myrtBquilting

Once summer slowly comes to an end I get eager to leave the gardening season behind and get on with quilting season again.  Non-quilters may not be familiar with that season, but for some quilters it may encompass the entire calendar year.

For me, it starts about mid September.  Our Guild gets back into the swing at the beginning of September and one of the highlights of the month is the annual HAW (Hands Across the Water) event hosted by one of the Guilds located either on the Sunshine Coast or North Island.  This year the Sunshine Coast Quilters’ Guild hosted it in Sechelt and a large contingent of our Guild attended.  There were many door prizes and I was lucky enough to win a selection of native art printed pre-cut flannel blocks.  I immediately got to work & made them into a cuddly rag quilt & had it ready for the Show & Tell at our next meeting.  I donated it to a pre-school managed by the daughter of one of our Guild members.  How nice to work with the pre-cut blocks and not have to spend hours cutting them after they’re stitched together.

Once in the swing of things again, I picked up another of the Guild’s sandwiched Community Quilts and had some free motion quilting fun using some of my rulers and templates.

2019/10 – flannel rag blanket

2019/10 – 44.5″ x 39″ panel

2019/10 – close-up of some of the stitching

The quilt guild to which I belong, Timberlane Quilters’ Guild, donates quilts to those in need in the community.  We hold two workshops a year in which we spend a weekend each time piecing and assembling quilts.  Various members then take them home to quilt.  Last year I believe we donated about 100 quilts to a variety of groups:  the Oncology ward at our local hospital, Grace House (Transition House), Family & Social Services and some one-off cases.

Because I’m trying to improve my FMQ (Free Motion Quilting) skills, I quilt as many of them as I can work into my schedule.  They provide me the opportunity to practice techniques I see displayed on Pinterest, Facebook and other dark holes too numerous to mention without the pressure of having to be ‘perfect’.  The recipients are looking for warmth & comfort, not perfect quilting!  I machine sew every binding for the community quilts I do and here are links to my two favourite methods:  Donna Jordan’s flange binding (of Jordan Fabrics in Grant’s Pass, OR) and Sara’s Favourite Machine Sewn Binding.  I used Sara’s method on this quilt.

Which brings me to the latest community quilt I just finished quilting; I did not piece this one.  It’s a small one – 44″ x 53″.  One of our Guild members (I don’t know who or I’d give her credit)  crafted this little beauty.  I don’t know if she used a pattern or just drew from her ‘design bank’.  I love the patchwork blocks.

I’m certainly not fast; It took me 5.5 hours to quilt it!  There’s close to 80,000 stitches in it.  I’ve been wanting to practice cross-hatching and another block design I found on Pinterest (of course).  I’d purchased some Handi Quilter rulers: ovals and wave, and wanted to practice using them.   Here’s the quilt:

44″ x 53″ Community quilt

44″ x 53″ Community quilt – the back

44″ x 53″ Community quilt

44″ x 53″ Community quilt

44″ x 53″ Community quilt – cross hatching and feathers

44″ x 53″ Community quilt – cross hatching and feathers

The Guild to which I belong hosted a two day quilt show last weekend and it was terrific!  There are so many extremely talented quilters in the Guild!  The attendance was perhaps record setting with both the community and other Guilds coming out in full force.  Maybe it was the great weather that helped!

Clicking here will take you to the Guild’s website where you can check out all the beautiful fibre art.

The Guild challenge this year was to ‘Channel our inner Bag Lady’.  We were provided a fat quarter of that wonderful wonky print and only a few rules after that concerning size, use of complimentary blenders and use and positioning of a quilted motif.  And oh yes; the feature fabric had to be on the OUTside of the bag!

Having recently purchased couching feet for my Sweet Sixteen I knew where this project was going!  I used ByAnnie’s Soft & Stable for the stabilizer and dove into my stash for the complimentary fabrics, lining, pockets and yarn (yes, I have a yarn stash too).  I used invisifil thread to channel quilt the bag in wavy lines; I didn’t want that quilting to compete with the feature fabric.  And I used the couching feet to quilt the yarn pebbles on one side of the bag and the motif and lines on the other side.  I put a zipper insert in the top.

This was one of the most enjoyable challenge projects I’ve ever done, and useful too!  Once it’s been displayed in our Quilt Show in March I’m pretty sure I’ll put this bag to use.

Modern bag

Modern bag

Top zipper insert closure

I’m feeling quite satisfied with myself for completing my projects almost two weeks in advance of the Quilt Show; that almost never happens!

I bought this Dream Big Panel at our local quilt shop, Crazy Quilt Cottage months ago and I’m sure if it hadn’t been for the Quilt Show deadline I’d still be agonizing about how to quilt it!  Goodness knows there are enough inspirational pins on Pinterest but I was primarily undecided how to quilt the very centre:  pebbles?  feathers? petals? a combination?  I finally invested in the quilt-along by Lauren Jackson of Bold Notion Quilting and that put the final piece in place.  I used her suggested centre motif as well as several others, some with modifications.

I used two layers of batting spray basted together (bottom one is Warm & Plush and top one is Hobbs Heirloom wool) and that gave me the definition I wanted.  This is the first time I’ve quilted with two layers and my Sweet Sixteen was quite happy with it.  I used Glide and invisifil threads.  Finished size is 41.5″ w x 39.75 l.  Fellow Guild member Darlene gave me perfect backing fabric for it; thank you Darlene!

So….it’s done.  Some of the other members of our Guild also bought Dream Big panels so I’m hoping to see them at the Quilt Show too.

Of course I bought a second panel……and now I’m so pleased with the way this one turned out I don’t know how long I can wait to get started on it!

My Favourite Flower

My Favourite Flower

The Guild to which I belong, Timberlane Quilters’ Guild, is hosting a Quilt Show next month and I’ve been madly stitching trying to get all my projects finished in time.  TaDa!  This morning I completed the second last one.  Well….almost completed….needs a hanging sleeve yet.

I’ve been admiring the work of collage artists Paula Jolly, Laura Heine and Susan Carlson, to name a few, so when our Guild Program Committee hosted a collage workshop last fall I jumped in.  With some guidance (well maybe a lot lol) I snipped and glued and moved pieces around and snipped and glued some more.  Having never tackled an ‘art’ quilt before I felt out of my depth but oh what fun!  I kept the stitching on this one very simple because I wanted the fabrics and colours to stand out but when I do another one I can feel some serious thread painting coming on!  And maybe sparkly tulle, or will it be organza?  Hmmm… I think the next one will have to simmer for awhile; many other projects in the queue ahead of it!

I had planned to square it up and mount it on a frame but my better half suggested leaving the edges ‘au naturel’ and having done so I like it; I think it gives the project a very ‘organic’ look doesn’t it?  That’s a very popular word in quilting 🙂

Never has it taken me so long to complete a 23″ x 23″ project!  Thanks to my fellow Guild members for the advise, encouragement and contribution of beautiful fabrics.