Happy Saddest Day of the Year!

I guess the title of this post is a bit of an oxymoron - how can you have a 'happy sad day'? Today is Blue Monday, a pseudoscientific day chosen to be the saddest of all 365 days of the year for a number of reasons - we are smack dab in the middle of winter, we're already tired of winter, our Christmas debt is closing in on us and we have probably broken a few, if not all, of our New Year's resolutions. How can we make it through the day? By quilting of course!

This is what was happening at our last Quilt Day:

This is Judy's Kaleidoscope quilt just back from being quilted by Carmen; love the scrappiness of this quilt!

This is BJ's mystery quilt from the Mystery quilt workshop at Earthly Goods - very pretty!

Carmen is working on some 3/4 " EPP Hexies - a very portable and pretty project.

Here is another photo of BJ's quilt coming together.

Carole is working on one of the mug rugs from the current Mug Rug Swap with Quilting Gallery - this is their website - CLICK HERE. Carole's partner this time is from South Africa - I'm sure she will love the mug rugs Carole is making!

Behind this partial quilt is Jane! 

And this is the pattern from Atkinson Designs - called "Fire Escape" - it's going to be lovely in Jane's shades of blue.

And I was working on my mug rugs - in a rather bold colour scheme! I hope my partner in Norway will like them!

Until next time - stay happy!

Bev

Happy New Year!

Wow, there is nothing like the dawn of a new year to make you realize how fast time really flies - and how far behind you are! I am so sorry that this blog has been dormant for far longer than I had intended. I'm going to make a resolution to post at least once monthly and if I don't please feel free to send me all sorts of mean messages!

These are photos of the last show and tell we had at our Fall Retreat:

This is Myrtle showing her placemats; they were quick and easy and both Carole and I made some too!

Judy and Carole helping Myrtle with her blocks - these are such fun and happy blocks! The pattern is "Joseph's Pinwheels" - it is a FREE pattern on Lamb Creek Farm Quilts and Fabrics website - the link is HERE.

Helen showing a lovely quilt made in various browns and plaids; it is a Nancy Zieman pattern. 

And here's Helen with a doll quilt (for Sophie) made by her grandchildren aged 5 and 8. Wow - they're very talented!! 

Judy with her strip pieced blocks; four smaller blocks go together to form the larger block - very visually stunning! (a spider web design, I think!)

Love the fabrics on Judy's potholders! 

This is Wendy's quilt; sorry I can't find the name of i right now but it looks like Legos to me!

Wendy's lovely colour-graduated table runner - called Sunset. 

Wendy's table runner; this uses the Little Twister template - Jennie Doan has a great you-tube video on how to use the template, click HERE to go to the tutorial. 

Wendy's project bag; these are great - you can make them in any size you want and use them to store anything! 

The start of Carole's "Exploding Star" made with Civil War prints - it's going to be Queen size when it's completed - very nice! 

Carole's 9-patch Queen-size-to-be quilt with 1930's fabric. 

Carole's microwave bowl-holder; she used an orphan block for the inside fabric - very nice! 

A Christmas ornament wall hanging, a Patchabilities pattern!

A Pumpkin table runner - very 'autumn'! 

Hand Embroidered blocks that will be joined together; various cottages and lake scenes - beautiful!

Carole's placemats!

A 60 degree table twister - the pattern is "Triangle Frenzy Swirl" and is available HERE or at your local quilt store. 

Debbie showed us her very large, very lovely bag. It has inside pockets, outside pockets, lovely blocks on the front and back and ....

...an additional pocket in the front to carry your ruler! Lots of hard work went into this project and it shows! 

I joined two fall Patchabilities kits - Pumpkins and Apples - and made them into one 12 x 12 block - still have to be appliqued!

My 'Trip Around the World" quilt that was making the rounds on quilting blogs - about 18 months ago that is! Just needs binding. Has a total of 1512 two and half inch squares. 

 

This shows four of the six rows of my 'Over the Rainbow' English-paper-pieced quilt. It's almost done! It has 1200 hand pieced 1" hexagons. 

A Christmasy Cardinal quilt - small but mighty!

Another 60 degree twisted table-topper. 

It's not quilting but it has quilts on it! A counted-cross stitch called "Singin' the Washline Blues" ready to be framed.  Here is link to the Dimensions Pattern - CLICK HERE

This pattern is called "Labryinth" and my fabric is quite modern with chairs and tables and birds! This is a link to the website of the designer, her blog is Red Pepper Quilts - click HERE.

This is a free pattern I found online called "Summer Slice"; I used blue & white fabrics that I purchased in Amsterdam and added white background fabric to try to make the fat eighths I bought go further. You can access the pattern RIGHT HERE. The website is Cluck Cluck Sew and the original pattern looks so much different (and super nice) with all the colours mixed up! 

BJ's modern-looking table runner is neutrals!

BJ's quilt - a Joanie Morrow pattern, "Contemporized Country Squares", the pattern can be found HERE or check your local quilt store. BJ also used Joanie Morrow's fabric line for her quilt - gorgeous! 

I believe that is the end of the photos from our retreat - a wonderful time was had by everyone who attended! Can't wait until next year!

Next post I will catch up with what we've been doing since the retreat. Again, Happy New Year and depending on where you live, keep warm or stay cool!

Bev