Sewwww busy!!

At the start of the week, I promised many blog posts...well?! That didn't happen but sewing did happen and I was so busy completing things that I was on a roll and didn't want to take away from the sewing to do computer work. And it is work for me sometimes!

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My week started with these visitors to our backyard...porcupines and there were two of them...hope they leave and never return!!!
So today I will catch you all up on what I have been up to. So I got the binding on two large quilts that my friend Susan long armed for me.You can read more about them here. I completed the Christmas runner for my sister in law and I also finished that Christmas stocking(more pictures on that later after it has been gifted).
This week I worked on this brown x's and o's quilt. I machine quilted it and did some hand quilting as well. It just needs the binding finished.
Another quilt that I worked on was a new pattern that is coming out soon. My friend Carla from Quilting by the River asked me to look over the pattern and try to put a block together. I couldn't see doing just one block so I decided to make this quilt with some scraps I had. I ran out of the one floral and added another one part way through...hardly noticeable! I did some machine quilting on it and have decided to also do some hand quilting on it. That is left to do and the binding of course.

going to look cute

I have also prepared the borders for another quilt top. I have sewn the borders altogether and will be cutting them and doing mitered corners. So that will wait for another day. Today I am continuing to work on something I started yesterday. A commissioned piece for a friend. I will show a bit but no finished pics till it is gifted. It is fussy cutting using steam a seam. I will also being doing some embroidery and machine stitching to make the characters on the quilt come to life. Well that is what I am hoping for anyways. And while I was stash-diving....I found the perfect piece of fabric for the backing...although not quite enough I will put borders on the top and bottom and it will be perfect.

messy cutting table

There will be slow stitching today as I attempt to sew down all the steam a seam pieces. So I will be joining Kathy and doing some slow Sunday stitching today. This is what it looks like out my window so it is the perfect day for sewing and working in my studio!

Weekend done....week ahead to sew!

Bonnie Hunter's Jamestown Landing

If everything was at hand and all I had to do was sew, it would be so easy. But it seems that every time I need something or start a new project...it is 20-30 minutes of searching for a pattern, book or just the right coloured fabric. Only good thing about it, is my storage area of such things is in the basement and my studio is on the main floor of the house...so I get in a few more steps each time.

looks perfect on the lawn with leaves

So I have made and put the binding on one large quilt. Jamestown Landing and it is almost sewn to the back by hand. I have also made and sewn binding to another quilt.I finished this top over 12 years ago. About time it was finished.A friend challenged me to make it while she was making one for herself. I got the top done quickly but didn't want to hand quilt it and didn't want to incur the expense of long arm quilting it until now. My friend Susan did the long arming for me. That will be the next binding to get finished.

start of a stocking

Yesterday with many steps to the basement, I started this Christmas project, a stocking. It will be very cute when it is finished but it is a surprise so...shhhh!!!! This is all you get to see for now.

This is also voting day locally. It means big changes for our household as my hubby has been the deputy mayor for the last 4 years and will be replaced tonight after all the votes are counted. I cannot say I will be sad to see the end of those days...meetings and time away from home. Getting my "honey do list" updated and ready as he will have more time now!!

More sewing to come this week...feeling ambitious and hoping for good sewing days! Might start a new Christmas quilt along over at Temecula Quilt company-Secret Santa Sew Along. Anyone else want to take the plunge with me and my friend Kathy!!?

Hunting Season means Quilting!

Yes it has begun!! But that means sewing season for me. I have been on the road a lot lately. In my last post I was in Guelph for their guild's quilt show. You can check that out here! Then it was thanksgiving weekend. With no rest, I had to start packing for my annual quilting retreat.  Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, no cooking or cleaning just sewing, quilting and lots of chatting!
I took many projects with me and worked on all but one of them. Did I get anything finished...nope!But with a good start to many, this week I have good intentions of finishing a few of them and starting a couple more!

In the midst of all this my friend Susan long armed a couple quilts for me and returned them to me, so they will need binding too.It will be great to get them finished. One is Jamestown Landing by Bonnie Hunter and the other one is a log cabin style quilt I sewed up over 12 years ago. A friend challenged me to make it with her. Hmmm....wonder if she ever got it finished?

I hope you will check back and see how my progress is. It is late evening here and I am finishing this up so I can go watch Bonnie Hunter's quilt cam. I will be doing some binding and hexies as I watch.
I will post pics tomorrow when the lighting in my sewing room is better.

Looking forward to the weekend, hope you are too and happy quilting!!

Thanksgiving Weekend

poppies hand quilted

great machine quilting

For me this is the official end of the summer. With everything changing colour to shades of oranges and yellow...you know the snow isn't far off!

more beautiful hand quilting

This also is the time of year that a few quilt shows happen. I recently attended the Guelph guild's quilt show with my friend Louise and her sister Barb(who is a member of the guild) and was amazed. So many beautiful quilts...and lots of them were hand quilted and not just lightly but with dense patterns. Hand quilting is my first love when it comes to quilts. But that technique has been lost over the years with machine quilting and long arm quilting. It was nice to see such a resurgence in this part of quilting.I am hoping more quilters discover its pleasure and relaxing quality.

embroidered twins mini

my fav mini win

Also at the show you could buy tickets on mini quilts that the members had made. I was lucky enough to win several of them. And although they were small, some of them really packed a punch and the workmanship was wonderful. Thank you ladies for all your hard work!!!

happy mini

October is also the time of year I get ready for my annual quilting retreat. We are headed north of me to Temagami. We were there last year . Today I tried to decide what to take but this cold I have just wanted me to nap instead. So tomorrow is the day I have to get my things together and plan what I am going to do. Although I don't leave till Thursday, I have a few other obligations this week so better now!
Do you go on retreat or travel with your quilting? How do you decide what to take or what you want to do? Do you like to only take one thing and work on it till it is finished or do you like variety and the ability to work on many projects so as to not get bored? I think I am the latter. I have many projects on the go right now and could get them all one step further along in the process. But then I think if I took only two or three, maybe I could get them completely finished!!!Oh dear what am I to do! Which mood will I be in and do I take two machines? It is hard being a quilter!!!
Tonight my dear daughter and her boyfriend have headed back home and DH is out playing music so it is just me and the dog and some slow stitching and a movie. I am checking in with my buddy Kathy to see what she is up to. I missed seeing her at the quilt show I attended which was unfortunate maybe we will see each other the next time I am down that way!
So this is going a little long. I haven't been a good blogger but I promise to try to do better. With summer behind me...I will have more time now...who am I kidding!!!