Every year Sarah from Confessions of a Fabric Addict organizes the Hands to Help Charity Quilt Challenge to encourage quilters everywhere to do a bit more charity quilting. She usually has a list of 5 or 6 charities that could use our support.
One of those charities is here in Canada and is a bit different from the others. Linda Miller collects quilt tops along with an extra block. Then a group of volunteers from one of the Ontario chapter of Victoria’s Quilts Canada finish the tops and make a presentation bag with the extra 12 1/2” block. It makes it so much easier for us to send multiple quilt tops.
I also send orphan blocks to Linda as she also has a couple of extra charities she works with.
So far I have these tops finished and ready to go to Linda, but I’d like to get a few more finished:
All scrappy fun projects that I can do as a leader/ender project!
These next blocks should be another finished quilt top next week:
It’s fun to see how quickly these tops can come together since I have my precut 2” and 2 1/2” squares and leftover hst’s ready to go in my scrap storage system.
I love my pizza boxes and try to start a new project as the boxes get filled.
Thank you for reading my post. I do enjoy knowing you spend some of your time with me. 😉 Carol
Chris at Chris Knits is now hosting the weekly To-Do linky party. I enjoy seeing how everyone is using the party to keep projects moving along.
Last week’s list:
1. Get Delaney’s quilt and my SAHRR on the list for the next studio trip. Just waiting until I can get away. 😉
2. Finish my In the Kitchen Stitching Hop Project. Almost done!
3. Stitch the new test pattern quilt for Sandra at MMM Quilts. Flimsy is finished. Just a word of advice; don’t cut fabrics while reading the pattern on your phone. My printer ran out of ink so that’s what I was doing. I cut half of the fabrics for the throw size and half for the baby size. It resulted in a lot of scraps. See #6 below. 🤯
4. Work on the Panel Quilt Challenge. No progress this week.
5. Decide on fabric for the corners of the String Blocks. I have nothing in my stash that works. On line shopping or roadside pickup at a LQS time.
6. Try to avoid those squirrels. Didn’t happen. I got bitten by a squirrel when I had off cuts of scrappy goodness from my mistake.
This week’s goals:
1. Try to get away to the studio for a couple of days with the longarm to quilt Delaney’s quilt and my SAHRR, or one of my older UFO’s?
2. Finish In the Kitchen Stitchin’ project and write my post.
3. Work on the panel quilt challenge.
4. Get fabric ordered for the corners of my string blocks.
5. Continue working on a new project. (My bad 😉).
6. Decide what to do with these fun little bits that I made from my leftover off cut scraps.
7. Do better at avoiding the squirrels. 😉
Stitchin’ Time
I’m trying for at least 15 minutes a day, but also want to at least spend 15 minutes tidying up and dealing with scraps.
Previous time – 90/94
This week – 7/7
Year To Date – 97/101
To see how our blogging friends are doing check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Stash Report:
Fabric previous balance: 78 yards
Fabric Used this week 5 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Balance in stash: 73 Yards
* any fabric used from the scrap bins, was gifted or a prize; doesn’t count as stash
Gail at Quilting Gail created and hosts the PHD in 2021 to keep us finishing those UFOS.
Today is the letter “B”. Frederique shared some intriguing buttons crafts and ideas on her blog.
I seldom use buttons when quilting but I do have some things to share.
I have done a couple of bargellos;
The circular exploding heart table topper was extra fun!
Bag making and book covers seem to be projects I like going back to making;
The last thing I’m going to share on my post is blog hops. I love taking part in them and checking out what everyone is doing. I share a list of blog hops on my blog so you know when one is coming up as soon as I read about it.
Thanks for stopping by to read my post and a huge thank you to Frederique for hosting such a fun challenge. 😉 Carol
Here it is April Fool’s Day and we are embarking on the start of a new challenge, thanks to Frederique from Quilting Patchwork Applique.
Today we start with the letter “A”. #atozchallenge2021Quilt
My projects over the years haven’t included a lot of appliqué but lately I am starting to enjoy the process.
I have been creating blocks and letters and even full motifs using the various methods; needle turn, raw edge and reverse appliqué. Do I have a favourite method? Not yet! I think I need to do another fifty or sixty projects before I can decide which is the most enjoyable for me.
Thank you for stopping by to read my post. Do head over to Frederique’s blog to see some really fun, inspiring eye candy.
Here it is the start of a new month and it’s time for a group of creative bloggers to share our gratitude posts over on LeeAnna’s blog Not Afraid of Color. It’s always fun to head over and see what brings joy in to people’s lives.
For me, one of the biggest joys is family. I’m lucky to get plenty of photos of my great granddaughters each week from my grandson’s partner.
These 2 keep me amused! Can’t you just hear the giggle from Grace and the “Who Me?” From Clarke.
We have been having strange weather here; a bit cooler than usual, plenty of rain, a wee bit of snow, but look how beautiful my view is.
One of my biggest sources of happiness is doing pattern tests for my designer friends. I look at it as being guilt free reasons to start a new project.
Ready to start sewing another pattern test 😄
Having finished 6 quilt tops and a few small projects in one month always makes me happy. I even managed to quilt 3 of the quilts on the longarm!
I really like having the many conversations via text, zoom or email with the many bloggers I have been fortunate enough to get to know over the years. The different perspectives on life, world events and the frustrations we share in Canada serves to remind me that even though we live in different parts of the world, we do share common ground; our crafts and the concerns for our familt, country and yes, even politics. It will be interesting to see what normal will be in 6 months. Will we be able to travel by Christmas safely?
This next meme just has to be shared since I forgot to share it on St Paddy’s Day. The cat’s eyes had me mesmerized. Doesn’t she just look content and satisfies?
Getting snail mail is always fun! A good friend in America sent me a wonderful bundle of batik scraps. She knows I’ve been saving bits for a scrappy quilt I’d like to make for my bed. Can you believe that with having made over 400 quilts, I don’t have one myself? It seems that every time I make one “for me” the need arises for a gift or a fundraiser prize or a charity cause is more urgent. This bundle will be in mine for sure;
Thank you again Susan! The colours are perfect for what I have planned.
I love sharing new QAL’s or Challenges I come across. This one looks like fun and it starts today:
Just click on the logo to get the details on Frederique’s Challenge.
Thank you for visiting and for your comments. If you get the chance to pop over to LeeAnna’s blog and check out some of the other blogs you will be sure to find something to make you smile. 😉Carol
I had planned on quilting my SAHRR before the parade but life did get in the way.
Still unfinished 😢
I had a chance to get to my studio but I had to finish this treasure before I could start quilting my SAHRR.
My third quilt on the longarm
It actually is squared up and threads buried. Unfortunately it went out the door to its happy new owner before I could get a finished photo. She was so anxious to have it she is finishing the binding.
Then I had to come home early to take care of some things that came up 😳
So I do not get to join the parade, but I’m heading over to check what everyone else did for this fun Challenge.
Thank you Carol from Just Let Me Quilt for organizing another fun hop. I know I’ve been having fun hopping around and collecting some inspiration for some fun new projects.
Sadly all good things come to an end and so it is with Blog Hops. here is the final list of bloggers who have created some fun projects for us to enjoy.
Have you checked the list of bloggers that share their lists of happy things over on LeeAnna’s blog Not Afraid of Color? It’s always fun to see what everyone shares.
My list this week contains my usual loves; my sweet littles.
Clarke got her first haircut and celebrated with lunch before her acrobatics workout 🥰
While always happy Grace has discovered how to look serious as well 😄
I’ve just completed a new ruler case which will make travelling to my studio safely so much easier. I like that there is still room for more rulers.
I love being part of the worldwide quilting community via the internet and was honoured to be nominated for an Outstanding Blogger Award by Roseanne from Home Sewn By Us. You can read about it HERE and see who I nominated in return.
I love signs that spring is almost here/coming soon.
Our snow is pretty much gone off the course and the resident Canada Geese are having too much fun digging everything up 🤔
I’ve enjoyed surfing the net to see what inspiration I can find for my next project. The Salt and Sand Blog Hop provided so many ideas. You can check out the participant list HERE.
I like sharing the news that here in British Columbia our regional Health Organization has set up satellite inoculation centres to service the rural area. DH and I are scheduled for our first jab in the arm on April 23rd.
Thank you for stopping by to read my post. I appreciate our visits and love reading your comments. In closing I’m doing a happy dance getting things together to head to the studio for a couple of days. 😉 Carol
Well that’s what I am after reading Sue and Roseanne’s fun blog post today at Home sewn By Us.
They received TWO nominations for the Outstanding Blogger Award. TWO blogger friends developed five questions and added them to their nomination list. In my opinion it is so perfectly deserved.
Then I got to the bottom of the post and read their list of nominees:
I feel honoured to be on a list of some designers I admire greatly and being nominated by Sue and Roseanne, well, gobsmacked is what I am!
These are the questions that were put to us:
Have you had any major quilting/sewing successes that you’d like to share with us? (Please toot your own horn!)
I have now made over 400 quilts, most of them queen sized. I teach quilting basics at my local Guild in non Covid times. Recently I bought a longarm frame and my greatest successes have been finishing my first quilt:
My first quilt on the frame a simple meander on a baby girl quilt.
and my second finish;
FMQ around trees, over mountain ridges, complete with my first lesson in picking out a full pass of nested stitches on the back.
Are/were you influenced by family members to get into quilting and have you passed on the love to the next generation?
When I was 12, I had the chance to travel by train with my Dad from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Vancouver, British Columbia to spend two weeks with my paternal grandmother. My gramma had been married to my Grampa for 58 years until he passed away and lived in a cute apartment in Burnaby. We quickly established a routine. We would start out for a walk every morning after breakfast to do any errands that needed doing. After lunch on our first day there my Dad had to leave to handle some issues with his real estate deal. He was purchasing property on Vancouver Island. The next morning Gramma and I went for our walk and then after lunch Gramma got out her sewing basket. She taught me to cut 4” squares from the contents of her “scrap basket” which was actually a collection of antique tea or coffee tins; the large ones like this;
Then I had my first lesson on piecing these squares in to a nine patch. Once I had satisfied my Gramma that my stitches were even and consistent, she showed me how she made hst’s. At the midway point in my second week, I had made several nine patches with a mix of hst’s and squares so Gramma showed me how to sandwich and tie a simple quilt. It really was a small throw but I was pleased with it and continued on making simple quilts by hand. I eventually taught myself rudimentary embroidery stitches and would often embellish my quilts with ribbon, lace or embroidery. Another of my fondest memories was that over the two weeks I was there I learned to drink Ovaltine with my two Digestive biscuits at bedtime. I no longer enjoy the Ovaltine, but Digestive biscuits are still my favourite!
The next stage in my quilting journey came about when I moved to Wells, a small town in northern British Columbia. There I met a wonderful group of ladies who were well versed in handcrafts and loved to share their knowledge. They quickly taught me to quilt with a machine and how a rotary cutter, ruler and mat were much more efficient than scissors.
My last trip to Alberta where I was able to look after my two youngest granddaughters, Charlotte and Ruby, we had great fun with the girls having sewing lessons and each made their first placemats with artwork they created with fabric crayons on muslin. They have both been asking when I can go back to teach them how to make dresses so I think I might have sparked a bit of joy in playing with fabric.
Winter Fun……..Quilting With the Girls!
Do you have anything on your bucket list that is quilting-related?
My bucket list includes having our world return to “normal” so I can travel again to see family and meet some of the many quilty friends I have made through our internet connection. I’d also love to be able to attend some quilt shows and some of the quilt shops I have visited vicariously through their websites.
Do you have any short- or long-term goals that you are working toward that you can share with us?
My short and long term goals are to improve my appliqué techniques, actually write some of the patterns I have created and get some proficiency on the long arm.
Have you done any pattern testing for other bloggers or would you like to? If so, do you enjoy it?
Pattern testing is one of my favourite things to do!
In my previous life BDH (before Dear Heart) I was once an employee in a print shop where I proofread everything in preprint production and years later as a legal assistant, proof reading filing documents, pleadings and agreements was a huge part of my day.
Now I find it satisfying to proofread patterns to make sure it flows, contains no typos and is easy to understand for the appropriate designation. The best part is actually making the quilt top.
Some of my favourite pattern tests 😉
I’m proud to say that if I get a request for a tester I can usually make it work in my schedule or rotation.
I always consider it an honour and privilege to be asked by other bloggers to test their pattern and can honestly say that my favourite pattern is always the next pattern I’m testing. So if you need a tester, don’t be shy! Ask away!
I’m pleased to say I get to nominate five of the most outstanding bloggers and designers I enjoy and follow for the Outstanding Blogger Award and ask them five questions.
The rules are simple for these nominees so I’m going to quote from Roseanne’s blog;
“This quote for the Outstanding Blogger Award nomination rules seemed perfect and I borrowed them from (My) Laura at Laura Bruno Lilly. “To those nominated, there is no obligation to take up the challenge of answering and asking the questions. If you do accept, then please answer the questions, nominate 5 other bloggers and then compile a set of 5 of your own questions.”
Thank you to Carol from Just Let Me Quilt for organizing another fun themed hop for all of us!
Welcome to my stop on the Salt and Sand Blog Hop.
I was coming up with so many different ideas for this hop. Who couldn’t when you start thinking of warm, sunny, sandy beaches and favourite beach side vacations……Cuba, Bermuda, Mexico, the French Rivierra, etc. So many fun times and great memories. Beaches with my kids when they were little and even a couple of trips with the grandkids present 😉. Now we can only remember when, or dream of some day…..
I thought of mini quilts with flip flops, ice cream treats and fun sand toys, beach towels with appliqué or fun beach bags.
I finally settled on another practical project. Then I pulled some fabric from my stash, but had to pick up a couple of extra yards from my favourite LQS when I was there.
I was extra careful when measuring my fabrics because I only had bought a yard of each of the beige, beach themed fabrics. Can you see the fun turtles? One of my fondest memories is seeing those newly hatched baby turtles scrambling down to the water when on vacation.
Sewing my Dresden’s
I lined them when they were done.
Then I started on the body of my case. I made front and backs and lined the pieces with interfacing.
I cut a piece of my old cutting mat to make a sturdy center panel for my case. Alway good to repurpose items when they are worn out 😉
My next part of the project was to create my pockets in specific sizes and attach my Dresden blocks which were sewn along some of the seams in the ditch to create more pockets. I used a white thread in my bobbin to make it easier to see where my interior pockets were sewn. I then made some fun appliqués (sand dollar and star fish) to embellish the design.
Here you have it, my new case to keep my quilting rulers in when I am travelling back and forth to the studio where my longarm is.
Once I had double checked that my pockets were the right size I added my binding. I was lucky and had the perfect scrap piece in the colour I wanted in my scrap bucket of bindings. My last bit of fun was adding Velcro closures to the shell shaped pocket sections.
It was a fun project in spite of having to do so much math to make my fabric work.
Here is my finished case showing the three folds in progression:
Everything is put away and ready to go to the studio 😉
I will also share a photo of a panel quilt I recently finished that just fit in perfectly with the theme.
Here is the list of the other bloggers on today’s schedule. They have some great inspiration in their posts today so do check them out.
