Infinity Scarves

I had some fun in the dye studio (laundry room) this past week.  I have started restocking my collection of infinity scarves after some requests for Christmas gifts.  I hope to do a few more next week.  I always find it tricky to capture the true colors in a photo.  These are all a little more vibrant in person.

The scarves are a circle with serged rolled hem edges, and are about 14" wide.  They are made from a bamboo/cotton blend jersey and are super soft and drape really well.  I sell them for $15.

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween!

Nothing Runs Like a Deere!

If you were a three year old boy and your Grandma Lorraine gave you this quilt wouldn't you be thrilled?  I think one little boy is going to be very excited.

Lorraine provided a very lofty polyester batting that helps show off the quilting really well on this cozy flannel backing.  The panto we chose was called "Dazzle" and its simplicity seemed to fit in really well.

 You can notice in the background of this picture that some other renovations have begun at my house.  Below is the before picture.  We have disliked the fake rock around the fireplace since the day we purchased this house, but there were many other priorities so this one had to wait.  I really like our Tyndall stone fireplace, but didn't think the rock did anything for it.  A little more mudding and sanding before I have to decide on a paint color.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

It is time once again for the Blogger's Quilt Festival.   If you are visiting from the festival link - welcome, and may I introduce you to my quilt "Alternate Routes", an entry in the "Two Color" quilt category.

You will notice a change of season in some of the photos.  I had originally taken pictures when I finished the quilt in the spring, and wanted some new fall shots for the festival, but the sun did not want to stay out and make that easy, so you get a bit of both!

I have decided to share this quilt because it will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the first pattern published by Highway 10 Designs - the pattern company I share with my wonderful quilty friend Kathy. "Alternate Routes" is a little bit of a unique pattern as it includes 20 layouts in the pattern, but the possibilities seem endless as you will see on our Flickr Page. 

 If you love a two color quilt and want to make your own unique version of Alternate Routes, you can purchase the pattern in our Craftsy Store or our Etsy Store ;)!

A little more info about this quilt:

The quilt is 80" x 80".
The stunning grey fabric is an Art Gallery print and I just love it, I sort of wish I bought more to have some in my stash.
It is quilted with a pantograph called "Paisley" with a pink So Fine thread.
I almost like the back as much as the front because of the cute polka dot fabric!

Thanks for visiting! You should probably grab a comfy chair and some tea and then head off to see the rest of the quilty goodness that is part of the festival!  Just click the button below.

Turning Leaves

I had the pleasure of quilting this one for my guild.  The pattern is from Quiltmaker. It is called "Turning Leaves" you can find it here.  We are donating this quilt to our local Art Centre to assist in the fundraising campaign.  It is a beautiful heritage building, and needs $$ for improvements.

  I love the batik that was chosen for the outer border, but I knew nothing much would show up on it unless it was linear design.  The Curved Echo Border treatment seemed like just the right choice.

The sashing strips got a swirl and and oak leaf. The blocks were stitched in the ditch between the squares and around the leaves using Superior's Mompoly thread as there was such a variety of colors to contend with.  I stitched veins in all the leaves using a green So Fine thread to bring some continuity to them.

 I just love how the back looks as well.  The quilting shows up so well.

I love group projects like this one.  Many guild members made oak leaf blocks, Brenda pieced the top together, I got the fun job of quilting and now it is in Gloria's care for binding.  Many hands do make light work!

Baby Charm Quilt

This cute baby quilt belongs to Sheri.  The fabrics had great cartoon animals and the "Gummy Bears" panto seemed like the perfect fit. I used Dream Puff batting and Omni thread.   

Sheri provided a minky backing fabric.  When I first saw it I was a little concerned as I had never quilted with minky before.  I did my research on how most longarmers handle loading the stretchy fabric, and then did the opposite!  Most people load the fabric with the stretch perpendicular to the rollers. This seemed opposite to my thinking, but the overriding factor for me was the nap of the fabric.  I knew I wanted to have the nap running from head to toes on those cute little bears, not side to side.  So I loaded the fabric with the stretch parallel to the rollers.  I was careful to watch the tension in my side clamps. I am happy to report it didn't give me any problems, and I no longer need to fear minky.

Lap Quilt & Coffee

This lovely lap quilt belongs to Sheri.  The direction I was given was to pick a pretty panto of my choice.  After looking the top over, this fabric caught my eye and I knew that one of my new pantos would be perfect.

I used the Gothic Vine panto, Dream Puff batting and a soft pink So Fine thread.  Sherry provided a lovely floral flannel backing so this is one soft and cuddly quilt.

These are some other new pantos I have added to my collection:

Knotty

Joust

Tickle Too

Anyone who knows me, knows I love my morning coffee.  Sometimes I like s sweet treat of a flavored creamer, but I don't like what they are made from.  I came across a recipe for Homemade Coffee creamer from the Mrs Happy Homemaker blog.  She has over 2 dozen flavors.  I have tried the French Vanilla and the Mocha Almond and have really enjoyed them.  (If you don't like the taste of evaporated milk, you may not love them, but I don't find that taste too strong.)

All you need is a can of sweetened condensed milk, milk and your flavoring.
 

Because a Canadian can of sweetened condensed milk is slightly smaller than the one in the recipe I made the following adjustments to the base recipe:

1 - 300ml (10 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups milk
flavoring options from Mrs. Happy Homemaker.

mmm.... enjoy

Pedal to the Metal!

I am very excited to introduce the second pattern from Highway 10 Designs - Pedal to the Metal. (Highway 10 Designs is the pattern company I share with my friend Kathy Schwartz.) This pattern offers three different quilts in a variety of sizes from Twin to King.  It is great for a beginner or just when you want something that goes together quickly without a lot of fuss.  You really can break some speed records with this one!  It is currently available as a pdf download in our Craftsy shop or our Etsy shop.  We hope to have the paper version in hand in the next couple of weeks.

I had the pleasure of making the first layout in the pattern.  I love how it has a woven look, but it really is simple strip piecing.

 Kathy made the second version of Pedal to the Metal, a slight variation of the first that results in quite a different look.

The third quilt was made by our good friend Robin. (If you follow Kathy's blog and mine you will have seen her name often, she is a terrific lady who knows how to make lovely quilts.)   This layout has that little something extra with the addition of some diamonds and a border.  I love how the diamonds extend into the border.

Now for a little of the story behind the story.  If you follow Kathy's blog you know what an amazing photographer she is, so I thought I should let her use those skills and take the cover photo up in Flin Flon.  My quilt was transported to Flin Flon (thanks Eileen), and I was thrilled to be un-involved in that part of the process.  Unfortunately, when all three quilts were ready  - the skies opened for days on end and Kathy did not get a chance to get "the photo" before her scheduled trip to Dauphin for our quilt show.  We enjoyed the show over the weekend, but Monday needed to be business time. The sky was blue, so we were in luck.  Kathy was in charge and I offered to be the quilt bridesmaid fluffing corners and following directions.

Here is the photographer in action outside Fort Dauphin.

For me, there was a lot of this involved:

Because there was a lot of this:

We liked this photo, but it wouldn't do for a pattern cover as it was oriented the wrong way, so we needed to rearrange things.

This was the layout we needed, but getting to this point was a little interesting.

 

 I never thought I would get to be a cover girl!