Happy Holidays

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.  Ours was wonderful - very relaxing and peaceful. I wanted to share a few really cool things I received.

This is the most amazing Star of Bethlehem Christmas ornament that I got from Nolan and the girls.  It is made by Jennifer Patterson from Quilted in Clay.  The ornament is made from different colored pieces of polymer clay - no paint. (She explains her process in detail on her website.) I had to include the penny in the photo to help give you an idea of the detail in the piece.  She is truly an artist and I just love this ornament.

I also got this butter bell.

I love pottery and had just learned about butter bells so this was perfect.  The idea is that it will keep butter fresh and spreadable on your kitchen counter.  You put cold water in the bottom of the base, and pack the butter into the lid.  The water creates a seal to help maintain the freshness.  The butter is the perfect spreading consistency, and its pretty!

I also received two of Deloa's boomerangs that I can't wait to try out on the longarm.

I also found a few minutes to complete the latest block in the Curve it Up Quilt Along.  I agonized about whether or not to add the purple to my color scheme. I thought that as we are approaching the half-way point it was now or never.  I decided to go with it as I am a little concerned that I might not have enough fat quarters in my collection to complete the blocks otherwise. The fabric I am using has metallic gold on it, so throwing in something plain in the end would really bug me. Metallic purple over flat blue and green sounded better.  I think when I make a few more blocks and throw in a little more purple it will blend in a bit better.

  

We will be continuing our Christmas/New Year's celebrations with my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew.  Then I can share a little more of what I have been working on! Until then - Happy New Year!

Snow Dyeing & Infinity Scarves

I took a little time yesterday to do some dyeing.  I was low on my inventory of infinity scarves and my daughter wanted to give a few as Christmas gifts.  Her request was for a color kind of like strawberry yogurt, but darker.  Not sure that I quite understood what I was shooting for, but decided a variety of pinks and purples was the way to go.

She also requested some a mini snow dyed mandala for a special friend.  My normal mandalas are about 40" square.  These ones are about 20".

 

 Most of them came out a little lighter than expected.  We both picked the same favorite and she and her dad got to work stretching it over a simple frame.  

I also found some time for a little costume sewing. Here is a peek at the maid's dress.  It only needs a zipper. This one feels really good to have off my to do list.  Now, one last day to get everything done before school is out....

100 Blocks Complete

I am thrilled to report that I have completed the last five blocks in the Just Takes 2 Block of the month that I have been working on over the course of 2012.  That brings the grand total to 100!

These were two blocks I decided to redo.  I had printed off the the foundations for the bear paw at the wrong size so my original block was 9" instead of 9 1/2".  I wasn't happy with the applique on the turquoise one, so it got a second try.

Here are the four sections of the quilt top in the layout as directed. This quilt was designed to be a two color quilt. Since I have such a variety of colors, I think it will need a little rearranging - there seems to be a purple/blue section towards the bottom,  but that is a project for the new year. I will likely Tackle that at a guild day, where I can push a few tables together and get some extra input as to what looks best.

I have also finished the 4th block in the Curve It Up Quilt Along.  It's not too late to jump on this bandwagon.   Instructions are available at Sew Kind of Wonderful or HGMR Deco Quilting. These are 16" blocks.  It is proving to be a lot of fun.

Now off to sew so Christmas presents and play costumes.  No quilting for me for awhile!

The Beast

This is Bev's quilt and she has named it "The Beast."  Why "The Beast" you may ask?  Well, this quilt is 100% flannel, and a generous 90" x 105" and it gave Bev more than a little aggravation during the piecing process.  It came close to earning a one way ticket to the burning barrel, but I'm glad Bev persevered as it really did turn out wonderfully. She handled all those stretchy bias edges like a pro, as there were no issues for me to contend with when it was on my frame.  Bev chose the Mimosa panto, and a variegated Lava thread with Quilter's Dream Blend Batting.

Bev now has a love/hate, hate/hate relationship with flannel and has decided to try becoming a "batik snob" in the new year!

 

Friendship Stars

 This quilt belongs to the Crocus Quilters Guild here in Dauphin.  I did the quilting, but the blocks were made by various members.  My friend Sandra and I picked out the bold border and setting square fabric. I'm not sure everyone thought we made a good choice before it was sewn together, but I do think the majority are pleasantly surprised now.  Choosing a thread color was the toughest decision for me.   It really came together into a nice quilt, that has more of a masculine feel.  The "Mimosa" panto helped to keep the masculine feel as well. 

 I guess I have to return it to the guild now, but doesn't it look good on my couch with my Christmas pillow?

95 Blocks Completed!!!

I found a little time today to complete the latest seven blocks in the Just Takes 2 series. There is only one more set of instructions due out December 1st and I am happy to be up to date. The pink block is meant to be a signature block, but I need to decide how I want to handle that.

I also completed the third block in the "Curve It Up" Quilt Along- the rail fence. I have seen Kathy's rail fence, but I haven't seen any Just Takes 2 blocks for awhile ....... ;) (Nudge nudge!)

12 Days of Christmas

This is Dawn's quilt made from the "12 Days of Christmas" fabric collection.  The pattern is the "5" Charm Packet Quilt" from Suzanne's Art House.  Dawn enlarged it a bit from the original   The fabric is just so cheerful that I couldn't resist taking it outside on the crispy white snow for a few photos. 

 Dawn recently attended the Quilt Festival in Houston (as an exhibitor I might add!) and brought back this panto for me and her quilt.  It is called "Swinging on a Star".  I love how it looks on the quilt, but I must admit that it was a bit like quilting through a maze.  I added quite a few directional arrows to the panto so I could keep from getting lost.  It was well worth it as it adds just the right amount of whimsy to an already cute quilt.

 Dawn knew she didn't want red thread on the quilt, but left the decision up to me.  This icy blue So Fine! ended up being the perfect choice as it could be seen gently on all the fabrics and added a little "sparkle" to the quilt.  The back is a solid red flannel and it got a matching red Bottom Line thread.

 And a couple more photos to put you in the Christmas spirit (cause I just couldn't decide what to leave out!)

A Little More Snow Dyeing

Welcome to everyone who has arrived here as part of Blogathon Canada sponsored by Sew Sisters Quilt Shop.  It has been so interesting to connect with so many creative Canadians!

I'm Lori and I been blogging for about 6 months now. I took my first quilting class 17 years ago, but for many years I only sewed clothes for my children.  Quilting has now become my main focus.  In June I took the big leap into longarm quilting when my Innova arrived, and September marked the official opening of Night Owl Quilting & Dye Works. I use this blog as a place to share my own projects and the work I do for my clients.  I hope you have a little time to look around and see what I've been up to.

You should also know that I have a little bit of an addiction to fabric dyeing!  Here is a little more of the snow dyeing I did with the season's first snowfall.  The colours turned out lighter than I was anticipating, but I still love the results.

And a few closeups to show the really cool texture that results from the snow dyeing process.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the Blogathon!

Fleece Lizards

 My weekend project was finishing up two baby blankets for a double baby shower that was held Sunday afternoon.  Both moms are expecting boys so I thought it would be the perfect chance to try out a quilted fleece blanket.  I used black fleece on the back of both, Lounge Lizard Panto, So Fine thread and no batting.  I love how defined the quilting looks on the two layers of fleece.

Cutting the fringe can be somewhat time consuming, but here is a tip to make the process fast and accurate.  I like a 1/2" wide and 4" long fringe on my blankets.  

Lay out the area to be fringed on a large cutting mat.

Place a second cutting mat on top of the body of your blanket right along your stitching line. 

Fold the fabric back over the second cutting mat. 

I am lucky enough to have one of these cool Shape Cut Rulers with slots for your rotary cutter spaced in 1/2" intervals.  If you don't have one of these a regular ruler will work just fine.

 

Using a sharp rotary cutter can cut your fringe.  The second cutting mat protects the body of the blanket.

 Ta Da!  You will never cut through your stitching line again!

Today is the first day of "Blogathon Canada" so check it out for lots of crafting and quilting inspiration!