Sunny Saturday

I am at retreat! Hoping the sun is out. Late this week it was looking like spring and I got to wear my spring jacket! 

For retreat we were to made a Garlic Knot block. The blocks will be put together and then a name will be pulled from the hat and the winner will take all the blocks. I made my first one Yellow to go in the draw. I had my yellow scraps sitting out for the RSC 2018. 

Well I made 10 blocks with yellow. I just wanted to keep going. These are so fun. The other blocks I will keep for myself. 

I might not get the link done to Soscrappy this week but you can go see her site and more scrap ideas.

Well I made 40 more blocks. I guess I have started a new quilt. Ha Ha. Heading to retreat to finish some quilts and now I have another one to work on. I have a few scraps packed so I can make some even number of blocks and maybe get a top done. 

Here are my blocks laid out a little differently. 

I hope your Saturday is Sunny and Happy. I know I will enjoy retreat. 

Monday Design Wall

On Friday, I head out to quilt retreat with the Leduc guild. I have this Honey Comb quilt as a UFO that will go with me and is high on the list to complete the top. All the main blocks are done but I need to cut out more background triangles. Maybe I can get those cut before I leave. Not sure I have enough strings for the boarder so maybe I will hunt in my scraps or I will have to cut some more. 

There are more Walls to see over at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts design wall Monday

Also on my wall for a bit this weekend was a new project, or should I say the fabric for a new project. This was one set of fabric. The dark batik was interviewed for the job of background. Maybe too dark.  

I got out some hand dyed fabric to interview. The purple on the right looked better. But I only had a fat quarter. I needed more then 3 m. I decided to try and dye more of the same colour. I got it. 

So the purple hand dyed fabric has now won the job. Maybe I can get some cutting done before I leave for retreat. 

I have lots of work, Long Arm Quilting to get done this week. So best get to my customers quilts. 

Retreat Planning

Silly me! 

I have a quilt retreat in less then 2 weeks. I need to prepare. 

What to work on?

You can see I have fun at retreat. 

This photo of bunny ears is from the Leduc guild retreat in 2016. We are going to the same place again this year, Gull Lake Retreat Center. 

I started the fancy forest quilt at that retreat.  The quilt is done now. 

What to work on at this year's retreat?

So one new project I am thinking of taking, needs 3 or 3.5 meters of background fabric. I am thinking I might dye that. Not sure what colour? I have a dark Blue batik fabric but I think it might be too dark. Might try a dyed purple. I might need to do a test run first. So I will need to get started on that dying then. 

What else to pack? 

1. Canada 150 blocks, take my reds. I am only about half done the blocks. This is a joint project with my mom. 
2. Batik quilt with pink, blue and purple, I think most blocks are done but need to put to together and boarder needs to be pieced. Or do I make it bigger. that would need yardage packed. 
3. Some bags or a wallet - I would need to take a second machine that is better for bags.
4. KFC log cabin quilt, I have all blocks done so should be quick to sew top together. It is sorted and in a easy to pack box. 
5. Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt from this past year. Need more work on blocks and side triangles then build the top. I would have to pack some yardage. 
6. A Rainbow scrap quilt, I have one close but needs rows and the boarder finished. So quick to get the top done. This quilt has 12" and then a smaller 6" sampler in the middle. 

So there is the plan to pack. 

I am linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts and Let's Bee Social and Needle and Thread Network and WIP Wednesday

Design Wall Feb 6

I declared this past weekend a stay at home Retreat of Quilting. It all started on Friday night, I got sewing more slab blocks. Saturday I slept in but spent the day in my sewing room. Sunday the same thing, lots of sewing got done. 

Black slab blocks. I am working my way through my boxes of colour sorted scraps. I am planning on sending a quilt for Canada's Big Quilt Bee. If you want to make some here is the Slab pattern. The blocks are 12 1/2" and they ask that we have a piece of Canada fabric. I have been using this White with Red maple leaves, I am running out. 

Can you see the other Canadian fabric? is is black with cream maple leaves. I picked it up at retreat, someone else scrap, just one strip. Love my paw prints too. 

I just kept sewing all weekend long. I got 6 blocks done in Yellow. Yellow is not really a favorite colour for me but I have collected a few cute yellow fabrics. Like the big dots that go to Red, or the the plaid yellow. 

I have decided if I make 6 blocks of each colour that will add up to 48 blocks and I can make 2 quilts. I will have some extra green blocks. 

Orange got done too. Can you see I added in a bit of Red maple leave fabric in there? 

I have added this post to Design Wall Monday

Easy Street

I got a good finished photo of my Easy Street. This was a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt from November of 2012 I think. I have gone back to my early photos and that was when I think we started it. I never get the top done till months later. Then the top sits in line waiting to be quilted. We all know the last quilts done belong to the long arm quilter that quilts for hire. We always have so many more to do first. 

I had started this quilt with the suggested Gray four patches. But I did not like it. So I replaced the grey and made the four patches with Bright pink, now it feels like a quilt I would make. I love these colours. So happy it is done. It measures 96" square. I have quilted it with feathers ll over it. 

I got the block together at retreat the fall of 2013. That is my mom sewing just below the top. 

I was going to add it to   Crazy Mom Quilts but I am too late. Maybe next time.

Retreat Report

We all had a great time at retreat again. Who would not have fun? We were at the Gull Lake retreat center with the Leduc Black Gold Quilt Patch Guild.

I started a new quilt and was playing around with my new Bunny ears. 

Here are all the fabrics I picked out. I am making Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartmen. I really loved the fox pattern she made a while back and thought the hedge hog was also super cute. Now she has a pattern with so many more animal, how could I not make it.  I have a lot of Kaffe Fassett Collection fabric, I have also added many hand dyed fabrics. I know all my lightest fabrics are hand dyed and a few others too. 

My first 2 foxes in orange. I got a pale blue linen to use for the background. So Cute!

My first owl. I love him!

The bunny I finished at retreat. The light pink is a hand dyed fabric. 

I was able to finish the 16 foxes that were required for the quilt. I had a great time making them. They went together well and quick when I did some chain piecing. 

One of the other quilters had her fox pattern with her. She watched me do a fox and then dug out her fabric to make a fox. All of her fox fabric is haring bone.

Drop in Retreat

Last weekend my friend Laural hosted and quilting Retreat in her Garage. Her sister and 1 friend came from far away and stayed in her home over night. The rest of us ladies were local and went home to our own beds at night. Mom and I traveled together, the roads were bad as we got our first real snow. We had lunch and dinner together, and wow there was lots of good food. So we called the retreat a drop in retreat. I think she is doing it again after Christmas. 

I took my units I did last winter for  the Celtic Solstice Mystery by Bonnie Hunter. I want to do this years mystery but thought I needed to get more done on last's years mystery. I only had one block done and all the units for the smaller quilt. 

Here is another Scrappy Trip around the world being worked on.

Some Christmas projects were worked on.

You can really see we were in the garage here. We were told to bring a lamp as the lights were not great in the garage, We every had one with a shade, made the place classy. 

Here is another great project in the works. Threase was working on it but did not want to be in the photo so Elizabeth is holding it up. 

After the weekend I got really busy and did some more blocks at home. 

I now have all the blocks done (plus 1 extra). I am hoping to get the top together this week. 

Bonnie is planning to start the Grand Illusion Mystery on Friday the 28th. I have not picked fabrics out yet. I am sure by the end of the week I will have a few fabrics in mind. I was worried I would have to buy some Yellow but I found one that I have about 2 m of. It is bright so I am sure the rest of my quilt will be bright too. 

Scraps at Retreat

This quilt was made my mom Betty (right). It is Scrappy trips Around the World and the pattern can be found on Bonnie Hunter's Site Here. There were many done last year when there was a quilt a long. I love the purple and greens mom used. 

Here is mom again. A few weeks ago mom and I did a retreat together. It is the best time in the world. Quilting, sewing, eating and talking with mom. I thought I should show you my photos from this years retreat. It was a few weeks ago, but I guess better late then never. 

On the far side is my aunt Arley and the near lady is her sister, Fay. They do not live close so the retreat is a great time for them too. 

Mom and I have booked again next year. 

I kind of started two new scrap projects at retreat. First is the Lozenges, also a based on a Bonnie Hunter  pattern. It is meant to be a Leaders and Enders Project. I started by just cutting a few things on the end of my table at home. Some of the fabrics have not found a home. Then I went to the orange scrap box then the Brown scrap box. I will have to be sure there are some light Blue ones for the Rainbow Scrap challenge. 

I bought a new little ruler on the way to retreat (far left) so I cut some bits for another new scrap quilt. It maybe a Thousands Triangles some day. See the light blue on the top row?

So at retreat I also love to collect some scraps. I went dumpster diving and shopping at the re-home it table. I found some of these scraps and then the lady cutting came by my table with the middle stack. We had a fabric exchange so there were some new fabrics use in my scrap quilts. I just love having a bit of other peoples scraps.  

I have added today's post to Soscrappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014

Brown November Saturday

Sorry for the  fussy photo. I wish I had taken a photo before the rows went together. 

This is a very very old UFO. One of my oldest UFOs. I did a row by row and a class with 3D trees way back in 1998. I also added the dogs maybe in 1999. Then I took another class on UFOs and dug out some of these rows and blocks and started to put them together. Well then it sat for 10 plus years. 

Every once in a while I dig it out. 

I once put it on my UFO list then forgot what project it was because the name was just old UFO. I could not find it at one time. 

While I took it to retreat last month and did some work on it.

 I wish I had taken a photo at the start of retreat. 

Well here is mid way. 

Here of some of the browns. A brown dog made years before Lex my brown dog came in to our lives. The brown Bear and bears paw blocks. The the sweet little brown log cabin blocks. I got this row together at retreat. Before retreat they were only blocks. 

At the end of retreat mostly in rows. 

It is almost square. I do not want square. I think I would like a few more rows of simple patchwork added in. Maybe two 6" rows like the snails trail but add them in above the tigers and under the Zebras. And not snails trail again but maybe geese or mountain blocks. Then it would be 12" taller then the width, say 62" by 74" with out boarders. I am sure I will add boarders. Maybe dark blue, brown?

Brown ?

November ?

(sorry it is white here tonight)

While my plan for Brown this month is to work on some of the needed rows. And they will have some Brown scraps, maybe some green and red and Blue. But Yes Brown Scraps!

I have added this to the Linky party over at Soscrappy.

You can go see what other are doing for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2013. 

Ok if this month is brown, You will have to see some Brown Dog photos. I have lots. 

Lex and I at Dock Dogs this past August. Photo by Darcy Evans. 

Retreat Fall 2013

Here is my Easy Street quilt top hanging from the railing at retreat. The lady in green is my mom, Betty. I had all the blocks done before but took them to retreat and got them together. I still need to do the boarders. But it is getting closer to being done. I hope to get the boarders on before Bonnie Hunter's next mystery quilt that starts in November. I am planning to do the next again this year. 

Here is a photo of the room. I believe there were 37 of us this year. It is run by my Aunt Arley and held at Sunnyside Camp on Sylvan Lake. 

I broke my special seam ripper, dropped it on the floor. I left it in the garbage can.  I will have to make a new ripper. I feel I am short a seam ripper even though I dug out a cheap one. Not the same as the one I had. 

Finish it up Friday

I got a second Table Runner top done. This one is very Christmas. There are red cardinals in the center of the star and the set in Triangles. The cardinals are from a Northcott line of fabric that was from last Christmas. I really liked it. 

The center Blue Runner was done by Barb and the other two are mine. Barb got her's machine quilted and bound but mine are only tops at this point. I still need two more runners I think for gifts this year.

I have added today's post to Crazy Mom's Finish it up Firday and Friday Fav at Naptime Crafters and Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop