Cora

This darling baby quilt was made by Reneta.  The pattern is called "Cora" and it was designed by one of my "local" fabric store owners - Wendy at Fabriculous.  (I can get there in under 2 hours, so by my standards she is indeed local!)

Reneta requested simple quilting for this one.  So I decided to add a mix of hearts and flowers in the squares.  It was really fun to do.

Reneta loves a cuddle backing, and I do have to say it shows off the quilting very nicely.  I used Quilter's Dream Puff batting to keep it nice and light, a shiny lavender Magnifico thread for the top and a pink Bottom Line on the back.

A great pattern to keep in mind when you need a fast baby quilt.

We had a chance to get dressed up this weekend for the Dauphin Detachment Regimental Ball.  Thankfully one of the other members was taking photographs as everyone came in, as this is the only photo I have of us all night.

We have won the battle with the concrete in our back yard.  This is how it looks right now.  We are waiting on a guy with a bobcat to dig out the sections that do not have the right base for paving stones.  You can see the blue flagging tape  in the grass - we are extending the patio to that point.  The second photo is taken standing on the driveway.  I think the larger patio will help to unify the back yard.  Our only access to the back yard is from the driveway and across the patio.  A lot of work still ahead, but at least there is some progress!

Long Weekend Warriors

I haven't been posting any quilts as other parts of my life have been taking priority- day job, company, concerts, meetings and now the start of a little backyard overhaul.  We have an old sunken patio in our backyard that has been needing our attention for a couple of years.  We tried to get some contractors out to look at it last summer but every seemed too busy as we couldn't even get a quote, so we decided we would tackle it ourselves this year.  Step 1 rip out the old patio.

I decided I could be most helpful on the jack hammering as the wheelbarrow was a little too heavy for me manage to load the trailer.

Yes, I know my day 1 choice of footwear was not ideal, but I was wearing gloves, safety glasses and ear defenders!

So when breaking up concrete to haul away, the last thing you want to discover is a second thicker layer of concrete underneath!!!

End of day 1, the trailer is ready for the first trip to the dump in the morning.

Day 2, I have upgraded my footwear!

End of day 2, and Nolan has made 4 trips to the dump.  Our dump weighs you in and out, so he was quite impressed when he looked at the receipts to find what he thought was 7,330lbs.  Turns out the dump uses kgs, so that brings the total so far to 16,139 lbs!  No wonder he was totally spent loading and unloading it all! We would have been done today, if the upper 4-5" layer was all we were dealing with, but the bonus 8-10" layer underneath has not helped. This job has turned out to be much larger than we ever could have guessed!  Our poor mama robin who chose once again to nest on our patio light must be regretting that decision, no babies here yet, but she is taking good care of the eggs.

This fun is scheduled to start again tomorrow afternoon.  We both need a little time to recoup tomorrow morning!

Mahjongg and More

I recently finished two lovely lap quilts for Vanda.  Vanda loves Oriental fabrics and it is always a treat to quilt them with some nice shiny Magnifico thread.

First up is the Mahjongg Quilt.  We decided on the Breath of the gods panto.  I love how it came out.

 Next is a sampler quilt that was started by Vanda's daughter. Vanda and her daughter took the same class.  You can see Vanda's quilt here.   She has completed this one for her as a surprise for her daughter's birthday. (Shh don't tell).

We used the Tickle panto and gold Magnifico thread. .

 Vanda splurged on the backing fabric for this one and it is really lovely!

Alternate Routes

 

This is Mona's version of our Alternate Routes Pattern by Highway 10 Designs.  Her beautiful fabric choices really allow the piecing to stand out.   Mona added an extra row from the original pattern to allow for her unique layout.  I have to say it does not get old seeing one of your designs made by a fellow quilter!

We decided on the Tickle Too panto and black So Fine! thread with Quilter's Dream Blend batting.

Mona selected one of my Stonehenge wide backings and I think it is the perfect compliment to the front.

 The Alternate Routes pattern is available as a pdf download or by mail in our printed version in our Etsy Store.