Happy Holidays Tree Skirt #2

This is another tree skirt made by Cheri, this time for her daughter Carmen.  Carmen requested fabric with words on it, and Cheri found these cute coordinates. 

Cheri requested an all over design for this one, so a mix of holly, berries, curls and ribbons it was.

Painting is complete in our living room. Here is one in progress shot.  I had a hard time picking a color for the fireplace wall. It was a little scary committing, but I was assured that we could paint over it we didn't like it, so we went bold.

  

I am very happy with the result, and surprised how little time it took me to get used to such a bold color. I think it is a big improvement over what we had before. Now we are working on adding a wood mantle to the stone fireplace.  We are trying to decide on proportions, and think we might make it a little thinner.

Now I have to decide on a color to stain it.  Nolan stained some off cuts with the variety of stains we have on hand. I think I know what I like, but I always second guess myself.

Happy Holidays Tree Skirt

Cheri made this lovely tree skirt for her daughter.  The pattern she used was Happy Holidays from Atkinson Designs.  It is a neat pattern for table toppers and tree skirts in three sizes.  I love the fabrics she chose.  They are from the Winter's Lane Collection by Moda, designed by Kate & Birdie who are designers from Winnipeg.

Cheri left the quilting decisions up to me, and this one wanted custom. The white evergreen fabric got a ribbon meander.

I wanted to accentuate the interesting shape of the brown fabric, so straight lines seemed like the perfect fit.

And some curly feathers in the red fabrics.

Did you notice my oops in the first picture?  I didn't notice until Cheri came by to pick it up, but luckily I was able to pop it back on the machine and fix it up before she left.

A Couple of Small Pieces

If you are visiting via Sew Sister's Blogathon Canada - welcome.  Today is Manitoba Day and there are great blogs to visit and great prizes to be won. Check out Kathy at Tamarack Shack and Flo at Butterfly Quilting for more information.

On this blog I share the work I do for my clients as well as my own quilting, sewing, designing & dyeing adventures.  

Today I am sharing a couple of small pieces that I recently finished for Reneta. These were both projects that were started in workshops and shelved as life took over. I was happy to help her see them to completion.

This rooster is is only about 16" x 20".  It had a lot of decorative stitching in rayon thread around the feathers when I got my hands on it.

I outlined all the feathers sections and added a few details here and there.  For the border I decided to give a wire fence look, and followed the print on the fabric with a wavy line.

This Bargello table runner will be perfect for Christmas that is quickly approaching. 

 The bargello section got a "dwirling" technique from the Pajama Quilter.  Reneta asked for Holly around the "JOY" applique and I added a curl to the border.  The gold Magnifico thread was really fun to use on this one.

  
Thanks for stopping by I hope you will come back for another visit!

Not Your Mother's Rail Fence

It is always an exciting day when I get to reveal something new.  I am thrilled to show you the latest pattern from Highway 10 Designs - Not Your Mother's Rail Fence Quilt.

This quilt is a little twist on a traditional pattern.  Rail Fence quilts have always been popular because they come together easily and they just look good.  We have varied the strip widths to give it a fresh look.

This idea has been brewing for a while now.  Kathy made the pattern in a much softer colorway.  You can see more of it on her blog.

This lovely bundle of batiks that I had purchased during a Craftsy sale seemed like a perfect fit to give it a totally different look so off came that pretty ribbon!

This pattern is definitely beginner friendly so I enlisted some help piecing the top.  I cut, Kyla sewed the strips and Kendra was responsible for pressing.  Everyone got their favorite task, so we had a lot of fun, and it came together really quickly.

It is amazing how much you can accomplish via email.  Even though Kathy and I live more than 500 km apart, Highway 10 Designs is truly a joint effort at every step along the way.  Here is one of the photos she received when we were deciding what color I should dye the backing.

The darker purple it was.  I tried out a new pantograph called "Joust" on this one.  It has nice even coverage so I'm sure I will use it a lot.

Last week Dauphin was not looking like the winter wonderland it is today so the quilt took a little trip north for Kathy to bind and photograph.   Her photos are stunning just as I expected and I am happy to report that she is still speaking to me even though I sent her batik binding and a very dense hand dyed cotton sheeting for the back!  I knew she was tough enough to handle it ;).

If you are interested in making your own version of Not Your Mother's Rail Fence, PDF patterns are available in our Craftsy or Etsy Stores.  Paper patterns will be on the way soon!

I want to say a big thank you to all our friends, guild members and customers for all their support and encouragement of this venture/adventure that Kathy and I are on.  We are enjoying this next step in our quilting lives.  And I can't forget a big hug to our proof reader Eileen, your attention to detail is truly appreciated!

Time Flies

I can't believe it has been more than a week since I last posted anything!  I feel like I have been busy, but I'm not sure I have a lot to show for it.

I took Kyla to Manitoba Provincial Senior Honour Band in Winnipeg at the end of last week.  It was a great experience for her and I really enjoyed the concert.  If you are interested here is a link to the recordings.  I can't decide if my favorite piece was "Rest" or "Gandalf" - from the Lord of the Rings Symphony.  While in Winnipeg I treated myself to an early Christmas present - a new to me intermediate level clarinet.  This is a significant upgrade from my student model from the 1980s.  I have enjoyed playing again over the last year (after a 25+ year hiatus) and decided it was time for a grown up instrument.  Kijiji is a wonderful thing!

 I dyed one more round of infinity scarves to replenish some inventory that I sold while in Winnipeg.

  

You can see in this photo that are living room renovations are progressing. (No thanks to me. The dry-walling is now complete.  Nolan also got a coat of primer on and the ceiling painted while I was away.  Now to decide on a paint color....

I have also been preparing my samples for a Poinsettia Table Runner workshop that I am co-teaching this weekend.

I did get some very exciting mail.  I received the paper copies of our "Pedal to the Metal" pattern.  We have been having the printer ship them to Kathy so I always have to wait a little longer to get my hands on them.  I am very pleased with the end product.  They are available in our Etsy shop, or if you are local just give me a call and I would be happy to get one to you.

On other Highway 10 Designs news, here is a little peak of a quilt that has now safely arrived in Flin Flon for binding and a photo shoot.  Hopefully it will be making a full appearance in the very near future!

Results and a Freebie Alert

Here is a look at what was hiding in those quart sealers in my last post.  I wanted to add some brighter colors to my current stock of infinity scarves and and I am pleased with the results.

I currently subscribe to The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM).  It is an online only publication.
I am working on their Bullas Bears Block of the Month. They are currently offering a free 4 month subscription to new subscribers. Who doesn't like something free?

This is what you need to know to obtain their FREE 4-month subscription.

• The group code: GET4
• The group name: QUILTER

With this information ready, go to their website at
www.quiltpatternmagazine.com and click the red pincushion.

Waiting

My latest batch of infinity scarves are sitting in their dye baths.  I can't wait to see what they will look like when they come out of the dryer....