Sunday Stash.

     Yesterday I was in my p.j.s until about 3:00pm.  This is because after I drank tea and read the papers I started quilting Leanne's table runner.  The day went like this:  quilt a bit...check emails...quilt a bit...do laundry...quilt a bit make lunch...quilt a bit.

     You might ask why I bothered to get dressed at 3:30pm but the thing is, it was such a nice day that I thought I should get out and enjoy it.  So I went for a walk which of course took me by my local quilt shop Greenwood Quiltery.  I was scoping out some fabric to use as a background for a quilt tutorial that Cynthia posted on her blog  Quilting is more fun than housework. I saw three possibilities .

     I didn't pick up anything this trip but I was there on Wednesday when I picked up these beauties.  (The quilt store is a 10 minute walk from my house.)

     These are the new Tula Pink mosaic fabrics and I love the gradation of colours in each fat quarter.  I also picked up this book by Gwen Marston.

 

     

     I'm on a bit of a Gwen Marston kick right now having just read my way through her book on Minimalism.  I've had a quick flip through this book and I've found my inspiration for using some of the bright solids I picked up in the spring.
I'm linking up with Sunday Stash on Molli's blog then I'm off to my sister in laws farm for Thanksgiving dinner.  Nothing says Thanksgiving more than a trip to the farm. Don't you think.

Fourth Quarter List

     I didn't post a third quarter list as I knew I wouldn't get a lot finished over the summer. I was pretty busy with blog hops and with projects for the comfort quilt program at my local guild.  
      I am however posting a 4th quarter list and I'm hopeful that I'll manage to finish everything on this list. First up is a table runner for my friend Leanne.  Here's a sneak peek.

     The second project is also a table runner but it's quite different.  It's the row by row project from Hyggelit Fabrics .  I couldn't resist this fun fabric, and I put it together with no one in mind.  I'll be practising my free motion quilting on this one.

          Third on the list is a group project that the Modern small group of my local guild is working on. It's a grey pick up sticks quilt  which will be donated to the comfort quilt program (you can read about that by clicking of the tab at the top of the page).   We've made enough blocks for two quilts and I'll be putting one of them together.   Here's a close up of one of my blocks.

    The fourth and final project on the list is my puppy quilt for the dog gone quilt along. This quilt along has been a lot of fun.  I'm planning to make a quilt with I'm thinking 12 blocks in total. Here's the gang so far!

      I'll be happy if I get these four things done...anything else will be a bonus.  I'm linking up with the 4th Quarter Finish Along hosted by Adrienne on the Windy Side and I'm also linking up to Lets Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts.

Pups Three and Four.

     This will be a quick post.  I'm pretty tired as I'm fighting off a cold after all my time away from home.  So I'm behind with the dog gone quilt along and I'm hoping to catch up this weekend.
     Here's pup three.

     And here is pup four.

     Here they are together.

     But wait.  One of these pups is not like the others.   I haven't decided yet if I'll take it apart and fix it.  I've been thinking this quilt will be good for counting and learning about colours...so maybe it will be o.k. to have a pup that's a little different.  I'll see how I feel about it when I get to the end.
Linking up with Lorna at Let's Bee Social

Playing With Improv

     Kaja of Sew Slowly and Ann of Fret Not Yourself are sharing a series of blog posts on improv quilting and today they are having a link up.  A couple of weeks ago Kaja shared this technique on her post Why Don't You Try This.  The gist of it was take a shape, make a nine patch with multiples of that shape, see where it takes you.

I decided to play along.  I went into my aqua scrap bin and found this piece of Anne Marie Horner fabric.

     I cut nine free hand (i.e.no ruler) squares , played around somewhat with the arrangement and settled on this.

     There is a silk pin on the left hand edge of the photo which gives you an idea of the size.  Then I started added things.  Sometimes switching the size and shape of the patch and sometimes switching the arrangement.

   Here's where I'm at so far.

     All but about two of the additional pieces have come from my aqua scrap bin.  Even the black stripe, as it is part of an unused block.  I've been working on this piece sporadically around other projects, adding a strip here and there as it tickles my fancy.  I love working like this.  It's very intuitive and freeing. Because there is no bigger plan and I'm using scraps I can play without stressing over the outcome.

     I've been using the back end of my rather large sewing table as a design surface.  It's the first thing I see when I go into the sewing room.  However it's also the first place the cat jumps up on the table. No worries.  He adds to the design process as he shuffles them around and knocks them on to the floor.  I'm linking up to AdHoc Improv Quilters (AHIQ)at Kaja's blog.

September Catch Up

     I've been doing quite a bit of sewing lately but it's been hard to find the time to write about it.  Here's a little catch up on some of what I've been doing.

    Eileen of Eileen in Stitches put out the call for blocks for a quilt she is making for her grandfather. She asked for blue and neutral blocks with stars as a theme and various possible sizes.  I made this eight pointed star block that finishes at 12 1/2".  I'll be putting it in the post tomorrow.  I hope it works well with the other blocks in your quilt Eileen.

     I've also been participating in the Meadow Mist Designs Midnight Mystery Quilt Along.  This month we are making square in a square blocks.  

     There are a couple of finished but untrimmed ones in the photo below along with last months flying geese blocks.

     At this point I'm thinking that this quilt is going to look like a big wedding cake, with white and pink icing.  We'll see how it progresses.  I'm glad that Cheryl is taking this quilt along slowly.  I'm not happy as a production quilter so I like to be able to work slowly on this around the other projects I am  working on.
     I'll be linking up late to Let's Bee Social when I return from my business meetings.  Life should settle down a little after that and I hope to share more sewing adventures moving in to the fall.

  

     

Pup One, Pup Two

   
      Today I'm sharing my progress on the dog gone quilt along blocks.

     May I introduce you to Pup One

     and Pup Two.

     These guys are the smaller size of the Dog Gone Cute quilt along that Lorna is running at Sew Fresh Quilts.  I'm having lots of fun making these blocks.  Some of the pieces are quite small but I'm liking the results. 

Here they are together.

 They are going to make one cute lap sized quilt.  I'll have to make extra puppies to get it to the size I want.

     The background fabric is quilters linen by Robert Kaufman which is 100 percent cotton but with a textured look to the fabric.  I've used it before in grey and I really love it.  So far the pups are made of scraps.  I'm planning on a rainbow of puppies.  

     I'll have to wait to share other things I have been working on because I'm off to my second meeting of this week.  This is my busy season at work, and my life is very full. On Saturday I'm at a trade show for the day and I'm spending Monday to Wednesday of next week in meetings in a neighbouring city.  

I'm linking up with Let's Bee Sewcial at Sew Fresh Quilts.

     

A Rather Slow Update

I went on a trip with my sister to Mexico last week!  It was a wonderful trip.  I can't even tell you the last time the two of us had time together alone. We spent a lot of time talking and catching up, a lot of time lolling on the beach...

     and a little bit of time doing aqua fit in the pool (1/2 hour a day), and we did a day trip to see the Mayan ruins at Tulum.

     I of course had high hopes that I would get lots of hand sewing done.  This is a sample of what I brought along.

     I managed to finish one complete star...

     and one blooper....

     This is what happens when I try to sew on a beach.  Too many distractions I guess.  I can see that I'll be doing some slow unsewing today, although I can see some possibilities for using these 2 1/2" diamonds for modern abstract designs based on this mistake.  Unfortunately I have more ideas than time.

     I linking up to Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday today and Jess's Star Count on Monday.