Design Wall Monday Aug 6th

I got playing with this little star block that also has a churn dash look in it. I looked in the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman, but did not find a name for it. I am going to call it Churn Dash Star.  My friend Joan A made one of these and I thought I would give it a try. I am using some of my older stash fabric with a few fabrics I just love. Love the pink dots. I am in so much trouble starting something new. I should be quilting and finishing some of my quilts. Maybe someone will have a baby girl and I will need a little quilt. Ha, no babies expected around me. Me and my sister in law's have all said no more, my kids are too young, my friends are too old, and no co-workers. May end up as a charity quilt.

I have a few other blocks cut out ready to assemble. I have figured out if I cut a fabric to show up three times (once in each spot), it uses half a fat quarter or a 6 inch strip.

Here is Joan's quilt she was working on back in June. So much fun looking.

I have added today's post to Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.

Edit - I have found out that the block is on the front cover of Simple Graces Charming Quilts Companions by Kim  Diehl. Thanks You Dolores.

Scrap Saturday Aqua

I found out last night that the new colour for this months Rainbow Scrap Challenge  is Aqua or Turquoise or the lighter blues. Good thing, the scraps for blue were just to big to be one month. I quickly got one block done to show you. I would call this block Aqua as it is almost a green and not a blue. I just love this colour. My Mom did a storm at sea quilt in these colours a few years back and it is on her bed as her summer quilt. Sorry no photo maybe next week I will get a picture. For more rainbow goodness check out Soscrappy.

I stopped by a quilt buddy's today and her Husband gave me one of his Ruler stands. Can you believe I have done without one of these all these years. When I first saw them I had my rulers hanging on a board next to my cutting table. Now that does not work because I have a higher table and the rulers do not hang down correctly. Thanks Ernie 

WIP Wednesday and Recap July

I am looking back at July to see what I have done. I did not finish a quilt of mine, I did help my customers by machine quilting many of their quilts. This collection of rainbow blocks is looking great. I added four blue ones this month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2012 (RSC2012). I also got half of my Spider Web Quilt pieced together and need to get the other half up on the wall and pieced together.

I got many more wacky log cabin blocks done also for the RSC2012 in blue for the month of July.

I got five more Forester`s wife blocks done that is part of a sew a long and the RSC2012.

I got this quilted in July but did not get around to doing the binding. This is very small and was quick to do but still not done. I plan to use this on my small coffee table as I need some kind of place mat.

Here is the back, it is even in rainbow thread.

I have done a ton of machine quilting. This is one that is currently on the machine and is very very large. I thought I would post a photo as the customer sometimes checks my blog and I want to give her a little peak at what I am doing on her quilt. I am so pleased with it.

The fruit around here has been crazy. Yesterday I spend the day in the kitchen trying to use some of it up. I made a Rhubarb and Raspberry Crisp.

Then I made three bashes of Raspberry Jam. I have picked at least four large pails of berries in the last few days. Glad to have the berries.

Then a double bash of Raspberry and almond muffins. I took my Blueberry muffin recipe and added two table spoons of ground almond and some almond extract. I also did six pies on Saturday but did not get any photos. I have Saskatoon berries on the trees and I not sure I will pick any as I am almost done with the kitchen.

I have added today`s posts to Freashly Pieced WIP Wednesday and Lily`s Quilts Fresh Sewing Days

Garden Challenge

I found it. I started this for the Edmonton Quilter`s Guild Challenge. It was due to be handed in back in May but I could see I was not going to get the quilting and binding done to hand in. Is off to the side it went. I was going to show it in June after the other challenge quilts were reviled but I could not find it. I found it. I made it with my hand dyed fabric. It is to look like a row of roses. I am not sure I was getting the look I wanted.

The Challenge was to make a garden themed quilt that measured 6 by 12 inches. A very odd size. There were some great little quilts. My camera batteries were dead at the dinner and I did not get any photos.
I am not sure I will finish it now. I may make it in to a 12 by 12 block and use it some were else.

I have linked this up with Quilting by the River Tuesday Linky Party.

I found this photo. It is me a the CQA Dinner in Calgary 2010. I was just starting to work on the leaves I showed yesterday.

Design Wall Monday July 30

I have been working on my Forester`s wife (Farmer`s wife is what many of you know them as) Blocks this past week and it was time to see what they look like together. I was doing a sew-a-long but I am so far behind and they are taking a break for July. I also have had fun playing with my own block designs. I did the Blue blocks this Friday and Saturday for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge. These blocks are only 6 inches so I will need so many more before I am done.

Last week I showed you my Spider Web quilt on the design wall. Well I did good and got the first 4 rows (out of 9) all sewn together. Here in the box below, are the next 5 rows. I guess they will be next up on the design wall. I would like this quilt for our new king size bed we got this past month.

To see what else is happening in the sewing studios of the world go check out Patchwork Times

Sunday Stiching

I have the very long term project. I started the first block back in June of 2010 when I was at Quilt Canada in Calgary (correction on the place). I have it stuffed in a Purdy`s Chocolate bag to take with me. I do not work on it very often. With summer days and visiting friends and family I have been working on it again. With the Olympics  on I might get working on this again at home.

Another Kathy has a Slow Sunday Linky Party that I have added this post to. Here is a close up of the stitches I am doing. All the fabric and thread is hand dyed by me. 

This is a block in progress. I piece the stem by machine and then arrange the leaves and pin then in place. Then it is ready to take along for the hand stitching.

This is the book I got the leaves from. I had to get this book by Piece of Cake Designs. My mom and I love their books and have most of them. We have done two of their patterns as mother and daughter quilts. 

Here is the thread I dye. I have been selling it at the quilt shows and to my friends. I sometimes think of setting up an on line store but it sound like work.

Blue Scrap Saturday

I have been working on Blue scraps this month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at Soscrappy. There are other Blue projects the other quilters have been working on.

I have done some more blocks for my Forester`s Wife ( also known as Farmer`s wife blocks). I started to work on the blocks from a sew- a- long but they are taking July most off. I started last so I have many blocks to catch up on.

 

I have been loving the little triangles the best. These blocks are 6 inches square so the triangles finish at 1 1/2 inches. Yesterday I just kept making the little triangles without thinking how many I needed. Then today I made my blocks I can up with some that were not apart of the sew-a-long.

I also mixed in some purple into this block because I had a few left from last months purples.

Five blocks this month. I may have to work on this quilt next year also. They are so small and to not make up much of a quilt yet.

I did a boob boob. Can you believe I did it twice. I ripped and sewed wrong a second time.

This is some of the poverty piecing I did was a leaders and enders project. I think most of these end bits came from the log cabins and the large rainbow blocks I did earlier in the month. I just kept the little pile of clippings next to my machine and in no time, they were little rows.

I have a lilly flowering again after Monday`s storm. It is not perfect with a few buries and holes. But it is some colour to my garden.

Next today is Pie making. Blueberry Raspberry and Peach. Hope to watch more Olympics well I make Pie.

Berries = cake

Just before dust I got back from picking raspberries at my dad's garden. It did not take long and I had close to a full bucket. I will have to pick more on Saturday. I had more but the boys all had a bowl full before I got a photo. My parents yard did not get the wind damage as bad as my yard did on Monday night. Some raspberry plants were a little mangled by the wind but the berries were only starting to ripen and did not get damaged. 

Well I need to use them up. So I am making Raspberry Shortcake. I have a recipe for Strawberry Shortcake but Adam and I can not eat strawberries, we get skin troubles.

My batter all whipped up. I am making it in a 10" spring form pan.

Before you bake it you add a layer of berries and top with a little sugar. We are now watching '310 to Yuma' as the cake bakes and should have a piece shortly. 

Not much of my own patchwork done this week. Maybe I can finish my blue blocks on Saturday.  I have been busy with customers quilts and some family fun. Yesterday we went to Capital Ex, the fair. The bumper cars were on my list of rides we had to do. I was a very good Canadian and had my very first serving of Poutine. What is Poutine - French fries with cheese curds and covered in gravy. It was good but I can live life without it.

Customer's Bright Quilt

I finished quilting this very bright quilt for one of my customers. It is her first quilt and her daughter had picked out the colours. They were going for a happy bright quilt. She used a pattern called split rail fence. Then when she had nine blocks together she added the orange sashing. My husband was surprised to hear it was her first quilt. It was sewn together so well, he could see it.

I did a large feather heart near the centre. I used a bright varrigated thread but you can still hardly see the stitches.

Much of the rest of the quilting is hearts and loops.

Dog in the Garden

Yesterday the sun was behind a cloud and the flowers were at their best. I took over 60 photos. The softer light was good. Lex, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever gave me some great poses. I think these first two photos are my favourite ever of him. He walked by the flowers and I told him to stay, and he stood for a number of photos. He got looking at the horses in the field below so his ears are showing great interest.

The bad news, yesterday a storm hit after supper. With the wind and hail, all my flowers and veggies are gone. I might still get potatoes and carrots but the rest is a mess. Plants snapped off at the tops and middle trunks. It is a mess. I am not going to take any photos. It is too sad. We had 14 trees down in the driveway, away from the house. Every thing else is fine. No hail damage to the house, small enough ice pellets. I have never seen hail driving sideways so hard, good thing it was pea size and not larger.

Pink lilies that were just starting to look so good.

Yellow and orange lilies

Here is Lex doing his doggy sniff. This is how he normally patrols his yard. Checking out the boundaries to see who may have entered his yard. Down the hill is the dugout and horse field. 

To get an idea how big some of my flowers were, I got Lex to sit in the pathway.  Sadly it is a tangled mess and mostly blown down now.

I had two humming birds and a hawk fly just feet away from us. I took some photos but they were not good.