Taylor And Her Quilt

Here's an update on Taylor's quilt;  I really appreciate that her Mom and great-grandmother allowed me to share this photo.  First off, look at this sweet baby who is only a little over a month old - it's amazing how bright and active she is!

That aside, from my perspective there are a lot of things I like about this picture.  For starters, not only is the quilt being used, it's on the floor.  I love that. Think about it:  when you put a quilt on top of a baby to sleep, do they ever get to see it?  Taylor can play on this and when she rolls over - as she will do soon enough - will be able to look at lots of bright colours, and her name.  The quilt can be machine washed and dried, no problem, so when it needs to go back on her bed it's all good.  I could not be happier it is being used as intended.
Secondly...there's a very content looking cat in the photo :)  Mia is only a couple of months older than Taylor and has been welcomed in to the same family.  It's all good!
Thank you Jacklyn and Nancy for sharing the picture.

At Nancy's Window

My sister Nancy was visiting when the Hoffman Bali Snowflakes arrived.  Her suggestion was that they would look great in an attic window setting, so that's what I did (thanks, Nan!)  I added a bit of snow on the window (I didn't have to look far for inspiration as there has certainly been a lot of snow on our windows lately!)

The printed snowflakes remind me of the ones Nancy used to crochet and starch and hang in her windows.   If you look closely at the picture below, you can see that I have stitched a hanging cord from the top of the snowflake.

The snow is quilted in swirls with a holographic thread which gives a nice shimmer;  the snowflakes themselves are outlined in silver metallic.

For the photo shoot I placed some cattails in a red can...which turned out to be a bad idea with the cats in the house.  They were obsessed with those cattails!!  It was a constant struggle to keep Polly off the table long enough to get a picture;  I would shoo her off and by the time I had the camera in position, she was back at them.  Maddie, whose feet are permanently glued to the floor, stood on his hind legs beside the table to reach up and swat them.

This was a super easy project and took no time to stitch.  The snowflakes will be in stores soon, and are sold by the yard so you can buy as few or many as your project requires. In Canada, they are distributed by Trend-Tex Fabrics. I am very pleased with the look, especially with the red accent from the little bird, and have named the piece "At Nancy's Window."  The pattern will be coming along shortly.

AFK

This week we were away to the big city (Halifax) for a few days as hubby was presented with a long service award from the N.S. government.  It was a lovely service, and very cool to meet our premier Stephen McNeil.  We decided to stay on for a couple of days enjoying the bright lights and delights of the metro area. We dined, shopped, visited friends, and went skating one evening on the Emera Oval.  (Look out Rideau Canal, you're next on the list *-)

Despite the temperature being in the -20's (plus a windchill to make it worse!) it was very enjoyable.  A funny thing took place here while we were gone which I will tell you about as soon as I get myself caught up a bit (it's a cat story of course!)  The past two weeks have been wonderful but have put me way off schedule with work.  I am finishing up the Quilt Of Learning and hope to show that to you soon.

Pre-cut Progress

As last week was Spring Break at my son's university, it was pretty much a wash for work.  We always take the week for family vacation and even though we don't travel any place warm or exotic, we do enjoy spending time together and catching up on each others lives.  Spring Break always feels a bit like Christmas with everyone home (we even had a turkey!)  Having said that, I did take the odd minute here and there to work on the blocks which went together very quickly.

I even got a start on the fusible appliqué.  

It is a fun, colourful quilt and I have learned a lot in the making...so much so in fact that I think I will name it The Quilt Of Learning.  Pictures to follow soon!

A Taste of New Treats

I have been resisting sampling from the pre-cut  smorgasbord- that tempting array of delicious sounding fabrics done up as jelly rolls, layer cakes, etc.   I am more of "a metre of this, a metre of that" kind of gal which of course generates lots of leftovers. This week I am taking a nibble at a Canadian offering of delights from Trend-Tex Fabrics Inc: Maple Rolls and Maple Cakes, both served up with a bit of pepper.

 The "pepper" refers to a collection by Stof of Denmark, whose fabrics I like very much.

My challenge to myself is to design a quilt which makes very efficient use of these cuts both in terms of time and waste;  my frugal side insists on having very little fabric left over at the end.   It's been a good bit of exercise for my brain before I indulge in these tasty treats.