A Quick one Day Project

So it has been a wet rainny weekend, so it is a good time to do a quick project. I decided to make a quilted tote. As the pattern called for "pre-quilted" fabric, and because I have a HQ16 long arm quilting machine I thought that I would make my own quilted fabric. The fabric I choose was 100% cotton upholstery fabric. and I used poly. quilt batting. I took the leaf pattern from the fabric and decided to make "tumbeling leaves" as my quilt design. It took me 10 hours to make, but it was fun, easy, and it will be very functional. Lots of outside pockets to carry those little extras.

Friendship Block

Faster than a Speeding Snow Storm, I feel that Summer is passing on! So it has become apparent that I must hasten to complete my Friendship Blocks for my Quilting Groups Block Exchange that is to take place the first week in September! We were asked to use 3 fabrics in our block, a background of white, and then blue and yellow fabric. I choose a simple "Mariners Star" Block...(Did I just say simple?!) This block even though it is paper pieced is proving to be "time absorbing!" Oh well ... one makes ones own choices, and this is the one I choose. By the time I have completed 22 of these blocks I should be able to assemble them with my eyes' closed?!

Pink Soup

Well you know that summer is truly here when I make my first pot of "Pink Soup"! Pink Soup is a family recipe that my Mom's Husband's family have made for years. As it requires a small beet root with the beet tops and fresh dill, I can only make it once the new fresh vegetables have been harvested! It is a annual treat each year! I am going to share it with you as it is easy, only takes about an hour to make, start to finish and it is Mmmmmm! Goooood!



LYLE'S "PINK SOUP"

6 cups of water
3 Tablespoons of chicken bullion powder
1/4 cups of uncooked rice
1 medium potato diced small
In a large pot bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil and boil until the potatoes and rice are cooked (about 10 min.) When cooked
Add:
1 medium beet root that you have peeled and diced small like the potato.
Chop finely the beet tops and add to the pot
Also add a good hand full of finely chopped fresh dill. (it must be fresh to give the good flavour, dried dill will not give the same flavour)

Cook stirring frequently until beets are tender.
Lower the heat, and slowly add :

500ML. of "Whipping Cream" (Yes this is true light cream doesn't do the recipe justice!) Heat slowly just until warm, DO NOT BOIL! as the cream will separate and curdle.

Serve with a sprig of fresh dill on top. (If you really are not concerned about calories, then add a small dollop of sour cream !)

Back to Quilting!

My first adventure into Strip Piecing, and it is soooo easy and fun! I picked up a copy of Strip-Pieced Quilts by Maaike Bakker, and just fell in love with all the quilts she had designed in the book. It just spoke to me! My husband wants me to make a quilt for us (I can not imagine why as I have made only about a dozen for ooddles of other people!) I had decided that I would make us a black and white quilt and then I found this book .... the quilt for us!

This design she called "Optical Illusion" only one of the 13 quilts she has designed and gives you patterns for. One prerequisite that I have set for myself before I purchase a book is that I need to be interested in making a min. of 3 quilts from the book. There are 10 I would like to make from this book .... it was a definite must buy!

Her instructions are clear, and layed out well, the photographs are clear and her methods are well illustrated. So as the summer moves forth, I will continue to work on "my Optical Illusion" Time will tell how well it will turn out!

Camping at Francios Lake

So Friday afternoon we decided to load up the motor home and head out to Francios Lake for the Weekend. The weather was overcast, but we thought that it would be fun to spend a relaxing time on the lake shore. I always like to have a camp fire when we camp, it makes the camping cosy! Well in this case it was to soon become apparent that it was not a luxury, but a definite necessity! Mosquitoes, Black flies, and NoSeeums! Clouds of them! I positioned my chair in the smoke and stayed there! The lake was exceptionally high still. No beach to find, just trees in the water! Saturday night was to be a exercise in no sleep! Bugs buzzing, landing, biting ...Okay by 4:30 am we gave up. We made a quick cup of coffee, and drove home. Arrived back home by 8:30 am, fell asleep in the motor home, woke up at 10:00 a.m. and went down town for breakfast! Some wilderness campers hey!

Rhubarb is Ready!

Well this cool wet summer to date has certainly made the Rhubarb grow! Like the ever producing zucchini plant, I am looking for door steps to drop Rhubarb on in the dark of the night! Carl has put in a request however for ... Rhubarb pie, so I thought that I would share with you one of our favorite Recipes.

Rhubarb Cream Pie
4 cups of chopped Rhubarb (cover with boiling water and let stand for 5 min. Drain)
Mix with:
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
1 heaping Tblsp. Butter
2 Tblsp. flour
Beat yolks of 3 eggs (2 will work in a pinch) Save the egg white for Meringue.
Add 3 Tblsp. water to the yolks

Pour into a 9 inch unbaked pie crust.
Bake for 40 min. at 375 degrees.

Make Meringue from the egg whites, cover the top of the pie and return to oven and bake until the Meringue is brown.

Mmmmm Good!

Workshop with John Willard

I had so much fun during the Saturday Workshop that I took with John Willard as the instructor! He asked for Bright Colors only for the fabric, and we just had fun sewing, cutting, sewing, and cutting again! In the end we all had created our "Own" one of a kind block. It was refreshing, and creative. John is an excellent instructor, who enjoys high energy fabrics, and out of the box quilting techniques!

Okay so were are your purchases Coralee?

Along the way we stopped at all the quilt shops we could find. Coralee introduced us to several that we did not know about. This one was our first stop in Quesnel, 9:00 am. We were not the first customers, and Coralee was happy to meet some ladies from the Prince George Quilting group that she had belonged to!

Quilt B.C.

Hi Ho Hi Ho it's off to quilt B.C. we go! Wow! what a show! Coralee, Deb,Dorothy, and Pamela all made the drive down to Kamloops to attend Quilt B.C this May. It was inspiring, and overwhelming at the same time. I know that I am so glad I was able to attend. Here we are stopping for Lunch in Williams Lake on our way down.

When I am not Quilting or Fishing or Visiting with Family...

then it is probably winter, and I am at work. So what work do I do you ask?
Let me start by saying....when Carl came home from a Ritchie Bros. Auction announcing he had purchased something for me .. I knew that it probably was Not Fabric! With hesitation, and trepidation I asked him to show me. When he said that it would not be arriving for a couple of day ... I knew that this Definitely was not Fabric, or a New Sewing Machine!

Yes Logging is one of the main employers in our little community ... and yes he brought me home a lovely piece of logging Equipment!

With a big grin on his face he announced that he bought me a processor! You can only imagine my Joy!!!

Now I am not a spring chicken, at the age of 50+ my boys wouldn't even entertain the idea of challenging me to one of those "Joy Stick" operated computer games. It just wasn't worth it, I couldn't get the feel of the joy stick operation!

My first view of the operators seat in the Processor turned my blood cold! Not just one joy stick, but 2! anddddd, on the top of each joy stick a toggle switch, and on the main stick of each joy stick were 3 buttons, then of course there was the computer screen, and two foot pedals also.

Sure after 25 years of helping Carl in the Logging Business I had helped to move equipment from one landing to another, a small cat, a skidder, not to mentions hours helping him do repairs or maintenance. But this .... This was just mind boggling for me!

After many encouraging words .... he convinced me to give it a try. Starting by bucking up the winters fire wood into 2 ft. chunks, soon had me comfortable handling small lengths of logs.

He assured me the leap to full tree lengths would be a breeze! Hmmmm!

Needless to say I have put in two seasons of logging ,operating the Processor and to tell the truth quite enjoy the job during the winter months.

I told him I would do it until I was 60., after all I was 53 at the time! (Perhaps I was a little over zealous with this commitment?!)

One thing I can tell you .... I can challenge any of the kids to a "joy stick" operated game now ...move over boys , Mom can run those computer joy sticks now .. No Problemo!

Some of our Past Community Quilts

This was our first group quilt, and led to our name, The Cut Loose Quilters. Each person was asked to bring some of their scrap fabrics that were left over from past quilt making. I led this quilt making so when they arrived, they set up their sewing machines around the table, then I put all the scraps in a pile in the middle of the table, and gave them a good shuffle. They were then asked to take a scrap, and without color matching pick another scrap and sew the two together in no particular shape. They were asked to continue sewing strips onto strips around in a block formation until when the fabric was squared off they could make a 10 inch square.
We then sewed the squares together. This was quite a challenge for many of our more "seasoned" quilters as they wanted desperately to sort the fabric into piles of likeness. I would let them entertain themselves with this activity and then come up and give the pile a good shuffle again! Lots of protests and laughter was experienced during the making of this quilt but much to some "speculation" they were very surprised at the end result, which they all like very much. This quilt was auctioned for a fund raiser in our community and raised a nice little sum.

Community Quilt Delivered

As I have referred to several time prior I am a member of a group of quilters here in Houston, B.C. we call our group "Cut Loose Quilters" when we first came together we wanted to give a little to our community in some way and so we decided make quilts as a group to give to those in our community who have been faced with misfortune, or ill health or any other challenge that is a struggle. To date we have made 6 quilts and given them to various people of community or fund raising events. We were so happy to be able to give this quilt to members of our community who were unfortunate to have lost their home to a fire. Although it is not always possiable to have all the ladies who helped to make the quilt attend the giving of it, in this case we were able to! The three ladies on the right along with myself, (taking the picture) were so happy to give this quilt to Charlie, and Joyce. It is our hope that they will be able to enjoy this in their new home.

When a Bag is More than just a Bag!

This is in fact my all around going to town, workshops, visiting and holiday bag! It was supposed to be a "Beach Bag" as the fabric is "Flip Flops" and summer things, but I enjoy it so much that I use it nearly always. Great for picking up the mail!

A Feast from the Sea!

Along with the spectacular Sunsets ... King Neptune also provided us with a delectable meal!
This is our first time prawning ... I have NEVER seen such large prawns! The pot they are cooking in is 10inches (25cm.) in diameter! Could only cook 2 at a time. A feast you could not purchase in any restaurant better! I know that I am so fortunate to be able to enjoy such a wonderful life.

Okay I must Confess!

I must at this time make a small confession!
Although quilting takes up much of my time, in the summer months here in Northwest British Columbia, I also "love" to spend time on the ocean with my Husband fishing and exploring the coast. Sooooo .... I have just returned from a 4 day trip out to Prince Rupert .. it was wonderful. Here is a photo of our 2nd. night at anchor in a little cove South west of Prince Rupert, it was a truly glorious sunset!

Lesson in Blogging

Well it seems that I have been having difficulties getting my comment tag to show with each posting. With help from Kersten I hope that I have corrected this problem. So here goes Trial Blog #1 ... will it work??

Quilt for Samuel!

Well time has passed, I have participated in the making of 2 community quilts that the "Cut Loose Quilters" have made, and I have been assembling 20 blocks for a friendship block exchange that our group will exchange at our first meeting in September.

I have also made a quilt for my little grandson Samuel!

This quilt is true to my personality in fabric choices .. it is BRIGHT! It is basically the same technique as a "Magic Tile" however I did not add the black "grout" between the blocks. This quilt once again is "Fast and Fun" (my favorite type of quilt) When it came time to quilt it the old nursery rhyme - "What are Little Boys made of?" kept running through my mind. "Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails. That is what little boys are made of!" So with this running through my mind, I quilted it accordingly!

A New Day!

Well time has passed, and several quilts have been made. Once again I was to attend a workshop that would take me towards a new and exciting path. This occasion started when the "Cut Loose Quilters" decided to ask Rhena Ferris to come and do a weekend workshop showing us how to make her "Botanical Beauty" hanging. We were asked to bring a photo of a flower that we like, and to gather together fabric that would work to create the flower that we choose. I picked my photo ... one that my son had taken of a buttercup after a rain. It was great fun creating the geometric flower, in an abstract format using Rhena's technique, is was easy, fun and fast! As I assembled my flower .. my mind took me to reflections of where I could go with this ... soon I had a window frame in my mind and my cat sitting looking out the window at the flowers and humming birds darting in checking out the petals. Yep Rhena, gave me the inspiration, and a new technique to explore, and I ran with it! So after much experimenting, I created a hanging deviating a little from Rhena's format, and adding some elements of my own.

The cat actually is 3 dimensional, I layered the batting so that his hips are thicker than his body, and his tail is thicker still as it is closer to you. I added green beads to the centre of the flowers, and a few clear beads on the petals to suggest rain drops on the petals.

Thanks Rhena for giving me the inspiration, and technique to explore a new path! It was a gas!

Over Your Head Again?!

The third quilt top I tried was a result of yet another workshop. This time it was a workshop being led by Diane Janzen from Pritchard in the Kamploops area. I had heard via the "quilters vine" that she was coming to Francois Lake to teach a class called 60 degree Maple Leaf. I phoned up my quilting friend Donna, and she told me .... "Take the class, this lady is amzing!, You will love it!" So with Donna's word resounding in my ears I signed up for the weekend class.

When I walked into the class, everyone was so friendly, and quilting chat quickly came around to, How long have you been quilting ... the average time appeared to be 10+ years. When they asked me I whispered ... 8 months! They smiled and said ... you'll be fine. Then Diane arrived and right away I realized that most of the ladies here knew her. They asked about the Mystery Quilt that they knew she had been involved with, and knew was completed. She was soon convinced to show us the quilt .... What can I say, it was breath taking! the techniques, and colors, the quilting ... all of it. After many ooo's and ahhh's, we assembled at the tables, and our adventure into 60 degree Maple Leaf began. In less than 10 seconds, I knew I was well over my head. Graph paper, formulas, 1/4 seam allowances, and self designing on special 60 degree graph paper! The only familiar item I could focus on was my school days Laurentian pencil crayons. Everyone lowered their heads, and began designing , I sat there flipping my pencil crayon between my pointy finger and index finger....what to do?? I decided that if I was going to learn anything , might just as well admit I was lost, and ask for help. So with a rather shaky voice, I told Diane that I knew not what was being talked about. She was so kind, with the poise and kindness of a real dedicated teacher, she led me to understand what we were working towards, and in the next hour, I had designed my "first quilt top and blocks" It was fun. The next moment of grave trepidation came when it was time to cut our fabric into 60 degree diamonds. Diane showed everyone how to lay their rulers on their fabric and make the necessary cut .....it was easy except they were all "right handed" and you guessed it I am a 'Lefty" No mater which way I laid my ruler down it would not make the required angle. Up with the hand, Diane laughed good naturally and said .... "Lefty hey!" and said, you stay on your side of the table, I am going to stand on the opposite side, she then laid the ruler down, and presto, the angles made sense! For the duration of the cutting exercise, when she demonstrated the technique, I would always position myself on the opposite side of the table from her! My little table top quilt slowly took form. It has been sitting on my design wall for 6 years now .... (is that a UFO or is it a artifact by now?) I know what I want it to look like in the end, and soon, very soon I will put it on my quilting frame and quilt it. I have needed these years to get the experience and the vision to accomplish the end result I want. I am sure that by the end of this summer you will see a photo of my completed , 60 degree Maple Leaf.
Thank you Diane for bringing me another step forward into my exploration of Quilting.

My first Blog

Beginning this first blog rates right up there with my first matching seam!

I never thought it would be possible but here I am 3 years latter totally addicted to quilting, and matching my seams! (well nearly always any how!)

I hope that over time I will become as comfortable with blogging as I have become with quilting.

Time will tell!