Finished Free Motion Quilting!

I finally finished free motion quilting my Pinwheel Quilt!

A close-up of the quilting

I really like how the feathers in the pinwheels turned out. Nothing was marked, it was all free hand. I used Invisafil for the whole quilt - absolutely love sewing with it. It disappears into the fabric and when you go over the line a few times, there is no thread build-up.
Just the binding left to do, but since I have been doing nothing but quilting for the past four days, it is time to catch up on my "regular duties"!

Goldfinch at the feeder

The robin babies are filling up the nest

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

More Free Motion Quilting

I am still free motion quilting my pinwheel quilt.


I really like how this block turned out. I am very pleased with the feathers in the pinwheels,

but I still don't know how I feel about the large "McTavishing" in the background. I think it looks too "sausage" like. I am hoping that by the end it will work out.
The little pinwheel just have a stitched in the ditch X in them.
I hope to finish this quilt in the next three days - I am home for a change, and I need to get my dining room table out of my kitchen (my large quilting project set-up). Four blocks quilted and 16 more to go!

I have been meaning to mention a wonderful fellow Manitoban's blog - Tactile Pleasures....In Fabric. Myra had a wonderful Show and Tell post showing some great free motion quilting by Melissa Marginet. Who, coincidentally, I met when I volunteered at the MCC Quilt Show. I recognized her bag from her website!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

Pinwheel Quilt

I pinned my pinwheel quilt together.

I used flannel for the backing and the batting is wool. It will be a large lap quilt.


I decided to do a large version of Mctavishing in the background and feathers for the pinwheels and a curved line for the triangles.
I was worried about all the quilting taking out the loft of the wool batting, but I think it will be fine. I enjoyed quilting my mother's quilt so much that I thought I should try a variation on mine.

I am using Invisafil thread for the quilting.

Last week I bought a new free motion foot to replace the one that broke. I was told that it was my fault that it broke, so they wouldn't replace it but gave me a discount on the new one. I thought I would take a video of the new foot as it does the same as the old one. The original free motion foot broke because the wire that is supposed to sit on top of the needle screw would get caught underneath the screw when I turned my machine on and the needle did the little dance (re-calibrated itself).
The wire finally broke when it got caught in the needle screw slot - I was also told that it was my fault for having the needle screw slot horizontally - there is no other way it can be when I tighten the needle in!! Not my fault!!



I have a Husqvarna 870 Quilt, and I am using the Husqvarna free motion spring action foot that goes with my machine. If it breaks again, I wanted documentation!! Thanks for putting up with the rant!!

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by!! ♥

Friday

I have been busy outside for the past few days - gardening! I didn't even turn on my computer yesterday!! All the plants and seeds have been planted - although I might have to re-seed, because of all the rain (and flooding) I think some of the seeds have rotted.
Today we had a little rain and I worked inside - quilting all day!

I finished free motion quilting my portion of my mother's Seasons of Migration quilt.


I did a leaf design in the outer border.


I finished this weeks focus and next I will start machine quilting the pinwheel quilt.

Outside the baby robins (3) have all hatched,

And my DH bought a welder, so my oldest child created a little sculpture for my garden!


Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

We Have a Winner!

Just a quick note to say that the winner for my portion of the Free Motion Quilt Along Challenge is Joan!! Congratulations! You do such amazing work!
A big thank-you to every one who participated and to Wendy for co-hosting (she actually had the idea - thanks, it was so much fun!!).

Happy Birthday D!

My baby turned 13 today!!!


He is an absolutely wonderful child and we are so blessed that he was born!!

Here are my two boys - his older brother is now 19 -


He came back last night (well really, very early this morning!) from his first school trip - 6 days in Quebec. 47 grade 7 & 8's all had a great time! I am so happy that he is back home.

Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City

Thank goodness the FMQ challenge is over - too tired to sew today. Tomorrow is supposed to be the last nice day for a while so I will have to do some yard work, but with the rain coming I will have plenty of time to get back to sewing.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

Free Motion Quilting Challenge Over

I just wanted to let those people who joined up for the Free Motion Quilting Challenge to please let either Wendy or myself know that you completed the challenge (just leave us a comment). Remember that the challenge was to free motion quilt for 14 consecutive days during the month of May ! Some days it was more of a challenge than others! But I know I sure improved! I hope you did too!
We will make the draw tomorrow (Wednesday).

Seasons of Migration Quilt

I have been free motion quilting my mother's Seasons of Migration Quilt.

It is a lap sized quilt. She bought the kit from KickAss Country Store at the last Winnipeg Quilt Show. They no longer list the kit on their website but they have the pattern, and the beautiful Moda fabric.

My mother did a beautiful job piecing it, and the applique is fused, with a machine blanket stitch to secure it.
I am adding my version of "Mctavishing" (Joanning ...?) to the lightest sections. I also added veins to the appliqued leaves.

I free motion quilted over the panels in a dark brown thread. I am using Invisafil (a 100wt polyester thread by Wonderfil), and a #70 Microtex needle. I love the way the thread disappears into the fabric.


I am also adding some feathers in the dark sections of the log cabin corner blocks.
I will also free motion quilt the borders on this quilt.
My mother glue basted the layers of the quilt and stitched in the ditch to hold it together. She will also do some free motion quilting (she is learning) - she is going to do the triangles with a curved line as recommended by Diane Gaudynski.

My focus this week is to finish my portion of the free motion quilting on this quilt. My mother wants to show it in the quilt show her quilting group (in Victoria Beach) is having on June 19th.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥

Show and Tell

Yesterday I went to my parents cottage (1½ hours north of where we live), to help my mother with free motion quilting her lap quilt that she recently finished.

I started sewing it on her machine, but I have brought the quilt home to work on now. I am trying out some Mctavishing. I will show more of this quilt over the next few days. It is great to have a chance to practice more free motion quilting!

While I was at my parents I took some photos of the cross-stitched pictures that my father has made. He took up cross-stitching when he retired about 17 years ago, and he does the most precise work! (Click on the pictures to enlarge)

This one is variegated silk thread on linen

This is what he is currently working on. The Aida will be completely covered when it is finished.

I also took a picture of a crazy quilt that I made for their 35th wedding anniversary - almost 16 years ago.

It poured all day and when we came home, there was flooding everywhere.

The field in the distance is still flooded today,

but at least the sun was shining and the wind will help dry things up.

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by!! ♥

MCC Quilt Show

I had the chance to volunteer at a quilt show yesterday. I met some wonderful ladies and had a great time. The show was excellent, here are a few photos.








This one is a word quilt by Brenda from Scraps and Strings. She also entered this quilt in the Bloggers Quilt Festival.

This one is by a friend of mine. It is called the Gift that Keeps on Giving. Her sister gave her 40 small paper pieced squares for her 40th birthday and this is something she made with them. Stunning!!

Over at Country Log Cabin, she has great pictures of a quilt show that she went to in Arlington at the beginning of May.

Thanks for dropping by and have a great day!! ♥

Catching Up!

Nothing really new going on. I have been doing all kinds of things lately, but now I finally have some time to catch up on blogging!! It is pouring rain outside.

My vegetable garden is already flooded and they forecast more rain and cool temperatures for the next few days!! But at least it will give me time for blogging and sewing!


I am still working on the free motion quilting challenge. I tried a feathered wreath - I think I might need to trace one out next time - this one is very uneven.

I wanted to mention when I painted the quilted postcard, I used these wonderful water colour pencil crayons (my oldest child gave them to me last Christmas). I don't know if they are permanent on fabric, I figured I wasn't going to wash a little postcard. I think to make it permanent I would have to use a textile medium instead of water.

I joined the Process Pledge, and we are supposed to talk more about what is involved in the things we create, so I will do my best!

I discovered this beautiful Robin's nest in my backyard. It is in a pine tree, pretty close to the ground, so we will be able to keep an eye on it without a ladder this time! We don't have cats in our area this year which is great news for this nest, but we are currently over run with voles!! I also found a vole nest with 5 hairless babies - didn't take a picture!

I was helping my sister-in-law paint her new condo and saw lots of baby geese yesterday.

Lastly! There is a great giveaway going on over at By Hoki Quilts, of a beautiful jelly roll and charm pack. There are celebrating the quilt store turning two on June 2nd. The giveaway will be June 3rd. Good luck!

It is absolutely pouring outside (the ditch is full of water) and the house is shaking will all the thunder!!! But my recycling box is in the middle of the street so I guess I will have to put on a raincoat and go get it!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!! ♥