My Whimsical Quilt Garden

My Whimsical Quilt Garden by Piece O'Cake Designs, is a wonderful pattern!  Earlier this year I was lucky enough to team up with Sonja Marek, to complete this quilt.  Sonja did all the hard work, all the beautiful Applique.  I was given the honour of quilting the quilt.

The hardest part was deciding what to do.  Since it was all hand appliqued I wanted it to look somewhat traditional.  I outlined the applique and then did a ribbon in the sashing.  Then came the border.

The border was plain white muslin with wonderful polka dots appliqued.  I decided to outline the polka dots, and add more dots to the fabric with the quilting.  Since the centre of the quilt had a lot of quilting, I needed to balance it with a lot of quilting in the border.

The quilt is hanging in a spot at Katja's that makes it hard to get a great picture, so this is the best I could do.  This quilt has to be my favourite quilt that I have had the pleasure to work on this year!

Camping at Tunkwa

Doug and I just returned from a wonderful weekend camping at Tunkwa Lake.  The weather was comfortable and the campground was wonderfully clean.  Probably the nicest campground we stayed at all year!

This was the view from our campsite.  A beautiful lake in the middle of the grasslands.

Doug and I rode (pushed and carried) our bikes around the lake.  This is the view from a bluff, with Tunkwa in the foreground and Leighton on the left.  You can see the campground across the lake.

This is me, after pushing my bike up to the top of the bluff.  On the way down Doug had to pack it part way for me.  When they suggest hiking, I guess they really mean it!  Oh well, we had a great time anyways.

Blanche had a fabulous time when we hiked around Leighton Lake.  The running ahead, and then running back, lasted for about 15 minutes, then she was content to walk with us.  Pretty spry for a 9 year old.

Of course, Blanche's favourite duty is guarding the trailer.  Most of the time, with her eyes closed.

I did manage to fit a little quilting into the weekend.  I finished block 9 of Vintage Valentine, while listening to a Dean Koontz book on my ipod.
It was a wonderful way to spend the last long weekend of Summer.

Sunbonnet Kittens

As a retirement gift for a great friend, I was asked to make a sunbonnet kitten out of 30s fabric.  What a great idea!  Of course my kitten had to be purple.  Here she is before I sent her for a little embellishment by Sonja.

Sharon pieced twelve blocks together, and after quilting, here my kitten is again.

The embroidery that Sonja added for me is incredible.  Of course my kitten has a few friends.

Together they make the sweetest quilt.

Gerry was very happy with her gift, commenting that no one had ever made her a quilt.  As is the case with most quilters, no one thinks you would like one as a gift.  I believe as a quilter we appreciate the gift knowing what love and time has gone into it.

Happy Retirement!!!!!!!!!

Black and White and Orange all over

I am so lucky that I get to quilt a wide variety of quilts.  The quilt I just finished was pieced by a beginner quilter.  She wants a quilt to give to her son for his dorm bed.  Orange is his favourite colour, so this black and white quilt has orange for an accent.

A log cabin quilt for a beginner is quite the accomplishment.  Congratulations Jani!  I'm sure your son will love it.

Thanks to the tip from Carla at Grace and Favour, I also have changed my setting so hopefully it will be easier for you to comment if you don't have a google account.

For those of you who are interested in how to apply binding on quilts that have very different angles  at the corners, check out Marci Baker's video.  Marci also has a video on the traditional way to join binding.  Click here to check it out.  After watching it I think you will understand why I join my binding in the corner, as shown in a previous post.

Have a great day everyone!

The fast way to join binding using a mitre

I have a number of methods I use in my quilting to speed things up a little.  One of my favourites is to join my binding with a mitre in the corner.  This is also useful if you want to have different coloured binding on each side of your quilt.

Make your binding whatever size you normally do.  Starting 1/4" from the top edge, start sewing your binding on the side of the quilt.  Take two stitches, backstitch two stitches, then off you go sewing around the quilt.  If I am making a one colour binding, I turn the three other corners as shown in every quilt book out there.

When you get close to the corner you want to mitre, turn back the binding that you started with to look like the picture above.  This is so you have a reference point.  Stitch the binding right up to the turned back piece.  You should be able to feel the fold with your finger.  Once again backstitch a couple of stitches.

When you turn back the second end, this is what your corner should look like.  Trim the batting and backing taking a little extra out of the corner.

Fold your quilt on the diagonal, right sides together.  The two binding pieces should be even.  Make sure all your seam allowances are turned towards the body of the quilt.

To make it easier to see, I have drawn where I am going to sew.  The diagonal line coming out from the corner should be in line with the fold of the quilt.  At the middle of the binding you make a 90 degree turn and sew out to the edge of the binding.  When you start to sew you will have to start about 1/4" from the corner and backstitch to about 1/16" from the stitch line of the binding.  You leave a little space here so that you can ease in any fullness.  When you reach the outer edge you will once more need to backstitch.

Trim the seam to a scant 1/4" taking a little extra out of the corner.

Turn the binding right side out.  If your stitches are a little loose and you are concerned about them showing, you can always colour them with a pigma pen.  Most of my quilts have one corner of the binding mitred, for my join, and the remaining three corners are turned as below.

Most people would not see the difference.  This method would not be used on a quilt you wanted to win a blue ribbon for in a juried show.  However, my quilts are all meant to be used and loved, so this is a quick way to complete them.  It usually takes me less than a minute to mitre my corner.  Your first try might take a little longer, but after you have done a few, you will see how easy it is.  Let me know if you try it, and happy quilting.

Paper Foundation Pieced Wee Bear

Occasionally I decide I need to quilt just for fun.  I subscribe to a newsletter from Silver Lining Originals and each month she has a new pattern.  Last year's patterns were Wee Ones.  This is one of those patterns that I have wanted to find the time to try.  The Wee Bear was a bit of a challenge, but we all need that now and then.

I see that I have a few loose stitches from pulling the paper off.  I will have to get my pigma pen out and colour them.
If you would like to see some of Linda Hibbert's patterns click here.  Scroll down the page and you can sign up for her newsletter.  She never sends any mail but the newsletter, so it is very safe to sign up.

Christmas is fast approaching in the quilt world, so this is the first Christmas quilting of the year.  I can't spill the beans on the whole quilt, as it belongs to a friend, but I will show you the border.

It is a cute fabric that is called count down to Christmas.  I quilted circles around each of the circles in the fabric, to make them pop.  I was going a little cross eyed in the process, but it was only thing I could think of to quilt.

Happy quilting!

Shane and Nichelle's Wedding

For those of you that are only interested in quilting, there is a quilt at the end.  For the rest of you, Shane and Nichelle's wedding was beautiful.  The weather was wonderful, the setting was amazing, and the Bride and Groom were stunning!

Shane and his buds were hamming it up for the camera, prior to the festivities.

Shane and Nichelle were so beautiful.

Sandra was so proud of her little boy, and his wonderful wife.

My son George has always been a big brother to Shane.  What a handsome pair of young men.

Weddings are a wonderful time to get families together for pictures.  This is the first picture with all four of us kids and Mom and Dad, in about forty years.  Love it.

The dance with the parents.  Ahhhhhh.

And as promised, the quilt that I made for the happy couple.  I did post a little more info about this quilt here.