Happy Birthday, Heritage Quilt Guild!

The Cowichan Valley Heritage Quilters' Guild turned twenty-five years old this year... SEW...of course we had to celebrate!  We had an old fashion tea party complete with china tea cups, fancy sandwiches and dainties!  An invitation was posted in the local paper inviting any past members or interested parties to come and help us celebrate!  Of course quilts were hanging...mostly heritage quilts... and historical displays and photo albums were everywhere!  It was a walk down memory lane and we all loved it!

So here are a few of those wonderful old quilts...

This quilt hangs whenever we want to advertise who we are!!

                 

Loved this old shirt quilt...complete with worn patches.  That obviously means that it is well loved and a family favourite!

I also loved this faded beauty!  So soft and wonderful!

Put the teacup DOWN before taking a picture!!

There were also a few signature quilts made many years ago.

                           

 There was a special tribute to this incredible quilter!  Gladys' exquisite hand quilting still lives on in her magnificent quilts!

Check out Gladys' Whole Cloth quilt...AMAZING!!  This is not a stamped piece of fabric...Gladys drew her own design onto the fabric and then hand stitched it with the smallest most precise stitches!

 This is another of Gladys' quilts!  Is it any wonder that every year Heritage gives out a special award at the Cowichan Exhibition for Excellence in Hand Quilting in Gladys' honour!  It's called the Glady Shumka Award!

 This year there was a quilting Challenge put out to the Heritage members...They were asked to make a small quilt commemorating Heritage's birthday...and it had to have something SILVER on it!

 Aren't they wonderful!  All so different and unique!

 I forgot to take pictures of the food tables but as you probably already know...we quilters DO know how to EAT, drink and be merry!!  A good time was DEFINITELY had by all!  Here's to the next twenty-five years!!  Oh...the quilts that will be stitched!

Have a wicked Wednesday and Happy Quilting!~P

Wanna see....?

...what colour binding I finally put on my 'Winter Trees' quilt? 

Believe me, I tried every colour in this quilt...BUT...only one colour gave me that 'Ahhhh-Hah Moment'....you know where THAT music plays in your head and you go "Oh YES!"

Yup...it was this yucky green fabric!  :o)))

When I was making this quilt I had envisioned a RED binding...I thought it would pop the trees...but it was like wearing too much jewelry!  Just way TOO MUCH!!  The trees popped without the binding...

This quilt must have been on my sewing room floor for THREE days...I left it with all the colours going around the quilt...and every day I went "Yup...GREEN"!  Just to make sure...

Yesterday I cut out the binding and stitched her on...YUP, it was meant to be!  Subtle is sometimes better!  A single strand of pearls is often all you need...(if you know what I mean...)

So now I will hand stitch the binding down.  I was also going to go in and BIG Stitch between the rows...but she just doesn't need it!  She really doesn't...  Sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone!

Hope you have a SUNNY Sunday and Happy Stitching to YOU!~P

A 'Ruff' Day!

I had a 'ruff' day yesterday...

...making dogs!  'Dog Daze' is a FREE pattern put out by Fons and Porter and you can find the link to the pattern HERE!  These dogs are fast and easy and FUN to make!  

Speaking of FUN...it's FRIDAY already!  Another week that went by in the blink of an eye!  Hope your Friday is FUN and that you can carve out a little time for some stitching along the way!~P

The BAG Lady...

Yesterday was my lucky day!!  I became The BAG LADY over at Crazy 'Bout Quilting Blog!  Sandie was sponsoring a Hobo Bag Give Away...and I WON!!  Here's a picture of the bag...

I love the buckle closing and the buckles on the straps...and the contrasting colours and it's the perfect size!

This bag is a "Handmade by Mrs. H Design" and it is gorgeous!  If you go to Samantha's blog, Handmade by Mrs. H Blog,  you can see several examples of this bag...each one unique and quite lovely!  Here is just one sample...

                                      

Yup...I am one lucky Bag Lady!  If you want to be a Bag Lady too just go HERE to order your pattern!  It looks easy to make...it really does!

Thank YOU, Samantha and Sandie!  I love this bag and am now on the hunt for the perfect fabrics and buckles!  Oh...I do love a good hunt!

Have a thrilling Thursday and Happy Stitching!~P

A Day Spent Thrifting

Yesterday my friend, Dorothy and I spent a lovely day mooching around the Thrift Shops in Nanaimo!  We didn't hit them all, as there are just too many, but the ones we did go to were wonderful and we both came away with treasures!  And of course we stopped for a lovely lunch!

My BIG find was this iron...

I broke my small applique iron. :o((  It was a small, modern, light weight iron that I bought when I was down south. I loved the small size and the pointed nose but it was so light I had to lean my whole body into it and eventually the handle cracked!  When I picked up this one I KNEW we had a match made in heaven.  It's small, with a pointy nose and it weighs a ton...well maybe not a ton but compared to the last one, this is a bruiser!
                                                     
 She is clean too...look at the plate...no pits, scratches, rust...or ANYTHING!  The cord is also pristine!

                                      

And the price was right!  Come to Mama!  I now have a new applique iron!  I use the Starch Method for turning under the edges of the applique pieces, so I don't want steam...I just want small, pointy nose and weight...oh and as a bonus, she is HOT stuff!  That's also a good thing!:o)

My other 'Find' from this summer's Garage Saling was this Tool Kit...it was NEW...(still had the tags hanging) and was spotless inside...PERFECT for taking to retreats, clubhouse, Heritage, RV...where ever I go!  It also has a handy handle AND a shoulder strap!

 And look at all these pockets to help me stay organized!

 Even a side pocket to slide my rulers!  Can you see the corner poking out in the right hand corner of the bag?  PERFECT!  I think this bag was designed by a woman...a quilting woman!

Yup...lots of room...lots of pockets...

And plenty of space for my project and fabric!

And the price....$5.00!!

"START THE CAR!!  START THE CAR!!"

It's a gorgeous day here on our beautiful island so that means YARD WORK today!  Ugh!  It's a dirty job but someone's got to do it...it's time to get the garden ready for winter.  While raking and clipping, I will be dreaming of future quilts and which UFO to attack next!  What about you...is your yard ready for winter?  Or are you heading for your sewing room...to put in a few hours of sweat and toil...yup it's a rough life!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday and Happy Stitching/Gardening...or whatever you're doing this fine day!!  ENJOY!

Must Love Dogs...

These paper pieced mutts are for all the dog lovers out there....

Meet Mo...

And Allie...

The first two blocks in a whole kennel of dogs...

I know...this blog is going to the DOGS!!

Wishing you a 'woof-ly' day! And Happy Stitching!~P

Machine Quilting Organic Lines...???

Organic Line Quilting...aka... wonky 'straight' lines aren't as easy to stitch as they may seem...especially when your machine isn't working with you!  I had a heck of a time with the Pfaff Grand Quilting midarm!  UGH!  My thread kept fraying (my needle thread)...and for no reason that I could figure out!  I got out my list of trouble shooters...yes, it has done this before but not for a long, long while!  Just long enough time to pass for me to forget about the pain and frustration of it all...(those of you who are mothers can relate to THIS...haha)

I did everything...some twice and three times...changed the needle, adjusted the tension , rethreaded the whole machine more times than I can remember, cleaned and oiled under and around everything, adjusted my rails...even got out the level to make sure the quilt wasn't wonky and was perfectly level!!  The only thing that remained the same was my thread...I was down to my last cone of SO FINE! (Superior) off white...the only kind of thread my Pfaff enjoys eating!  I was down to the last quarter of the quilt when the machine started performing...Hallelujah!  What a difference it makes when you can concentrate on the actual stitching rather than watching the machine stop and start, stop and start, stop and start...*&$#! Yup there was lots of that going on too!  BUT like childbirth...all the pain is forgotten...POOF!  And you are left with your baby to cuddle and stoke...and admire!  SOOOO cute!!  Yes, she has all her fingers and toes, no folds or wrinkles...certainly not perfect but she is all mine to love and cherish!  Come to mama!

I was worried how the Minkie would look with straight line quilting...love it!  I think the secret is to stitch in one direction, then return in the opposite.  That way there is less stretching.  

 And some close-ups...

The quilt finished at 66" X  89"...or there abouts!

                           

Now for the binding (I'm thinking red but I will audition other colours too :o)... and definitely some BIG hand stitching, to go here and there!  I can't wait to do that!

Hey, is it Saturday ALREADY?!!  Gawd, September is whizzing by!  I better get out and see what kind of mischief I can get into today!  Got any suggestions...?! :o))

Have a super Saling Saturday and Happy Quilting!~P

Jen Kingwell

While at Road to California, not last year but the year before, I stumbled into a 'Modern' booth looking for Tula Pink fabric for my quilting daughter...well...the lady at the till was working on the most exquisite quilt...It was lovely...all deliciously scrappy...and her choice of fabrics gave it such life and texture...and yet it appeared to be vintage...It was a traditional design but yet it had (dare I say it) a modern twist!  Of course I had to ask the lady the name of the pattern...and we talked about her choice of fabrics...(I have kicked myself so many times for not asking the lady for a picture of her work in progress!)  But it was here that my love for Jen Kingwell and her wonderful designs began!

For those of you who may not 'know' Jen Kingwell, let me give you bit of a background....she is an Australian quilter/pattern and fabric designer/quilt shop owner/author/teacher!  Yup, she wears MANY quilting hats!  If you're not familiar with her quilts then you NEED to hurry over to AbyQuilts Blog.  May (aka Aby)  just completed a weekend workshop with Jen and talk about inspiration!  Her blog posts are FULL of incredible eye candy...a trunk show of Jen's quilts!...You really MUST visit!

Anyway... May's posts made me realize that I need to break open the seal to my Gardenvale Charm Pack...yes, this is Jen Kingwell's fabric line and I borrowed the perfect die to cut it out with!  (Thanks Jane!)  I am teaming Jen's fabric up with Zen Chic 'Paper'...yup, this traditional quilter is going Vintage Modern! haha

'Gardenvale' by Jen Kingwell...yum!

Team up Jen's 'Gardenvale' with 'Paper' and the Drunkard Path die....

'Paper' by Zen Chic will be the perfect neutral...I... 'errrr... mean the perfect 'low volume' mate!  When in Rome...

If you would like to see more Jen Kingwell quilts then check out my Pinterest Board titled 'Jen Kingwell Designs'..and be inspired!!

Hey, while writing this I discovered that Jen and I have a lot more in common besides quilting...we both have three incredible daughters and we are both married to Richards...we both live on islands, we both love chocolate and we both worked with children in our 'other' lives...OK that's a bit of a stretch....Jen birthed babies and I taught them to read!  :o)) And WHO doesn't love chocolate?!  Life is good!

Have a FUN Friday and Happy Stitching!~P

I'm Losing It!

I wish my camera would TELL me when I have forgotten to put in the camera card!  Yesterday I went to Nanaimo with Claire.  We, of course, hit every fabric shop between here and there...and I, of course, took pictures...GREAT PICTURES....yup, I snapped away... only to discover this morning, that my camera card was missing!  Errrr...I hate that!

I was going to show you pictures of the Snip and Stitch Quilt Shop...they had new quilts up by Kim Diehl, a great Majestic Mountains (very similar to Bonnie Hunter's version) and a stunner appliqued quilt by Edyta Sitar!  DARN!  They also had 25% off the whole store!

SEW...what I CAN show you is what I bought...:o))

I found Minkie fabric that I could afford to buy... without having to mortgage the house!  It was regularly $17.50 a metre (unheard of to be that cheap!)...plus 25% off!  SCORE!!  I wanted something soft and cozy on the back of the Winter Trees Quilt...and this is perfect!  Go ahead...reach into the screen and touch it!  Soft...eh!

I also bought a Janome Quilting in the Ditch Foot.  My quilting daughter has been raving about her's and she was shocked that mama didn't own one.  She uses it all the time and with great results...and now mama has one to play with too!

And bonus..it fits my machine and it was 25% off!  SCORE!

 And I scored some 'low volume' fabric (who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks:o) aka...neutral fabric... for my 'low volume stash', plus more purple to add to the baby quilt fabric!

So all in all, not a bad haul for my SECOND fabric shopping trip this week!  Yikes!  I better stay home today...and SEW!  Now THAT'S a novel idea!! haha

Have a thrilling Thursday and Happy Quilting!~P