And ALL is revealed (at last!!!)

So we all have that list of 2014 projects right?  And I made a list of things that I wanted to do for other people. Remember that?   And my goal is to get some of those things done. Well I am happy to report that I am making GREAT progress on that goal.

And it is amazing how innocently these things start!   One day several years ago, Judy is working on a quilt. I see her fabric and I say - that would be great for my Dad.  She gave me that piece of fabric. Then over the years, she collected a bit more fabric for me and I collected a bit. That bag of fabric got shifted to the 2014 shelf. 

When I knew that I was coming out here for Dad's surgery (beginning of January), I decided that I could get that quilt together for him. I dug out the bag of fabric on January 3 and started cutting.



Here are the details from my blog on January 4.


But that is still not what got me excited. I have to make a gift for someone. Since they may be reading the blog - I can't go into details. BUT this fabric has been languishing on my shelves for a LONG time. Someone gave me more to go with it (the theme is VERY SPECIFIC). It got moved to my 2014 shelf. Well a slight change of plans for the year and I NEED to make that gift NOW.    So I dug up the fabric. Hmmmmm - it seems that the original piece I started with is NOT here. Oh well - I will find it. Then I searched my stash to find some companion fabrics. Started with SOLIDS and that was GROSS. Then on a whim! (got to stop that) - I thought of something that would accompany it perfectly. Landscape prints. Bought a few at Ruti's and YES - they were perfect.

Then I was looking on the 2014 shelf for something yesterday and OH MY GOD - here is ANOTHER BAG of fabric for this same project, including the original piece. OH BOY - what am I going to do?????

Well a few quick calculations (Mary would be proud of me) and I started to cut. Cut strips - as I am going to make a Hopscotch pattern. Heck - there is ENOUGH, that I could make TWO hopscotch.

Hey - there are some squares in the grouping - and there is a LOT of fabric so I started to cut squares as well as strips. OH my - there are some pillow panels and some smaller squares in panel form. Oh boy - a few more calculations and VOILA - I ended up cutting not one, not two, not three, not even four, but FIVE quilts last night!!!!!!!!!!!    I know - who would have thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    And that was JUST from the theme fabric. It is so specific that I don't want to keep any of it. So I am going to make all five quilts. I am short just a smidgen and going to check out one thing today - then will cut up the landscape to fill in the gaps. And ALL of this fabric will be GONE and the project is OFF the shelf!!!!!!!!    Even though it was on the shelf, I had not started it - so yes I do get a chance to start new stuff!!!!!!!

Now that they were all cut out - I wanted to sew, but it was getting late. I might as well have stayed up since I couldn't sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

But I did get some sleep and was up early and already working on it. I have to say that for what it is and how it came together, the first one on the design wall looks AMAZING. Even M thought it looked pretty cool.   I really really hate to do this to you and not show you pictures, but I can't. But you will see me (in person) working on them as I need to get them done ASAP.    Then EVERYONE can see them.

Now here is a lesson in WHY labeling is so important. I was searching that shelf trying to find the missing fabric and had to go through a few boxes because I didn't know what was in them!!!!!!!!    Even had to dig out a chair to reach the top shelf!!!!!!!!!!!   No time for labeling!!!!!!!!!!    (Actually the fabric was sort of together. It wouldn't fit on the shelf if I put it all in one bag, so I had to split it - that is how packed that shelf is. The two bags were together, but I forgot about the second bag!!!!)  Good thing I went digging around last night and found that other bag.



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So in addition to stuff I needed to do for customers and classes, I had to get these quilts done. My deadline was January 31 as I was leaving on February 1 and they HAD to be done. I could sew the bindings on while I was here, but that meant - get the bindings on the quilts, and make the labels so they could be sewn on here as well. 

The other thing - there were FIVE quilts - what to do with them all????   I decided my Dad would get one and I have FOUR uncles (that live in this area) - so they will each get one. They are all farmers or were farmers or had something to do with farming.


After a very LONG month of secrecy here are the quilts....................    The TRACTOR quilts!!!!!!!!!!

This one is my Dad's. 

I used TWO pillow panels - they were not quite 18 1/2" so I added a small black frame to make them the right size.   The long strip was also from the pillow panels (I had four panels in total) and it was not the right size - so again, I added borders (in solid fabric) to make it the size that I needed.  I also had a panel with smaller blocks in it. They were not 6 1/2" (the size I cut those squares), so a small black frame was added to those blocks. Then threw the blocks on the wall - and VOILA - the first of the tractor quilts.


We have a new standard in our house. Any lap quilt destined as a gift from us has to have fleece or plush on the back.

Here is the back of the first tractor quilt. The only plush that I could find in blue had a chevron design on it. But it worked out just fine. 

Detail of the quilting from the back. 

Here is the second tractor quilt. Pretty much the same as the first one, different borders. 

This one was for my Uncle John. And when I gave it to him the other day, it was pretty funny because he and Ed (his son in law) were busy identifying the different tractors (by name and model number) on the quilt. Oh yes - John collects tractors. Real tractors and I think he must have about 100????   on his property. About half of them work and he spends his summer days restoring them with help from Ed.

I should have gotten a picture of the tractors BEFORE the sun went down. Oh well - here are two pictures of his restored tractors that I found on the internet.

Here is ONE of my uncle's tractors in the local parade (not sure what year - I pulled this from Facebook)

And another of the REAL tractor collection (Thanks to Arlene and Shannon for the pictures that I pulled from your Facebook pages)

Not only does he collect REAL tractors, but he has quite the collection TOY tractors as well..............

Toy tractor collection

More toy tractors

AND more toy tractors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

That is a LOT of tractors. So you can see why I had to give John one of the tractor quilts!!!!!!


The other three quilts were made with the Hopscotch pattern. IF I had looked at the fabric BEFORE I started cutting, I might have made them all with the 6 1/2" squares, but I was already busy cutting so I couldn't change my plan.

Quilt for Uncle Bob

Quilt for Uncle Sammy   (YES - it is different!!)

Quilt for Uncle Paul

I have managed to get ALL the quilts bound and labels on except the one above. I am about half done the binding. YES - Imagine that I bound FOUR quilts in ONE WEEK. That must be a record for me!!!!!!!!!!!
I am going to try and get that one done today. Let's just say that I am tired of sewing binding!!!!!

Here is a copy of the label that I put on the four UNCLE quilts.

The UNCLE quilts all got Fireside fleece on the back of them in green or brown.




It was TIGHT to get those quilts done. I think I got the binding on the last one on the evening of January 31st. I packed them all into plastic bags and then into my duffle bag.

Four quilts with binding sewn on, but needs to be hand stitched

Quilt number five - binding on, but needs to be hand stitched

Packed in plastic bags and into the duffle bag. Along with my customer's quilt that I delivered on the day I arrived.  Let's just say that I was VERY happy to see that duffle bag arrive on the luggage carousel In Saskatoon!!!!!

My goal was to USE up all that tractor fabric so I would have NOTHING left. Well - I almost did that. There is a bit leftover and I am going to make another tractor quilt for Judy who gave me some of her stuff. But I wasn't sure that I had enough. In chatting with my aunt (who is a quilter), look what she gave me to help with the last quilt.................

A LOT of John Deere fabric!!!!!!!!!!

Then I got two more pieces (I think this was from the guild - more on them in another post)

Of course I had to visit the local Fabricland (quite a bit different than ours as they have quite a bit of quilting fabric). I bought a half meter of this tractor fabric

And I bought a BIG panel that I will likely put into the backing of one of the quilts. 

At this point - I am thinking - I have enough stuff for TWO more quilts. Then if I ever see another piece of tractor fabric - well I WILL NOT be buying it!!!!!!     Anyone want a tractor quilt?????  



While at Fabricland, I was scouting for interesting stuff to buy. I did get some novelty prints (I know - they just jumped into my basket!). And I could NOT resist this................

ORANGE FRINGE. 

 This picture does NOT do justice to the colour. That is NEON orange.   I also got a ball of variegated orange yard to make the dish cloths so Margo - I need the pattern.


Well parent sitting isn't all it is cracked up to be!!!    My Dad has been doing pretty good - getting around with a cane and at times no cane (just around the kitchen), he's been doing his exercises, good spirits, good eating - all that. But he got up yesterday and he wasn't in good shape. A lot of pain (although he didn't really tell me the whole story!).  We chatted to the nurse on tele-Health and she suggested a trip to the hospital. So we were off AGAIN. We had been at the ER the previous day because of the discolouration in his foot which turned out to be normal.

We didn't really have any wait time the first day, but the waiting room was packed yesterday. We were there for three hours. Bottom line, he was weaning himself OFF his pain meds and just using Tylenol and of course he was now feeling the full brunt of that surgery. So he got a shot in the butt of pain killer that took a half hour to kick in. Then we were on our way back home which is 35 miles from town. I think I have driven to town almost every day since I got here. But then I get to get a tea at Tim's so I am OK with that. How shallow I am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dad is tired today (didn't get much sleep the night before) but he is back on his pain meds and feeling much better. I am NOT a nurse - I hate medical stuff, but we are muddling our way through this.  As long as he stays on those pain meds he is going to do just fine.


On that note - I must get that last quilt finished.   (And then I will have started and completed FIVE quilts so far this year!!!!!    I am very happy with that progress).  And I have another series of quilts to get working on when I get home. I can't wait to get back to the sewing machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!