Winter Solstice Quilt #2

Well September is here and I have my first client quilt to share since my summer break.  Stacey brought me this lovely Winter Solstice quilt which is a pattern by Holly Holderman. You can find the pattern to purchase at this link. 

Stacey requested Wool batting so I ordered a King size Quilters Dream Wool for her as her quilt top is 101" x116".   The thread is a light grey So Fine and the pantograph design is Fascination.

I had a fun encounter with a porcupine a few days ago and got some great pictures!  My husband saw it walking in the field beside our house when he got home from work so I grabbed my camera and followed it.  What a cutie!

He climbed a tree when he saw me approach, I had my zoom lens so didn't have to get too close.  When I shared these photos on Instagram I was surprised at how many people didn't realize that porcupines climb trees!  They are excellent climbers as tree bark is their main food source in the winter.

Summer Images

Thought I would check in as I haven't been doing any quilting or sewing this month.  Just enjoying the last few weeks of summer before I start back to longarming in September.  I have been taking a lot of hummingbird photos as well as other birds in the area.  I find it to be a great challenge to capture those images and a great thrill when I get a few really good ones. These first photos were taking this morning on my deck. This female hummingbird was not scared of the clicking of my camera as she we enjoying the nectar of the Blue Salvia flowers. 

A few days ago I was able to capture the fighting between the males at the feeder as they are so territorial.  It happens in a blink of an eye, you can hear them chirps at each other and their wings clashing together making a very distinct hum sound like a card in the spokes of a bicycle.

The gold finches are still good amusement.

Have been seeing a pair of eagles around the neighbourhood.

While out kayaking I have been getting brave and bringing my Canon camera with zoom lens!  Love seeing the loons again and hearing their call.

 

And we found a local attraction on Rainy Lake while kayaking last weekend.  This mermaid was created in 1930 and is an icon of the area.  She is 'human sized' and by the amount of lichen growing on her you can tell how high the water can get on the lake.

I have been pointing my camera to the night sky as well.  This shot of the Milky Way was taken from my back yard.  We have been making the best with all the covid restrictions this year and just enjoying  and appreciating what is around us.  

Quarter Sections Quilt in Cider Fabrics

 My second finish of the summer is my Quarter Sections quilt made with the Cider collection from Moda. I just fell in love with this fabric line when I saw it so had to buy a fat quarter bundle. It came with coordinating Grunge fabrics so I bought extra teal for the border and binding. 

I couldn't find my original photo of this fabric bundle so copied my Instagram pic which shows I bought it from Fabric Snob in Manitoba.  

I quilted it with the Wildflowers pantograph as that matched well with the tiny flower prints in this collection.   I used a light teal So Fine thread and Quilters Dream 80/20. 

I have been spending a lot of time with my camera this month, enjoy the challenges of taking hummingbird pictures.  Here are a few of my favorites so far.

He has his tongue out in the next one.  Think he was mad at the other hummers for chasing him away from the feeder.

Love how his red throat feather sparkle in this next one.

Been working on capturing their wing feathers in flight.

The hummingbird do not like to share at the feeders so they fight and chase each other away.  I'm trying to capture these moments too but they happen in a blink of an eye!

I also love taking pictures of frogs, toads, snakes and all insects.  

This toad was the size of the palm of my hand so I got down to his level to snap this picture. Love his expression and those eyes! LOL! 

Washboard Road Quilt in Stiletto

I made this Washboard Road quilt top about 6 months ago so was happy to load it on my machine this week and get it quilted and bound.  This is one of our Highway 10 Designs patterns that you can find on our website in either paper or PDF format.  I had purchased a Stiletto jelly roll and border fabric by Moda from Road 17N quilt shop as well as a Grunge for the background.

I quilted it with the Flourish pantograph, used light beige So Fine thread and Quilters Dream Blend batting.

I took this quilt to Fort France to find some new locations to take pictures.  Had good luck at Point Park on Rainy Lake and didn't have to drag Tim around to any more locations.

I usually don't take pictures of a quilt with the sun shining behind them but that was a suggestion to try in the Quilt Photography online class I took this spring. I like how they turned out, give the quilt a softer look as it doesn't highlight the quilting.

 

I have been enjoying my summer break so far and spending more time outside with my camera than inside sewing.  Mainly taking picture of bugs, butterflies, and birds.  All challenging subjects that don't sit still!   Also have been out kayaking on the local lakes and hope to find another lake to try this weekend. 

This was at Off Lake.

This is the crystal clear water of Crow Lake.

Its been very dry here, lots of forest fires in our region so the air has been very smoky.  Took this shot the other day before sunset..

I just loaded another one of my own quilts on the machine so hope to get that quilted up soon!