This is what I did today !

 Have you ever tried Free Motion Quilting , well today I had the priviledge to take part in a free motion quilting workshop with Deb Plestid who is a wonderful fibre artist and an extremely good instructor . We had a choice of subjects to work on and I chose this grided picture that when done shows the lilies . I am REALLY new to this so was rather slow and I  am far from finished but to tell you the truth my back couldn't take any more ;-)
 Opps I see the photo is upside down and the lighting is rather poor as well but you can get the general idea of what we did . The first thing we did was draw the grid and sew around that to stablize everything then we went around the lilies before starting the different types of designs of free motion . Oh it was fun but man I need LOTS of practise!!

 Here are a couple of close ups , that is rather dangerous as it will show you just how inexperienced I am with this work but hey you have to start somewhere right ;-) Those blocks in the corner really were a challenge for me , my brain just couldn't get around that square the right way , it did get better by the time I got to the last one but they are far from perfect . The pebbles were rather easy compared to those squares and well my squiggly lines could have been more squiggly but I know I can improve on that one .
 

This is the last section I worked on , the little chicken feet , they were kind of fun and not too difficult but again I could definitely improve with some practise .  Lots more to do but not today , it will be  a little easier here at home at my own sewing table with more space and  everything in reach ,however I sure enjoyed my day and would take this class again as there is lots I didn't get to try and I'd like to have Deb close by to give me some direction as to how these different stitches are achieved .
 How did you spend your day ? Thanks so much for stopping by .
 hugs Sheila

All of my crazy quilting blocks!

Just thought you might like to see how many crazy blocks I have made now , I have separated them into two possible quilts , the lighter shades and the darker blocks so I think I will make at least five more of the light and will see how that looks before I decide how many dark I will need .
I also want to say how devasting the news is for the southern states , all those lives lost and the devastation is unreal , it is heart wrenching to say the least . My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this terrible disaster .
hugs Sheila

Crazy Quilting Friday and a Finish

This week I made two blocks to make up for last week and I really love both of them, both softer colors in spring shades . Thanks to Betsy of Quilting Fiesta for hosting this event each week , why don't you join us!
  I also finished this cute little bag a pattern byAtkinson Designs called Zippy Strippy , such fun to make and so cute . My friend Linda was kind enough to share her bali prints for this bag and they sure are gorgeous ! Thanks so much Linda you're so kind. I can see me making more of these as they would make lovely gifts .

 Tomorrow I am off to a workshop ,what kind of workshop you might be asking , well it is a Free Motion Machine Quilting workshop , this is a whole new ballgame for me, I have done some very simple free motion but nothing like we are going to attempt tomorrow ,however we have a really tremendous instructor , Deb Plestid who is a very talented quilt artist as well as an accomplished free motion quilter so I know we are in good hands and will learn lots . I have to double check to see that I have everything I need and get myself up early to get there and get set up before the class ,don't want to be late .

 Have yourself a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by.

 Hugs Sheila

One Christmas Item a month

This month I finished this redwork for the Christmas Item of the month .I really enjoy doing redwork and this pattern was a free download from Kaaren of the Painted Quilt ,if you have never visited her blog you really should it is so interesting, she is so talented and so willing to share her gifts of creativity ,check out the list for Friday Freebies ,lots of great patterns .
Thanks to Narelle for hosting the one Christmas item a month and to see more creative projects check here on Narelle's blog for the list of those participating this month .

I managed to make the Henrietta Whiskers block for this month still need to add some eyes and some embroidery for the pumpkins but the rest is finished , these are such fun blocks and I am using up some scraps to make this so it is a win win situation. I had good reason for not getting much sewing done on the weekend , we had visitors , the very best kind , our youngest son Chad and his family . It was wonderful to have Nila and Elise for a couple of days they sure fill the house with joy and laughter .  I love having them around ,it is non stop fun ;-) I hope you had a wonderful Easter as well , thanks so much for stopping by .

hugs Sheila

Brown Bag Challenge

In February I showed you a sneak peak of the project I was making for a Brown Bag challenge that our quilt guild was having .Those who participated placed three to four fat quarters in a brown lunch bag with just your name inside so the person who recieved it would know who they would be making something for , this was to be kept a secret until last evening when we had our April meeting  The runner on my design wall is what I made for my partner Marlene ,this pattern was designed by Kim Van Rossum of Harbour Quilt Company here in Nova Scotia .

I was very pleased , no excited to open my brown bag when  it was revealed that Anne had worked on my Brown Bag fabrics and here is what she made , isn't it just gorgeous . I mean wow I was thrilled to say the least and it has a nice spring look so will be placed on my table for Easter .Thank you so much Anne I love it!!!!

I almost forgot to mention that last night at the meeting I won these scissors by Scissor Lite, they are pretty cool as they light up so even if the power goes off now I can continue to cut ;-)  As a fund raiser each month we have something to sell tickets on and these scissors were actually donated by one of our very kind members Carolyn . The funny thing was last night I was doing the  program and my talk was on the ergonomics of sewing and how important it is to use the correct height for your sewing table or desk as well as  your  seating position when sewing to avoid stress on the body and along with those facts the tools we use should also be ergonomic and these scissors are perfect as the handle is ergonomic . Needless to say I was thrilled to win and I went home with a beautiful new table topper and a nice pair of scissors .

Since this is Easter weekend I want to wish each and everyone a very Blessed and Happy Easter . I will not have a crazy quilt block tomorrow since it is Good Friday but will make two next week to make up . Thanks so much for stopping by and have yourself a wonderful day .

hugs Sheila

update on pincushion RR

I have added a parasol and some flowers along with a butterfly button to Dee Dee's pincushion base and now I will send it on to Sandi so she can do her magic . I am enjoying this little swap and I hope what I add to each pincushion will be appealing to the owner . I thought since I am talking about working with wool I would share some wool projects I have done in the past , I really love to work with wool and don't do it often enough .

This is the first penny rug I made , all with recycled wool and I just love it , it has an old fashioned feel to it .

This one I made for my Mother for her birthday one year , two years ago I believe and I quite like this pattern .
Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.
 hugs Sheila

Crazy Quilting Friday

Before I show you the crazy blocks for this week I want to ask you , have you ever been to the Garden of Eden ? Well that is where I was early this morning which explains why I am a little later posting today . Would you like to see a picture of the Garden of Eden , well here you are , now this scene is much prettier when the leaves are on the trees and the grass is green and the lake is calm and glimmering in the sun but this is what it looked like this morning around 8:30 am. These are not the best pictures of this area but it was cold and I took these from the car window  you can see the mirror in this  shot ;-)

Now to get to the Garden of Eden you have to drive through Blue Mountain ,what a strange name you say , well if you were here in August you would understand as the fields are blue with blueberries ,blueberries grow really well in Nova Scotia as we have very acidic soil . Here is what the fields look like now , I love this color , it is gorgeous . As you can see there is still some snow in the mountains but it is almost gone .  So that is how I started my day with a quick trip to the Garden ,just lovely!

Once I got home I started at my crazy block , I usually try to get that made on Thursday but I was too busy yesterday and didn't get it made ,however I did manage to get two made this morning , wasn't planning on doing two but I was on a roll , had the fabric before me so just kept going . Did some fancy stitches but they will need more ,however it is time to do a little work here , you know , keep ahead of the dust bunnies , I'd rather be sewing but somethings must be taken care of . Thanks to Betsy of Quilting Fiesta for hosting this event , why not join us . Enjoy your day and hope you enjoyed your visit to the garden .

Sorry for the way these photos are arranged can't seem to get things to cooperate .

Its a mystery!

  I can finally show you the mystery quilt top , now there needs to be borders sewn on yet but I had to share this with someone , if you only knew the frustration this quilt has caused me and how much I hated it at the end . There is far too much work in this quilt for me , I think I will be making small projects for a while just to give my brain a break ;-0 It is far from perfect , lots of places those points don't match up as well as I'd like but at this point I really have to say it  doesn't matter ,the main thing is I stuck with it and finished it . This project was something our quilt guild did and every quilt shown to date is so beautiful and so different , for those who love a challenge they sure got their wish and for those who love to finish projects in a reasonable amount of time , well they didn't get their wish in my humble opinion but the end result is worth it I guess . Sorry if this sounds like I am complaining because I am actually doing a happy dance right now after many hours of sewing and many bobbins of thread ;-)

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day .

 hugs Sheila

A Tisket A Tasket

I completed the Tisket a Tasket top , found sashings and borders I liked so got those cut and sewn yesterday and sewed the last two borders on this morning and I love it .I have no idea what I will do with this but it sure feels good to have finished it , well not quite as it will need to be quilted and bound but at least the top is complete . This pattern was a Bunny Hill BOM for 2009 and is no longer available as a free pattern but there is another wonderful BOM for this year called Henrietta Whiskers so if you are interested just click on the icon on the left sidebar and it will take you there , it is really cute and a new block has just been posted so you still have time to catch up . I have decided that this year I will do the BOM by machine rather than needleturn applique as I will likely finish it on time ;-) Now it is back to the mystery quilt , I am actually making great progress on that now so will hopefully show a completed top real soon ,crossing fingers and toes :-) Have a great day and thanks for stopping by . hugs Sheila

Crazy Quilting Friday

I have three blocks to show this week , since I was sick last week and didn't get one made decided to see what I could accomplish this week and as you will see these blocks have most of the same fabrics in them . These scraps are from a container I have been using for the  Bunny Hill BOM for 2009" A Tisket a Tasket" and I finished off the last block for that last night , yeah!!

You will see that I used lace and tatting in two blocks and the third I just did some fancy stitches over some of the seams .I definitely prefer the lace so I am going to have to start looking for some nice lace for these blocks as I have pretty much deleted my Aunt Mammie's supply :-(  I still have a little of the tatting but just small pieces so Ill have to go to a few yard sales this summer ,oh what a shame ;-) Thanks to Betsy of Quilting Fiesta for hosting this weekly event ,why not join us!

Here are my Tisket a Tasket blocks , I will need to find some fabric now for sashing and forgive me for the poor picture but they are spread out on my cutting table and it was the best I could do at the time .Once I get the sashings on I can show you a better picture .I love this little quilt ,such fun little blocks and even though it took me much longer to get them done than it should have I am happy to have stuck with it and finished them .

 Have yourself a wonderful Friday and I hope the sun is shining where ever you  are ,I do believe we are going to see some sun today :-)

Thanks for stopping by. Hugs Sheila

Mabou Mines

I have completed the landscape quilt of Mabou Mines in Cape Breton, I am ok with it but I may have done a couple of things differently but that is how you learn and it was fun trying !
Lovely sunny day today , very spring like ,sure makes a person feel good ;-) Thanks for stopping by . hugs Sheila

I'm back :-)

I am happy to say I am feeling much better , it was a VERY long week but as with most everything this too has passed and for that I am extremely thankful . Now I wouldn't want to try to do too much as my energy level is still very low but at least I feel human again . To get myself back into the swing of things I decided to try another landscape and this is how far I got .There is still plenty to do to make this look decent but I wanted to show you my preliminary scene before I add any thread painting and a border ,the border is always the challenge for me with this landscapes . The scene is one I took way back in the 70's in Mabou Mines Cape Breton and it has always been in the back of my mind to do this in a landscape , well years ago I wanted to paint it but since I no longer do any painting other than with fabric I decided to go it a whirl . I'd never added a house before so that took some thought but I think it looks ok , what do you think? Thanks so much for all the well wishes they were really appreciated and it feels so wonderful to be back . Thanks for stopping by . hugs Sheila