Butter Tarts Quilt

Happy first day of Spring!  Still looks like winter out here but the snow should be gone soon.  I have been busy quilting on my longarm this winter and actually it has been a busier winter than usually. So just popping in there to share this lovely Butter Tarts quilt that Kim pieced.  She was inspired by our Highway 10 Designs cover quilt for this pattern and used Fableism and Sprout Wovens in shades of orange to blue.  The blue really pops beautifully on this quilt!

I quilted it with the Windswept pantograph, used a medium beige So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

Kim brought a lovely linen for the backing as well!

I have also been dividing my time with my bag making still.  I only have two markets planned for spring but that is okay as I have been mainly selling my bags through my Instagram or Facebook pages.

These cross body Devon bags are always a favorite!

The Eggplant waxed canvas Oxbow Totes are a popular colour choice.

Had to make a similar colourway in the Aberdeen Tote as well. 

Tim and I have also been making more laser cut signs.  The popular theme this year will be 'Proudly Canada"  in response to the US Tariffs and their administrations disrespectful treatment of Canada's sovereignty.  I have never seen Canadian more patriotic than I have in the last few months!  We are not normally a country to wave our flag and boast about our Canadian pride but these are not normal times. 

Thank you to the Americans that have reached out and bought my bags in support of Canada, that has  really touched me.

Night Stars Quilt

Bev made this lovely Night Stars quilt, pattern by Emily Dennis of Quilty Love.  She used a great combination of teal/blues with a light beige background.  The stars are a Northcott print called Whispering Pines, the dark blue is One Sister Basics by Janet Nesbitt and the background is a Zen Chic Paper and Ink collection.

 

I quilted it with the Bountiful Feathers pantograph, used a light grey So Fine thread and Quilters Dream 80/20 batting.   I am trying a new role of 120" wide 80/20 batting as the last two rolls of the 120" wide Blend 70/30 had a lot of flaws and rolled in a mess!  It has also been inconsistent in its loft and feeling stiffer than the 92" rolls of Blend.  I have a feeling the two different widths of batting are manufactured in a different facility so time to switch it out the120" width for the 80/20.  I like the feel of the 80/20, its a bit lighter and softer, and drapes well off the bed.  So I'll have the Blend 70/30 in the 92" width and the 80/20 in the 120" width from now on.

Anteli Quilt

 

Gaby pieced this stunning Anteli Quilt which is a BOM pattern from Quilter's Treasure Chest.  She used all batik fabrics to make this intricate queen sized quilt.

I was so excited to finally have a blue sky, no wind day to get these pictures. And it was only -4'c so I would call that a warm January day by my standards!

I quilted it with the Bora Bora pantograph, used a light cream So Fine threads and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

We have had a lot of windy days so it is nice to use all those snow drifts as foreground.

But it looks really nice on my bed too! 

Baby Butter Tarts Quilt

I had time over the holidays to piece and quilt my Baby Butter Tarts Quilt.  This is our latest Highway 10 Designs patterns and I can't stress enough how easy it is to piece.  No HST or flying geese blocks to trim or lines to draw!   It is a fat quarter friendly pattern and was able to finally use some fat quarters I have been hoarding.  I had 4 sweet Dashwood Studio prints called Nightfall and added some 8 more fabrics in blues, pinks and purples.     

 

I quilted it with the Wave on Wave pantograph, used light blue So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Puff batting.   I picked up some pink Cuddletex for the backing to make it soft and cuddly.

We are having a two day warm spell then on Saturday the deep freeze hits again. We are going from 0'c to -30'c.   So I was able to get a few outdoor pictures in the snow today.  Love it when the snow drifts then gets a crust on top so you can easily lay a quilt in the snow without leaving marks. 

Lookout Quilt

Our local quilt guild, The Cabin Country Quilters in Fort Frances, Ontario, donates a quilt to a local cancer charity for their biennial event called "The Luncheon of Hope".  They have been donating the raffle quilt for this event for many years and this year we chose the Lookout Quilt.  We purchased the quilt kit from Fabriculous in Brandon, MB. and the pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman.

Our members each made a few blocks and we assembled it at our November meeting. I just finished quilting it and now gets passed on to another guild member to do the binding.

 

I quilted it with the Ombre pantograph, used a light green So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.  The backing is a lovely dark brown CuddleTex.

Its been quite a challenge getting any outdoor picture this winter so far.  It has been very cloudy and mild with freezing rain but now that the skies are blue that means cold and windy!

I have a feeling the tickets for this quilt will sell really well!

Looking Back on 2024

Another year has wrapped up and my list of completed projects has drastically changed from quilts to bags. I only made one quilt and three pillows this year and the rest were all a variety of bags.   I participated in 8 craft markets as well as sold many of my makes though Facebook and Instagram.

Lori and I published another Highway 10 Designs pattern called Butter Tarts. 

And I made 3 Hexi pillows. 

When I'm not at the sewing machine I have my camera in my hand practicing my bird photography and looking to the sky to catch the latest celestial phenomenon. 

 

Paddled ten different lakes this summer which is one of my favorite activities.

 I thought I would add a few pics of my market set ups from this past year as well.

I have been busy with my longarm business and compared my total of quilts this year to past years and it is pretty much the same.  Only difference is I no longer spend the extra time taking outdoor photos of them all.  I have a quilt that I finished for our guild a few weeks ago but I'm still waiting for a sunny day to get a few outdoor shots. Its been mild and cloudy but think the skies should clear soon with the colder temperatures rolling in next week.

I'm looking forward to 2025 and seeing what adventures await us!

Happy New Year!