Retreat Report

 Christine and I left early for our quilting retreat with the Oxford Guild this past Friday because there was a winter storm coming and we wanted to get there and be set up before the snow started to fall.  The snow started in the afternoon and kept going all night.  In the morning there was almost a foot of snow (30cm for the metric folks).  We were all snowed in and loving it.  We did not lose power and we had our sewing machines and lots of fabric and projects on hand to work on.  It was a great weekend!

First, I tackled my two rainbow scrap challenge projects for this year-- pineapple log cabin blocks and some 6.5" square slabs using scraps. I had not made February's pink blocks yet and the new colour for March had already been announced--green, so I had to make blocks for both months. 

The first attempt at the pink block did not go so well.  I had the colours in the wrong spot and the fabric folded when I tried to sew one of the logs down.  I had to unsew it and start again, with much better results the second time around. 

Here's the green one.  I like the dark gray background I am using for these blocks. (it was in my stash)

I made four pink blocks too but don't have a picture of them.  

The food at the retreat was delicious--I had a Reuben sandwich and a salad for lunch one day. (no sauerkraut!) 

Here is a picture of a car in the parking lot outside the room where we were sewing on Saturday morning.  

I brought two pin basted quilt sandwiches with me to the retreat as well as a third quilt top with the batting and backing fabric.  I managed to completely finish quilting one of the tops. I made a wavy diagonal grid for this one--quilted with my walking foot.  I added the binding by machine today and I'm in the process of hand sewing it down on the back of the quilt.  This was my rainbow scrap challenge project in 2021. 

This scrappy drunkard's path was a 2022 RSC project.  I got most of the quilting done at the retreat and decided to quilt the circles at home on my other sewing machine.  It has a bigger throat so its easier to turn the quilt when sewing the circles.  Once the quilting is done, I will add the binding and get this one to the finish line too. 

When I was at QuiltCon in Atlanta, one of the vendors was demonstrating how to make rope bowls and selling an instruction book on how to make several different projects with rope.  I have wanted to try making things with rope for a while now so I watched the demo and asked a few questions. At the retreat, I tried making a bowl, and then another and then more until I had five finished bowls.  They are quite small and fun to make.  I recommend this book if you are interested in trying your hand at making rope bowls. 

I added some more stitches to my cross stitch project at the retreat too.  

My final project at the retreat was putting my vice president's day challenge quilt together.  I had made the square blocks a few weeks ago and needed to make some more black and white units and sew everything together.  

Mission accomplished!

Finn spent the weekend with my husband at home.  He was very excited when I arrived home on Sunday and has been keeping a close eye on me today. 

I will link up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday. 

Light Blue RSC, Knitting and some Quilt Top Progress

I dug into my light blue scraps this week and got a start on my drunkard's path blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Some of these fabrics have been hanging around in my sewing room for many years!  I used the dog fabric in the top left block to make a quilt for a colleague's new baby in 2003.  

I sewed about half of my whistle stop quilt top together one afternoon this week. It is not pressed yet...

I started a new quilt for the church Christmas bazaar as well this week. This is a stack and whack quilt made with squares instead of triangles.  I will use these blocks to make a small lap quilt.  The fabric is designed by Kaffe Fassett.  I like how each set of squares makes a unique block. 

Our Slow Sunday Stitching leader, Kathy.  refers to her collection of sewing machines as her "herd".  Using her language, I added a machine to my "herd" this week.  This is a Spartan machine--it only sews straight. Singer made these machines as a stripped-down, budget version of the 99K in the 50's and 60's.  I have had it tuned up by a quilting friend's husband and it is in working order. I can't wait to take it for a spin!

I did one more repeat of the pattern in my knitted cloth this week.  I did not have a lot of time to knit this past week, but every little bit counts, right?

We had a second morning dove nest in our hanging basket on the front porch.  The two babies have now left the nest.  I expect we will see them and their parents hanging around in our gardens before they fly away for good.  

Finn was out for a walk one day this week and decided this particular patch of grass looked very inviting. 

The Autumn Joy Clematis plants are in bloom right now.  Such dainty flowers!

My Gentian plant is also in bloom--such vibrant colour!

Like people all around the world, we are remembering the life and service of Queen Elizabeth this week. 

The plate below commemorates the 1939 Royal Visit to Canada by the Queen's parents.  This plate belonged to my Grandmother. Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret did not join their parents for this trip to Canada but their pictures are on the rim of the plate. 

I will link up with the RSC group as well as the slow Sunday stitchers.  

Barn Raising!

Over the course of 16 months in 2018-2019, 10 quilting friends and I made and exchanged 20 neutral blocks each month.  We could use any neutral colours including cream, beige, brown, white, gray and black and each block was to be made using two lights and a dark or two darks and a light. This way, each of us ended up with 320 neutral blocks at the end of the swap.  I divided mine into two piles--1:  white, gray and black and 2: cream, beige and brown, and decided to make two different projects with my blocks.   

I found some yardage of the turquoise fabric in my stash and it determined how big my quilt would be...when it was gone, the quilt top would be done. This is an asymmetric barn raising layout.  I ended up with a lap sized quilt which I may display as a wall hanging...we'll see.  The quilting was a co-operative effort between Julie the long-armer and myself.  She quilted the turquoise strips and I quilted the squares.  Her part has been done since March and I finally did my part this week.  I used black solid for the binding. 

The backing is gray with little turquoise and white triangles on it. The label was put on the back before it was quilted.  You can see the quilting better on the back. 

Now, I will have to figure out what to do with the other pile of neutral squares...

I had 6 blocks leftover from making the Scrappy Trips top that I showed in  the previous post.  I used 4 of them to make this table topper which I quilted this week with concentric squares with golden yellow thread.

I spent several hours this week slow stitching the binding on these two quilts.  The backing for the table topper was in my stash and I'm happy to use up a chunk of it for this quilt. 

I may make another couple of blocks and make another table topper to donate to a fundraiser.  The borders are still not on the Scrappy Trips quilt which will be donated to the hospice...isn't it funny how the project made from the leftovers got finished first???

I have several types of echinacea plants (coneflowers) in my garden and they are all blooming right now.  

Some of the hostas are starting to flower as well. 

I will be doing some knitting tomorrow for Slow Sunday Stitching.  I have just about finished another face cloth this week.  I will link up with Kathy and the other people who like to take things slow on a Sunday tomorrow morning. 

Until next time, have a great week! 

Some Sewing and Some Knitting

Last week, I showed my first finished face cloth which I had knitted and this week, I made another one.  The second one went much more quickly.  I will be starting a third one tomorrow for Slow Sunday Stitching with Kathy and the other sewers, knitters, crocheters and embroiderers. 

The variegated yarn makes an interesting pattern.  

My hexagon quilt top is done.  As you can see, I decided to add 1.5" filler strips between the columns of hexagons. I needed the quilt to be a tad wider to make the proportions right.  The size of the borders was determined  by how much fabric I had--I cut it close with only a two inch strip and a few scraps leftover when all was said and done. 

I made a piano key strip with the leftover batiks which will go on the back of the quilt.  I found some black tone on tone prints to use as well as some solid black. Here it is so far...

I plan on finishing the back tomorrow and then getting this quilt pin basted and quilted this week. Lest you think I will have nothing to do after finishing this quilt, I have the blocks for my batik scrappy trips laid out on the floor, ready to be put together.  I will need to purchase something for the border and backing of this quilt as it will be for our still to be built hospice. A number of quilters in our area are making quilts for the new hospice. 

This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern. 

The Shasta daisies are out this week!  My husband and I went to the garden centre last weekend when it was quiet and purchased a few more perennials for the garden.  We had a few bare spots where some plants  had died so now those spaces are filled.  We did not want to go to the garden centre earlier in the season when there were lots of people there. 

I also have some evening primrose in bloom--such a cheerful flower!  

We made some pizza on naan bread this week.  This is roasted beet pesto with kale, mozzarella and goat cheese pizza--very yummy!  Here is a link to the recipe if you are interested in trying this yourself.  We cooked it on the BBQ.  I froze the leftover pesto in ice cube trays to use later. 

 

Happy Canada Day on July 1st!!!