Fabric Combinations

Posted on August 20, 2010 by Quiltobsession

Now that I’ve got those two pieces of gold fabric out on my sewing table, I couldn’t resist choosing some other fabrics to see how well they went together. I’m not sure just what yet, but I think this grouping or at least part of it will find its way into a design.

Then I had to try those same fabrics with the other gold fabric. Now that I have some combinations to play with, I can let my mind wander a bit and see if I come up with the perfect design to use these in.

The second row of the baby quilt is now joined to the first. It’s going together easily, so I feel pretty confident I can have the little quilt that will be 40 x 48 inches finished by no later than mid-September. I’d love to use the silk batting in the baby quilt but, as that will undoubtedly be a quilt that gets a lot of washing, I guess I’d better stick with a cotton batt. I got spoiled with the silk batt as it makes fabric wrestling aka machine quilting so much easier. We have nothing in particular planned for this weekend, so I’m hoping to get a lot accomplished on the baby quilt. I’d love to get it to the point of being half put together by the end of the weekend, but that may be too optimistic.

Lester makes it easy to take good pictures — he will stay still and look right at the camera.

Smudge has always posed for the camera.

Golden Fabric

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Quiltobsession

There are two fabrics that have been in my stash for ages. The first one I have an idea for that will work with 2 or 3 red/coral tone fabrics to match those colours in the flowers.

This second one I bring out and look at periodically and try to decide what pattern and what other fabrics will showcase it.

Row one of the baby quilt is stitched together. There are 11 rows in total. My guesstimate is that it will take 3 evenings to add each set of two rows. So if the estimate is right and I really dedicate my stitching time to just the baby quilt, I should have the top finished within two and a half or three weeks. It took ages on Wednesday to lay the blocks and the sashing elements out and move them around a bit to get a nice balance. No design wall meant using the mattress cover, which actually works rather well and there’s an added benefit — I can shut the door and work on the layout without four-footed helpers.

On Monday when we were right downtown, Mr. Q.O. took a photo of the skyline. And this one of the CN Tower.

And while we were at it, this shot of the gargoyles on the Rogers Centre, also known as the Dome, where the Toronto Jays play baseball.

And the Air Canada Centre where both hockey and basketball are played. The orange cones in the photo? In Toronto, we have two seasons — winter and road construction season. As it’s not winter, there’s all sorts of construction and road repairs going on and wherever that’s happening the cones appear.

This is the first time we’ve been able to get a photo of the two kitties sitting together like this. I love the look on their faces.

Blues on Monday

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Quiltobsession

I exchange fabric gifts with a friend whose husband makes regular trips to Toronto on business. This time when we went to his hotel to drop off the bag to be taken back home to my friend, this is the bag the concierge gave me. With the pink bow, we had to take the picture of the bag with the tiny white bear who also has a pink/red bow!

Look at these gorgeous blue fabrics that were in that bag!! Something tells me there’s another blue and white or blue and cream quilt in my future — and not too far off! I have a lot of ideas that are swirling around in my mind already!

The red and white, blue and white, green and white, pink and white, yellow and white, purple and white blocks for the baby quilt are done and there are only a few of the peach and white blocks left. I didn’t get as much stitching done Monday night as I had anticipated, but will definitely finish them off tonight. Then the fun will begin — laying them out and figuring out which colours/fabrics of the other element surrounds each block. That’s the part of making this baby quilt that I’m most looking forward to. Once I get the placement all figured out, then it will be lots and lots of lovely continuous stitching that should go quite quickly.

On the way to the hotel Monday afternoon, more photos were taken. We travelled down University Avenue, a wide street in the downtown core that has beautiful tress and flowers in the boulevard separating the northbound and southbound lanes.

Back at home later Monday, Smudge was busy with the Cappy toy again.

While Lester was on the windowsill.

Quilt Planning

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Quiltobsession

I have this group of fabrics that I love and that are out of my normal comfort zone with fabric colours, but I can’t come up with an idea for them. I keep thinking that something that has a fairly large central piece for the large sunflower print but then get bogged down in what? Perhaps a different version of Pickle Dish? Or maybe a small DWR quilt?

Letting my mind ponder that has helped while I continue with the quilt wrestling. Today I will have a fairly long day of work, but as soon as that’s done I will be back at the machine quilting the Chintz Circles quilt yet again with a view to maybe, just maybe, getting it finished on Friday at some point. I think a trip to Sew Sisters may be in order on Saturday to find just the right fabric for the binding.

Wednesday was another warm and humid day. Our forecast seems like it’s nothing but a series of warm and humid days in the extended forecast. This is definitely making up for the summer that wasn’t last year!

The cats were quite alert Wednesday night. Smudge on the pink chair.

And Lester on the couch.

Monday Miscellaneous

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Quiltobsession

When picking up the frame on Saturday from Sew Sisters, I couldn’t resist these fabrics for the Alabama Beauty blocks. It will be mostly made from stash but I will need to add a few fabrics along the way as I want to have each circle in the quilt unique.

The roof garden has been opened for the season. We were out there for a while on the weekend. So far, there are only a couple of little daffodils blooming but lots and lots of green shoots starting to show in the flowerbeds.

All of a sudden the grass on the roof garden seems green as can be.

We have been taking care of Winnie since Friday morning. Last time we took a picture of her was shortly after she had been given the kitty lion cut last fall. Now her fur has grown in as seen here. When we go in, we’re greeted most times by the loudest meow imaginable.