Can’t put a good book down

I won’t want to stop reading now, ever…..I love this book mark designed with the Double Diamond ruler. It was simple, easy and the pattern was free from the Double Diamond ruler website.  It goes together quite simply and takes just a few scraps of fabric.  This would be a great Christmas gift to give along with a Chapters gift card for the  book lover on your list.

Precious Cargo Under Wraps

I was babysitting my grandson the other day and we had been in my sewing room together. I was trying to catch up on some quilting and he was keeping me company, drawing and watching TV. It was past his nap time, but sometimes I don’t insist he have a nap if he is playing “nicely”.  He asked if he could use a little pillow I have to lay down on the floor, then asked if he could have something to cover up with.  I had a runner that was handy and covered him up with it. Next thing I knew he was out for the count.  See…quilts add comfort and warmth, regardless of the size.

With Grandma’s Help

Isn’t this a sweet Pinwheel quilt? Rene brought it to be quilted and I was amazed to hear that her 8 year old granddaughter sewed the quilt with her help. I think it is wonderful when grandmas encourage and take the time to show their grandchildren the wonders of quilting. I think she did a fabulous job with her Nana’s assistance. I hope that she continues to quilt and finds the passion that quilting can bring.

Circle of Love

I just love these round Christmas Tree skirts. One of my customers, Linda, makes them and they are wonderful. Her Dad even made her the template ruler to create them.  Every skirt is different and whomever gets these gems as a gift is a very lucky person. This one is made from vintage retro Christmas fabric….too cute!

Double Trouble

Elizabeth and Leigh are showing off their new (almost finished) Double Diamond runners. They were taking my class the last two weeks at Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. I think they turned out awesome. Mary, Muriel and Pat were in the class as well, however we didn’t manage to get pics of their beauties. I love the technique using the Double Diamond ruler. It comes in two sizes so you can design a multitude of projects using both sizes.

Poopy Treat Bags

I saw this cute treat bag idea on Pinterest (I’m totally addicted to it)….Pinterest not the poop

I bought a bag of ball Cheezies, a few food bags and printed the labels off the internet. They were quick and easy to do and a fun little treat to give out to quilting friends.

The girls at my Double Diamond Runner class got to sample this crap delicious Halloween treat.

Mystery Quilt Solved

Last year I taught another mystery quilt class at Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. It was called Chicago Undercover and I loved teaching it. Mary finished hers and brought it to me to have quilted. The quilt is very modern and we decided on a modern quilting technique. Straight Line Random….it looks great  completed. I love her quilt fabric choice and it looks phenomenal completed. Great job Mary.

Only 69 days till Christmas

My customer Linda will be ready for it with this lovely tree skirt. She has been making these for over a year now and is getting quite proficient at them. This one is one of my favourites…I love the gold fabric and the skirt looks so rich and festive. She has been routinely giving them as gifts…wouldn’t this be a lovely gift to receive.

Pumpkin Love!

I have had the kit for this quilt for I don’t know how long (several years for sure) …I was determined to get it finished this year before Halloween.  My Angler tool made the process go much quicker and I am so happy it’s finally completed.

The kit included everything but the backing which was almost a steal as I got it for 1/2 price. I like to change the quilt that hangs in my front hall frequently with the seasons or with special occasions and this new Halloween Pumpkin Quilt fits just perfectly.

Thumbelina Bag Take II

I taught this bag class on Saturday at Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. This is the second bag I have made from the pattern and I love this one even more than the first one. It is such a great technique…..kind of like the clothesline bags, but made using batting. You fold batting into your 2.5 inch strips, sewing as you go. Then once you have all your strips sewn, you sew the new strips together using a decorative stitch.  It’s lots of work, but super easy and the bag looks amazing.

My students Lynn and Karen chose beautiful fabric for their bags, and while they didn’t finish them, they are well on their way.

Look Mom, no lines!

I’ve had this Angler Tool for quite a while, but forgot about it. I recently started to make a quilt that called for those corner triangles…you all know the ones…..where you have a square and draw a line across it diagonally, then you sew on the line, cut and fold back. They are a pain, especially if you have tons to do…you end up drawing and drawing lines, before you can even get started. The pattern I was working on calls for 36 corner triangles. I dug out my Angler and put it to good use.

Position the angler on your machine using the guide.

 Sew from corner to corner following the centre line on the Angler.

Voila…no lines to draw.

Cut off the excess fabric leaving 1/4 inch.

Press towards the triangle.

 

How simple was that, and no tedious line drawing!

Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend

Muriel and Leigh love their diamonds too. These ladies are in the process of attending my Double Diamonds Runner class at Kindred Spirits Quilt Company. This class demonstrates the technique of using the Double Diamonds ruler.  It is one of my favourite tools and so incredibly cool. I can’t wait to show you the class participants’ finished runners next week.

Still in Love with My Man

Gotta love that Dear Hubby….he brought me this beautiful bouquet of flowers today.  I’m sure that it had something to do with the fact that today is our 32nd wedding anniversary. Where did all those years go?  He really must love me to stick around all those years cause I’m not the easiest person to live with and I have really put him to the test sometimes. Hard to believe that we actually met on a blind date.

Four children, 2 grandchildren, 1 dog  and a quilt machine later and he still brings me flowers….it must be love!

He just hasn’t found my quilt stash yet!

Amityville Haunted Town

I finished my scary little village this weekend and got it assembled on my dining room table. My grandson Ayden absolutely loves it. I bought dollar store houses, gauze and spider web, then spray painted the little houses black. I managed to find the haunted tree and skeletons at Michaels. I think it looks terrifying!…. LOL

Teddy Bear Baby Quilt

Linda,  one  of my quilting customers, made this adorable grey and yellow teddy bear quilt.  She mentioned that the mom to be’s nursery was yellow and grey. There are not many baby fabrics that incorporate those colors. She managed to get the cute fabric for the borders that did happen to include both and then co-ordinated the rest of the fabric with it.  It   looks great  quilted in angel wings…the pattern shows up great on the solid color fabric. This mom to be is going to love this adorable quilt.

I Give Turning One, Two Thumbs Up

My Grandson Owen turned 1 and the family celebrated his birthday last week. My daughter had wanted a Sesame Street themed party and I was more than willing to help out with the decorations. We added faces to the tissue paper fans and I even made a Cookie Monster (smoosh) cake.  That’s the one he gets to destroy and the real cake is kept for the guests. My daughter had purchased bags and cookie packs and asked that I embellish them, which I was happy to do. All the punches and scrapbooking paper I’ve accumulated over the years certainly did come in handy.

I love the picture of Owen…what would be the chances of  him  giving 2 thumbs up at such an appropriate time…bonus!

Rolo Baby Bouquet….Sweet

My  daughter’s best friend Courtney just had a little boy. When they were growing up together, they had this obsession with Rolo chocolates. The obsession continues to this day. My daughter asked if I could make a Rolo candy bouquet for her to give when she visits the baby for the first time. Of course I can……I’d never done anything like this before…got 12 Rolos, a couple stems of silk flowers, skewers and blue scrapbooking paper. I attached a skewer to each of the Rolos, then rolled and attached a co-coordinating paper piece around each one. I glue gunned a flower on each end, then arranged all of them into a little blue box filled with oasis. I had “it’s a boy” ribbon in my stash and added that around the box, then stuffed bits of tissue in between the skewers to hide them. Dear daughter loved it and I think it turned out really sweet.