the final outside shots, as I had to wash the quilt this morning.  Gremlins!  None of the photos I took this morning would show up in picmonkey, none would even show in blogger--grrr---messed around for a long time...finally restarted the computer and all was found by the programmes I need.  Love/hate technology.)

It's a wonderful thing, walking Rocco.  I get into quite the meditative state, and good ideas, inspiration, and profound insights abound.  It happened this morning, inspiration for a post about Avril, my Avanté.

I love Bruce Springsteen.  MacGyver and I bonded over Bruce,  Bruce's "Born to Run" LP  to be exact.  We both had it.  My taste in music did, and still does, cover a wide range, from classical, to blues, to hard rock.  So does MacGyver's, but more in the jazz, to blues, to hard rock and heavy metal range.  We converged in Bruce.

Thankful Thursday #10 - Humour and Scraps

When I shared this hilarious story yesterday with Lara of Buzzin' Bumble, I realized it was good fodder for spreading some cheer...at my expense.  But hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, well, you must be a pretty grouchy person! It's going to be a bit wordy, so I will interject some garden and some quilty pics as we go.  If you persevere, I'm sure you will laugh out loud at the moron I can be all too often...

So today I am so grateful for my sense of humour!

My blog is named a rather odd name for a blog that mainly is about quilting.  It started about 3 years ago when my brother and I exchanged several pensive, soul-searching emails regarding life at the eyebrow-raising age he was approaching and I had just entered, the 50s.  Your life is half over.  Yet you have the coming half to look forward to, and, if you've been careful and wise with your spending and saving, you will have SO MUCH to look forward to.  We covered various topics but a lot had to do with age, and working and how long to work and what to do when not working, etc.  I had a few events placed in my path thanks to the powers of the Universe, Great Benevolent Presence, God, Goddess, call this Divinity what you will.  These events helped shape the path I was contemplating, that of quitting my job pre-pension-receiving age, a full 9 years before I'd be even eligible for  a full pension, of moving to the other end of the country, 2000 miles away from my family, and taking a step into the unknown.

Land of Hope and Glory (and the SMS Giveaway Winners!)

I'm feeling rather misty this evening.  My mum left this afternoon, taking the beautiful weather with her, and, as I type, is being buffeted a bit by the jetstream as she flies west to her home in Alberta.  Sniff.  The west winds buh-LEW hard today, as a cold front blew in.  Just what IS with this anyhow?  Please Mama Nature, blow gentle spring breezes my way, warmth that stays.  I am sitting on a quilt, another one on my lap, slippers on...come ON, enough already!

So I just sat and finally read through all 114 comments and I must say, this contributed to my general state of mistiness, as many of them made me choke up.  Many made me smile.  A few I read aloud to my husband, such as "meeting" another WSU mum whose daughter graduated the same day as mine, hearing from another who grew up in Kingsville and taught at the high school in town, or another whose own mother also lives in Alberta, 2000 miles from where she is now... Thank you for writing personal comments, thank you for sharing your fun ways to spend time with your mums, thank you for writing such nice things about my blog and my quilts, and thank you to those of you who are now following me, even one on Feedly!  Who knew.

Here is the reason for the first half of the title of this post:

I got the breakfast tray mat done in time for Mother's Day!  Okay, confession: I gave it to my mum sans binding; but I bound it that night.

The back - so glad I found this fabric at Hawthorne Threads!

My mum's favourite colour is green.  I had hoped to do the turn-the-backing-to the front for a self-binding technique I've used in the past, most recently on my dot to dot placemats as well as on hotmats. Unfortunately I didn't have enough fabric.  I had this green left over from Shamrock, and it was perfect.  Speaking of leftover fabric, the red and the navy are scraps from several years ago, and the white is Kona cotton that I already had, both in my stash and in my scraps.

I didn't do (okay, I forgot to do) a label, so I wrote right on the fabric to document the little quilt.

You can see that I machine-stitched the binding down, not my preferred method, as I prefer the hand-stitched look, but this is quick and durable too.  And I'm getting better at stitching in the ditch on the front and catching the edge on the back with one pass!

This morning I washed the placemat, and then set the stage for the crinkly look photo shoot:

I happened to have a fair number of quite quintessentially English "props" if you will!  The tea cosy on the teapot was made by my great-auntie Ruth, my nana's sister.  She, like a few quilting people I know, couldn't follow a pattern, so she just made it up as she went.  Talent.  Capital T.  I didn't realize how well her cosy went with the scene until I set the teapot down (oh yes there was tea in it; my mum's from breakfast!).  My mum bought me the Lancashire Eccles cakes (my mum's home county) from the British shop in Edmonton, as she also did the Smiths Chipsticks.  Both have been sampled, of course!  We also found Blimey's, a new British shop in Harrow, a mere 13 km from me!  They, too, carry these very same Eccles cakes (dangerous) as well as Dolly Mixtures, Vimto, and many other British foods and items, including Downton Abbey, Coronation Street, and Dr. Who swag.  Another "who knew" that I found thanks to my mother.

Then I remembered the Lancashire cheese she'd also brought me, and that she found at Fred's in Windsor!  So previous photo: tea cosy on..... next photo: tea cosy off!

The 2-cup teapot is a gift from my eldest daughter, Brianne.  Keep Calm and...

 Drink Tea.  Of course!

Okay, that was too much fun.  Here you can see the mat, nice and crinkly.  The binding was perfect too I think, a nice frame to finish it off.

And, for those of you fit and proper, "Britannia rule the waves" souls such as my mum, this Union Jack is true to the actual flag, as per this British site.  The narrow white stripes are in their proper places, as are the wider white ones and the white-red-white stripes in each of the four quadrants are not on the diagonal.   I got this tutorial, which is very well written, from Molli Sparkles.

This completes one of the goals on my list for the second quarter of 2015.  I am linking up with several of the buttons on my sidebar, including Oh Scrap! Let's Bee Social, TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday.

Gosh! Nearly forgot!  Bahaha.  Here are the three winners of the giveaway so kindly sponsored by Cheryl, of Meadow Mist Designs.  I started counting comments last night around 9:30-9:45 when I did the random number generator, and well, I was TOO TIRED!!  This morning I tried to figure out how to change the HTML code with a great link to a tutorial (thanks Judy) so that my comments are automatically numbered, but I am at sea (on the waves, get it).....so I have had to count by hand after all... and if you are like my sister, Linda, who studies each photo, you will notice I drew the third winner this morning.  That's because apparently I really was tired last night: the third number I put into the random number generator I inserted 11 instead of 1 as the lower limit!  So I redrew this am to be fair.  ;-)

The winner of the Peanut Butter Quilt pattern

is

Kathy H. (her second comment was #104)

The winner of the Charming Quilt pattern

is

kupton52

And finally, the winner of the Pike's Peak Quilt pattern

is

Mindy

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for entering and for leaving such wonderful comments. I read every single one.  :-) I will be contacting these three lovely ladies by email today.