Words to live by

can you see the sparkles

 A few years ago we were encouraged at guild to chose a word help us through the coming year. A word to live by, work by, or just keep us going. A friend reminded me of this the other day. Carla at Quilting by the River chose "pause". Which got me to thinking...and I went back to a word I used from a previous  year..."imagine"! It fits for me...imagine all the things we can do even during a lockdown/stay at home order. Imagine the things you can create, get finished or get started, clean, give away or just trash. It is okay to just let it go. I received this Christmas card a few years ago from a friend Joan and it was so pretty I framed it and it sits in my studio to remind me each day.

machine quilted by me

My second finish of the year was completed this week. It is a twin/lap size quilt from a BOM we did at guild this past year. I created my own setting for it as I was not fond of the two layout we were given. I especially like the striped fabric that I saved to use for the binding. It will be added to the growing pile of donation/charity quilts that I have.

loving the striped binding

For the last three days I have been working on some applique. It is a lot of individual pieces so lots of starting and stopping. But I have been listening to an audio book and getting it stitched. I have to finish this border and add it to the main body of the quilt that has been pieced for months....almost a year!!! This one needs to be done!! I think I will even hand quilt it so it will go right onto the frame. I have lots of time to do it now!! 

I will have "appliqueitis" when I finish

So applique is what I will be doing for slow stitching Sunday. I will be checking in with my friend Kathy and see what everyone else is working on today. I spent the morning shoveling and using the snow blower to get rid of the 7inches of snow we got yesterday and overnight. It sure has made everything look so pretty.

I would like to take a moment to send a special hug out to two quilter friends that have lost their husbands recently. Donna and Kay, I hope with your many friends, family and your love of quilting and crafts...that you will find some solace at this time. And to a neighbour friend Patty who also lost her husband suddenly. I am thinking of you all at this time.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Happy New Year

Carla's quilt along

 Or welcome to continued lockdown and getting things finished! And that is all I have to say about that subject...so onto more fun things. A new year is a good chance to survey the studio and figure out what to do. Things that need finishing and then there are always new projects that are jumping the line and wanting to be done. I have cleaned up the studio and found a few of both!!

I followed along with my friend Carla at Quilting by the River and her quilt-along. Her blocks were 9" finished and I decided to do 4.5" finished. It made a lovely baby quilt that I can gift at a later date. Machine quilted and bound last night....woohoo first finish of 2021!! The start of the quilt along can be found here and the rest on her facebook site.

BOM from guild

Next in line is a BOM from guild. Once everything closed last Spring we continued getting the blocks via email. I was not fond of the two finishing settings so I came up with one of my own. Couldn't go too big as I only had so much backing fabric. It will make a nice charity donation quilt. It is what I will be quilting on today. Machine quilting with a little hand quilting I am thinking maybe! It doesn't photograph well but is beige, soft blues and gray.

Yesterday I worked on the blocks for the Morewood Mystery from Meadow Mist Designs. I think the reveal will be next month. It has been a good mystery to work on at a very leisurely pace. One clue per month and she announced she will be starting another mystery in June or July!

Quilting is my first love but for those down times, I love knitting and other crafts. I was asked to make a doily for DH's aunt. I have done many before but for some reason this one was a challenge for me. Guess I can stroke that off my list of things I like to do. I am just happy it lays flat and hope that it will be large enough.

One last thing to finish off 2020.....someone posted last year that they kept their empty thread spools, just to see how many they used in a year. Well I decided to play along and in 2020 this is the pile I emptied....49 various spools. That is not including spools that I used and didn't empty! Do you want to play along with me this year!!

Hopefully if the good luck quilting gnomes are with me, I will be binding by the evening! Joining in with Kathy and her followers for some slow stitching!!

Reminiscing

Isn't that what December is for, well the last few days anyways as we await the New Year!!Over at Meadow Mist Designs they are encouraging bloggers to look back over the past year and sum up their blogs. Things learned, quilts finished and anything else quilty!

So I am attempting to chime in with my own view from my studio. This is the year we finally got to redoing where I sew. It was a living room(we also have a family room). I would hand quilt on the large frame in this room and use it in the Spring when the basement(where my sewing room was) was too cold. One year I just never moved back to the basement and am loving being on the main floor where I can see outside. I have laminate flooring now so no lost pins and office chairs move way more smoothly, sometimes too fast!!You can visit my studio pics here.

With the COVID hitting in March...I was thankful for my hobbies. They kept me busy and many items got started and completed.

keeping for me

whole cloth quilt I gave away

I finished my Frolic mystery in early January and also joined in a quilt along with Edyta Sitar. That one got finished and quilted straight away. Carla over at Quilting by the River is just finishing up a quilt along. I was one of  her pattern proofer so I got a bit of a start on the quilt. I did mine half sized. So instead of 9" blocks, mine are 4.5" blocks. That one is ready to be sandwiched!

In the mess that we call lockdown, social distancing, or just staying home and staying safe, I was able to finish hand quilting two quilts. One I gave away and one that I am keeping for myself.

class I was to teach

Eydta mystery quilt

quilt for Kathy

6"wonky stars

6" log cabin

I have also been doing lots of scrap quilts. A mini log cabin was completed from the scraps that made these wonky stars. Seems there is a never-ending supply of scraps.

Time at home meant I had time to clean, purge and just simply find out what I have. Many UFOs were found and this particular one I have had for probably more than 12 years. You can read the full story here. I still have the quilt till I get to see my friend Kathy.

So to sum it up, I made 12 quilts, 2 bags and one duvet cover. Gave away 6 quilts, kept one and one quilt and one duvet to be delivered. I also started 4 quilts that aren't finished as yet. WOW this even surprised me!! I am hoping that this year will be just as productive...with being in lockdown right now for two weeks...it is a start!!My hope is to get more of the UFOs in the basement finished. Some of them have been waiting for over 12 years so it seems this is a good year to clean them out!! Good luck with all you have in mind to get started, quilted and or finished!

Quiet Christmas

 The big day has come and gone! But at my house Christmas is going to last a bit longer. My daughter was coming home on boxing day but because of the provincial lockdown it wasn't going to work. So we will get together in January or February. I told her I would leave the tree up even if I had to decorate it for Ground hog's day or Valentine's Day!! So my hubby and I will have a second Christmas then!!

As life gets back to our usual routine....yesterday I decided to tidy up my sewing studio. It was long overdue!! I still had things hanging around from guild(which has not happened since last March). I figured it would be good to clean up and see just what I have in UFOs or other things that needed tending to.

I found 2 quilts that are in parts or just blocks from guild classes, a snowflake quilt that needs to be sandwiched and quilted, small  nine patches that I have been sewing as leaders and enders and while putting things in their rightful places, I came across this small wall hanging that just needs sandwiching and finishing. I know I didn't make this wall hanging, I think I rescued it from the charity table at guild. It came with 4 pieces of binding...I just might need those two smaller pieces to finish the binding!

wall hanging to finish

Sooo...I have no reason to say I have nothing to do, I just don't know where to start!! I think I will start small and go from there. A couple friends and I are starting a nine patch/log cabin quilt. One of  the friends(Pearl) wanted a leader and ender project. I found one for her! Another friend (Mallory)has already started with the nine patches. I think we have even coerced a couple other quilters into joining us!!

It is slow stitching Sunday! Wonder what Kathy is up to? With needle and thread or maybe knitting needles I will check in and see what everyone has been up to. For those reading in Ontario...enjoy your lockdown, find something fun to do!! Everyone else hope you are safe and healthy! 

Christmas completions in the home stretch!

 Raise your hand if you are all finish and ready for Christmas? I don't see many hands and that is okay, it means we are all crafters/quilters who are working like Santa, down to the last second. I am no exception, I started a project yesterday with the hopes of having it finished and under the tree by Thursday!! no pressure or as my daughter says "good thing you left lots of time to do it"!! It is a pile of cut pieces and some strip pieced sections waiting for me to get busy today! I also have some knitting that needs finishing...those gifts might include knitting needles if I don't get them quite finished!! haha

parts and pieces just waiting

But before sitting down to that there were some driveways that needed cleaning out. We got a dusting of snow last night and it continues to fall. I love watching it when it is snowing those large fluffy flakes with Christmas tunes playing in the background!

I will have a tea break later and will check in with Kathy and all the slow stitchers to see what everyone is finishing up today. It is a great source of inspiration to see what everyone is working on. Not that I need any more ideas...I need time to complete everything!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy and safe New Year!

P.S. Mr Snowman is still standing but has obtain a sign now!! I am thinking of adding a small tree with lights....will see if I have time this week!!

Oh how time flies

 Wish I could say I have been so busy sewing, quilting and knitting that I had no time to blog...but unfortunately that is only half true! There has only been knitting happening in my world. I decided this was the year that I was knitting for everyone. I have over half of the things made that I wanted to make and there is still enough time to finish the rest. I cannot share pics as yet because the recipients will know!!Shhh Christmas secrets!

We got our first significant dumping of snow last week...almost 12" or more! On Friday after shoveling and my daily walk...I decided it was the perfect day to make a snowman! I am young at heart and that is all that matters...no judging!!I took one pic (even got the dog in it) and then he got an upgrade yesterday with a new sign, a new hat and a dusting of snow!

Today is a day to stitch away the hours...maybe a couple Christmas movies while I knit up the remaining gifts. I will also be checking in with Kathy and seeing what everyone else is spending their Sunday doing!!

New month, new beginning!

binding going on

 November is the start of the wintery months in my neighbourhood. We had a cold but nice day yesterday for all the trick or treaters. Hubby and I sat outside for a few hours to handout candy. We don't get many visitors on Halloween so it was an early evening.

Today I set my mind to finishing machine quilting a single bed quilt I started the other day. The quilting got done and the binding started and then it was time to break for race day! Nascar's final playoff  race was today. Yes I have become a fan. I have a few more turns to do and the binding will be on as well. Then it is trim the quilt and hand stitch the binding down. I thought this would be my slow stitching but instead I was knitting. I am starting my Christmas knitting and am in the middle of a project. I only hope that I have enough yarn to finish it!! Yikes because I don't have enough time to rip it out and start again!!

Kathy's rule is needle, thread and slow stitching to quiet the mind. That is what I will be doing. Join Kathy and the others that are slow stitching today!

on my bulletin board to remind me

This week I received a thank you card from a young girl. I donate quilts to a young person's mental health ward at our local hospital and the card was from one of the recipients. It was a nice surprise to find in the mail as I had just dropped off three more quilts for the ward. It is sad to think that they are needed but I am glad that they are bringing comfort to these young people.