Global Warming

Seven or eight years ago, I saw a quilt that totally intrigued me in terms of construction.  I wanted to try it, but my brain was too busy with New York Beauty designs back then.  I've thought of that quilt many times over the years and told myself someday I *would* do it.  So I did.  This is NOT something I designed;  it was a quilt from Anthology Fabrics, and the pattern was developed by Country Lady Quilt Shop in Roseburg, Oregon.  Frankly, I think it's brilliant.  No doubt the shop can steer you in the right direction for a pattern if you are interested.  I have made mine from beautiful Hoffman Fabrics batiks. The layout starts out plain enough, with the darks and lights arranged diagonally opposite each other.

With a bit of prestidigitation (and Polly's help) the quilt becomes this, appropriately named "Global Warming".

I am glad I took the time to make this quilt, as the process was fascinating. Careful pinning ensured that all seams lined up just as they should.

It's a bit of an awkward size, so it will have borders added top and bottom, at least, to make it usable. I will ponder for a bit how to proceed, and work on some other projects while it's percolating.  I will also work out how I will quilt it, although I have a pretty good notion already of what will work.

 Polly is moping around now, waiting for more blocks to rearrange!

May Showers

The month of May is always a busy month for quilters, and an even busier one for (assistant) beekeepers.  When you combine the two ventures, the days just don't have enough hours!
The new queen bees arrived from California last week and we split the beehives on the weekend. This can be a tedious job, as you need to go through each hive carefully to find the current queen and make sure she goes in a different box from the new queen.  There can only be one boss :)
I've not been able to get many minutes at my machine, but today I managed to sew 3 whole blocks!  I started on my batik pile back in March.

It's unbelievable to me that I have only managed to sew 37 in all this time.  Hopefully, the remaining 63 will go together a bit more quickly so I can show you how I plan to set these together.

It's still definitely "quilt weather" here in Nova Scotia.  Last night, we pulled on this quilt I showed you awhile back.  We appreciated that wool batting!

A Quick Reminder!

For those interested in purchasing Aurifil thread, this is a reminder that I will be at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium tomorrow from 11-4 and again on Saturday from 10-1.  This morning, a big order of thread arrived, with lots of new collections.

It's so much fun to open the boxes and see all these beautiful colours.  This collection by Angela Yosten is a great way to build your 12 weight thread stash, at a fabulous cost saving.  It can be used for either hand or machine stitching.

This looks like a perfect Mother's Day gift, in the pretty flowered box.  Quilter's Patch is an Edyta Sitar collection of pretty colours in 50 weight cotton Mako.

My favourite is this group of small spools of 12 weight by Lori Holt

All of the threads have been added to the checkout page of my website.  You can order online, and pick it up at Mrs Pugsley`s Emporium to save the shipping.  See you tomorrow!

Following a Thread

 Mrs Pugsley's Emporium will be hosting my Aurifil pop-up shop tomorrow Friday and Saturday.  If you are needing an Aurifil fix, you can find me in the Clock Tower Building in downtown Amherst Wednesday, May 9 from 11:30 - 2 pm.  I'll also be there Friday, May 12 from 11- 4 pm, and Saturday from 10-1 pm.

There are lots of new colours and collections arriving this week, so drop in and have a look!

Weekend Spoils

Paradise was...well, pretty much how it sounds!  Our motel room was quiet, and cleaner-than-clean, and the welcome from the Paradise Village Quilt Guild was warm and genuine.  Saturday's workshop just zoomed by, and I was thrilled to receive this picture yesterday of a completed project.  Judith Murty did a stellar job stitching this free motion. I hope there will be more pictures arriving soon. (hint, hint :))

Friday night I presented a trunk show of  quilts which was well attended (including a surprise carload of quilters from Clare :))  I had hoped to have "Rhythmic" back from its tour of the US in the Hands All Around exhibit at IQF, however the courier arrived after we left Amherst. Once back home,it was a treat to open the waiting box,

 In addition to the quilt, the organizers always include some goodies, such as the show books.  It's very satisfying to see your name and hometown listed.

Better still are these labels to be sewn to the back of your quilt, testimony for the provenance of your work.

I can't wait to add these next to the previous patch the quilt earned from being displayed in Paducah in 2015

 As much as I would have loved to have shown this in Paradise, I made up for it with a surprise showing at the end. It was a "for your eyes only, no pictures please" quilt and one which I will share here in a couple of weeks' time.
Off to sew on my new bling!

A Trunk Show Of Quilts

This Friday night (May 5th), I will be doing a trunk show of my quilts at the Paradise Community Hall in Paradise, N.S., hosted by the Paradise Village Quilters. Admission is $5., and refreshments will be served. The show starts at 6:30 pm. After the show, I will have patterns and thread for sale. If anyone is looking for something in particular, kindly email me before Thursday and I will pop it in the trunk. See you there!