A Little of This, A Little of That

This week I have been working on a few different projects.  First up was quilting my Cuzco quilt.

I had marked lines every 1 1/2 inches so that I could quilt this funky orange peel pattern on the background.  The quilt is now in the washer, removing the lines.

I just completed my blocks for this months civil war reproduction challenge.  These are the blocks that finish 4 1/2 inches.  And yes, they are a challenge!

And not to be forgotten, this weeks hexagon.  Katja has a new challenge for hexagons for next year.  I need to get this years finished up, and get started on next years.  Never a dull moment!

Farmer'sWife Blocks 83 & 84

Spider Web and Spool also made the trip out east with Deanna.

Here they are hanging out with a couple of locals!

They are at Shediac, New Brunswick, home of the world's largest Lobster.

A Little Cuzco

I am currently playing with a little "Cuzco" by Kate Spain.  I have the quilt top finished and have spent most of this evening marking some reference lines with my water erasable pen.  On a darker fabric I would use chalk however with white I don't have a lot of choices but to use the pen.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that it washes out okay!

It is Thursday, so here is my latest hexagon.

Have a great weekend everyone and a special "Happy Thanksgiving" to my American friends!

A Double Slice of Cake

My double slice of cake quilt is made using "Simply Color" by V and Co. for Moda.

I was inspired to make this very easy quilt by a quilt my friend Noeline who was making a quilt out of "Little Black Dress" fabric.

She was using a pattern from Benartex that included a sashing.  I decided I didn't want sashing because I wanted something quick.

I started with 42 10" squares.  This is the size Layer Cakes by Moda come in.  If your Layer Cake doesn't have 42 pieces add in a couple of solids or downsize to 35 squares.  Cut each of the squares at the 3 1/2" line.

Shuffle your fabrics and sew the two pieces together.

Take your newly pieced square and cut in half at the 5" line.

Shuffle your fabrics one more time, flip one half top to bottom and sew the two halves together.

This is what your finished block should look like.  Lay out the blocks alternating one horizontal block and then one vertical block.  I set my blocks 6 x 7.  Refer to the picture at the top of the page if you need a little help.  Of course if you are an over achiever you can add sashing and a border.

I was short on time so I quilted the quilt with an all over ribbon.  The design is really a large meander with an echo line that crosses over now and then.  I used grey thread so as to blend in.

This pattern is a great way to show off your favourite fabrics.  Or in my case, get a quilt finished very quickly.  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Farmer's Wife Blocks 81 & 82

Snowball and Spider Legs also went with Deanna on her holiday.

Now how cool is this.  The Farmer's Wife blocks are at the Farmer's Daughter Country Market!  And where might you ask is this?  It is in Whycocomagh, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

Curved Four Patch Class

Recently I taught a class on making a Curved Four Patch.  We used the uneven nine patch ruler from EZ Quilting.  The ruler calls for a 10 1/2" nine patch but since I seldom follow rules I decided a 10 1/2" four patch would be way more fun.

The women in the class used a variety of fabrics.  Batiks, brights, soft pastels and even a little Blitzen.  We all had a great time and I'm hoping they bring their finished quilts into the shop to show me.  They did ask for a close up of the quilting so here it is.

The Kate Spain fabric combined with bright solids and white make such a cheerful little quilt.

You know I wouldn't let the week go by without a hexagon.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Fun with Rulers

Today I want to share with you a quilt I recently finished for Barb.  She made this quilt as a gift for her Mom, who is also a friend of mine.  I wanted it to be special so I decided to try out a new ruler.

I started with this block.

I quilted in the background.

I used a regular ruler to find the centre of the block and then used an arc ruler to make a shape that reminds me of the christmas ornament my Grandmother used to hang.

I had a lot of fun trying something new!

Farmer's Wife Blocks 79 & 80

This week my blocks are on the road again.  Deanna went on a bit of a holiday and took Silver Lane and Single Wedding Star along for the trip.

I love this picture of Derry posing with a couple of his friends.

The blocks look like they belong in this display.  The blocks are visiting the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  I'm thinking they had a great time.

JoAnn sent me pics from last weeks blocks.  It's great to see the blocks done with an assortment of fabrics.  The rest of you seem a little shy.  Send me pictures please!

Paulette's Quilt Block

Today I want to share with you this fun quilt block I recently quilted for Paulette.  Paulette is a very talented scrap quilter who comes up with some wonderful ideas for quilts.  I have been privileged to quilt a number of them for her.  For this quilt she wanted the dark fabrics to pop.

So we agreed that I would quilt pebbles in the light and a small ribbon across the seams for the dark.  Paulette is not afraid of yellow, so that is the colour thread that I used.  She will be teaching this class in Vernon this month, I'm sure everyone that attends will have a wonderful time.

This weeks hexagon has a rose in the centre.  Winter is starting to make an appearance here, so it is fun to think back to the summer flowers.  Warm thought to you all!

Farmer's Wife Blocks in MY NEW KITCHEN

Yes, I gave away where they are.  I am just so excited to have my new kitchen just about finished.  We have a little trim left to paint and the transitions from hardwood to tile to finish, but the kitchen is functional.

I have been waiting a long time to have my kitchen renovated.  These are the after pictures.  Now for the before.

The 70s green linoleum and the plywood cupboards served me well for many years but I am so happy to see them gone.

And just in case anyone really wanted to see the blocks, here is the closeup.

I hope you are all having as great a day as I am!

Sylvia's Quilt

Sylvia's quilt from the book "Sunday Morning Quilts" is not only beautiful, but also a wonderful walk down memory lane.  A quilter's memory lane of past projects!  A lot of the fabrics I recognize from past projects that she has made.  A great way to revisit the stash.  Speaking of the book, pop over to Carla's blog on my side bar, for a chancre to win the book!

Back to the quilt.  I've been itching to try a new quilting design called feather swirl that I saw over at the Green Fairy blog.  The YouTube link is here.  I watched the video several time, practiced on paper and then tried it out on one of my quilts first.

This little baby quilt is made from Chez Moi.  I'm not going to show the close up of the quilting as I wasn't very happy with it.  So, it was back to the paper for a little more practice.

This is the resulting design on Sylvia's quilt.  Once I developed my own rhythm the quilting went well, and I was happy with the result.

I love this quilt and have plans to make one very soon.  Thanks Sylvia for letting me play with your quilt!

This weeks hexagon is one of my favourites.  I just love the spinning pieces.  Have a great weekend!