Canada in bloom.

This kit is now a prepped applique top, all fused ready for machine applique and quilting. Each territory and provincal flower is represented. The center and border is all maple leaves. The finished size will be 30"x30".

The maple leaves was fused first.

Flowers was added next.

Last the details for the flowers was drawn on the piece, these lines will be embroidered to add finer details. If anyone wants the pattern, please let me know. I can pop it in the mail and another person can get to create this beautiful pattern.

Aqua blocks done.

The RSC22 aqua blocks are finished for February.

Also managed to make all the four patch blocks for all the shoo-fly blocks. This was on the list to do in December last year, before the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt took over.

Playing with the layout before sewing the blocks together.

Now the pile has grown, 34 blocks are done of the total of 111 shoo-fly blocks. Will continue to work on these blocks each month.

Next is a new project from a kit a that Kate, a friend up north sent to me.

It came with a background of black fabric, the orginal photo of the kit show a cream background/backing?

Decided to change the background to show to applique of all the leaves and flowers, to a soft mint green. Traced the applique on the background, it will be easier to do the layout, everthing will be fused in place, machine appliqued with a blanket stitch.

Quilting along.

The spring quilt gets a little bit of quilting in the evenings while we watch tv. Yesterday it was watching golf, from Scottsdale Arizona. Mr Ryder got a hole in one on the 16th hole and it was the highlight of the day. It was so good to see his reaction, so unexpected and what a lovely surprise for him.

On the frame this quilt is moving along, finished the outside border and these flowers.

Last week it got turned down, by doing a bit every day it is now coming along.

Our cats new square is now a rectangle of a piece, will fold it in half and turn it into a pillow for her, she is into soft colours. Today will be more sport and handquilting in the hoop later, first the bread will be baked before that. Hard to believe it is almost Valentine's Day...

Up and down.

It has been a topsy turvy week, the weather going from one extreme to the next and back again. Above is the spring quilt I am quilting at night, so far the center is quilted in the ditch and have made a good start on the blocks with the stars in the borders.

These four patches are now full steam ahead, this was before they got ironed.

This is what they looked like after ironing. When one add the first triangle, they look like little houses, then like spaceships and more.

This shows the sequence of where they end up in a block.

These little four patches is needed to move forward with the aqua blocks, so they are now priority to get them sewn and squared, to be used in the shoo-fly blocks.

Slow progress.

This past week went by in a blur, with boosters and then snow storms. It was one domino effect of sleep, clean up snow and ice then repeating the process again. Eventually we all ran out of steam, we ended up with ice. It was bitterly cold, yesterday saw the temperatures get up to 1C! It created a big melt, later in the day the ice was removed and the melting continued down the road.

The remainder of the four patch blocks was sewn, after I counted and checked how many was still needed.

The basket is overflowing with the triangles and four patches which will be worked on for the rest of this month.

The quilt got turned diwn and the next section strarted on the whole cloth quilt. The progress on this one is a slow but good one.

Above is the test square for the cat, decided to keep on practicing until the yarn run out...

Making blocks.

In order to make more shoo-fly blocks, more variety of four patch blocks needs to be made.

Sewing all the scraps of strips and squares together, no matter which colours is in the basket. All of them will add to the sparkle of the four patch blocks.

The ones with aqua and teal colours.

The basket with the blocks ready for trimming and adding the next white triangle corners. The four patch blocks are sewn on point, similar to a square in a square block. Until the four patches are sewn and trim, the shoo-fly blocks are not happening fast. So this month will be dedicated to make the rest of these four patch blocks for the shoo-fly blocks.

Taking it easy.

The plough left a hump of snow and ice on the road. Thankfully he came back later and cleared that up. It has been ice, freezing rain, rain, wet snow and snow, back to rain and snow. Heavy stuff to clean up. A few rounds already done, more snow expected before the temperatures dip low again.

Some more hand quilting in the ditch on this one. Had to take a break from quilting to give my arm a chance to rest and recover.

Made some masks for hubby, he wanted a replica of one that he already has, so reverse engineered it and made him two.

Made some magic binding with the leftover pink fabrics for the mystery quilt. Using what I have, enjoying the multi fabric binding a lot more than I ever expected too! Aqua is the RSC22 colour for February, will be working on these blocks next.