Reneta's Batik Sampler

I thought I'd start out showing you the back of this quilt as the cuddle backing really allows the quilting to come out!  This quilt was made by Reneta. It started out a number of years ago as a block of the month, but never had a reason to be finished until recently.  

Reneta decided to complete this one and give it to her son's grad escort.  Reneta asked for custom quilting, and something personal to be added to the signature block.  I had a lot of fun playing in all the different blocks.

I used Quilter's Dream Puff batting, which is always my go to batting for a cuddle backing and two colors of So Fine Thread on top.  Reneta always tells me that she doesn't like feathers, but when I showed her this "feather" border she approved.  I have a number of clients who come to me saying they do not like feathers, for a lot of them they really do not care for the tight or symmetrical heirloom type feathers.  I may convert her yet!

Eileen's Lug Nuts Quilt

This is Eileen's version of the Lug Nuts quilt pattern.  Because the Lug Nuts pattern only uses 9- one yard cuts of fabric, Eileen was able to make this quilt entirely from her stash. (I dare say it really didn't make a huge dent in her stash!)  I was over visiting and helped her pick out the 3 creams, 3 greens and 3 browns that she turned into this striking quilt.

Eileen chose the "Breath of the Gods" panto, a green/beige Stonehenge wide backing,  and Quilter's Dream Blend batting.

I do have to say, I still get a lot of joy from seeing our Highway 10 Designs patterns come to life in the hands of other quilters. Thanks Eileen, it was truly my pleasure working on this one!

Twisty & New Pantos

This quilt was made by Amy.  It is from the book Modern One Block Quilts and the pattern is called "Twisty".  Amy had a vision for the quilting on this quilt as it is to be a gift for her friend and soon to be maid of honor who introduced her to quilting.  Her friend is a very traditional quilter, but liked this top, so Amy wanted a modern panto to finish it off.  I sent Amy over to Urban Elementz to see the wide array of pantos available and she sent me the names of some that caught her eye.  I decided to treat myself to a few more while I was shopping.  Here are the new pantos in my collection.

Prism

Hall of Mirrors

Gatsby

Bora Bora

Zephyr

 After a little preview of how my more modern pantos would look on her quilt, Amy decided on "Hall of Mirrors" and I think it was an excellent choice.

 

We used a medium grey So Fine thread, and a cotton blend batting over a fleece back.  The panto sure looks great on the back too.

Sunflowers and Sunbonnets

I have been finishing quilts, but I haven't shared much lately so I will try to make up for it by sharing two today.  First up is Bev's Mahjongg quilt.  Bev requested a light and open panto as this quilt is intended for the hammock in her solarium. (You know Bev has truly been bitten by the quilting bug when her hammock gets a dedicated quilt!)

I used the "Quirky" panto, Dream Puff batting and Bev also selected one of my wide Stonehenge backings.

I don't have a solarium, but I do have to say the quilt would be perfect for a little nap in the hammock!

Next I will share June's Sunbonnet Sue Calendar quilt.  June was very good at articulating her preference for light quilting.  She didn't want anything fussy so I did less dense quilting than I might have otherwise.

Each block represents a different month of the year, and the fabrics and trims were selected very carefully to match each theme. A labour of love indeed.

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!