Where have I been??

It must be said that my time on the Internet is quite curtailed these days; that with the shop and the activities of summer, it feels great to be busy. Even Hurricane Arthur which came to our shores Saturday morning as a tropical storm didn't deter our plans.

Even before the shop opened, I had plans to be a vendor at the Annual Lupin Quilt Fair and Market (in its 33rd year) in our little town of Port Elgin NB. Ever since I made those plans, I've been preparing for that weekend. Quilters are a hardy bunch; attendance was down on storm day but it picked up on Sunday.

This was Spruce It Up Quilting's booth!

My husband made the quilt rack and added the signs!

I had no expectations for this venue since I was a newcomer... the point of being there was to meet quilters and non-quilters who had great interest in the art and to have a chance to share my love of it. I achieved that and more! The reception I got was overwhelming... I hope quilters see the shop as a friendly place to visit, to shop and especially to come show me their works of art... after all it goes both ways! We all learn from each other. I love to see what others are making!

As you can see, Deauville is front stage. A lot of people commented on it... after all, this is cottage country. Many asked if it was for sale! Many more took photos! 

I had a few of my own quilts on display in the gym... the one on the left was made in 1994-95 and finished a few years later. The pattern was featured in Fons and Porter's For the Love of Quilting in the second or third magazine issue. It is called Fat Stars because I used over 120 fat quarters to make the pieced blocks. I hand-quilted this one myself.

The quilt on the right was made with leftover fabrics from a signature quilt I made for our parents as a Christmas gift in 1994. The colorful fabrics were chosen by each family member to represent themselves. I couldn't let those leftovers go to waste so I used 30s reproduction fabrics to frame the jewels. It's called My Family Jewels because I can identify each family member in this quilt. This one was hand-quilted by the Anglican Church Women's group in Westcock NB. Both are queen sized and not for sale!

Barnside is also bound and ready to send off to our dear friend diagnosed with cancer. After finishing the binding, I tossed it in the washing machine and it came out so lovely!

While I was photographing this quilt, Sadie was busy putting the final stitches to her large quilt! Excuse the bright light from the window behind her. Sadie spent yesterday quilting hearts on her top and after finishing the last row, she wanted to add more quilting. She decided to return today to do some free-motion quilting in the spaces between the hearts. She found her groove and in no time, she was done! She was so excited to be in front of the machine and plans to return in August with another quilt for more practice. I must tell you that she is also a dedicated hand-quilter who does beautiful work!

You too can rent time on Lolah! Bring your project in and we'll look it over, choose a design, thread and we'll book a time! If you already do free-motion on your machine, you will be amazed at how fast you can transition to the longarm. There's a learning curve and it takes practice but you'll surprise yourself! Sadie went home with a smile, so proud to have done it herself.

Spruce It Up Quilting shelves are just chock full of fabric bolts: Riley Blake, Jo Morton, Kona Cottons, Blue Hill, Maywood Studios, Andover Fabrics, Robert Kaufman, In The Beginning, RJR's Cotton Supreme and many more! We sell batting too: 100% poly, 80/20, 100% cotton on the roll... 

Monday morning, we'll have 21 new backings; 108" X 108". You won't believe our prices! Perhaps I'll see you soon!

Toodles!

Lorette

PS I'm linking to The Needle And Thread Network and to Let's Bee Social... go on over and browse what others are doing... 

Barnside!

Our of our dearest friends was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. He's undergoing chemotherapy at the moment and may end up having radiation sometime during the summer. My husband was adamant that I make him a quilt.

With all the preparations and excitement of opening the shop and getting ready for our local quilt show in 2 weeks, I just could not find the time. It was then that I remembered a handmade quilt purchased at an auction in 1998 waiting on the rack ready to be quilted. Unknown is the maker's name or what year it was done. Perhaps you have an idea by looking at the fabrics?

I can't tell you how often I've pulled this quilt out, looked at it, and returned it to the rack. I guess it just wasn't time to tackle it. You see, it has issues...

There is extra fullness in some blocks:

The blocks aren't all even:

The seams were sewn willy-nilly: I could not iron the seams in the same/right direction. It would have meant taking the whole quilt apart and resewing it. I did not wish to do this. 

 My wish was to quilt it to preserve it; in order to do that and to reinforce the seams, it was necessary to quilt it with an all-over design, one that would take care of some extra fullness. I chose Vanilla Cream panto by Anne Bright and it worked beautifully. Don't you just love these pinks?

I chose a Blue Hill fabric from the Captain Phillips Collection c.1860 by Carrie Quinn for the backing (available in the shop). It looks like a shirting which coordinates well with the top. Quilting was done with Glide Pearl on the top and Mocha in the bobbin. I just love this thread!!! Batting is 100% poly because I wanted the loft of the batting to help reduce the chance of tucks and folds.

This block pattern is known as Hole in the Barn Door. I'm calling this quilt Barnside! A special name for a special friend. I wish its maker could see it finished and be gifted to one who dedicated his life to helping others

The binding will be prepared later today and sewn over the weekend, at least that's the plan. I need to have something to do with my hands in the evening! This makes 3 quilt tops in need of binding counting the two from last month. Sunday will be busy!

Up next on Lolah is the De Deauville a Cape Cod quilt. Shivers... I hope I can do it justice! Wish me luck!

Toodles,

Lorette