Lug Nuts in Black, Grey and Orange

Vicki made this fantastic Lug Nuts quilt, which is one of our Highway 10 Design patterns.  Back in 2019 Up North Quilt Shop had a Lug Nuts Sew Along.  I was there to kick it off and help participants shop for their fabrics, that was so much fun!  I knew Vicki's was going to be amazing with the colours she wanted and Up North had a great selection of fabrics to pick from!

I quilted Vicki's with the Allium pantograph to add a swirly texture.   I used a medium grey So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

Love how the orange fabrics pop against the blue sky!  It has turned pretty cold here with the clear sky but no wind!  Makes the job of taking pictures outdoors go much faster!

 

Running Free Quilt

Fabric panels sure have come along way now that there is digital printing.  This is Julie's Running Free quilt and the pattern is on Hoffman's website for free.  The panel is called Wide Open Spaces and is a Hoffman product.

I quilted Julie's quilt with the Ebb and Flow panto to give the illusion of motion.  Thread is a beige So Fine and the batting is Quilters Dream Blend. 

I was hoping the neighbours horses would make an appearance as I was taking pictures in the freezing cold and they did!

They were very curious so I turned the quilt to face them and they were really fascinated by it! :)

Whaley Loved Quilt

Vicki made this sweet Whaley Love quilt using panels by Eliza Todd for Wilmington Prints.  The fabrics in the sashing has a similar design to my Ebb and Flow pantograph so that is the one I chose.  Thread is a light blue So Fine and Vicki brought a white cotton batt. 

 

Bloom-Topia Quilt

Diana made this pretty Bloom-Topia quilt using Summer Sweet fabrics by Sherri and Chelsi for Moda Fabrics.   I found the pattern still available free online as a Quilt Along on the Jolly Jabber blog.  You can find it here.  

Diana asked for the Belladonna pantograph which was the perfect choice for this summery quilt!  I quilted it with off white So Fine thread and used Quilters Dream Blend batting.

Nice to see the blue sky again. Hope it stays clear tonight so I can get out to take more night sky photos.

 

Fairhaven and Cherish Quilts

Debbie sent me three quilts and the first one quilted was a large queen sized Fairhaven quilt, pattern by Villa Rosa Designs.  She used pretty Chickadee fabrics highlighted with grey and red four patches. 

 I quilted it with the Flirtatious pantograph as it has a light and delicate design.  I used off white So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

The next two quilts are made with the Cherish pattern by Villa Rosa Designs.  The first one uses Lewis & Irene's Bear Hug collection and I quilted it with the Bora Bora pantograph. I used light grey So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

The third quilt was made with cute animal prints called For Fox Sake by Dear Stella.  I was getting photobombed by the horses when taking these pictures. 

They were very curious with what I was up too!

 Quilts with Ears!

 

Astrophotography and Frost

This may not look very exciting to you but to me it is a game changer when it come to taking night time photos.  I received a SkyGuider Pro motor camera mount for Christmas and what it basically does is move the camera along the polar axis so I can take longer exposures without getting star trails or blurry images.  After playing with it for a few evenings I finally have a good handle on how to level it, align it to the north star and balance it with the weights.  I can then use my Canon DSLR and my 600mm zoom lens to take more detailed images of the night sky.

My first target was the Orion Nebula, it looks like a star with the naked eye but once you zoom in and take a 2 minute exposure this is what you see!  I was beyond thrilled with this result of the single shot. I have to still learn how to take multiple shots and layer to reduce noise in the image but for now I'm happy with this.  I only darkened the background on my computer, the colours you see are true to the original image.

My next target was the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as M31.

It was a nice surprise to see the second small galaxy and if I had moved my camera a smidge to the right I could have gotten more of the third on.  Setting up this shot took a lot of time as just the slightest move of the camera the galaxy disappeared from view.  It was a good test in patience in lining up this shot.

The skies have now been cloudy and I have switched my focus to taking picture of the hoar frost we have been waking up too all week.  I got out my lens ball to take a few shots and then the horses came by for a visit. They were a bit frosty too!

The blue sky made an appearance this week which made a beautiful contrast with the frost.

Our lockdown in NW Ontario continues so my quilting and photography has been keeping me sane and safe!  

Rabbits Prefer Embroidery Quilt

This sweet little quilt belongs to my friend Rae who sent it to me to custom quilt.  This project was originally her dear friend Diane's who started it and had all the piecing done. Sadly Diane passed away and her friends sent this UFO project of hers to Rae to finish.  She did all the hand embroidery and now has a treasure of Diane's to remember her by.  The pattern is called Rabbits Prefer Embroidery by Bunny Hill Designs.

I quilted it with 100wt beige Invisafil, cross hatched the embroidery blocks and feathered in the scalloped border.  I added loops and CC's to the pieced sections.