Simply Imagine...

When Hollie decides to quilt on Lolah, she comes armed with a bundle of quilt tops. She makes quilts to sell at Keepsake Crafts in Murray Corner when the shop opens for the tourist season.

All three quilts started with the same panel but each was done a little differently. The batik backing was purchased at the Bargain Fabric Outlet in North Bedeque while on a road trip to the island. It did not come cheap but it was a wide backing.

This was Hollie's first time using a pantograph for her quilts. She wasn't too sure she would like it and was worried about the experience... dreaming about it too.

You can see in the photo above that two quilts are loaded close together and the pantograph was worked across both. It requires someone on each side of the quilting bed: one to quilt the panto and one to "spot" making sure the foot doesn't slide under the quilt top as it hops from one to the other.

Tea berry Glide which is a pale mauve/pink has been a very popular thread color and one of Hollie's favorites.

Her husband Micheal came in to check on her progress and was even given a chance to try out Lolah! He did an excellent job!

Micheal is a contractor so he has experience guiding hand tools.

This pantograph is called Hearts in Bloom... it's been quite popular because of the easy design and the open quilting. This fabric has the same flowers in it. 

Once the panto work was done, Hollie decided the third quilt would be done freehand.

This is where Hollie is most comfortable...

She even wrote in the "blank" blocks...

What a sharp eye she has for transforming a simple panel into a wonderful keepsake quilt!! I absolutely love the log cabin setting.

Gorgeous backing...

Hollie you amaze us all! Can't wait to see your next three quilts...

Simply Imagine what YOU can do on Lolah!!! Call us and book your date!

Toodles,

Lorette

UPDATE: April 9th, 2015

Hollie reminded me yesterday that I forgot to include an important photograph because the photo was taken with my phone.

Blair is a good friend of Hollie and Micheal and our contractor who happened to come in while Hollie was working so she asked him to quilt on her top... 

Blair has been known to mark his wife Sally's tops for hand quilting. He is skilled at hand tools so it was no surprise that he did well. Sorry the Lolah's light is too bright to see what he quilted!

Thank you for the reminder Hollie!

Lorette

Three more for Hollie!

What can I say! I'm impressed with Hollie's enthusiasm and dedication to her hobby. She arrived with 3 more lap quilts to work on Lolah! She's hard to beat...

Her first quilt of the day was this beautifully pieced scrappy triple Irish chain. First order was to choose the thread and she fell in love with Teaberry Glide by FilTec. You see, she came after Odette had been here to work on the shirt quilt and we know that's the thread Odette used. It turned out to be perfect for this chain. Hollie also brought her own batting for today's quilting.

Again, she wanted the lights off, Christmas music in the background...

This is another quilt that was done in loop-d-loops, her favorite... she really does a terrific job of it.

We were missing a helping hand for the photo taking that day so we improvised...

What a lovely quilt...

she even added some personal touches... a little butterfly here and there!

Number one quilt done, Lolah was prepped for 2 of the same quilts. Hollie's quilting is a business venture and this is one popular design among the summer customers to the craft shop in Murray Corner. 

For these two nautical quilts, she chose FilTec Glide in Sea Green and her own batting and backing.

Friends dropped by for a look and some lessons... some shopping too...

Sally also dropped by... Hollie, Sally and Sharon (you have yet to meet Sharon!) have a history of quilting each other's quilts together when their boys were young. It's wonderful to see such close friends share this wonderful hobby.

I love how she transforms a panel into these awesome jewels!

It was hard to get a good photo of both of the quilts... the color in the photo above is closer to the true color; I really must get that light fixture and the bulb changed. Sorry Hollie! Blame the sun setting too early in December!

A close up of the center panel... how beautiful!

Hollie, you're a hard act to follow. Many will try... can't wait to see the next three! Thank you for your energy!

Have a look at the Show and Tell page for some reveals...

Here's a look at the barn progress... The doors are in on the north side, the plumber and geothermal contractors are nearly done, and the contractor is busy putting up the pine planks on the walls upstairs. We're hoping the electrician will be in soon. Not much else left to do... :)

Toodles,

Lorette

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