Art in the Pews

Whew! It's been a busy couple of weeks! Last weekend our church hosted Art in the Pews where we invited artisans of all stripes to share their work, and it was a huge success. It is a beautiful space and when it was filled to the brim with all of that creativity it looking amazing.

I wasn't quite sure how they would do it, but the pews showcased everything from painting, to wooden toys, to hooked rugs and photography. 

Oh, and quilts of course. Lots of lovely quilts.

I was in charge to the High Tea that was served down in the hall so I only had time to run through the exhibit (I literally ran!) snapping pics as I went. It was a feast for the eyes. It think that this green quilt was all of the provincial flowers.

Helgard, one of our quilters, is also a potter and she's been talking about these Critter Cups that she makes, so I was happy that I found them. She inserts little creatures at the bottom of the mug that emerge as the cup is emptied. How fun is that? She gets lots of interesting special requests.

Betty, Jane, Linda, Anne and Roberta all submitted items for the show, mostly quilts but painting, circus art and hand made pincushions too. Unfortunately, I missed most everything but the quilts. 

This is Betty's gorgeous Farmer's Wife. She had a fellow very interested in buying it but she couldn't part with it.

Roberta brought four or five quilts, if memory serves me correctly. This one is Eventide and I believe that it was a Miss Rosey pattern. You can see that every item had a tent card with at bit of info about the item and whether or not it was for sale (it didn't have to be) and it turns out that several artisans sold items, so they were happy about that. Roberta sold one of hers too.

I submitted Diamond Dust (on the right hand side in the second pew with the mauve floral border) and Little Trees. I don't know who submitted the one to the left of it with the deep blue background, but I love it - it looks like cross stitch from a distance. If I'm not mistaken, the one at the front of this image is a Lori Holt pattern.

After admiring all of that creativity our guests were invited downstairs to enjoy afternoon tea and it too was a great success.

I mean, really, who doesn't love to sit in to a plate of fancy sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and delicate sweets? It was the perfect excuse for all of the gals to dust off their China for the day. A quartet played in the background as the hall filled with chatter.

Early Saturday morning I snapped this photo before the lights came up and the aprons were donned. It didn't take long for the place to fill with the sound of friends sharing a spot of tea. Hats off the Jean who is another one of our quilters. It was her idea to host the event and she did a marvelous job of pulling it off....M

Minnie & Me

Minnie is still sitting by my side when we watch TV but only lately have I picked up my needle again. With all the rush to get a few QFS flimsies ready I didn't have the energy left for hand quilting, but this past week or so I have picked up my needle again.

It's such a treat! I love revisiting every flower and diamond.

I remember being determined to incorporate the tiny white floral into this block. It was a very small scrap from Jane and is just the prettiest wee print. I do remember it being a bit tough to work with (I think it's a polished cotton, so a little heavier and a tighter weave) but it was well worth the effort.

And you can't argue with the end result....M

Repurposed Blocks

I love being able to find a new life for orphan blocks. Recently, while digging for something completely different, I uncovered several that were left over from Martha's Star. That quilt was finished in 2018 so they were more than ready to be used!

It didn't take me long to figure out that if I just added a border to them they would be ideal to add to our Quilts for Survivors bundle (blocks need to be 16.5" unfinished). It was interesting to see the different character that each border produced.

This red was a little tough to capture - it's got a little more orange in it than it shows, but I think it goes beautifully with the navy paisley in the star.

And this green border is actually much nicer than the picture is showing, tho it proved to be difficult to capture on camera.

I think that this one is my fave; that red print is just perfect with the blue.

This was a speedy way to breathe new life into an old project and ensure that those blocks don't sit dormant for another six years....M

A Surprise Ending

The sewing gods were with me on my mission to get Kaleidoscope to the finish line in time for displaying during coffee hour this morning. I caught this glimpse of it when the laundry room door was opened. LUV.

I was so happy with how well it came together; alternating the direction that the corner seams were pressed worked beautifully, making joining the blocks and rows a breeze.

By late afternoon yesterday it was finished, but when I looked at it I knew that the proportions were wrong. I debated adding borders on each side and maybe narrow borders top and bottom, but that just wasn't gonna do it.

So, I rummaged through my cuttings. I had used up all of one or two of the fabrics that I had but I'd be able to cobble together enough triangles to make six more blocks if I put my mind to it. And that's what I did. 

Sewing like a house on fire, that column came together in record time and after dinner it was attached and ready to go; the final size is 60" x 72". It looks so much better and you get to see more of the circular pattern as well. Eureka! 

Once it was pressed I started prepping the sign to accompany it (around 10 pm) and that's when it hit me - I didn't need it for today after all, I need it NEXT Sunday. Whaaaaaat??? Ah well, at least it's ready!

Moral of the story: double check any panic attack deadlines that run through your fevered head when you are dealing with a cold 😏. Still love it....M