Autumn Leaves Falling Out of the Blue

You don't expect a quilt to fall into your lap, but recently one did just that. Helgard, one of our church quilters, showed up with a small box a few months ago and in it was a partially completed quilt called Autumn Leaves. Her daughter had started it but lately it had been going nowhere so she passed it on to us to finish, with the proviso that whatever we did with it would benefit the church.

We eagerly dug into the box and did lots of oohing and ahhing about both the fabrics and the workmanship, but nobody jumped in to say that they would finish it. So, into the cupboard it went. Fearing that it would never be touched again, I later took it home to see just how much was still left to do.  

Something that had given us pause was that it was made using 'Thangles' and only Jan had ever worked with them before so I wanted to get a bead on that too. 

It turns out that Thangles are preprinted papers with sewing and cutting lines designed to ensure perfect HSTs every time. The quilt pattern looks like it was created in 2007 so I'm thinking that is about when Thangles came to market; they are still available for sale. I'll say more about them in another post.

There were 14 completed 12" blocks of two different types, one with a single large leaf...

and a second similar block with two smaller leaves.

In addition, there were various components, including lots of stem blocks. 

These were the blocks that scared me most because from what I had seen in the first viewing they were impeccably made and I couldn't imagine trying to match them, especially without the matching thread. I couldn't believe our luck when I realized that they were all made. Whew!

We still needed to make 7 more pairs of blocks - 14 in total - so I pulled a selection from the remaining fabrics and decided to get those cut....M

A Diversionary Tactic Guaranteed to Work

Whether it's hand piecing or machine stitching, I much prefer working on projects when they are small and relatively close to 'block-sized'. As they grow larger and approach the flimsy stage I tend to get a little antsy, despite the fact that continuing to work on them would get me that much closer to a finish. Just don't like dealing with all that fabric!

Sooo, rather than stick to finishing up what might be on the design wall, I often go into squirrel mode: let's start something new! Works every time. 

That would explain this lovely star. It would also help explain the number of projects that I have on the go at any one time and the mess that is my sewing room.

I have a Happy flimsy on the design wall waiting for the sashing to be finished, and more recently a second star flimsy that needs 2 - 3 more blocks made (I'll share that in a bit) but instead, I scratched an itch and started digging through scrappy neutrals and creamy pinks to try out a block that I've been eyeing from afar. Luv, luv, luv!

Originally, I thought that this one would be for Quilts for Survivors, but it turns out I'm really not that generous after all. This one is hitting all the right buttons so me thinks it's going to stay with me. The idea of digging up and incorporating the last remnants of special fabrics to make this work is so much fun.

I haven't cut any more piece or made any more stars but that doesn't matter right now - I'm loving staring at this one. I think it's going to be called Strawberries & Cream....M

Not Quite According to Plan

Sadly, the big plan to see some real progress on my Good Day Syre Christmas cross stitch went a little sideways last week. Thinking it would be the perfect small stitching project to pack for a getaway was all well and good, until I came down with a cold on day two of our trip. Things continued to worsen as the trip progressed so any potential quiet stitching time turned into nap time really quickly.

We were home again by Friday but that's when things really went south; I spent much of my long weekend either sleeping, trying to breathe, or coughing up a lung (okay, maybe a little exaggeration, but it wasn't good). 

For whatever reason, half way through the weekend I decided to pick up my stitching. Not the best decision as this snowflake just about got the better of me. I feel as though I ripped out just about every stitch that I put in. Surprisingly, I did end up with a little progress but I can't say it was the most enjoyable time I've spent with a needle in hand, so I put it down again.

A day or two later - after better drugs - things went better. Good thing, as I was starting to wonder if this pattern just wasn't for me. I'm now well into the snowflake doily and it is moving along nicely. Happy to have things back on track and hoping that this cold is on its way out the door soon....M

Playing Chicken With My Stitching

I'm slowly picking away at my Syre Christmas cross stitch but will need to pick up the pace now as I've just heard that the shop where I like to get my framing done is closing at the end of June, so I've got some motivation to finish it up, and quickly.

I've been working on the large snowflakes, all the while keeping an eye on my supply of white floss as it's coming to an end. 

I thought I was in good shape until I looked at the pattern; I'll never have enough to do the large snowflake/doily that sits near the upper right corner, regardless of how good I am at stretching it out. 

The floss that I had came with the pattern but it wasn't in town, so I thought I might be stumped. Not so - I found some today! No excuses now....M

My Green Stars Are Fini

With everything cut, sorted and stacked, it seemed like a shame not to continue sewing the scrappy green stars, and with a few unexpected windows of opportunity opening up I now have them all finished.

They are 16" squares so I only need a dozen to make a lap quilt, which is what Quilts for Survivors prefers.

There's a little bit of everything in them, including a hit or two of turquoise.

And I'm happy that I included a few prints that had a pop of red, like these roses.

It wasn't until I was close to finishing cutting that I decided that a few checks would be fun too.

Now it's time for sashing. I'm thinking of staying with the scrappy neutrals and maybe something on the narrow side, just so that it doesn't get too clunky. Time to cut!....M

Sewciable

A few of us got together this week for a Sewciable, prepping and sewing Quilts for Survivors projects, a perfect opportunity to start a green scrappy star quilt that I have been wanting to make for some time now. 

I got everything cut and organized the week before, including making all of the necessary HSTs, with the intent that it would make for pretty straightforward sewing. It was, but when you are hosting you never get as much done as you think you're going to. And to think that I wondered if I should have a second one cut and ready! Ah well, it's a good start.

Rather than sewing, Jane opted to be our Girl Friday, spending her time running to the ironing board for us and designing creative layouts for boxes of blocks that were already assembled.

Anne spent the day focused on getting her Second Hand Clothes assembled and did a good job of it; all that's left to do is add the corners and an outer border.

And Linda. Well, she started work on beautiful Log Cabin blocks with teals, browns and dreamy creams, and by the end of the day I think that we had her convinced that this one should be for her.

The centres are cut from a soft collage of birds and plants. The homespun plaids were driving her a bit crazy though. Because the fabric is so soft it's difficult to cut and sew them perfectly straight, but we assured her that it just added to the charm of the quilt.

When she saw a few blocks together on the design wall she realized that the white strip was just too white so there was a job for Jane - rip it out!

We even auditioned borders for it. This is going to look beautiful in her living room. I'm certain that another Quilts for Survivors project will take it's place some day....M

Happiness Is Contageous

In seemingly no time (at least for me) this Happy flimsy is now complete, and I love it! So does the Official Cookie Tester; he took a real shine to it.

The tan block centres and sashing sets everything off so nicely, though it and the other colours in the quilt are a little warmer than this photo shows.

The outer border is made from a check called Hello Autumn and is a nice fit, don't you think? It wasn't until I looked at the completed flimsy from a distance that I saw the larger pattern of squares made by the light green lines running though the pattern. Sometimes it takes me a while...😏

Still love that cinnamon fabric that started it all. These colours are truer to the real deal.

And that Kaffe print - ooh la la!

I finished the flimsie up about a week before Easter and shared it with the church quilters and they were taken with it as well. So much so that Jean has already made two flimsies using the same pattern! I'll have to see if I can get pics to show you.

If you'd like to give Happy blocks a try there's a tutorial from Adrianne at Little Blue Bell. It's a great pattern if you need a quilt in a hurry - so many wonderful possibilities!....M

Outside the Lines

About a week ago we marked 108 years since the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France during WWI (April 9 - 12, 1917) and it reminded me of a wonderful road trip that the Official Cookie Tester and I took to Ottawa last fall, just after Remembrance Day. We met up with friends for a special exhibit at The Canadian War Museum entitled Outside the Lines. This photo was taken in the Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour rotunda.

In addition to showcasing a spectacular maquette of our national war memorial that sits steps from Parliament Hill, it included this amazing hand embroidered quilt seen hanging to its left in the photo above.

I wasn't smart enough to snap a photo of the exhibit explanation, but it appears to be a quilt commemorating the four companies under the command of Colonel Kingsmill of the 123rd Overseas Battalion, 10th Royal Grenadiers. 

The names of every man in Companies A, B, C and D, and their commanding officers are meticulously stitched in red while the British bulldog waves the Union Jack. I cannot begin to conceive of how this was planned so that the maker fit everyone in.

Outside the Lines shone a light on two centuries of women’s art about war, beginning in the 1800s and finishing in 2024, and it was impressive. It included 70 diverse works. Only one was a quilt, which I will share, but I thought I'd also give you a glimpse of a few of my favourite pieces.

This painting was of women working in a munitions factory in Montreal and it was so very captivating. I didn't come close to capturing the incredible light in it, it was incredibly soft and warm. We spent a lot of time examining it.

I loved this painting but again, wasn't smart enough to capture any details about it.

And the same goes for this one. I will let them speak for themselves.

This painting spoke to the return of part of a family to Japan and the ultimate return of a few of the family members several decades later.

And here's the quilt that I mentioned. It recognizes one of the first black companies in the Canadian military, though I couldn't help but notice that their commander was white (top row) ...

It's interesting how the artist used camo fabric for the sashing to pull all of those photo transfers together.

Back to The Battle of Vimy Ridge. The Canadian National Vimy Memorial sits on a 250-acre portion of the former battleground in France, dedicated to the memory of Canadian Expeditionary Force members killed during the First World War. It also serves as the place of commemoration for 11,285 Canadian soldiers of the First World War killed or presumed dead in France who have no known grave. 

The War Museum is home to the maquettes of the 20 figures scattered throughout the memorial so we got to get an up close look at them during our visit as well. 

These plaster casts of the original sculpted clay statues were used as a reference tool for the Italian carvers who worked on the memorial and they are impressive.

The figures represent themes such as strength, sorrow, and peace. If you look closely at the maquette you can see where the figures are placed atop the columns and throughout the monument as a whole, giving you a sense of its incredible size. A visit here is on my bucket list....M

 

Happy Hour

I live in hope of returning to some of my personal quilting projects soon but lately I seem to be very easily diverted to more and more Quilts for Survivors projects.

This is called the Happy block. It popped up in my Pinterest feed just about the same time that I had brought a few remnants home from the quilting group at the church. 

Jane, one of our quilters at the church, passed away last year and her husband donated all of her quilting fabrics and notions to us, so we've been sorting through and contemplating what we might do with them. That cinnamon print on the right was just too tempting not to do something with, and the tan in the centre of the block was from her stash, too.

I went for an autumn palette, adding in a few blues, oranges and a bit of brown and that orange Kaffe print just kicked everything up a notch.

This is a really fast block to make and is constructed as though you were beginning to make a Log Cabin block. Once everything is cut you can assemble all of the blocks in an hour or two.

There's going to be 12 blocks in total and I think a border or two. I like the blues in with all of the orange/brown colours, though they aren't showing up very well in this photo. 

There's enough of the solid tan to use as sashing and possibly a narrow outer border, too.....M