Category: Valerie’s Blog

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Around the Net: UFO Challenge (entry 41)

My Around the Net post for this week is all about UFOs. Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio Blog has an excellent challenge for everyone called, Joy in the New Year. It’s a place where you can list (I entered in 5) projects that you want to for sure complete over the next year.

Mine are all at various stages and my list may increase as the year unfolds, or a new pattern comes out that I would love to do, or someone shows me a quilt that is a MUST do lol, so many reasons to have many projects on the go:

Quilt for Zach – picture to soon come, after Sat, no more secrets I promise

Quilt for Baby Girl (not sure who to give it to as of yet), I have about 5 blocks cut out and ready for appliqueing to background fabric, all fabric is washed and ready to go.

Cotton Theory Quilt – so close to being complete and the best part is this technique is a quilt as you go, so once I finish sewing the blocks together it is finished…

nicely packed away until I have time…

close up of the block, decorative stitch across the center, french seams around each border at least once…

Freebie 15 (2008-2009) – just working on final border 

Apple Core Quilt (hand-pieced) – small table runner with homespuns

(just the top is done so far)

My Home or Yours BOM Quilt (almost done each block) I forgot to add this one to my list over at Tallgrass…Jacquie can I add one more to the list 🙂 You have seen quite a few of these individual blocks as I’ve completed them throughout the year, I think I have 4 blocks to finish and then time to sew together, layer, quilt, & hang!! Yay!

 Until next time, have a great day.

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Review: The Friday Night Knitting Club (entry 40)

Hi Everyone, today I thought I would review a book called “The Friday Night Knitting Club” I know it isn’t quilting per se but this book applies to so many quilting relatable ideas, friendships, clubs, families and many more things that bring quilters together.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the sisterhood throughout the book. It brings you into each perspective lady’s life, the Mom who owns the store, her daughter (who loves to bake for the club), the reporter who doesn’t knit but loves to be with the ladies, the rich friend who wants everything and who willingly pays for it, the helper at the store that doesn’t need to work but can’t stay away and has a secret liking for the gentleman who owns the deli downstairs, the ex-boyfriend who is coming back into his daughter’s life after 10+ years and so on…

I’m just about 1/3rd of the way and I’m now familiar with the backgrounds of each character’s life, when they were married, when they had kids, got divorced, fell in love…again. I’m loving it. It’s a pretty good read, if anyone has read it and would be interested in “blogging” together about this book as a sort of on-line book club that would be great as it’s so nice to share in a “good read” with likeminded individuals 🙂

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I couldn’t resist sharing the latest photos of Tig, I had moved over to the love-seat to do some un-sewing and Tig hopped up on my machine and starting watching her “TV”.

Maybe she gets a better view from here lol.

She looks pretty comfortable, you would think I was gone for hours but it only took her a couple of minutes to get into this position…now only if I could get her to do some sewing 🙂 

Apparently, I was gone far too long (only long enough to un-sew a few seams and take plenty of photos of her) as she became bored and tired 🙂

Until next time…have a great day!

Valerie

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Zach’s Quilt, Tuffets, Ramekin Pin Cushions (entry 39)

Hi everyone,  I have a couple things I hope to share with you today.  First, I’m still working like crazy on this baby quilt for Zach & his Mom, Diane.  It’s close to being done.  I just have the last border to add and another 124 pieces to be sewn together… yikes!!  I have the back all washed and ready for piecing and I must say, it’s adorable in chocolate browns, lime greens and all those polka dots.  I’m thinking of piecing it like a large 9 patch or something similar.

Here’s an idea of what the border will look like (this is prior to sewing it together and prior to cutting away the bulk with the connector corners).  What do you think?

 

 

Now the the Second thing : )  I’ve completed a couple of my tuffets from the Schnibbles pattern I blogged about earlier.

Tuffet one is Courthouse steps

Tuffet two is strip pieced.

I really enjoyed making these Tuffets as I learned a new technique called foundation piecing.  This is where you have a piece of muslin or something similar (I used muslin) and sew the pieces to it.  You can of course do this as a paper pieced option – but I personally like to do what the pattern calls for first, then make my personal adjustments on the second go around.  I look forward to making many more of these fun little things in the future.

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Oh, okay… there is three: )  I couldn’t resist sharing these next little colourful cuties with you.  These were made by my Mum who is so creative and finds the neatest things to make and sell in her craft fairs around Christmas.  They are called Ramekin Pin Cushions and did they turn out so fabulous.

If you are interested in purchasing ($9CAD) some of these, please let me know as they would make perfect gifts for your sewing and quilting friends.

Blue glass ramekin’s finished size about 3″ diameter.

So cute Mum and thanks for sharing:)

Hopefully by next’s weeks blog entry, I will be able to finally show you the results of Zach’s quilt as I’m hosting the baby shower for him and presenting it to Diane at that time.  I will however, still need to quilt and bind it, but the majority of the top will be finished, Yay!

Until next time, have a great weekend…Valerie