Choir Scarves

I haven't had much time for crafts over the last few months since starting my new position as Vice-Principal. I did have several colleagues join me, however, to create 68 scarves for my choir this week. Here are my enthusiastic singer in their matching accessories.

Christmas Wall Hanging

Well I know it's not the season yet, but I just completed this small wall-hanging for Christmas 2011. I won't be having much extra time this fall given I'm starting my new job, so this might be it for awhile. It was fun to do some hand-stitching out at the cabin with Terri this weekend.

Round the World Done!

I've finally finished it! Thanks to a professional quilter I met at the shop in Vanderhoof, I learned a new binding technique and was able to complete more quickly than usual over the last couple of days.
Onward to new projects......not sure what's next, but I know I'll be itching to start scheming again soon.

Quilt Frame

I finally got my quilt frame set up a couple of weeks ago and managed to tie off the Around the World quilt I started last year. It turns out I didn't quite set it up properly (my engineer friend filled me in), but I'll know just what to do next time! Finished product coming soon.......




It doesn't even take up THAT much space - just the dining room. :)

Alaskan Quilt Shop

Given I'm so drawn to beautiful quilts created by others, I always make sure I find the quilt shops when I'm in a new place. So on my travels last year to Ketchikan, Alaska, here's what I found. I loved the outdoor-themed fabrics in these wonderful nooks!



And here's a friendly lady I met in an Anchorage shop. Quilting is a huge pastime up there. Not surprising with all those dark, cold, and I must say, cozy, winter months up north. I'd be stitching hard too if I lived there!

Round the World Ready for Quilting

I have added borders to this now and am ready to quilt it. My plan is to add it to my new frame and tie it off with wool - just a simple finish. With the double border I've added, I believe this will make a nice queen-size quilt.

Annual Visit to Jo-Ann's Fabrics in Palm Springs

This is my Christmas candy store & toy store all rolled into one! Mom gave me a gift certificate to Jo-Ann's this year, so I took a nice long look at fabrics and purchased a pile of them. What a delight! Now I'm itchin' for some stitchin'.....



Here was my cart shortly before I decided to stop piling in the bolts. Decisions, decisions. It's probably a good thing I had only so much suitcase space.

Around the World Takes Shape

I have now completed two sections of this project......

My Next Project

Today I cut up a number of colored strips for my next quilting project: a "Round the World" quilt in blues and burgandies.

I was also excited to purchase the big quilting frame pictured below yesterday! It's big enough to hold a king-size quilt while I tie it off or hand-quilt it. I hope to see my Round the World quilt on this frame soon!

Newest Rag Quilt - Before & After Washing

Yesterday I completed this rag quilt for Lang's daughter, Liann - it's her sweet 16th next week. This is the finished product, after I washed it, dried it in the dryer (checking for lint every few minutes!), and then ran over it with a lint roller to get off the extra bits of fuzz.

The bottom two pictures are the quilt after I'd clipped all the edges but before I tossed it in the wash. I think it looks pretty good already, but I love how the wash really fluffs up the clipped parts!

I'll be telling Liann that this is meant to be a snuggly TV-watching blanket. There's nothing better than getting under one of these in a cool basement!

Walla Walla Quilting Bee

While I was in Walla Walla, Washington last week, I helped my mother-inlaw Alice tie a charity quilt with her friends. I liked seeing how they used their quilting frames to get this done.

Michelle's 40 Birthday Quilt

I had been working on this quilt for a few months but didn't want to post my progress before Michelle's 40th birthday. Here she is at our barbeque yesterday, enjoying her new quilt!
















































Hand-stitching the last of the binding.....

This is while the machine-quilting was in progress. I took Terri's good advice and set my straight lines in advance with some masking tape.

I started by making the "Card Trick" squares and took it from there. It took some searching to find the right sashing!

Sewing Session with Caslin

Caslin came over for a sewing day today. She started by making a horse pillow, and then we moved on to the beginning of a quilt. It'll take another session or two to get that finished!

PJs for Jon

Jon's favourite PJs were wearing out, so he asked me to make him a new pair. Here is the result - my first foray into sewing with knitted fabric! The nice thing is I was able to add about 2 1/2 inches to the leg length - just what Jon needed. He was pleased with these new pajamas and wanted to wear them right away.

Blanket for Baby Sara

Over the last week and a half I have created a little blanket for my cousin Ria's baby, Sarah.

I started with pink, yellow, and a pretty patterned flannel that I found in California.

Then I arranged the pattern I wanted to create on the floor and slowly pieced it together.

This is the quilt pieced together before I snipped the edges and washed it.

And here is the final product!

Mom's Christmas Shawl

Mom was pleased with her Christmas shawl and plans to wear it to her New Year's party next week.

White Shawl Done Just in Time!

I knit like mad over the last couple of days
to finish Mom's Christmas shawl.....here is the "unblocked" version I spread out on the bed as soon as I had finished knitting......

I was pleased with how the design turned out!

I then soaked the shawl in water, rolled it in a towel to blot out the moisture, and have stretched it out and blocked it in Jon's bedroom, safely hidden from everyone who comes to visit.

Here it is stretched out on towels to dry; this process usually takes about 2 - 3 days.

I like how the detailing on the edges shows up.

We'll see how Mom likes it this Friday........

Fabric Bonanza!

I visited JoAnn's Fabrics in Rancho Mirage yesterday and made a few purchases. Now I'm itching to get sewing when I return to PG!