Week 9 of 2026

This week I made a couple of table mats -

Made from 3.5" squares that I cut a few years ago to make a quilt I work on at a monthly quilt group. I decided to make the quilt smaller than originally planned, so I have lots of leftover squares.

This first one I used different brown squares.

Machine quilted with parallel lines. 12" x 16".

For this one I made half squares triangles with the 3.5" squares (four pieced together for a 5" block).

Machine quilted with an overall meander, with two layers of batting. 20" x 45".

Photos from Around -

More storms this week - lots of hard packed snow drifts.

It's pretty easy to tell what Miss Maggie thinks of GingerSnap!.

All the best!♥︎

More Alternating Blocks

I finished up all the alternating blocks that I need for the Quilt Along.

All 41 blocks I need for the large quilt (plus 8 extra, because I had strip pieced the width of the fabric).

I finished piecing the Drunkards Path fruit table runner (it is 21" x 42"). I had been using the blocks as a "leaders - enders" when working on other blocks - but I finished it up because I wanted it out of the way. I plan on machine quilting it next week.

Now that the RPL table center is all finished I have switched to hand quilting.
This is the Bear Paw Quilt I plan on finishing as part of Myra's PhD Challenge. I started quilting it almost four years ago, and when I look at it now I realize that I could do much more with it if it was machine quilted!!! Plus it would have been finished by now!

Although the temperature is back down to -20°C, we did have temperatures above freezing a few days ago - now the snow looks like a skating rink. It is amazing how the snow has gone down.

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

Catching Up

I think I have finally caught up on all the things associated with returning from vacation (laundry, sleep, tidying up....). I have also been trying to go around to all my favorite blogs! I think that will take a while - it seems like everyone has been busy and there are so many wonderful things to see!!

Menagerie at the Wallace Building, U of M

When we came back from vacation there was a celebration over the week-end in honor of 100 years of Geological Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Both my husband and I graduated from geology, so it was wonderful for us to see professors and people that we had worked with. The only disappointing thing was that there was no one else from our graduating classes (my DH also has a masters degree).

Yesterday I machine quilted the mini quilt I pieced at the beginning of August. It is 20" x 27" (51cm x 69cm).

I usually have a darker border than the center, so this mini quilt was a great way to try something new for me. I finished sewing on the binding today.

I received a centimetre scale at the reunion -

and I thought it would be a great idea to add to my photos to give an idea of size.

Thank-you to everyone that has taken the time to leave a comment!! ♥♥

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

Table Runner Tutorial

Here is a tutorial for my favorite table runner. I have made this many times.
It measures 18½" x 55". It can vary in the number of blocks used and you can omit the outer 3" border or vary the size of the border.

You will need about 1 yard of main fabric, ¼ yard (not a fat quarter) of contrasting fabric for framing strips, four 6" - finished -(6½" unfinished) blocks of your choice, backing and batting. Fabric is cut across the width of the fabric and a scant ¼" seam allowances through out.

I chose to make simple star blocks for this table runner. (Sorry I don't go into great detail on making this block, I assume some previous knowledge.)



I use the "fast flying geese" method for making the flying geese. The instructions I have are from an old "Quiltmaker" magazine (issue no. 39 Sept/Oct "94), but I did find the instructions online too. The chart is the important part, then you can make any size you need. For the 6" star block I need the flying geese to be 1½" x 3".


For each block you need to cut -

one 3½" square of main fabric
four 2 3/8" squares of main fabric
one 4¼" square of background fabric
four 2" squares of background fabric

Times four to make four blocks.


Using the large background square and the four small main fabric squares, make four fast flying geese blocks following the online instructions or my instructions I posted earlier (ignoring the dimensions). Repeat for all four blocks. Sew all the blocks together and trim to size - 6½".


Cut seven 1" strips of the contrasting fabric for the framing strips. Frame each 6" block (uses just over four of the strips, the others will be used later).





Cut three 9" squares of main fabric, and then cut them in half diagonally.
Also needs four 2" x 10" rectangles of main fabric for the ends.


Lay the main fabric and blocks out. Sew the two opposite triangles onto the blocks and the rectangle on the ends.

Lining up the points of the triangle with the points of the block.


Trim the ends of the triangles and sew the rows together.

Trim the edges.


Sew the remaining 1" framing strips around the table runner, starting with the points, then the sides. Trim the ends.


Cut four 3¼" border of main fabric, sew around table runner, this time starting with the sides.



Trim and then sew the border on the ends.

The table runner all pieced and ready to be layered with batting and backing. This is a good pattern because there is lots of room to try out all kinds of machine quilting! ♥
I will bind it with the main fabric (if you would like to bind it with the contrasting fabric you will need more of that fabric). Four 2¼" strips of main fabric are needed for the binding.
Here it is all finished.

If you make this, I would love to see a picture! I hope all the directions makes sense, if you have any problems please email me.

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

A Few Finishes!

The first one isn't really a finish, but I completed the first two blocks of the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Along, from p.s. I quilt. We will be doing 16 blocks altogether over the next 8 weeks!

They went together really well. Lots of people have been posting their pictures over at Flickr.

I also finished my Camp Sloanie Winter Olympics UFO Challenge piece. My table runner is signed and dated! Second February OPAM finish too!

It is actually a runner for my dining room buffet,


and a match to this table runner I made two years ago.

I love this pattern and have made a few variations of it. Very simple, four 7" blocks and about one yard of main fabric.

There are quite a few contests going on out in blog-land.


Amber is having a give away, a set of her great new patterns. Enter before Tuesday Feb 23rd.
Jandi is having a give away to celebrate her move to blogger. She is giving away some beautiful fabric.
Audrey is having a give away of a jelly roll and a charm pack. It is the wonderful "Plume" fabric by Moda.
Lila Tueller is having a give away of an amazing new quilt she made from her newest line of fabric "Eden" and some patterns.

How exciting! Good luck!

Have a great day!! ♥

Friday Night Sew-In Results

I sure enjoyed the Friday Night Sew-In! Thanks Heidi!!


I machine quilted my Olympic Challenge table runner. All I have left to finish it is to hand stitch the binding on the back. I usually don't sew on Friday night, so this was a nice change.

I will finish it tonight when I watch the Olympics. Go Canada!

I hope you have time to do something you love! ♥

Something New!!

I finally tried out the machine applique technique from Kim Diehl's book.

It is wonderful to learn something new!! I have tried out many different techniques, but apart from hand applique (which takes a long time) I was never pleased with any of them. Kim Diehl's technique is fabulous. Easy to learn, with excellent results. Even my first sample piece looked good! It involves freezer paper and a small zig-zag with mono filament. I see many more applique projects in my future!



Over at Bountiful Heirlooms there are some wonderful tips for machine applique with this technique. The rest of her blog is pretty wonderful too! Thanks for sharing Nancy. ♥

I finished piecing my Camp Sloanie Olympic Challenge piece today. It is all ready to be machine quilted on Friday night at the Friday Night Sew In! The binding is also all ready to go if I get really ambitious!

Have a great day and thanks for dropping by! ♥

A Couple More Wonky Stars

I am still working on my Olympic Challenge (challenge being the key word!). I did a couple more wonky stars today. I did enjoy making them this time.


I am still trying to work out how the whole thing will go together.

I am going to put an applique in the bottom left corner. Trying hard to finish it this week!!
The Pinwheel Sampler Quilt Along is supposed to be starting this week and the Postage Stamp Quilt Along starts at the beginning of next week. Lots of new and exciting projects to get going on, so I need tho get this challenge out of the way.

I chopped the frozen pumpkins up yesterday, and the rabbits have been enjoying them. They had been chewing on the outsides, but really like the seeds inside.

Have a great day! ♥

Joined the Camp Sloanie Olympics Challenge!

Well, I decided to try my first challenge! Pat Sloan is hosting a challenge from February 12th to 28th, to finish a UFO during the Winter Olympics.


Originally I thought I would try to finish hand quilting this Bear's Paw quilt (90"x90") I started a few years ago. I got half way through quilting, put it away when we moved and never took it out again. I tried quilting again, and decided that there is no way I would enjoy quilting this for 16 days! I did decide that I would challenge myself to quilt one block a week, I have 10 left to quilt, and see how that goes.

This is what I have now decided to finish for the Camp Sloanie Olympic Challenge. It is a table/buffet runner I started a year ago. All I have is 2 blocks and some fabric. I was trying a more liberated style and I realized it wasn't me!! This past year I kept taking it out and trying to decide what to do with it. Now is the time to finish it, NO excuses!! All I know is that I want the finished size to be 22"x48". Wish me luck, we start tomorrow!

Have a great day! ♥

2009 Finished Projects

Since I am considering my blog as a record keeper of the things that I make, I thought I would post the things I finished in 2009.

A lap quilt that I made for my MIL. It is a pattern from Quiltville. I was privileged to receive quilting fabric, books and tools from a friend last year, and have been having so much fun with it ever since. This quilt is made with fabric from that friend.


This is a quilt that I made for my oldest child. I made it in a week, it was such a fun quilt to make. My first jelly roll quilt. It was from a kit from The Cloth Shop, that I bought on vacation in Vancouver last spring.

I designed this quilt with EQ6. The gold and orange fabrics are from a friend. I mixed it with beige and scraps of fabrics for the 6" blocks. I am trying to use up fabric that I have!

I have been wanting a Christmas quilt for a while, I finally had enough coordinating scraps this year (had to buy fabric for the border). I used a tri-recs ruler. I have made this pattern before, it is a lot of fun. Just cut the fabric and sew it together with not much thought

This quilt is made similar to a pattern from the book Jelly Roll Quilts (Lintett). I made more rows and made the rows longer. It is from light and dark scraps. It is the first large quilt that I free motion quilted on the sewing machine in an overall pattern - loops and dragonflies.


Bags from the book "101 Fabulous Fat Quarter Bags with M'lis". And more bags that I designed.The bag on the right is using the technique of printing on fabric with a regular printer and fabric ironed on to a piece of freezer paper.A bag from the back of my MIL's wheelchair.A clothes-pin bag.

These are some pillows that I made.


My youngest child sewed these two pincushions and I finished them off.Another pincushion.
This is a mini quilt that I made from left over blocks from the orange quilt. Two are directional and four were too busy, so I did not feel that they belonged in the orange quilt.

A tree skirt I made with the help of EQ6, it is a log cabin with bali fabrics. It was much easier to make than I thought it would be.


Variations of the same table runner from the pattern "Candy Corn Cotillion" by Willow Berry Lane.
I have a buffet and a table in my dinning room, so I seem to always make a matching pair of runners. The above were made from 8 fat quarters, I used just about all the fabric.



A few more pairs of socks. I always have a pair of socks on the go, great take along project.


I also try to learn something new each year, last year I taught myself Romanian Point Lace. I really enjoy it, this is my first project. This pattern is from an old "Anna" magazine.

It's been fun going over all the things that I made last year, hopefully I will be able to make more this year.