Today is the last day... Google Reader is almost toast!

I Spy 4" squares

As some of you might know, Google Reader is shutting down on the 1st of July and as of that date, you will lose the list of blogs you follow. I decided to  use Bloglovin’, but for those of you who don’t or for those of you who have not yet decided, you can easily transfer the list of all the blogs you already follow so you don’t miss out.

Here is how to import all the blogs you follow from Google Reader to Bloglovin’ …Don’t forget to follow me if you like at Blueberry Patch.

We finally are getting summer and the heat is here.  This means lots of sewing because not only am I almost finished at school for the summer (just one more week!) but my sewing room is downstairs and it is just so lovely and cool down there.  I was sewing like a crazy person.  Lots of progress!

Some finishes... scrubs times 2

Despite all the mad end of school busy, I have managed to crank out 2 more scrub tops for our daughter.  She has a birthday coming up and she told me that she really, really would like some more scrub tops.  Then she told me how much she likes it when I make them and how all her co-workers think I should make scrubs for them.  It was a total butter Mum up fest so how could I refuse?  So, Emily, stop looking at this blog post or you will ruin your birthday.

I like to change up the design features with each top just a little bit.  The top one is a cotton poplin print from the fabric shop trimmed with Kona coal.  And then the next one is Moda's Simply Color in purple.

This is a New Look pattern #6817 and for the size I make, I can get away with a metre of the main fabric and then some for the trim.  I make my own bias trim out of the contrasting fabric.  As I have mentioned before, I totally super stitch the seams because nurses wash the scrubs a lot and they wear their clothes hard.  Basically there are seams that will get a lot of strain.  I did french seams everywhere so there are no raw edges.    Scrub tops times 2.

Total fun!  Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday.

Random Thursday... Last day of school!

The grandcats are visiting.  They are city kitties so are quite enraptured with the birds everywhere.  They make an odd clicking noise when they see a bird which is a lot of the time.  Tom and Giselle.  Brother and sister.  No grandkids yet just grandcats.

And do we ever have broccoli???  Oh man, that is one thing that does not mind all the rain!  So the garden is producing.  Broccoli and snap peas in abundance.

Busy day today.  Last day of school for the students.  Awards assembly.  Desk cleaning.  Saying good byes.

Linking up with Cindy for Random Thursday with the Randomeers!

On the design wall... baby blue

I needed to have another baby boy quilt in the pile of just in case quilts.  I sold a baby boy quilt this past week so I needed to keep up the inventory of finished quilts needing a home.  They currently live in a really large laundry basket.  I decided to keep this one classic with lots of blue.  I used the owl print as the boss fabric and pulled a selection of fabrics then added a few more and cut up a bunch of 4" squares.  I had an idea that I would go simple.

 And I did.  Simple.  Classic. Blue.    Should be finished soon.  What's on your design wall?  Linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday.

Random Thursday... unexpected mail

I love unexpected surprises and this was one of them.  A very squishy package arrived and this was inside!  Isn't it so darn cute?  It is a little ceramic wall plaque of quilts on the line!  It was sent to me from Eleanor, who had the idea to have guests to her wedding make quilt blocks.  I came up with the block and then put them altogether and presented the quilt to them at their wedding.  It was quite a great idea.  Anyway, Eleanor found this and thought of me and sent it in the mail!  Delightful!

Then there are these poppies which are just so spectacular.  They are in front of the barn.  Doesn't everyone have flower beds in front of their barn?  We do.  I know.  It is just a little unusual.

Okay.  Look really closely.  Can you see it?  We had a little visitor to the field the other day.  Actually 3 of them to be exact.  Over there, in the distance.  Yep, a wee deer.  The field is getting quite park like.  The fence will soon be shielded by a white rose hedge.  The white roses are blooming now but they are just sticks with cotton puffs of roses.  Next year they will be more significant.

Linking up with Cindy at Random Thursday.  Thanks Cindy!

Another one in the works...

When I was at our quilt guild meeting, there was a fair bit of talk about garment sewing.  More people seem to be making clothes!  And some people have been inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee.  I caught a few of the episodes on YouTube and it was most entertaining, I have to say.  So that is all to say that... I am working on another scrub top for daughter.  This one is in this fabulous purple from the Simply Color line for Moda.  So much fun!  I have another one ready to cut out too.  Somebody has a birthday coming up.

School is winding up and the busy crazy time continues.  I am starting to dream of calm sewing days ahead this summer but for now, sewing is taking quite a back burner.

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesday!

Sunday Stash

First up.  This is some for real vintage fabric.  One of the quilt guild ladies brought a couple bags of vintage fabric from her mother's house to see if any of us were interested.  Darlene and I nicely arm wrestled for it.  This is what I brought home.  Seriously love these.  The daisy print is very much like Liberty.  Lightweight and almost silky cotton.  The blue.  Oh man.  Possibly a linen cotton blend and there is quite a length of it but it is very narrow.   And a little closer view.

 Then we have the fat quarter swap haul from the quilt guild meeting last week.  The theme was "hot off the press" and I came home with some pretties.  Some Happy Go Lucky, some Architextures, some Comma and some bikes!

I love fabric.  Seriously.  Linking up for the first time with Fiona at Finding Fifth for Sunday Stash who has passed the reins over to Allison at Dreaming in Patchwork for this week.

Thoroughly Modern Mini.. Sawdust and Ash

On Sunday I took 9 "sawdust blocks" that I put together in April and I turned them into a mini for the Modern Mini Challenge.  In fact, the mini is actually a pillow cover, measuring about 18" by 18".  So what are sawdust blocks?  They are in fact, little 3.5" foundation pieced blocks using up a bunch of little tiny scraps that I cannot bear to toss out.  My husband calls these little scraps sawdust so these are sawdust blocks.  Why ash?  Because they blocks are offset by Kona Ash.  I like it!  I quilted the mini with a grey variegated Aurifil 50 wt, straight lines, lots of straight lines.  

sawdust blocks before

in process

Linking up with Jennifer at  Ellison Lane Quilts for the Modern Mini Challenge and with Amanda Jean for Finish it Up Friday.

Work In Progress Wednesday on Tuesday

These are my Lucky Stars BOM blocks on the barn wall.  It was nice to see them altogether.  I was on the fence about the more subdued block in the middle but I think it works in the whole grand scheme of things, especially if I make another block with a bit of the lighter mauve in it.  I do think they are coming together nicely.

Other than that I have been making some more depression blocks in my black and white tv theme for my month of That Stash Bee.  I have also been receiving blocks in the mail which is a heck of a lot of fun.  I have almost all of them in my hot little hands and on the design wall but I need to make enough for a good size quilt.

Sign ups are happening for the Modern Scrappy Bits Swap on Flickr.  Round 4 people!  Sign up!

I also made a mini quilt for the Modern Mini Challenge at Ellison Lane Quilts.  But that is for tomorrow!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced and the Needle and Thread Network for Canadian bloggers.

Lucky Stars BOM... June

I made this block completely on my Featherweight at the Sew In on Saturday and here it is on the barn wall.  I kept the colour scheme going but this block is more subdued.  I did that because Elizabeth suggested a more muted colour palette in the directions but I am still on the fence a bit.  I think it works in the whole scheme of the rest of the blocks and I will post a picture of all the blocks together tomorrow.  I thought I had taken more of the bright green with me to the the Sew In. It is a bright green pin dot from Camille's Ruby line.  All I had with me was a little scrap and I used every last little bit of it for those little green bits in the block.  Silly me.  Oh well.  And this took me hours to make by the way.  I am not sure if I am a pokey paper piecer or if this is normal.  I even had most of the fabric pre-cut and it still took me forever!!!!!!  I have to say that I am glad I  only do one of these a month.  They are really pretty but..  Just saying!  Have a super day!

Sew in... Darlene promised sugar, lots of sugar!

She delivered.  Sugar!

Essentials of a successful sew in.  Sugar and lots of coffee.  Darlene organized a great sew in for our guild, the fabulous Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild.  We gathered in a room at the University of the Fraser Valley.  Lots of people were busy quilting and I was making my Lucky Stars BOM.  grrr  paper piecing  grrr.  But I got 'er done and a lot of other things done too.  

I did take a few pictures-just a sampling... let's see.  Here is Laura with a football themed bunting baby quilt.  You have to look at her clever free motion quilting.  Lots of footballs and football terms.  Cute!!!!

Then Colleen was cranking out pillow tops made from a couple of Moda Candy packs with some solids and some linen.  Here is one of them. Look at all the HSTs!  Nice!

Barb was quilting this Tula Pink love quilt.  She backed it with minky and she experienced some frustration.  And I learned a new term for the balled up thread that you get on the back of the quilt when things go wrong.    Bobbin barf.  Love that.  So there.  A wonderful day with wonderful quilty people.

Just so you know...

"go away spam comments"

I have had to turn word verfication on because I have been getting hit pretty hard with very poorly written spam comments.  So when you go to leave a comment you will have to type in the computer generated nonsense word or two that pops up to prove you are a real person.  Sorry!  Seriously, spammers, at least make the comments make sense!  Hopefully I can turn the word verification off again in a little while but for now, the walls are up.  Take that spammers!

Oh... this little guy was carved by my Dad and sits in the crook of the giant maple tree that is the centre piece of my Mum's back deck.  And he doesn't like spammers either!  Have a super day! I am off to the sew in!

EDITED:  Lucy suggested this.... "Turn off anonymous comments and then moderate comments older than a week - it works for me!"  

So that is what I am going to do!  Thanks Lucy!

Bee Blocks... June

Deb at A Quilter's Table asked for Modern Maple blocks in leaf colours for the June in That Stash Bee.  So that is what I made.  I am looking forward to seeing this one come together.  I really waffled about which fabric to use and finally I told myself to just do it!  Hopefully this works for you, Deb!

In other quilting news, I had to miss this month's meeting of the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild because of work stuff.  Grrr.  Darn.  But tomorrow we are having a sew in so that goes along way in making up for it.  Sewing has been on the back burner lately because I have been SO BUSY!  I described it as BAD BUSY the other day.  Hopefully I will remember to take some pictures of what people are doing!!!!!  I plan on making the June block for the Lucky Stars BOM and some other stuff that has been simmering.

A quilt I made was presented yesterday though.  That was good.  I made it for our school secretary's retirement as a gift from the staff.  She liked it.

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish it Friday because this is my only finish!  Eeek!

Design Wall for Work in Progress Wednesday on a Tuesday

It is growing!  This is Black and White TV and is the result of my month in That Stash Bee.  With a few more blocks still to come in, I am pretty pleased with how it is shaping up!  The block is called Depression block and it is super easy and a great scrap buster.

And this one keeps growing.  I knew I would not have any sewing time this past weekend so I made two of these blocks a week ago.  Just to keep on track.  I LOVE where the blocks join together.  So cool!

And there they are all together.  Quite the contrast!  Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesday.  Can't wait to see what everyone else is up to!

Road trip... thrifty finds

We went up to see Mum on the weekend.  Daughter and her special someone met us there.  We had a lot of fun and we took a little trip into town to visit Oliver's Kiwanis Market and then over to visit a new flea market.  The Kiwanis Market is a happening place crammed with donated stuff and used as a fundraiser for the club.  It only opens on Saturdays.  It is a must visit whenever I am in Oliver.  Then we went to the new flea market and I bought this wonderful canister, I think you might call it that?  Biscuit jar?  Doesn't matter what it is called, it came home home with me.  It is marked Japan in the base and it is in fabulous shape.  I love it! Husband sat on a husband bench.  He doesn't get flea markets.  He doesn't know what he is missing!  And it was fun being with Mum, daughter and her special someone.

I took these pictures this morning at Mum's.  That is a grape vine in the background.  Proof that we were in wine country.