Quiet Time

In the spirit of 'finish it up' that I've been working to lately I've been concentrating more and more on getting Confetti quilted.

The living room is brighter to work in for much of the day and there's a comfy slipper chair there too, so I moved the hoop into that room and have been picking it up much more regularly than when it was in the study (no TV to distract me either).

It's by no means finished yet but I'm making very good progress and hope to have the bulk of it done this winter. Borders might take me into next winter, but I'm finally starting to feel that the end is in sight.

All this time with needle and thread has given me time to consider the border pattern. I want a design that is fairly linear so that I can mark it with painter's tape and avoid having to draw anything. I've got two options that I'm mulling about now and like both of them.

It's still a slow process because I do one stitch at a time - for whatever reason, despite have very strong fingers I haven't been able to master a running stitch yet - but it is progress, and a very pleasant way to sneak in 15 - 20 minutes of stitching....M

A New Quilt

Betty has found a spectacular new quilt to work on while sorting through magazine's at the cottage a couple of weekends ago - lots of great plaids and neutrals and what looks like grey linen too. Love it! By the sounds of it, so does Jane and she has plans to add it to her list.

 

It reminds me in some ways of a Kaffe pattern that Anne made several years ago. The hits of colour in the corners just makes it for me.

Betty came across a box of old Vyella men's shirts that we found after mom died, which will not only make for great fabrics but a lovely memento as well. Itching to start cutting, she wasted no time giving them a wash hanging them out to air so the fun could begin.

I'm thinking that since I've finished off a few projects lately maybe it's time to start pondering a version of this...

Or maybe I should finish up something else, like maybe my Stars All Around table runners - they are all finished except for the quilting. Guess it doesn't have to be either or....M

An Early Spring

With so many of us weary of this long, long, cold winter, thoughts of an early Spring are hard to resist. It looks like March will continue to be cold, so I took matters into my own hands and put the last of the borders on Spring Garden. Hopefully that will help convince Mother Nature to move things on a bit. BTW, that's another one off the chair!

Because there was some ripping required to make the corners work I had to wait until I was in mood (read 'patient') before sitting down to this one again.

The white border is done in a tone on tone - it's subtle but almost lacey when you look at it. Here it is against the light so that you can see the difference between the border and the white used throughout the centre panel.

I'm really happy with it, primarily because it is a happy little quilt (actually, not so little anymore...).

There was just enough of the blue floral for a 6" border and I'm thinking that I'll pick up on the green in the print for a backing and binding, probably two different prints.

So, early as it is, happy Spring! Here's a few bright tulips to help you imagine that it really is on its way....M

Not The Weekend I Had Planned

Last weekend was to be spent with friends at Jane's cottage quilting and catching up but an unexpected early morning  trip to the Emergency ward landed me in hospital for 4 days, which meant that I missed all of the fun. Thankfully the gals went ahead with their plans and have sent through a few pics of the fun that they had for me to share, not the least of which is Jane's finished top made from men's shirting and vintage sheets.

She had been working on the saw tooth border and finished attaching it so now it is ready to quilt. Just beautiful. She may hand quilt this one with perle cotton, which I think would be lovely.

Such a bright and cheery quilt, no wonder she calls it Summer Picnic.

Betty was a real commando too, working on a few projects. This bag was for Jane. It was her birthday on Monday so Betty was able to get some design input (things like adding a pocket) as she worked.

Isn't it great? It is lined with the same fabric that was used for the side panel - a beautiful large graphic floral print that just makes you feel good when you look at it. Apparently the birthday girl was quite happy with her prezzie....M