ANOTHER FINISH!

I just put the last stitch in my Diamond Tile quilt.  The block pattern was found in the May/June edition of Quiltmaker magazine.
This has been a very popular pattern, by Bonnie Hunter, in her Addicted to Scraps column.  There have been many variations shared on the internet!

I decided to set mine on point, and used sashing between the blocks.

I quilted with Monopoly by Superior thread, stitching in the ditch for the sashing and also in the blocks.

I stitched a flower in the centre square of each block, using Rainbows by Superior thread, colour 801 - it has lots of bold colours!

  I then finished by quilting a similar flower in the setting triangles, and a wavy border, using So Fine thread by Superior, in a neutral shade.  I wanted the quilting to give dimension, but not detract from the colourful blocks.

This was a great way to play with scraps, as each block is different, although I used the same fabric in two of the centre squares!

I'll get some better pictures posted soon - DH, my quilt holder is out at the driving range, hitting a bucket of golf balls!

SOME QUICK PROJECTS

I made a few quick projects recently, just to get my quilting muscles exercised!

The first project was a baby quilt, made from a printed panel.  This will belong to my new grandchild, who will be making an appearance near the end of September.
I know this will get lots of wear, and washing, so I'll be making another for birthday #1.
Every year, my guild makes placemats for "Meals on Wheels" recipients.  They are distributed by the Victorian Order of Nurses in our community.  I use this quick pattern, that takes 4 fat quarters, and backing, with no binding.  I was gifted a stack of fat quarters, so I organized them in sets of 4, ready to make placemats whenever required.

 The final project is a dinosaur quilt for my grandson's new room.  The panel and coordinating print was made by Northcott several years ago.  DH insisted that we buy it to make "in the future".  I guess the time is now!
I stitched simple outlines of all the dinosaurs, and a bit of the landscape, as this will hang on his wall.

If you look closely, you can see the stitched dinosaur tracks in the border.  DH  provided the design, and and stitched them roaming around the border.  I used Superior's NiteLite thread, and it has a lovely glow in a dark room!  I can't wait to see his reaction......

MORE QUILTS, ETC.

I made some clothesline baskets to donate to the quilt show boutique.  I trim the selvedge edges from fabric as it is used and save it, and any 3/4 inch scrap strips for baskets, as well as crochet rag rugs.  


I sit and cover the clothesline while watching TV in the evening with DH, and then it seems to take no time to stitch the finished projects.
 I use a glue stick to help at the beginning, and also run a line of glue on the clothesline every foot or so, while I am wrapping.  I use a clothespeg to hold the wrapped end when I stop.

 Some are stitched with varigated thread in the bobbin, like this jeans weight thread in the first basket.

 The second basket has a folded cuff.  The selvedge had a rough thread edge, which can add interest.

 Some of my baskets are finished with a reverse curl.  I stop when there is still covered clothesline remaining, and begin a new coil with the end.  Then I continue stitching to the end, and reinforce the stitching on the curl.

 I find the selvedges that are white, but have a coloured edge, make interesting striped sections when used in baskets.

 Sometimes I plan the colours of the baskets, using selvedges from one project.
Other times I just use the next strip I pull from the bag!

In the past, I made a basket from a whole package of clothesline.  My grandson uses it to store his cars and assorted toys that are kept at my home, ready for his visits.

MISSING IN ACTION!

I can't believe that I have been "missing" for two months!  Where has the time gone......
Our quilt show was a huge success, thanks to all the tired volunteers who helped fill the many positions.
DH and I have been spending a lot of time with our f

amily.  DS2 and family had some important jobs to do to their home, so many hours were spent helping.  Also DDIL2 is expecting a new family addition soon, so we also helped keep our grandson busy.  He spent almost 2 weeks with us in July, and is returning for a week in September.  He has moved into his new "big brother" room, after DH painted it GREEN, his favourite colour.
We also had a visit from both of my brothers and their wives - a first for us.  We had fun sharing information about growing families, eating and relaxing.  We hope to repeat the visit at my middle brother's home later in the fall.
I have been quilting too!  I finished the machine quilting and added the binding on 5 quilts for my guild's community quilts program during the past 2 months.  I also finished my wall hanging that was started during the early months of 2018.
H This is my version of Diamond Hill by Esther Aliu.  I made some minor changes, and omitted the appliqued border.  The green print was leftover cotton from my neice's bridesmaid dresses from the 80's.  After making 5 dresses, I had lots of off-cuts from the gored skirts, and have been whittling away at it ever since!

 Here are some close-ups of the blocks to show the quilting.

I plan to update my 2018 page soon, and add all the additional projects that have been in the works while I have been MIA.

 DH and I have been attending many of the plays at the Thousand Island Playhouse in Gananoque ON.  We have friends who have season passes, so we usually tag along with them.  Our group ranges from 4 to 8 attending together.  Good thing our old van has seating for 8 adults!
DH and his friend have also been entertaining at local nursing homes, and senior residence around town, billed as Three for a Quarter.  The have fun playing a big variety of music from the 30's on to today, telling jokes, and visiting with the residents.  They love to see people singing along.  DH says they don't have to be really good, as many people remember the original music when it is being played/sung!  I think they do an awesome job!  I joined DH on July 4th as we entertained for a resident's 100th birthday.  She had many relatives and friends visiting to share her day.  I played my flute along with DH on the guitar, and even sang along on a couple of songs.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon!

 

DAY 2 - READY, SET GO!

Our second set-up day was busier than the first one!  The kitchen crew arrived with the first load of groceries to feed all the hungry visitors when the show opens on Friday.  The dining room tables were cleaned and decorated with table runners.


The quilts arrived, and were hung in place in the morning.  The afternoon was spent making sure all the quilts were hung at the correct height,  and level as well.  The judges arrived just before 5 pm, and were making their rounds of all the quilts, taking notes etc.

I'm looking forward to see the ribbons on the winning quilts tomorrow!

 
The boutique crew had a busy time, sorting through all the lovely items that will be for sale over the next 3 days.  The tables are full, and there are quilts hung around the perimeter of the room as well.

The vendors started arriving and were busy setting up their booths with lots of lovely items too!

It looks like Friday will be a beautiful day, so come out to Quilts Kingston 2018, at the Royal Kingston Curling Club on Days Road!

DAY 1 - SHOW SET UP

Today we started setting up our quilt show.

A crew headed to the storage lockers, to load up the quilt stands.

The dining room where the boutique will be located looked pretty lonely.....

Our show is held in the local curling rink, and this will be our show floor area - just a few stands in place....

Another load of stands arrives...

By 4pm, there were items waiting to be displayed in the boutique.

 

The quilt stands were all in place, some with cloth backdrops waiting for the quilts to arrive.

And the first quilt is hung!

By tomorrow night, all the quilts will be in place, and the boutique will be ready for customers.

Our lunchroom crew will have the kitchen stocked with food to make lovely lunches, and over 250 quilts and quilted items will be on display!

Kingston Ontario!

 

THE MAKING OF A QUILT SHOW - INTAKE DAY

Yesterday was the deadline to bring our quilts into "registration", for our upcoming quilt show.  Each quilt had to be folded "correctly", have a label, and a temporary label with the owner's name, address and phone number, as well as a cloth bag (or pillowcase) to hold the quilt, with another label, with quilt name, owner's name etc.

Upon arrival with your quilt, it was removed from the bag, and a temporary entry number was attached.  After it was returned to the bag, another entry number was attached, and it was place with other quilt that will be displayed in the same area.

During the day, loads of quilts were taken to be stored at a member's home (complete with an alarm system to keep all the masterpieces safe). 

While all this was going on, DH and I were set up to photograph the remaining quilts that were not brought in on either of the scheduled days.  Some people were away, and others live a distance away and didn't want to make the trip twice.  Our final day of photos was not as busy as the previous two, but we managed to capture almost all the quilts.  Now I have to get busy editing all the remaining pictures, and get all the files ready to burn the CDs for the quilt show.

 ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, WE'LL BE SETTING UP THE QUILT STANDS IN PREPARATION FOR

NO SEWING FOR ME TODAY

Yesterday morning DH and I packed our van with all the photography equipment, quilt stands, lint brushes, etc. that we would need later.  Then I headed over to my friend's place to help her with a sewing project.  I pinned, and she stitched.  Then we inserted elastic in several casings.  By that time, it was time to stop for a quick cup of tea before I had to leave.

DH and I ate dinner early, then headed over to the church where we are doing the quilt photography for the upcoming quilt show.

We arrived at 5:15, and got busy setting up all the equipment, while several quilters arrived, with their loads of quilts.  Some were bringing some for friends as well.  Once we got started, things ran quite smoothly.  We had a steady flow of quilts going up on the stand, having one or two pictures snapped, and then back down again.  DH showed some of the ladies a quick way to fold their quilts using the church pews.  Our quilt show registrars want all the quilts folded a particular way when they are handed in next Tuesday.  Things began to slow down by 8pm, and we were able to take time to chat with the last few arrivals.  We thought everyone had arrived, so DH began taking the first stand down, when one final quilter arrived with one quilt.  Of course, we stopped and took the picture, then packed everything back up and loaded it back in the van.  My final job was to assure that the sanctuary door was locked, along with the front inner and outer door, and then I was able to leave through the church hall - the door there locks behind you, so everything was left secure.  
We were back home by 9:30pm, having a final cup of tea, and watching something mindless on RV before bed.
I took the luxury of sleeping in a bit this morning, then we began to do some of the chores on our lists.  This afternoon, I made copies of the camera files ( I'm storing all the information on my computer, in a cloud account, and on a portable hard drive, just in case!)  Then I spent time changing the file names on all the photos taken to match the official quilt number in the show, but just on my working file.  I think I'm ready for an afternoon cup of tea!

We have one more photography session planned for next Tuesday, which is the day all the quilts have to be handed in, so that they can be stored, and sorted into the various hanging areas in the show.  On day two of set-up, they will be delivered to the venue, and placed in each area, ready to be hung.  It certainly saves time on the final day!

Wish me luck.   I'll be back to editing all the pictures after my tea!

ONE MORE BASKET

Making baskets is addictive.  I had a bit more time before dinner, and began wrapping selvedges again.  After dinner, and the clean-up, we were heading out to help a friend pick up some book cases, but they were not available until 8pm, so I continued to wrap.
This morning, I prepared dough for 2 loaves of bread, and then stitched the basket.

 This one finished 5 1/2 inches across the bottom, and 9 1/2 inches across the top.  It is a bit taller than the turqoise one I showed yesterday.  I just wrapped until I covered all the remaining clothesline in the hank.

I used a variegated thread with light gray-purple and green colours for the stitching.  This time, I stopped and stitched a coil with the last few inches of the piece, then continued to stitch, reinforcing the final area.  I also like to stitch once around the upper edge, as I like the finished look it provides.

This afternoon I have to get all my items organized for the boutique at the upcoming quilt show.  Somewhere I have to find the time to get them to the appropriate people!

 

EDITING AND MAKING A FEW SMALL ITEMS

Last Thursday was our first photography day for the quilts that will be displayed at Quilts Kingston 2018 in June.  DH and I set up 2 quilt stands in the sanctuary of St John's Portsmouth Anglican Church, one with a black backdrop fabric, and one to hang quilts.  We had a steady procession of quilters arriving with their quilts.  The Kingston Heiroom Quilters Guild was having a day-time meeting, and pot luck lunch in the church hall, so many of their members brought their quilts along, but as usual, there are many sewing madly to get things completed in time for the show!

I've spent most of the weekend, editing the 150 or so pictures that were taken, to show each quilt to its best advantage.  I also received the files with the quilt "artist statements" that will be displayed on, or next to each quilt in the show.  These all had to be re-formatted so that they could be loaded onto the CD. 

I was feeling stitching deprived, so I pulled out a bag with some cotton cord, wrapped with selvedge edges, and stitched a couple of baskets - I didn't want my machine to feel neglected!

This small basket was made with mostly black and gray fabric selvedges.  I added some buttons to hide the end of the join.  It is 8 inches across, and 4 inches high.

 I used a heavy "jeans" thread in the bobbin, to add a colourful surprise to the outside.

The second basket was made from blues to white selvedge edges.  I like taking advantage of the colour along a white edge to create stripes.  This basket also has a selvedge that had a fuzzy thread edge, making the final edge of the basket more interesting.

I decided to roll the top edge of this basket.  This one also finished at 8 inches across, but is only 3 inches tall.  I used Superior Twist thread, in a light turquoise colour in both the bobbin and needle.

 This basket is 9 1/2 inches across, and 4 1/2 inches tall.  Most of the selvedges used in this basket, came from a quilt that I made for my son and daughter-in-law.

When I was nearing the end of the stitching, I stopped and made a small disc from the remaining wrapped cord.  Then I returned and stitched the final row, reinforcing the stitching where the curl began.  It makes a neat finish (just visible on the picture above).

I don't keep track of how much fabric goes into these, as the selvedges would have ended up in the trash.  I sit and wrap the cords while watching TV with DH in the evenings, and then it only takes a few minutes to stitch each basket.

STASH REPORT

Fabric used this week  6 yards

Fabric used year to date  61.25 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  62.125 yards

Net used 2018  -0.875 yards

I'm so close to being in the black!  I'm counting the fabric that I used for the Christmas table topper, the runner, and the 2 quilt bags that I needed for my quilt entries in our upcoming show.

I have 6 quilts entered, and need a cloth bag for each, but I save them, and reuse the ones that fit.  I also re-use my hanging sleeves that are stitched on bed quilts.  I've made them from muslin, and hand stitch them to the large quilts, adding or removing length as required.  Over the years, I have sold some of my quilts in the show, and the new owner receives the quilt in the bag, so I have to make new ones from time to time.

  If you are interested in seeing my entries, they are on the annual quilts tab on the top of the blog page. 
2016 -  Limestone Quilters' Guild BOM 2015-16
         -  Breaking Out!
         -  Red Radiance
         -  Shades of Autumn
2017 - Oma's Blues
2018 - Use It or Lose It!  Limestone Quilters' Guild BOM 2017-18