Quilting Stores in Courtenay/Comox

Doug and I are currently visiting in the Courtenay/Comox area so one of the first things to do is hunt out the local quilt stores.

Huckleberry's on Ryan Rd. was my favourite.  Great little shop with lots of selection and many new books that I was drooling over.

The Red Barn is located on Cliffe inside the Fabricland.  Lots of selection of fabric, but not quite the Quilt Store feel.  Fine for a visit, but I could live at the Huckleberry store.

While in the area we are exploring the beautiful countryside.  Today we road our road bikes around Comox, stopping for a photo op at Goose Spit.  Yesterday was a mountain bike ride at Nymph Falls on a novice trail.  A little more trail than I like, but fun none the less.  The day before we hiked in Strathcona.  A SHORT 16 km hike up a mountain.  LOL.  A Fabulous part of BC to explore.  Tomorrow we are off to Campbell River.  I here there's a quilt store on the way.

It's All About Texture

I was just checking out Carla's blog featuring the Large Star quilt I just Quilted for her.  In the post she said it was all about the texture.  She is right.  All the modern quilts give such wide open places to play with the quilting.  Almost too much fun!

Not to say that the more traditional quilts aren't fun, they certainly are.  I just finished a Thimbleberries quilt for Joyce.

I played a little in this quilt as well.

I tried to make this quilt a little different so I went with a starburst in the centre of the flowers, rather than the pebbles I usually use.  The green border needed a little something that wouldn't detract from the floral border, so I went with straight lines.  Thanks Joyce for letting me play on your quilt.

Peter's Quilts

My friend Peter retired a few months back.  I have known him as long as I have worked at the Post Office.  He has been a special friend that always made my day a little bit brighter.  He received two quilts when he retired.

The first quilt is a friendship star quilt that I made quite a few years ago in anticipation of Peter's retirement.  Once I was joking with Peter saying he had to give me a little notice if he expected a quilt.  He said that he knew I had one already done!  He was right.

The second quilt was made by the Postie Quilters.  If it looks like Terry was about to cry, I'm sure she was.

Only a couple of more Postie retirements before it's my turn.  Woohoo!  I'm on serious countdown now.

Sun Peaks Quilt Show

This weekend there was a quilt show at Sun Peaks, the local skiing resort.  Here are a few of my favourites.

And last, but certainly not least, Joyce's quilt which won the Rosette for best of show. Congrats Joyce!

Joyce's applique is stunning, and....  I quilted it.  I was thrilled when it won! Have a wonderful weekend.

A Trip Around My World

I finally finished my scrappy trip around the world quilt.  I took it to the garden to get a picture on Saturday, and then though, why not show you what I was up to for the day.

My pond is still one of my favourite places to hang out.  The quilt just fit right in with all the bright flowers.

After the flowers were all watered, it was time to hop on the Mountain Bikes.  Doug and I road from our house up Batchelor to the grasslands that overlook my house. This is a great vantage point to look down on my neighbourhood.

From the same vantage point the lake is just to the right.  The weather has been a little wet, so the mountains still have a hint of green.  Quite unusual for this time of year.

After a quick shower, it was off to the ball field to watch a friend's son pitch for the Sun Devils. I've been trying all year to make it to a game that he was actually pitching in.  Finally made it.

You knew that a little quilting had to be involved.  I stopped off at a friends with a few of my orphan blocks that she had agreed to give a home to.  They will look great with her Harley fabric.

The day ended with a wonderful meal at the Halston Pub with some great friends.  The ball team was having a fun raiser and it was the perfect excuse to get out.  Hope you all managed to fit some fun activities into your weekend!

Salvaging a Quilt

Sometimes while making a quilt, things go terribly wrong.  My friend Sylvia spilt coffee on a quilt top that she was making.  To keep it from staining, she washed the top.  Unfortunately the Muslin sashing did not shrink, and the cotton fabric did.  She phoned me very upset, asking if it could be saved.

My motto is "there is nothing like a good steam iron."  I told her to steam the Muslin to try and shrink it a bit, and then bring it over and I would see if I could quilt out the fullness.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained at this point.

I loaded the quilt on the machine with Hobbs 80/20 batting.  I wanted the loft to help take up some of the fabric.

I kept the quilting fairly simple so I could use one hand to move the machine and the other to move the fullness around where necessary.

Sylvia picked the quilt up today and was thrilled that it looked as if nothing had ever gone wrong.  As quilters we all have made mistakes in our quilting.  Knowing how to fix them so that no one else knows, is the secret.  LOL!  Thanks Sylvia for letting me share your story.

Be a Hexie Queen

Yes, I have signed up for the Hexie Queen blog hop.  It is going to be soooo much fun, I can hardly wait.  Now, what am I going to make?  Hmmmmm!  I better get on with it, time is a wasting.
Thanks to Debby for being our cheerleader.  I'm sure a few of my Hexie friends will be joining in.  

Kettle Valley Revisited

This past week Doug and I travelled once again to Princeton to ride the Kettle Valley Trails.  A special thanks to Bud who drove us up to Tulameen the first day so that we could ride downhill all the way to Princeton.  Sweet!

This is the view from one of the lookouts along the highway.  The Kettle Valley Trail runs along side the river.

This was my view for much of the ride!  Trying to keep up while enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Our friends Randy and Terry joined us on the ride.  A shot of them coming out of the shorter tunnel.  No lights on in this tunnel, but this time we were prepared with headlamps.

After a day of rest, Doug and I drove up to Tulameen and rode the trail northwest of Tulameen that runs along the lake, and then out over some beautiful ranch land.  We did an out and back.  I must admit that on the way back I was pretty much done for.  I always think I can do more than I really can.  LOL.  The mind is willing, but the body screams a lot!  Happy trails!!!!