Slow Sunday Stitching

     It's another beautiful fall day here in Ontario and today I am feeling thankful for all the native Maple trees we have.  Here is a photo out front of my house.  The tree across the road is really brilliant.

          This week in my meditation group our meditation leader spoke about how important it is in this busy time of cell phones and internet to just take time to be still, to meditate , to work in the garden and I would add to that to hand stitch.  I think for many of us our hand stitching time or even our time at our sewing machines is a time for quiet reflection.

     It's interesting how even our time for our hobby can have stress added to it as we work to keep up with sew alongs and block alongs or whatever.  I'm speaking for myself here and maybe for some of you as well.  So today I'll spend some time slow stitching my hexie's with no concern for how slowly they are coming along. 

     I've got the last two rows completed and I have started sewing the rows together.

     I might also spend some time with free motion quilting.  If you would like to see an update it's here.   As usual I'm linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's blog, and later in the week to the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

Free Motion Quilt Along Progress

     I've been participating in the Free Motion Quilt Along that Jess is hosting on her blog Elven Garden Quilts    I loved the first pattern Echo Shell.  Here is a close up of my efforts on this first pattern.

     I'm pretty happy with it.   It's the densest  fmq I've done on a lap sized quilt.  I'm doing my practicing on Jess's Giant Chevron pattern which is  good practice piece because you have to go around points and change directions.

      Jess is up to lesson three but I've fallen behind.  The second pattern is a rectangular maze and I find it difficult to draw so I know it will be harder for me to quilt.  I've also been pretty busy of late.  The third pattern is a spiral and I am very excited to get to it. so I am going to have to get a move on with pattern two.  

     I'm really enjoying this.  Who knew fmq could be so much fun!

4th Quarter List

       I've managed to finish two projects each for the 2nd and 3rd Quarters of the Finish Along at the Littlest Thistle.  To be fair I was slowed down last quarter by deciding to hand quilt my double wedding ring quilt.  You would think I would make my list shorter this time....but Im not going to .   You never know which two or maybe three of these projects I will feel like finishing.  So here is the big list.






1.   I still haven't quilted the half hexagon quilt
I have managed to find backing fabric so the odds are good I'll finish this one.
















2.  I'm making a hexagon sewing kit out of the scraps from the above quilt.   I think the odds are good on finishing this one as well.















3.  I might get the giant chevron finished as I am trying to keep up with the fm quilt along at Elven Gardens blog.  I'm a bit behind but this one has potential.












4.  This is my fabric pull and at the top the only diamonds I've cut for the Emerge Quilt from Rachel  at Stitched in Colors' Angled Class.








5.  Here's another pattern from Stitched in Color.  The penny patch quilt along.  To finish this one, I'll have to  finish these blocks, find the blocks I've already completed and put the two together.










6.  This is my oldest project on my list.  Swoon.  All the blocks are made.   I'm not sure why I'm stalled on this one.








     So here's my crazy list.   I know I won't finish them all but maybe I'll make progress on some of them......and we'll see which two or three I manage to finish.   I'm linking up with Katy Cameron at the Littlest Thistle.

Block Along Update

     It's grey and damp on this  Thanksgiving  long weekend Monday  but we are hoping to get a hike in this afternoon with our friends.   Hmm we'll have to see if it's still raining later in the day.  The last two days the weather has been phenomenal so I can live with a rainy day.  I have been pretty busy  so I just managed to squeak in my second Tula Pink block this morning (I'm going to link up on the right day today) and I have no new alphabet blocks to share.   Maybe I can get 4 alphabet blocks done next week, although it's looking pretty busy as well.

   I'm copying others who are posting by taking pictures of the block with the corresponding block in the book.  

      I'm not sure how I feel about this block.  The outside colour is really quite bright. But it looks better photographed in the book than it does on the design wall so maybe it will be o.k. in a quilt surrounded by other blocks.  The block is also very asymmetrical  and I think my brain is having a hard time adjusting to that.  This is why we do new things.

   I've gotten tired of all the pink and purple blocks I've been working on lately so I switched over to orange and gold for the next block.

     This block is the perfect block for fall.  It will be interesting to see how it fits in with all the others in my multicoloured quilt.   Linking up to the Choose Your Own Block Along at Live a Colorful Life.

  

Thanksgiving Stitching.

    Today we will be celebrating Thanksgiving with our extended family in Kitchener . Before we go I will be spending some time reflecting on the beautiful fall day we are experiencing and all the other things I have to be thankful for while putting a stitch or two into another row of hexies.   Here is my progress on my hexagon sewing kit.   There are only a few more rows to put together.

     Have a wonderful Sunday everyone, and a wonderful week.  Linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts and later in the week to the Monday Morning Star Count at Life Under Quilts.

Choose Your Own Block Update.

      I read about the Choose Your Own Block link up at Leanne's blog   She can Quilt. a few weeks ago .  She made a reference to the Tula Pink Modern City Sampler .   I started making these blocks several months ago but in my usual fashion I bounced onto something else.  I'm hoping the link up can help keep me on track with this quilt.   Here's were I got to several months ago.

     My approach to making the blocks is to flip through the books and my fabric until something seems to work between the two.  Clock Wise from the top left they are block 10 (my favourite), block 33, block 16 and block 71.  Block 71 is a little wonky but not as bad as it looks in the picture.

     My latest two blocks are pictured below.

       It's interesting how colour affects our perception.  These blocks are the same size but the darker one looks so much bigger.  The block on the left is block 73 and must be the easiest block in the book.  The block on the right is an exact replica of block 99.  All my fabrics aren't Tula Pinks  but the fabrics in these two blocks are.  Except for the solids of course.  This is going to be one popping quilt!

     I'm also working on the Alphabet Blocks sew along over at the Temecula Quilt Co.   They are being presented 2 blocks at a time.   Here are my blocks for that grouping.

     I'm linking up one day late to the Choose Your Own Block Along at Live a Colourful Life.

  

Sewing Kit Progress

Here's my start on sewing the rows together for my e.p.p. sewing kit.   I decided to sew the rows together more or less moving from dark to light.

     So I have 4 of my 8 rows sewn together .   I'm linking up to the Monday Morning Star Count and checking out how everybody else is coming along at the link up at Life Under Quilts.

Modern Blocks Table Runner Finished.

     Well here it is the beginning of October and I'm celebrating my 2nd finish in the third quarter finish along.  This is the second time I've participated and the second time I've managed two finishes.   I think I get to count this one as it's done before October 6th.

     Here's my version of the Modern Blocks Table Runner.  It's made with a fat eighth pack of Oakshott Cottons "Rubies".  The pattern is Modern Blocks Table Runner by Lynne Goldsworthy from Lily's Quilts.  This was a good pattern to test the waters with improv quilting as the improv is done within defined limits.  The Oakshotts are beautiful and the improv process is fun.

     I backed the runner with a trio of  (I think ) Indian fabrics that I've had in my stash for a long time.  I was really happy to find a use for them.  Like Lynne I quilted with straight lines every inch but just for fun I threw in an extra quilting line every once in a while.
I really love this runner and I can't decide if I should keep it or give it to my sister.  I think it looks great on my table but I tend to live the kind of life where the table is covered with quilting mats and books.  Hmm,  I'll have to give this decision some thought. 

      I'm linking up to TGIFF  which Laura is hosting at Quokka Quilts because every finish deserves a celebration, to finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts and to  the  3rd Quarter finish along party  hosted by Katy Cameron of the Littlest Thistle.  My original 3rd Quarter List can be found here .