UFOs

Hey!

I am trying to get this project done, but other projects keep calling to me....

I started this a year ago at a class I took with Sally Manke in Michigan.  What a great teacher!  Supportive, creative, and lots of encouragement to achieve my very own bicycle!  Others in the class have finished, but not me!  Oh well, it is my UFO challenge for this month.  I have 2 weeks left to sew everything down and then quilt it and bind it.

I'll keep trucking along!
Cindy

Permission to Start Over

Hi!

During a 10 day challenge I participated over Christmas, I considered something I really should have before....

I hate to waste things.  I recycle when possible and reuse what I can.  So when a project is not gong the way I like, I tend to ignore it.  And it becomes an unfinished item.

Last year I discovered temperature quilts.  I liked the idea of doing a row of yarn on a project dependent on the local weather temperature.  You pick a high or low temperature of the day and crochet a row.

My pallet is this.  I chose a different colour for every 5 degree temperature range.  (Celsius, as we are in Canada)

The pattern was hexies, cause I LOVE hexies.  And each hexie is one week of temperatures.

The hexies were ok, but when connecting them, it became messy, the colour stuck out and I didn't like it.  I got 10 weeks done, then never continued it.

Then this challenge topic was introduced.  If you really don't like it, take it appart, and make something else, or just throw it out.  I was given permission to do so.  Funny how we need someone else to say this so we feel better about it.  We were talking about quilting, but this applies to everything creative we might do!

So I took it apart and started over.  I still had the yarn.  I still liked the idea, so I did a simpler idea.  Just rows.  I am alternating a row of double crochet and a row of single crochet each day.  So my finished throw will be 366 or so

rows long, with a row of white in between each month.  Here is January!  We've been hovering around the 0 mark lately with only a couple days going to -15.

Have a great week!

Cindy

We Now Return to Our Regular...

Hello!

Two weeks ago  received a call of a cancellation in the surgery schedule.
I immediately went in for pre-op check in for getting some kidney stones removed.
Last week I had the surgery.
I am only NOW getting more mobile and I am grateful.  I know there are others in worse shape than me.  I just did not think this would land me on my butt and unable to act normally for over a week.

So now we return to our regular scheduled posts...

Just before I got sent for surgery, I was reading about the fires in Australia and wishing I could help somehow.  Then posts for quilt blocks to make quilts for those who lost their homes came up.  I sat down and sewed these just before my surgery.  It's a small thing, but I hope it will let those who lost everything that there are those who care, and they can rebuild....

The group organizing this is the Wollongong Modern Quilt Quild.  They have set up a facebook page for this undertaking should you wish to participate. #bushfireblocks

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

It's 2020, the year I turn 50!  AH!!!!

As with a lot of people, I'm feeling the need to organise and purge and make better use of my time.  I joined a 10 Day Orphan Block Challenge just after Christmas that has been interesting.  The concept by Becky at Patchwork Posse is to encourage us to get these unfinished things and do something with them.  Getting rid of the guilt and giving ourselves permission to get rid of them by either by finishing, altering the finished purpose or just plain getting rid of them if necessary.

So went into the cabinet and listed the projects I have put aside...

I have 49 listed projects!!!  AH! Again! This does not include all the ideas that pop into my head that have not had fabric assigned to yet!
I love her approach and have created a new list of UFOs for 2020.  Let's see how many I get done!  I will high-light as I get them done.  I've already finished one!

The Applique club I joined gave us a block pattern to make up for a BLOTTO at the February meeting.  I got excited and made 2 :)

What have you got planned for 2020?

Hugs!
Cindy :)

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 :)