Happy Thanksgiving

It is Sunday of a long thanksgiving weekend. The turkey is cooking away and I have time to do a quick blog post.

1st one almost done

Just when I thought I was doing so well sewing this week...I had to stop and do necessary household things! It is that time of year...fresh meat is coming to our freezer. Yesterday it was 2 farm fresh turkeys with beef and chickens coming soon! So today while cleaning turkey bones that were simmered for soup broth, I was also defrosting the deep freezers! It was perfect timing as I did one thing the other was melting away.I just had to wipe up the water and repack the freezers. Good note here, I found a pie to bake for dessert tonight while I was cleaning!!

blocks from 2015-2nd quilt to finish

So on the sewing front, I machine quilted a Quilts of Valor quilt. I just have to do the outside borders and put some binding on. That will get done later this evening as my slow stitching Sunday project with Kathy. As many know I am not a fan of machine quilting but I do have to say it doesn't look too bad. I did free motion swirls on the main body and I used a stencil and will free motion the borders following those lines.
I have a second quilt top ready for quilting. There was almost enough backing and batting left from the first quilt to use for the second one. I will just have to add some length to each. Laying out this one and pin basting it might get done tomorrow as we don't have any holiday plans. You can see more about this quilt here.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend and all the leftovers for  this coming week!

Playing with Colours

hmm...look brighter in person

pattern and some pieces

This has been a week to play. I am back in my sewing room after a busy summer. I have gotten the fabric cut up and put into kits for one project that I can work on at my retreat in a couple of weeks. Aren't these colours wonderful...they are as bright as the colours that are happening outside in my neighbourhood. This is a sample for a class that I will be teaching later in 2020.

my neighbour's tree

I can hardly believe that it is October already. Moose hunting, leaves falling and retreat season. I will be leaving in a couple of weeks for a four day weekend of fun.We were going to go shopping beforehand but have decided we have enough and just need to sew it all up.

What do you take to retreat? One project to work on for the whole weekend or do you take many things so you don't get bored. I tend to take a couple projects to work on in the sewing room and some hand stitching or knitting for more quiet time in the evening...when my brain is too tired to sew!!

view of my creek

 So today I will be searching the UFO pile, looking in boxes and bags for things that could get completed or at the very least one step closer to being finished.
While I was going through some drawers I found some tree blocks that I won in a block lottery. No time like now to do something with them...they have only been sitting there for 4 years!!!!
I even found a piece of fabric to make sashing with and there was just enough. Now to sew it up into a top and add a border. I think it will be a donation to Quilts of Valor.

I plan on sewing the weekend away too. Should be able to get a few things accomplished. No time like now to get motivated!!
 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Quilt Show wind up

Every three years there is a quilt show in North Bay. It is unique as a guild does not sponsor or put it on. It is organized by a group who happen to belong to guilds in the area and many members from the guilds help but it is its own thing!

quilting in progress a year ago

Set up was friday night and it is always amazing how a show goes up in a couple of hours. The judging which started at 5 took the longest to do.There was a judged category and a regular category. The regular category was divided into 6 groups:bed hand quilted, bed machine quilted, wallhanging hand quilted, wallhanging machine quilted,youth category and miscellaneous category. We had over 180 items entered. There was also a silent auction, vendors market and a tea room. Lots to see and do over the weekend.

started the quilting a year ago

I entered two quilts in the judged section and although I love my quilts...the judges did not.
But I do have news to share...the viewers liked one of my other quilts, enough to award it with a second in bed hand quilted. I am pretty proud of this quilt as it took a couple years to finish. The blocks were done 3 or 4 years ago and it took the intervening time to complete the embroidery and hand quilt the top.

2nd place bed quilt-hand quilt 

All profits from the quilt show, silent auction and raffle go to our local hospital for the adolescent mental health ward and to the mammography department for equipment. I will find out in a couple weeks what we gave them. I am sure it was a successful show and our donation will be great.

Now it is time to get the house cleaned up and get into the sewing room and start creating projects for the next show in three years. Seems far away but it will be here before we know it!!