Diane's Joseph's Coat

I'm happy to share a picture of Diane Biscoe's "Joseph's Coat" quilt. Diane made this as a surprise for a Bible study leader, whose favourite story is that of Joseph.She really put a lot of thought into fabric choice, and colour placement. I love how she outlined the coat in red;  it really accentuates the shape of the patchwork.  Diane writes, "I did the border in blue stars to represent the dreams and then bound it in gold. The recipient loved it! So glad I found the pattern." 

It looks vastly different from my original!

As Diane had a very short time in which to complete her quilt, being able to download the pattern

 was a bonus.  You can find the pattern here, at Craftsy. 

Thank you, Diane, for sharing your talents!

Quilt Show Surprises

There were fun surprises at the Thistle Quilt Guild Show in Westville on Saturday. First off...it was a huge surprise that all of this (4 tables worth!) fit in one not-so-huge car...

...which also contained 3 adults.  (Mrs Pugsley sure can pack!)

It was a surprise to walk into the tea room and see a couple of my designs, sewn by member Anne Mattie, decorating the room.  (Thank you, Anne, for your thoughtfulness.)

 The biggest surprise came from Karen Roy, who showed up with these sweet treats.

Beautiful!  As my boys reminded me, I have a lot of creative friends. Thank you, Karen.

It's hard not to love a surprise! ;)

Popping Up

A quick note...tomorrow I will be at the Thistle Guild Quilt Show,vending with Mrs Pugsley's Emporium. The ingenious Mrs P has found a way to put wheels under her shop, and will have a wide array of gorgeous fabrics and all the latest notions...I'll have patterns and Aurifil thread. See you there!

String Tote

 

Instead of being home quilting this month, I have donned another hat which, for the most part, keeps me AFK (away from keyboard)...and AFSM (away from sewing machine!). I've been given the opportunity to act as photographer on a project that involves travelling around our province, visiting somewhat remote areas that I feel privileged to see...off-road spots accessible sometimes only in a big 4 x 4 "dualy" truck. My rubber boots are getting lots of miles on them.

Since sewing time is sporadic and interrupted, it's a perfect time for working on string blocks. I had leftover strips of blue and green Hoffman 1895 watercolours in various widths lying around, so I put them to good use in this quick tote bag. Instead of thin paper for the foundation, I used a heavy weight canvas which gives good body to the bag. There was just enough of a coordinating floral blue/green batik in my stash for the lining.

A machine triple stitch gives a nice, professional looking finish along the edges of the strap, and is both functional and decorative. Using 40 weight Aurifil thread through the needle gives the stitch a bit more "umph"; it resembles the stitching on a man's belt. On my Bernina 440, this built-in triple stitch is # 157.

To make the tote, I used the measurements previously shared here on my blog, adding an inside pocket made from a leftover block.  The bag will be a sample for my String Quilting workshop in October...cos what's a workshop without a trunk show of inspiration!

Polly was on the job to help me photograph the bag this morning.  She loves to climb!

My fall workshops are filling up quickly, so please email if you would like your name added to the list for this beginner workshop.  

Blue and White Happiness

We've been spinning around in a funnel-cloud of activities this past bit, and between work commitments, birthdays, home renovations, university graduation, and hubby's job change there has been little time for fun things.  Imagine my absolute delight to answer the doorbell and be handed a big, beautiful package.  I was floored when I opened the box and found... COOKIES!!

Lots and lots of BEAUTIFUL cookies, which could only have come from the talented hand of Cheryl Coville, aka Grandma Coco. 

The detail captured on the cookies is amazing, even down to the ribbons in St. F.X. colours. The generous number she sent has allowed us to share the cookies around with family and friends. Ironically, some even went back to Ontario with one of my son's roommates, not far from where Cheryl lives.

The edible art did double duty as both decor and dessert.

My sincerest thanks to Cheryl for her thoughtfulness.  It's a little mind-bending to realize that someone whom we've never met and lives so far away could be such a big part of our celebrations. Life is like that :)  The embroidered napkins and coasters, made by my friend Joan, are the perfect blue for the occasion.

Now we put away the party clothes and get down to the unpacking and the putting away until fall, when the next round of school begins. (I may just keep the shoes on a little bit longer though...*-)