Slow is okay ...

... it is still a forward motion.

I just had to change the basket as the first one was annoying me and it was crooked. Now the piece lays flat. 

It turned white ... 

first snow fall in my back yard Nov 9th 

...   over night.

It hasn't melt away. Even better, it hasn't stopped snowing since last 2 weeks. Almost every day, we receive a little dusting ... or two inches! It was the shortest Autumn ever! Darn!! 

Happy sewing. ;^)

Joining Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Design Wall Monday

I haven't done a Monday post in such a long, long time. I finally have something to show on a Monday.

I went shopping and got some much needed dark blue for the 365 Challenge and ...

some not so needed goodies.  :^D ( I couldn't resist; they are too cute and at 30% off, why resist?) Can't wait to put the scissors in that yardage. It is just lovely. I bought whatever was left on the bolt. Yay!

This is the first corner of the 365 Sampler Challenge. (as seen in the last post) This is the middle section.

I finished off the two side sections :

the twins 

and the basket. While pressing this block, I realized that I should have reversed my choice of colors for the basket. It didn't occurred to me while I was cutting the pieces (or when I was sewing the pieces) that the middle section of the basket and the flower were both blue. am I redoing this? This quilt will last for a hundred years... ... ... sigh! 

Of course, all this tedious sewing needed some mindless company. Even dark green came by to say hello. 

I was gifted these big bags of fabrics of all kind. 

The smallest one only has square pieces of all sizes. Some are sewn in a HST pattern others are pressed to form a prairie points border. I am having so much fun going through all this deliciousness. :^D 

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, so I can play some more today. I am so thankful for that. Also thankful for you. I wonder if you know how much I appreciate you, your comment, point of views, ideas, your projects, laughter and even your teasing. Hahaha! I am spoiled. Thank you for being you. 

Have a great one, 

;^)

Joining Judy at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts
Joining Beth at Love Laugh Quilt

Wednesday Sewing Club got the blues too

This past Wednesday, I got to go sew with my friends. What fun I have with them.

I prepared one corner block of the 365 Challenge, thinking I can do this and then it will be time to go home. Here is what I got done.

The top floral part

and the side floral parts

yep, that's all! It took me over four hours to make these units.

Oh! ...

... No! ...

Wait! 

I did show them the little mug rug I did with Monique's leftovers

Can't believe I didn't take a picture of the finished project!! 

and I did have a long look at all the beautiful things they sew during the summer. Oh! It was so beautiful.

Then, Lucie pulled the show stopper; a red and white quilt made in 1882 by Éloïse.

Wow! This was the size of it. Ok! Granted I am no expert with quilts but this one was cut.  Why? Nobody knows.

The applique pieces are hand sewn with the tiniest stitches I've ever seen.  Hope you can see them on this picture. Hand quilted too. The red fabric, although tired and running thin, is still so vibrant and bright. Amazing!!

The back, like the front, is mousseline.  The binding was sewn on much later with an electric machine. The name Éloïse 1882 was written with a pen in one of the corner. Was it all that the label said back then? Personally, I think this is only a quarter of the quilt. (Pictures taken with my phone.)

This weekend is a long one in Canada as we are celebrating Thanksgiving and it will find me finishing this ONE corner block for my 365 Challenge. Then there be only three more to go, lol.

Oh, yes! Almost forgot. I also got spoiled. Look at all the fabric my friends brought to my table after I showed them the mug rug. Hahaha! Aren't they awesome? I love them.

Another friend spoiled me this week. This friend is a bloggy friend who lives far, far away and although we haven't met face to face (yet) she knows me so well. She sent me, through email, some pictures of a certain quilt and it made my day. So happy to have her in my world. Thanks again, my sweet friend.

Hope that you too have some wonderful friends around you. Enjoy!

;^)

Joining Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework

Bigger Blues?

I'm still in the blues ... for now.

Ann and Andy - August 5 - 32 pieces

Laurel Wreath - 49 pieces. Not an easy one but I'm really happy with it.

Old Snowflake  - 29 pieces. It is so pretty. I love this one except the diagonal lines are cut at 3/4 of an inch. They finish at 1/4 inch. If you examine the top left corner, you'll see that I sew it 1/8" bigger than the others. When the pieces are that small, 1/8 of an inch is a BIG thing.

Seesaw - 20 pieces. Here's another one that I really like.

August 9 - Big "O" - 9 pieces. This is definitively too easy. An extra hard one is about to show up, I just know it.

Shooting Star - 20 pieces. That's the last of the brown fabric and I really loved that one. Oh well, we do buy it to use it, right?

Dewey's Victory - 28 pieces. There's the extra hard one. The pinwheel in the middle is the size of a quarter. It is also my blooper block, lol.

With these done, I realized that I am running out of dark blue fabrics. I keep using the same one. Some I need to keep to use in the outer border corners so the quilt will look cohesive. I have to go shopping soon. Oh poor me! Lol.


While I get time to get the fabrics, what can I sew? So I started to make more blocks for an older project. These blocks are bigger. Brighter. Bolder. (Gosh! It's starting to sound like the 6 Million Dollar Man. If you were around in the 70s and were on this side of the ocean, you know about Steve Austin. I bet you can still hear the sound effect when he moved.) Anywho!!  I made these two blocks.

and the bolder

I'll have to look up again what this pattern is called because I can't remember. It's an Ohio Star Variation of some sort. I love Ohio Star.

These two will join the five others already made. I don't know where this project is going but I know that I don't have to make a lot of these as they will be paired with ... something.

That's all for now.

Stay calm, stay cool and sew on.

;^)


P.S. Just to prove that I fixed my blooper and that those blocks are really that small. :^D

Have a great weekend.

Joining Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Joining Angela at Soscrappy
Joining Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

A New Month

For my 365 Sampler Challenge quilt, it is time for a new month. I have started on the month of August.

My design wall was empty.

Then popped a little blue flash ...

It's August first! It's called Peaceful Evening and it has 36 pieces. It's very hairy but so peaceful in person, not at all dull like the picture shows it. 

Then another one popped onto the design wall... 

It's Apple Pie with 33 pieces. I love this one too. 

Nothing could stop me now, so after a short break, another one appeared on the wall. 

Indian Hatchets made me angry a little bit. Although it looks very simple and easy, it is a hard one to trim. As you can see in this photo, the hatchets aren't in the middle of the blocks like they should. Bah! Humbug! I say. I am not changing it. 

It also made me angry by the amount of trimming left behind. 

That's a lot of waste for a block that is only 3.5 inches. 

Since I am not one to stay on a sour note, I had to make one more appear on the wall so out came ... 

... T Quartet with 36 pieces. Lost a few points on this one but it made my smile reappeared and that makes everything right again in my blue world. :^D 

Joining Angela for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

;^)