It’s a Wrap!

One more finish!

It was so much fun to FMQ,

I was sorry when it was finished,

and couldn't wait to get the next flimsy under the needle.

Starry Night Dance

A free pattern at RJR by Wendy Sheppard

Measuring 56 x 74", my version is a little smaller than the original,

because I was using left over Free Spirit solids,

and ran out of pieces large enough to grow it any bigger.

Wendy's was quilted with swirls, but when I practiced them

on a smaller quilt, they were pure torture.

The smaller practice quilt looked great when completed,

but I am much happier with a more custom quilted look.

And it was a lot more fun to do!

FMQ turns a flimsy into a beautiful quilt,

but when I was reading a few blog posts this morning,  

I was struck by this photo found at Luna Lovequilts,

and my first thought was

that you don't need fancy FMQ 

to make a beautiful quilt!

It may be October, but trust me, Christmas is just around the corner.  

If you need unique little gifts for any of your Quilty friends, 

Crafty Daughter still has retractable scissor keeps in her little Etsy shop.

For me, using a retractable scissor keep is such a convenience.

I don't think I could operate effectively without mine.

No more wandering around the house, wondering where did I set my scissors last.

It especially keeps them off the floor when I am free motion quilting

because there is no room for anything else but the quilt.

And it takes up a lot of space!

She has a variety of designs other than scissors.

Mine is a colorful dog print.

There are only 3 scissor designs left,

but I have it on good authority that she can make more.

And, although no longer listed,

it probably wouldn't take much to encourage Crafty Daughter

to make you a decal or two.

Here is one she made me,

on a Dollar Store cup

and what lovely meaningful, yet inexpensive, gifts

you could make!

Just visit her Etsy shop and send her a quick convo!

Most ship for just the cost of a postage stamp.

She will even design a custom decal for you.

Speaking of custom,

I never showed you the cookies I made this summer

for a young friend's nautical wedding reception.

I hadn't made cookies in a couple of years,

so they were a fun challenge.

She only wanted 50, and at about 45, 

the anchors started looking good.

Hmmm.

Log Cabin Lunacy

Autumn.  Again.  Already.

Hmmmm.

Bright, brilliant colors have popped out all over.  I admit, it’s beautiful. Cape Breton does not disappoint this fall, and visitors are getting an eye full!  But I confess it’s not my favorite season.  It means I’m another year older, it’s dark in the mornings when I rise to greet the day, the butter's hard, and I have to compete for residency with spiders, large and small. And, it means winter is just around the corner.

It also means it's time to start winding down my summer sewing, prioritizing what needs to be finished and what can be stored away for the winter.  Trouble with that is I return in the spring with new projects, new ideas, and projects stored away become forgotten UFOs and don’t get finished, sometimes for years!

 I jumped on Julie's Log Cabin Loonies bandwagon to make another 16" square pillow top for #87 pillows, a nursing home initiative of one of the members of the Maritime Modern Quilt Guild.  It's not exactly modern, but it will appeal to a male resident.

And while I was finishing up with these traditional scraps, I made one more pillow top that has a

little more modern oomph to it.  Again, my hopes are that it will be just right for a man's room.

Yesterday, there was a gentle rain coming down, no wind, and the temperature was mild.  It was the perfect day to tuck in and sew.  I even managed to do a little housework.  I trimmed a quilt and dusted my way across the house on the way to the trash can with the leftover batting scraps.  I may not have reduced, but I certainly re-used.

FMQing this quilt has been the most fun!  I stitched in the ditch a little, marked a minimum amount, tried a little dot-to-dot, and even practiced a little basic ruler work.  (Let’s just say it's going to take a little more practice.) 

I didn’t know how I was going to quilt this up, but once I got going, I couldn’t stop.  I alternated the designs in each block.  (That wave on the right is just the way the quilt is laying.  I kind of just dropped it down and snapped the pictures.)

So far this month, I've also made 4 Busy Bags to gift some littles for Christmas,  

2 donation blocks for Hurricane Florence, 

and did some secret sewing for Crafty Daughter's birthday.

Whew!  That's enough for today.  I'm still reeling from seeing all the devastation from Hurricane Michael on last night's news.  If you or your loved ones were affected by this storm, my heart goes out to you.  I can't even imagine.

It's a Dog's Life!
Bras D'Or Lake
Baddeck, NS

Stay safe, East coast friends!

~karen