Winter Gardens

Wednesday January 29, 2014

The gardens are covered this week with a blanket of snow and ice. They give one a great opportunity to take candid ice and snow shots. I am honkered down in the sewing room these days avoiding the bitter cold and I must say it is the best time for working on projects. Are you working on some of those hard to get to projects too?

Today's quilt is a garden in itself. This 87" x 88" quilt has eight or nine borders. We have custom quilted this quilt so all the borders go together nicely. The pattern "Growing Things Floral" and "Blooming Things Floral"are the theme for this quilt. Heather has done a great job putting this quilt together using many bali fabrics. You can see from the back of this quilt the many rows of patterns that we had to match. Nice job Heather, and a beautiful heirloom quilt to enjoy.

Winter Sports

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The pictures, this week, are of kids on sleds and a football quilt. What does sledding (coasting) and football have in common at this time of year, you ask? Well, my grandchildren are enjoying sledding on hills small and big, the small ones mean you get more fun trips in on an afternoon, while the big ones are a bigger thrill and a long walk back up, this, compared to our neighbours to the south, who are enjoying their football. The teams have been decided for the Super Bowl and probably 100 000 people will be at the game while millions are watching it on TV, I think the kids are having the most fun with a sled, a hill and a little snow plus fresh air and exercise. I can remember spending hours as a child, coasting on the hill  across from our home( and sometimes on the road, keep in mind there was very little traffic on our dirt road compared to the paved road that is there now). It was great fun, fresh air, exercise and no housework, life was great.

The quilt that I have selected for today was pieced using the pattern "Walk-a-bout". Dorothy selected the football fabric for her grandson. A beautiful 77" x97" double bed quilt with a warm fleece backing. It was quilted using the pattern bubbles at 9". I am sure that it will be enjoyed on a bed or just to snuggle in while watching a football game on a cold winter's night.

Slippery, Slippery, Slippery

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

It has been very slippery around here lately and I'm not the only one who has had to step gingerly when I go outside. These poor deer had a hard job to cross a driveway this week but managed to get going in the end. Oh, the hazards of winter!!!

Our quilt today follows right along with our pictures above. Viola has done a great job on this deer panel quilt. She has offset the panel instead of centering it, a very artistic idea. The quilt is 66"x 69"with a lovely soft "Minke" backing. She selected a 6" bunchberry pattern and it shows up beautifully on the back. Her husband will enjoy this quilt on those long cold winter nights.

Starting in the new year, I am dropping my blogging back to once a week, on Wednesdays. I have found that it was a lot to keep up twice a week. I hope you enjoy it and will keep following me. Keep those quilts coming, happy quilting. Gwenda

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Happy New Year!!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

We are finally back from holidays now, colds and flu plaqued us for much of the holiday season but its good to get back to the sewing machine and quilting machine. The snow has certainly been deep around here especially when it covers a solid layer of ice. The birch catkins are totally encased with ice as you see in this picture. You wouldn't know that I had hung many Christmas wreaths this season. All I can see is remanants of their red bows. We live in Canada and you can expect weather of this calibre. I find its great sewing and quilting weather.

Today's quilt is a little winter snowman fun. It is 58" x 66" and is as cuddly as can be. Heather tells me she still has many, many buttons to go on it yet. We custom quilted this quilt with mitten and star borders. Because of the number of buttons we kept quilting to a minimum. What a fun little project to have completed. I hope you are settled in your sewing room now. Happy New Year. Gwenda