A cautionary tale

The weather is crazy here - well it's likely crazy where you live as well. Yesterday we were sweltering in heat and humidity and today it's cold. Ah - global warming! Either way, my studio is in the basement and it's almost always cold so I wear a sweater - always.

I love to get pictures of quilts that students from my classes have finished. I've got a couple to share with you today and some stuff that happened in my studio yesterday.

A while back, I taught a class on Elizabeth Hartman's Fancy Forest. Here are two quilts that got finished in that class. Janice and Trixie made the smaller version which is one fourth the size of the big one. Janice's is completely quilted and I love the fact that she added glasses to one of the foxes and one of the hedgehogs. Super cute!!

Janice's Fancy Forest

When I saw what Trixie was using for her background, I got super excited. The original quilt was done with a grey/neutral background and that's what I used for mine as well. But this bold green with the rust/oranges for the animals??? Well, that just pops. I LOVE IT!!!!  It's on Trixie's "to be quilted" pile.

Trixie's Fancy Forest

When I was looking through my phone last night, I realized that I had one more picture for the Farm Girl Vintage show n tell. I had taken it at Monday sewing. I've added it to yesterday's post, but for those of you who read yesterday's post yesterday, here it is.

Big and little block for Farm Girl Vintage

I managed to accomplish a lot yesterday. I'll share some of it today and you'll get to see the rest tomorrow. This workspace was empty when the morning started. But I needed to pull out the serger - more on that story tomorrow.

I had to finish piecing the quilt for the magazine which I did bright and early. Then it was on the long arm and it quickly got quilted. The quilt isn't that big. Tried one or the freebie patterns in the software and it very much suited that quilt. I'm getting the hang of that software (more on that tomorrow).  Then I had to pull out a sewing machine to stitch on the binding and that got done and the quilt got boxed up and it's on its way to the US.

I had that monster quilt to bind for a customer. Since I'm seeing her today, that had to be completed. 

Work table in the morning

Trust me, I'm grateful for my sewing space. It's very flexible and while I have my smaller sewing machine set up, sewing a binding on requires a special configuration. You can see in the picture below how that monster quilt is supported with that extra table.  That makes putting on the binding a super simple task. Otherwise, it wouldn't be pretty and then becomes a very physical job.

Sewing on the binding with an extra table for support

This is what the work tables look like this morning. I left the serger up as I might try something else since it's out.

Work tables are pretty clear at the moment

OK - so I lie. As soon as that big quilt was off and I had taken the picture, I put something else on the table. I've got a pretty wide open weekend and only one small quilt to quilt. It's a custom job, but still, I don't think it'll take too long. So my plan is to hit the studio and get some of those tasks on The Task Master DONE!!!!

And it might not be a bad idea to get some of this done. Chair on the left has quilts that need to be trimmed. Chair on the right - quilts that need to be bound! All of these are mine. Isn't that scary???

Quilts to trim and bind - a chair full of each

When we had Sit n Sew last weekend, I had to remove the projects that were on the design wall so Ronda could use it for her Elvis quilt. It was such a wide open space that I had to put something on it. I grabbed a stack of blocks for a quilt that I pieced YEARS ago and put them up. Each block requires a small frame around it, they need to be placed in some order although I don't think that will make a whole lot of difference and then to add the sashing - hmm - white or black? I could do a small white frame and then black or DARK BLUE sashing or the reverse. I need to experiment. But this is NOT on The Task Master list. And that's why I'm behind on what I'm supposed to be doing!!

Blocks from Pointless Wonder quilt

I've almost gone through all those stacks of paper for the shredding date today. Even if I don't get any more done, I'm happy with what I got done. I had a laugh at some of the papers that I found. Does anyone remember these??  A postal money order from 2005. Well - it's history now. 

A postal money order

Does anyone have any idea what this foot is used for???  Someone asked me on the weekend and I've no idea, but I'm thinking it's some kind of binding? ruffling? foot.

What is this foot used for???

I'm liking my new tea press even though I haven't had tea in almost a week. What's wrong with me? I used to CRAVE that tea from Tim's and to be honest, I don't even think about it anymore. I'm cured!!!  Only took 20 years to get addicted and get un-addicted. I mean, I would clean my car off in the middle of winter to go to Tim's for that tea. Now I'm OK if I don't even have one ALL DAY.

But this new tea press is amazing. When I made the iced tea, I put ice cubes in the container and 24 hours later, some of the ice was still there!!!!

Ice still remaining in the tea press after 24 hours

 So I mentioned that people send me pictures of their quilts and if you send me pictures and you give me permission, although I think if you send it to me, that's permission enough! Anyway, Trixie has a cautionary tale to tell. She was merrily cutting (with her rotary cutter) and had a slight accident with the tip of her finger. She sent me this picture. That's a pretty big bandage.

Oops - be careful with the rotary cutter

Then a couple of days after she sent me that picture, she sent me another without the bandage. YIKES - I think I screamed - well not quite, but I jumped. Yikes - I did NOT need to see that! I don't like looking at that stuff - thankfully there was no blood or I'd likely have been on the floor where Murphy would have come to my rescue by licking my face until I woke up! I'm sparing you the gruesome picture!

The bottom line - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep your rotary cutter CLOSED when you're not using it. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pay attention when you're cutting. Accidents happen - I get that, but if we can avoid them - that is good!!!

On that note, I'm out of here.

Have a super day!!!!!


Ciao!!!!

Retreat - Day Three

The one bad thing about sewing retreats? They seem to fly by so fast! But we're not going to worry about that - enjoy the moment!  I didn't seem to get as much done yesterday as I would like, but seriously?  I'm on vacation and when I get back, I've quite a bit of work (sewing) to do so it's nice to actually take a bit of a break from it. 

Don't get me wrong - I did sew an entire quilt top together yesterday minus the border which I'm going to do today. This was a bag of cut pieces that has been to many retreats!  I believe it even went to PEI with me two years ago. While I could have worked on something more current or more more urgent, there are several projects in the bags that have been around for a long, long time.  It was time to get at least one of them done. 

The top is quite simple, made from batiks and well....  Now it's done. I don't normally put borders on quilts when I'm here, but if I don't, it likely won't get done for a while, so today I'm putting the border on.  And for the rest of the retreat, I have small fiddly jobs to do. Better to get them done here. So yes technically what I actually got done (or will get done) could all have fit into one bag, but I'm OK with the quantity of stuff I brought.  What happens if I got bored and needed to switch a project, although that has never happened. What happens if I could't go further on a project because of whatever reason?  Oh yes - that's happened and most likely because I screwed up some part - made a wrong cut and then no more fabric. That seems to happen a lot!

Let's see though - I did get smart about the oatmeal.  Imagine this - 30 minutes before I wanted to eat, I started to cook my oatmeal. I was sitting in the kitchen writing the blog so I could keep an eye on it and I had perfect oatmeal for breakfast. 

I went out for another bike ride. I got my bike computer set up (talking to the satellites), but when I went to put it on the bike, it was totally dead.  Oh dear - could I have run out of battery?  Well, a dead bike computer is no reason to not ride.  When I got back, I charged it up, but it appears to be DEAD.  No worries, I do have a newer one at home, but now I have to get a different mound for this bike as they are not the same (of course!).  I doubt it's worth getting repaired - perhaps there is some way to reboot it??  

Riding was totally fun - again! I did the exact route yesterday as the previous day.  Since I had no computer, I can't tell if I was going faster, but it seemed that I was. I got into a nice rhythm and really enjoyed it.  I need to get out more at home, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of time. I need to make time and I don't need to go for hours and hours - an hour is fine!   I have to admit that my knee is a bit sore this morning. NOT the knee that I had surgery on - that one is fine. It's the other one. I'm not sure that I'll ride today, I may just find some ice and sit for a bit. Besides, it looks like it might rain today. 

Oh yes - some of us have hit the quilt store.  Let me rephrase that - some of them were at the quilt store three times in one day! The shop truly is very close. I did pick up a few goodies myself - nothing huge.  And guess what?  There is a sale on today and we do get a teeny bit of an advantage over everyone. I won't say what, but everyone is planning on getting up a wee bit early this morning. What makes people want to buy?  First off - it's the staff in the store. Sue is the BEST store owner I've ever met. You may not need anything, but next thing you know, you're buying just because!  She also brings in the latest and greatest patterns and fabrics. Most stuff in the store is very current and for some reason, us quilters seem to appreciate that. A LOT.  And then it's just plain fun to shop!  It's even more deadly when you go as a group.  Perhaps cash would be great today!  I do have my eye on a couple of things so I might go with a list. Yes - cash and a list!

We sat in the back and chatted over our tea and coffee in the afternoon. I also sat out there and read on my own for a bit (checking out the next Clive Cussler in the Dirk Pitt series) and took a few more photos. It's always hard to see what they look like on the camera - oh yes - that means I did find the battery charger. Instead of putting the charger in my backpack where I keep ALL chargers, cords, etc. Nope - I just threw it into a bag - probably the one that was the handiest.  I did find it and charged the battery. Ronda, Laura and I played a game of Scrabble where I think I got every vowel possible and if I did get a consonant, it was worth 1 or maximum 2 points.   Obviously I did NOT win the game.  By the way, did I mention that Laura and Ronda are VERY competitive.   Also did you know that speedo and zonk are valid Scrabble words?   I think that was cheating, but alas, the game is done and I must remember speedo and zonk for my next game!

We're just starting the beginning of Day Four of the retreat and our sewing stations are still super neat.  We all appear to be neat freaks. But then most of us are working on one project at a time.  How could you be messy working on only one project at a time?  Not like at home!  If only.......

Here are my pictures of the day.  I think I mentioned that I wasn't happy with one fabric in Fancy Forest and rather than sew it together and be really unhappy, I ripped out the fabrics so I could replace them. You can barely see the light grey in the top of the thistle block, the legs of the hedgehog and the top of the owl. 

NO CONTRAST

So when I was at Monday sewing this past week, I had ripped out the offending fabric the night before. Then I added in the new one.  Still not a lot of contrast, but there is enough to see the outline of the animals.  I also had one block that was still in pieces. I had run out of fabric when I was sewing it together at a previous retreat.  So I finished that one off as well.

Not perfect, but better contrast

I guess I should have thought about that when choosing the background. Don't pick the same color (grey) as one of the animal fabrics. Next time!

Let's see - oh yes, also at Monday, I made the backing for Radiant Light. This is a quilt that Deborah Edwards designed and I wrote the instructions. It is a free download on the Northcott website. I also cut the binding strips but because I'm going to match the binding to the quilt, I didn't join it together.

Backing, top and binding strips ready!

This was made with fabrics from one collection. So what to do with the leftovers?  Do you keep them together?  Separate them in the stash or get rid of them?  I'm tempted to get rid of them because why do I need them?  I did make little half square triangles with the cut offs from the quilt.  All the leftover bits are together and I may just make more half square triangles and make a small wall hanging. The remainder fabric can be used for the backing.  This is where I get into trouble.  This isn't a project that is planned or needs to be done, but simply to use up the leftovers.  I need to find a couple of beginner quilters that I can pass this stuff onto! I don't want it to sit in someone else's stash - it might as well stay in mine one! But if someone were going to mess with it and make something out of it?  I might be persuaded to get rid of it.   Here's a link to the collection. There are TWO colorways - pink and blue.

Leftovers from Radiant Light

On that note, I'm still working on the next deadline which is July 10.  Hey that's Monday! It's all computer stuff and I'm probably a teeny bit behind so I'm off to work on that while everyone is still asleep and it's quiet in the house. And I'm cooking my oatmeal.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!


Oh yes  - the Halloween quilt I showed yesterday?  It's from Anitagoodesigns. It's called Halloween town. 

Motivational Monday - I'm making progress!!!

After my SECOND 5-day sewing retreat in 4 weeks, I would certainly hope I could report that I'm making progress. It's amazing how much time everything takes.  A simple task of making flying geese takes hours, cutting and trimming -  several more hours and before you know it - the day is over!

I did get most of my stuff unpacked last night, simply because I need to continue to work on it. The disappointing thing was I was certain that I had tidied up the studio before I left, but alas I had not!

But I'll worry about that another day.  Here are some of the things that I worked on at the retreat. 

The first one is the mystery quilt from our guild. Normally I wouldn't post it until the actual reveal, but the organizers revealed their quilts at our last meeting so I'm not going to hide it!  Remember that I had sewed that block backward?  Because these blocks are batiks, I took it apart, flipped the pieces over (that triangle business that I said was backward? nope - the piece was backward - wrong side out when I snapped the photo!). So I got that block finished and then sewed the top together. 

Mystery quilt top

Now you'll notice that you can't see the edges of the quilt. And that's because I'm working on the borders.  Yes - I spent a lot more time hacking and slashing with some leftovers and part of the border is on. BUT you won't get to see that until the reveal at our June meeting. Gosh - there might even be time for me to quilt it?  I'm not sure, but the top should be finished - I hope!

For those of you who did the batik exchange years ago - this quilt is the FIRST of many projects that I plan to make with those strips.


Then as  my enders and leaders project, I got the first two little pieces sewn together on 120 blocks (I think that is the number)

Step One done

This is my February UFO - a little behind, but I'm making progress and that's all that counts. It's no longer shelved and because of the Task Master - I will continue to work on it.

The next section is almost finished. I say almost - I haven't counted the number of units already completed so I may still have a few more to go.

Step Two is in progress

Then I became obsessed. The final class for Fancy Forest is on Saturday.  Wouldn't it be nice to get all the blocks done  - heck - it would be nice to get the quilt top done!

All the pieces (MOST of the pieces) were cut out. The Owl blocks were already sewn together as were the Bunnies.

I took ONE group per day and focused on it until they were done!

Fancy Forest blocks

This was an incredible amount of work. I did production style sewing of the blocks, but there was a ton of stitching and flipping. And dealing with a LOT of different fabrics.  It was a challenge and I worked mostly after dinner when my brain was already tired!

The butterflies were the worst for me. I mixed up the colors in two rows and I was going to leave it that way, but then common sense prevailed and I was able to fix it with little fanfare, but it still took a lot of time.

Bottom line - all the blocks (except ONE) are done!!!!!

One hedgehog needs to be finished

I didn't have enough fabric when I was cutting. And no time to find a substitute before I left. So last night I went through the orange bins and found something.  I laughed when I found the fabric on the right - same pattern - different color.  The one I'm going to use is not quite the same, but CLOSE enough.

Substitute fabrics

I will be teaching Fancy Forest again at The Hobby Horse.  The dates are May 28 and June 11th.  The shop is closed on Monday, but I would call soon to get a spot - I hear it's almost full.

Then I got up-to-date with Quilter's Patch.  I now have five blocks done.

Tulips from Quilter's Patch

I did get another block done but it's the homework for this week so no posting that before the class!  And the second block is cut out but it will be ready for class on Saturday. And please don't tell me that there is a mistake in the above block. That is my way of personalizing the block! 😊

I did other things at the retreat - like sets of flying geese for some upcoming quilts for magazines, another small quilt for another magazine and probably a couple more things that I've forgotten.  But it was great.

The Task Master and I had a little chat. She is NOT happy, but she is happier!  I need to book a day that I can go back and get caught up on all those silly things that have been languishing in the book. And I haven't booked anything for the coming week that isn't on the urgent list. The only thing remaining is to create a bigger list - well not bigger, but a list of those projects that HAVE to be done.  Then I can only work on those.  That needs to happen before I sit down with the Task Master this week.  I have some classes and events coming up that require some work.

I do have to say that getting my classes prepped BEFORE the night before has been great. I just need to expand on that for other things.

How is everyone else making out?  Some of the projects you have posted in the Facebook group are amazing!  If I wasn't trying to get things finished, I'd be scoping out a couple of those projects myself. But I'm really trying to be good.

Keep up the good work everyone - I'm super impressed!

Have a super day!

Ciao!

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.

In the forest with friends......

I like the weather where I live. Things like tornadoes are few and far between, we don't get tons of snow yet all around us people are getting dumped on, we get a fair amount of sunshine and many other good things. But I'm getting a bit tired of the cold and damp. It was raining yesterday and today it's cold, and damp. Tomorrow the temperature is going up to 15 degrees.  What's that all about?  I'll take it, but this is the time of year when you must carry all kinds of weather gear with you cause when you leave the house in the morning, the temperature could be totally differently when you come home!

Yesterday was a busy day and we had a load of fun in all the classes. Surprise!  I have pictures from one of the classes. I'll try to get the rest edited this week as there is some really good show n tell.

Today it's about the Fancy Forest. The pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman.

Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartman

This is a super cute pattern with six different animals - well five animals and the thistle.

There is so much you can do with this pattern for coloration (of the animals and the background).  There are a lot of fabrics to pick especially if you go with the large size and that results in a lot of cutting. But the end result?  Well - it's so fun that I think I'm going to make another one and I'll tell you why in a second.

One set of homework - do you see what I see with those bunnies?

More homework with a very light background

The original fabrics (by Elizabeth Hartman)

LOVE LOVE this green background

Bunny ears are outlined with a running stitch to stand out against the background

 Janice has changed to a darker background as she didn't want the ears to disappear.  The new background is going to be much better.

Check out the hot pink version!!

And since Sacha almost never gets any homework done but we love her to death - I just had to post her next set of blocks because she had them done.

The fox, the hedgehog and the owl

We madly sewed on the next block which was the fox. You have to make 16 of the fox (for the big quilt) and thankfully, the fox goes together quickly.

Fancy foxes

So why do I want to make a second one?  Because I absolutely LOVE the green background that Trixie used in her blocks.  It's gorgeous, it sets off the blocks beautifully and goes to show that just because the quilt is a "modern" quilt, it's fun to toss those boring grey backgrounds aside and go for the gusto!!!!  So I love that background, but I'm too commited to mine to make any chages.  I also love the effect of the polka dot face on the green fox. It's absolutely adorable.  I know I've got polka dots iin my stash so now I have to do some digging to find fabric for the second quilt which won't be the big one!

And as easy as that - I've got a new project on the go!!!!

I came home from class (after making a couple of stops and let's say that SERIOUSLY???   VOGUE patterns are $35 Canadian.)   I'm not kidding - $35.  I knew they were more money than the regular patterns but $35?????   Who the heck buys them?  People like me who are looking for something specific and VOGUE is the only one that has a pattern for the thing I wanted. Thankfully it was 40% off, but still. And yes - that stop adds yet another project to my list of things to do!  And can someone tell me why we can't buy Simplicity patterns in Canada any more????  As I looked through the pattern books, I was thinking that some of my patterns that I had contemplated getting rid of - well I might keep them since they seem to be a dying thing!)

Once I finally arrived home, I was able to continue cutting on my Fancy Forest animals. It would be great to have the rest of the quilt cut (and bonus if the new smaller one is cut) so I can take it to the retreat with me. Having all those small bags of already cut pieces will take up a lot less room in my "laundry basket".

Cutting owls

My bags of fabric that need to be cut

I noticed in my two already packed bags that there are empty corners in the bags.  You bet, I'm going to be shoving projects in those corners. I may even take everything out of the bags and repack according to priority. I've never been this organized before which is probably why I'll be able to fit everything into the two bags - I mean three!

Back to Fancy Forest - if you want to make Fancy Forest, I'll be teaching it again at The Hobby Horse.  The class dates are Sunday, May 28th and June 11th  from 12:30 - 3:30.  It will fill up fast so if you want to take the class, I wouldn't wait to reserve a spot. I'll provide some great tips for accuracy, pressing, cutting that will help to make this project easy as pie.

Elizabeth has so many other cute patterns that I think one or two of them have made it into my "must do" project bag.  Wait for that! And OH GOD help me but I picked fabric out last night for yet another one of her quilts.  See how easy I get into trouble.  That Task Master is screaming at me!!!!  I haven't started the quilt yet, but I might!

I do believe that Miss Lexi was on her blog earlier this morning. That dog -she's always up to no good!

And on that note, I have loads of stuff to work on today. Two quilts to be quilted BEFORE I get to do more prep work for the retreat and finish some stuff off for work.  ACK!!!  I'm on a strict reward system - do something that has to be done, then I get a "reward" of having free time. Sucks - but The Task Master is tough!  We have a love/hate relationship!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Classes for 2017

As this year winds down, I'm gearing up for 2017!

In trying to keep things under control and to some circumstances beyond my control, my teaching schedule will be somewhat limited in 2017.  I'm OK with that - it will hopefully give me time to get caught up on a few things and to actually keep up with my homework!

Without further ado, here are the on-going monthly classes for 2017.   These first two classes will be held at The Hobby Horse Quilt Shoppe in Georgetown.  Please contact the shop (905-877-9292) to sign up, pay for your class, order books and fabrics.

The first one is a recent book by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket quilts. The quilt is called Quilter's Patch and it's gorgeous. I saw it at Quilt Market.

Quilter's Patch by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts

The quilt is 75" by 78 1/2" and loads of techniques to learn each month.   I can't wait to get started growing my garden!


The second quilt is called Kaleidoscope by Stephanie Soebbing from Quilt Addicts Anonymous.  This is a large quilt (108 square), but it's gorgeous with all those bright colors. This one is super easy and great for all levels.  If you want to challenge yourself, why not change up the color scheme and learn about value and color contrast.  I think I might make TWO of them.  One in the original colors and a second colorway that I'm thinking about!

Kaleidoscope by Stephanie Soebbing

Both of these classes are lecture style. The lecture starts with show n tell from the previous month's work, you get a walk through of the new techniques for the next assignment, a small demo on new tools or techniques and if there's time, regular show n tell.
The classes run on Saturday morning (dates available when you sign up) for 6 months (January to June), no classes in July and August (but you will have homework!), back to class for September and October and the final show n tell is in November.

Please contact The Hobby Horse (905-877-9292) to sign up.  I showed these quilts yesterday and without any advertising, there are already many sign-ups.  Do not be disappointed!

I'll also be teaching my usual technique classes - machine quilting, free motion quilting and machine applique - which by the way are ALL worth taking.  There isn't one person who doesn't leave the machine quilting class and not say "thank you - I learned way more than I thought I would!"  Trust me, a machine quilting class is NOT all about stitching on the machine. Loads more to think about than just the sewing machine.  The dates aren't set yet, but why not get your name on the list so when the class date is set, which will be soon, you'll be the first to get in the class!

Another class that I'll be teaching at The Hobby Horse Quilt Shoppe is Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartman. This adorable quilt comes in two sizes and this is an actual sewing class.  You'll bring your sewing machine, we'll cut blocks and you'll learn the various techniques. It will likely be a two-part or three-part class so we can cover all the details. Those classes will be on a Saturday afternoon, AFTER the two lecture classes mentioned above.

Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartman

There is LIMITED space in this class as people seemed to know about this one before I even showed the pattern.  I would NOT wait to sign up!  If there is enough demand, I'll run it again!  This quilt comes in TWO sizes - a small baby quilt and a large lap.

I will also be teaching a couple of classes on MODERN QUILTING at Ruti's Needlebed. Those will also be on a Saturday, likely in February and March.  I will continue the series, if the demand is there.  If you're interested, please contact Ruti's Needlebed (905-821-9370).  Who knows - we may just get ourselves the start of a local Modern Quilt Guild!  The specific dates are being decided tomorrow.    The Modern Quilting class will be a lecture style - we'll chat about modern quilts and then you'll get an assignment.  It's going to be loads of fun and with modern quilting - anything goes!

I'm super excited about these classes.  I wish I had time for more as I absolutely love to teach. And as anyone knows who has taken a class from me, I'm pretty darn flexible so the more changes you make to a pattern - the more you learn and the more I learn from you!


So please sign up, order your books, the supply lists will be available real soon (like I'm working on them later today) and I'll see you in 2017!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!