Thursday, January 12, 2017

My first finish for 2017

Here we are well into the New Year and I am only now getting around to posting . Life can be busy at times . I trust you all had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New year,  we enjoyed a wonderful visit from our son and family which makes any holiday that much more special .
 I have been busy sewing , some I can't share as it is secret and some I simply haven't taken photos of but I can share this finish with you . In 2015 Kaaren Johnston of the Painted Quilt challenged us to QAL with her in a mystery quilt . The first set of blocks was all I needed to see , they were house blocks and I love house blocks so I decided to take on this challenge and I am so glad I did . My plan was to only use what I had on hand and I did manage to do that quite nicely,  you see I own a lot of scraps and I figured this was a great way to use some of those up . Well I can't honestly say it made much of a dent but every little bit helps and I have a nice quilt as a result.
I finished sewing on the binding on Sunday during a snow storm . I prepared it on Saturday incase we lost power I would have some handwork to do . Well we didn't loose power thankfully but I enjoyed being wrapped up in this quilt as I stitched away . Lynda Campbell in Mabou machine quilted this for me in the fall but I never got around to sewing the binding on until now . Thanks Kaaren for a great pattern , I really enjoyed making it .
 I have so many projects on the go right now,  I am not sure if I am coming or going.  Our guild is doing a BOM which I have been coordinating so I have to stay on top of the blocks each month.  Well this week I decided I would finish off all 20 blocks so I can concentrate on getting them hand quilted . You see I am doing a quilt as you go method I have never tried before . I hate using a hoop so am basting then quilting each one . We shall see how this all turns out.  Here is a block I just prepped , pinned and basted for extra security 😉
This is Martha Washington Star from Quilters Cache,  a lovely block.  Sorry the photo is not the best , it is dark here right now.
I am also finishing off a challenge I undertook with Darlene of Needle Pulling Thread quilt shop in Digby , this was a star a week for 52 weeks . I loved making these little 6"blocks , I usually hate repeating things but for some reason this was never a problem with the Stars.  So now that I have 52 stars the biggest challenge came with how to make the best use of them . I have a plan and I started working on that plan today but won't be showing you until I get a little further along .
 I will let you go for now and I thank you for taking the time to stop by , I promise it won't be as long before I post again . Let's make 2017 the best most creative year ever!
Hugs Sheila

20 comments:

  1. Sheila, your house blocks quilt looks wonderful! A finish is a great start to a new year. I wish I would catch a sewing bug and get back to my quilt that has gone dormant for a year now. Too many hobbies!

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  2. Love how your mystery quilt turned out - sadly mine sits waiting for several borders. Quilter's Cache is a treasure trove.

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  3. Hi Sheila wow i love your house quilt and your block looks amazing,well done my friend.

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  4. Your mystery quilt is so lovely.... and great to have a finish in the first couple of weeks....
    Keep warm... take care...
    Hugz

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  5. A gorgeous Mystery finish - just love it!

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  6. That turned out beautifully. I love the offset geese around the edge of it.

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  7. Great quilt! It sounds like you're super busy! What a great idea to hand work prepped in case of a power outage. We've had a few cold days here, but not much snow yet. And that's okay with me. I love star blocks, so I can't wait to see what you do with them.

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  8. Well done Sheila. I do love the house quilt especially the light coloured border. Might have to try that one. I'd like to see how you do your QAYG.

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  9. I adore your mystery quilt! You did such a great job. You just may have inspired me to do this one too. Like you, I love the house blocks in the centre!

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  10. Love your warm and snuggly house quilt, Sheila! Best wishes to you for a wonderful 2017 filled with peace and love.

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  11. Wishing you a wonderful 2017.
    Looks like you've make a great start finishing the House Quilt and getting all the BOM blocks all ready..

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  12. Hello Sheila. Well your quilt is beautiful - I love the colours and everything. So glad you have it finished. I am interested in your quilt as you go. I have some NON blocks that need making up but the thought of tackling another huge quilt in my little machine is putting me off. I have never done quilt as you go so am looking for a good method to follow so please let me know how you get on. xx

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  13. Happy New Year to you Sheila! I love your first finish for 2017..... it is funny but I always find that quilts that are supposed to be 'great for using up scraps' seem to add to my scrap box!! Your BOM project looks great too! Christine x

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  14. Sheila, your mystery quilt is stunning! No wonder to took part so quickly...I just love your earthy colors, too. Have fun with the QAYG blocks. I've done it once...was fun. I need to do that again!

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  15. How beautiful Sheila! Congrats - it's a wonderful finish to start the New Year 🎉

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  16. Beautiful quilt. Love it. Love the BOM project. Hugs,xx

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  17. Happy Creative Year Sheila!! Well done on the beautiful house quilt finish! So good to be able to just sew from scraps - very satisfying :-) I love the star you have made too, it's a favourite of mine. Happy quilting :-)

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  18. Well done on your first finish for the year, it is beautiful! Lovely star block...
    Enjoy your quilting as you go will make the finish a bit easier I imagine.
    Happyncrafting

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  19. Lovely first finish Shelia. I think our scraps multiply while we are not looking .... or a little goes a long way. Happy stitching
    Annette

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  20. The mystery quilt is gorgeous and I'm loving the new block.

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