I'm sooo excited!!

quilt needs to be added to the wall

sewing area  with some storage

Why you ask am I so excited? Well if you read my last post(you can see it here) renovations got underway. Today the biggest part of the work is done, with just a few extras that need to be added(light fixture and curtain rod). I also want to hang a quilt on the bare wall above the ironing board. The room is very bright and airy so much so that you almost need sunglasses on the sunny days. It looks very sterile and white but is actually an off white colour with white trim. After much thinking and pondering, I figured a way to layout the furniture so I could make good use of the space and also bring upstairs my large ironing surface. My large cutting table will double as a flat area when I am machine quilting. Feeling very excited to get to work in my new space. So what is the first project...that pile on the table is a whole cloth quilt that I have had for a few years. It is time for it to be finished. I will be slow stitching with Kathy on that today...all day....as I watch curling on you tube.

our view from the sewing area of The Loft

l-r Bernadette, Trudy and me great supper

My other news is I was away with two friends last weekend. Hey Kathy we were retreating on the same weekend...great minds!! |My friend Carla of Quilting by the River has a loft that she rents out. It is a quiet, tranquil place to relax for a weekend and get some sewing/quilting projects done. No television or internet but there is cell service if you need it.I decided to take only hand work. So I had two smaller quilts to finish the binding on and then there was the whole cloth quilt. I knew I would never finish it but took my hexies and some knitting just in case I got bored. I went with my friends Bernadette and Trudy and Bernadette was our cook all weekend and everything was delicious!! We were the first "Lofters" as Carla's hubby named the users of the space.We will definitely being going back...soon!!

Well I must hurry hurry!!!(curling lingo) as the rocks are calling!! Have a great week!

Renovations!!

Tis the season! Christmas and holidays are over and the winter is stretching out before us. So DH gave me the warning I told him he would have to. I need a week to clear things away and get the room ready for him to work in. So today began the chore. It actually was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought to take some pics after I started cleaning so it doesn't really show the creative mess it was!!It is amazing how much dust and lint there is around on the floor and tables. New floor, fresh coat of paint and maybe new curtains and I will have a new-to-me sewing studio!
I am sure there will be some purging as things go back into place. You will have to wait till then for "after" pics!!
I am keeping a machine and work space just in case but everything else has found a new temporary home.I have a couple BOM that need to get done and preparations for a workshop that I am teaching in March. So those projects have been left readily available.

Quilting along....

binding choices(gray day here=bad photos)

but quilting lines really show up

Yesterday was a quilting day. I had spent several hours(wasted more like it) looking for a pattern or way to quilt my brightly pieced quilt. Finally I said to DH, even if I find something I am not near ready to sit down and quilt. So prep work began...find a backing and baste the quilt. Now I have heard quilters say their quilts talk to them and I have never had that happen till yesterday. While basting, the quilt talked to me about how it wanted to be quilted. I am using the walking foot and can and did do lots of continuous lines, not too many starts and stops. I was finished last night and said it just needs a  little more, so I have 12 more stars in the center of the blocks to finish today. Then it will be time to make the binding and attach it. I am doing a two coloured binding with lime green on the back and a dark pink on the front.I couldn't find a single colour that would work as the backing is a bit lighter in colour than the colours on the front of the quilt. You can see the whole quilt top from a previous post.

Now this could be my slow stitching for today but I am saving up some hand stitching for a weekend away that I am going on in a couple weeks. This will be my second binding project I get to take with me. I have started an applique project(was in my last post here) and it will be coming along too! Then there is always my hexies and some knitting.


Although I will be checking in with Kathy today, this afternoon hand stitching time will be on hold till after supper.
Love quilting on my new machine, so watch for more finishes in the coming weeks!! Enjoy your day and here's hoping that groundhog is nice to us!!!

Done at Last

Frolic mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter

The Frolic mystery is done!!! WOOHOO!! I even added a small white border on the outside although you can't see it on the snow. Fresh snow is clean and the best backdrop for picture taking. It is a completed top now but I think it will go into time out for a little while. I was a bit consumed with getting this one completed and so now onto other things.
Other things could be figuring out what to do with the leftover pieces. But do I really want to continue to play with these colours when there are so many other colours and projects I could be working on!

This is the next thing on my to do list. I have all the blocks made already and just have the applique to do. So I will start with the center, sew up the quilt and then add the outside border of applique later. I think this is what I will be working on tomorrow at our sewing day with friends. The quilt is only 73 x 86 so I might consider making more blocks and surrounding the outside applique with a row or two of blocks. Just a thought and I am no where near that yet!!

Happy sewing Tuesday!!

Been "Frolic"king!!!

one star's missing a couple points

Frolicking is to play or move energetically,cheerfully and excitedly. I have been sewing three days now on this Frolic mystery and I am running out of energy, excited to be finished and cheerfully looking forward to putting the binding on this one and the top is quite done yet,just 3 borders left to do. I am determined to get it done before this Wednesday so I can sew on something different at my sewing/quilting group!This pic was from yesterday, good thing I noticed my mistake before I went any further. This pic is for my friend Pearl....see I make crazy mistakes too!!Today I finished the sewing to the border point. I have a couple days till Wednesday.

Our little oak tree

With January almost over, my friend Carla at Quilting by the River reminded me to pick a word for the year. After pondering it and a suggestion or two from Natalie and Bernadette, I have decided "flourish"is my word. It has flair, movement, I can see the stash moving into quilts and finished quilts flying out the door to new owners!! It also has a personal meaning for me. To flourish, to grow in a healthy way, to developing in a successful way. All the things I hope for in the coming year!
We have had more snow and rain over the weekend. I took a walk today in the winter wonderland and took pics for everyone to see(since winter pics from my last post were appreciated).

Today I have also checked in with Kathy and what everyone might be working on. I really want the borders on my mystery so slow stitching will be this evening in front of the TV. Enjoy whatever frolicking or flourishing you get
to do!!!

Let it snow....

newest bag &inside pic below

As predicted the snow storm came yesterday and stayed all day and into the evening. That meant I could sew as much and for as long as I wanted. I had no plans to do anything or go anywhere in that weather!!

I was going to start by working on Frolic mystery, but decided if I started there that would be all I would do all day. So instead I finished machine quilting a quilt of valor quilt that was made by someone else. I am using my new machine and giving it its first workout(well on a quilt). I even got the binding on it. That is where the progress ended yesterday on that project. It will be ready for some slow stitching time later today.

quilt of valor

I was already sewing with the machine earlier this week, when I took the small flimsy from my last post and made it into a bag this week. I watched Bonnie Hunter put binding on a pillow and decided why not try it on a bag. It is a little tricky but it worked and looks great too. I even used up some orphaned binding that I had laying in my sewing room. It was the perfect colour.

front yard,deck is 2 feet off the ground

                                                                                                          Yesterday turned out to be a very productive day working in the sewing room. After supper last night I was playing catch up,working on the Frolic mystery. I am on the last clue as the reveal was on Friday, but there is still lots of sewing to do before this is a finished top. So after the job of snow removal is done today, I will start back at this and see how far I get. I have to save some afternoon time for slow stitching with Kathy. We were having the same snow storm as she did although I think we got a little more snow(8-10 inches) and it was blowing quite hard.I love the snow and watching it fall.Today the sun is shining and I think it looks so pretty!! Winter wonderland!!

tried to get birds but they flew away

pattern is dancing nine patch by Bonnie Hunter

 This little fellow and the quilt he is on were gifted yesterday to a volunteer firewoman(should be a word)who is on the same crew as my DH. It will be perfect for her little fellow!

Snow day!

looks better on the snow then last week's purple sheet

It has been a messy couple of days. Rain, pouring at time to sleet and finally snow. We got snow yesterday and then again overnight...almost 12" altogether. So today started with cleaning driveways. I look after my mother's and aunt's and hubby does our's. Thank goodness the snowblowers started and ran so I could get the job done quickly and get home to do what I really want to do.

I have finally finished this quilt top. Although it looks simple, looks are deceiving! The initial center circles were put in place and the rest of the quilt bloomed from there. Each piece having its place like putting a puzzle together. This will be my #2 sample for a class I am teaching in March.

I have set aside Bonnie's mystery for now. I am in a design dilemma. I am using single fabrics (not scrappy) and the placement of the light blue and dark blue I don't want to be random. I have an idea of what the layout might be so instead of doing a whole lot of sewing and not liking it, I have chosen to wait it out...besides I think it won't be long before the final reveal!!! maybe even this week!!!

small quilt for the front of a bag

So with the mystery set aside...I needed a leader and ender for the sewing I was doing. I started making little 5 1/2" finished log cabin blocks for a bag to go with these applique hearts. That got me thinking that I could use up some scraps and make more of these blocks for a small quilt. They are the perfect size for leader and enders too. Only problem is I have to cut the individual pieces from my string bucket and it is a mess and although I have made 30+ blocks...I haven't even put a dent in the bushel basket!!

small 51/2" finished log cabins. so cute

Some may wonder why I am not making shoo fly blocks. I just finished a quilt with small churn dash blocks  and the shoo fly is similar so wasn't going there. Besides I am making  wonky star blocks and they are somewhere in this sewing room!! hmmm!!
I will take a peek at Kathy's blog and see what she and the others are up to today. I will be trying to put the log cabin bag together and cut more pieces for the log cabin blocks to sew on my Wednesday sewing day. Who knows, I might even have time to start a new quilt or more likely to work on a UFO!!!

Happy sewing !!