Progress ....

Kaleidoscope completed in the late spring of 2009. I am a big fan of Ricky Timms and this Kaleidoscope was made using his technique. It was fun to make- not as complicated as it looks and you get the most fantastic designs with it. I would love to make another one but other patterns beckon too..

I have been trying to post for the last few days but my computer woes continue on my own computer and the photos that I took to update my August progress disappeared. So now I have retaken the photos (I damaged the large photo chip as well:O( Finally, I can show you some pictures of the borders on the quilts.

Over the summer I hoped to get a star quilt made,and a star wallhanging finished.(You can see the completed quilts in a recent post)

When August came, I decided to get in on Kim's challenge. I finished the star pieces and then planned to get three other larger quilt tops to the(flimsie stage)completed.


Winding Ways with the 3 added borders.

. The trip around the world couch quilt- It is the second version of this quilt and is a completed flimsie.
Here is the 99 blocked king sized wonky tiles with its framed blue border...

I have met these goals and still have a few days to spare... Wahooo!!
The only problem now is, that I made new goals and have added to the list.VBG Now I want to quilt these three quilts and get some baby quilts made too...

Oh and there is also the slasher quilt to consider... and how many days are left until I am back teaching...... Five .... my list may need some modification as I have other things that are planned as well to do before I go back to my classroom on Monday... Too many plans and not enough time HMMMMMMM

Thanks to all of you who responded to the slasher question- I received lots of interesting ideas and suggestions as to how I might change my quilt. Many of you thought I could applique something on the background while others encouraged me to try out slashing. Here is what I have done so far.
In the end, I wasn't brave enough to be a true slasher though I did cut across the middle block. I chose to stay with the straight lines. My next step will be to add another small green stop border and then will frame it with the framed black leaf fabric. I am taking it one step at a time and seeing how I like the additions- I did contemplate adding a piece of black leaves going either vertical and diagonal across the horizontal added leaves. When I tried laying it in those directions it didn't seem to add anything to the quilt.
I may still applique some floating leaves across the green and red pieces. It is an ever changing project and I am not finished yet- I guess it is my WIP...

Now my other news this week- I have been a very fortunate lady this summer and been declared the winner in some giveaways.
Last week I received a pattern from Toni called Woodstock. She is from Australia and makes very fun patterns. It is a lovely flowered pattern and she has another very cute pattern giveaway with Bears. It is a wonderful children's pattern- if you love bears you are going to want to enter to win this pattern.

Natima chose my name and I was the fortunate winner of a handmade journal and magazine from Australia. I love handmade things that others have made- it is a special thing to do for someone else.

Rosa, a fellow Canadian from the east coast chose my name in her surprise giveaway. She has sent me questions about my likes/dislikes and has put my name up in lights. I have never had my name up in lights on a sunflower billboard- I am honored to win her giveaway. Rosa has a very fun blog and is a keen quilter. Do check it out..

Then if this was not overwhelming enough, I was given some patterns from Julie who gave away 45 patterns to a number of quilters. It was a sweet thing to do Julie. I know that all the quilters are going to enjoy using your patterns.

By now I am totally gobsmacked by these gifts and my blog friend Gran emails me and tells me that I won her giveaway- fair and square. It is some wonderful 30's fabrics and fall fabrics.Gran is a beautiful embroiderer and has recently started her own website.

A very big Thank you to all of you for your generosity and kindness. I am more than a little embarassed by all these wins- Perhaps I should go out and buy a lottery ticket...

Now I want to let you know about some great giveaways happening in blogland- There are a large number of them just now... You just never know what might happen- you could win some very cool things and meet some wonderful new blog friends.

Kellie has made a beautiful tree quilt. She is a pattern designer and has created a quilt that she is giving away The tree quilt is exquisite and beautifully quilted. Do check it out!!!

sweet treats Is a blog that Rosa introduced on her blog- The sweets and treats are so yummy looking....

Elaine is having a civil war fabric giveaway. Do you like civil war fabrics? She has a really great blog too.

Lurline has some gorgeous Regency fabrics that are reproductions from the mid 1800's> The fabrics are such interesting colors- not your typical ones from that time period.

Khris is a doll maker and she is having a giveaway of an Annie doll. One of the things she has asked the people entering her giveaway is to send postcards from where they live.

Sheree is having a big giveaway of lots of interesting fabric and quilter's tools. It is really lovely prize for someone.

Heather is a wonderful pattern designer who is giving away a quilt. It is truly stunning to look at. Do go and check out her beautiful giveaway.

Kim continues to clean out her sewing area and has been parting with some fabrics,patterns and books. Kim has encouraged others to take part in her challenge. She has finished some lovely pieces and celebrates the accomplishments of others. I know you will find her blog an entertaining read.

Thank you to one and all for your generosity- it is a testament to the kindness and thoughtfulness of the quilters out in blogland.

I had a wonderful visit from my aunt Jan on Tuesday. She brought me a wonderful vase with sweetpeas in it, that had belonged to my grandmother. She also gave me a large photo of my great grandparents on their wedding day. We shared a day of laughter and memories of things gone by. She and my mother are great collectors of family photos and stories and are the genealogy afficiandos.

Genealogy is like a big jigsaw puzzle- the more things you find out - the more questions you start to ask- Do you have other hobbies that you enjoy exploring besides quilting?

Today I am off to lunch with a dear friend. I will go and do some work at school in the morning - the last days of summer vacation promise to be full. Thursday I will go and spray baste my quilts together so that I can begin quilting them. I also hope to get some baby wraps cut out so that I can get them quilted. I may have to make a quilt time schedule so I can continue to be productive in the quilting department. Some quilters set aside an hour a day to quilt- perhaps that will be my fall goal. A girl needs to play as well as work - balance between the two is a neverending challenge. How do you find enough time to quilt?

Wishing you good health and good times as the seasons change.
Happy quilting,
Warmest regards,
Anna

Would you slash it... or can this quilt be saved??

I have been playing with a few ideas as to how to improve this red and green quilt-
Some ways that have come to mind are to take it apart in places and add some leaf fabric in the main body( sorry, I have no new photos to add today) or just add the leaf outside border and then applique some leaves across the body of the quilt.( I did look at Christmas fabric for it but I only have one alternative that I didn't like as well as the leaf fabric.)

Then a blog friend Robyn from Daisy Quilt suggested another alternative- I could slash it..(Click on Robyn's name and you will find out more about slashing quilts)

Now I am not sure I have it in me to slash one of my quilts, but I am considering it... It is certainly out of my comfort zone but not an impossible alternative... Hmmmmmmm

My wonky tiles quilt has grown into its king sized form- it has gone from 48 to 99 blocks and now has the borders on it( I may add one more two inch border yet) and then the top will be finished.

I went and got backing for the "Wonky Tiles" other day- You need a lot of fabric for the back (about 9 meters). I don't usually buy 9 meters of fabric and our local Fabricland(sort of like Joanne's)had a 50% off sale so I found what I was looking for backing. I will be spray basting it one day later this week once I get the borders on a couple of other quilts so that I can do it all at once.

And now for some blogs who are hosting Giveaways:

Vicki at Feline and Fibre Art is having a 100 giveaway post. She has posed some interesting questions to think about - One of the things I love about Vicki's blog is her cats - She has an orange cat just like we do. What is it about Cats and quilts? They sure do love them!!!

Rosa is a new blogger to me but she is having an interesting giveaway too... I will be visiting her blog again.

Julie is celebrating her 500th post and giving away some patterns. Go and check them out. I have been reading her blog for quite a long time and enjoy her quotes and posts. I hope she will write many more blog posts.

gran is a wonderful needlewoman who enjoys cooking and embroider. Gran has a terrific giveaway and has only recently started her website. She will draw a name in the middle of the week so you need to go there quickly. She is one talented lady...

I am sure that there are other giveaways out there - there seems to be a great number of them going on just now. Some people are clearing their collections of patterns and fabric or offering up some special things that have collected for a giveaway. Many are celebrating blogspot milestones. They are all a talented group of quilters who are sharing their love of quilting with others. Thank you for your generosity and passion ladies- it inspires us all.

The August challenge goes on- I have the borders chosen for the Winding Ways quilt and will look for ones for the The trip around the World and then there is the Slasher Quilt LOL.. Maybe I could turn it into a Halloween Quilt LOL

Hope you all are making progress on your August finishes..

Our mail brings some interesting things these days. I received a lovely package from my blog friend Michelle who had hosted a giveaway. It is a wonderful wallhanging kit that has some applique in it. I will try and make it up to show you all. Do go and visit her blog- She is lovely lady who is expecting a baby soon. She lives in my neighboring province- home of the Cyprus Hills.

Speaking of Cyprus Hills, my spouse returns this evening and the time is rushing towards fall- soon I will switch from quilting to teaching my little children. My kindergarteners will be excited and full of wonderful ideas and they will change the rhythm of my life from quiet to hectic and busy but we will have lots of fun together singing and learning new things ... Such is the ebb and flow of life as a primary teacher...

Until next time- Happy Quilting,

Warmest Regards,
Anna

Seeing Stars...A Couple of August Finishes

Starlight Star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might. have the wish I wish tonight.
Last night Bruce and I went to see if we could see the Perseid Meteor Shower-unfortunately we were pretty well clouded out - we did see a couple of bright ones but mostly all we viewed was a moon that kept being wrapped in fluffy clouds and a llama who watched us from a nearby fenced in area. The night was warm and the skies not very cooperative but the conversation and time together made it a worth while adventure-

Bruce's Starlight Starbright quilt was made using a pattern called "Autumn Evening" from a book called Creative Scraps- Quilting with Bits and Pieces. The wonky stars set on point seem to float across the night sky- at least that was my intent. It was fun to collect star fabrics though..

Starlight, Starbright is a queen sized quilt that has 32 liberated stars that are set on point. I made this quilt for my husband, Bruce who is a man of the stars- his passion is astronomy and this year is the "International Year of Astronomy". He is headed today to Cyprus Hills,Saskatchewan with a friend to attend the Astronomical Society's Annual general meeting and star party.
Cyprus Hills is a really interesting part of the prairies. In my home province, Alberta, we have an area called Drumheller. It is the land of the Hoo Doos- You drive along and suddenly you will find yourself overlooking a crest of these strange grooved formations. They look like tall chef's hats with strata. The interesting topography is a tourist draw but I read recently where they are beginning to barricade a few parts and limit traffic because of damage and erosion created by the large number of visitors. Cyprus Hills is farther east and south in Saskatchewan but it reminds me of Drumheller. Drumheller was the land of the dinosaurs and there were many great finds of dinosaur bones there. There is a world renowned dinosaur museum there called "The Tyrell Museum".
The second piece
is a small piece for me- about 30 inches square or so. It is a wallhanging made from some leftover blocks of a star quilt that I made for a friend of Bruce's. I love how the center red blocks form a new star. The quilts are both labelled and will be shown as part of a display at the meeting and star party.

So I have two finishes for August so far. On my sewing table, I have completed another 40 some blocks to add to the Wonky tiles quilt. I need to turn it into a king sized quilt for its intended owners.

Do you know how big a king sized quilt actually measures???? My blog friend Pam's reply was BIG and she sure has got that right- ( Do check out her blog she is in the midst of some major renovations that are making her house gorgeous)

When I posed the king sized bed measurement question I received a number of different suggestions for the actual measurement- the largest size is 130 x 130 inches or 120 X ???. I am told it depends on the width of the mattress and how much length you want and whether you want a pillow tuck... There seems to be a number of different variables to consider..
However this girl is determined that it shall be finished so quilt on I must LOL..

This week I received a lovely package from Ryan. I wish you could smell the wonderful fragrance that comes from the sunflower candle- it is a beautiful scent. He enclosed some terrific 30's fat quarters that I am collecting to make a 30's quilt. I still haven't decided on a pattern but the collection is growing.VBS
Thank you Ryan for your generosity- your pretty package with fat quarters, pink buttons, thread and sunflower candle are very much appreciated.

A lovely lady named Toni from the land down under wrote me to say that I won a pattern from a giveaway on her blog. Thank you Toni - perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket :O) I have been very fortunate to win some very nice giveaways. Thank you


Here is what I fondly refer to as the garish quilt- I may have found a solution by using a leaf fabric - I am still debating whether to cut the quilt a part to add sections of the leaf fabric and incorporate it into the body of it. For sure I am going to use the leaf print on the outside of the quilt. Currently, I find the center too strong for most of the fabrics that I auditioned. I have no idea what I thought I was doing when I put these colors together. If the leaves don't work then perhaps I will have to think of it as my fugly quilt -

Everyone needs one of those don't they?

Originally, I had planned to make the optical illusion quilt using red and black. I started by cutting the red fabric only to find that I did not have quite enough of it. I was a little nonplussed because I don't usually run out of a specific fabric. I was not too hopeful of finding it as it is an older fabric but when my friend L. and I went out for a quilt store day, I was successful. So I can now finish another Illusion Quilt and perhaps it will work out...

After I finish the wonky tiles quilt the next projects on my list will be to add the borders of the Winding Ways Quilt and to the mate of the Trip around the world quilt.
Kim has posted some of the other people's projects and giveaways on her blog for the August Challenge. You can find Kim here. Finishing projects is indeed very satisfying...

How are your projects coming along?

Thank you for all your comments about last week's post. It is always nice to hear from other bloggers and to look at new and old blogs. I have tried to comment back on most of your blogs. I do hope that you will come and visit again.

The summer vacation is disappearing and so am I for now..

Happy quilting,

Warmest Regards,
Anna

August is Quilting Time and an Invitation.....

I have been busy quilting this past week- I looked at the calendar and realized half my summer has passed and while I have enjoyed resting, relaxing and puttering along in July the time is ticking and I want to finish up some projects. I have been trying to get my quilting Mojo going by cleaning up the sewing room, fondling the stash fabric and arranging the projects that I have partially finished. Along the way I keep getting distracted by the blogs and whatever else that caught my interest.

However this week my blog friend, Kim has issued an August invitation to do a few things- The first thing that Kim encouraged others to do is to finish up some unfinished projects commonly known as UFO's. A second part is to get rid of some patterns or fabric that you are no longer using or see yourself using (KIm is hosting a giveaway of some patterns that she, herself is giving away to others- she has four combinations that you may choose from for a draw and the third is to work from your stash. You can sign up to join Kim's August invitation and she will add your name to her list on her side bar.

Well I didn't have to think very long before I decided that Kim had an inspired idea. Personally I am going to focus on using fabric from my stash and finish up as many as half a dozen projects that I have on the go right now. I have not yet decided about a giveaway. Right now I am focusing on completing my 6 projects using my stash. This is a pattern from Mary who has a set of instructions on her blog to make this Wonky RWB(she made her's red/white/blue)rails. I intend to enlarge the quilt in the photograph and make it into a kingsize quilt. I already have a large number of blocks made- it is a gift for some good friends so I best get moving on it.
Mary has a really lovely blog and a number of nice patterns that have excellent instructions - Do check out her blog.
Finally,here is a picture of the batik "Winding ways" or sometimes it is called "The Wheel of Mystery". I used the Marti Michell pattern for the design. I have the borders to put on it. I even have them chosen- sometimes just getting started is the hardest part once you get stalled out. These two projects were started last fall and I want them off my plate before school starts.

However, the very first project I must finish is the star quilt- I have it ready to quilt so that will be completed this week. There is also have a small star wall hanging that I want to complete for Bruce to take for a display in Cyprus Hills when he goes in the middle of August. So here is the base group of my August UFO's that I plan to complete - I have a couple of other quilts that I would like to finish too so at present there is my list of six projects.
Think I can do it? I hope so....

I have been reading lots of blogs from my blog list - The posts reflect the breadth of emotions of life. Some people have experienced the joy of a new home and new family members; while others struggle with grief and sorrow at the loss of dear friends and loved ones. Still others are dealing with complicated health issues- One hopes for those of you going through these challenges and sadness that life will bring some brightness to comfort and help you through those difficult times.

The weather continues to raise havoc in different parts of the country- On the weekend we had a terrible storm in a town about 50 miles from here called Camrose. There was a large Country Music Festival and the wind blew so hard that it caused the stage to collapse. One woman lost her life and many more were injured- such a terrible tragedy for everyone involved.

On the weekend I attended a quilt retreat. We made this pattern - it is an optical illusion quilt

illusion quilt

I really liked how my friend's quilts came out - the jury is out on mine - I haven't yet decided whether I was color blind when I chose the colors or that I just don't have a good feel for two color quilts. I haven't photographed it yet- scared what might happen to the camera LOL I have auditioned a few fabrics for the borders but the challenge is to find the balance between the strong center colors and the border...It may just end up being the ugliest quilt I have ever made...

What do you do when you are not sure whether the quilt works ?
Do you try to selvage it or give it up as a bad idea?
Decisions, decisions...


While my quilt remains a design question there is a giveaway at Marie Madeleine's studio for an absolutely scrumptious looking quilt do check it out.
You can find it here:

Grab Our Button!



And Elaine is having a stimulus giveaway- do go and check out her blog- you'll be glad you did!

Have a great week and Happy quilting-

Regards,
Anna

Summer Days Then and Now... and the Secret Garden

One of my favorite childhood stories was a book called The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. My mother bought it for me on one of the first shopping trips we had together. When I saw this pattern in an Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine, I knew that it was the perfect pattern for my sister in law Margaret, who is a university professor in the field of children's literature. I fussy cut all the flowers so that they were centred. It is a flowery garden that is quite soft looking and I was very happy the way the quilt turned out. The photos which were scanned into my computer are unfortunately a bit blurry (yes I have my own computer back Yeah !!!!) I made this quilt about 5 years ago to celebrate a special birthday. Margaret also owns the Trip around the World quilt that I posted about recently.

Since I wrote last time,the days have been mostly pleasant. We went to visit my parents over the weekend in Red Deer. It was lovely to spend time with my folks and see some of my other family members.

My aunt was there visiting, as well, so we got to reminiscing about memories of my grandmother's home. My mother and her siblings grew up on a farm in a small house that was built by the early settlers of the province(in the early 1900's). The house had been expanded from two rooms to 4 rooms. My early childhood memories are ones of a big farm kitchen with a pump and water basin to wash your hands. It had a old wood stove and there was an oil heater in the living room. There were many chilly trips to the outhouse and hurrying to get dressed, because the floors were cool early in the day even on a summer morning. The house had a few renovations before they built a second home on the property.
When they built the new house in the early 70's, my gran really thought she was on easy street with all the indoor amenities that we often take for granted- electric stove, washer and dryer and hot showers available at any time. Me, I was thrilled not have to go to the outhouse when we visited the farm.
My mother said that power was added to the old house in the early 50's around the time that the house went from two rooms to four rooms.( that was before my time :>)

One thing that I remember about summer days at the farm (I spent large parts of my summers at the farm with my grandparents)was the rhythm of it. I have vignettes of early breakfasts of hot cereal, soft boiled eggs and toast, followed by doing dishes and trips to the garden. My gran spent a lot her time tending things whether it was the farm animals, the garden, or us children. She worked hard putting up preserves, canning and freezing vegetables for the winter months. Her delicious meals consisted of meat, potatoes, garden vegetables and farm cream and berries picked from the wild patches that surrounded the farm.
One staple berry was saskatoons - somewhat like a blueberry but with a slightly different flavor.
It wasn't all work- we sang, we took meals to my grandfather,played card games(including Authors) and danced to the songs on the radio. One of our favorite things to do was to play in the treehouse with old Avon bottles that we got from my grandfather's dump. We mixed mixtures from old spice cans-(at one point, my grandfather had sold Watkins spices). They did make wonderful mud pies that had the most interesting aromas even though my brother wasn't interested in eating our concoctions.

We have a large sky photo of the farm that hangs in our living room. The buildings are surrounded by the lush green foothills. My grandparents lived on a piece of property that was adjacent to the original homestead settled in 1907. After my grandmother passed away in the fall of 2003, the property was sold. While I can no longer visit the farm, viewing the photo transports me back to the wonderful summers of my childhood.

While at my parents, my dad dropped me off at two of the local quilt stores that Pam and I visited last summer. Yes Pam, I did find some more sale items to add to my stash- a glorious big print sunflower piece was the " piece d'resistance". Better yet, I found a 60 degree ruler and a ruler gripper that I had been trying to find for awhile now. The notions were all 25 % off too so that made it even better. The other shop I found a nice piece of minkee that will make a beautiful baby wrap so I very happy with my shopping finds.

Bruce had gone to a astronomy gathering that was held out near Caroline not far from where my grandparent's farm was situated. He and the group were observing the night skies for meteor showers.Soon it will be the biggest meteor shower of the year- the Perseids with the peak falling on August 12, but this year the viewing could be hampered by the full moon.

When Bruce returned on Saturday evening, we took my parents out to one of their favorite Chinese restuarants for their anniversary dinner. The food was delicious - especially the soft vanilla ice cream.
Soft vanilla ice cream cones were also a favorite childhood treat- There was a Dairy Mart that was two doors from my second childhood home. They used to cost 10 cents for a regular cone.and 25 cents for a large one.(I was a child a long time ago, I guess VBG)
In Bruce's family they made ice cream in an old fashioned hand turning cedar maker- you start with a vanilla custard base, cream and lots of turning of the enclosed cylinder that was packed in the ice and salt. Yummy!

We have had a hot spell here in Alberta- in the low 30's for most of the past week. It has rained occasionally in the middle of the night but trying to get the house cooler has been a challenge. It also has slowed me down quilting- just too hot to sew comfortably.

However,I have all of my stars made for my quilt and my pieces cut for the quilt retreat on the weekend. After I post this I will go and start putting the stars together as I want to spray baste the star quilt this weekend too.

Bruce's sister is here from the West coast so we plan to have brunch on Sunday before she returns home. She has been taking an Orff Music course and has found it enjoyable and challenging. It is always fun to learn new techniques to hone one's skills.

On a sad note, I will go and attend a colleague's elderly mother's funeral on Thursday. She passed away suddenly on Saturday of a stroke. It is never easy to lose your loved ones- especially your parents. My heart goes out to my friend L. and her family at this difficult time.

A lovely giveaway prize arrived in my mailbox today from Rachaele of the Park Avenue Sweat Shop. She send me a lovely package of Moda charm squares, some pretty spools of thread and the cutest square buttons. Thanks so much for the wonderful giveaway gift- I am looking forward to coming up with a project to use those pretty squares. Do go and visit Rachaele's blog and see all the interesting things that she is making.

My blog friend Michele has a giveaway going on for the newest one of Freddy and Gwen's books. It is a wonderful book that will inspire you and bright your day with its rich color. There are other blogs hosting giveaways- Quilters are really generous people...

Copy paste this section
DIY Bag lover
I saw this link on another blog this morning and just had to add it to this long blog.. What a great set of free patterns.


And so the summer marches on- I have a few things done- some books read, some quilting done and a bit of cleaning fit in here and there. Part of me says I should be doing more things so that I go back to work with a well cleaned house and lots of projects completed and part of me is content to go where ever the road takes me.... We will see what August brings..

Warmest regards,
Anna

Wonky Stars and a Stormy Night...

Yesterday, we went off to see my friend L. and her family at her beautiful lake house. It was very pleasant to sit and watch the lake, look at her beautiful flowers and get in a good visit. We had a delicious potluck supper of spareribs with blackberry sauce, potato salad, corn and a spinach salad with feta, almonds, and black berries. There were chocolate chip muffins, apple or strawberry rhubarb pie and fruit for dessert.

The day was hot and sunny but the evening turned stormy and the sky put on its own pyrotechnic show with sheet lightning. It was the most serious storm of the summer and, when we returned to our home in the city, many trees had been damaged and some significant damage was created to buildings and roadways around the city.( We were lucky and had no damage to our property.) The power outage caused enough trouble that our local newspaper, The Edmonton Journal, was not able to print today.

Bonnie's Maverick Stars linked here is very similar to my current quilt project.(f you have not checked out Bonnie's website then I urge you to do so- especially if you are looking for a scrap quilt pattern. She generously offers a number of her patterns at no cost and has excellent instructions with each of those patterns.

The Quilt pattern that I am working from is called" Autumn Evening" from an Old Quilter's World magazine. My quilt is a variation of both of these patterns- I chose to make my stars all from different star fabrics(the original pattern's stars are all orange and yellow done on black background fabric) and my background is a dark blue with a black thread running through it.

Presently, I have stopped to do my weekly post and ponder whether I want to do the border on the star quilt, the way the pattern says, or whether to do something different. My dilemma is that I have run into fabric problems - if I do the border the size that they recommend, then I am going to have to play with the fabric to make sure that there is enough fabric left to make more stars.( I started with 7 and a half yards that I had bought for a backing for a queen sized quilt) There is barely enough fabric to make the required number of stars. My problem is that I like to audition my blocks and take out the ones that don't work. This is an unorthodox way of of quilting, I realize but it generally works for me-

Often my finished quilts come in pairs or even trios because I have cut and created so many extra blocks VBG.(Unfortunately, that really is not an option for me this time, because of the pattern requirements for background fabric.) I had just enough fabric to create the pattern as it was originally laid out- What to do? Making a varied background doesn't work for me this time either... Hmmmmmm

By the way, I have collected a number of orphan blocks that perhaps I will use them some day to create an Orphan quilt - I will have to name it my Little Orphan Anna quilt....LOL



We really enjoyed going to see The Lion King. It was a spectacular visual show - I loved the animals - the giraffes, elephant and the warthog were particularly noteworthy. It was great fun to go to Live theatre and see this show. My son, K. had a huge collection of lions when he was a young boy( over 25 were in his pride) and his favorite lion was one that we called DandyLion. Dandy Lion had a voice that was deep- akin to Louis Armstrong- One of his songs was " The Lion Sleeps Tonight... I thought of those days often listening to the music and seeing the jungle come alive on the stage....

This week I will hopefully get my own computer repaired and have some of my own photos to show you.
Recently, There have been a number of interesting blogs about The Sisters Outdoor show in Oregon last week. Check out Tonya's blog on July 16 th for some good links to photos and stories about this wonderful quilt show. I enjoyed reading the stories and am a big fan of Freddy Moran,Gwen Marston and The Gee Bend Quilters. I am awestruck thinking about 1300 quilts hanging outside being admired by many many people in one weekend.
Jean and her daughter Valori Wells have hosted this show for a number of years. You can check out Valori's blog here. Their store " The Stitching Post" must be a fascinating place.

This week, I will do more work on the star quilt and a little bit of rearranging,and perhaps a quick trip down to visit my parents at the end of the week -
One of last week's accomplishments was that I got my summer things put up around our living spaces so summer has truly arrived in our house - How about yours?

I love seeing all the various fruit and vegetables in the grocery store and spend my cooking time making salads and enjoying barbecues. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, perhaps you are enjoying time around the fireplace and foods that warm you- stews and such.
Where ever you are I hope that you are enjoying life with family and friends.
Warmest regards,
Anna

A Trip..and many Blogs to visit...

This "Trip Around the World" quilt has flown to is new home in Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a day's airplane travel(over 4000 miles) from where I call home. I live in Western Canada in a large city called Edmonton. Our metro area's population is approximately one million people.Edmonton is a beautiful city with a large green belt area that surrounds the river that flows through the heart of the city. I attended university here and have continued to live here since I completed my teaching degree. My husband grew up in Newfoundland, which is an island that is on the eastern seaboard of Canada. It is fondly known as "The Rock" and is a beautiful place with craggy rock cliffs and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Pictured here, is my sister in law M. She and her husband,T., have a lovely place on the eastern shores of Newfoundland that overlooks the Atlantic where this quilt will now reside. It is my most recently completed project.I hope that they find the quilt a pleasant way to wrap themselves up while having a nap.

First There are some great giveaways here in blogland with wonderful prizes that one can enter..Please go and check them out at:
Judi at Green Fairy Quilts is offering a very nice giveaway. She and her husband Clint have a charity to help people in Romania.
Ryan is having a very nice birthday giveaway- go and help Ryan celebrate his birthday and quilting.
My friendMicki at Irish Muse is celebrating her 10,000 hit by having a giveaway of some lovely Irish things. I have enjoyed reading Micki`s blog. She is a transplanted American and enjoys sharing her life with Joe and their very fine dogs. She often has wonderful photos of Ireland and makes many wonderful quilts and embroidery pieces.

When summertime comes, I have more time to explore some of my favorite blogs. I have found many wonderful bloggers from all over the globe that I have come to think of as friends. On the right side of my blog is a long blog list- all of them are well worth a visit. However sometimes one has limited time to explore such a lengthy list, so I thought I would share about two dozen with you. It was hard to choose but these are some of the blogs I read regularly.. Go and visit and you will see why they inspire me, make me laugh and enrich my life by reading their stories.

To begin,Kim makes me laugh regularly-she is a prolific quilter who creates her own designs and writes with real pizazz.. She is working on a very fun quilt right now that I am thinking about making with star fabrics.

Nicole was asked by another quilter her ideas about about the prewashing of fabrics and ways of storing fabric and quilts.It was a great topic and Nicole received about 60 comments on the topic. Nicole posts regularly so you will have to go back a few days to check it out.

If you are looking for a funny tale then Jace is your man. He is a wonderful woodworker too!

Gran "Shirley" has just started a new website and she is wonderful Knotty-Embroidery lady. Right now she has a giveaway.

Corey
had a most interesting antique object that she asked her readers to identify. Go and check it out and see if you can guess what it is...

Shirley is from the land down under and shares her life as a teacher in Queensland.

I am sure you will appreciate Meggie's tales of her life in Australia.She shares her stories about her GOM and family. There are always lovely photos and a musical piece to listen to..

If Color is your thing, you definitely need to check out Wanda's blog Exuberant Color. Her blog is rich with gorgeous fabrics and flowers from her garden.

Susan shares her life with Vann in the Yellow House in Alabama. She is wonderful quilter and an avid reader. I really enjoy checking out her current booklist.

Nancy is from Philadelphia - her current piece is about her reflections about blogging and well worth a look.

Mrs.Goodneedle often has a piece on Tuesdays that encourages readers to reflect about their thoughts and experiences with quilting. Life is indeed Good, Mrs.GoodNeedle...

Gene enjoys exploring with different mediums- he paints, creates with clay and makes colorful quilts and is a recent addition to my blog roll.

A fellow Western Canadian Joyce shares her explorations with clay and fabric. She is creating some lovely innovative pieces.

Until recently Tonya lived in Paris. She loves using words in her quilts and is an expert making free form lettering.

If you enjoy cooking as well as quilting, then you will want to visit Judy
at Patchwork Times. She is a master quilter who loves to cook. Judy also raises chickens.

I think scrap quilts are fabulous and Bonnie Hunter has created numerous free patterns on her website using scraps. She has recently written a book called "Scraps and Shirttales"that shows quilters how to make quilts using scraps and recycled fabrics.

There are terrific quilts being made all over this globe. There is a special lady named Tanya who shares her stories about quilting and life in Japan. I have especially enjoyed her pieces that share traditions and the cultural ways of Japan.

One of my favorite bloggers is Michele who hails from Oregon. She is generous with her time to help others create quilts. On her blog,she has provided links for free patterns.I have appreciated her many reflective pieces about life.
Pam hails from California and is a fairly new blogger who has a great sense of fun and a generous heart. She has a fine recipe for a pot of Cowboy beans too!

Sometimes life can be quite an adventure and Sharon at Red Geranium Cottage has certainly been on one lately. She and "Hunka" her husband, Dennis, have recently moved across country from California to the Midwest. She is back living close to her family and is loving it..

Eileen is a terrific lady who both hand and machine quilts. She lives in Western Maryland and reminds me my grandmother- thoughtful, devoted to her family and a great lover of the natural world. I enjoy each and every one of my visits with her- I know you will too.

Last but not least is my friend from Vancouver Pam who I had the good fortune to meet in person last summer. We visited some quilt stores and had a great time having lunch together. At that time, I was still a lurker-

Just over 50 posts later - I am still writing - who would have believed it....I was sure I would run out of things to say quite a long time ago but Here I am and, I am having lots of fun, getting know bloggers and quilters from many different places.


On the homefront, I have cleaned up my sewing area and rearranged my fabric boxes. I also checked out star patterns and finally found one that I will use to make a star quilt. I looked in the scrap box and the yardage and found a nice collection of star fabrics for the quilt.

My good fortune continued this week, where I won a giveaway from Rachaele at park avenue sweatshop. Thank you so much for choosing my name. I am one lucky lady.

I am looking forward to getting a new hairdo and going to see " The Lion King" this week.
How about you, what things are you looking forward to doing this week?

Warmest regards,

Anna