Surprise!!

Looking around this studio is stressful!  There are SO MANY things that I want to do - not the ones I HAVE to do, but things that I want to do. Where do I start??  There are about five quilts that just need the borders put on, another five where the blocks are done and they just need to be sewn together. And and and .........................   Well you get the picture.

If I could just take ONE project and get it done instead of flitting from project to project and not completing anything.  How can I make that work???   It is called FOCUS until a crisis (aka deadline) looms and then good intentions get thrown out the window.  Or a new idea pops into my head!  I am not sure which is worse!

Well - let's see what I can do today for focusing!  I may need a set of blinders!!!  (do you know what that is???)

Yesterday when I was pulling out TWO almost completed projects that HAVE to be done by Christmas, I found my IDEA book.  I don't have much in it, but the idea was - if I find a quilt concept that I want to make - I would put my notes in the book. Since it was "lost" - I haven't been able to use it, but I thought about it. Well now I will use it and I have already have several that I want to put in it. Yeah - just what I need.

BUT I found a quote in the book that I love (which is why I wrote it in the book!). "We do not write in order to be understood, we write in order to understand.) C. S. Lewis.    Oh boy  - can I ever relate to that.  I have said many times that I do not write this blog for others - NOPE - this blog is therapy for me and by researching, doing and writing about stuff - I have learned so much!!!!   And if that is what it takes to keep my brain occupied - well that is OK!!!!

Now if I could just figure out how to keep my body exercised. Oh yes - I got the spin class down, but I have some VERY (and I mean VERY) tight leg muscles.  I almost feel like a cripple some days - the muscles are so tight that I have trouble doing the stairs.  I MUST MUST MUST work on that or I will be in big trouble like I was in London.


Enough preamble - on with the surprise!

Yesterday was our monthly class for Northern Lights  (at Sew Sisters) (I keep wanting to write Northern Reflections which is a clothing store - which is completely sold out of that damn bicycle T-shirt!). Anyway - last month I gave the last two blocks for homework. Since this class is really really keen - by the time I arrive, they have their blocks posted on the design wall in the class room. WAIT A MINUTE!   When I walked in yesterday - the pickings were very slim.    FIVE people????   What's going on?

The last two blocks from the Northern Lights class. There were a lot more than five students in the classroom

OK - Helen Anne came a bit late

Nancy wasn't sure which ones were the ones due!

Then they said -"weren't we supposed to sew the entire top together???"   OH!!!!!   And hence the first surprise - we got to see borderless tops!  Since I was going to talk about putting borders on next month - I scrambled and we talked about borders this month!!!!

Have a look at the tops - they are fabulous and hard to believe they came from the same pattern.

Marlene - love the colours - reminds me of a nautical theme

Raili - LOVE that bright block in the center!!!!!

Genny - so long ago that we made the blocks with the bright coloured squares - I forget she had added them.  

Karen L - a wild coloured quilt, but that turquoise pops!!

Marilyn - almost looks like the reverse colours of Karen's. But that orange pops!!!!

Marilyn made one block THREE times - above are two of her rejects - bottom row - extreme right and extreme left are the SAME block. In the quilt above - the bottom row second from the right is the same block. Amazing what value placement can do to a block.  The rest of the blocks above are the leftovers that Marilyn had. She made them up into blocks for the back of her quilt.  I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Judith - a bit more subtle than some of the others, but those star blocks just pop off!!!!

Karen W - she had her quilt done last month.  All those blocks pop on this one!!!!

WOW - that is an amazing display of talent!!!!!!!!    There were a few missing yesterday, vacations, illnesses and so on. Hopefully they will be able to catch up and we'll see them all next month.


So we had a discussion on how to choose borders for the quilt.  I think there are FIVE or something like that in the pattern.  I did not put 5 on my big quilt that I made and I am certainly not putting five on the small one.  I just happened to have all my fabric with me and so we used that as an example on how to choose borders and VOILA - my border choices were made. Didn't even have to think about - that crowd is very opinionated!   Thanks to everyone for your input - that was EASY!!!!!!

A small flat piping border (the thin dark strip) and then three borders - light, medium and dark (this is my big quilt)

My quilt with the chosen borders!   The only thing - I don't have enough of that blue and I bought it at Sew Sisters. I was supposed to check before I left for more and I DID NOT!!!!!    Shoot - probably isn't any more - will have to do plan B.  No wait - I know there isn't any more because I was looking for some blue the other day. I did buy some blue - about the same shade - I will use that!!!!   Oh yes - robbing Peter to pay Paul. Time to pick some new colourways to work in. 

Then we had a spectucular NON class show n tell.

First I have to tell you what happened when I walked into the room. Remember I told you the story about Mary and Jane and how I could never tell them apart. Well last month, I figured out how to remember who was who.  I was all set to SURPRISE them.  Well Jane unfortunately wasn't there due to illness (hope you are feeling better Jane!). Mary was there and I was going to say "Hey Mary". She turned and I noticed that she is wearing a NAME TAG!!!!!!!!!!!   NO - it wasn't for my benefit - she was doing some volunteer work at her church that day and came to class in between her duties at the church and she had just left her name tag on!!!!!!!!!!!    DRAT - she ruined my surprise!!!!   It was pretty funny and we had such a good laugh over it!!!!

Mary and Jane are making this quilt for a friend of theirs. It has flannel on the back so it will be warm and snuggly.  What super friends they are!!!!

Marlene brought in her completed quilt top. This was from a class on curved piecing that I taught a couple of weeks ago.  Top is done as she ran out of the green, although she had more of the other colours!!!   Looks AWESOME Marlene

Karen W took a class with me a number of years ago based on the book Liberated Quilts by Gwen Marston.  This is one of two quilts that Karen brought in.  Awesome and a fabulous way to use up stuff!!!!

Raili made this quilt using the Batting Buddy tool.  Looks fabulous and it's DONE DONE DONE!!!!!   The quilt is being donated to the Linus project! Awesome job Raili!

I think everyone is familiar with the Row by Row Experience we had this summer in Ontario (and all over the US).  Each store would post a winner - the first person to come into their store with a completed quilt would win a prize. And if the  quilt contained the row designed by thath store - the quiltmaker got another prize.  I saw these two quilts and thought - I KNOW those ladies!!!   So I asked them to bring their winning quilts to show n tell.  Oh yes - they were gorgeous.

Made by Genny - fabulous!!  And wow - I love those rows!!!!

This one blew me away. Mary (Genny's mother) made it. She did not use kits, but her own soft colour palette.  It is stunning and she incorporated rows on the side to make the quilt a more reasonable size. BUT look what else she did...........

In the sashing - she printed the name and city of the stores from which she got the patterns.  That is BRILLIANT, very tastefully done and a COMPLETE SURPRISE - I didn't even know the names were there until she pointed it out.   I just LOVE LOVE LOVE that. 

And she put her label on the front.  And it fits right in!!!!   Nicely done Mary!

I love to see some of the thought and creativity that went into making these quilts. Thanks for sharing all those fabulous projects!!!!!!!!!!!

Had a great machine quilting class in the afternoon.  So many eager new quilters!!!!   I just hope they go home and do their homework!

When I finally got home, it was time for me to get some work done. If I don't get that binding on that curvy runner, Joyce is going to be mad at me. I am dreading it a bit because there are a couple of tricky bits on it.

I need to make bias binding because of the curves, so I do the calculation (so nice to not have to get the instructions out any longer). I cut the square, sew it together and start cutting. It was only when I was finished cutting that I remembered I wanted to use 2 1/4" binding NOT 2 1/2".  OH CRUD!!!!!!!   It was already cut.

Cutting the binding

Ready to sew!!!

CRAP CRAP CRAP - well I am going to attempt to use the 2 1/2". I am not cutting a quarter inch of it.

Today looms empty!  Only one appointment and she is coming to my house.   BUT I have a list a mile long and I had better get started on the list!!!!


Just got this picture from M.  She just snapped our backyard with her smartphone.  How is that for a colour palette!!!   STUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have an awesome day!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!