Mom's Christmas Quilt

Hi all!

For my last post of 209, I thought I'd show you the quilt I finally finished for my mom.
I started it in 2017, then put it aside for some reason that sounded good at the time. (Cannot remember what?)
This year at our guild we continued a UFO challenge. (Un Finished Objects) My mom'd quilt was on the list and the first to be picked to finish!  So away we go!  Let me start by saying I learned a very important lesson.  Denim is heavy, tough and stubborn!  I went through 7 Denim needles and a couple small cones of thread.  I was tired after each day I wrestled with this heavy thing trough my domestic machine!  But it was so worth it!  It turned out great!

I used June Taylor's Charming Circles Template to start, then thought I could do it quicker with an Olfa circle cutter.  Nope!  The denim fought back and tore up the skin of my fingers after 20 or 40 circles.  I needed 304.  Towards the end, I went back to the template to trace and hand cut them.

I used denim from all our family members and bought some pink Northcott fabric for the 5" squares.
Sewed the squares to the back of the denim, then the circles into rows and connected the rows.

As I mentioned, toward the end, the weight of the fabric was a challenge to keep under control and not strain my machine.  I got my hubby to come see and take pics to understand why I am NOT interested in quilting anything larger than a baby quilt on my domestic machine!

Once sewed together and quilted, I ran it through the washing machine and then 3 sets of 30 minute intervals in the dryer.  The lint trap needed to be emptied so not to over heat the machine.

So here is the final work about to be given to my mom for Christmas.  I added embroidered info in the bottom corner today and after this photo session, I packed it up for our trip south. This post is being written a few days before and scheduled, as I do not want to forget to share!

Happy New Year to you all and may you knock off some UFOs of your own!
Hugs!
Cindy

Merry Christmas!

Hello!

I still make some cards for special occasions and of course Christmas!

This year I made these cards for my sister and mother to send to family and friends.

Our cards looked like this.

I also participated in an ABC tag swap with friends from Alberta.  Each year we get given a letter of the alphabet and need to make 26 identical tags with the theme of Winter Wonderland.  My letter this year was 'T'.  We then get a full alphabet back each year.

I've only got a few more letters to do until I have done the entire alphabet!  Yay!  I hope your winter celebrations are filled with love and family!  See you in 2020!

Hugs,
Cindy :)

Refurbished Quilt

Hello!

We just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this past September.  This was an almost 3 week trip south to the ABC islands and Florida.  As we have a fur-baby that needs to be taken care of, my sister was kind enough to come up to the Soo and do this for us.  So I decided to finish re-making a quilt our grandmother had given her years ago, as a thank you.

Now this quilt was pieced by our aunt, and then hand quilted by our grandmother.  The fabrics she used were the clothing that was worn by the family over the years.  All her quilts are this way.  We love them!  My sister REALLY loved hers.... to pieces!  Some of the fabric was disintegrating and the back was in shreds.  When she gave it to me, she asked if I could repair it.  I said no.  BUT maybe I could use parts of it to make her something smaller?  She readily agreed as she wanted something of our grandmother to keep.

  So I spent some time taking the blocks apart and then using a fabric shaver to get rid of the pills.  I cut the blocks down to a uniform size.  then sat down to figure out what I could do.  My sister had created these tie died pieces the summer before, and one of them were the perfect colours to add to this quilt.  Then, I used some sleeves of our father's shirts to make a border.

The backing and binding are flannel, as she usually used flannel sheets to back her quilts then just roll the fabric to the front and sew it down.  Our grandmother did one specific style of quilting, which I have learned is called the Baptist Fan.  So I asked a good friend to use this pattern on her long arm to mimic our grandmother's style.

I called it 3 Generations.  It is now a memory quilt she will hopefully enjoy for many years.
It was completed in time for me to display it at our quilt show in July.

Hugs!
Cindy :)

Trend Tex Challenge at Quilt Canada

Hi!

I got inspired to try a challenge last fall.  Each year Quilt Canada has a few challenges and this one is sponsored by Trend Tex.  We purchased a registration kit which included 5 fat quarters.  We needed to use all five of these on the surface of our project that would be no bigger than 72" in diameter.  The theme was #Trending.  I do not do Twitter, so this in itself was a learning curve!

I came up with the idea that mermaids were popular, therefore trending?  The one fabric spoke scales to me so I went from there.  I used the fancy stitches on my sewing machine for the first time, and also used the fabric paint again to highlight the scales.

I'm a confessed Disney nut, so when I saw these buttons, I just KNEW it had to be a twitter feed from Ursula (The Little Mermaid witch)

Hand stitching the letters, and free motion quilting trying to mimic fish and bubbles.  I went to visit my work at Quilt Canada in June, but this competition required you to donate the piece for a silent auction at the show.  I couldn't justify the costs of trying to place a winning bid to receive this piece back though, so I hope whomever now owns it, likes it!

Hugs!
Cindy

3rd Story at Quilt Canada

Hi!

In June I was lucky to be able to attend the Quilt Canada Quilt Show in Ottawa.  It's an easy drive from here and my cousin was also interested in going with me.  We decided to take a class with fellow Canadian Andrea Tsang Jackson.  She was showing us the basics of Foundation Paper Piecing.  We were able to complete the 16x 16" top in the full day class.  And was it FUN!   Andrea is a very patient teacher and was willing to jump in and help us when we got turned around.  "Ok, no problem!  We'll just do this!"  Her company is https://3rdstoryworkshop.com/ and we used her Sleepy Fox pattern.  SO CUTE!!!! She also taught us a woodgrain free motion quilting technique and made it look so easy, I actually tried it!  Works great!

I've decided to take a picture with the teachers I am lucky enough to meet.  So here we are!

Thank you Andrea for a great day, and I apologise for the late thank you!

Hugs!
Cindy

More Banners

Hello!

Here are some more smaller projects I completed to date.

This Easter panel was my first 'original' design.  I simply copied one of the bunnies on the fabric and the mirrored it smaller to make the second bunny.
This summer, the US guild had a juried quilt show and I wanted some feedback on my work, so I wanted to include this one.  But it wasn't quite right....

So I took my fabric paints and painted over this finished and quilted piece!  I took a chance, but I'm happier with the results. The judges deemed it a 'good' work, liking my applique.

I also finished a quick Halloween panel from my UFO pile.

Thanks!
Cindy

Mother's Day Challenge

Hi!

This year I've mostly focused on wall quilts, or banners.  I can quilt these myself easily and they get completed quicker too.

I also belong to a quilt guild across the border in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA.  Living in a border city does have some perks!  These ladies are fun and inspirational and I get different ideas for my work through them.  This guild is called Keeping the Piece Quilt Guild.  They had a mother's day challenge where we needed to use a particular fabric and have the word 'mother' (or similar) on a wall quilt.  The Mother's Day challenge.

So with this fabric fat quarter (purchased by the guild):

I created this piece highlighting all the women who support, love and inspire me.
I called it 'My Sheroes'
The lighting was not the best...

I am not one to play with florals usually, so this was a challenge for me.
I am French Canadian so some of the words are the French term, as I call my grandmothers 'Memere' for example.
I think it turned out ok :)

Hugs!
Cindy

New (Old) Machine

Hello!

This past year has been a bit nutty.
I volunteered to co-chair a local quilt show for our Quilting Guild, Stitches From the Heart, I volunteered to redo and maintain the guild's website:  www.saultquilts.com and have been managing the library and taking pictures at the meetings when needed.

Oh yes!  We also just celebrated our 25th Anniversary with a big trip to the southern Caribbean and Florida.

So I will try yet again to pre-plan some posts and keep on top of it...

Today I want to introduce you to my newest (senior) machine.

I wanted a smaller, lighter machine for taking classes and easy to maintain.  Luckily one of our guild members had a few extra and was willing to sell me one.  This Singer 221 machine is as cute as a button and runs so beautifully!  It only does a straight stitch forward and back, but for most classes, this is all you need!  From the Serial number, I believe her birthday is in 1938.

Unless one dies, this will be my limit.  Well…. MAYBE an embroidery machine one day....

LOL!
Cindy

More Scraps!

Hello!

Last post (quite a while ago) I was commenting on the piles of scraps I seem to have accumulated...

I actually actively keep an eye out for some fabric scraps...
You see I took a class last year on English Paper Piecing.  Darn you Lily!  I am HOOKED.
In the evenings I calmly wrap pieces of cardstock with fabric scraps and hand sew them in place.
Once I have enough, I connect them into flowers.
Once I have enough flowers, I started creating a quilt top with them.
I do this while watching TV with my hubby, or when I go visit my aunt in Quebec, or if I know I'm gonna be waiting a bit for an appointment.  Not the last step though!  Just the individual pieces and flowers.

Here are some pics of this process...

I'll let you know when I've got a top ready to border...

Cindy

Scraps!

Hi!

Paper scraps from scrapbooking.
Ribbon scraps from card making.
Yarn scraps from crochet.
Fabric scraps from quilting!
I'm getting buried here!

I do hate to throw out something in case it can be reused though.  My husband constantly asks if he can throw away any paper or cardboard, just in case I had designs on it for my crafts.

I've been spending time with a new friend that is getting buried in her fabric scraps, and it's put the urge to do something with my various scraps.  My energy is diminishing and I no longer wish to deal with it all.  SO, it's dog bed stuffing for the fabric pieces, garage sale for supplies I no longer use and sharing with other scrapbook friends for other odds and ends!

I am helping co-ordinate our quilt guild's Quilt Show this coming July and volunteered to make up some give-away items.  Amazing what scraps can do!

Pin cushions today...

Hope you're able to do something with your scraps!!!

Hugs,

Cindy

Inspire Me!

Hello!

Winter is my worst time for feeling blue, so I have tried different strategies to combat this.
Start with giving myself permission to be blue... but not too long!  Then get creative!

In my bedroom I have put up pieces that I worked on, were given to me or collaborated on.  I see these each day when I get up.  Thought I'd share them with you...

My sister went through a drawing phase years ago and I requested copies of these for my wall.

I took a collage art class a few years ago and ended up with these two panels.  Paint, glue, stamping and stencils... so fun!

And before we moved away from Alberta to Ontario I asked some friends to help me alter a puzzle.  The theme was Friendship.

Hope you are able to do something to inspire you each day!
Hugs!
Cindy

UFO Fun

Hello All!

I am participating in a UFO (Unfinished Objects) challenge with my quilt guild and I'm doing much better this year at organising myself!

So far I've completed a Fabric Tree for our local Festival of Trees fundraiser for the Lung Association.  This was completed in September and fine-tuned to be donated in November.  It stood 4 feet high and all the ornaments were hand made by friends and myself.  The final bid was $150 Canadian.

December was a Christmas table topper that I made with 2.5" diamonds all by hand.  I'd always wanted to do a project completely by hand, and had started this last year in April.  So it is hand stitched together, hand quilted and a rolled hand stitched binding.  Finished size is 14.5" diameter. It is not very big, but it took a lot of time!  Major respect for those that did and still do their quilting all by hand with no machines!

I am running away in February so I completed my February project early.  A 16x21" Valentine wall hanging.  This was a class that was offered a year ago at our guild, but a death in the family forced the class to be cancelled.  In that year I have learned quite a few techniques, so decided to tackle it. It is raw edge machine applique and the snoopy heart is trapunto, where you put extra stuffing behind it to make it puff out. This is also my second project that I have free motion quilted it on my machine.

Hoping your 2019 is off to a good start!
Hugs!
Cindy

Fabric cards

Hello!

I have been quilting quite a bit.  There are SO many pretty fabrics out there!  I hate to see smaller pieces just discarded because they cannot be used for a larger project.  Case in point of this kitty fabric. 

I used it to cover a cloth bag, but there was a left over bit about 8x12".  So I used a rotary pinking blade to cut out the kitty panels and made some decorative bits to accent the inside of the card.  And made cards! One of the ladies at the quilt class I take liked them so much she purchased them all!

I used the same technique for cutting out these Asian lady blocks from a panel of fabric.  These were for my AOSA Yahoo group.  I made a few birthday cards and sent along three panels for the lies to play with, as a gift.

Hugs!
Cindy

New Year thoughts

Hello!

Here we go, ANOTHER person giving new year thoughts!
I do love my blog, but have been neglecting it this year due to focusing on family and health.
I realised when I DID do something creative I got a lot of positive vibes from it and wanted more!

A few years ago, I read that it is more important to add something than remove something as a resolution.  This way you will be more successful in completing it.  So I have tried to do so, within my limitations.

This year I am going to try to commit a minimum of 1 day a month to each of my passions: card making, scrapbooking, quilting and blogging!  Obviously I will do more, but setting aside one full guilt free day of playing on these areas will keep me motivated and feeling fulfilled, relaxed and happy.

I just finished a yearly challenge of sending a birthday card to each of the ladies who wished to receive one on my Yahoo group About Oriental Stamp Artists.  Some months were a little late, but all of them got a card.  Here are some examples:

Hoping your 2019 is full of fun and creativity!
Hugs!
Cindy