Do you like to Sew, Sister?

My spouse loves flowers and brings them home often, to decorate our table. This lovely stem of stargazer lilies graced our table in memory of his beloved Mother. We remember her with much love. The vase is a handpainted one that was given to me by Bruce's parents. I had always admired it and often saw it filled with gorgeous autumn foliage and flowers such as Sunflowers or daffodils.

The weather here in Alberta has turned colder and the snow arrived in a great flurry. The tree in our front yard is heavily laden with the white fluffy stuff. Today my school children stayed inside as we had a significant wind chill. It is beginning to look like Christmas in the neighbourhood and the snow certainly adds to the ambiance.

I have not had much time to quilt until the last few days, as my school work needed to take precedence over time for playing with fabric. I have missed my time at the machine, so it was nice to be able to quilt again. I still seem to be enthralled with the Sidelines pattern and chose some seasonal fabrics to make 3 more couch quilts. I am not sure where they will eventually live, but for now, I am just playing. One of the the three groupings is poinsettia fabrics. I love poinsettias. They were my wedding flowers and they always make me smile. I also love sunflowers and autumn leaves so it was really easy to choose these fabrics to showcase some beautiful floral and foliage designs. The fabrics are cut into the block units waiting for the strip sets to be added. This pattern really is suited to larger scale fabrics that you want to show off. 

In this image you can see the strip sets that form the outside borders of the various blocks. I have since cut the strips into the units ready to apply to the blocks. The colors in this photo are more accurate than the partially completed top below.

If you have visited before, you will know that we have a cat named Mars, who loves to play around my quilts. You can see she was feeling particularly friendly in this photo, and came to check out what I was doing. I have been piecing with my 1947 featherweight. It really is a gem of a machine and I am enjoying using it, even at home. It belonged to a friend who no longer was using it. We were able to strike a deal and I have been pleased with the results from it. As it only weighs 12 pounds, the featherweight is great for carrying to a workshop or evening class. I still use my Elna Quilter's Dream for  the final finishings of my quilts. I have my Babylock quilting machine for the actual machine quilting.

 After an evening of quilting, the strips are altogether and this is what the base of the quilt looks like without the borders. I am not sure why it has an orange cast because it really is red and green, traditional Christmas colors. I think I will add some of the lighter centers with more white, as a stop border, followed by some more poinsettias fabrics for an outside frame border. It will make a lovely Christmas quilt, don't you think?

This week Sew Sisters Shop in Toronto is sponsoring a Canadian bloghop. I am enjoying visiting some of my Canadian Sew Sisters on their creative journeys. If you would like to check out some other Canadian bloggers, click on the Sew Sister's button on the top right hand side. Their are two hostesses from each province and prizes to be won from each of their blogs, that were provided by Sew Sisters shop.

You may want to check out The Sew Sisters on line shop in Toronto if you are looking for fabrics. I have always been pleased from the prices and selection that I have found there, when I visited their on line shop.

I have reached my 150th post. Blogging has introduced me to some wonderful quilt friends from around the globe. I have appreciated your interest and comments over the years. Thanks for taking the time to be part of my quiltng and blogging journey.

Some of you will be celebrating American Thanksgiving on Thursday- I hope it is a terrific holiday with some opportunities for some great family times for my American friends.

Until next time, I wish you good health and the opportunity to go on your own quilting journey.

Warmest regards,
Anna