Life Continues On

 Well it’s been almost 2 years since I wrote up a post. I have been sewing some projects in the last couple of years but we’ve also been building our house! We just recently moved in last month and there’s still a couple of things left to do but I’m finally feeling settled after living in 600 sq ft for over 3 years! I’m still trying to get use to all the space that we have now. We have about 2500 sq ft now so it’s a huge difference! I do love my sewing space though. It’s no where near organized but it’s set up well enough that I’ve been able to work on some projects. 

This is a quilt top that was made up of various scraps that I had for years. I can’t remember exactly when I finished the top…..it may have been over 5 years now. It was in my cedar chest just waiting to be quilted! Since I haven’t quilted on my midarm for a couple of years, I went with swirls because they are comfortable and like second nature for me. I’m a little bit rusty but I was still thrilled with the final product. 

Now to get the binding done….

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal

I decided to start the New Year off with a little bit of goal setting. I came across Elm Street Quilts through my friend Anja’s Blog, Anja Quilts. I’ve been incredibly absent from the world of blogging over the last 18 months. We moved across the province and are currently in a very small space while we build our house. Construction will start this spring! On the upside, designing my own sewing space is somewhat exciting! Needless to say with the limited space, my sewing and creativity has been a bit on the back burner.

So I’m signing up for One Monthly Goal to motivate me to sew more! My monthly goal for January will be to catch up on Fat Quarter Shop’s Summer Moon BOM.

I am currently on Month 6 and Month 8 is on it’s way to me. So my goal this month is to complete blocks from Month 6 and 7 which will be a total of 18 blocks. There will be six different patterns and each block will have three sizes to do.

Hope I can get them finished this month! Fingers crossed!

New Year, so many WIPs!

Lots of big changes over in my neck of the woods. I haven’t been as creative as I would like but I’m hoping to change that this year. I’m currently working on blocks for a BOM program from the Fat Quarter Shop. I am loving how these blocks are turning out and the fabric is beautiful. Day in Paris by Zen Chic is the fabric line. I ordered some more of that gorgeous fabric when it came on sale at Dinkydoo for a future project.

Here’s a taste of a couple of those blocks. 

You make three of each block design at various sizes. The smallest block is 5” square unfinished. Sometimes it can be a challenge! I am not sure which quilt top I will quilt next. I do not have any in mind so I may just dig up an older top and just start quilting.

This is the last quilt I finished for my niece Jayna.

I’m quite happy with the way this one turned out. I also love this older but so cute collection. I believe it was called Ladybug. I purchased it many years ago now and was saving it up for the perfect project. So it’s good that I finally used a bundle that I was hoarding for years on this quilt.

I haven’t bought much fabric in the last year so I will continue on with that this year. I really have more than enough to do so many quilts. I am still currently signed up with one BOM so I’ll continue with that until it’s finished. But I don’t believe I will join another one next year unless something really piques my interest. I need to do so many UFOs!

"X Marks the Spot" Quilt

I have a finish to show you all :) Here is my "X Marks the Spot" quilt.

 My husband is a huge fan of the red, black and white palette. When I made his Dressed to the Nines quilt, I had acquired a lot of red fabric....

I created this small quilt to use up some of those red fabrics that I had in my stash. I was asked to teach this quilt as a class but at this time I won't be able to. Possibly in the future since this was a fun quilt to piece :)

 Close up picture of the quilting.

 I absolutely love the pieced back on this one. It was a fun one to make. I used various lengths for the strips and all the red fabrics were from the X's on the top. 

Here's a close-up of the quilting. It's all free motion quilting and using rulers for the straight line parts. I could not quilt a straight line to save my life!

So for now, this quilt will be safely stowed away. Onto the next project ;)

Quilts for Broncos

On April 6th, 2018  the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team players and staff were traveling to a play-off game when their team bus was involved in a collision with a semi-truck trailer in rural Saskatchewan. The incident and aftermath has left a void in Saskatchewan and communities across Canada. The Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild has put out a Quilters Call to Action for Quilts for Broncos. They are asking for quilters to make blocks, quilt tops or finished quilts. You can read more about it by visiting the Saskatoon Modern Quilt Guild website. Click here to view their page for Quilts for Broncos.

I was able to make 14 Quilt blocks and I will be sending these blocks on Monday.

You can also donate fabric, batting, backing, thread, or monetary donations toward these items. You can find out all this information by clicking on the link above.

PEI MQG Clue #7

I haven't been able to spend much time in my sewing space lately. There have been so many renovations at home and cleaning from those renovations that any free time is spent doing exactly nothing....I did manage to sneak in a little time here and there to get my blocks finished for PEI MQG Clue #7 :)

Now I guess I have to wait a few weeks for Clue #8!

PEI MQG Clue #6

Just in under the wire! Just finished up Clue #6 for the PEI MQG Mystery Quilt Along.

Not sure how I feel about the blues in this. But they are finished :) 

Just in time for Clue #7!

Progress Starts with a Stitch

I haven't been spending much time in my sewing space lately. I'm slowly working on my 2018 goals. I have basted my Twilight in the Garden quilt and it is currently resting on my quilting table. I have somewhat of a quilt plan for the center of the quilt but I'm not sure how I will quilt the rest yet.

I also started working on my Tokyo Subway Quilt. I had to cut some background squares, there's 906 squares to cut. So I cut a few hundred to start. It was more than enough to piece together Block 1.

Only 24 more blocks to go!

I will enjoy picking up this project every now and again during the year. I'm hoping to have this one finished before the end of the summer. Fingers crossed!

I've also been working on making a pillow cover for a charity that my guild does every year. Every year, residents at a nursing home in Halifax each get to pick out a pillow for their room. It's a little gift for each resident. I'm hoping to have this one completed over the weekend.

I am thinking about trying out my new ruler foot for my Topaz 20 sewing machine. Would be a great practice project and I think some straight lines would look good for this.

Hopefully I'll get lots of progress done on these projects over the weekend. One can only hope!

J.

BAQ Blocks 2 & 3

I just realized that I had not shared pictures of Quilting is My Therapy Build A Quilt (BAQ) Blocks 2 and 3. This is the BOM that Angela Walters is doing from her shop Quilting is My Therapy. So without further ado, here are my Blocks for 2 and 3:

Block #2

Test and BAQ Block

Test Block #3

 

BAQ Block #3

 

I feel like my test block is a bit washed out when it comes to focusing on the pattern. But I do love the one using the Green Goddess fabrics. 

I'm patiently waiting for the next Block to be shipped :)

Are you part of any BOM programs this year?

J.

2017 Recap & 2018 Goals

Now that I've had a bit of time to think about what I want to do for my 2018 goals and took a good look around my sewing space, I've decided to call this year focus on WIPs! Years ago when I joined up for the Library Project, I would always start and finish one quilt before starting another project. This was back in 2014.....years later, I have way too many WIPs.

I feel like I didn't accomplish many finishes in 2017 which makes me a bit sad.

Here are my finishes for 2017:

Nighttime Blossoms

Donated to my hometown Relay for Life event.

Triangle Baby Quilt

 This one went to a good friend's adopted baby.

Snowtracks

 This lovely went to my Goddaughter in Manitoba.

Zen Chic's You & Me

This enormous quilt went to a best friend for her wedding gift. 

And then another finish that I can't post about yet. 

I have been sewing a bit but some times there are other things that need to take priority in life. This year, I would like to finish those WIPs that are hanging around my workspace. 

Here is my goals list for 2018:

1. Dressed to the Nines Quilt - Quilt top was completed years ago. To finish it needs be basted, quilted and binding put on.
2. X Marks the Spot Quilt - To finish it needs to be basted, quilted and binding put on.
3. Twilight in the Garden Quilt - To finish it needs to be basted, quilted and binding put on.
4. Blueberry Ice Quilt - To finish it needs the outer border, basted, quilted and binding put on.
5. PEI MQG Mystery QA - Complete clues every month.
6. Quilting is my Therapy BAQ - Complete test block and block every month.
7. Tula's Block Sampler - Complete all 100 blocks using scraps.
8. Modern Sampler Quilt - Quilt along with my sister. Fabrics are cut and ready to be pieced.
9. Tokyo Subway Quilt - Most 2-1/2" print squares are done (Thanks to the Birthday Bonus Club). 
10. Maple Leaf Quilt -  To finish it needs be basted, quilted and binding put on.
11. Whispering Lake Scrappy Quilt - To finish it needs be basted, quilted and binding put on.
12. Unraveled Quilt - Will be using up scraps from my bins. 
13. Everlasting Love Quilt - Will be using blue scraps for this one. Background fabric purchased. 

Whew! I know this list seems long but a lot of these are quilt tops that need to be finished. And I figure I will need to make a baby quilt or two through the year. There always seems to be at least one baby that needs a quilt every year :) 

So have you made a 2018 goals list? I'd love to hear about it.

J.

PEI MQG Clue #5

I just completed the instructions for PEI MQG Clue #5. This one was a bit of a challenge for me. My first issue was that I had to select a new fabric #3 since I didn't have enough of the original fabric that I choose. Not because of the fabric instructions but because I selected all the fabrics from my stash except for the background fabric. So some of my pieces were not exactly FQs but what I thought was close enough.

So after choosing a new fabric #3, I started cutting. I only have a minimal amount left of it so I'm hoping the future clues will not use up too much of fabric #3. I did try and order what I think it is. See that small piece of fabric was originally purchased when I was looking to bulk up my orange fabrics in my stash. I think it is a grunge fabric but I didn't know for sure and which colour. So I ordered a couple online and I'm hoping one of the ones I ordered will be a match. Fingers Crossed!

The second issue for me is that I had never done these before. It was a bit sketchy at times but I did manage to make it through. I watched the video and thought ok that looks easy! Then I started trimming and I would get myself confused with all those lines and markings. After a while, I settled into a groove but there were still a few close calls!

But here they are:

Here is the link to Clue #5 if you would like to participate :) There's some pretty nice prizes too ;)

I'll be linking up my post in order to get my name in for this month's prize. But you don't need to have a blog to participate!

Go take a look, it's a lot of fun :)

J.

Tula's Blocks 16-20

I have some more eye candy to show. These have been finished for a while but I never did have a chance to get them up on the blog. And now that the Christmas holidays are over, I have a little more time to dedicate to this blog. So without further ado, here are blocks 16-20 :)

Block 16

Block 17

Block 18

Block 19

Block 20

This one was made a bit after Block 19. Otherwise I would have used different fabrics instead of the same ones as Block 19....oopps. 

I have a few more blocks finished but I'll wait to post those until I have that group of 5 finished. I am almost one quarter of the way through the blocks in the book :)

Definitely a great scraps buster!

I hope your holidays were filled with love and happiness.

Wishing you a great 2018!

J.

Tula's Blocks 11-15

A little late with showing these blocks since I think they were completed over a month ago. But better late than never, right :)

Here are Tula's Blocks 11-15

Block 11

There are some itty-bitty squares in there. 1" squares! Can you believe it? I don't think I've ever cut and sewed something that small!

Block 12

I wish I had used a darker background fabric but it was what I had a lot of in my scraps bin.

Block 13

Love, Love, Love the text print!

Block 14

Love these colours!

Block 15

Love the little houses :) 

If you don't own Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks you should ask Santa for a copy. It is absolutely incredible and so much fun! I am loving going through my scrap bins to make these blocks!

Hope you have those homemade Christmas gifts done....I am still working on some! Speaking of those, I better get back to it :)

Julia

PEI MQG Clue #4

PEI MQG released Clue #4 on Dec 1 while I was returning from vacation so I just finished my blocks for this clue a couple of days ago. If you'd like to go see Clue #4, you can click here. It's never too late to join in :) It has been a lot of fun so far!

Clue #4 blocks

I chose the Paper Piecing method since I do like Paper Piecing. It just provides the precision that I'm looking for when piecing. 

I have been able to do a few other projects but they are still a secret for now. Someday I'll get to share ;)

I wish you all a Happy Holiday season :)

Tula's Blocks 6-10

As promised here are the blocks 6-10 :)

Block 6

Block 7

Block 8

Block 9

Block 10

Have you ever looked at Tula Pink's City Sampler Book? You should really take a peek. It's full of gorgeous blocks and fabrics! A great book for inspiration :)

Tula's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks

I've decided not to start another quilt right now since I have a lot of tops that need to be finished. I have some piecing projects on the go such as BAQ through Quilting is My Therapy and PEIMQG Mystery Quilt Along. The only problem is that these are monthly. I had started making Tula's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks with my scraps over the summer. Tonight I pulled out my storage container with the blocks that I had made so far with my scraps. I figured I would continue from where I left off which was Block 15. This is the perfect project since my scrap bins are overflowing and I need to be able to piece something while quilting all those quilt tops! Plus these blocks are quick and they are all different. It's a winning combo all around.

Here are blocks 1-5:

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

Block 4

Block 5

I won't bombard you with the other 10 blocks tonight. I'll post Blocks 6-10 another evening :)

I also want to take a moment to say Thank you to all the men and women who have served and the ones who continue to serve. I also want to say Thank you to those members' families. I will never forget the sacrifices that were made and are still made today that allow freedom in our beautiful country. 

 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
We will remember them.

Thank You.

BAQ and Clue #3

I haven't been doing any finishes lately but I have been working away on some projects. I just set up my midarm this weekend. It was packed away due to some rooms being renovated. Plaster dust and gyproc dust are just not good for my machines. SO I'm hoping to get some quilt tops that have been hanging around my sewing room quilted. One was almost complete prior to renos. I only have a small amount left to be quilted but I am stuck on how to finish the quilting.....waiting for inspiration to hit me....or the deadline! Then I only have 4 more quilt tops to quilt....then bind....hopefully they will be done before the spring.

I received my first block from Quilting is My Therapy's Build A Quilt! Angela Walters is my ultimate favourite quilting celebrity. So when I heard that she was doing this, I had to jump on the bandwagon! The ultimate prize is to have your quilt top quilted by Angela! Can you just imagine winning that prize?! It would be like the lottery! I did a test block first with fabrics from my stash of Sphere fabric by Zen Chic. Then I did the block with the Green Goddess fabric that was sent to me.

I'm hoping to test each block and be able to make a second quilt with all those test blocks.

I also finished the work for PEI MQG Mystery Quilt Along. Here is the link for clue #3:
http://peimqg.blogspot.ca/2017/11/peimqg-mystery-quilt-along-clue-3.html

And here are my blocks for Clue #3

Loving this Quilt Along! I look forward to the beginning of each month for the next clue!

Now onto the many different quilts that need to be quilted....play some really loud tunes and quilt, quilt, quilt!

Clue #2 - Check!

Well I've been able to play a little bit in my sewing room. I'm just at the end of my vacation so I'm dedicating a bit of it to sewing.....who needs a clean house :) So PEI MQG has released Clue #2 in their 2017 Mystery Quilt Along! You can view Clue #2 by clicking here. You really should go check it out! It has been a lot of fun!

Here are my completed blocks for Clue #2.

In other news, I pieced together this quilt top over the last week.

It's a pretty small one for the ones that I'm use to piecing (it's only 48" x 48"). I wrote the pattern up about a month ago. I'm calling this one "X Marks the Spot". Ever since my husband had asked me to make a quilt with this same palette, I have been in love with it. I'm already thinking about variations of this particular pattern :)

Hope you had some wonderful sewing time this weekend!

J.