Claire’s Christmas Cuties…

Earlier this week I met up with Claire…my wool dealer!  We joke whenever we do sharing in the parking lot!  What must people THINK?  We always meet in a downtown area…so there we are…ohhing and ahhhing over our latest creations… out in the parking lot!  Trust me, NO money exchanges hands…and no drugs are involve… but we do leave with a HIGH!  :o))

This is what caused my HIGH for this week…Claire’s finished wool creations!  Now you read about these back HERE…but I thought you might like to see them FINISHED!

This is now the sweetest pillow!

Adorable…and love the string of coloured beads that look like Christmas lights!

I wish I had snapped a picture of the hand holding this pillow…you need a reference to see just how small this pillow really is!!  It is wee…really WEE…and as sWEEt as can be!

The Tree Farm Mat is exquisite!!  You REALLY have to pop into Claire’s to see this one in person!  My pics DO NOT do it justice!

For one thing, the sunshine (it was 16C…and gorgeous outside!!) caused a glare…

Look at the stitched tree in the right bottom corner…a very nice touch and LOVE the green blanket stitch to pop this mat up a notch or two!

Whenever I look at Claire’s work I am ALWAYS in awe of the workmanship…absolute perfection!  Thanks for sharing, Claire!  I needed that!

So there you have it…did you get your HIGH this morning?  See how it works…you don’t need drugs…just a needle and thread and little scraps of wool!!

Wishing you a SUNNY Sunday and happy HIGH to you!!!

Off and On….

There has been progress…

This baby came OFF the mid-arm quilting frame…with an all over meander…

Not a great meander but once this quilt is washed and wrinkled it will be ready and at it’s best…cuter than a Sharpei Puppy!  I love this quilt for it’s visual impact!  It doesn’t need great quilting…it has the WOW factor all on it’s own!

  

And this one went ON…this one has me sweating bullets…I don’t want to screw this one up!

While I toil away…why don’t you go visiting….Did you know that Karen over at ‘Faeries and Fibres Blog’ is having a SEW Along?  We are talking a massive Sew Along…just look at the finished project!

We are talking HEIRLOOM quilt here!  With one step at a time, Karen has been leading everyone through this quilt!!  They are now working on Block 17 with the grand finale just weeks away…so it’s a little late to join BUT the good news is, you can go back in her blog and scoop the FREE PATTERN and make it at your leisure!  Her tutorials look very detailed and easy and completely do-able…and LOOK at what you will have accomplished, this magnificent quilt!  YOU can make it  a goal for 2015! 

So let’s all give a SHOUT OUT to Karen…this has been a HUGE undertaking for her…and all for FREE!!  WE THANK YOU, KAREN!!  Now hurry over to her blog, Faeries and Fibres and look at the blocks in detail!  They are wonderful…with workmanship like none other!  Also at the top of her blog there are plenty of links to explore…she has been one VERY busy quilter with lots of patterns and tips to share!  Pour yourself another coffee before you head over…

Today I WAS going to go to a couple of the local Craft Fairs…BUT there is a skiff of the white STUFF on the ground and I don’t DO snow!  Maybe I can sweet talk the hubster into a little outing…?  I’m sure he would love to look at doilies and pot holders, jams and jellies!! :0)

Have a Super Saturday and Happy Quilting!~P

It’s the THOUGHT that counts…REALLY!

Yesterday we had our annual Christmas get together…just a small group of women…Friends in the true meaning of the word.  I have known one of the ladies for over thirty years, another for half that time and two for just a few years…but it doesn’t matter…a friend is a friend no matter how long you have known them!   Our common link, at the beginning of our friendship, was quilting but over time, we have share so much more…we know each others’ families, children, likes and dislikes, we have shared our joys and our sorrows!  I KNOW that these wonderful women would be there for me… REALLY there, if the need should ever arise!  A very nice feeling and I’m sure each of them feels the same way!  When we get together there is always laughter…lots of laughter…sometimes howls of laughter!  We really ARE a funny bunch!

Anyway… at Christmas, we exchange small gifts…usually an ornament or a small handwork of some kind…but we really outdid ourselves this Christmas! Just look at the loot…AMAZING!!

But this is a QUILTING blog so let me show you the hand-work…

The cutest quilted mats…we ohhhed and ahhhhed each of them…and will cherish the one we received FOREVER!  They are so gorgeous laid out here….

The SWEETEST cross stitched pincushion…and look a the wee woolies stitched on!  LOVE IT!!

And the most adorable wee pillow to go with the other pillows that this quilter has made in the past!!  I now have a collection of Christmas pillows!

And LOOK at the door to my oven…all decked out for Christmas!!  There is NOTHING like a hand made gift!:o)))

And how’s this for a gift from one Woolie to another… a Wild and Woolie pillow!

 

I don’t know which is more fun…to give or to receive…OK,OK, I think we all know what the CORRECT answer to THAT is…but really, it’s the thought that counts! And don’t you LOVE that warm and wonderful feeling that you get when you KNOW that the recipient truly likes what you have made… just for them!  

Yes indeed, it really is the thought that counts…and these gifts all amount to some wonderful thoughts that I will treasure for years to come!  Thank you ladies!!

What about you? Are you frantically stitching up something wonderful for that special someone in your life?  As you stitch…keep thinking of that feeling that you are going to get as they unwrap that special treasure…hopefully something that they will treasure long after you are gone!  Yikes!  SLAP ME!  We’re not going ANYWHERE!  We have too many projects to make…too much fabric to sew…too many quilts to build, too many quilt shops to visit! 

Have a wonderful BLACK FRIDAY!  It seems that Black Friday has spilled over into Canada!  Yes, I am actually venturing to the MALL…it’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it!! 

Wish me luck!~P

Merry Christmas to US!!

There are SEW MANY generous quilt designers out there and they all want us to have the best possible Christmas!!  What better way then to provide quilters with gorgeous PATTERNS…FREE PATTERNS!!  Now if that isn’t SWEET, I don’t know what is!! 

Check it out~

Natalia from Piece n Quilt is hostessing a Sparkle Quilt Sew A Long!  She has designed a gorgeous quilt pattern, called Sparkle, that she is giving to us all…HERE!  Merry Christmas one and all!  Thank you, Natalia for adding a Sparkle to our day!

And Bronwyn over at Red Brolly has gifted us with a GORGEOUS Christmas table topper that is sweet and FREE!!  You can get the pattern HERE…As for me I have printed it off and have pinned it up in my sewing room!!  This one is not going to get lost in the black hole where patterns seem to end up…you know…out of sight, out of mind!  Thank you, Bronwyn for thinking of us once again!

Diary of a Quilter has a GREAT Christmas Patchwork Tree tutorial happening HERE…LOVE IT!!  Geeze, here comes the Quilters’ Lament… so many great patterns and so little time!  The good thing about this quilt is that it can go up all Winter long…so you can get more bang for your quilt!  This would be a good one to work on all year long…here a tree, there a tree…with a huge forest finished by next December!  I love that idea!!  Thank you so much, Diary of a Quilter!  This one will definitely not get lost in the woods!

And Bonnie Hunter starts her new Mystery Quilt tomorrow so make sure to visit her to get the FULL scoop!  Her Mysteries are always fun!  So thank you, Bonnie for taking time out of your busy schedule to think of US!!

It’s a MYSTERY…

                             

I am sure there are a lot more generous designers ‘out there’ giving patterns away…if you know of any, then leave the link in your comments!  We all want to hear about it!

And don’t forget about the Buttermilk Basin Primitive Christmas Blog Tour where, everyday, designers hand out patterns and goodies left, right and centre…starting December FIRST!  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO US! 

Yeehaw…bring it on!

So let me just say from all the BLOGGERS and LURKERS ‘out there’…we thank YOU, our quilt designers, for making our Christmas a little more merry and bright!! 

And before I go, let me just wish everyone who is celebrating THANKSGIVING a day filled with good food, family and friends!  Wishing you the BEST!

Have a thrilling Thursday and Happy Stitching!~P

Quiltmania Quilt Magazine…READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Have you picked up your copy of the Nov/Dec issue of Quiltmania Quilt Magazine yet? 

Well when you do…quickly turn to PAGE 88…and see who’s in BLOGGER’s CORNER!!  It’s SWEET P!!  YIKES!! 

Now how did THAT happen?  Yup…I’m wondering the same thing?!

Imagine my shock, surprise and yes, utter bewilderment when I received an email from Quiltmania Magazine asking if I would like to be featured in their BLOGGER’S CORNER!  You know the feeling…when someone pays you a compliment and you look behind you to see if they are REALLY talking to YOU!  I got THAT feeling!

I can’t believe that that’s ME…being featured in QUILTMANIA MAGAZINE…my favourite all time magazine…and no, I’m not just saying that…it REALLY is my favourite magazine!!

Even Rylie, my fur-buddy and quilting partner got into the act!  There’s one in every crowd!

It’s been a few months now since I got my email from Quiltmania…and I have been eagerly awaiting my complimentary copy of the Nov/Dec magazine…#104th Issue… my new lucky number!  And how lucky to be in the December issue…my favourite quilting month!  Who doesn’t LOVE a good snowman quilt?  Who doesn’t love the colours red and green, with a splash of gold?  I DO!!  I DO!!

So hurry to a Newsstand near YOU…if you live in Canada then Chapters is the place for you!!  If you live in the States, then hurry to JoAnn’s or your favourite quilt shop…and then turn to PAGE 88 and then READ ALL ABOUT…MOI!  That’s French for…ME!!  ;o)

And if you don’t want to read about me…then you might be interested in this…

It’s Norma Whaley’s Christmas Tree Skirt!  Oh, man I LOVE this tree skirt…

…OR you may NOT want to cut the slit and hole and make it into a table topper instead!  Decisions…decisions…of the best kind!!

I would love to make a diamond quilt…and this one does double duty (can you see the double diamonds?)!  It was designed by Susan Stiff and it is a beauty…made from Collection for a Cause Community! 

Did you know that all the profits from the sale from any of the Collection Fabrics are donated to help others with medical issues?  I didn’t know this and I have bought tons of Collection Fabrics in the past!! Looks like I will be buying a lot more in the future!  How neat is that! I like to do anything I can to help charities…and if buying fabric will help, then it’s the least I can do!! :o)) That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

Come to mama!!

And some of you are probably wondering about the Cover Girl…she is a Lisa Bongean creation from  Primitive Gather, called Penny Rug…and she is magnificent!

SEW there you have it!  Of course there are a lot more projects but I can’t show you everything!  You need to go and get your own copy so that you can READ ALL ABOUT IT!!

THANK YOU, QUILTMANIA…what an incredible honour!!  Imagine…I get to hang with Norma Whaley, Lisa Bongean, Laurie Simpson, Dawn Heese, Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison for TWO WHOLE MONTHS!!  Oh my, I am such a name dropper…but I am loving it!

Pinch me!!  I’m in QUILTMANIA!! 

Have a wicked Wednesday and Happy Stitching!~P

This and That Tuesday…

Yup…it’s THAT kind of day!! 

First off, remember Greer and her Press and Seal Experiment?  She needed to transfer her printing onto dark fabric and she heard about Press ‘n Seal by Glad making that job easier…

…so she tried it out!

Last week she was busy stitching…and she reported that it was easy to transfer the printing onto the Glad product!  Using a hoop over her work and the Press and Seal, she was able to hold her work taut as she stitched away on it…Greer reported that it was easy to needle through it…

The final test was the removal of the Press ‘n Seal.  WELL…Greer said it worked great.  She cut the wrap, using scissors, right up to the printing and then gently pulled it off…and it WORKED!!  No pulled threads! Greer gave it a passing grade (two Quilter’s Thumbs UP) and she will definitely use it again!

Now if you are wondering WHAT Press ‘n Seal can do,  you need to see this VIDEO…it’s worth it just to use it as a wrap!  It looks amazing!!  Throw it into your sewing bag and you will never have any more coffee spills, you can peel your orange BEFORE you leave, wrap it with this miracle product and throw it in with your fabric…YUP…no stains!  AS IF YOU WOULD DO THIS!  See the video…but keep all food out of your fabric tote!!  I don’t care what Bob(the Press ‘n Seal guy) says…fabric is FABRIC!!  NO FOOD in with your fabric!  I think Bob needs to make a NEW and IMPROVED video where he will be stitching with needle and thread and of course Press and Seal!!

The LAST thing I want to share with you is this quilt that I showed you yesterday…

Glynis whipped this quilt up in a day!!  Cute isn’t it?!  It’s going to be a last minute gift for a family member.  If you have a last minute gift that you want to whip up……then this may be the SWEET answer…thanks to SWIM Bike Quilt Blog!  It’s a FREE PATTERN!!  Hurry HERE to download it and get cutting…Christmas TIMES a-coming…and it’s coming FAST!!  EXACTLY ONE MONTH TO GO!!  Yeehaw!!  Bring it on!!

Have a terrific Tuesday and Happy Quilting!~P

Making It on Monday…

Here are a few snippets of what quilters are working on while at Heritage Quilting on Mondays..

Hazel has been busy appliqueing…this quilt is going to become a cherished wedding quilt when she is finished! Stunning!

Sandy was stitching this pillow closed and I BELIEVE it will be going under the tree for her daughter!  Very sweet!

Yup..Glynis whipped this Quilt top up in a matter of minutes and it is about to get ‘pinned’!  How cute is this!  Another quilt that will be going under wraps!

Jane’s Hexies were putting a ‘hex’ on me!  Love the fabrics in these!

DANG CUTE!!  This will be going into a row quilt…wool stockings…

…with needle felted tops!  Screaming SWEET!

More hand quilting…Yup…I’m loving this one too!

Most quilts and runners get their bindings stitched on while at Heritage…the perfect project for the perfect project!

And there are always big tables put up for this very purpose…pinning a quilt…getting it ready for either hand quilting or machine quilting!

These tables are in hot demand…get a number! 

And a close-up…all hand stitched!!  A beauty!

And of course there are plenty of quilters carrying their own creations…

A tumbler bag…

…filled with pockets and flaps!

And check out this one…Yowzers…lots of work in this one…but the attention to detail makes it unique and one of a kind!

Gorgeous!!

And this was our Block of the Month!  Magnificent!!  A block is presented (taught) at the beginning of the month…the rules are given…ie colours and technique and those wishing to participate can make a block. The blocks gets put it in a special box and a raffle ticket with the participant’s name goes into the Give Away bin.  If you make five blocks, you get five chances…and at the end of the month you might just win enough blocks to make a QUILT!! 

Who wouldn’t LOVE to win this gorgeous quilt?!  Major SCORE!!

So there you have it…SEW I wonder what the quilters will be working on today?  I better take my camera just in case!

Have a Making it kind of Monday and Happy Stitching!~P