OWL BET SHE LIKES IT!

Another baby shower! 
I've known Anna for about a year.  She is having a baby in a few weeks.  Anna was Russian and it has been her custom to not have any sort of "baby shower" prior to the baby's birth.  Now that Anna is a Canadian Citizen she will embrace Canadian customs and has agreed to let her colleagues throw a pot-luck shower in her honour.  Since I'm the unofficial event-planner at work, it was my job to come up with a theme.  I really wanted to do something related to Russian Nesting Dolls, but couldn't really find anything babyish about it.  I went to my local quilt shop (The Hobby Horse) for inspiration.  Since we don't know the sex of the baby, I picked up a generic owl-themed print and a lovely green flannel.  I thought that the owl print had a Russian nesting doll look - close to my original theme, but not quite.

Next, I used my favourite search engine (Google and Pinterest) to come up with more ideas.   I found tons of stuff related to OWLS.  

 

Make your own water bottle labels and chocolate bar wrappers.  Even hold a baby diaper raffle - cool.

Finally, the quilt.  I make quilts as a gift for most baby showers.  The centre is a panel that has measurements up to 59".  The piece can be used for a bed quilt or as a wall hanging to keep track of the child's height as he/she grows.  I added a strip of green flannel to one side of the panel to help incorporate the backing flannel.  Next, owl print borders were added, then I free-motion machine quilted around each image, using Superior Threads invisible monofilament.  The same owl print was used for the binding.  Ta Da!!

QUILT & FIBRE ART FESTIVAL 2014

On May 27th through to May 31st, the Group of Eight Fibre Artists will be exhibiting their works of art at The Mill on King Street in St. Jacobs.  Add these dates to your calendar.  Where else can you see so many quilts and fibre art in one place?

Check out the calendar of events here.

QUILTS OF GREAT BRITAIN, AILSA CRAIG

I just came back from the Ailsa Craig Community Quilt Festival, showing the Quilts of Great Britain.  WOW!  What a fantastic show.  

Even though lots of pictures were taken, it is asked that they not be posted to any social media sites, so you'll have to just take a look for yourself.  Today is the last day to take in the event.  Make the trip.  It's worth it.

http://www.ailsacraigquiltfestival.ca

Next year, the Ailsa Craig Quilt Festival (May 18-23) will feature the Quilts of France.  It promises to be another great show.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME?

I quilt a lot.  Not just a little - A LOT.  Sometimes I'm obsessed.  Ok, I'm obsessed all the time.  When one is obsessed, one accumulates lots of quilts.  During a recent art group meeting we were asked "what do you do with all of your art (quilts in my case)?".  The answer - start to give it away.  There are many charities out there looking for donations of any kind.  

The Halton Hills Quilters' Guild has a Community Outreach program.  As a member of this guild, I can contribute to the cause if I wish.  This is a perfect opportunity for me to donate some of my quilts.  

Three fat quarters of fabric turned into this . . . .  The square-in-a-square pattern was quick and easy, but in the end it was just too traditional for me.  I had to add something else.  I don't like to add too many embellishments if the quilts is to be given away, so I added a simple appliquéd stylized flower.  Now it's ready for a new home.

TO RETIRE OR NOT TO RETIRE - THAT IS THE QUESTION

A colleague of mine is retiring at the end of the month, after 18 years of service.  I've known Ida for eight of those years.  She is the Accounting Manager and works diligently every day.  After the eight years that I've known her, I find that she works a lot and goes home.  She has no outside hobbies or enjoyments except for her grand children.  I don't know if I could retire without having something else in my life.  Right now, I work so that I can play, wishing that I could spend all of my time in my studio.  

Anyway, it was difficult to come up with a retirement gift for her and as much as I'd like to say that I'm brilliant and came up with an idea on my own, I can't.  I saw a picture of a similar word quilt on Snappyshop Etsy.  It was too expensive for me to order a quilt like this, but as luck would have it, I quilt! so I made it myself.  I asked several co-workers for words that would describe our retiree.  I typed each word using different fonts, then printed them on white fabric (using my old desk top ink-jet printer).  As I was trying to find a suitable picture to use in the piece, I noticed that Ida wears light green a lot - hence the light green background.

After setting the puzzle-pieced words, I machine stitched them together and machine quilted in the ditch.  I actually like the way it turned out.  Hope she does too.

I'VE GOT A SECRET

The Group of Eight Fibre Artists "Secret" Challenge is due today.  


My faceless secret agent man is running from Moscow, where he has a target on his back.
Scrabble tiles spell acronyms of secret agencies - real and fictitious.  

SUPER SIMPLE 9-PATCH BABY QUILT

I thought that I'd passed that time in my life when all my friends were having babies, and going to a baby shower was a monthly event.  Now, all my friends babies are growing up and having there own babies - another bout of showers to attend.

I made this super simple 9-patch baby quilt a while ago and recently found the occasion to use it.  The pink fabrics are vintage (coming from my 92 year old mother's stash).  The centre block fabric is not as old, but I like the way it makes the pinks look more current.  Wide-spaced, curvy lines of machine quilting make this a quick and easy project.

TIMELY AFFAIR

I've probably mentioned several times that I have have a huge stash of fabric and hence, lots of scraps.  I've tried to use some of the scraps to make Timely Affair.  This quilt was designed by a fellow Halton Hills Quilters' Guild member, Jackie Syer (FRJ Designs), for the pattern of the month club.

I made a lap size quilt and can't decide if I should keep it or give it away as a baby shower gift.  What do you think?

NOT JUST ANOTHER RAIL FENCE

I got to use up some scrap fabrics to make this quilt. Nothing really matches, but the centre black square and binding bring the quilt together.

The pattern is from Jackie Syer (FRJ Designs), from the Halton Hills Quilters' Guild pattern of the month.

ONTARIO NETWORK OF NEEDLEWORKERS

Saturday, May 10th is the ONN Annual General Meeting.  The Group of Eight and many other stitching guilds will be in attendance, along with many vendors.  Why not stop by for a visit at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Kitchener?  Doors open at 10:00a.m. until 3:00p.m.     Check out the Group of Eight Fibre Artists blog for a sample of what you might see - goegeorgetown.blogspot.com.  

CIRCLES & STRIPES

During December, I showed you some stencilled circles, using Shiva paint sticks.  

After lots of hand and machine stitching and the addition of a few strips of hand-dyed fabric, here it is - Circles & Stripes.