Nov 29, 2016
So this morning I sat down to write a blog post however this is proving to be quite frustrating. First the computer said it didn’t have any internet. OK fine reboot the computer and start over, alright now I have internet and everything is working so the pictures I want to share are on my phone. No problem just send them via email to me and I can edit them and upload them. I know I could use a cable but I only have one and it’s not handy.
Nope, they won’t send, this isn’t the first time this has happened and seems to be a regular occurrence these days even though it used to be a very simple task. So my hour that I had to write this post is slowly dwindling down to like 35 minutes. Sigh! I am obviously going to have to purchase a second cable and keep it hooked up to the computer for easy sharing.
Ha so I get the cable and plug the phone in to get the pictures and just then the pictures show up in my inbox. (sigh again) except now Lightroom decides it doesn’t want to work. Really! Oh well, deep breath and carry on. OK unplug the phone from the computer and now Lightroom works. Go figure.
So now that I finally (hopefully) have the computer challenges figured out on to the blog post. The weather in Victoria has been mostly WET with the odd nice sunny day thrown in just to remind us how beautiful and appreciated those days are. The temperatures have been very mild with some of the early plum trees along Blanchard street getting mixed up as they are blooming now. I took a picture of this plant on Sunday and it too is clearly confused as it doesn’t normally bloom until late February around here.
As well, last week while taking my Mom to the eye doctors we both noticed daffodils popping their stems up in the landscaping of the building where the eye doctor has their offices. I used to work in that building and although these daffodils were often up in January, earlier than most areas, seeing them trying to grow in late November is unusual.
On the quilting front I haven’t been doing too much other than re-organizing my studio and I have been sewing my Gravity quilt top together. I have it mostly completed now just two more sections to go. I can’t wait to get this one finished as I am really looking forward to quilting it.
The one task I have on my agenda today is decorating the house for Christmas. Yesterday was cleaning (ugh) not one of my favourite tasks but a necessary one.
So for those reading this and living in the Victoria area, Kevin and I are having an open house at our home 23-4125 Interurban Road this coming Saturday, December 3, 2016. Please pop in between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm for coffee, tea and cookies we would love to catch up with you. Hope to see you then.
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Nov 22, 2016
Not much to report on the quilting front these days. I enjoyed quilting the last client quilt I had as it really made me think of how to quilt it. Someone asked what pattern was used and upon asking my client she said the pattern was called Slice.
Things seem to have quieted down for me now, I guess I still need to work on getting my name and availability out into the local quilting scene. Since there is a lull for me I will finally get a chance to quilt my Judy Neimeyer
Wedding Star Quilt which has been sitting waiting for me for the past 2 years. I am pretty certain I know what design I want to quilt on this one but that may change once I have it on the frame.
I am going to keep this one so once finished I will finally have a quilt I can actually take and show and show and share! Usually I end up giving my quilts away or these days making them on commission.
The weather here in Victoria was beautiful yesterday however it didn’t last, today the rain is pouring down from the skies and it’s supposed to rain all week. Oh joy! The only conciliation is that it isn’t snow.
The question of thread has come up again a few times in quilting client quilts and so I thought I would touch a little more on the types of threads there are out there and when to use them. I did do a post on thread a while back you can find that one here.
Although there are many types of threads out there and I have and have used some fancy specialty threads I generally stick to just a few for everyday quilting.
My go to thread for baby quilts or quilts that are more scrappy in nature is Superior Threads 
King Tut. This thread is a 40 weight cotton thread which means it is a bit thicker and will show more on the surface of the quilt. It is a variegated thread and comes either multi coloured or in one colour but with different values of that colour on the spool. It is a nice thread to work with and I used either Superior Threads bottom line or Sew Fine 50 in the bobbin.
For quilts that require a more custom approach and I want the thread to blend in with the design and not 
stand out as much or require just that little more detail my go to thread is Superior Threads So Fine #50. This thread is an excellent blending thread and is a 50 weight polyester thread. I have also used Aurifil cotton 50 as well. This thread also blends beautifully. When I am working with these threads I will use the same thread in the bobbin or sometimes use Superior Threads Bottom Line.
In the bobbin I frequently rely on Superior Threads Bottom Line which is a fine 60 weight polyester thread which blends in beautifully on the backs of the quilts.
As mentioned above I do use other types of threads as well, but the ones above are currently my go to favorite threads that I know will work well and will help make both my quilts and my client quilts shine.
If anyone needs quilts quilted before Christmas I am available to help you get those quilty hugs completed.
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Nov 18, 2016
Last weekend my Mother and I spent the long weekend (Remembrance Day) in Port Moody BC visiting my sister and her family. We left last Thursday and it was a beautiful sunny day, a perfect day for a ride on BC Ferries.
It wa
s a great weekend with lots of visiting, some shopping, watching movies, playing board games and doing a jigsaw puzzle. I did manage to hit up a couple of quilt stores while on the Mainland. One The Quilted Bear is in Ladner. It’s a cute little shop. I bought some cat fabric as I have been asked to make a charity quilt for a cat orphanage. I was looking for fabric with words on it however they didn’t have any. We also made it to Fabricana in Coquitlam but they also didn’t have fabric with words on it however I did find some beautiful purple fabric with butterflies on it.
Here are some selfies the first with my sister and I and the second with Mom included.
On the Sunday we had brunch with my older nephew and his partner at their place in New Westminster and later that day we drove out to Mission to have supper at my other nephew’s house. As you can see in the one picture I am soon to be a great-aunt. Yeah!! Looking forward to that happy event.
Mom and I came back home on Monday and we saw a whale surface off in the distance while we were travelling on the ferry home.
The only trouble with taking time off when you work for yourself is that the work is waiting for you when you get back home. That`s okay, at least it`s work I enjoy and I have finally got caught up and have some time to complete a blog post.
On the animal front Mia and Cocoa are getting used to each other and Mia seems to be feeling more at home here, she is getting more playful and her curious nature is sometimes getting the best of her.
In the picture to the right I had left the cupboard door open in the bathroom and had removed the basket where I keep my cleanser etc. She saw the gap and decided to investigate. She is getting more playful with Cocoa (I think) and likes to chase him up the stairs. The two can walk by one another without flinching now so that is a good thing and Mia has certainly figured out where the kitchen is and when meal time is.
I finished a client quilt yesterday, this one had a more modern twist. In my last post I showed some different options of what I was thinking about regarding how to quilt it. I finally settled on my first thought and this is how it turned out.
I quilted this with Sew Fine 50 thread in both the top and the bobbin and my client had supplied a wool batting.
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Nov 7, 2016
Yesterday I went to a workshop on how to create a soul collage. This is the first I had heard of this technique. Our session was facilitated by Laura Anderson who I found to be an excellent facilitator. I enjoyed the technique immensely and hope to participate in more such events.
What is SoulCollage? Here is the answer from the website
SoulCollage® is a fun process that anyone can do. Founder, Seena Frost, describes SoulCollage® in her book, SoulCollage® Evolving,and on Frost’s CDs. People make a deck of collaged cards
, one card at a time. The SoulCollage® deck mirrors the self as a whole and each card images one part of that self. People use their SoulCollage® cards to access their own inner wisdom and find direction by “reading” their cards individually or in groups. They ask their life’s questions and, speaking from their own cards for themselves in a special context, provide direction for themselves. Sharing readings and SoulCollage® cards are enjoyable, enriching ways to deepen intimacy and strengthen community.
Our facilitator Laura had many cut up photographs around and we had to pick images that spoke to us without letting our thinking mind get in the way so had a limited time limit. From there we created our own card. It was a very enlightening and freeing process.
Laura does have a facebook business page called Casa of Light although it hasn’t been updated in a while. If you live in the Victoria area and are at all interested in creating these cards you could try contacting her through the page.
In the quilting area I have been working on a client quilt. I have it on the frame and doing the stitch in the ditch work hoping an idea will come to my head on how to continue quilting it. Some of the ideas I have had our below.
The client liked one of the ideas but now that I have it on the frame I’m questioning that idea so will continue on with the ditch stitching and hope something starts speaking to me as I’m sure it will. Truthfully all of the ideas would work well. Sometimes I have to fight the perfectionist in me that says the design has to be perfect!!
So what is perfect, and who says anyway. I think I need to pin this on my wall today.
My question for people today how many people struggle with having to have everything perfect before they even start a project?
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Nov 3, 2016
Whew, it’s been a week since I posted last. This is not great but in my defense I haven’t been all that well. I mentioned in an earlier post that I had hurt my hip while lifting my sewing machine to take it to a workshop. Well, it turns out I actually tore the muscle so several chiropractor sessions later and it’s finally feeling better. Today is the first day I can actually sit down for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. To top it off I was fighting a cold and then the wonderful rain we’ve been having has made life rather depressing.
However, today I seemed to have turned a corner. The sun is shining and it is beautiful and warm outside, the cold seems to have gone and as mentioned I can finally sit down at the computer without pain shooting through me. It’s amazing how many things we take for granted, like bending down to put on shoes, until you can’t do them anymore without it hurting.
I did manage to do the craft fair and it was OK, it was very slow but I managed to sell a few things so that is always a good thing.
On the cat front, Mia stopped eating so we ended up taking her to the vet today. She seems to be fine just too many changes in her life in a 30 day period. She seems to have perked up after the vet visit, and did finally eat something, after that she went and hid under the bed in the spare room. Cocoa couldn’t find her, he knew we had left with her and I had put him in the bedroom when we got home so as to keep her stress level down. Well he was going crazy looking everywhere for her when I finally let him out of the bedroom. When I realized what he was looking for I showed him where she was, he poked his head under (he can’t fit so she’s safe) saw where she was and then he was fine and left her alone. Go figure! Later in the day, he hopped up on the bed to get some sun and when Kevin came by to check on things this is what he found, Cocoa on one side and Mia came out from under the bed to join him in the sunshine.
Not exactly friends but not terrified of one another either.
On the quilting front, I managed to get all of my client quilts done and back to them. I have a new quilt that came in this week which is more modern in nature so I have it hanging over the quilting frame waiting for inspiration. I got an idea last night and managed to get a good photo of the quilt today so now I just have to draw out my idea and see if it looks as good on paper as in my head.
I also found time to do a bit of piecing. I could do that as long as I stood up to go to the ironing board, that way I was only sitting for a few minutes at a time and my hip didn’t get too sore. I started Jaybird Quilts Gravity quilt over a year ago now and got the blocks done but that was about it. Here is where it is sitting now.
I can’t wait to finish this one and start quilting it.
A good quote for me this past week.
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