Some Pretty Spring Inspiration and Retreat Quilts

This was quilted last month, when I R.E.A.L.L.Y. needed something pretty.  It's Rainbow Trip from the book Garden Fresh Quilts.

The maker chose a lovely panto featuring feathers and flowers which suited the quilt perfectly.  I'm always so impressed by quilters who can tackle a challenging project like this and keep all their pieces where they belong.

RETREAT QUILTS
Every year the Binbrook guild goes on a three day retreat to Crieff Hills in Puslinch.  It's less than an hour away from home so it's a really easy trip to take.  The retreat center feeds us three meals a day and we take care of our own snacks and (ahem) adult beverages.  I also buy a one litre jar of honey there every year.  There's a local apiarist who sells product at the center.  The last several years we've run these as UFO retreats, instead of having a class.  I have so many UFO's I think I only did the class one year, so there has not been much change for me.  We also have Sew Little Time come on Saturday and set up her shop.  I showed excellent restraint this year and did not buy a single bit of fabric.

I promised myself I would not start any new projects in 2019 until I got some of my own sh*t finished, AND got rid of some yardage.  Last month you saw that I finished up two little panel quilts, and here I've done two more.  Yay me!!  These will go in the donation pile for either the Women's Shelter, Children's Aid Society, or ...I also plan to talk to the local food bank.  They put together Christmas hampers and might want gifts for families. These were assembled from my own stash.

Still about the Binbrook guild, one of our very important members passed away last fall.  Her mission over the last several years had been piecing small quilts for St. Joseph's Hospital, for the kids who are in there for some kind of treatment.  The newspaper wrote a story about her when she was up to 600 quilts.  By the time she passed away someone said she'd hit the 1000 mark.  Apparently her sewing room was still FULL of fabric.  A few of our gals helped the family with a rescue mission (so to speak) and the guild members are working through the remaining fabric.

I took two kits:  they'd been prepped with pre-sewn rail fence blocks, and a hunk of fabric already cut for a border.  I pieced the blocks together, added the border and brought the tops home.  Last weekend I got them quilted and bound.  They have a cozy flannel backing which makes them super snuggle-worthy.

STASH
So far this year I've managed:

• use up 32 m. 
• deduct the 8 m. of fabric added 
• net -24 m. of fabric in projects that are COMPLETE.  

That's my rule - if it's not COMPLETE I can't mark it off my stash report.  I have a list of  projects I want to complete this year, which in all honesty is the same list for the third year in a row.  Note to self:  stop watching so much tv.

Trees 'n Stars, and UFOs

This quilt belongs to one of my favorite piecers.  She is VERY accurate and her quilts are always perfectly flat.

I will really miss her - she's moving out-of-country soon. 😞

THE CURRENT CROP OF UFOs

There are actually a few more than what I've included here.  These are the ACTIVE projects.

1)  150 Canadian Women - this gets attention every week, when the three new block patterns arrive to my inbox.  I've completed 40 blocks so far, two are behind schedule, and three more arrived this morning.  I normally work on this one night a week as I enjoy a glass of "magic sparkle juice" (ha ha, cute new term for wine, as per Angela Walters).

2)  Leader & Ender quilt, pattern by Bonnie Hunter.  I think I started this last summer.  It stays beside my sewing machine.  Whenever I'm sewing anything, as I finish a seam, instead of cutting the threads I stick in a bit of this patchwork.  Last week I completed the 60 x 9-patch units and I had no more pieces cut.  I spent two hours last night cutting green 2" x 5" pieces, and yellow 2" x 2" pieces so I can carry on with the next part of this quilt.  Hopefully this will be completed before my 70th birthday (9 years from now - waddaya think... will I do it???).

3) Hugs & Kisses quilt.  This is a very scrappy quilt that I drag along when I go to retreats.  It hasn't seen the light of day since last fall, but the Binbrook retreat is coming up in early March so I should make some progress on it.  Oops, it HAS seen the light of day, when I took it out to take this pic. 😉

You may have noticed that quilts 1) and 2) live in the clear plastic boxes that your pre-cut salad greens are in.  I LOVE those things.  I actually pulled one out of the ditch last week when Sadie & I were out for a walk.  They're wonderful for keeping your cut pieces nice & flat and they easily hold blocks up to 6 1/2" without wrinkling them.  And that is your free tip for the day....

Jellyroll Donation Quilt & the First ZUCCHINI REPORT of 2016

I belong to an offshoot group of the Caledonia Quilt Guild, called the Scrappy Club.  In theory, we work with our scraps.  You know, the leftover bits from other projects.  In reality the ladies are often using lovely just-purchased fabrics that were always intended for a certain project.  But whatever - we mostly just like to sew together, have lunch together, and trade the odd bit of gossip.

But at our June meeting I HONESTLY used scraps.  Remnants.  Yay me!  I tried as best I could to pull together a range of creams, greens, reds, & golds.  It's not the prettiest of quilts, but it does have really cute border fabric.  Which, b.t.w. is ALSO a remnant from last year's Christmas gifts.

In an attempt to cutsie this up I added a cat applique.  Everybody loves cats, right?

The quilting really is super cute though - hugs & kisses.

And a nice label.  This is getting sent to Fort Mcmurray for the fire victims.  I will be dropping it off to Quilt Junction in Waterford as they are sending a shipment some time in August.

Now, drumroll please....

ZUCCHINI REPORT

Picked this week:  2
Complaints from Husband:  2
Picked YTD:        2

Interesting Quilt Backs, Stash Report, a GREAT Shade Plant

There are many quilts that will tell you they need a solid, clean, matching back.  Especially if the top has a lot of WHITE, you need to exercise caution to ensure there is no ghosting of a dark print to the quilt top.
But many, many quilts are pieced in darker colours and have such a lot of activity going on, why not use up your leftovers on the back? These look so much more interesting.

The pantograph I used on this quilt looks really good with the large scale print in the middle of this back.

I love the slightly off-kilter wonkyness (ha ha - Google doesn't like that word) of those log cabin blocks on this back.

Really, I love my job.  If I live to be one hundred I will never have the time to play around with all these design ideas.  As a longarm quilter at least I can enjoy them vicariously.

BLOODROOT
I was gifted with some pots of Bloodroot and Trillium last spring from a friend.  I have learned over the years that I should plant things in more than one location, because you can never tell where a plant is going to be happy.  Here is the bloodroot happily blooming away near the back door of the house.  It gets sunshine IN THE SPRING for several hours, but soon this will be completely (and I MEAN completely) filled with hostas.  The other clump was planted waaayyy over on the side of the yard in the treeline, and they look pretty happy too.  This little flowerbed at the house is well taken care of and gets regular watering.  Over in the treeline the plants have to be very self-determined to survive because they don't get nuthin' except sometimes eaten by Peter Rabbit.  (on a side note - my darling dog Sadie finished off one of the Peter Rabbits and left it as a gift on the back patio.  At least this one was whole, as opposed to the last one that was only maybe a quarter of a rabbit.  ick.) It will be interesting to follow these two sets over the years to see how they compare.

Be cautious when handling Bloodroot.  It will cause lesions and scabbing of the skin.

It's a little bit early to do a monthly stash report, but I have no expectation that I'll get anything finished enough to report a usage number.  See what happens when you go away for a week?  And go to a fabric warehouse while you're gone?  Note to self:  Really?... adding almost 61 m. in one month.  Was that necessary?
STASH REPORT
Used this month       0.00  Hmm.  So sad.
Used YTD                29.54
Added this month     60.8
Added YTD              70.3
Net 2016                 +40.76

Scrappy Blue & Gold - and hilarious internet site

Here's a gorgeous scrappy blue & gold quilt.  Yea, I have the best job, ever.

Quilting pattern:  Gypsy Feather by One Song Needle Arts.  Yum.

INTERNET SHORT FORMS
So, there is a quilting forum that I read which should be no surprise to anyone. Someone made the comment "SMH".  Since I have NO IDEA what that means, I went to http://www.netlingo.com/acronyms.php.  Lemme tell you - it's much more entertaining than reading the phone book, and it could take just as long.  Here is a tiny selection from the "S" category that made me giggle:

SIUP - suck it up pussy
SIUYA - shove it up your ass
SOGOP - shit or get off the pot (which was one of the expressions DH used when he proposed. Yes. Seriously.  Can you see why I snatched him right up? ha ha ha)
STPPYNOZGTW - stop picking your nose, get to work
 Go check it out if you feel a need to jazz up your emails or facebook posts.  :-)

Fishies quilt and Quilting Retreat

This is a cute little fish quilt made for this gal's husband.  A perfect size for watching tv.

Fish were quilted in the setting triangles.

S.I.D. around everything, and scales in the fish parts.

A running school of fish in the border.  Variegated thread was used on the whole thing, including the s.i.d.

RETREAT
This past weekend was the annual retreat for the Binbrook guild at Crieff Hills in Puslinch, On. We stay in St. Luke building, arriving Friday morning and leaving after lunch on Sunday.  Our meals are included (Friday lunch/supper, Saturday breakfast/lunch/supper, Sunday breakfast/lunch).  As a rule we bunk double in the rooms.  For fourteen of us the total cost was about $250.00 per person.

I had this quilt top pieced by 4 pm on Saturday.  I had already spent Thursday getting everything cut out, so it was ready to go when I arrived.  A link to the pattern is HERE.  I made a smaller version than the pattern - twelve blocks instead of twenty. 

In the evenings I worked on hand sewing the binding on my table runner.  This was my January project using the Quick Curve Ruler.
 

Sunday morning was spent on a few more Tumbler placemats.  These four are made with the reds and greens and will likely go to Meals on Wheels. I have been piecing placemats from these tumbers since...February 2014 and I STILL have more pieces to work with.  The next batch is all browns.  These pieces were all cut by 'JAWS', the Studio Cutter by Accuquilt.  See the tab at the top if you'd like to rent JAWS and whittle down your scrap stash.

How to Quilt Multiple Placemats, and UFO Report

Here is a little tutorial on how to get a zillion placemats done for Meals on Wheels.

Start with a customer who gives you a large bag of remnants - mostly man-stuff like fishing & camping fabrics.

Add another customer who gives you a box of started scrappy quilt blocks.

Take those two items to your quilt guild, and guilt the members into taking some of that stuff home to make wee placemat tops that measure somewhere in the vicinity of 12-ish inches by 18-ish inches.  While they are groaning and rolling their eyes at you, remind them that they DO NOT NEED TO QUILT THEM.  If they are still giving you a hard time, let your eyes get a little watery as though you might be starting to cry, and tell them about how your mom used to get little gifts from Meals on Wheels and it really cheered her up.  That should work.

When they bring them back to you the next month, take 'em all  home and try to find one backing fabric that will look ok with ALL of the wee tops.  This is definitely a challenge!  Here, you can see that I found a nice neutral in my stash.

Pin those puppies on to a very large hunk of backing fabric which has been matched up with a very large hunk of batting.  Allow three inches of space all around each placemat.  And use a thinner batt - pouffy stuff tends to tip over wine glasses.  Not that seniors drink wine, of course.  :-)

Baste around the edges of each placemat.

Quilt them.  Stay INSIDE each placemat with the stitching - you'll see why in a second.

Cut them apart, leaving a generous one inch of backing all the way around.  Trim off the batting at the edge of the wee top. This way, you can simply turn the backing over to the top, folding over twice, and top stitch in place for binding. 

I have a very fancy name for this binding, calling it "Back To Front Self Binding".  Ahem.

UFO CHALLENGE UPDATE

Ta da...  Here is the Blooming 9-Patch all done.  Binding finished and everything.  Even labelled.  Now I'm waiting for Margaret to pull the number for months March & April.  I am going on a retreat this weekend so maybe I could do a little work on the next one.

Have I shown you my cutie-patootie lately?

Scrappy Hourglass & 16-Patch

As you know, I love scrappy quilts.  This one includes everything but the kitchen sink.  It's fun to quilt these because the fabrics keep me amused.

The quilt maker is a cat lover, so we chose a cat pantograph.  Too cute!!

For the hundredth time I missed a call because I cannot keep my technology straight.  My work table is often quite, um, busy with objects, so when I determine where the ringy-dingy noise is coming from I just grab the grey thing with buttons.  I wish they'd find a different colour of plastic.

When I was in Tobermory with the Beach Girls, DH bought a bushel of Cortland apples for my private little fall pie-making festival.  I've got six pies in the freezer so far and I'll get probably another five done this week.  I was telling a friend yesterday, I wish there was a street drug called 'Apples'.  Then when someone asked me what I'd been up to, I could say "I've been doing Apples" and they would think I was really hip and edgy and hanging out at the clubs in my leather jeans.  Sigh.  If you're looking for me any night this week I'll be at the kitchen counter.  :-)

9-Patch Quilt, Stash Report, Zucchini Report

9-Patch - a beautiful, classic quilt pattern.

It was quilted with a classic pattern too - Orange Peel design.  Also called Pumpkin Seed design.  There is stitch-in-the-ditch along both sides of the skinny border, keeping that nice and crisp.  Then a pretty border pattern.  I made no attempt to line up the circles with the 9-patches - there is not enough vodka in the world to calm that kind of crazy.

Mmm, nice back!

This past week I had TWO outings.  Whew - the social life is picking up.  On one adventure I hit the new Village Square Quilt Shop in Burlington, which is where I bought the 2 fat quarters on my stash report.  The second outing was with my Red Hat gals - we went mini-golfing at the lovely Rock Chapel course in Flamborough.  It was nice that I did not win the award for Most Honest Golfer (also known as Worst Player EVER).

I have two quilts for the Quilts of Valour program quilted and washed, ready to return.  I get the tops, backs, & batting from the local QOV co-ordinator and do the quilting.  Up to 12 quilts annually.  Then I find some unsuspecting eager guild member and rope them into thank them profusely for doing the binding.  When I get them back I wash them and add the label.

 And on the personal piecing front, I'm working on scrappy placemats made with Tumblers (cut by JAWS.  See the page at the top if you don't know what JAWS is.).  I think I have nine mats pieced so far.  And that's a good thing.  DH slops all over a placemat as soon as it hits the table.

STASH REPORT
Used this month:  0  (but hopefully this will change soon... 2 projects almost complete!!)
Used YTD:          64.2 m
Added this month:  .5 m
Added YTD:         119.75 m
NET 2014:           up 55.5 m

Much to my surprise, and DH's horror, the zucchini is managing to push out a couple more fruits.
ZUCCHINI REPORT
Picked this week:  1
Picked YTD:        60  Ha!  What a nice, round number.

Crayon Box quilt & Eat-At-Home day 5 report & a Recipe

You have heard me refer to the Scrappy Club that I'm in - this is the Crayon Box quilt, made from a pattern by Quiltville (link HERE).  This is not my quilt - it belongs to one of the other gals.

I quilted this with a pantograph design: "Axel".  This is one of my new favorite patterns.

Okey dokey.  On to food & prepping.  Friday was a complete success - everything consumed came from existing supplies already here - no shopping involved.
Breakfast - same old oatmeal.  I finished off the bowl - I'll have to make a fresh 5-day batch tomorrow.  Yeah - I eat the same thing for breakfast almost every single day of the year.  Here is a LINK to my recipe, although now I also add about a cup of chopped walnuts when I add the cinnamon.
Lunch - yogurt sweetened with maple syrup & cherries (cherries from freezer - from our own tree, too!)
Supper - ooh - yum.  DH made Linguine with Saucy Ham and Peas.  This is a recipe I cut out of the newspaper eons ago.  The credit printed at the end says "Company's Coming Cook for Kids".  I can't find it on web so I'll add it at the bottom.
Snack - cheese & crackers with my glass of wine, while relaxing in my jammies with a book.

Today is the last day of this challenge and unfortunately (or not?  :-) ) this will be another 'fail'.  We are going to my nephew's for dinner (1-800-luke.  You know, our tech support nephew, ha ha.  He cooks too!  And once again, don't phone that number - I'm only kidding.)  I'm glad this challenge is almost finished.  Blogging every day is throwing a real kerfuffle into my morning routine.  I love blogging, but it is absolutely time consuming.

LINGUINE WITH SAUCY HAM AND PEAS
Serves 4

Sauce (makes 3 cups):
1 1/2 c. milk
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder *
1/8 tsp onion powder *
1 C. diced cooked ham
1 C. frozen peas *
1/3 C. sour cream *
=====================
8 oz. Linguine pasta
12 C. boiling water
1 Tbsp. salt
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
=====================
Sauce:

• gradually whisk milk into flour in medium saucepan until smooth
• stir in salt, garlic powder and onion powder
• heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until boiling and thickened
• stir in ham and peas, then bring to a boil
• stir in sour cream
• keep warm until serving.

Pasta:

• bring water and salt to a boil in large uncovered pot or Dutch oven
• add pasta and cook for 11 - 13 minutes, until tender but firm
• drain, then transfer to a large bowl
• toss with sauce
• sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

* and * and * and *
DH used real garlic and real onion.  He also added lots more veggies:  chopped fresh broccoli and fresh (from the garden!) asparagus and fresh red pepper.  We don't have sour cream, so this got plain yogurt instead. And there was no 'sprinkling' of parmesan cheese.  We throw it in by the generous handful.  Probably not good for my cholesterol, but after Thursday's bacon and deep fried dessert, what the hell difference does a bit of cheese make now?

Project 1 done

This was item #1 on my to-do list. The top was made with the guild Scrappy Club and just needed the outer border. Now it can move to the TFUQ pile. (Top Finished Un Quilted). Today we are heading to the Quinte Guild show in Belleville, On. I'll probably bump into Anita from Cottonmill Threadworks and she'll start to wonder if I'm stalking her. I just saw her last week at the show in St. Marys. Hopefully she will have the colour of King Tut thread that I need and I'll feel like my early morning (gaah...7 a.m.!!) was worth it.

the Current Sad State of my UFOs and the Stash Report

Why do I do this to myself?  You probably can't answer that.  You are probably just as bad.  Are we scatterbrained?  ADHD?  Forgetful?

This half-hexagon has been in the works for a couple of years.  I am now committed to finishing by June 11th or it will cost me $10 at the Caledonia Guild. The original plan was for it to be a King Size quilt, but the last time I laid it out... I dunno.  It might be substantially smaller.  I double and triple checked my math and it should measure out the way I planned, but based on what is left to sew it just doesn't seam seem right.  The original plan was for a summer quilt for the bed.  Time will tell.  I know this will be nice when it's all together, but it is so. darned. boring.

This is the Three Dudes quilt I'm working on at the Scrappy Club.  It should have been started late February, but I hurt my back and couldn't make myself go to the club.  Couldn't pick up my sewing machine, actually.  Which makes it pretty hard to go to a sewing event.  So, it got started March 24th.  To be continued April 28th.

The Batik Cats were collected a looong time ago.  This is on my UFO challenge with Margaret and Nancy.  I have until the end of April to get this top together.  The sashing is all cut so this should sew up pretty quickly.

And, now for the DWR that I started at retreat.  Ha ha ha ha ha hahahahah....  This will be going on for a long, long time.

I am attending MQX in April.  The gal I'm going with is in classes every single day.  All day.  Wednesday through Saturday. By the time 5 o'clock rolls around she will be so brain dead she won't be able to carry on a conversation.  She will  just point to the item on the menu that she wants for supper and then fall asleep in her appetizers.  I am going to deal with the isolation by bringing my sewing machine, AND my projects.  When I'm not in the bar picking up stray men (ha ha, not likely at a quilt show where the men are mostly a little, um, not Kevin Costner-ish.  Besides, DH would never approve.)  I will work on this stuff.

MARCH STASH REPORT
Sadly, only finished items get reported here.
Used this month:  0 m
Used YTD:         23.75m
Added this month: 0 m
Added YTD:         2.25m
Net YTD:          -21.5m