One last finish for the year

Remember this little project? :-)  It is finally, 100% done.  Stitched the last of the binding last night and it's now lying on my bed for the time being (instead of on my living room floor).  Three cheers for last-minute, end of year finishes!

 

 

Cheers,

Mary

 

Stoney Creek, pattern by Jinny Beyer.  You can find it here.

Scrap quilts for 2013

Hi everyone!  Hope you've all had a peaceful time with family and friends.  I'm on break from school and have had time to work in the sewing room again.  I realized my scrap baskets are overflowing and I've decided that 2013 will be my year to make scrap quilts.

I started this string quilt a while ago and it's back up on the design wall.  Time to tackle this one again.

 

I also had this up on the design wall this week...480 2-inch squares, sewn into 4 patch blocks.  Still seems a bit much to manage so...

I made thirteen nine patch blocks (with a few left over). I'll have to add the posts and sashing now.

 

As you can see, my little helper is ready to lend a hand with the sorting!

 

Quilting + social work = fun!

Hey everyone! It has been such a loooong time since I've posted, I'm glad to be back!  Thank you to all who continue to come visit, it means a lot.

So, what the heck have I been up to?  Well, I'm almost finished my first semester in the Social Work program here at the University of Calgary.  Life has been hectic...but isn't it always?

I was missing quilting so much I had to figure out how to incorporate it into my school work.  Here is a photo of a little wall hanging I made for a group project this semester.  It's a visual representation of our group process.  Our prof liked it so much he asked if I would agree to hang it in the Faculty office.  I am super excited about that. 

Now I'm trying to figure out how I can combine a social work career and my love of quilting...wouldn't that be awesome?

Cheers,
Mary

What's blooming now

Hello Everyone!  This is my last day in the house, the sewing machine is packed, the suitcases are by the door and it's time to say goodbye to my garden....

Hollyhocks in bloom - what a lovely shade of pink.

Pincushion flower

White clips - campanula

Hosta and wave petunias.

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

Country style New York Beauty

Hello Everyone!  I took some time out yesterday to begin a new project.  I recently purchased some lovely fabric from Brannock and Patek called Farmer's Market and thought I'd make a country version of New York Beauty blocks...which I absolutely love!





Here are the three sections of my first block.  I've yet to put them together...not sure if I'm up to trying to sew the curves right now...I'm supposed to be packing after all! :-)

Enjoy!

Mary-Frances





Mystery solved!

 Hello everyone! The countdown to the big move is on, but I had to make time for one last sewing Sunday with some quilting friends yesterday. I took a mystery quilt class two weeks ago and wanted to get this project done before I moved.  I had all the blocks finished, but needed to add the sashing and cornerstones. One more project done and ready to quilt...when I actually have a sewing room again that is.

Here's a close look at the block.  The light purple tends to fade in photos, but it is a star with an octagon in the centre.  I think this would be an excellent pattern to make an I Spy quilt with.

The dark purple really stands out when viewed from a distance and makes the block look like a frienship star.

Enjoy!

Mary-Frances



Bloomin' Tuesday

Hello everyone!  Here's a peek at what's bloomin' in my garden this week.  Be sure to check out Msgreenthumbjean and see what's bloomin' in her neck of the woods.

Cheers,
Mary-Frances



My Sherbert peony, a very soft pink with a touch of yellow in the center.

A pure white peony whose name escapes me right now.  Notice the cornflowers in the back, they are taking over that whole area.

My Sarah Bernhardt peony next to the Silver King sage...love this pink.  Truly a classic.

My soapwort, what a fabulous little plant, next to the geraniums and the double flowering plum in the back.

Snow-in-summer, the good kind, that is.  This was one lone plant a few years ago and has spread into this mass of silver and white...lovely, but needs to be kept in check.

The last of my spring clematis.

Fresh start

Well hello everyone!  It has been far too long since I've posted and so much has happened, as it usually does.  I am currently packing up the house, ready to move out at the end of the month.  My house sold in June and I had a busy time finding a home for myself, my daughters and my silly puppy, Max.  I've not had much time to sew, but am including a few photos of some of the projects I've worked on...and am still working on, lol!

I'm sad to leave my beautiful garden, which is looking rather lush....that's gardenspeak for overgrown with weeds, ;-).  I have found a home with a lovely garden though, and I am eager to begin making it my own.  I've already been busy looking through my gardening books and magazines, as I pack them away no less, which slows down the whole process considerably!

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone in the blogosphere and returning to a more normal routine of quilting, posting, chatting and reconnecting with you once again!

Cheers,
Mary-Frances

My first attempt at paper piecing.  I'm quite please with the stars and really enjoyed making them.  I took a paper-piecing class at www.craftsy.com and couldn't wait to get started.  Thankfully I went to a quilting retreat soon after the class and managed to get a few stars done.  I finished the rest once the house sold and I could bring my sewing machine out once again.

Here's a current project, my first attempt at a lone star.  One more diamond to go then I have to put everything away.  I have some backing fabric selected, but it's packed away, goodness knows where.  I'll find it when I move to the new house....eventually.

Signed up for a mystery quilt class in the spring and I'm still working on it.  I enjoyed the class, but I'm not jazzed about my fabric selection.  Even so, I signed up for another mystery quilt class this week.  

Here's a view of my current backyard, taken in early June.

Here's a photo of my new yard. Smaller, yes, but there's lots of potential here!

Three cheers for finishes!

Hello Everyone!  As the spring weather approaches, I'm guessing many of you will be eager to get outside and begin working in your gardens.  I've been very good so far this year and have kept away from the garden centres. 

My posts will be few and far between this spring as I've had to put the house up for sale.  I've been keeping busy packing boxes and clearing out the garage and basement.  Fingers crossed that the house sells quickly please!

Just want to show you two projects I have managed to get done this month and a few that I am working on.  I just ordered three applique books, Beautiful Botanicals, William Morris in Applique and Applique Outside the Line (of course I had to order this one!!).  I'm fairly new to applique but I'm loving the wide variety of styles and possibilities this art form offers...always something new to try in quilting, isn't that part of the fun?

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

Hooray!  Here's my wonky disappearing nine-patch quilt all done.  I called it My Funny Valentine and gave it to my granddaughter.

Just had a very basic meander done on this quilt - but it suits it.

Here's my blue and white pineapple block quilt - made for my sister.  She loves snowflakes, so naturally I used snowflake fabric and had it quilted using a snowflake pattern.

My diamond string quilt - pattern is from the String Quilt Revival book, which is awesome by the way.

I began this star quilt because I saw it on another blog and thought it looked really cool...of course that was a few months ago and can't remember where I originally saw it!!

Here's a quick and easy project that used up my stash of 1930's fat quarters.  All I need to do is add some borders.  Depending on how much time I have, I might just add a small white border then a larger pieced border using whatever remains of my 1930's fabric. 

Stoney Creek finishing touches

Well hello everyone!  I just want to welcome Cathy to the blog, thanks so much for signing up!  Things have been rather slow in the quilting department lately but a burst of creative energy over the weekend helped me get more work done on my Stoney Creek quilt. 



Here it is, all finished - yoohoo!  Even though it just looks like one large border, there are actually two borders on the quilt with a flange between them.

 

Here's a better look at the borders.  The first fabric is a darker turquoise fabric with a rust coloured flange sewn on to it.  The second border is a blue-black batik.  I wanted to create the look of a heavy frame around the quilt, like you would see on a piece of art.  I'm still deciding if should keep it on or not.


I'm linking up to the Needle and Thread Network for their WIP Wednesday.  Be sure to stop by and see what everyone else is up to.

Cheers,
Mary-Frances

It's award season!

Hello Everyone!  It's been a grand week, with my DD back from University, taking care of my granddaughter, a guild meeting and a gathering of my Saturday sewing sisters....oh yes, and trying to squeeze in some sewing time too!  To top it all off, when I woke Sunday morning, Michele from Quilts from my crayonbox sent me an email letting me know she had nominated me for a Liebster Award...how sweet was that?

I would like to nominate the following five blogs for the award as well:

1. Linda from Linda's quiltmania

2. Mountain Quilter at My Quilting Addiction 

3. Karen at Kaholly

4. Marjorie at Marjorie's busy corner

5. Erin at Missy Mac creations

I hope you'll go visit them, say hello and see what fun projects each of them is working on.

One last thing before I go check on the little one....



Finally finished my table runner...love that Kate Spain fabric.



A quick view of the quilting, simple but effective.

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

Design Wall Mayhem

Hello Everyone!  Here's a peek at my messy design wall today.  I agreed to make my son-in-law a quilt and I've been slowly collecting fabrics that depict his interests...country life, cowboy culture, fishing and anything related to the sea.  So, now that I have this fabric, what am I going to do with it??  Good question....wish I had an answer for you! 

I'm going to leave it up for a day or two and see if it inspires me, or just plain drives me crazy....;-)



Lots of tans, greens and blue tones in these fabrics, so most of them work together.




I could draw out the red from this fabric and use it as an accent colour.




I could certainly use all the shades of brown and black from this fabric...but that would probably make it too dark.




I love this fabric and the other one with the fish, but I'm not really sure I'll be able to work them in.  That bright blue is the first thing that catches my eye when I look at the design wall.  We all want a 'zinger' in our quilts, but I don't want this piece or the other fish fabric to become the focal point of the quilt.  Time to go through my stash and see what else I have that works with these fabrics.  Of course, if I can't find anything, it's off to the quilt store for me!

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

A red and white finish!

Hello Everyone!  It feels like ages since I've taken part in TGIFF and Finish it up Friday, and I'm so glad to have one quilt finished.  This is my red and white quilt, made with the help of my on-line scrap-bee friends. 

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances



This shot is a little dark, but it does show the quilting rather well. I'm rather pleased with how this quilt turned out.  I'll be submitting this one to the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts this May!




A closer look at four smaller blocks - a great way to use up your scraps.




A close up of the back (the flash makes this look much brighter than it is...really), highlighting the baptist fan pattern used to quilt it.  I had this one long-armed instead of quilting it myself.  I even considered hand quilting it, but realized I probably wouldn't have it done in time for the festival.




Now I just have to figure out what name I should give this quilt...



Pay-it-forward gift made it to Australia

Hello Everyone!  My pay-it-forward gift to Tracee of Farm Gate Creations finally arrived!  I spent the summer months of 2011 working on this project for her and finally sent it off in November.  It took 8 weeks to arrive and frankly, I was beginning to worry it wouldn't ever get to her.  Fortunately, Tracee received her parcel on Monday and all is well.  Enjoy your quilt Tracee, it was great fun working on that project for you!

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances



I wanted an old fashioned look for this quilt, something to suit the Robyn Pandolph Canadian Cottage fabric, so I opted for a traditional diamond grid quilting pattern.




I didn't follow a pattern for this one, as I had a pack of charm squares and thought I would just sew them together. 
I did look through my Gwen Marston books and found some inspiration there, that's why I have the one near solid border running across the bottom of the quilt and the much wider floral border beneath it.



Wonky disappearing nine-patch done

Hi Everyone!  It's that time of the week again - work in progress wednesday.  Time to link up with everyone at The Needle & Thread Network today.  Be sure to check out what everyone else is working on - there's some amazing stuff out there! 

I managed to sew all 12 of my wonky disappearing nine-patch blocks together yesterday and quickly added a 3 1/2 inch border around it.  Yoohoo!  I just might get this done in time for Valentine's day. :-)

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

Here's my wonky nine-patch baby quilt top
done and ready to be quilted.



I tried to use as many different reds as I could.  Here's a closer look at one of my faves - a red batik with a heart motif.





Disappearing nine-patch tutorial - wonky version

Hi everyone!  Found some time to play in my sewing room this week and wanted to share a new tutorial with you.  I'm working on a quilt for my little valentine and I'm using a wonky version of the disappearing nine-patch.

Enjoy!
Mary-Frances

Begin with two 12 inch squares in contrasting fabric.



Place one square on top of the other, both pieces of fabric must be right side up (not right sides together as we normally do).




Take your ruler and make two random vertical cuts. Then make two random horizontal cuts.



Switch the bottom fabric on four squares as shown in the photo - this is your wonky nine-patch.




Sew pieces together as you would for a normal nine-patch block, making sure to press your seam toward the darker fabric.




When you are done, you will have two wonky nine-patch blocks.




Take the time to square up your blocks.  I trimmed these blocks down to 10 3/4 inches.




Find the center of your block - in this case it was 5 3/8 inches - and make a vertical and then a horizontal cut.




You now have four smaller blocks. 
Take your upper right hand block and turn twice to the right - your small corner square will now be in the upper right side.
Take your lower left hand block and turn twice to the right - your small corner square will now be in the lower left side.




Sew your four small blocks together and you now have your first wonky disappearing nine-patch block!




Here's a sneak peak at the quilt I'm making...I should have the top done for next week's WIP Wednesday!