TRIANGLE TWIST TOP COMPLETE

I decided to add a border to the top and bottom to turn the rectangle into a square.  I like having some quilting space around the stars.  

After playing with many different options, using Electric Quilt, I finally decided on this border.....

 It has lots of curved seams, but forms a zig-zag design around the stars, and uses the gradated fabrics again.
Now I have to decide how I want to quilt this!  No matter how I pressed the seam allowances, the centres of the stars are very bulky.  There are 6 points meeting there, and multiple layers of fabric in the seams!

Now I have to think of which project on a long list will move to the top!

TUESDAY ALREADY!

It feels like Friday!  We were up early on Sunday and drove to Toronto (2 1/2 hours) to celebrate our August birthdays.  We all met at DS1's apartment, then headed off to the Mandarin restaurant for their giant Chinese buffet.  We ate and chatted with DS1, DDIL 1 (birthday girl), DS2 (birthday boy), DDIL2, her sister, DH (also birthday boy)!  We always have a great time when we manage to get the whole group together.  We headed back to DS2's apartment, for more visiting, then had to load up the van and head home.  DDIL1 had been doing some clearing out and paring down, so we came home with 4 cases of wine bottles, for some DIY friends, a few things to donate to a local charity group, etc.
After arriving home, we had a late bowl of soup and a cup of tea, then gathered all the items for Monday's adventure before heading to bed.

Off again early Monday for a trip to Ottawa (2+hours).  Found our friends' new home, chatted with our Godson and family, had lunch, and before we knew it it was 3pm!
Said our farewells, then headed through town to visit some more friends.  They were stationed at Tyndall AFB when we were there, and she was one of the members of my first quilting group.  They are avid golfers, and when he retired from the air force, he took courses on repairing and building custom golf clubs.  While the girls caught up on all our family news, the guys headed to the workshop, where DH had a new shaft replaced on one of his favourite clubs.  (He hit a piece of the Canadian Shield- granite - during a game recently and the shaft snapped in two pieces!)  They hosted us to a lovely salmon dinner, and then we had to say good-bye and get back home.

There was a phone message waiting when we arrived home - DH had been asked to lead a group of friends in installing a hardwood floor in two bedrooms, and they had moved the date up to Tuesday - they had unexpected company coming the following week, so DH packed all his tools in the van before heading to bed.
Before he headed out this morning, he received a call about golf on Wednesday, so day two of flooring will be pushed to Thursday.  Then he had to call and move the Thursday appointment to get a minor repair on the van moved to Friday.  A friend called me, asking for some help on Friday afternoon - her only time off this week, and I forgot that our Godson, and his older sister and Dad are coming for a visit during the afternoon, and are staying for dinner!  His sister will be moving into her new place, so she is ready to begin her adventure at Queen's University on the following Monday!!!!   ARGHHH!

Our life is so simple, and having all this going on in one week is driving me crazy!!!!!

Now the good news - two of my plaid quilts made last winter are on Bonnie's blog!

Sorry for the rant!  Off to press the new fabric that I washed over the weekend, the more curved piecing for the border of the triangle twist quilt!  DH is gone all day, so no interruptions!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I've been working away at the Red Brolly Christmas Wish quilt.  I've enjoyed doing the hand embroidery and the hand applique.  I still have to add some gold beads to the Christmas tree!

The third section looks strange, because I decided to use red sequins with bead centres instead of stitching the satin stitch berries.  I'll add all the embellishments once the top is completed and has a good press!  
I don't like this picture - it was taken with our old digital camera, while the one above was taken with the new one.  I'm always surprised at what a difference it makes.  I tried to adjust the colours, but only made it look worse!  The dark fabric in the checkerboard area is actually blue, and the stripes above and below the angel are more gold than green.....

I can't wait for the next step in the pattern.
I've also chosen a pieced border for the triangle twist quilt, but it will be a while in the making - lots of curved piecing!

Check out all the creativity this week at Judy's blog.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week  20 yards

Used year to date  160.125 yards

Added this week  9 yards

Added year to date  121.875 yards

Net used 2012  38.25 yards

My 20 yards used was really 20 yards donated - I had a 20 yard bolt of baby Elmo fabric that I picked up at a church garage sale for a few dollars.  Thought the community quilts group at my guild could use it for backings.....

I ordered a book for a pattern to make a birthday quilt for my Godson.  Of course, I had to add some clearance fabric to the order, so 5 yards of "neutrals" jumped into the parcel!

On Tuesday, DH headed to our local quilt/sewing machine shop to pick up a bottle of machine oil with a zoom spout for DDIL1.  While he was there, he saw a cute Noah's Ark panel, as well as a few other things I might like, so after my doctor's appointment, he chauffeured me to the quilt show.  I picked up the panel, along with a robot panel and a Hallowe'en panel, as well as the coordinating stripe for the Ark fabric, and a stripe for the binding, to the tune of 4 more yards!

Check out all the other stash reports for this week at Judy's blog.

I'd show a picture of the fabrics, but they are all in the wash.....

FIRST SECTION COMPLETE

As a break from paper piecing, I've been working on the Red Brolly "Christmas Wish" quilt.

Since I make redwork quilts all the time, I decided to go "non-traditional" with this project, and dip into my vast collection of Christmas fabrics.  
I hand appliqued the hearts, but used the fusible method with machine buttonhole stitch edges for the reindeer. 

I'll be adding the buttons on Santa's coat after the top is completed.  I like to give the whole top a good press before I layer it for quilting, so I don't want the embellishments to get in the way or get damaged.

I've been enjoying the time spent pulling fabrics, and knowing that more of my Christmas fabric is being used......

The next section is waiting for assembly, and the third section still awaits its two appliqued heart sections.

TRIANGLE TWIST CENTRE COMPLETE

 With lots of careful pinning, I managed to get the centre stitched together.  Next step is removing the paper!
(I removed the paper from the seams that would be folded under so it wouldn't be permanently trapped.)

This is the result of 2 evenings of movie watching and paper removal!  I took my time, and was careful so that none of the stitches pulled out.  It was tedious getting all the tiny bits of paper at places where seams crossed over, but so worth it!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I finally got to blocks of the last colour - green!  I spent some time yesterday printing out the setting triangles for the sides and corners, and have them cut and ready to go!   Thank heavens for Electric Quilt - I was able to have accurate templates with ease!

I am still thinking of different ways to use the gradations in the borders - I'm sure I'll choose one by the time I get the blocks sewn together and all the paper removed!  

Head over to Judy's blog to see all the other wonderful creations!

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  0 yards

Fabric used year to date  140.125 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  112.875

Net used 2012  27.25 yards

 

I've been working away at the triangle spin paper pieced blocks this week.  I average 2 per day.   The extreme heat and humidity finally broke this week, so I've been enjoying the lovely sunshine and having the windows and screen doors open each day.  I've also been sleeping better, so I have a bit more energy!

 

I've been doing some redwork embroidery.  These are the first three blocks for my version of the Christmas Wish quilt by Red Brolly.  I love having some hand work to do in the evenings.

DH and I went on a date to see "Hope Springs".  The audience was filled with lots of couples "of a certain age", and the movie was enjoyed by everyone!

Head to Judy's blog to check on others' stash reports this week.

A FEW QUILTS FROM THE IPM SHOW

There were many paper pieced quilts in the show.  
As per usual, it was difficult to photograph the quilts due to the lighting and the configuration of  the stands.

This quilt had five medallions, each in a different set of colours.  The quilting was done with gold metallic thread in the bobbin, so the back was interesting as well.  The critique from the judge suggested more "showy" quilting in the negative spaces.

Butterflies seemed to be everywhere, including these.....

This quilt was stunning in person.  The piecing was very precise - no lopped off points!  It was my favourite in the show.

 Another wonderful medallion quilt.

This one used the "Shattered Angles" book by Susan Purney Mark.  It was a great way to add accents of colour to a black and white quilt!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Since we took two days off this week to attend a quilt show and visit DS2 and DDIL, this is my progress on the triangle twist this week.  Its exciting to start adding another colour!  I'm taking my time with this project - since the pieces are so small, and I want to be accurate with my paper piecing, I only work on it for a short time.  I am getting some housework caught up, so its not all a bad thing.

Check out the creativity at Judy's blog..... 

The International Plowing Match Quilt Show in New Dundee Ontario was lovely.  They had about 100 quilts displayed, with a few vendors, a silent auction and a tea room with the best scones, hand made at the venue!  
There were quilts in many categories, and all had been judged.  I liked the judges comments that were typed and added to the back of each artist statement.  It was interesting to see why an absolutely beautiful quilt didn't win a prize.  It will also be helpful for the quilters to improve the areas that need it.  There were also good comments on each quilt, highlighting the parts that the judges loved.

This was the display that greeted us at the entrance to the show.  I just loved the quilt - tiny nine-patches!

There were aprons on display, and a lovely display of 4H quilts, using "Take 5" patterns.  They are required to select 5 fabrics in 5 minutes and create the quilt top in 5 hours!  They all did a great job!

This butterfly quilt, with huge butterflies of every hue, was not judged, but will be in the local quilt show in the fall.  It was made to celebrate an anniversary - the gold ring.

There was beautiful long-arm quilting that accented all the vines and leaves, as well as the background.

More later.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  0 yards

Fabric used year to date  140.125 yards

Fabric added this week  4 yards

Fabric added year to date  112.875

Net used 2012  27.25 yards

Attended the International Plowing Match quilt show in New Dundee Ontario, and of course had to buy some fabric.

I saw a quilt at the show that inspired me - I have a special project to make for a special birthday this year.  15 of the fat quarters are for the project, and the one with the dragonflies will be used in a Christmas gift.

 In front of the quilt show hall they had a small flower display.  They used an old iron bedstead and the ladies made quilt block flower arrangements in square foil pans to create a flower quilt.  We arrived early and they hadn't all arrived, but it was beautiful!

You can see the space awaiting the final arrangements. 

Below are some close-ups of some of the "blocks" 

I love pansies, so this was my favourite!

Head over to Judy's blog to see how everyone else is managing their stashes.

NEW PROJECT

I've always admired the "triangle twist" quilt design.  I found a lesson on drawing the block in Electric Quilt a few years ago and put it in my "to do" list.  After finding the perfect gradated fabrics, I knew that it was time.
I drew the two different blocks last winter, but wanted to wait until we returned north to print all the sheets for paper piecing (I prefer to print these on the laser printer).  One block is for paper piecing, and the other is used to design the layout.
Since all my other projects were caught up, I decided that now is the time!

 These are the first few blocks.  I pre-measured all the sections and made a list of the size strips that are required in each position.  I'm cutting the colours as I go.  I just cut the red pieces, as the next block has brown, gold and red.  Once I figure which colour goes where in the block, I write the colour on the printed side of the paper, to make sure that I don't have to do much "unsewing", always a challenge when paper piecing.  I'm not looking forward to removing the paper, but hopefully that will be TV watching work.
I've been finishing 2-3 blocks each day.  My next challenge will be to figure out how to use the leftover fabric to make an equally fabulous border.  Maybe I'll come up with an idea or two while making the drive the the Kitchener area and back this weekend......

OFF TO A QUILT SHOW

DH and I are on the road tomorrow.  We're combining a quilt show with a visit to DS2 and DDIL.
Its a quilt and garden show in New Dundee Ontario, and is held at the community centre  @ 1028 Queen St.  This is a small town near Kitchener ON.    The International Plowing Match is on nearby.  www.ipm2012.ca
We'll be staying in Cambridge overnight, then visiting on Saturday before returning home.
DH built a cabinet for DDIL to store her yarn.  He found a kitchen cabinet with glass doors at the Habitat Restore, and reworked it into a kitten-proof storage unit.  Now they just have to find a place to put it in their apartment.
The sky in dark here, and there have been some distant rumbles of thunder.  Hope we finally get a decent amount of rain.  DH played golf yesterday and the pond, which is usually a major hazard, was completely dry and cracked in the bottom!
I'm off to plan some hand sewing work to take with us tomorrow - 5 hours of driving each way!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I'm finally starting a new project - one that has been in my mind for many years.  I needed 6 gradated shades of several colours, but for the longest time, I could only find what I wanted in hand dyed fabrics.  Then a couple of years ago, I found these fabrics on sale.  They are from P&B Textiles, and called Nuances.  Each fabric has 6 gradated shades across the width of the fabric, in 7 inch stripes.  I bought every colour I could find!  Now to start the project.  It will be paper pieced, so I think I'll have to find another project to work on at the same time - my patience for paper piecing just takes me so far.....
I have also added my finished redwork quilt to my "Quilts 2012" page.
Check out all the inspiration on Judy's blog here.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week  6.5 yards

Used year to date  140.125 yards

Add this week 0 yards

Added year to date   108.875 yards

Net used 2012  31.25 yards

I just finished the binding on my Redwork Fairy Tales quilt, while watching the equestrian jumping in London!  Now I'm trying to decide which project to start next!!!

I added a folded strip between the final border and the binding, as I was using the same fabric for each and though it needed a little accent.

The blocks, featuring dogs as the stars in the fairy tales, are from the Bobby Socks Quilt Co., and were a BOM in 2010, I believe.

Hurray!!! We're getting some rain!!!!  Probably just a shower, but we can use every drop we get.  We've  been trying to plan a short trip, but haven't been able to leave the garden for more than overnight, as it is so dry.  My plants are growing, but slowly.  I'm not looking forward to the next water bill!

Check out everyone's stash progress at Judy's blog here.

QUILTING AND OLYMPICS

I've been trying to get some quilting done on my latest redwork quilt, but the Olympics seem to get in the way (in a good way).

For someone who doesn't enjoy sports and doesn't follow sports, I love watching all the different competitions at the Olympic games!  I cheer for Canada - but I love to see all the Olympians - they are all winners!  Goods sportsmanship and fair play is the name of the game.

I'm off to my BFF's for an afternoon of sewing and then dinner with the guys, maybe even a game of cards.