Just In Time For Christmas

I put in the last stitches on the binding, now this quilt is ready for Christmas. Last year at our guild potluck supper, I won a stack of 2 1/2" strips of Christmas fabric. I didn't know what to do with them, then I saw a Rail Fence quilt that Trena, one of the guild members made. It was the perfect pattern to use up the strips. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. :) I added some of my own fabric, then this quilt was born.

Product Review: LDH Scissors

Last month I received some birthday money from my favourite sister, Linda H and her husband, Richard. I put this money toward a set of scissors that I ordered from the LDH company, based in Toronto. I was not disappointed! They shipped my order immediately. The scissors set came in a sturdy box, which I will keep so they aren't rattling around in a drawer. I never had a good pair of pinking shears before, the ones I had just chewed up the fabric. These ones make a nice clean cut. I tried the sewing shears on a stack of eight layers of fabric at once. They cut right through to the tip with no effort at all. They didn't pay me to give this review. I just like to give a shout-out when I come across an exceptional product or a company who gives good service.

Making Some Potholders

I'm in the process making three sets of these potholders for Christmas gifts. I like to have some small gifts ready for when the occasion comes up. Not everyone appreciates a handmade gift, I've learned that many times over the years. Oh well, it's not going to stop me from creating things. The people who do like the items make it all worthwhile.

Stash Buster Challenge Quilt Top

I entered the Stash Buster Challenge 2023, hosted by a Facebook group. In January, they give a block pattern which you have to have made into a quilt top by the end of the year. I chose purples and whites, light grey and some small prints. I can't see any difference in my stash that was supposed to be busted. Oh well. I'm looking forward to the next challenge that begins in January 2024.

"Potato Chip" Quilt Is Completed

I made "Potato Chip" blocks but added an extra row of light coloured rectangles around each one. It adds a bit of a different look. The quilting is a free-motion "Topographical Map" design. Quite often I'll buy 110" wide cotton sheeting from Fabricville when it's on sale. That fabric makes great backing for quilts and it's reasonably priced. When I took the photo, a shadow was created, it looks better than that in real life. I need a photography studio! :O It's finished with a scrappy binding. This will be a donation quilt.

Finally!

Last year on November 29, I made a post about trying to finish this quilt. There were many distractions and the project was halted yet again. About 31 years ago, I made this "Around the Twist" quilt top. A few years later, I quilted it with invisible thread and a stippling pattern on the border, which was popular at the time. It looked like plastic on the black background and I hated the result. The thing was shoved in a box for decades until last year. I spent two solid weeks to pick out the stitching and had to use tweezers to pluck off the cut threads. This November, I dug the quilt out and re-quilted it with Glide thread. The last stitches in the binding were done today. The quilt is ready for Christmas, but it's going to head over to the washing machine first.

Courthouse Steps Quilt Is Completed

Now this is a SCRAP quilt. It has every colour and print imaginable. I made the quilt top in the summer when we were at the cabin. It was pieced on my 42 year old Janome machine. To keep with the theme, I pieced a backing from leftover layer cake squares and two other fabrics. It is quilted with all-over loops.

Eclectica Set Spinning

This quilt has an odd name. The idea came from a Jordan Fabrics video. The sizes of the fabric cuts weren't included, so I purchased the digital dowload pattern from Pine Tree Country Quilts. The pattern had a narrow black border. I skipped that part and added a 5 1/2" wide printed border. The leftover blocks were used on the back of the quilt. Now I have a Christmas gift ready for someone special.

This One Is Completed

There isn't an official name or a pattern for this quilt. I saw a Nine-Patch block somewhere on the internet that had white in the centre. I decided to do a rainbow theme using that type of block. Some dark colours and black toned it down a bit. The wide backing came from Connecting Threads.

Halloween Coasters

I made some Halloween coasters and a round table mat. I think I might make more table mats, they're the perfect size to use for small placemats.

Day Three Of The October 2023 Quilting Retreat

After all those hours of sewing, my quilt top still isn't finished. There still needs to be two more rows added. The reason it takes so long is every single seam is a partial seam. It'll take a month of Sunday's to finish it. The top and bottom are supposed to be trimmed straight after the quilt top is finished, but I think I'll fill the spaces in with big triangles. There would be a lot less waste that way.

Day Two Of The October 2023 Quilting Retreat

Today we finished dying our scarves. The potluck lunch was great, we all ate too much, as usual. After lunch, we had a rip-roaring game of Right, Left or Centre with a load of fabric strips as the prize. It's a good thing I didn't win because I still haven't done anything with the strips that I won last Christmas. The rest of the day, I added more rows to the herringbone quilt. There are now four potholder size checkerboard blocks that I made with the leaders and enders. It was a good day.

Day One Of The October 2023 Quilting Retreat

Some quilting ladies from Alberta are showing us how to do ice dying on scarves. We'll finish that tomorrow and will have a potluck lunch with the group. The rest of the time, I'm working on a tedious herringbone quilt. I'm using 1 1/2" squares as leaders and enders. They will eventually become potholders.

Judy's Quilt By Linda H.

Linda was given a stack of charm squares that had been laundered. They shrank in the wash and no longer measured five inches, so Linda trimmed them down to 4 1/2" square. Then she constructed a divided nine patch design, adding some of her own fabrics. I quilted it for Linda because I am a nice sister. (Hahaha) After sewing the binding on, Linda gave the quilt to Judy, who had provided the charm squares. Judy's husband has been going through some serious health challenges, so Linda thought they could use a comfort quilt. <3

Baby Bibs

I was invited to a baby shower the other day. I had already given a baby quilt to the family, but didn't want to go to the event empty-handed. A newsletter arrived in my email from National Quilter Circle that had a free pattern for quilt as you go baby bibs. I drew the pattern on template plastic, then made three bibs. I didn't use the quilt as you go method, just a front and a back, quilted after sewing the parts together. Two of the bibs have checkered material for the back, the third one has dots. The supplies came from my stash.