Five Quilts on One September day...what a day that was..

Aren't these gorgeous!!!! Recently a friend left the flowers on my desk at school for me- Just because-- I was so touched by her thoughtfulness and they have made me smile all weekend long . I love the colors- they would make a beautiful quilt- pink and purple with a bit of green are some of my favorite colors together. The pinky red leaves are quite splendid too . I really am blessed with some terrific friends.

 

Have you ever decided that you wanted to do something for loved ones, and you weren't sure if you could pull it off or not? Earlier in the summer, I realized that September and early October were going to be two very full months of events. I discovered the Sideline pattern, and decided that it might be the perfect pattern to make for some special people in our lives. My goal was to make 4 couch sized/ twin bedsized quilts, as well as two baby wraps for the new babies, that were arriving in our family. It was a fairly lofty goal considering that I was going back to work in late August and September, and school is often very hectic at the beginning of the year - well and for the rest of the school year but the fall is usually more so. Never the less, I was determined to see if I could pull it off ... Well I am happy to report that I was indeed successful in completing the quilts- the biggest one( the Sunset pattern) I had completed earlier in the summer, but the rest of the bed sized quilts I had not started until early August. I have three more that are tops( shown in a previous post) that are waiting to be quilted and bound. I hope to get back to that before Christmas, but it will depend on how well I can balance working and playing... LOL
Here is the first of the Sideline quilts that Bruce delivered in Victoria. Bruce recently went to celebrate his mother's 90th birthday there.  Here is my mother in law's quilt on her bed. The quilt above the bed is a wall quilt of family photos. The colors are not the most accurate in this photo, but you will get the idea of the design.

 Here, Mum is studying the knubbly back of it- Her quilt is the only one that I used minkee on the back.On all the others, I used cotton backings. The minkee was just the perfect width for this quilt. Mum always loved earth colors, so it was easy to choose these fabrics for her. Happy 90th birthday Mum- May it keep you warm and give you a big hug each and every day.. In the photo below, you  can see the richer colors of the batiks.

In my last post I shared the story of my great grandfather, Nels Linneberg who was given the task of  building the one room school in his community. On September 23rd,they had a grand celebration at the school to honor the 100th anniversary of his contribution to the community of New Hill. Here is the rock and plaque that was unveiled at the party. My mother and her cousin participated in the ceremony and together removed the covering from the stone. A cousin and one of my uncles, who also attended this one room school, had earlier attached the plaque to the rock.  

In this photo, you can see that the school still stands. It is used for local community events. The people in this photo had all attended school at New Hill. The school closed its doors as a school in 1956, but it still is part of the community fabric. The school is in pretty good shape, considering that it has been moved from the original field stone base and placed on a different foundation. Many of the people in the front rows are cousins on my mother's side of the family.

This was quilt #2 that was delivered a couple of weekend's ago, when we attended a special 50th wedding anniversary. This quilt was given to my aunt and uncle, to belatedly celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. The pattern is called Sunset- the original design had a light background. There are many scraps from my other quilts in this quilt- some bits left from my mother's, sister's and grandmother's quilts. I know that my aunt will especially enjoy looking at all the bits from the different quilts. It is a double/queen sized quilt and has a dark chocolate background.

 Here is James with his parents- he is so sweet and has such long fingers. His mother has those same long fingers.

All new babies need a baby wrap( I am sure I have made at least 100 of them since 1982 when I made the first one) . His mom, Sarah, is showing off his wrap with all those cute little dogs on it.

I am sure that James is going to love dogs because his mama does- the back of it is bright orange and is also minkee. I like how soft the minkee fabric is for baby wraps.

 

allWe have another new grand niece named Sydney Reece ,who was born to my brother's daughter, and her husband on October 2nd. She has a big sister named Whitley and we are pleased to add Sydney to our clan. I did make Sydney a baby wrap too- it has Paddington bear fabrics on it- It was not yet know whether Sydney was a boy or  girl when I made  the baby wrap to give to our niece, so I tried to choose fabrics that could be used for either a girl or a boy. Sydney is a sweet little girl. I hope she will love Paddington bear.

And now for the second Sideline quilt- This one  has a prairie theme for a man from the Prairies. It was made for my mom's brother Moe and has Cowboy hats, field grass, and wheat fields. The outer border is a nostalgic piece of fabrics with red wagons, dogs and other old toys. It is a pretty fun quilt and I hope that Uncle Moe will enjoy cuddling under it on a cold winter's night. He lives in the mountains now but still has those farm roots.

 

Here is the final quilt of the day-it is the last of the three Sideline quilts- it has Asian flavored fabrics that have butterflies on it. The back is a gold stripe, which seemed appropriate for a Golden Wedding Anniversary Couple. I really liked this combination and I hope that the Golden Couple will know what a golden pair they are...May they enjoy some time cuddling together under The Golden Ways.

So  there it is - on a Sunday two weeks ago- I gave away 5 quilts- 3 bigger ones and 2 baby wraps- an event not to be repeated any time soon. I am now in the throes of school work, so it will be awhile before I have any new work to show you. I have a couple of quilts on the back burner for now..

I haven't  had too much time to read many blogs lately, but I was very lucky, and did win a copy of Jennifer Chiaverini's new book "The Giving Quilt". I have read all of the other books in her Elm Creek Quilters Series. I have enjoyed all of the stories very much and particularly liked the Aloha Quilt. If you have not read any of the series do check her out- I am confident you will enjoy her stories.

We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving last weekend with a turkey for two. We have been enjoying the leftovers ever since...-a small turkey goes a long way with just the two of us, to eat it.

Yesterday my beloved celebrated his birthday- I took him out for dinner (we thought it was delicious) and then we went to a house concert, to see two musicians Dale Ladouceur and Nathan Aswell, who both played an instrument called a Stick. Dale plays a Chapman Stick and Nathan plays an (Ned Steinburger) N/S Stick. For those of you who are fans of Peter Gabriel's music - you will be familiar with Tony Levin playing the Stick. It is a string instrument that has roots with a bass guitar, but one taps the 10 strings. It has a great sound-and it was a very nice evening.

September was a full month and we are half way through October already- Life is indeed busy these days.
 Happy creating dear friends- Thanks for stopping by-  do leave a comment- I always enjoy hearing from by blogging friends and reading the comments from you all.
Warmest regards,
Anna

Sidelined by the Sidelined quilts

When I return to the classroom after summer break, it is always a bit of an adjustment from the ebb and flow of summer to the hectic times opening up my classroom. After the first day, My beloved brought home these gorgeous pink roses to celebrate new beginnings. I was so tired that I could hardly utter a coherent word that resembled" Thank you "for his thoughtfulness, so I thought I would share these with you now. Hope they brighten your day like they brightened mine.

In early August I began a journey with this Sidelines pattern. It has turned into a series of twin sized couch quilts. There is some variance in the quilt's size- depending on the width of the outside border but all of them are at least around 60 inches wide and 70 + inches in length. This blue and brown one has a minkee back. I made it for my mother in law who is turning 90 at the end of this month. In this photo it is not quilted but it has now been quilted and has a label on the back of it. It quilted up beautifully and I hope that it will look terrific on her bed.

The thing I like best about this pattern is that it really shows off the fabrics. This soft floral has beautiful pink and yellow pansies. It is not yet quilted but I hope to finish it before Christmas. It depends on how many other quilts need to get completed first. Mars often has her favorite quilts in the pile- It looks like she approves of this blue and yellow one( I think it is my current favorite.) Mars often picks ones that are the same color as she is!  I often found her laying on the blue and brown one. The other morning I saw her lying on the pile of finished quilts. I wish I had taken a photo of her looking like the princess that she is, sleeping on the quilts. Here she is just showing off her gorgeous color on the blue  and gold quilt.  This one is not quilted yet. 

This green and gold one below is  made with Asian like fabrics. It is finished- it has a label and is made for a special couple who is celebrating a milestone anniversary. I hope that they will love it- It has a real elegance about the fabrics and seems appropriate for them. It is fun to choose the fabrics that seem to suit the recipients. Sometimes,choosing the fabric and design that would suit a person or the people it is for, is more complicated than other times.

See how different this one looks- I don't want to reveal who it is for just yet but I will say that it is also finished. It has some gorgeous fabrics too.

This last one is not completed- it is just a top yet but it is the largest of the series. It was the original one I made. I was able to learn a few things about choosing the colors for the strips( you should have good contrast but not too distinct)so that you can get good framing of the fabric blocks but the strips don't overwhelm the framed blocks. I would have chosen a softer peach color which I had in my stash, but didn't use, with these pueblo vase fabrics. It is too Halloween like for my taste.. I have not decided where its home will be but I am sure that there is someone out there who would love this quilt.

I am not sure that I am finished with this Sideline series. I have some sunflower fabrics as well as some Christmas fabrics that I think I will use to make a couple more of this pattern. It has kept me busy this past month getting them cut, pieced and quilted but it has been a very satisfying flurry of creativity. I also have one other quilt top that is nearly completed but I will share that sometime soon. Do you ever create a series of quilts or do you like to work on completely different projects? I have a few patterns that I made over and over again - not because I don't like to try different patterns but sometimes it is fun to see how different they look using different fabrics combinations. I also have this knack of making a series because I could not get my fabric combinations choices down to just one grouping.LOL   In the past, I made a pair of Irish chains, 4 whirlgig quilts, numerous convergence quilts and two paper weights.. and the list goes on..

I notice as I am driving home that the leaves on my street are starting to turn color. One day soon I will have to take a photo of the street before the leaves fall to the ground. The trees are so beautiful when they form an golden arch over the road.

Until next time,
Happy creating,
Warmest Regards,
Anna

Part of where August went....

This last weekend while I reading my facebook page I came across a  blog  rainbows within reach by Debbie Clement. It is a wonderful touching post about creativity and she posted this fabulous poster.

Flowers have the ability to say so many wonderful things- Wouldn't this poster make a fabulous quilt. Thank you  Debbie for sharing your story and this beautiful poster. 

 

I know that I have been away for awhile. August was a creative time for me. I went to a workshop/ retreat at the beginning of August, where we were busy quilting away on some quilts. I used a pattern called Sidelines by Maple Island Quilts. They are the creator of BQ patterns and have a number of lovely patterns that use bigger blocks. I think that their designs would appeal to both modern quilters and more traditional quilters like myself.

See my new sewing machine.... It is a gem that I had the good fortune to acquire from a dear friend, earlier in the summer. Once she was cleaned and got a new belt she sews like a dream. It was perfect for taking to a class or retreat. The machine has a lovely stitch and I was able to get a quarter inch foot for it.  This Vintage Singer Featherweight was born in 1947. If you look carefully behind it, you can see the small plastic bags that hold 6 different Sideline tops.. Did I say I was busy.. Did I say that I put a large number of miles on this little featherweight?

It was the first time that I had ever kitted a quilt for myself- I made the 6 quilts in a series of steps. First I cut the 6 quilts out, and then I sewed the strips together. After that, I  cut the strip sets into the appropriate sizes. Each night for a week I put together the tops of the quilts.. It wasn't long before I had a rainbow of quilts that looked quite different because of the fabric choices. Then I went away to my folks for a few days for a visit.. When I returned it was time to go back to the classroom. I took three of  quilt tops  to school and spray basted the quilts so that I could get them quilted. On the Labor Day Weekend I quilted the three quilts and this past weekend I got them bound.. Now they just need labels on them... I know that you probably want to see them, but right now, I can't show you them until I give them away at the end of the month.. I promise you will see them soon..

In the meantime, I will show you a couple of other things. 

First, Bruce and I went off to visit the mountains in late July. This photograph was taken with Lake Minnewanka in the background. It is close to Banff  Alberta where we were staying.  We had a fabulous time enjoying the pool and the mountain scenery. We stopped in a number of quilt stores where I had the opportunity to add to my stash. I found some lovely pieces in a store in Rocky Mountain House (that journey will be for another post)

On Sunday September 9 we had a new baby arrive in our clan. This beautiful boy is James ( to me, he is sweet baby James, like the James Taylor's song).. He is our first grand nephew- We have four beautiful grand nieces but he is the first boy.. Welcome to the world James.. We are looking forward to meeting you too..

When we were travelling in Central Alberta and visiting some of the quilt shops, Bruce noticed this wall quilt and had to take a picture of it. Doesn't it just make you smile..( It says There is no such thing as too much fabric!!

You may be aware of the company Connecting Threads from Vancouver Washington. They are a lovely company with very affordable prices ( both fabric wise and shipping costs). It is a great place to buy fabric, notions and books if you live in Canada or the USA.( Unfortunately they do not ship overseas)  This gorgeous package came to me as a prize from Penny from Sew take a hike who had created a terrific quilt with solids. She offered up a second  quilt kit to make up yourself ,and I was really fortunate to be the winner of such a lovely solids quilt kit.  I have not used solids much in my quilting so this will be a new challenge.

Here is a closer look at some of the lovely fabrics in the box. Thanks Penny for this wonderful gift. I love the sea foam colors in the group.

This lovely collection of red white and blue things came from a lovely lady named Wendy. You can find her blog here: Wendy  really made a lovely pincushion. She was participating in the red white and blue blog hop. Thanks so much Wendy for these lovely gifts.   Recently I spent some time reading the back to school blog hop- A blog hop is a great way to discover a new to you blog. Sometimes you might even win a giveaway prize.
 Still, I have not fiqured out how to read blogs, write a blog, quilt and work... Sometimes it seems so complicated to manage to do it all- Anyone got some good tips as to  how you manage to read write and create- Somehow I struggle with one or another of these aspects.
I do have fun reading and commenting on all blogs-. You meet so many great people out in blog land. There are so many quilts to be inspired by and lots of interesting dialogue going on with the quilt forums.
Well I think I will sign off for now- Next time I will have some new quilts to show you, and perhaps an old one from the vault too.
Wishing everyone a happy fall / spring to my southern hemisphere friends.
Warmest regards,
Anna

Where did August go?????

Dear Friends,

 I am sorry its been a while - I seem to be lost in my stash of fabric possessed by this Sidelines Quilt pattern by Maple Island Quilts. It is a terrific pattern - very easy to make and I have been on a creative binge. Today I finished three of these quilts and have three more tops completed... I have lots of news to catch you up but I am too tired this evening.. I promise I will post more in the next few days now I got these three quilts completed. Watch for more news...

 Warmest regards,
Anna