Beautiful Painting

Alison gave us this beautiful painting when she left yesterday. The colors are not very true in this photo but you get the idea.


I was going to go for a long walk and take photos of the hoar frost on all the trees, but then I heard gunshots. It's the last day of hunting season and, although our land is all posted, I thought it wiser to stay home. This is a bush at the end of our deck, which gives you a bit of an idea of how gorgeous the trees were this morning.

Journal Cover and Bag

Today I made a journal cover with a pocket for pencils and a matching bag. I made them as a going away gift for Alison who is going back to Australia on Saturday.

One More Step Done

I finished the quilting and put the binding on today and I just have to hand sew it down. Unfortunately, I don't have any light green to match the binding. I was in town earlier today but never thought of it. We are going in again on Friday, so I guess the binding will be on hold until then. I quilted it with random loops and the occasional heart thrown in.


I don't like making labels, so I quilted my name, address and the year along one border.
Now I am debating whether I should wash it and let it crinkle or leave it like this. I'm sure it will end up being washed a lot so maybe I should send it pre-crinkled so they won't freak out when it happens with the first wash. It would also hide a couple of technical errors.

Ready to Quilt

Here is the baby quilt top all finished. I got some solid orange yesterday but somehow it just didn't do the trick for me so I took that as a sign that I should be using the green.


I did get some very cute backing fabric though. It was about 4 inches too narrow so I thought I'd add a brown stripe. I made a mistake in the cutting so I had to also add the narrower brown stripe. I actually like that better but probably wouldn't have gone to the extra effort if I didn't have to.


Here is a close up of the backing fabric. It is by Debbie Mumm and I think it's really cute.
The quilt is about 45 by 63 so it's really more of a little boy quilt than a baby quilt. Luckily, babies tend to grow into little boys (or girls).

Quilt Game Finished (almost)

Here is the quilt game all quilted and enveloped. It was an easier process than I thought it would be and I like how it turned out. I just have to sew on a hanging sleeve and label it. Since it's a wall hanging I think I'll just write on the back with permanent ink.
As for the pattern from yesterday, my son, Robin, is a computer programmer and the quilt is in computer code (binary I think they call it). The top part is numbers and the bottom part is the baby's name, Ronin. If you have an all consuming interest in numbers, you might be interested in Robin's site on numbers called Glyphs.

Baby Quilt

Here is my latest project, a quilt for the new baby of one of one of my son's friends. I wonder if anyone can guess the pattern? Yes, this one is a pattern, not random at all, for a change. I'll tell all in a couple of days.
Which border is better, the narrow orange or the green?

Games

I think I have pretty well finished piecing this one. I have to sew some of the larger pieces together but the basic piece is done. Looking at this one makes me think I have way too many dangles on the first one. The good news is that they are not sewn on so I can still do some editing.

Much Better

I took the lining out and re-sewed it in correctly and the result is much better. I think I had it in sideways because I just couldn't get it to fit properly. It's a bit pastel for winter but I really like the shape of it so I might have to make a more seasonal one.

Bali Bag

I took a break from being the wall hanging today to make this Bali Bag from a pattern that Quilt Pixie sent me yesterday. Mine doesn't look nearly as nice as hers. I think I have gotten the lining sewn in wrong so tomorrow I'm going to take it out and try again. I had some pre-cut 5 inch squares so I used them, thus making my bag a bit smaller than hers. That's a good thing for me because I don't usually carry a huge bag. I do love the shape of it and will probably make another one that is a bit darker for winter.
Later: Looking at the picture of Quilt Pixie's bag I think I may have sewn mine together wrong. Mine doesn't sit nicely like hers does. Back to the drawing board.

Here We Go Again

This is what I have done so far on the second in the series. I don't like the triangular block on the left, because it's the only triangle in the piece. It will probably end up in the parts drawer. The bottom left one looks pretty blah in the photo but has more contrast in real life. This is the first arrangement and will change a lot I'm sure. I'll probably make some more blocks too. I am happy with the subdued (for me) colors so far.

The Games People Play

I think I am finished piecing this first quilt. I am thinking of backing it with the heavy interfacing that I bought to make bags. It's the only way I can think of for dealing with the uneven top for hanging. I'm not sure about all the dangly pieces either but that will probably go on as the last step.
I also made a few new blocks. I suppose these will become the second it a series. I am using much more subdued colors on this one.

The Dragon is Tamed!

Here is the dragon quilt with the binding sewn down, washed and dried to crinkle it a bit. Doing it again, I'd try to make it a bit wider but all in all, I'm quite satisfied with it.

Changes

Here are some more changes to the latest quilt. I took off the pink piece on the top left. It just seemed too heavy and was the only place with any rick rack so it just didn't fit to me. It was the same with the piece on the top right. It seemed too heavy and had no little boxes in it, which all the other horizontal pieces did. I also added some vertical strips to the bottom right pink piece. There are a couple of new dangling bits too. Now I am thinking that I won't outline it in dark fabric. This way it looks less contained, as if it could explode in all directions at any time. Is that a good thing I wonder??

Let the Games Continue

Here's when I'm at right now. The left side is sewn together as far as the blue strip on the right side of the green piece. I'll make more tassels and dangles. I am auditioning binding fabric, which explains the red strip on the left, but at this point I'm leaning toward a dark brown like the piece on the upper right. Or I could do an envelope. I've never tried that technique so maybe it's time.


I know that winter has arrived here because we got stuck in the wet slippery snow last night on our way out the lane. Our neighbour helped us out but we left the car at the end of the lane when we came home. We decided it would be easier to get it in the lane in daylight. Oh the joys of winter!

Help! It's Growing!

I spent some time on the quilt games and it has grown into a monster! It is mostly pinned up so it will probably change a lot yet before I call it done. Right now it lacks a calm space to rest the eye. Maybe time to pull out the black and whites? Or make two separate wall hangings? It is great fun to work on.

More Games

I have made another strip and some tassels. I am not satisfied with the tassels. I like each one but don't think they all go together. I'll make some more just to experiment.

Finishing Touches

We put the finishing touches (literally) on Alison's quilt today. We used white fabric paint to apply our hand prints. We both signed one of the middle hand prints for a label. I love the way it turned out. My only question would be, Which is the back???? If this is the back, I like it almost better than the front.

Quilter's Playtime

Here are a few more blocks from my new Quilter's Playtime book. I really like the wonky nine patches. The long strip in nice but a real pain to make. Lots and lots of short seams. I might make more of them for a border though.

Box

While we were in Flin Flon I bought a book about making boxes and this is the second one. The first one wasn't very good because I didn't have the right heavy interfacing. The interfacing I bought today is great because it is iron-on on both sides. That eliminates the need for wonder-under. I know a few more things now and the next one will be better. Mary Anne from Magpie's Mumblings might recognize the fabric.

Mini Tutorial

Here is the Circle Game finished except for the hand sewing of the binding.
I used a method for adding the hanging sleeve that I saw in a magazine once. I like it because it involves no hand sewing. It will only work on a piece that has a wide border that is not mitered at the corners.


You pin the hanging sleeve piece, right sides facing , along the border seam line, hanging down from the top of the quilt. Pin it from the front of the quilt. Make sure it is wide enough that when it is turned up it reaches the edge of the quilt. Sew it from the front by stitching in the ditch of the border seam.


Turn the hanging sleeve up and catch it in the seam when you add the binding. It works like a charm.

I have been working on quilting the Circle game on my regular machine. I am really out of practise in moving the fabric instead of the machine. I used to be better at it. The Saturn one turned out best, partly because the background is plain and partly because the shape of Saturn is more interesting. I have three more squares to go. The black polka dots didn't get done because my black thread was in the house where I was using it on the binding of the dragon. I have to buy thread for the gold one at the top and for the orange one below it. I can probably use the same thread on both of them.