Sarah's Posy Quilt

I have another cute little quilt of Sarah's. She has hand stitched around each of the flowers. 

Sarah's four patch quilt

This is one of  Sarah's Quilts. She has been doing some quilting with one of my old quilt friends. She is learning that most quilter's like to do the patch work but then have trouble with the quilting. For now she has asked me to help with the quilting. Thank You

A closer view of the quilting. Sarah and her daughter have been keeping their eye on my blog. Her daughter now has a quilt started, so much fun, mother and daughter sewing together.  When I returned this quilt to her she said she was now making socks after my post about sock knitting. I am not to blame if you start more projects. No please do not blame me.

A view of the backside were it shows up more.

A quilt bee Tuesday

My Lady Slipper

I grow Orchids. This is one of my special orchids I got a few years back at the Edmonton  Orchids Show. I missed the show this year but do have three flowering now and three more coming.

Cat Quilt

 I have done a cat quilt that has been donated to the Edmonton Humane Society. The Edmonton District Quilter's Guild is doing a couple of committee service quilts this year and the humane society is just one group. They have asked for some different sizes that can be used in the cat and dog rooms. One size for cats was 20" by 51" like this quilt. I think it was for a window sill.

 A detail of the fabrics I used. I tried to use many Cat prints and had to add a few others that just went well. I had these two cat panels to start me off. I think most of this fabric is 10 years old or older. I have many Debbie Mum prints as she used cats in many of her prints.

Quilting Bee Tuesday

Linda Bright's Quilt

I love this quilt. My customer Linda Bright did this quilt top and asked me to quilt it. She let me pick out what I thought was best for the quilt without over quilting it and making it stiff. I was so happy to be giving free rein to do what I thought was best. She had planned to give it away but now loves it so much she may keep it for herself or make another one in her colours.

All of the machine quilting is free motion with no marking and very little stopping.

I did a feather heart in the heart block with green thread. I love that I got to use a thread that was going to show up. It really show off the work I can do. I used cream thread on the mostly cream block, so as not to  take away from the heart.

Here is the back. I used thread that matched the top thread, so green bobbin with green top thread and cream with cream. This makes the back look like a second quilt.

Betty's Jane Sassmen Quilt

I just got this small quilt done for my mom Betty. Is my mom great or what? She used some of the first of Jane Sassaman's fabric line. We plan to give it to a charity.  I really like this little quilt and it will be sad to see it go. I hope it makes some one happy.

Quilt Bee Tuesday - I hope some of my bee group miss me and check this out on Tuesdays. 

Quilt Accepted

I got a letter today to say my quilt was accepted in the National Juried Show this year. I can not show you the quilt but here is a pretty purple hand dyed fabric.  Quilt Canada is really called Quilt Ontario this year and is in London Ontario May 24 and 28th. To find out more check out their web page Here.

I have had a quilt in the National Juried Show 9 years out of the last 10 years, counting this year. I did not enter last year as I was not inspired to quilt my own work last year. I am glad it made it in the show this year. I have been excited about my quilting again and it helps to get a quilt accepted too. I am already starting to think about what I could make for next year. Maybe I will have two or three to enter next year.

For the 2001 Quilt Canada in Edmonton my mom, Betty and I were the National Juried Show Coordinators. So I could not enter that year. It was a ton of work, Thanks Ladies who have hosted the show.

Sue Patten Class

I took a class with long arm quilter Sue Patten yesterday here in Edmonton. I am on the left and Sue is on the right. She has been teaching many classes this week at Matt and Bradie Sparrow's (The Man Quilter and his Pretty Wife) long arm studio. I had a great time drawing and stitching the free motion patterns. Sue's books are great. After taking a class and I have a better understanding of the books and how the system works. I would recommend classes from her if you want to learn to free motion quilting or add to your knowledge. I have done mostly free motion quilting on my long arm for 12 years and I still learned some things that I will use many times over.  Everything she taught can be done for any type of free motion quilting (home or long arm).

Here is some drawing we did in class. Sue did most of the blocks and I did the bottom left corner. I did many more in my sketch book and we had great handouts.

Here is my sample of quilting. I am sure at home on my machine I will be better off. I will be doing more of this at home on my machine. We (I shared a machine with two others) had some trouble with the thread but it was a sample and we just keep on going. When it was not our turn to stitch we did the patterns on paper.

One of the best things about Sue is she is very sharing and encourages us to share. She's happy to let me post about the class I took.

Off to do more quilting. I want to do more sampling. Fully recharged for more quilting.

Off to Class today

I have signed up for a class with Sue Patten today. It is a long arm quilting class. Hope to give you a update later today.
Last night I was at the Sherwood Park Cabin Quilt Guild. Sue was the speaker and showed off her great quilts. Lots of thread art work on many of them. It was a great show. I did not take my camera but I will take it today to class.

Guild Challenge Boo Boo

The Edmonton Quilt Guild has a challenge fabric for the spring quilt show. I was this far along when the newsletter came out this week and repeated the rules. My little quilt is quilted and almost bound and needed embellishment but measures 11" by 15". Oh No, one rule is - it is to be 12" square. No other size. I have no other fabric left. Now What? I have an idea but I almost gave up. I think I will keep going with the new idea. You will have to wait till the guild show in June to see what I do.

Here on the machine. Yes I now quilt all small quilts on the big machine. I do much better and it goes faster. I really dislike quilting on my home size machine anymore.

White and Rianbow Quilt

I got this little White quilt done in four days. I am a mad women quilting these days. I am surprised that I can be so driven to get some of my own quilting done.  The size is 36" by 48".

I used white thread and quilted my free feathers with added spirals. I also did some of the background areas with a feather like filler. I love doing feathers. I find them to be very relaxing to do. I only wish more customers would have me quilt more feathers like these.

So Day 1 I picked my fabric ironed it. These are my hand dyed fabric, mostly Kona Cotton. I used the six colours of the rainbow both a light and a medium shade.

Day 2 I cut and made the blocks and sewed the top together. I did most of this with some chain piecing and then iron and  trim.

Day 3 I quilted it. and Day 4 I did the binding. Wow I am on a roll. I am not sure what to call this little gem. Got some ideas?

Beautiful Quilts

 This is another great quilt from one of my customers. I have to take a photo of it draped on the quilt frame. My large design wall is full of patchwork units ( the spider web quilt). I just love the greens and browns in this quilt. 

A close up of the quilting.

Cold Pony

We have had a big cold snap. Days on days of wind and very cold weather. Here is my horse eating with his back to the breeze and snow on his back. He holds his tail so close and tight to his behind. Our horses live outside all the time. They have a large shelter and they grow heavy winter coats. We do not use winter blankets because once you start to cover them you can not stop till spring.

Wishing for spring.
I did not buy anything at the Saturday tack sale.  Lots to be tempered by. 

Poverty Piecing

 I have some great scraps from my current quilt - the spider web. I also need some tabs and leaders for the machine piecing on the spider web quilt. So...

 Time for some Poverty Piecing.

 I was shown how to do poverty piecing a few years back by a friend, Lou.  She has made it her mission not to be wasteful and puts all good fabric to good use. When I started these little blocks, I come up with about a doz ideas. Book marks, Luggage tags, Book covers, Change purse, Needle case cover, Hot pad, Oven mitt cover, Bag of some kind, Postcard with some added embellishment, - Ok so nine ideas so far. We will just have to see how much of this Poverty Piecing I get done.

I also have these cut strips. I am thinking hair or weaving or I could trap it under tulle and make something that way.

I won

I just turned on my computer and found out I won a blog give a way. I won these great black and white Batik fabrics. It was a give a way from Heidi at Craft:nosis. Please check out her blog. She has done a great New York Beauty quilt. The fabric came courtesy form Old Country Store Fabrics. Thank You both for the prize.

My friends that know my many quilts will know these fabrics will fit in my stash just fine. It is one thing to win but to win a bundle of fabric that I love is that much better.

This is Scrappy Goes Wild. I black and white quilt I made a few years back. You can see I do use lots of black and white prints. Thank You again.

Joan  Thank You for letting me use your new quilt machine on Friday. I did a test run for an up coming class. More on that later.   Busy busy week. Off to a Horse tack sale.

The Godfrey Gallery Packing Art

 I have packed my art for a group show at the Godfrey Art Gallery in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. I am a part of a fiber art group called Filamenta. Friends Dawna Dye Harris and Sharon Rubuliak are the other two ladies involved. Dawna is driving to Yorkton this week to deliver our art work and stay a couple of days for the artist reception. The artist reception is Sunday March 6th at 2;00pm, our show is called Connections. Sharon and I are not going to make it to the artist reception as the winter driving is crazy and my family needs me home. The show Opens on March 6th and closes on April 21st, the address is 49 Smith Street, Yorkton, SK. Please if you live near by check it out and then let me know you were there.

Above is a photo of my fabric book Exploits NFL, being packed for the show. My grandfather was from Exploits, his name was Joe Manuel. I have been to Exploits twice in my life now 1976 and 2008. Wow and I guess that is what the book is about.Very far back I am related to Ruth McDowell the great quilter. Ruth and I got to meet and talk about it when she was here in 2001 for Quilt Canada. Her grandmother was a Manuel and so was I before I married. The book has a photo of our two old relatives that were brothers and ship captains in the family business.

Here is two scratch pads being packaged in bubble wrap. I have the gallery guests write in the books as a way to connect with my viewers.

This is Tag the Brick Wall. I invite the viewers to write on a shipping tag and pin it to this brick wall quilt. It is fun to see what some people write to you. Again this is a very interactive piece of art. I have always thought this would be a great guest book for a family cabin, to keep take of the friends that stop by.

To see more of the Connections Series follow the link. 

I did post some better photos of the art pieces in the past. 

These quilts and books are all for sale please contact me if you are interested.  

Quilt Bee Tuesday