Real Studio Tour – Thread Storage

This week I am joining in the Real Studio Tour that Vicki Welsh is hosting on her Field Trips in Fiber blog.  This weeks topic is Storage Solutions and I have a thread storage solution to share with you.  I use a drawer set from IKEA called ALEX for storing all my cones of threads, pantographs and notions.  To keep the threads from rolling around my husband added a few wooden dividers with notches to hold the cones. 

I think it is important to keep your threads out of direct sunlight and in drawers to keep the dust off them so these drawers work great!   I have three of these drawer sets and have room for one more.  They fit nicely under my longarm and are on castors so they are easy to move and clean around.

  The drawers even hold my bags that I sent my clients quilts home in.

  So there is my thread storage solution and I hope you have time to check out the other storage solutions at the Real Studio Tour.

Pedal to the Metal in Black and White

This is Sandra’s Pedal to the Metal quilt that she made with Black and White fabrics.   I was very excited to get this one on my machine as it is the first Pedal to the Metal that I have done for a client.   It looks completely different than the quilts on our pattern cover, this version is very bold and modern!   The large print fabric she used in the center of the blocks really pops!   I used a simple panto called Fascination and Dream Blend batting to keep the modern feel.   

It still crazy cold here with a lot of wind so the snow has been drifting and making pretty ripple patterns on the lake.

I find it tricky to take pictures late in the afternoon in the snow as the sun is so low this time of year, everything turns out blue.   When I was playing with the colors of my photos I realized that they might look better in Black and White.  I love Black and White photography so this became a great opportunity to play in that mode.   So here is a first…taking Black and White pictures for my blog.

I am now finished quilting for my clients this year and have the rest of the month to work on my own projects.  I have my large Yellow Brick Road quilt on my machine now as well as a Mirror Mirror quilt in the works.  I also have my Just Takes Two quilt that I want to get on the longarm, it’s been sitting patiently for almost a year now.   I also have a quilt backing I want to snow dye so will spend some time playing in my dye room.

Guild Quilts

I took two guild quilts home this month to quilt and this is the first one I finished.   The pattern used is called Mirror Mirror and we used a fat quarter bundle in blue and green batiks, similar to the quilt on the cover of the pattern.  The guild purchased a roll of Hobbs 80/20 batting which is a loftier batting and it shows the quilting well.

The outer border has a subtle maple leaf print so I chose Maple Syrup for the panto design. I have not used this panto much but I really like it, it’s very Canadian!  :)

The second guild quilt is the black and white Bento Box quilt.   I used Popcorn for the panto design and the guild’s Hobbs batting again.

Since one of the blocks was made with red, black and white fabrics (top left corner) they found a great bold print in those colors for the backing.  It’s a nice surprise when you turn the quilt over.

Modern Stack and Whack

This is Melanie’s Stack and Whack quilt, her first large bed quilt.   She used very modern, bold colors and I really like the impact of the black Irish Chain sashing.  The print fabric has butterflies in the design so we decided on Butterfly Charm for the panto.   I used Dream Poly black batting though she brought a 100% cotton batting, I knew that would cover the black backing with light coloured lint so she agreed to the switch.  I used green thread on the top and backing and that really showed off the quilting design on the black backing!

Paper Version Now Here!

Yesterday I received our paper version of Not Your Mothers Rail Fence in the mail and I put my son to work folding and bagging them!  He needed volunteer hours for a Life Skills/Work class so that worked out well for both of us.  I have now added this paper pattern to our Etsy shop.

Only two more client quilts to finish and then I take a break for December!   I have a quilt beside me that needs a photo shoot outside but it’s –29’c ( with a –40’c wind-chill) so that will have to wait.  I’m still trying to warm up after taking a few pictures of our pattern this morning!  BRRR!  This is our online weather report….notice the conditions say ‘Ice Crystals’!

Around the World Quilt

 
Woke up to –29’c this morning (-36’ wind-chill) and out I went to shovel off  the ice to take some pictures of Marg’s quilt!  This one is called Around the World and is a variation on the traditional Trip Around the World quilt.  She used flannel fabrics and we decided on Whilygig for the panto design.
So this will be my ice patch for this year, I shoveled it right at the end of our dock as I don’t want to venture to far out.  It is pretty rough and you can see where the holes in the ice were by those high spots.  I might try to chip away at those spots as they make it hard to shovel. ( There nothing like getting the handle of a snow shovel  jammed into your stomach when you get stuck on a bump! )  I noticed more holes in the ice out in the middle of our bay so I have no plans on going for a walk out there anytime soon.  Marg’s quilt is 80” x80” so this pictures gives you an idea of the size of rink I cleared which is much smaller than I normally start with as they tend to shrink with each snowfall.  We had 62cm of snowfall in November, wonder what December will bring!

Curve It Up Quilt

This is Marg's Curve It Up quilt that she made from a Quilt Along over at Sew Kind Of Wonderful using the Quick Curve Ruler.  Marg chose shades of green, beige and red for her quilt. She sashed and bordered her blocks with a light green fabric which really allowed the blocks to shine.  I really like the small border of her print fabric too.  Marg asked for custom quilting and I played with a variety of feather and curl motifs and a bit of stippling.  All the blocks are SID and I mainly added quilting details in the background fabrics.   Dream Blend batting and off white So Fine thread.

I used a free hand feather plume design in the outer border that I learned from Desley a few years ago and added curls in the sashing.

I really like my “feather wings’ motif in the Flying Geese Block!

Perfect Ten Quilt

 

This is Sheri’s Perfect Ten quilt and she used a fabric collection called Season’s Elegance.    Sheri changed the pattern a bit and used the same fabric in all the framed blocks as she did in the border.   I think that was a great idea as it shows off the poinsettia fabric so nicely.  I used the Hollyberries panto to match the theme of the fabric designs and Dream Blend batting. 

This is one of my favourite patterns for using fat quarter bundles and I have one cut out ready to piece for our guilds next UFO day using an Australian theme bundle of fabrics Desley sent me this summer.

Hugs and Kisses Quilt

This is Sheri’s Hugs and Kisses quilt and she used the Hello Luscious fabric collection by Basic Grey.   She asked if I could quilt it similar to the one I made this spring, you can see that one here.  I changed the design slightly and I’m much happier with Sheri’s, good thing I practiced on mine first!   I evenly spaced the diagonally lines on Sheri’s quilt and added more petals on the flower motif which filled in the diamond shape nicer.

The snow has been falling and falling,  it looks like it’s January here!    I had taken this picture of a bench in my yard on Nov 4 and then today….the snow is now up to the seat!    I also cleared of a patch of ice on the lake today and there might be hope for the ice yet.  It is rough but I hope by getting snow off it will have a chance to thicken up now that it is exposed to the cold air.   It still only about 5” thick and you should have heard it cracking as I was shovelling it!  :)

Flurry Quilt

 
This is another one of Lynn’s quilts and she used a free online pattern called Flurry which you can find here.    I used a panto also called Flurry by Threadsongs and the fabric collection Lynn used is Holly Jolly by Moda.  I quilted this same quilt pattern last year for another client who used a different fabric collection and you can see it here.   This is a great pattern as you could use any xmas collection with it and I love the candy cane backing fabric she used!