Modern Baby

Name: Pinkness and Grey

Design: 4" squares

Size:  35" by 42"

Fabric: Kona solids

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in Dove grey

Binding: Clown strip in black by Timeless Treasures

Backing:  By Dear Stella

I have been on a baby quilt roll because I decided I needed to do something with all the quilts I keep making.  This one is for sale in my new Etsy shop, Baby By Blueberry Patch.  Just for fun.  Simple 4" squares in pinks with a splash of grey.  I used the clown stripe binding and a lovely black and white print from Dear Stella on the back.  Already to go. 

Gifts

  Name: Gifts

Design:  Quarter Log Cabin by Liz Katsuro

Size:  96" by 96"

Fabric: Purple, red, a touch of dark blue and low volume stash fabrics

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in Dove grey, straight lines

Binding:   Kona Rich Red

Backing:  Story Wideback by Carrie Bloomston

Phew!  Finished this one just before school started this September.  I am entering it in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I made this large queen size quilts for a commissioned wedding gift.  It is HUGE!  Definitely at the size limit of what I can manage on my Janome Horizon, that is for sure.  This is a quarter log cabin design by Liz Katsuro and the block orientation gives a wonderful three dimensional effect.  The colour palette was by request and is supposed to invoke romance.  What do you think?  Rich purples, rich reds, a touch of dark blue against contrasting low volume fabrics.  

In order to make the colours work, I grouped the dominant colours in the blocks for each of the rings of blocks, radiating from the centre blocks.  

Quilted in straight lines, in Aurifil dove grey and backed with Carrie Bloomston's Story wideback, it is a finish!

Check out all the other quilts entered in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  It never disappoints.

Flip, Stack, Stitch

flip your squares upside down onto the next rows squares

This is a strange photo.  But I am going to spend sometime sharing my favourite method of sewing squares or even blocks together.  Now this may be old news but a few years ago, an experienced quilter shared the method with me and it was one of those mind blowing, ah ha moments.  I am mostly a self taught quilter.  I took a quilting class way back in 1989 before our daughter was born but it was before rotary cutters and cutting mats.  Yep.  For real.  So when Carolyn showed this method to me, I was hooked and I do this all.the.time. 

I am going to call it flip, stack and stitch. 
1.  Layout your quilt blocks or squares on the design wall.
2.  Flip the squares or blocks upside down onto the block next to them.  Be careful, you don't want to mess up your layout but the blocks or squares do tend to stick to each other.

3.  Stack the squares or blocks on top of each other in the order of layout. Top squares are the top squares in the row.

squares are stacked and ready to chain piece, stitching will be on the right hand side

4.  Stitch by chain piecing squares or blocks on the right hand side.  These will now be in pairs.

chain pieced in pairs, ready to press

 5.  Lay out ready for pressing. See how I have alternated the pairs of squares.  That way the seams will be pressed to the side in opposite directions, perfect for nesting the seams. Stack them up and take them to the sewing machine.

 6.  Sew the pairs of blocks or squares together so that you have 2 rows all sewn together.  Press, alternating seams down, then up so that the final rows can be sewn together with seams nesting.  Place the sewn together squares back on the design wall in the order of your layout.

7.  Repeat the flip, stack, stitch with the next 2 rows of squares until all the squares are sewn together in 2 square columns.  Stitch the columns together and press.  Wow!  You have a flimsy!!

Sew Sisters Sunday Sale!

Sew Sisters is having a great sale on Sunday!  20% off Regular Priced Yardage.  Remember that Sew Sisters offers flat rate $9.99 shipping in Canada.  Sale on Sunday, September 10, 2017 online only.  Check it out!  Here is the link to all the details at Sew Sisters!

Dandelions and Elephants

 Name:  Dandelions and Elephants

Design:  4" squares

Size:  36" by 44"

Fabric: Stash fabrics 

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white across the diagonals

Our son and daughter in law's friends are having their second and a quilt was needed.  This is for a soon to be born baby girl and the design directions were yellow, grey and elephants.  I felt some satisfaction that I was able to go shopping in my stash and find just that.  I used some of my favourite Michael Miller Kiss Dots in Fog.  I seriously love that fabric and have bought yards of it.  It is getting increasingly hard to find and it needs to be reprinted please, Michael Miller.  It is the best small dot, and the best grey.  Perfect for baby quilts, bindings, backings. It just is perfect!  I also used some of my hoarded Stof Fabric grey print, seed heads?  I have always called it Dandelions but whatever it is, I love it.  And it should be reprinted too!  I quilted it on the diagonals in Aurifil 50 wt in white.  I love quilting on the diagonal like this.  I don't mark it... I just drive, corner to corner.  So much fun!

Just a simple 4" square design.  Perfect for tummy time.

BC Wildfire Community Quilts Project

  Name: Using it up

Design: Side braid by Jeni Baker.  

Size: 56" by 68"

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white on either side of each square

Binding and Backing:  Blue and white print from the stash and backed with an Ikea sheeting

This summer, British Columbia has been hit extremely hard with forest fires.  Fires so bad that many people have been evacuated including the entire towns of both Cache Creek, 100 Mile House and Williams Lake to name a few.  Many of the alerts have now been cancelled but British Columbia remains in a state of emergency as a result of the wide spread fire action across the province.  Sadly, a large number of homes have been lost in the wildfire action.   I grew up in the Cariboo and the fires came close to the ranch where I lived.  I felt a great need to do something.   A group of quilters started a relief community quilting project with the idea of providing comfort quilts to those impacted by the fires.

I made three donation quilts for this project and they are currently in the mail and on the way.  Our guild, The Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild, has quite an active community quilts, charity quilt giving group always on the go.  I used some donated fabric and batting and supplemented from my stash to make these quilts.  Charity quilting is a great way to use up some lingering fabric and bits of stuff.  All three quilts were quilted with my go to thread, Aurifil 50 wt in white.  I hope that these will bring some comfort to help.  

  Name: Just a bit bright

Design: St. Louis 16 Patch (tutorial at Sew with Sass)

Size: 55" by 70"

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white on the diagonal

Binding and Backing:  stash fabrics

   Name: Rectangle Squared by Film in the Fridge

Design: Inspired by a quilt found on Pinterest by Kati Spencer and published in Scraps INc.

Size: 48" by 54'

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white

Fabric:  Various prints and Kona White

A gift for a friend

   Name: Scraps Springs Eternal #2

Design: Inspired by a quilt found on Pinterest by Kati Spencer and published in Scraps Inc.

Size: 67" by 67"

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt ilight grey, irregular grid

Fabric:  Various prints in orange, nayvy, aqua, red, grey and white and sashed with Kona Ash

Binding and Backing: Kona Navy binding and backed with a thrifted sheet.

I have been most busy this summer but I have not been keeping up to date here so I have some work to do.  I am more often found on Instagram it seems as so many bloggers have migrated.  You can find me there at @cathyeric  Anyway, I made another one of these scrap quilts this summer.  It was the first finish of the summer in truth.  This quilt is based on a picture I found on Pinterest.  As quilt by Kati Spencer in the book Scraps Inc.  I do not have the book but I do want to credit her design.  Not having the book, I made my blocks 18" square and with strips of varying widths in a controlled colour palette.  So much fun.  This is the second one of this design.  Here is the first.

Backed with a thrifted sheet in sunny bright yellow, I gave this one to a dear friend who just bought lake property and will be cabin building.  A quilt was in order for sure.

Run Wild Child

 Name:  Run Wild Child

Design:  4" squares

Size:  36" by 44"

Fabric: Stash fabrics 

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white in cross hatch

This quilt is for a friend's grandson. I used a selection of stash prints including a wonderful Dear Stella black and white print, some MOMO Oh deer, and some other fun ones that work well together for a baby boy.  OH!  Some birch trees by Patty Sloniger from Backyard Baby.  I used my regular 4" squares and had fun with the print placement.  Quilted on the diagonal in Aurifil 50 wt in white and this one is going in the mail today!

And on a side note.  We were visited yesterday and today by a flock of Eurasian Ring Necked doves!  What a sight!  They landed in a Cascara tree to enjoy the berries without any noise but the sound of their wings in the tree.  They are not a small bird by any means and the tree was shaking.  I think they pretty much cleaned the tree and then they were off.

I sew tents too!

I made a tee pee for our Harrison for his first birthday present.  I should say that Husband and I made a tee pee because I got a lot of help with the drafting of the pattern.  There are many tutorials on Pinterest but you have to take the measurements and then for it.  I used canvas painter's drop cloths from Canadian Tire as my fabric of choice.  I added a facing to the top of the tent and added grommets to add some stability to the top of the tent.  The grommets were then used as part of the rope tying at the top.  The grommets really seem to make it look snazzy.  The rope is cotton clothesline cord.  The doweling we used was hemlock, 1"5/8".  It was a tight squeeze for the doweling through the tubes at each of the four corners but it worked.  I would probably add a 1/2" to the width of those pieces if I was to make another.  I serged all the seams for strength and serged and then narrow hemmed the bottom and tee pee flaps.  The tee pee collapses easily for storage.

The most important thing is how much Harrison likes it!  He goes in and out and giggles.  He pretends to nap and just has a whole lot of fun with his new happy place.  The tee pee is large enough for an adult to sit inside it with him for story time.  So much fun!

Making shorties for the babies

I found a new pattern designer Vagabondstitch on Etsy.  Her baby clothes patterns are CUTE!  This is the baby bloomer pattern.  It goes together really quickly and looks super comfy.  I made Harrison several pairs for this summer and a few pairs of the baggy baby shorts as well.  I made a pair of the baby bloomers for one month old Claire yesterday in a Spoonflower print but I gave them to her without a picture.  Let me just tell ya, they were super cute for baby summer wearing.

stocking up

With just 2 weeks left in the school year, it was time to stock up on some low volume lovelies in time for summer sewing.  I found some great Alison Glass prints and I could not resist the Dear Stella print.  So darn cute!

I made this before she was born

I made this quilt for our baby grand girl way back in January and she was born on May 30. It is always fun to see the baby on the quilt that was made for her.  So pop on over to photographer Julie Christine's blog to see our Claire on her quilt.

For Aubree Rose

      Name:  For Aubree Rose

Design:  4" squares

Size:  36" by 44"

Fabric: Les Fleurs by Rifle Paper for Cotton and Steel and stashh fabrcs

Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white in cross hatch

This one was a finish last weekend.  It is for daughter's dear friend's baby Aubree Rose.  She was born in early June and it seems that Aubree needed a quilt.  Emily went shopping in my fabric stash and pulled some Rifle Paper.  Of course she did because it is that pretty.  I added some pinks and greys to go along with it.  Emily wanted the grey dots for the binding.  Just like that it and it was done.  I have to say that Rifle Paper has beautiful selvages.  Look at them.  I actually kept them and I never keep selvages.  And there it is.  All finished.  Quilted with Aurifil 50wt in white in a cross hatch pattern and a lovely simple backing fabric.  Ready for gifting.  

Just a wee dress

I made a wee Geranium dress for our grand daughter last weekend.  This is a free pattern in the 0-3 months size from Made by Rae and it is just so darn cute.  I used some Heather Ross fabric and some little red buttons.  The lining of the bodice is a yellow gingham check. I hear that there will be a pattern for the Geranium dress with all sorts o variations coming soon.


We were able to take the dress to the hospital on Tuesday because she arrived!  9 pounds 2 ounces of little girl.  Welcome to the world, Claire Elizabeth!  Pictures coming soon!  We could not be happier!!!

And this is done too but in a good way.

Top finished and it is sandwiched and on the floor waiting quilting maybe next week.  We are being invaded by our daughter, son in law and grandson next weekend for a long visit so quilting may take a backseat to chasing a 10 month old.  So much fun!!!

That's done...

Man. Darn.  And crap.  I knew that something was up when I was piecing this last quilt top.  It seemed squeaky.  And as I was almost finished putting the quilt top together, This happened.  I did have a back up but now I need a back up for my back up.

Sew Sisters has an deal for you!

Sew Sisters has a deal right now while supplies last.  25 fat quarters of either classic Tula Pink fat quarters or batiks for $50.  Seriously.  Act fast because this will not last long.  

Scrap Attack... Seriously

I started another one of these.  I have this never ending battle with scrap control.  I felt most elated to have given a bunch of scraps to a friend but scraps breed like rabbits.  So here we go,  Just like the one I finished last July and pictured below.  Big honking 18.5" blocks using up tons of strings in a limited colour palette.  I am thinking 9 blocks will do it and I will use up a bunch of scraps in the process.  I can hope anyway!  Just like I can hope the sun is going to appear today after a day of incredible rain!  

Family

No sewing for two weekends in a row!  What is the world coming to?  Last weekend we traveled to my Mum's for Easter and the kids joined us there to.  It was just so much fun to have everyone altogether.  Mum is turning 80 this month so we had a pre-birthday celebration.  And we had 4 whole days of baby squishes with our wee little buddy.

This weekend Husband and I were busy with flower beds.  We overhauled some much needed beds, obliterated gazillions of buttercups and spread landscaping fabric and mulch.  I can hardly move but it looks great!  Quilting next weekend for sure.

son in law, daughter with grandboy, daughter in law with baby to be, and son

Son, daughter with grandboy and my lovely Mum