Puppy Time!

 Hello!

This time I have a good excuse... 24/7 puppy watch while he is awake to make sure he doesn't pee or poop on our floors! His name is Shadow and he is now 10 weeks old.

I swear males take longer than females to learn this!  My American Eskimo, Pirta and my other Sheltie, Kara were trained within 2 weeks!

I tried to get other things done when he naps, but I find myself napping as well to catch up on my rest!  I did manage to make a new flag for our front door though before we got him.  

I made it double sided with a dog on both sides of a piece of Batik.  I also made one as a gift to our breeder in Timmins, Ontario. Rivermyst Shelties is where I got this adorable guy from.  Rosie is an amazing, caring breeder!

Here's to hoping I'll get more quilting time in the near future!

Hugs!
Cindy

Keeping Busy

Hello!

Well this world wide pandemic is sure interesting, isn't it?
People going nuts hording items, ignoring the stay at home if you travelled somewhere and trying to keep entertained at home.

I have a variety of hobbies that I can do here at home, just some days I do not have the concentration to do them.  I thank good ness for those who organise a way to connect remotely.  I recently participated in the Online Quilt Along organised by Gudrun Erla and will hopefully post my finished top next week.  I think we set a record for greatest number of people quilting at once!  I hope she did anyway.

In between, I, like many others, have been tackling our unfinished projects.  Here are a few of mine.

I've had these saw blades for over 10 years, meaning to make them into a clock for my craft room.  The first attempt was a failure.  But I finally got it done!  Word of experience: Do not use too much Goop.  You will stop the clock workings....

Our local hospital put out a call for fabric masks to wear over their regulation ones to make them more efficient longer.  So we got a pattern approved and we started sewing! Here are some of the ones I created for them.

Hope you're keeping busy!
Stay home and be safe!
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 :)

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

Minion Love

Hi!

I've been working on a special project for my sister for a few weeks...
A Minion Quilt!

Truth be known, I started planning this in January, but finally got it going in June.
I cut out the fabric in January at my mom's when I was visiting.

It had to be put aside for a while then I started piecing it in my quilting class.

After a few weeks of assembling blocks, then rows, the connecting the rows...

I pieced the back of the quilt too, then brought it to my newest friend, Shawna with Aba Daba Quilts to pick out a pattern and thread.  She quilted it on her long arm, edge to edge.

I finished the binding in time to enter it in a local quilt show at St. Joseph's Island.

 Here's Shawna again at the show with the backside:)

My first show...

Now I just have to bring it to my sister for her birthday present at the end of August.

Hugs!

Cindy :)