December

December is almost half over and I'm just writing my monthly posting. The winter weather which has arrived recently makes me want to choose a good book, get out a warm quilt, cuddle up and have a relaxed read.

Instead like many of you, Christmas preparations have taken a priority over reading and even quilting with me, although I have been working sporadically on a queen-size quilt. About a week ago, I decided to take a break from the large project and do something small and "Christmassy". My scrap box had a pile of cut half-square-triangle pieces in Christmas fabrics and knowing that time was limited I decided to make some hot mats, possibly to add to gifts. Working with triangles is always fun and without much effort and only four half-triangle squares per mat I was able to come up with four variations, which I quickly put together and finished with some left-over binding. I like them so much I just might keep them for myself!

Here is a photo, taken in a hurry, but you get the general idea, I hope.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my quilting friends.

Autumn in Alberta

Where has the time gone? September was a busy month for us with visitors and a one week visit to BC packed into it. We had a great trip and enjoyed sunny skies all the way. One of my favorite views on the Yellowhead route is the view of Mount Robson that you get on the return journey after you pass Moose Lake (where we have never actually seen a moose!). The day we drove that way, the skies were clear and there was just a light snowfall decorating the top of the mountain, which contrasted beautifully with the brilliant blue skies. It was the best view of the mountain we have ever seen. I wish I had taken the time to get a photograph.

The weather in Edmonton has been absolutely glorious and my marigolds are still looking good. But as the days shorten, I'm back to my quilting projects and have finished off three more tea cosies that were requested by a friend. Here they are.


After I finished my last queen-sized quilt, I thought that would be my last big quilt, but this month I started on another one. I purchased a pattern called "Paperweights" by Aardvark, which I thought would be a good way to use up the bits and pieces of fabrics that I had on hand. As always, my quilt will not be exactly like the pattern but I am enjoying working with so many different colours and prints. Stay posted for further reports.

Beautiful Newfoundland

Here are some photos from our travels in Newfoundland this past summer. Watch this space for more photos in the future.


River near Point May

Lobster Pots, Newtown


The view from our B&B,
Hillgrade


The 'red house' Burin

Memories of Quilting on the Edge (Quilt Canada 2008)

Over a month has passed since I enjoyed the delights of Quilt Canada 2008 at St. John's, NL, but the memories are still strong. Here's just a part of what made "Quilting on the Edge" such a special experience for me and I suspect, for many others.

1. Friends. Meeting some old friends, but making many more new ones. Not having a quilting "buddy" to share the experience with was a very good thing, for every time I sat next to someone I didn't know (and that was often) I had great conversations and was once again made aware of the friendliness of quilters. One conversation in particular, which began with a compliment about my book ("Crazy About Quilting"), continued on and off for several days. By the end of the week, we had not only discovered mutual friends and family connections, but exchanged invitations to visit and pursue our friendship even further.

2. Workshops. I took two from quilters at opposite ends of their teaching experience. Joan Reive was conducting her last class and Vicky-Taylor Hood her first at Quilt Canada. Both are talented quilt artists and shared their very different techniques for making landscape quilts. In both workshops there was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and I know that I will use what I learned from them in future projects.

3. Quilts. Everywhere. Bed quilts, wall quilts, table toppers, coasters, clothing, bags, luggage tags...the list goes on and on. Wonderful quilts, large or small, all created with imagination, technical expertise and love.

4. Food. I expect that many, if not most, of us who attended the wonderful dinners at the St. John's Convention Centre or the final banquet at the Fairmont Newfoundland, left NL a few(!) pounds heavier than when we arrived. Local dishes such as fried cod with scrunchions, figgy duff, and Atlantic salmon, were just a few of the culinary delights we sampled. And the desserts! Oh, the desserts! Did we enjoy them? You bet! Did we limit our chocolate intake? Not in the least. Did we enjoy ourselves? Of course.
One chef was reputed to have said, that group of women such as we were ate more than a convention of iron-workers! With such delicious food prepared for us (and no shopping, no cooking, no cleaning up) how could we resist?

4. Scenery. In spite of one day of very foggy, wet weather, most of us were impressed by the rugged beauty of the Avalon Peninsula and many were planning to tour other parts of the province after Quilt Canada was over. For myself, born and raised in St. John's, being "home" again and staying with my brother and sister-in-law was a special treat. My brother is an avid gardener and the "scenery" that I remember was the loveliness of his garden in the spring.

Other memories? There are lots. But that's enough for now. If you have never been to a major Quilt Canada event, start saving for Calgary 2010. If St. John's was anything to go by, you won't be disappointed.

Crazy Quilting - Ideal Travel Project

If you, like me, enjoy doing handwork and like to have something to work on when you travel, try crazy quilting. Small projects like teapot cozies or small purses can give you hours of enjoyment as you try various stitches and patterns. These items also make very pretty and useful gifts. Here are two of my latest projects.

Quilters' Quotes

May, 2008

I place the pieces of my quilt
In order and design.
The path it takes, the love it makes
Forever will be mine.

-Jan Rank, Australia

Q(uilters') Tips

7. Use pin curl clips, or plastic coated paper clips to hold binding in place when sewing it onto the quilt.
8. Save small pieces of thin cotton batting. They are great for wiping off cutting boards, dusting around your machine, or picking up loose threads from any smooth surface.
9. Another use for masking tape. Wrapped around the hand, sticky side out, it can be used to pick up tiny threads from a seam that you have just ripped out. I keep a roll of painter's green masking tape among my sewing supplies.

More Q(uilter's) Tips

4. When purchasing fabrics from different sources, write in the selvedge edge the name of the source from which you purchased it, in case you need to get more of the same.
5. Before washing fabrics, cut a small piece off each corner. This will prevent ravelling and tell you later if the fabric has been washed or not.
6. To determine the grain of squares after they have been cut, gently stretch the fabric square in each direction. There will be more stretch in the crosswise grain.

Something "Fishy"

I have just finished the seventh in my series "Fabulous Fish" wall-quilts, inspired by Susan Carlson's book "Free-Style Quilts" and the end is nowhere in sight. I start with the outline of a fish - sometimes based on a real fish and sometimes a variation of a previously used outline. I select the colour palette I plan on using and the fish seems to take over from there. Rarely does the finished quilt turn out as expected. I am learning to be bolder with colour and freer with design. Borders, which I've often added just to make a quilt large enough, are now a challenge and also a delight, as I have fun experimenting with different fabrics and designs. As the wall-quilts are small (usually under 25 in x 15 in) finishing the borders never becomes tedious. Here are two more samples of fabulous fish.

Top: Golden Grumpy

Bottom: Marble Fin

Q(uilters') Tips

1. A thin sliver of soap is useful for marking temporary lines on dark fabrics. It shows up well and can usually just be brushed or rubbed off. Always test on a scrap of fabric first.

2. Use masking tape as a guide when doing straight line stitching. It saves lots of time marking.

3. Sew with navy thread on black fabric and black thread on navy fabrics. It will be easier to see if you have to take out a line of stitching.

The Light-hearted Quilter

Welcome to the world of the Light-hearted Quilter (also known as Ada K. Moyles). And what an exciting, challenging, sometimes frustrating, but always interesting one it is. I invite you, as this blog progresses, to share in my accomplishments and sometimes, perhaps, failures, as I pursue my passion for quilting.

If you are a quilter, quilt-owner, or merely interested in quilting, I hope you will find something of interest in my blog.

In addition to making quilts, I also write about quilting. Look for my book "Crazy About Quilting; the Adventures of an Average Quilter" (Published by Whitecap Books) to read some of my quilting adventures.

I am especially interested in stories about particular quilts. They may be antiques or modern, baby or king-size, but if they have a special story, I would love to hear it. If you own such a quilt and would like to share your story, please contact me.

Currently, I'm working on a series of quilts called "Fabulous Fish", inspired by Susan Carlson's book "Free-style Quilts." This is a great book if you are looking for a way to express your creativity using non-traditional methods. I'm having great fun, using some of Susan's techniques to create my own wall quilts. The picture below is one of my early efforts.