Weekly Post, Discharge Dyeing 2 and Homefront news.

This past week has been an exciting week.

On the regular sewing note I made this little bassinet quilt out of left over blocks from our grand baby to be quilt. (which I am still working on... hand quilting)

Due date was approaching so I made the top on Thursday/Friday and decided to tie it with a yellow pearl cotton and large quilting stitches in the borders.

I finished it Sunday night at 11 pm

I also cut and sewed binding for a large queen size quilt over 450 inches long and the binding for this bassinet quilt and the crib quilt. It takes a while to make it all. But now I have it ready to sew on. 

This little quilt was not on my list of to finish or make but will be a bonus. They did not have a blanket for the bassinet. 

Discharge Dyeing Part 2 will be able to be found on the page at the top of the header marked Discharge Dyeing. I figure if I do it this way it will always be a easy way to find the information and I can do edits and additions more easily this way every time I find new information or do some experiments. 

On the Home Front... 

We went to a wonderful wedding for one of my nephews. He spent a good deal of time here as a child and it is a blessing to see him be married to such a wonderful girl. 

This leads into our next part of exciting news. The above bassinet quilt could go yesterday to the intended recipient. 

After us all dancing up a storm Saturday night,  including our DDIL who was due that day, we got to meet in person our first grandchild. 

Little Abigail Heather
8 lbs 8 ozs
22 inches
2 hours old

Proud loving Grandma

Adoring Grandpa

Happy Family!

I have been told it is Amazing to have Grandchildren but it was such a joy to see them all well! 

I can see many cute outfits in Abbie's future! 

For the rest of the week I am not sure much will get done. I am babysitting the grand puppy  a 10 month old goofy Husky/Shepherd and combine that with my energetic English Shepherd I have two crazy dogs. When they do sit down for a few minutes I don't dare move or it will brake the peace! 

I am doing laundry for my DS 1 and my DDIL, some mending and some planning for next week to get in some dyeing. We also plan to go to the cottage for some R and R so I imagine we will be trying to help out our fair share  with the family next week. Our DS1 started a new job and his boss is great about him taking some time off. But it is building industry's busy time of year. 

I am hooking up with the needleandthreadnetwork  and ninamariesayre.blogspot.ca Off the Wall Friday....

Have a great week! 

Jo

Red and White and Black All Over....

Do you remember the old jokes of what is red and white and black all over?

This quilt started out as a workshop at the Grimsby Quilters Guild in Grimsby, Ontario. And this joke is on me! 

It was a technique based on a pattern from the Missouri Star Quilt Co. Wonderful free patterns and You Tube Video's. 

I have slowly been working on it over time but it is now sprinting to a finish.

I choose the fabrics out of my stash. Red, white and black because I had bought some with no purpose in mind other than I liked them... (typical quilter behaviour)

This pattern could be made from a jelly roll but I stripped my colours into the 2 1/2 strips myself before the workshop.

4 units 8" squares form one large 18" block

I tried for a pattern but it was mostly random placement of the strips. We sewed strip sets then sub cut them and formed the squares. 

I didn't like the busyness of the blocks all added together so I bought some grey intending on sashing the blocks. But I didn't like that idea. 

So I got the idea to place them on point but still didn't like that. 

Then I make an alternate block with one 8" unit sashed in the dark grey. A wonderful piece from Northcott. 

Laying the squares out on a sheet to pin them in place to remember the layout.

I was adding white blocks to as the alternate blocks from the patterned ones.  But when I added them in I thought they white stood out to much and looked to stark.
So off to the fabric store to get some red for the centre of the white blocks. 

Auditioning a piece of deep red in the centre of the white space.

This is the layout I decided on. 

Some how this lap size quilt has grown to around 100 or so inches on all sides. 

The answer to the opening joke is this quick technique for a lap quilt has grown to enourmous proportions. 

It will be awhile until I quilt it. I am still practicing on my Babylock. This is such a big project to quilt but I know once it is done it will find a home.... 

Finally I feel like I am getting things done. 

I will post a picture of the finished quilt top when all the sewing is done for today.  

Judy Niemyer

I was invited to join a "Stitch Group". It would be devoted to make Judy Niemyer quilts. I haven't done much paper piecing and thought it would be fun. How big of a commitment could it be?

So I went to Judy's website and checked it out. Until I was asked to join I didn't even know who she was or what she did.
Judy Niemyer www.quiltworx.com

I choose this pattern to work on. It was not so busy  in colour of most of her quilts seemed. And I liked the neutral space.

Little did I realize that this was a companion quilt. That means that it is make with the left over arcs of the quilt below.

So I sent for this pattern.

So far the commitment to time has been a bit more than expected.
One evening pulling fabric from the stash. I found 50 fat quarters or pieces of fabric to use in the quilt. 25 dark and 25 light. The twenty five had to be five different colour-ways.
Then (and still now) my basement is littered with the rejects and boxes that hold the fabric.

Then I had to prepare the fabric to cut. Ironing 50 fat quarters...easy to get done. It was... I like to iron. But wonderful friends dropped in to set up the fountain I bought to Springs ago. My hubby is not to handy in areas that he is not familiar with. It was much easier to set up when I realized that the top of the fountain was actually the bottom! 

Some of the fabric waiting to be ironed. 

Pile of fabric on the ironing board. First I made it damp with water and then I sprayed with Ellens Best Press. 

Once all the fabric was ironed I was done and it was supper time... 

After supper I packed up the required equipment and fabric for the next day.... 

My first day was inspiring. Most of the group was merrily sewing away making their blocks. One lady was doing the sewing by hand.... That is an amazing feat! 

I managed to cut out most of the fabric templates in the first stage. I still have to cut them up  into groups to go into bags to sew into the blogs. 

I will say that Judys method is very methodical. It is hard for a newbie to follow with out help. My help came in the form of reading the pattern about 50 times and watching Judy on you tube. 

I would have had to rely on the group to get me to understand what to do if I did not watch the videos... 

So I will document the progress as I make it. My goal is to get the fabrics all cut out and ready to start sewing next month. I will also have to watch some paper piecing videos along the way. 

Even though I am trying to go into the art quilting/fibre art world more I think that every traditional style quilt will teach me skills as well as beautifying my home. It really was an exercise in colour theory to pull the fabrics. 

I love my new group. So funny and inspirational. Thanks for inviting me! 

Jo

Red and White and Black all over with grey added in .....

I have been working on several projects.

Last year I went to a Guild workshop. I had just joined the Grimsbys Quilt Guild and wanted to meet some of the people.

I had a great time. It was suppose to be a jelly roll race using a technique  and it can be seen on the Jenny Doan Missouri Quilt Co 's You Tube Channel. Missouri Quilt Co

It was a patten based on Jenny's  Pinwheels Technique and changed up by 3 Dudes Quilting from Phoenix Arizona.3 Dudes Quilting  She called the pattern the "Amazing Jelly Roll Pattern."

It is quite easy to do once you get the hang of it. I did my blocks in Red, White and Black.
Definitely not my pallet.  My did not turn out planned and were all randomly stripped.  I was talking to much to follow to much of a plan .

But the colours are growing on me...

However I did make the blocks and finish them. I now have roughly 50 blocks to turn into a quilt.

On there own I find them too busy so I bought some grey in two tones to break up the visual chaos.

I might try to insert the neutrals using a idea from the book Quilting a Circle of Nine by Janet Houts & Jean Ann Wrights book . http://landauerpub.com/Quilting-a-Circle-of-Nine.html




I am not sure how I will tackle it next. But it is on my to do list to finish this Amazing Jelly Roll Quilt.


It will be fun to play

Jo

Check out my Fibre Art Small Group at Fabrigos

I really mean to be a blogger.... honest!

It has been a crazy few months. Crappy weather, fibromyalgia flares, destination wedding, 60th anniversay of my parents. And the worst the diagnosis of cancer in the bladder for my dear Mom.

Mom is a rock. She has gone through alot in her 79 years between being a farm wife, a Mom of three, active Grandma of 8, Great Grandma of 5 +  and volunteer. And that can not even hit a fraction of what she does, who she is, or what she means to us. But I know and that is good enough. We have gone on many life journeys together - laughter, tears, angry - the whole gamete of emotions.

My family on my Christening Day in 1963

So you understand that where I have been is not here... add computer problems (but that is another rant)

I am trying to let go of" have to's "and turn them into "want to's" or not do them. 

I am trying to purposely take down time and relax so my muscles don't seize up. 

I am trying to stay on the happy side and not take on others unhappy.   

I am a saver.... I think I can save the world if only they would let me help. 

Now I want to be a pointer.... pointing them in the direction. 

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" 

Take notice world...

Play nice in the sandbox! (My favourite new saying.)

And if you have a problem only you can fix it... so take responsibility  - do what you need to do, get professional help but only you can change things. 

So in the next few months I turn my attention to the positives, count my blessings, do what I can for others but take care of me too. 

Enough rant. Cause nobody likes a rant accept our own   Canadian Rick Mercer... mine are not as funny as his. 

So sewing wise I have been working on my son and daughter in laws  wedding quilt. I am making it with my daughter, and my best friend -  my sons "other mom". We work on it together so it comes a bit a time when have time free together... Usually two or three hours on a Saturday.

The pattern is taken from a magazine and I will include the reference later. This is the first two rounds. The idea is the blues and greys get lighter in tones in each round. It seems an easy pattern which it is but we are very focused on the decision of what colours to put into the four patches. 

We decided the back will be more free form with using up left overs to provide another choice of how to have it on the bed. A twofer.... 

My friend is not really a quilter but she helped hand quilt with me the quilt I made for her son and daughter in laws wedding. She has a math degree and is great on figuring out the math. She enjoys the process of planning. And the sewing but she is a busy person with 6 sons and full time job. It is a gift to share time with such a good friend. 

Add in my daughter and we have a great time! 

I am working on many projects and hope to show them in the next few weeks. My plan is to write and plan the posts so I can be more intentional. While working  a day job seems to be in the plans for the near future but I do want to develop all the ideas in my head. 

I am being encouraged to put myself out there and teach a bit. It is something I have wanted to do but have been waiting for the perfect time. Maybe there isn't a perfect time. 

I have been listening Heidi Easley from Texas Art and Soul who is having a series of video casts with different artists who in their medium talk about their story. It is very encouraging. It is a free event and you can sign up through her website. 

That is all for now... thanks for reading. 

If you have any tips on how to stay intentional with your work please comment. 

Jo