Winterlude.

With winter comes challenges of the season, also Winterlude. It is the celebrations of all things winter: skating on a frozen pond, playing hockey, sledding down a hill after every snowfall. Going for a walk to the local coffee shop for a cup of something hot and Beavertails. It is a sugary sweet treat, here up north in Canada. The best part is walks in nature and Chickadees singing at the top of their voices, they are the happiest birds we know. Friendly too, will come and eat sunflower seeds from one's hands!

Twenty pairs of hand warmers are finished and went to their new home. Finally got them all done, yesterday. They are warmed in the microwave and popped into the gloves we wear, it keeps the hands warm for a good 45 minutes. They are reusable and one only need to keep the dry. 

The red fabric and white are cut for the sashings blocks for Friends of Baltimore.

The whites more was cut than what the pattern require, 1017. The reds 1000. The patter calls for slightly less. Will put the two halves together and sew them at a later date.  

Kitty kept me company, while the triangles got counted.

Pinks done.

A month of pinks is done. These are for the modern mystery hexie quilt. 

Nine patch blocks in pink scraps for Omygosh!

Also made these sub units for the alternate scrappy blocks.

Finished the scrappy star blocks, managed to get eight more blocks, why they never got finished years ago is a mystery. 

From the pink scraps, have cut more squares and strips to make shoo fly blocks and four patches with some other colours and scraps in the coming months. 

Freezing Friday.

The freezing cold is here to stay. -double digits C. Yesterday's walk was cut short, it was just too cold and the human skin said, too cold. The wind blowing did not help either. So time was spent stitching and applique later in the day.

These blocks are almost done,  two have the stems applique and two more needs the stems. The leaves at the top will only be applique in place once the sashing blocks are attached to the main body of the quilt. The leaves cross over these seams where the blocks are sewn to them.

The stitching is coming along.  

Red and white fabrics need ironing before they can be cut into triangle squares. 

They will be used in these two quilts. Try to switch up activities,  so that it is more balanced. 

A slow stitching day...

Some days we just have a slow relaxing one. The pink banner got stitched.

The white furry trim on the coat was finished. 

Some more of the black frame for the January stitch-along is progressing. 

The background fabric for the red and white quilt was checked, just had enough. Cut it out using the existing Love Entwined in progress quilt.

Have decided to add this one into the mix, working on the embroidery of the stems.

Need to do that before the lines fade and disappear. 

This corne block is  now ready for the next section of the quilt. 

Sunshine after the snow...

The  trade off in winter, if we get the sunshine it is normally a cold day. We do not mind, just knowing it will be blue skies and the sun is shining. 

Late in the day The charms for this week's row got pulled out and the row has been finished. 

Spend most part of the day stitching,  it is a lot of confetti stitching and very slow going. This is the large winter scene.

Two green hexies has been added for the next section. 

Celebrating the years together.

Roses are so fragile and come with a language of their own. Flowers represent so much and we all have memories attached to different ones. Our parents got married and on their honeymoon, all along the way next to the roads they travelled on, Cosmos flowers banked either side of the road. It was a kaleidoscope of maroon, pinks and whites, surrounded by green grass and blue skies. For every year Dad would go for a drive and pick a bunch of these wild flowers on their anniversary.  One year he drove 80 kilometres away from home, until he found some. He did this for the 44 years they were married.

Prepped and cut the green hexies for the next section,  also cut extra ones to get prepped at a later stage. 

The bamboo baby blanket is finished. 

These flowers will be applique on the red and white quilt. 

The charm row for this week got started. Now that the baby blanket is finished some more stitching will be worked on.

We had a lot of  snow this morning and it is still coming down.

A new day..

The Mariners compass for the center circle is made.

Green hexies needs to be cut for the mystery hexie quilt. 

Winter themed charms for this week's row of the charm quilt. Unexpected surprise and totally unexpected with the plaids.

Baby blanket has grown and it is almost finished,  just the border to be knitted.

A day filled with news...

The day started later, as it was one where we all slept in for once.  Then this piece called, it is foundation pieced. Daytime sewing with red fabrics is always an intense colour and energy experience. My nephew called and chatted for quite a while. Then two emails arrived, one from his mom, my eldest sister. Our youngest sister had an elbow operation and is doing so much better.  Good news.

 The other news, was to let me know our one brother can no longer walk. This was a sudden change,  he was healthy when we last saw him last year.  

A year of love...

Love Entwined 1790 Marriage Coverlet BOM quilt pattern by  Esther Aliu. This is the first one which was started in 2013/2014. Then we moved house and the new house required a lot of work. So this project got some work and was eventually stopped.  However it has now reappeared in a new colour combination. White and red.

This is the center for the new one, the other one will be worked on when it is possible. 

This protea print will be applique on the outside of the center circle.

It will be the flowers next to the triangles surrounding the ring on the mariners compass.

Played with greens for the hexie mystery quilt. Have these two, the top one will be used in two parts and the one below in another part.

This is a close match to the green on the main fabric.

A red and white quilt.

The red and white quilt request has been made, so today it will get started. A few years back after our eldest and his wife received a new quilt for their wedding day.  A while later our youngest son asked if he can also have a new quilt.  He knows it will take a few years to make, so at the time I asked what colours he would like?

 Red and white. Colours which my stash was sorely lacking. Since then a collection of these fabrics was started.

A pattern was chosen, it will be changed in parts to suit his nature and also to make it unique and special in its own way. 

The center medallion will be started some time today. 

His existing quilt is showing its age and wear, so the time has come for it to becoming a reality.  Today will be a busy one in the kitchen as well. A chocolate cake needs to be baked and a special dinner needs cooking. Will be ironing the fabrics and prepping the pieces for the center.

The baby blanket needs two more inches before the border can be knitted. 

The winter coat is stitched with a satin floss to sparkle, not the easiest thread to stitch with. It requires some patience and perseverance.