The beauty of batiks!

I love batiks. I have lots of batiks. I've done exchanges with batiks, I've made quilts with batiks. But there is one thing that I absolutely adore about batiks and I'll tell you in a few paragraphs.


I was at the guild meeting this past week. We had Sandy Lindal (The Scrappy Gal) as our speaker. Oh my - I've known Sandy for a long time or I should say, I've known of Sandy for a long time. Well, now I have someone to blame for all those darn 9-patch exchanges that I did years ago.  Apparently, she started it at her guild - York Heritage. I remember seeing those beautiful quilts hanging at one of their shows and I fell in love and well - the rest is history - almost. My 9-patches are sitting in boxes (three different ones) waiting for me to get off my butt and do something with them.  I think I've matured enough now that I can get over the fact that some of them are wonky. Find a pattern and sew the darn things together!!!

While at the guild, I chatted with a number of different people and it was when I was chatting to Helen Anne that the light bulb went off. POOF!!!!!!   I just had a fabulous idea.

Now I'm ready to tell you why I love batiks.

So remember my errant block that I posted a couple of days ago? I was going to have to take off the black/cream units on the corners as I didn't have any more of those fabrics.

One of these doesn't belong!

I hate to waste stuff - yes even as silly as these four strips.  Then it hit me - batiks are reversible and if I take the entire block apart and flip the fabrics over so the "wrong" side is showing, I can correct the block, nothing goes to waste.  Did it work???  You be the judge.

Almost fixed - 

 Good thing for taking pictures as I'm just noticing one more mistake!  I have to take the top black/cream unit apart and swap those parts as well. Then it will be fixed. I haven't sewn it together yet.

Isn't that funny that I can fix that darn block!  Thank goodness I used batiks!   Why didn't I think of that at the retreat?  Anyway - I can put this one back in the retreat bag and finish it off next week. And we have the final clue - so I could get some of that done at the retreat as well. Although I do have a fairly free weekend - AFTER our meeting on Modern Quilts this morning.   But I do have a lot of URGENT stuff that has to be prepped for the retreat and that is more important.


Here are a few more pictures of stuff from the retreat.  These are my blocks from Quilter's Patch that I'm teaching at the Hobby Horse.  The top left block was completely pieced, but the others were in bits and pieces as I get them to a certain stage for my class and then complete the blocks later.  I completed three blocks.

Blocks from Quilter's Patch

I was missing ONE piece of fabric so I couldn't quite finish this next block.

Almost done!

That missing piece is now cut and the next two blocks are also cut. I was going to work on them at the retreat and then I realized that one of the people coming is in my class.  Hopefully, she's a late riser and I'll get it done early one morning.

This quilt is going to be gorgeous and I'm going to see Edyta Sitar at Paducah. I'm going to let her know how much we're enjoying her quilt.

But it's all good.  I have a lot more sitting in those bags to unpack and that is my priority this weekend, but I also need to prep the next steps in those projects and get them ready for the retreat so it's going to be a busy afternoon.


On that note - have a super day and don't forget to come visit us this morning if you can.


Ciao!!!!


 April 8  (Saturday) - West End Modern Quilt Guild (unofficial title!)   will be meeting from 10 AM - Noon.  This is the first meeting and we're trying to get a chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild started in the west end of the GTA.  The meeting will take place at Streetsville Kinsmen, 321 Queen Street, Streetsville.   Going to be an open discussion of the guild objectives, show n tell and how traditional quilts are the groundwork of the modern movement. A small fee will be charged to cover the room rental. E-mail me if you can't make it and want to be added to the e-mail list.

Politics (and quilts - I mean ON quilts)

I'm not going to make this a post about politics - well it will be sort of.  But it's related to quilts.

Here's a story that was published in the Chicago Tribune earlier this week.  It's Quilt Festival in Chicago this week so it's only fitting that there would be some news about quilts in the local papers. It's always exciting to see the publicity about our craft/hobby/trade to help raise awareness of what we do!

I don't agree with everything in the article.  Some quilters feel that the statements put forth by these so called political quilts take away from the comfort traditionally associated with a quilt.

For some quilters, the process of making a quilt is a healing process.  Making a quilt from a loved one's shirts, for instance, is a healing process and the resulting quilt becomes a tangible memory of that loved one. Something you can wrap yourself in to get comfort.

For non-quilters, having a quilt made also provides them with a tangible memory of their loved one. I've made a quilt that involved cutting up clothes from a deceased person and hopefully, the quilt has provided some comfort to the recipient. It was a weird process!  

Other quilters are using the quilts as a medium to create ART. Do they see the end result as an object of comfort?  Would they wrap themselves in a quilt that had the image of a gun on it?  It might totally depend on the thoughts and emotions that played in that person's mind when the quilt was made. Imagine a family member was shot to death in cold blood in broad daylight while sitting in his car TWO days before Christmas. That family member was 26 years old!   TWENTY years later, his family finally has closure as someone was found guilty of the murder. Would this family find physical comfort in a quilt with the image of a gun on it?  Probably not, but if that quilt brought awareness of gun violence to others - they may get emotional comfort from that.

Making political statements has been around forever. Probably even on quilts. Modern quilting is making these quilts that much more visible. If political statements on quilts help to raise the awareness of the quilting industry in general?   Go for it!!!  We want this industry to continue and let's remember the percentage of political quilts to regular quilts is pretty small.

Would I make a political statement quilt? I like the idea of having my point of view made known, but sometimes I think my point of view (I'm very opinionated) is very strong, I don't want to be on the receiving end of the backlash.  It takes a lot of courage and guts to make a political statement and put it on display for the world to criticize. But we live in countries where freedom of speech is available to us. Yet at the same time, we need to respect those around us.

Is there an answer?  Nope - but just because a few people are using quilts as a medium to voice their opinion doesn't mean that the world of quilting is going to hell in a hand basket!  It's just that - a medium to voice an opinion!  There are those of us who will continue to make quilts for the sake of making them and to provide comfort to those in need.

This little quilt is hanging in my office at the moment and it's the strongest statement I've ever made on a quilt.  Someone made it for me years ago when I was running a weekly sewing group!  I love it and so should anyone come into my office to complain about something - I'll just point to the quilt!

And the example I gave above? About the 20-year-old murder?  Hard to believe but sadly it's true.  


Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!


April 8  (Saturday) - West End Modern Quilt Guild (unofficial title!)   will be meeting from 10 AM - Noon.  This is the first meeting and we're trying to get a chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild started in the west end of the GTA.  The meeting will take place at Streetsville Kinsmen, 321 Queen Street, Streetsville.   Going to be an open discussion of the guild objectives, show n tell and how traditional quilts are the groundwork of the modern movement. A small fee will be charged to cover the room rental. E-mail me if you can't make it and want to be added to the e-mail list.

Any which way (it isn't right!)

Good morning!  Got a bit more of an update on what happened at the retreat. I'm still working my way through the bags that I winged on the floor when I came home. 

But you know you're getting older when.....   you just can't stay up past your bedtime (10 PM) and function the next day!  That happened to me at the retreat. 10 PM on the first night and I NEEDED to go to bed. Same thing on the second day - 10 PM and I was out. I did manage to stay up a bit later on the last two nights but not too much and I was getting an extra hour of sleep by getting up at 6 AM, not 5.  So the night I did the trunk show, I was home by 11 PM -- not tired and actually still wide awake so I read for a bit.  I was fine all day yesterday, but last night - I was supposed to go to a meeting. I e-mailed them to say I wasn't going to make it and went to bed - at 6:30 PM.  Woke up at 4 AM and I'm good to go!

This was the next bag of stuff that was sitting on the table to take photos.  This is a project that we're doing at the guild. It's a mystery quilt and we're meeting tonight. Wouldn't it be grand if I could say the entire thing was up to date?  Well - it could have been, EXCEPT.......

Hmm - one of these doesn't belong

And even if I turn the darn thing - it still isn't right!

So yes - ONE block has to be remade. I haven't had time to cut it and of course, I have to remake the white/black combo (which I do NOT think I have any more of - so will have to disassemble the bad block and reuse those components!

First I broke Allie the Owl's wing (that was in yesterday's post) and then I messed up this!  If I would not have made this error - I COULD have been up to date.   That would have been a first for me. But I can remake the block this weekend and hopefully get it all together at the next sewing retreat.   I could possibly have a finished quilt to show at the end of the year?  Oh god - the world is coming to an end!


What did I do since I was up an extra hour this morning?  I got the rest of Fancy Forest cut!  It's in the sewing retreat pile (first project in bag number two!).  I've decided there are only going to be TWO project bags.  Two is plenty!  I also cut out two bags this morning and they will go into the project bag as well. There are a few more small things that will go in the bag and then - that's it!  I`m going to be more responsible!

As promised, here are the pictures from Wasaga Beach from Tuesday evening. The beach looks very inviting but COLD.  It was windy and the temperature wasn't exactly beach weather, but if I had my rubber boots - I would have taken a quick walk!

Wasaga Beach

Wasaga Beach

And while we're on the topic of nature, here's a shot from the retreat house. There is a big pond - where I come from, we would call this a slough.  But there is a pair of ducks that visit from time to time. It`s very hard to see, but this duck had BRILLIANT orange feet. He`s right on the back edge just slight to the left of the middle.

Spring is here - the ducks are back!

I`ll have a few more pictures for tomorrow from the retreat and one of these days, I need to get back to the long arm (weekend project) and the sewing machine. Trying to make a couple of items and write patterns for work projects.  The fun stuff never ends around here.

On that note, I`m out of here!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!




April 8  (Saturday) - West End Modern Quilt Guild (unofficial title!)   will be meeting from 10 AM - Noon.  This is the first meeting and we're trying to get a chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild started in the west end of the GTA.  The meeting will take place at Streetsville Kinsmen, 321 Queen Street, Streetsville.   Going to be an open discussion of the guild objectives, show n tell and how traditional quilts are the groundwork of the modern movement. A small fee will be charged to cover the room rental. E-mail me if you can't make it and want to be added to the e-mail list.

If you`ve e-mailed me, I`ll get to e-mail tonight. 

Frolicking in the Forest with Friends

Who turned out the lights?   I was in Wasaga Beach last night speaking to the Slope to Shore Guild. I had to stop at the beach to take a couple of photos which I'll post tomorrow.  Wow - I can imagine how that place hops in the summer.  It was beautiful, but alas - no dogs on the beach and you had to buy a ticket to use the beach!  I can only imagine the cost of real estate in that area.   If only I had brought my rain boots and had a bit more time. 

Anyway, back to the quilters.   What a fun and very prolific group of quilters.  They had made several finished quilts, some quilt tops, and blocks that were done up for Canada's Big Quilt Bee. The goal of that initiative is 1000 quilts for Ronald McDonald house. I have a funny feeling that there will be a few more than 1000.  

But the Guild President made a very interesting statement. She said she made blocks because she wanted to be part of this big event. And I think that is why others across the country are getting involved as well. We are all proud Canadians and want to be part of this huge quilting bee. KUDOS to CQA for coming up with the idea.  I can't wait to get to Quilt Canada to see the quilts and to hopefully quilt one or two of the quilts at the show. I have a feeling that they are going to need to run the long arm quilting machines 24/7 for the duration of the show!

Show ann tell was interesting and there was LOADS of it.  Various talents came through as people pulled their projects from their bags. It was super exciting to see it all (and there were some great ideas done with Northcott fabrics! - I'll ask permission to post them).  And a super Block of the Month project that I might just have to steal.  Hey - can I be on the executive one more time to run this program?

As I mentioned, it was a load of fun. By the time I got packed up and ready to leave, it was 9:30 PM and I wasn't sure how long it was going to take for me to drive home.  1 hour 30 minutes.  Which wasn't bad considering that it was pouring rain - OK - it was raining when I started out and DARK!!  I guess I'm not a country girl anymore.  Driving on pitch black roads  - in the country so we're not talking super wide highways with curves in the rain. Not my idea of fun, but I still managed to make good time. 

On my way up, I noticed this "thing" on the side of the road.  What the heck????   OH MY GOODNESS - it's a shoe tree.  I was going to stop and take a picture but I had someone on my bumper at the time so I thought I'd stop and take a picture on the way back.  Same thing - someone on my bumper.  Good grief - I'm already doing 100 KM in an 80 zone - in the dark, in the rain, on a country highway!   BUT - here's a picture I found on the internet of the tree. Well - here's the link.  And here is another picture.     I've seen them before, but this one is HUGE.  There are even more shoes now than in these pictures.  

And now on with the main part of today's post.  The Fancy Forest.  Yep - here is some of the work that I did at the retreat. There are EIGHT different blocks in this quilt. You need to make eight of seven of them and 16 of the last one.  

Allie the Owl

You'll notice that one of the owls had an accident. Fell out of a tree and broke its wing!   BUT, I've got everything prepped to mend that wing and soon this Blue Allie will be back in the tree!   Those blocks were not bad to piece, but took a LONG LONG time especially the eyes which are so cute.  If you're making them, be careful how you place that wing part!  I made the same mistake three times, but only one bad cut. I caught the other two before I cut!


Then onto the bunny. Before I left for the retreat, I had all the bunny ears done. And now all the bunnies are finished. Just in time for Easter!!!

The bunnies are done!!!!

When I was cutting before I went on the retreat, I had run out of two fabrics. I didn't have time to find replacement fabrics at the time, but when I got home and starting to tidy up and prep for the next retreat, I needed to find a replacement for the missing fabrics.

The one on the left is the original and I found the one on the right. Close enough!

The old and the new

Same thing for this one - not quite enough of the fabric on the left, but this match on the right.

The old and the new

I'm in the middle of cutting for the last animal group.  Oh yes - the rest is cut out and just needs sewing.  A day at the retreat and we should be good for a couple more animals.  OK - that might be TWO days at the retreat.  Gosh - if I decided to actually sew the blocks together, I could get away with just this project (well almost) and it all fits into one small basket!!!  But where's the fun in doing the same thing over and over?  As I mentioned yesterday - I LOVE variety!!!!

Cutting the last set of blocks

If you're interested in making Fancy Forest (the smaller version requires only TWO blocks of each animal)  - I'll be teaching the class again at The Hobby Horse in Georgetown. Sunday, May 28 and June 11.  Call them to book your spot.

And if you want a peek at creativity - this is what the studio looks like at this moment.  I've been prepping and sewing and there hasn't been time to put things away yet. I'm working on it. Hopeful;y by the end of the weekend, it'll be back in order.

The current state of affairs

On that note - I'm out of here. Another super busy day. Another meeting tonight but it's in the city and about 10 minutes from my house so that's good!

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!


Don't forget:

April 8  (Saturday) - West End Modern Quilt Guild (unofficial title!)   will be meeting from 10 AM - Noon.  This is the first meeting and we're trying to get a chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild started in the west end of the GTA.  The meeting will take place at Streetsville Kinsmen, 321 Queen Street, Streetsville.   Going to be an open discussion of the guild objectives, show n tell and how traditional quilts are the groundwork of the modern movement. A small fee will be charged to cover the room rental. E-mail me if you can't make it and want to be added to the e-mail list.

Motivational Monday (on a Tuesday!)

I was on my way to work yesterday and WAIT A MINUTE - it's Monday!  I wrote the blog post the previous evening not once giving a thought to the fact that the next day was Monday. Hence - NO Motivational Monday post.

However - here we are - Tuesday and we're going to talk about Motivation.

I did get lots done at the retreat and will be posting my accomplishments and those of my fellow retreaters as the week goes on. I had a look at the Task Master this morning and while she isn't happy because I wasn't able to check off more items, I did manage to check off a few and that made me feel good.

It would appear that I'm balking at sewing on borders and hand sewing labels.  It's challenging to properly sew on a border at the retreat. There just isn't enough space to properly measure and if I'm going to do it - I'm going to do it right!  So I'll book a day on the weekend and work on borders at home. Besides, Ronda and I were chatting about the April UFOs and guess what - more borders. And a bit of applique!  Hmmm - maybe I need to book a weekend date AND Ronda and we'll work on borders together.

There are those amongst us who relish in having variety and those who need to complete one project at a time. And some of us - well we have just way too many things to do!

But here's a link to a blog post that makes me happy. I would be absolutely bored to tears if I worked on only one project at a time. What happens if I don't feel like doing hand work (like the binding) or I don't have time to cut or whatever.  By having a couple of projects on the go - there is variety and hopefully, something will tweak my interest that day.

I'm good at writing things down and I'm pretty good at getting the things done. But what I'm not good at is prioritizing the quilts that need to be worked on. I MUST make a list of those quilts with deadlines and then make sure that ONLY those quilts are getting on the task master list. So that is my plan for this week although I've got a huge week ahead of me.

I see so many people on track and getting tons of things done!  That's extremely impressive. If you're not getting things done, then perhaps you're putting too many things on your list. Remember it's OK to just put ONE thing on the list for the week. It's better to check off ONE thing than miss on 10.  And if you keep letting the item slide, remember it's equally OK to ditch that project.

One very important thing to remember about quilting. This is YOUR HOBBY.  Hobbies are supposed to be fun. If it's no longer fun, then perhaps it's time to find a new hobby. If it's just one or two projects that are causing you grief - time to sit down and think very hard about those projects. Ask yourself these questions:

What is causing me to procrastinate on the project?

• Is it time?
• Is it a technique that you don't know?
• Is it that you can't figure out how to get started again?
• Do you like the project?
• Do you still have a need for that project?

If you need help - why not send me an e-mail and a picture and I'll see if I get you started again.

There could be a couple of other questions you could ask yourself, but those will help. Depending on the answers and be BRUTALLY honest!  Then make some decisions about the project - keep or give!

I know that I'm not good with the "give" category yet. At this point, I still have room for everything so I just set them aside and hopefully do not put those items on my task master list.  But one day I will have to make decisions, but not today.


Here are a couple of events - oh yes - I want to get the entire list up, but that isn't happening!


April 4   (TODAY)    I'm the guest speaker at Slope to Shore Quilter's Guild.  The location is Stars Arena and Community Rec Hall, 425 River Road, Wasaga Beach.  The topic is scrap quilts!   The meeting starts at 7 PM.

April 8  (Saturday) - West End Modern Quilt Guild (unofficial title!)   will be meeting from 10 AM - Noon.  This is the first meeting and we're trying to get a chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild started in the west end of the GTA.  The meeting will take place at Streetsville Kinsmen, 321 Queen Street, Streetsville.   Going to be an open discussion of the guild objectives, show n tell and how traditional quilts are the groundwork of the modern movement. A small fee will be charged to cover the room rental. E-mail me if you can't make it and want to be added to the e-mail list.


And on that note, I've got a busy day ahead of me.  It's going to be a long evening, but I'm excited. I can't decide which of my trunk shows that I like to give. Oh heck - I like them all!  My car is packed with quilts - I'm ready!.

Have a super day!

Ciao!

Quilters and technology

I'll tell you all about the last day of the retreat tomorrow.  Here's something that comes up from time to time. Comments from people that older quilters are NOT as tech savvy as some of the younger generations. It's possible this perception is more pronounced if you look at the modern quilters and how the modern quilters follow Instagram and whatever the other latest apps are.  Did you know that MORE than 50% of the attendees at QuiltCon 2017 were OVER 55??   Yep - that is NOT a typo!!!!

So let me give you some stats from our retreat.  Here we are  - a typical group of quilters.  There were 8 of us at the retreat. As you can see - there is an age range of almost 30 years from the youngest to the oldest. We come from a variety of different backgrounds and some of us are working and some are not.  BTW - that's ME in the bright red shirt!

A typical group of quilters at a retreat

BUT  I noticed something about the retreat that I've seen change over the years.  Do you know how much technology those EIGHT quilters brought????  Let me tell you................

There were FOUR laptops, SIX tablets, and NINE smart phones.  There could have been more. 

Hello?  Can you hear me?

And ALL of those quilters were pretty darn savvy about their technology.  So what did we do with that technology at the retreat?

• Someone sold a house and used Docu-Sign to sign the papers
• E-books and audio books were loaded on most tablets or cell phones
• Directions and travel times were researched
• Word definitions were discovered
• E-mails were read and before the day was out, the Missouri Star daily deal was purchased by several. I was SHOCKED that some of them read their e-mails before coming down in the morning.
• Someone signed up for a magazine subscription 
• Pinterest was researched
• Facebook posts were posted
• Pictures were taken
• Instagrams messages were posted
• People sent texts and used Messenger
• Games were played
• Prior to coming to the retreat, someone had very cleverly used photo transfer for one of their quilts (can't share yet)
• Someone was trying to teach their daughter (in California) how to thread their sewing machine using videos
• Someone downloaded EQ7 and got amazing support on the phone (as usual in the case of EQ7)
• People talked on the phone
• Alarms were set (OK - that was probably just me!)
• The weather was checked
• Someone read an online magazine
• Quilt shop hours were researched
• People had Spotify accounts
• Several had the latest FitBit technology and were friending each other
• Several used their phones as their GPS
• And let's not forget the high-tech, computerized sewing machines that we all had!
• Someone just bought a new car with a HIGHLY sophisticated cruise control technology that she knew how to program!

I'm sure there were many more instances where technology was used over the course of the weekend. I have to say that I was probably the person who used technology the least. I did a couple of blog posts, but I had an actual book to read and real magazines. I checked e-mail a couple of times. I took my almost 20-year-old sewing machine (was top of the line at the time and still sews great). I think I got one text and one phone call the entire time!  I posted maybe three times on Facebook and checked my e-mail from time to time. While I like technology, I don't like it to dictate my life.  Besides, how often do I get to sew and that's what I did. 

I'll be sharing some of the projects that were done including my own over the next week.  

It was such a wonderful time. For several of the attendees, the only time we get to see each other is at a retreat.  That makes the retreats all the more special. Should you ever get the chance to attend, I would highly recommend it. 

Anyway - hopefully for those who doubt that older quilters have no clue how to use technology, guess again!  I think that some of the above could put the younger quilters to shame!  

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!

Leave a comment - what is your favorite piece of technology, your favorite use in the quilting world and outside the quilting world!

The retreat - Day Three and Four

ACK ----   So busy sewing there was NO TIME for blogging.  Besides someone was in the kitchen where the computer is so I didn't want to disturb them.

Holy cow - wait until you see the pictures of what has been happening.  We are a production crew like no other.  The quilts that have been made, the laughs we've had - well there is nothing like a retreat to get your spirits up!  And we've eaten like kings!

Some of the girls have made several trips to Fabricland and the quilt store. I kept it all to a minimum - I didn't bother with Fabricland this time, but did make the quilt store TWICE!

As much as I like the retreats, it's always fun to go back home and I'm excited to go home and unpack knowing that I'm basically repacking for another retreat next week.  I know - don't ask!  There are a few projects where I was missing a piece of fabric - that will get cut and perhaps get sewn at home and not come back or it might.  But I'm also going to revise how much I bring - I really did go into only TWO project bags so I'm going to try and be a bit more realistic - I'm getting better!

I would say that almost EVERY project that I brought this time had flying geese, half square triangles or stitch and flip.  Seriously - EVERY project.  I'm kind of tired of that, but these have to be done!

I'm already figuring out what I'm bringing to the next one  - I think one new project is going to get put in the tote.

A couple of us went out for a walk yesterday.  We were out for 50 minutes - climbed that big hill by the retreat house. It was a glorious day yesterday and how could you not get out!  Might have to bring my bike next time.

I try to stay almost to the very end of the check-out time, but there is a quilt show on our way home and what better way to end a retreat than going to a quilt show!  

I've been up for hours so far today - all by myself in the sewing room. I'm making good progress on one project until I cut one piece the wrong way so that will have to be recut tonight and get sewn at home. Not bringing that one back here.

On that note - I've TWO hours left and I've still a LOT to get done.

Have a super super day!!!

Ciao!!!!