Summer Quilt

I am visiting my parents.  Mum has a different bed quilt for each of the seasons.  This is her summer quilt.  I quilted it for her using my handi quilter sweet sixteen sit down machine.

I did some lovely work 7 years ago! 

We're Waiting......

In July I was invited to join the WonderFil Specialty Threads team and set up and manage a Handi Quilter Rental Studio and write and publish a variety of newsletters for WonderFil Specialty Threads. There will be two of us looking after the Threaducation Centre and the Rental Studio. Come by for a visit!

We'll have 2 HQ Avantes; these are 18" machines on 12 foot tables. 

We'll have a ProStitcher on one of the Avantes; a computer system for quilting.

We'll have 2 Sweet Sixteen sit down models.













To rent, you will be required to take a 2-3 hour certification course to learn how to use these fabulous machines. Once certified, you can rent machines.....Aren't you excited?

The studio is very empty....but soon, we'll have the walls covered in quilts and the floors full of machines!

Our Classroom Space doesn't look like much yet, but we'll get lots of inspiration up on the walls soon!

Look at all these threads you can use!   

quilt retreat in Trail BC.

It's been a great week. I feel like I've accomplished a lot.  I have COMPLETELY FINISHED my Arabesque quilt.  I finished quilting it at home. Came to retreat and trimmed and bound it.

I completed my Winter Ice quilt top.  Had to sew 4 blocks, get them into the top and add the border.  The quilt measures 113 x 113 inches. ...that's 12 meters of faux piped binding already to go.   I've found that I need to make the binding when I make the top, otherwise I loose or use the fabric.

We went to the States on Wednesday and I bought some fabric for my HST sampler quilt.  Calling this Entwined Swoon.  The quilt top uses 2 sizes of Half Square Triangles which will be a great teaching sample for guild in two weeks.

Now to spend the rest of our last day working on some mini trips blocks.

sewing in Trail BC

I've had a busy week.  I've joined a group of ladies at a quilting retreat.  We are getting quite a bit accomplished.

Arabesque....quilting

Gonna get this done today if possible....but for sure by the weekend. 

IN & OUT

We currently have a lovely young lady living in our lower level.  She is so very quiet that we never know if she is home or not.  We had a guy staying with us a few years ago and we could look out our front window to see if he was home...his truck would or wouldn't be outside.  Now, Miss. MJ doesn't want to bother us, so she'll just come in and run straight downstairs.

My concern (as a parent) is that I want to know when she is in the house.  I figure if she works till 9:30 at night, she should be home by midnight......I can't tell if she's home or not.  We have discussed this and she has said that she doesn't want to bother us.....

So...... I sat down this week and made a sign for her to use.  This will easily let us know that she is home or not, and it looks kind of like wall art at our front door.  We hang it on our key hook.

I grabbed some orange fabric and some blue/indigo and lightly drew the letters on the fabric.  I layered with a bit of batting and just stitched and stitched and stitched.  I used WonderFil Accent Rayon thread.  The thread is 12 weight, which give a lot of "oomph".  I kind of like this.  I found the stitching process very relaxing.  I may have to do more Word quilts....my grand daughter may like a name quilt to hang on her door......should I use Francesca or her nick name BUG?

Once the stitching was done, I trimmed both to the same size and placed the right sides facing.  I slipped some cording in to use as the hanger.  A bit of hand sewing between the cording and that closed the opening I had left for turning.    I decided not to top stitch as I didn't want to take away from the quilting.

Susan's Quilts of Valour Quilts

I was honored to be asked to quilt 4 quilts for Susan.  She has recently moved and is working through her stash and completing quilts she started many, many years ago.  She will be passing these on to Quilts of Valour when they are bound.

The "Yellow Blocks" quilt.  I stitched continuous curves in all the blocks and surrounded them with a combination of curls and leaves in an all over design.

The border doesn't show very well as blends well with the fabric.  I stitched the leaf design I used in the background for the border.

This is a simple 4 patch block and half square triangles.

 I stitched swiggly lines in the print units only and loops in the print half square triangles.

I stitched 2 sizes of loops in the border to repeat the loops in the half square triangles.  You'll notice the chalk lines.  I started by marking the 4 patch and HST seams to as a guide to the placement of my small and large loops.  After a while, I didn't need the markings any more.

This 3rd quilt was 9 blocks using civil war fabrics.  I Stitched in the ditch on all straight lines around the blocks.  Both sides of the dark block borders and all sides of the 3 quilt borders. 

I quilted the blocks and sashing with an all over curl design.

 This sampler block quilt was a very simple all over design  I did a large meander and when I got to the end, realized it needed more.

I solved my problem by stitching a 2nd meander line and created a ribbon design.