Slow and Easy Wins the Race

When summer rolls around,

there often isn't a lot of sewing time on the docket.

I know, for me, grabbing snippets of sewing time

has to satisfy that innate passion.

Sew a strip together here, pin blocks together there,

press those seams quickly before you head out the door;

and it amazes me how much I can accomplish.

First things first.

I finally finished my green Paper Lanterns quilt.

It was a very windy picture day,

so over the wood pile it went.

It blew off as soon as I snapped this picture,

so I didn't even attempt to photograph the back.

But it's cute!  You'll just have to believe me.

I chose to quilt it with white Aurifil 50 wt. thread

using the Serpentine Stitch and it was the perfect choice.

Thank you, Stephanie, of Loft Creations, for another fun pattern!!

Paperdolls next?

When an elderly quilter in N. Tx went into an assisted care facility,

her fabrics were offered to her quilting guild.

There was so much fabric, it filled one stall of a two stall garage.

While I was visiting, I was invited to "shop"

and here is one result of that booty:

It's from the Falling Triangles tutorial 

by Missouri Star Quilt Co.

 Except, I worked with an assortment of fat quarters,

scaled down the size of the blocks,

and ended up with a 40"x 50" top.

I used my walking foot and multicolored thread for the quilting.

It will be winging its way to Massachusetts on Monday

as a new baby (gender yet unknown) quilt 

for a very special young couple.

I will share one more thing, 

and then I'll save the rest for another post.

I think one of the reasons I'm getting a lot accomplished

even though I'm not marathon sewing,

is because I've made these trays for traveling 

from one station to another.

My sewing machine still lives in the kitchen

but my cutting station and the ironing board are in a different room.

I picked up a couple of plastic trays from the 

not-a-dollar-store-anymore,

and glued a layer of batting to the bottom.

It measures 10" x 14".

I can load them up and go from the cutting table,

to the sewing machine,

back to the ironing board,

and even into the living room

to work off my lap

while I watch a show in the evening!

Plus, they can be stacked on top of each other

even with projects laid out on them,

and tucked away when it's time to tidy up.

Okay, one more thing, since these blocks have shown up.

Here are some on my design wall.

already constructed.

I believe it was Adrienne of Chezzetcook Modern Quilts

that was destashing one summer,

and I was the lucky recipient of all her unwanted fabric.

The other day I was rifling through my fabrics,

which are still packed up for the winter,

and my hand pulled out this fabric that she must have used

to back a quilt.

There was enough leftover for me to construct 20 - 9" blocks.

With a coordinating border or two,

it should work up into a fun crib size quilt!

Quick, easy, cute, AND so far, free!

Had enough?

Okay, I won't tell you about cleaning the oven yesterday.

It was quite the experience.

I think I remember doing it before.

Once.

Hope you're doing well

and having as much quilty fun as me!

~karen

Secret Sewing Revealed

It is my delight and extreme pleasure 

to finally be able to reveal

the 2017 Atlantic Canada Row X Row Experience

designed by Linda Coolen Smith

of Scrapmaster,

in collaboration with Karen Chase,

Sugar Free Quilted Designs,

for Patch Halifax,

the best little fabric shop in Halifax, NS.

I was very honored when Linda asked me to test her pattern

for her Halifax Row X Row On The Go,

"To and Fro".

I'm not the best pattern tester, 

because I usually just look at the picture,

refer to the cutting requirements,

and take off sewing without looking back.

I had to concentrate very hard 

to make sure I followed 

the very well written instructions 

to the letter.

These photos were all taken at the same place

at the same time.

Guess where you stand determines how saturated the colors are.

Just so you know, the blue is the same throughout!

Anyway, picture quality aside,

job well done, Linda and Karen!

I enjoyed paper piecing the smokestacks in Tufts Cove 

on the Dartmouth side of the Halifax Harbor,

and appliqueing the office towers at Purdy's Wharf.

The most fun was appliqueing the

Dartmouth-Halifax Commuter Ferry

(one of five)

and the accompanying seagulls.

Well, that, and machine quilting it!

You can visit 

the Atlantic Canada Row by Row Experience 

Facebook page to see more rows, if you'd like,

by clicking right HERE.

There's quite a variety!

It's always interesting to me to see how

each year's theme is interpreted!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Karen

Adding a Little Color

Spring in the Atlantic Canadian Maritimes 

is often synonymous with 

relentless rain and lingering cold temperatures.

Even if the sun comes out, the winds are bitter cold. 

And June isn't getting off to a very good start.  

It can't last much longer!

Can it?

So, what do you do when it's windy, cold, 

and usually wet, day after day after day?

You work with the brightest, 

most colorful fabrics in your stash, of course!

Luckily, I had a fat quarter bundle 

of rich, brilliant Free Spirit Solids 

just screaming to be used, 

and a Preppy the Whale pattern calling my name!

I have been working with two colors at a time, 

and making four whales at a sitting.

This is only half of what I've accomplished so far.

I am chain piecing this project, 

and making a scrappy leader/ender quilt at the same time.  

I like to play the 'don't break the chain' game 

and see how long I can sew without starting over.

I'm also participating in Lori Kennedy's FMQ-a-long

over at The Inbox Jaunt.

I was fortunate to have a little box full of bonus HSTs 

leftover from another project to prep.

I need all the practice I can get!

This has been knee replacement week for The Ranger,

and I'm a little behind on my sewing,

so I guess I'd better 

get back to work!

Happy June!