Labours of Love

Given that today is Cupid's day it got me to thinking about a couple of lovely hearts that I have received as gifts from equally lovely sisters, Jane and Linda. They aren't quilts but they are handmade with lots of care and hold a special place in my heart.

This one is made from velvet with a lace appliqué and Jane gave it to me several years ago. She is a romantic and makes lots of handmade Valentine's cards every year.

It's about 4 inches tall and velvet front and back - I love the contrast of the thick lace against the plush velvet. I like it so much that I keep it out all year round; it hangs on our closet door and is a constant reminder of her talents and friendship.











  
And last winter when I wasn't feeling that great Linda made me this beauty. It's at least twice as large as Jane's and there is so much work in it I don't know where to begin.

There are flower ribbons, vintage buttons, velvet leaves, beadwork; it goes on and on.











One thing you don't see is the beaded gold tassel that hangs from the tip (I couldn't fit it in to the frame and still show you all the work in the heart itself). I can't imagine how long it took her to make. It too stays out all year, and since it is Valentine's Day I thought I would make them my Valentine to you. Hopefully your day is filled with sweet surprises...M

Everything Old Is New Again

Amid all the cutting and sewing and digging through stashes while we were at the cottage there was also a bit of gifting going on. Jane had picked up this vintage Double Wedding Ring in a garage sale and decided that it would be quilted faster if she gave it to Betty. Needless to say, there were one or two squeals of delight with her decision.

It's in great shape and has a wonderful selection of fabrics in it. We were having a bit of a time deciding if the cream fabric is linen or cotton but think that it's cotton.

Now Betty's dreams are filled with how to quilt it - it sounds like it is going to become a duvet cover.

As a quid pro quo, Betty gave Jane a beautiful vintage floss holder with remnants of silk floss.
















We found this in mom's treasures when we cleaned out her house; it's made from a tea towel and a piece of cotton sewn into channels to store skeins of floss without getting them all tangled together.

It looks like there was a bit of tangling anyway but it makes for a beautiful piece of art, which Jane is planning to frame.















Brilliant! It will be gorgeous....M

Jane On a Roll

Jane is a quilt commando at the best of times, and our weekend at the cottage was no exception. We spent a lot of time rummaging through her stash and when we came across fabric that she had been looking for to bind a Christmas quilt that she had made several years ago (7, I think) she pulled both it and the quilt out to finish it off. She made the binding and has started sewing it on. It wasn't finished when we left the cottage but it will be soon. I'll have to get a pic of the entire quilt for you.










It is a beautiful Log Cabin in rich deep greens, reds and golds. The blocks are placed on the point and the border triangles are alternating velvet solids in deep burgundy and green; it is backed (and will be bound) with a beautiful huge hydrangea print. She was quite excited with the progress on it and is anxious to get it finished and into the quilt closet to use.











She also pulled another pretty one that she and Linda are making for a friend and selected more fabrics to add on to the centre panel that she has sewn. It's done in delicate floral prints and looks like a Snowball but the corner blocks have been appliquéd on instead of stitched in.



The 9-Patch blocks that you see in the bottom right corner will be used in one of several borders.

She also wanted to incorporate some Flying Geese so I gave her a quick tutorial on making 4 at one time and she was off to the races.

In no time at all she had about 50 made.

















I can't help but wonder if this is the secret to her success...
















And just because you can never be working on too many quilts at one time, she pulled out the pieces for her Fruit Salad and sewed several rows together.

This is the same pattern that Betty started working on last summer. They are using fabulous, rich colours and I have no doubt that they will be amazing....M

A Little Fabric Therapy

Jane recently had her cottage winterized so she and Betty and I decided it was time for a weekend getaway to do nothing but play with fabric. What a great idea! It's always so interesting to see what everyone is working on and to share fabrics and techniques, lots of great laughs and maybe a glass of wine, or two, and it was really neat to be at the cottage in the winter.

Saturday was so snowy that often we could not see the ice fishing huts that were lined up out on the lake, but it made for a spectacular walk on Sunday morning.














Around this time of year I start getting weary of winter with its cold and snow, but this was magical. Made you happy to be Canadian.

Betty has been working on her Five Dollar Quilt using the blocks she bought at the garage sale this summer and a box of vintage blocks that she inherited from mom. It is going to be a work of art. Surprise, surprise.

Not all of the blocks are the same size so she is adding borders to make everything fit and is doing an amazing job of it. She brought the blocks to show us what she has been doing but spent her time making Christmas stockings and got a good jump on them.

She's been busy cross stitching names and now has the makings for several cut and ready to assemble thanks to Jane giving her the keys to her Christmas fabric stash and letting her go to town.

She also cut lots of different bias bindings for them and tried using the Clover bias tape maker that I got last year to so see if it would go faster.

It worked perfectly.

















She only ironed one side down, which is what she needed, and not only sped through the process but avoided singeing her fingers at the same time. Bonus!

Next time I'll show you what Jane got up to...M