Sunday, November 29, 2015

I heart stripes

When I go fabric shopping, stripes are always on my mind.  A lot of my quilts and tops have stripes on the borders.

But what about using stripes for the centre?

I first started playing with this stripe fabric.  An even print stripe.
Just by turning the blocks, I get a rail fence effect but without all the sewing and cutting.  Easy peasy.  Have you ever lost a project?  Well, I can't find this one to continue working on it.  LOL  Guess it is time to do a clean-up in my studio!
This is the latest stripe fabric that I recently bought.  It is an uneven print, but it still works for my project.
 Here it is in early stages.  Love it!
 A bit of letter prepping got under way for applique.
 This is what this top looks like at this point.  In the yellow corner stones, there will be more stars.
Must focus and get this finished and quilted.

So, the next time you see stripe fabric, think outside the box and envision a different quilt.

Have a great day!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Trunk shows

I've done three mini trunk shows in my studio over the past few weeks.  The last one was for my friend, no-blog Mary who came up from Toronto for a visit.  There were a lot of tops that were included in my trunk show as well as UFO's that no one has seen before.  Not even on my blog.  They will get shown in time, you will have to be patient.  :o)
We also had a sewing get-together for her in a friend's garage.  Most of the ladies were at retreat with her last fall and it was good for all of us to be together again.  Of course, there was a show & tell.

Lyn (on the right) from Timmins, Ontario came down at the same time as Mary and it was nice to see her again.  She brought this quilt that she is taking with her when they travel down to Arizona for the winter months.  She was telling us where she got her fabrics from.  Some here in Canada, some from Arizona.  A mish-mash of fabrics but they sure worked out well.
No-blog Mary showed us (in orange outfit) her quilt.  She had some Scottie dog fabric that she fussy cut and sewed onto the border.  How creative!
There were more quilts, but I can't show photos as they are secret for now.  I can only say that there were a lot of ooh's and aah's and drooling.

We had a snowfall overnight.  A great day to stay indoors and sew.  I do have lots to show, but can't for now.  You know .... Xmas gifts.

Have a great day!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Tumbler Topper

Say those words fast.  LOL

Anyway, my tumbler is now a top!  Oh, happy days are here again ....

My original fabric for the borders were discarded.  They just did not suit the look.  Going through my stash, this stripe is better, much better.

This plain red for the outer border is perfect.  The size of this top finishes at 86-1/2" x 90-3/4".  What started as a Bonnie Hunter leader/ender project ended up being sewn together very quickly.  I just couldn't wait to see the top done and I'm glad that I didn't wait.
 What is up next for borders?  My apple core.  Stay tuned for a photo of this top.

Oh yes, Happy Days Are Here Again!

Have a great day!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Getting there

My tumblers are all sewn together.  They just need borders.  Borders, borders, borders ... the story of my life.  :o)

I have quite a few tops that just need borders and that is something that will get rectified soon enough.

Anyway, after playing around with fabrics, I do believe this will be the final selection.  Now, to just get them cut and sewn on.  Oh procrastination .... go away!
Have a great day!

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Aussie visitors

Our Aussie visitors have come and gone for another visit.  What a great time we had!  It didn't seem that it has been 3 years since their last visit with us.  We just picked up where we left off and talked away for hours.

Besides talking, we did a few outings to give them a taste of North Bay and the Great White North.  The weather was beautiful this time and there still was colour in the trees.

We did a haunted walk.  That was interesting.  Even I learned a few things about North Bay and I grew up here.

Jennifer wanted to attend a ukulele session at our local music store (Music City) and that was arranged.  A few emails and viola, she was in.  She was most welcomed and she got to have her fix after being away from her uke for quite a number of weeks now.  There were almost 30 people attending the session of singing and playing the ukulele.  A grand evening indeed!  The leader of the group is hoping that DH and I come back and join the club.  I'm not musically gifted, so not sure about that.
DH and I took them for a drive out to our cottage.  We put them to work helping us do the final closing for this year.  They learned a few things about what is necessary for closing the cottage for winter.  Standing on our front porch, we see Kevin; that is me with my back turned towards the camera and there is Jennifer in the rear.  Our cottage is simple.  No electricity, no running water.  Simple and a great place to go for relaxation.  Now, when I write about quilting at the cottage, she will know what I'm talking about and can visualize being there.
Here we are standing beside our now straightened shed.  It was badly leaning and we just had to do something before it finally tumbled to the ground.  It was greatly admired.  It took quite a number of weeks of hard work by my DH and brother to get it sound and straight.   All the buildings you see belong to our family property that is shared between three siblings.
On the way back from the cottage, we stopped at a lookout beside the highway to admire Lake Nipissing.  It was a beautiful day.
 Here is DH checking out the bear-proof garbage bins.  Even he had trouble getting the lid to open.
A few days were spent just sitting in the living room with ipads and lap tops and soaking up the sunshine streaming through the windows.  Jennifer amused herself with just a wee sample of my quilting books.
This little fella kept us amused with his gathering of peanuts that we tossed out the kitchen patio door.  This was the first time they saw a chipmunk.
A show and tell of all my quilt tops was presented.  No photos were taken, but I should have because they were all over my studio afterwards and what a mess it was.  :o)  Jennifer has seen those tops on my blog, but it just is not the same as seeing them in person.

A few outings to restaurants, local stores and a quilt store rounded off their visit.

They presented me with a huge package of goodies.  I'm still drooling over my pressies.  Thank you so much Jennifer and Kevin.  I do hope your visit with us was enjoyable and safe travels for the rest of your time here in Canada.
It is on my bucket list to make a trip to Australia.  So, we shall see ....

Have a great day!