Christmas birds

Lesson learned: when you're moving house, take it easy. Don't try to lift anything too heavy for you!

We moved to our new home on October 28, and a month of packing prior to that finally took its toll on me. My back was so stiff and sore, I didn't think I'd be able to make it to the fall quilting retreat with my friends in early November!

Thankfully, two friends kindly came to pick me up, and I was able to sprawl in the back seat of Jan's SUV on the way west to the lake. A weekend of Tylenol, hot showers and rest paid off -- I came home feeling much better!

But I didn't bother lugging my sewing machine and big container of fabric with me. Instead, I took some small handwork and knitting. It was about all I could manage that weekend!

Here is a pic of the Christmas birds I made for Margaret. Don't be too impressed -- they came precut in a kit. All I had to do was sew them together and embellish a little!

Folksy Christmas panel

I couldn't resist buying this Advent panel -- even though I don't really need another project! I love the colours and the stylized Father Christmas.

Unfortunately, we are about to move soon, and my sewing things are already packed up! It might be a while before I get a chance to get the panel quilted and finished... but I'm certain that at some future Christmas, it will look great in our new home!

Quilts in Bellevue House

 During our summer travels, we stopped to view Bellevue House in Kingston, which at one time was called home by Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald.

There's little to nothing in the house that actually belonged to John A., but the house has been restored in a style that reflects what it would have looked like when John A. was living there with his sickly wife.

I took many pictures of the rooms, and furniture, and especially couldn't resist photographing the quilts!

I think the log cabin is my particular favourite. I love the different colours used, and the way the solids stand out in contrast with the prints. A cozy and scrappy look that makes those bygone days seem so homey and welcoming! However, I'm sure the house was probably cold and drafty to live in, and any quilts used were enjoyed more for their warmth than their beauty!

Upper Canada Village

A trip to Upper Canada Village with the kids, on the way home from Ottawa. The village was awesome -- a fully functioning pioneer village where they raise and shear sheep, card and spin wool, weave and quilt, raise produce in a huge vegetable garden, milk cows and make cheese... it was really cool, and I could easily have spent two full days there, looking around and talking to everyone.

For the kids, however, several hours was enough, and they were ready to move on to our next camp site.

I did manage to snap a few photos of sewing-related things. Above, a huge sampler quilt in a frame. At right, a simple bedroom -- but I liked the clam shell pattern on the carpet on the floor. It reminded me that I'd like to make a clam shell quilt some day.

Below, another bedroom shows off the sorts of blankets and rugs that are woven at Upper Canada Village. Weaving could be a lot of fun... not sure that I need another hobby, though!

Mystery Quilt

It's a funny thing about quilt retreats -- I always pack projects to work on, usually UFO's that I'm hoping to finish while I'm there. But more often than not, I end up rejecting whatever I brought, and starting something new. This year, I found myself unable to resist the optional mystery quilt project.

The first step was simply to cut 56 strips of 2.5"x WOF. Since I didn't have any extra fabric with me, this required a quick trip into the nearest town with a quilt store, for some emergency fabric. I decided to try some fabrics I don't normally buy, and ended up with some bundles of folk-arty prints (stars, birds, berries, etc.). I wanted something that wasn't too "girly", since it would likely be one of my sons who ended up with the completed project.

I came back to the retreat and cut my strips. The next clues instructed me to cut many squares and many rectangles, then to piece 4 patches and rectangles with half-square triangles at the end... Finally, I assembled the blocks shown here (just laid out on the floor, but not yet sewn together). 

I admit, if I had known what the mystery pattern would turn out to be, I might have chosen different fabrics. In fact, there was another bundle in teh fabric shop that I'd rejected, that had more blues in it... I wish now that I'd bought that as well, and incorporated some more colour. Nevertheless, the result is a cozy, scrappy looking top. I'm planning to add borders large enough to make it about twin size, and perhaps use a flannel backing for warmth. The boys often want a blanket when sitting doing homework on a winter evening, or to snuggle under on the couch. I think this will do the trick. 

Since I got all the blocks pieced and squared up at the retreat, now I simply have to sew them together, and decide on the border. My current thought is to add a solid black border, and add some folk arty applique -- maybe picking up on some of the motifs in the prints? Stars, birds, grapes...

We'll see how ambitious I feel, once I've got the blocks together! 

Small squares

Here's a little mini I made for fun. I hauled out a bunch of blue and purple fabrics, and cut 1.5" squares, then sewed them together.

I was surprised to discover how obvious mistakes are at this size -- it's really easy to tell if one of your tiny squares is off a bit! A fraction of an inch really matters, when your square is only an inch big!

I actually had to unpick a couple of rows and restitch them more accurately. Even then, it's not perfect! Another time, I think I would do something like this as a foundation-pieced block, so that each row and column is as accurate as possible.