Odette's Shirt Quilt!

Odette was commissioned to make this next quilt... one made with the shirts belonging to a recently deceased man for his widow. A friend collected the shirts, was shown how to salvage the fabric and the buttons. 

It took Odette a few months and 2450 pieces to create this one! I just love this... this is right up my alley... scrappy-looking and it comes with a story. Working on this type of quilt can be emotionally draining... however, since she didn't know the man who wore these shirts, Odette says there was no feeling of loss associated with the process. 

She chose Soft Touch batting by Fairfield and FilTec's Glide in Teaberry which is a soft plum color... after all, this is going to the widow... 

Look at these shirtings...

The pantograph is called Cotton Candy... something soft...

I love Odette's relaxed style... she is consistent in speed, no rushing. Lolah appreciates that! :)

A peek at the back before we flip it over...

This is a beauty! Something the widow will no doubt appreciate!

It's hard to photograph the whole quilt on the porch... here we had to resort to a clamp on the shelf for help. What a beautiful quilt!

Well done Odette. You and Lolah work well together.

Contrary to what you see on the tree beside Odette, recent sales of the Christmas ornaments leave us with only 5 more to sell... Please have a look and make your donation today... I would love to mail off that cheque to the MS Society before Christmas! Call or email me and I will set it aside for you or send it to you by post.

The barn is well on its way to being finished! A recent delivery of the wrong color of siding has now been rectified. Do you like our color choice? Wicker and Autumn Red!

The road leading to the barn has been a mud path due mainly to the weather. It's not been cold enough to freeze the ground and the recent torrential rains have turned the land into a soft, muddy mess. Heavy machinery like delivery trucks make it worse. Our road man has been busy upgrading the surface but he's also been hired to restore some country roads that were washed out by the heavy rains.

Christmas is fast approaching... our 4 children and their spouses and grandson start arriving tomorrow night. There will be some hustle and bustle around us again as we prepare to trim the tree, prepare the feast and enjoy the visit. 

Our holiday hours are as follows: if in doubt, call first! 

Closed December 24th through 28th. Open Dec 29-30th. 

Closed Dec 31st and Jan 1st. Open Jan 2nd.

2015 A Graceful Winter Block of the Month is now ready for pickup!

Happy Stitching!

Toodles!

Lorette

Trenching...

The barn project has been busy for the past week. Geothermal heating system is new to us and so is the preparation for both the barn and the house/cottage. We did plan to install the in-ground tubing for both buildings this fall... weather-wise, we couldn't have chosen a better week even after a few delays!

The barn's tubing went in first... it's a deep trench at 6ft...

While the connections were pressure tested (an overnight test), digging for the cottage tubing layout was started... as you can see, it's a much longer L-shaped trench is needed.

 It's all done now and the tubing is sticking out of the ground ready to connect to the buildings.

Meanwhile, Lolah had a visitor last week... Odette was here to quilt her beautiful fall colors queen-sized quilt. She chose King Tut Shifting Sands thread which is a beautiful pale mixture of colors matching her top fabrics. It also blended very well with her backing.

A word to those who send their quilts to longarmers or who come to quilt on Lolah: Please make sure your backing is at least 3 to 4 inches wider and longer on each side. Odette's backing was just a wee bit wider and longer and we made it work but it's easier to quilt when there is more than a little extra width.

Such a beautiful scrappy quilt!! I wish I had some of these fabrics... the brown with the dashes and circles, the greens above and to the right... and so on and so on... the beige next to the brown looks like wood planks... so useful for a house quilt!

 Odette enjoyed her day; she took it slow and steady, not rushed and the result was amazing.

Sadly, the photos we took of the finished quilt disappeared when I downloaded newer photos... word to the wise: when your computer asks you if you want to save a new version of a photo that already exist in your folder, reply yes to all! I chose no and it rendered them unreadable. I've replaced the memory card in the camera with a new one while awaiting my guru who can recover them without having to purchase software. I will eventually have those photos to show you... just not today! So sorry Odette!!! Perhaps you'll have a photo that I can share before you give this wedding gift away?

Spruce It Up Quilting has new backings in stock! You'll love this new line and the awesome colors!!

Also back in stock are the Perfect Scissors, new colors of Kimono silk thread, zippers by the yard in white, and Perfect Thread Bags!

Coming soon is this beautiful owl fabric... watch for it... the images are beautiful!

Finally, you won't want to miss this new 2015 Block of the Month... it's a gorgeous pieced and appliqué design by Denise Sheehan, from her seasons collection. Starting January, it will run for 11 months! Price to be determined but you'll want to join soon since spaces are limited.

Come meet Madelaine on Monday... she'll be in charge for 10 days!! Lolah and Lorette need a rest!!

Toodles!

Lorette



OH... I almost forgot! Spruce It Up now has a Keurig (thank you to a generous benefactor) and new porch furniture! You can sip your coffee (small fee) while sitting in a sunny spot at an antique dropleaf table courtesy of DH who found it at an auction. Isn't he a thoughtful man? He knew we deserved the very best! Enjoy your coffee while you contemplate YOUR design for the Christmas Ornament Challenge or perhaps you may want to treat your DH while YOU shop!! :)