Day Three Of The October 2018 Quilting Retreat

Today I worked on my Irish Chain quilt top, it's just about at the halfway point now.

Day Two Of The October 2018 Quilting Retreat

Today we had an instructor showing us how to make the "Retreat Bag". The free pattern can be found HERE. It was a fun project, each person's bag turned out very well.

Day One Of The October 2018 Quilting Retreat

Today I was trying to quilt some roses, some of them were lopsided. It wasn't easy to see where I was going sometimes. I'm hoping in the grand scheme of things, the different prints on the fabrics will disguise the wonky flowers. :)

Getting Ready For The October 2018 Quilting Retreat

I'm getting a quilt pin basted so I can start quilting it this weekend at our retreat. Igor likes to help every step of the way.

I Made A Hat

I just finished this hat or "toque" as we call it in Canada. It was made with a round knitting loom which worked great! There were two shades of worsted weight purple yarn in my stash, so I used that. Next time I'll buy some bulky yarn in a colour to match my jacket.

Fifteen Years In The Making

Formerly known as "Quilt Top #5", this "Birds In The Air" quilt is now completed. I started it in 2003 and constructed the top. It was put away until February 2016, then I pin basted and started the quilting. Life got in the way for a few more years then I dug the quilt back out and finished it. I had to take the quilt outside to take the photos, there isn't enough room in the house to stand back far enough. It was a little windy, I had to snap the pictures in a hurry before the quilt blew away. For the last photo, I threw the quilt over the barbed wired fence. I should have arranged it so it was draped nicely. Oh well. I'm a quilter, not a photographer, haha!

Quilt Repair

I made this Trip Around The World quilt for my brother in 1989. He asked if I could put a new binding on it, the edges were getting tattered. On closer inspection, it needed more work than just new binding. I didn't know how to quilt by machine at the time, it was tied with embroidery floss and over the years the ties came out. It was a good thing the polyester batting was sturdy like a Brillo pad, it hadn't ripped or shifted. The edges were all crumpled up, I tried to press everything flat with an iron but it wasn't easy. The heat couldn't be turned up too hot on the iron or else the polyester batting would melt. After mashing the edges down as flat as possible, I cut the binding off. Then I had to clip the edges together every few inches with Clover Wonder Clips as I applied the new binding. Some fabrics were ripped, I had to do some zigzagging. The backing was in surprisingly good shape, the fabric still looked like new. Finally, I did some free motion tacks at intersections in the centre of the quilt. I didn't have time to do all of it because my brother was going to be coming to collect the quilt. Hopefully, the repairs will hold for a few years. My sister and I have made other quilts for him but he still insists on using the old one.