J's Quilting Blog

Enjoying Mazatlan

2012-01-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

Sunset from our balcony.

Delicious food, this one a plate of assorted Mexican treats.

Shrimp and beef skewers.

Ribs to die for, with pork and beans and cole slaw.

Shopping treasures.

Huevos rancheros.

Mazatlan

2011-12-30T06:07:00.000-08:00

I am on holiday in Mazatlan, Mexico with my daughter-in-law, two granddaughters and one of their friends. Of course, the first thing we did was eat and what better choice than tortilla soup.

This is the beach right in front of the condo we have rented.

You can find great deals on mani/pedicures here so why not give it a go?

Lunch yesterday was excellent but I forget what it was called. It was tortillas stuffed with eggs, bacon and smothered in that delicious sauce. Yum!

Borders

2011-12-23T11:13:00.000-08:00

This morning I put the inner and outer borders on so this quilt is now officially at the flimsy stage. As soon as I get back from my holiday I'll sew together some gray for the backing and quilt it. I think the borders really finish it up nicely. I must say I'm very happy with this one.

Food and Fabric

2011-12-22T04:59:00.000-08:00

Two friends came over yesterday and we spent some time organizing the words on this quilt.

Then we collaborated on cooking the evening meal. The chicken was amazing and the squash was filled with quinoa and raisin stuffing. Wow!

Fabrics, Fabrics

2011-12-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

My friend needed curtain fabric so I agreed to go to a fabric store to help her choose some. Big mistake as I well knew. They must have just re-stocked their $3.99 sale shelves because there were many interesting fabrics there yesterday. These ones came home with me. I particularly like the three batiks and of course I can never leave dots on the shelf. The white has small embossed roses so is more interesting than it looks in the photo. Now I have a LOT of new fabric to use but I'm going away for most of the winter. Oh well, there will be lots of inspiration when I get back.

Almost There

2011-12-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

I need to add a few more short words or phrases to fill in the spaces and I'll be ready to assemble this one. I'm planning an inner border using all the colors of the letters and then a wide outer border of the background gray. I really, really hope there are no spelling mistakes!

Remnants and Words

2011-12-09T10:08:00.001-08:00

I have been writing fabric words for the last few days for a Meditation quilt. The phrases are from the works of Jon Kabat-Zinn, originator of the Mindfulness course that I took awhile back.

Brenda bought me this bag of remnants when we went to Faye's Henhouse fabric store in Mayville, ND. When I unwrapped them, I discovered that they were all third yard and quarter yard cuts from gorgeous fabrics. Now, what to do with them...so much fun deciding.

More Words

2011-12-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

I made another phrase this morning. There are lots more to go if this is to be a throw sized quilt.

A New Start

2011-12-07T09:41:00.001-08:00

I have started a quilt using the words and phrases from the Mindfulness course I took this fall. The bottom words show up much better in real life. If you notice any spelling mistakes please alert me. The sewing machine has no spell check!

Fabric Shopping

2011-12-04T07:08:00.001-08:00

I finished this one on Friday. The only word I'm a less pleased with is NOW because the yellow is a bit too bright. I may make another one or take one of my Shiva paintsticks to that one and dull it down a bit. Or look on it as the most important word.

When I folded my fabrics last week I realized I was very short of red and had only one piece of purple. Yesterday in Fargo I went a little way toward curing that problem. The green piece is obviously neither red nor purple but it was just too beautiful to resist. Some of the fabrics are from Mill End Textiles in Fargo and some are from Faye's Henhouse in Mayville, one of my favorite quilt store in the world.

Breathe in Brown

2011-11-21T15:15:00.001-08:00

I finished the letters with the same fabric but with a brown background. They show up better than the photo would indicate. It was already quite dark when I took the picture. I like the B better in this version but the A not as much. The cross bar doesn't show up as well. Still the message is there. Tomorrow I'll quilt and back it and start on the words.

Done!

2011-11-20T13:05:00.001-08:00

I finished this one this afternoon. It is just pinned up until I can get a curtain rod that is long enough. The wall is actually bright yellow so all the colours are a bit off. I think I'll start another one with a dark brown background.

Keep Breathing

2011-11-17T13:13:00.001-08:00

I am almost finished the words. I'm thinking the last one will be gentle, as in "Be gentle with yourself".
Of course, I could make lots more words and not hang them all at once. This could be an on going project. I have pretty well decided that I will use buttons and make a loop on the top of each word with some round black elastic that I have. I'll use fusible fleece instead of batting in the words so they will be stiff enough to hang properly with only one loop.
I am really liking this project now and I may have to make at least one more, maybe in brighter colors.

Breathe Some More

2011-11-15T10:16:00.001-08:00

The basic banner is finished. Now I want to make some words to hang from it. I did LOVE in different fabrics, mainly because I don't have enough background fabric to make them all the same as the banner. This one might be too different but I'll make a few more words and see how they look. I'm thinking of doing some sort of hanging system so I can hang one word if I want to focus on that particular feeling, or many words if I wish. I'm thinking of either buttons on the front or a strip of velcro on the back of the main banner. The velcro would give more freedom for the placement of the words. I could then make some of them horizontal if I want to use a long word or a phrase. I already have a long list of possible words so stay tuned.

Breathe

2011-11-15T05:11:00.001-08:00

Sorry about the bad lighting. I have it pieced together and it's nearly six feet long. That should get the message across. I am debating the idea of making smaller words vertically to hang from the bottom. I'll make one or two to see how they look. I thought of dream, love, relax, calm, and other words like that.

Starting to BREATHE

2011-11-14T10:00:00.001-08:00

Today I started the letters for the BREATHE wall hanging that I have been planning for my Yoga space. These letters are about 12 inches high. My usual size is about 2 inches so it's a bit of a challenge to get the proportions right. I'm not satisfied with the R. The slanted part is too cut off but I may be able to repair that without making a whole new letter. Also I'm not sure about the blue bars on the B.

Daisy Quilt

2011-11-14T04:39:00.001-08:00

I got this one pieced together yesterday. I will need to find some backing before I can quilt it so it's on to the next project.

Elkhorn Resort Mini Vacation

2011-11-13T03:53:00.001-08:00

I went to Elkhorn Resort at Riding Mountain National Park for a few days with my family. This is a picture of the part of the crew that went for a hike. We also had a spa/massage afternoon and did a lot of eating. We stayed in fully equipped cabins so were able to do our own cooking. It was a beautiful time.

On the way home we made a slight detour to stop at the quilt store in Plumas. They have such interesting fabrics including a package of Beatles fat quarters and lots of Australian fabrics. I was hard put to get only two of those. I also couldn't resist the word fabric but have no idea how I'll ever use it. A close runner up was a piece of jelly bean fabric.

All Cut Up

2011-10-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

The quilt is all assembled on the design wall except for the borders. I decided to go with the striped fabric since I had nothing that looked better in my stash and I'm trying to curb my fabric addiction right now. (Not very successfully, I might add.)
I'm thinking I might add several borders but I'm not sure what color the first border should be. I'll audition the daisy fabric first.
Meanwhile, the Miles Davis quilt is now off the frame waiting for binding. First I have to find the fabric I want to use in the mess that is my studio. Maybe it's time for an organizing session.

Daisies

2011-10-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

I have the Miles Davis quilt on the frame and half quilted so I thought it was time to start a new top. This is just on the design wall so far, no sewing done. I'm thinking I want a more clear red and I'm not sure about the stripy squares in the sashing. I do love the daisy fabric and I wonder if the stripes kind of overpower it. I have some dot fabric that I will audition before making a decision.

No Mistakes!

2011-10-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got the rows all sewn together and the borders on. The next step-off to the quilting machine. It was meant to be a wall hanging but ended up about 65x80. There's no telling what will happen when you start one of these quilts.

Moving Right Along

2011-10-14T13:55:00.000-07:00

I am almost done the piecing on this one. I need one more row of the random patches. I have a pile of half finished ones at my sewing machine so that won't take long. About half of the rows are already assembled. Then I will add a fairly wide border so it will be easier to quilt. The frame doesn't really like all those seams along the edge. It's so nice to work on a quilt that has No Mistakes!

Fabrics

2011-10-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

I had several JoAnn's coupons that expired yesterday so it made sense to make the trip to Grand Forks for more fabrics that I don't really need. However I did need new rotary blades so that makes the whole trip worth while doesn't it? I love the blue daisy fabric and got the green, yellow and blue to match it. I got three yards of black because I am out of black and find I use a lot of it. The black and white fat quarters are for an eventual black and white quilt.
I think it's time to get in gear and finish the quilt I'm working on so I can start something new with these gorgeous fabrics...

2011-10-07T06:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to Winnipeg to pick up my son-in-law, Matt, at Perimeter Airlines. The lucky thing about that is that I had time to spare and Northwest Fabrics is only a couple of blocks away. I scored all of these fabrics for $3.99/metre. The last one has tiny gold stars on it. I love the blue with yellow dots the best. It will be soon time to start a dot quilt. The brown may work for the back of the Miles Davis quilt so I got three metres of it.

Getting Wordy

2011-10-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

I added a couple more words today. I still need at least one more to balance the bottom row. It will have to be a short one. Right now I am thinking of Awe but that's not exactly what I want. I'm sure the right one will come to me...

Words

2011-10-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Today I added the first word. I also plan to add Wonder and Enthusiasm and possibly others if the quilt doesn't get too big. Right now it's about 50 inches across and I'll probably add a border to stabilize it for machine quilting.

This is one way to organize your scraps. This is the third tub I have filled. Where do they all come from???

Putting It All Together

2011-10-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

My studio and blog have both been idle for too long. Today I started assembling the top of the quilt. The words are put together but I need to get that whole section the same size as a row of blocks. That will take a bit of cutting and adding but I will get there in the end. I was going to make some more words but this morning my cutting table was a huge pile of scraps so I made more scrap blocks. I may sweep them all into a tub and start the words tomorrow.
All those blocks and the scrap pile is just as big as it was before I started. Go figure.

2011-09-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

I got the words sewn together and started arranging the blocks. I need a lot more blocks and I may add some more words like Enthusiasm, Curiosity, Innocence...

Miles Gets Credit

2011-09-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have finished all the letters for the quote. I may re-do the D since I think it looks a bit small. Then I'll add spacers, a hyphen and a period.

Quote

2011-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

I got all the letters done for the quote today. Now I have to make the author's name. Miles Davis. Only the M will be challenging. Then I have to add the spacers and decide how to fit it in among all those random blocks. That will be the fun part.

Quote

2011-09-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

I did the first few letters of my quote this morning. I will be putting spacer strips between each letter once I have finished all the letters.

More Randomness

2011-09-17T07:09:00.000-07:00

I have added more random scrappy blocks to the quilt. Eventually I'll probably add an inner border, some more scrappy blocks and then an outer border. I am also thinking of adding some words, possibly a quote from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. One I really like is "Do not fear mistakes - there are none" by Miles Davis. That one would be particularly apt for this piece.

Scrappy

2011-09-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

I got an urge to use up some scraps. I started with square in square but soon realized that those blocks need larger pieces and I want to use up little bits and long narrow strips. I then changed to Mile-a-Minute blocks. I love them because they are so quick and you can use all sorts of little scraps. The blocks are 6 inches square.

Done and Done

2011-09-09T03:41:00.000-07:00

The Mystic wall hanging is completely done thanks to Brenda's hand sewing yesterday.
The Dog Houses are all asembled but of course, not quilted yet. I have the backing and binding all ready but haven't put them on the frame yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Dog Houses

2011-09-06T09:55:00.001-07:00

I have cobbled the houses together but after I got the side borders on I realized it's not square. The top is 38 inches and the bottom is only 37. I'll have to take those side borders off and square the thing.
I'm auditioning the black paw print fabric for borders. They will be narrower but I do like the dark around the edges.

Question

2011-09-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

To sash or not to sash. That is the question. I have pale yellow with white dog paw prints or black with white paw prints as on the roof of the last house in the second row. Maybe yellow sashing and a black border? Time for some auditions.

2011-09-03T05:27:00.000-07:00

I'm back to building dog houses.

2011-07-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Last Friday our friends Lionel, a Cree Shaman and Irvin, a Cree sculptor, conducted a pipe ceremony at our stone circle, in honor of Marcel's life. Marcel was not Native but had a huge love and respect for the people and culture. The ceremony was attended by immediate relatives and a few very close friends.
Following the ceremony there was an outdoor potluck dinner organized by my friends Brenda and Tanis. After we finished eating a sharing circle was formed (quite a feat when dealing with this batch of relatives!) and each person was given the opportunity to say a few words.
The day was perfect. Everyone commented that it was just what he would have wanted and that they left feeling much more at peace.
On Sunday there will be a public memorial which will be open to anyone wishing to attend.
My daughter Carmel, from Australia, will be staying here for a few more weeks. I am sure that I have the best four children in the world. I don't know how I would get through this without them.
Thank you so much for all your kind comments and prayers. They are much appreciated.

Love and Loss

2011-07-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

On behalf of mum I'd like to let all her blogging friends know that our beautiful dad and mum's soul mate passed away peacefully yesterday just after four. He waited until all of us kids and mum were with him, took a few more breaths and slipped quietly off into a land filled with rainbows and seven pointed stars.

We love him so much and will miss him forever.

Your support and condolences mean so much to mum and I know she appreciates all your kind words.

Thank you so much on behalf of mum, us kids and all the entire family....

Bad News

2011-07-17T04:06:00.000-07:00

My husband Marcel suffered an aneurysm on Monday evening. Prognosis is not very positive at this point. Your positive thoughts, prayers and good wishes would be most appreciated at this time.

The After Party

2011-07-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

This year at our annual July 7 party we had native drummers from Long Plain Reserve near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. They were totally amazing.

My grandsons sang and played guitar. I thought they were amazing too. I may be a tiny bit biased but many other guests assured me that they were indeed very good.

My niece from Alberta lit the fire.

And what a fire it was!

Everyone helped light the grass circle around the center fire.

Is anything more fun than leaping through smoke and fire?

Art Show

2011-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have been missing in action lately because we have been organizing and hanging a large art show. These are just a few of the pieces. The light wasn't very good so some of the photos are a bit dark, but I hope you can get an idea of the quality of the art.

My Australian themed pieces are hanging in the background.

Progress Report

2011-06-27T09:00:00.001-07:00

Today I made a Yoyo to highlight the pin that was the inspiration for the whole piece. Actually, I made several Yoyos but this is the one I liked best. I also put piping around the apron-like part and lined it. It will be hanging loose on the finished work. I'm still experimenting with the tails.

Medieval

2011-06-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

I went to Winnipeg on Friday and found a fabric that I like better for the shield inset on this piece. I have also made some tails that might work. I usually make a lot more that I end up using but they always find a place on a later work.
I also folded the burgundy strip at the top to see if it would look more like a shield and less like a dress.

Amazing Quilt

2011-06-25T07:02:00.001-07:00

This amazing quilt is on display at the Winnipeg Art Gallery until Aug 26. I was blown away by it! You can learn more about it at Quilt of Belonging.
There is a video here. And a book about the project here. And here you can see each individual block. Nothing compares to seeing it in person though.

A New Shape

2011-06-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

This pin was among Barbara's bling and it looked Medieval to Brenda and me so we thought we should make a Medieval themed art piece.

A shield shape seemed to be a Medieval motif to us so with some inspiration from Quilter's Playtime we came up with this start. There will be lots of tails hanging from it to avoid the dress/apron look. There's lots of room for creativity on this one!

Bling!

2011-06-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

Barbara, a blogging friend sent me this package of treasures and I just got it today. There are some gorgeous bits of bling here! It was just like opening a Christmas stocking but even better! I already have an idea how to use a couple of the pieces. Thanks a million, Barbara.

First Mystic Done

2011-06-23T05:07:00.001-07:00

I went with the third option. It's actually much straighter on the sides than it looks in the photo. I have already started another one with these fabrics and one different one. This could be a large series...

Auditions

2011-06-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

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Here are some optional finishes for this wall hanging. I could also leave it as it was without any extra strips. I'm leaning toward the third one so far. I don't care at all for the last one but parts of it will show up in the next Mystic one. And since I cut up the first one to make the last one I guess I won't be using it either. I'm thinking this is the first of a small series...

A Good Day for Bling

2011-06-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

These are the treasures I found at the thrift shop today. The silver and green bracelet has silver stars which is just what I wanted for the latest wall hanging. The top necklace also has stars but turquoise, also useful. The browns will come into play next time I do one in earth tones.

This is the latest look on the Mystic piece. I made the two tassels at the ends. I love the color but since I used embroidery thread they aren't as slick looking as the ones I buy. I may have to break down and buy some special thread or string to make more tassels. They are pretty easy and that way I can get the colour I want.
This piece is about 20x10 inches, quite a bit smaller than I usually make.
My only question is, does it look sort of unfinished on the sides or does it look all right just sort of fading away like that? The top will end up being finished with loops of fabric or silver hanging rings.

Mystical

2011-06-20T10:06:00.003-07:00

I started a new wall hanging this morning. Actually, I started it yesterday but realized that I wanted to dye something to go with the middle purple fabric. I'll need to decorate the outside strips, which are from yesterday's dyeing session. There is a long ways to go but so far I like the way the fabrics are playing together.

Mistical

2011-06-20T10:06:00.001-07:00

Crosses Quilted

2011-06-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

I quilted the crosses yesterday. I was going to do something fancy but in the end just did my usual loops. I'm more interested in wall hangings these days and just wanted to get this one done and out of the way. I'm now trying to decide whether the binding should be the striped fabric or a mix of the cross fabrics or dark brown like the narrow inner border. I'm leaning toward the dark brown if I have enough of that fabric left.

Fabric Therapy

2011-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday so I indulged in a bit of fabric therapy to get myself through the idea of being yet another year older. I have no idea where the time has gone but I guess a lot of it has gone into fabric. Seems like a good use of time to me. The dot fabrics on the left go from green to blue, pink to purple and green to yellow. My favorite is the black flower one on the top right.
The purple might work for a mystical themed wall hanging that I'm planning.

I have changed the top and added some tails to this one. I think it's almost ready to sew together.

And No Birds Sang...

2011-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

The birds have flown away to make a nest in another piece.
I made another strip of crisscross pieces and turned the whole thing on its side. It seems a bit more together now. The strips on the right side are only pinned and that's why they look a bit gathered. I'll probably trim them a bit narrower.
Now I can start to really play with the bling.

Blues

2011-06-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I've done some more work on the blue wall hanging. I don't think I'll use the pom poms on the bottom. I'm thinking more of several tails of different lengths/colors and maybe some dangling strings of beads. At the moment I'm most puzzled about how to finish the top.

Designing Together

2011-06-11T03:31:00.000-07:00

My friend, Brenda and I have been working together on the design of this wall hanging. Luckily, we have similar tastes and haven't come to blows. It is destined to hang in her home so she has final say should we come to a stalemate at any time.
It's now at the quilting stage and when that is done we'll start sewing down the bling. I'm really loving this one.

Thrifty

2011-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

I found these goodies at the thrift store today. I'll take off the crystals (plastic, unfortunately but fine for my wall hangings) and use them as bling on the piece I am working on right now . There are two necklaces and one has large shells that will find a home on an Australian piece.

Medium Values

2011-06-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

I took Nina Marie's advice and added some medium value blues. I think it helps a lot. Nothing after the row of little flowers is sewn down yet and more will be added to the top. I might add some more little birds somewhere, maybe in the blue pieces on each side of the dark crisscross strip. What would I ever do without rick rack??? The bottom half needs some more verticals to tie it all together but now I'm quite happy with the colors.

Something New

2011-06-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

I have started something new, using blues. So far it hasn't jelled. I think I'll have to remove the section with the birds and flowers near the top. The rest is too abstract for them. I don't have any fabric that will play nicely with that blue and gold (which I absolutely love) so they may just have to live in the parts drawer until I get the right fabric. Meanwhile, I quite like the direction the rest of it is taking. Who knows where it will lead me from here...

Highlights

2011-06-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here I have highlighted the center images by couching around them with blue/silver string I found in my stash. I also added some gold braid at the top and bottom.
I might add one more tail at the middle bottom.
It's getting closer to being done...

More Bling

2011-06-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

I bought several of these napkin rings (?) at the thrift store last year. They have been the most useful item I have for decorating. They are much more golden than they appear in the picture and the little stars have shown up in mony of my wall hangings. Now I'm going to use a couple of the rings as hanging rings. At least, I'm going to try them to see how they work.

I have added more decorations but haven't done anything with the blue rick rack. That will have to wait until my next trip to town.

The Bling

2011-06-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time today trying out different arrangements of the bling. I have two questions.
Does the blue rick rack fit? And what about the blue flower on the upper right and the yellow one on the lower left? Are they too bright?

Steps

2011-06-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today I thought I'd share with you some of the steps I take in making one of my wall hangings. The images in this first step were taken from a fat quarter I bought when we were in Australia. I love the images but just couldn't leave them alone and use the fabric as I bought it. Today I surrounded them with dark brown. The same images have appeared on the last two wall hangings but with different fabric around them.

The next step is to add a few more fabrics. I auditioned several before I decided on the ones in this photo.

Here I am trying out some insert fabrics and some different colors of rick rack.

The only thing I might love more than rick rack is piping. I used red piping to set off the dark fabric. If you want to use piping I can't recommend highly enough getting a special piping foot for your machine. I have been told that a zipper foot works just as well. Not so.
I have also started trying out some of the ornaments I have on hand.
There will be many more changes before this one is finished. I think it needs another color, possibly blue or maybe the green from the previous picture. Or maybe only a little blue bling if I can find exactly the right piece. Thrift shops, here I come!

Fabric

2011-06-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

In case anyone else fell in love with this fabric, here is the designer. She also has more wonderful fabrics that I now covet, especially this one in blue.
You can see more of Yuko's fabric here.

Fabric Indulgence

2011-05-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

I went to the fabric store to get a new light bulb for my sewing machine and came out with these two delicious pieces of fabric. And the best part is that they were on sale for half price. I did remember the light bulb too. Bonus!

Adding Bling

2011-05-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

Now I have quilted it and enveloped it instead of binding it. The tassels are sewn on as well as some of the dangling beads. I'll add more beads and shells to it and rings in each upper corner for hanging. The middle loop will probably change. I'm not sure what color it should be but that piece doesn't seem to work. It may need to be narrower too.

Co-operative Quilting

2011-05-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my friend, Brenda, and I decided to co-operate on a wall hanging. We chose fabrics that would suit her room and then played with them on the design wall. Sorry the picture is a bit crooked and dark. When the inspiration strikes it's hard to focus on photography. Also it was taken late in the day so the light wasn't very good. We are hoping to work at it a bit more today.

I have also updated this one with another strip of the mauve fabric. I like it much better now. Today I'll sew on the rick rack and plan the beads and other bling.

On a Roll

2011-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

After I finished the doggie quilt I couldn't resist playing around with my Australian fabrics again. Before I knew it, this was up on the design wall.
My main question is, does the blue and black strip on the right look too different or does in seem to belong?
Of course, there will be lots more bling before it's done but I don't want to sew it together until I'm sure about the blue/black strip.

A Done Deal

2011-05-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

I just finished sewing down the binding by hand. It ended up about 22x28 inches. I used the red binding according to the wishes of the recipient. I quite like the red and don't think it makes it look too busy (can a wall hanging be too busy???) which was my concern.

Red or Black

2011-05-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Today I made the extra row of dogs and assembled the quilt. Now I need to decide on red backing and binding or black... It may be a bit too busy to add another color on the border. What do you think?
I'll probably quilt it very simply.

Doggie Love

2011-05-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

I have made several more blocks, narrowed the black sashing and added some rick rack. I like the idea of red down the middle of the black. I may audition that tomorrow. I may make one more row of dog blocks to make it rectangular. Right now it is about 24 inches square. The dog in the lower right corner with no rick rack will probably be moved to the center. The rick rack just didn't work on that block for some reason.

Doggie Love

2011-05-23T08:03:00.000-07:00

I have started a new wall hanging for a dog lover. I have auditioned two different sashings. I think I prefer the black so far but is it too heavy for the blocks? There is also the red that I have used on the top of the left block that could be used as sashing. Also adding words is still an option.

Is It Done?

2011-05-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

I think this one is done except for finding a nice branch to hang it from. It's been raining hard so I won't do that today. The shells on the right side don't show up much in the photo but look nice in real life so I left the ones I had sewn on and added more.
Please ignore the light switches at the bottom of the photo. This is just a temporary home to get a good picture.
Does it need more bling?

Adding Bling

2011-05-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

I have spent the day so far adding bling to this wall hanging. I am not fond of hand sewing so this is the slowest part for me. I added a row of shells on the far left and some on the right. I think the ones on the right may have to go. They don't show up at all. I'll look for something more shiny for that area. I may add some more beads to the bottom and something to balance out the strong red circle on the far left.

A Finish

2011-05-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

This one is all done including the hanging sleeve. I am quite happy with it. Now I hope to finish the beaded one that I posted about yesterday. It's raining so no outdoor activities will distract me.

Some Bling

2011-05-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have sewn it together, added rickrack and now am deciding on bling placement. At this point I'll probably quilt it, back it and then make a final decision on which adornments to use and where to place them. I plan on finding some sort of branch to go through the top as a hanger. The two end pieces are loops and the middle will be the gold ring. It looked too heavy in the middle when I put a fabric loop there.
It seems to need something to counter balance the red circle on the far left so there will probably be some beads or something there. Then I'll need a few on the right to balance that out.
Any comments or ideas on finishing details would be appreciated.

Prize!

2011-05-20T06:15:00.000-07:00

I recently won a prize over at Dye Candy. I absolutely love the rainbow of fat eighths and she also threw in a set of quilting fridge magnets. You might want to visit her Etsy store at Dyecandy to purchase on of her wonderful snow dyes. I was torn. It took me several days to make up my mind but I knew I would never be able to cut into the snow dyes...
Thanks so much for the gift, Chris. I love it.

The Next Step

2011-05-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have changed the side pieces a bit. I'm debating whether I'll put on a hanging sleeve or tabs and hang it from a piece of wood...
There will be lots more bling added to it I'm sure. I do like the cured bottom but not sure about the top.

Wall Hanging

2011-05-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

I've added some strips to the wall hanging. I love the circles and dots on the Australian fabric. It will also get some embellishments.
So far it measures about 16 inches each way.

New Wall Hanging

2011-05-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

I started this wall hanging this morning using many Australian fabrics. It is just started and not much is sewn together. I think the very light strip will have to go unless I add something over most of it. The wide strip on the left will probably get cut into narrow pieces...Who knows where this adventure will end.

All Together Now

2011-05-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Not a song. A fact.
Sometimes you just have to say it's done and start sewing it all together. I quite like it now but have no idea how I'm going to quilt it. Since it has uneven edges I'll probably do it on my DSM (Domestic Sewing Machine). It's about 40x46 so it won't be too much of a challenge.
But how to quilt it???

Flirt Skirts

2011-05-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

I received a review copy of Flirt Skirts a few days ago.

If you are learning to sew and want to make skirts, Flirt Skirts by Patti Gilstrap and Seryn Potter would be a good book for you.
The first section deals with the basics: Your workspace, sewing machine and other necessities for garment making; how to determine size and fit; using the templates and patterns included at the back of the book and building the basic skirt, instructions that apply to any of the skirts.
The rest of the book deals with three basic skirts - A-line, pencil and flare. For each type of skirt the authors have given basic instructions and also variations or decorations for personalizing each style. Many of them are interesting and not too challenging for a beginning seamstress.
My biggest problem with this book is the illustrations. While I appreciated the fact that the models looked like real people, not rake thin professionals, I was not very impressed with the choice of fabric and color used in the skirts. Many of the fabrics were bold prints that disguised the details they were trying to illustrate. Also, I did find that several of the color combinations seemed to clash with each other, but that could be just my taste.
That being said, I think you would find this a good basic book on skirt making. The 20 designs from the three basic skirts would be a starting point for your own creations.

Checking Values

2011-05-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

I often check the values by using greyscale. I can see a couple more options when I look at it this way.

Which Way is Up??

2011-05-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

Flipping it makes quite a difference. It still needs an extra white block though.

Putting It All Together

2011-05-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

I have started to assemble the blocks that I have made so far. It's very interesting because none of them are square. I could have trimmed them to be all the same size and square but I'm hoping this will be a bit more interesting.It's certainly more challenging! The second and third rows down from the top are mostly put together. Right now I'm wondering if it looks balanced or heavy on the left side. I'll probably put some kind of plain (ish) border around it and then see if it looks finished or if it needs something else.

How Many Do I Need?

2011-05-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

I made a few more blocks for this quilt this morning. They are all about 6 inches not square. I'm wondering where to take this. Should I make lots more and end up with a quilt or stop now at a large wall hanging? Or is it a table topper? This is one problem with winging it. You never know when to stop.

Quilt Show II

2011-05-08T05:19:00.000-07:00

I went back to the quilt show yesterday and this time I got some photos. This wall hanging was small but interesting because the flowers are 3D.

Here is a close up of the flowers. Very small and perfectly done.

This one seemed a perfect way to showcase some gorgeous Asian fabrics.

The transition between colors on this one was absolutely perfect.

This is a double sided T shirt quilt made for a Harley fanatic. I know a few people who would love this one!

The show ends today but I probably won't go back again. I usually go on Sunday to pick up my quilts and hopefully, the prize from the silent auction. This year I have no quilts in the show and I have never won at the auction so I'll just stay home with my fingers crossed.

Quilt Show

2011-05-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to our local quilt show. They have lots of vendors so of course, I had to get a few souvenirs. These are all fabrics with characters that could end up in the doorways of wonky houses. I love the pig fabric. Maybe the next project will be pig styes that aren't my studio!
I am thinking of going back today to get pictures. Yesterday I just looked and visited.

Cross Quilt Borders

2011-05-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I put the borders on the Cross Quilt. Now I need to cut the backing and get it on the frame. It is quite long and narrow but will probably please some tall person.

Seniors Have it Made!

2011-05-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was senior's day at JoAnn Fabrics so a friend and I went down to Grand Forks, ND to take advantage of it. I told her I was on a fabric diet but she didn't think the pile shown above was much of a diet. Lol. The white piece at the back is extra wide backing fabric that I might dye before using. The green has some glitter and one of the browns will be a narrow border for the cross quilt. I got both because I wasn't sure which brown would suit best The other two pieces are in the pile because they were irresistible. Several of the pieces, including the wide backing, were the end of the bolt so there was an extra 50% off. For the rotary blades I used a 40% off coupon that I got in the mail, so all in all I saved quite a lot of money and had a nice day out.

Playing on the Design Wall

2011-05-03T05:43:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with odds and ends on my design wall. I have no idea how big this will end up but it's fun to work with colors and contrasts. There will be a lot more arranging before I call it finished.

May in Mantioba

2011-05-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

Need I say more? Hoping for better weather soon.

More Crosses

2011-04-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the cross quilt with the extra row and two possible border fabrics. My options seem to be:
1. Take off the top row which has the pink one I don't like much and one with the white part multi-pieced.
2. Add wider borders on the sides and a narrower one on the top to get better proportions.
3. Make it long and narrow with matching borders all around.

Without the borders it is about 45x67, a bit long and narrow. It's going to sit on the wall for awhile because it is so nice outside that I can't be in the studio all day.

Long Enough?

2011-04-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

The cross patches are sewn together but I am wondering if it would benefit from one more row to make it a bit longer. I have enough white fabric to make one more row and then there will be only scraps left. I also notice now that it is up on my computer screen, that the end rows would match better if I added one row. What do you think?

Not Finished Yet

2011-04-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

I thought I was finished but now that it's set out on the design wall I see that it really needs to be one row wider. Luckily the crosses are fast and easy to make and I have enough white to do six more. Hopefully I'll get at it tomorrow.

Spring!

2011-04-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

You know it's spring when the rhubarb appears. I can't wait for the first pie!

Book Signing

2011-04-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

Sandy will be holding his book launch at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg.

Sandy Debreuil -- Book Launch Monday May 09 2011 7:00 pm - Grant Park in the Travel Alcove, Winnipeg

Launch of Hands of Cement: A Crowbar Benson Collection.

Crowbar Benson began as an online comic strip, but is now also seen in numerous community newspapers throughout southern Manitoba. The strip centers on Crowbar Benson, an ex-minor league hockey player who still dreams of the big time, and his two boys who cause him no end of grief. Crowbar lives in a small Manitoba town, and his adventures will ring true to anyone who’s experienced small-town life. Read it daily here .

Sandy Debreuil is co-owner of Debreuil Digital Works, a Flash game development studio, along with his brother Robin. He began writing and drawing the Crowbar Benson cartoon strip three years ago as a way to get back into doing more drawing on paper, and a little less on the computer. Naturally, he now does most of the Crowbar Benson work on the computer.

Sandy lives in Miami, Manitoba along with his wife Christine. They have four daughters.

Crosses

2011-04-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't been in the studio much lately but today I managed to make some more crosses. The pink one is a hand dye and there is a bit of a white patch in it. It may not make the cut, depending on how tired I get of doing these.I also don't like the one with the pink striped fabric very much. It will probably only be a small quilt because I don't have a lot of the white fabric. It is an easy and fun pattern to make if you want something scrappy and quick.

B is for...

2011-04-17T10:01:00.001-07:00

I finally got to the studio to make a B for Brenda's birthday. You can find her blog at Scraps and Strings. The brown strips are the table, not part of the block. I'll pop it in the mail tomorrow.