Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Blogger's Quilt Festival...Our Group Effort

 
Thanks to Amy's Creative Side for hosting this Festival!
AmysCreativeSide
 
 
It is great to see all the amazing quilts and be inspired from the comfort of my armchair!
This is my second entry on behalf of my guild called THE BLOCK PARTY
 
 
Martini Time...
 
This is a quilt that my guild all participated in.
 
We are just a small group of 10
and
it's really more like therapy than quilting.
 
We meet twice a month to sew together.
 
Last winter,
 
 a quilting friend from another area was diagnosed with a tumour. 
 
To 'cheer' her up,
 
 we each made a Martini with the only stipulation being white as the background
 
 
It was awesome to see the creativity everyone came up with in their rendition of their drink

 
These were starting to make us thirsty.....

 
With donations of the recipe fabric from friends wanting to help,
 


we shucked and jived till we came up with a cute wall hanging

 
Thanks to Terry Whitman(our in-house Longarmer) for the great job of quilting it!

 
We are happy to report our friend now has a clean bill of health!
 
Cheers to good health!!
 
Christa


Monday, October 28, 2013

Blogger's Quilt Festival Kickoff

 
 
I am participating in the Blogger's Quilt Festival for 2013
 
 
 
AmysCreativeSide
 
This is my most favorite 'Scrappy' quilt thus far...
 
My 'Farmer's Wife' Quilt
 
 


When I first read about the Farmer's Wife Sampler book, I was intrigued.
 
I was never raised on a farm but was given a real appreciation for life in all it's aspects.
(listen to me go on....I sound like I am 80...must be an old soul!)
 
Having married a farmer at the age of 16,
 
 I took on the lifestyle in full force learning how to care for all kinds of animals, fixing machinery, seeding, haying, harvest....
 
You name it, I have taken it on!
 
So when I read the first line of this book....
 
"If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, have her marry a farmer?"
 
A magazine at the time had 750,000 subscribers, and received over 7,000 letters. The best answers to this question are included in this book, along with the traditional quilt blocks they inspired.
 
 
This book was a compiliation of 55 letters and 111 blocks.
 
I have a daughter ....of marriageable age.
 
My initial reponse was "HECK NO!!"
(o.k. maybe it was a liiiiittle stronger words than that...)
 
There have been some EXTREMELY tough times in our lives to make a living as a farmer.
 
I wanted an easier life for my daughter.
 
I bought the book to see what the feeling was at that time in the life of farming.
 
I started making the blocks out of a box of leftover Pumpkin and Spice by Red Rooster fabrics
 
 
As I worked on this project, I read each letter and started to change my mind.
 
 
 
Farming was not so much a 'living' as it was a way of living.....
 
It's a lifestyle
 
Farming is at the mercy of Mother Nature and it can be FEAST or FAMINE.

 
The more I read, the more I appreciated the true love of farming.
 
 The real draw to the life has to be the times you spend with family..
 
Working together....
 
 

 
 growing good food.....
 
 
 
 helping sick animals....
 
 
Batches of new life....

 
It is about the great memories and time spent together
 

 
It's the feeling you get when your heart smiles,
 
when you think back to the life you have created.
 
You put down roots, grow a healthy trunk and spread your limbs out to embrace life!

 
 The Tree of 'Life'
 
 
I get a lot of flack from quilters when they see I have left a salvage edge in my blocks....
 
But to me, this is history....

 
It's like the markings the bottom of fine china....
 
A hundred years from now, 
 
someone can research and discover the journey and times my quilts have come from.
 
I backed this quilt with traditional blue striped ticking in keeping with farmer style.

 
There is a lot of love in this quilt!!

 
 
Christa
 
 
 
 
 


Friday, October 25, 2013

Scrap Squad Friday

Just about missed it...
 
I don't know where the days go but it is Friday again!
 
QM scrap squadB3 QM Scrap Squad: Ginas Illinois Fall
 
This is Gina's rendition of our SS#5 Star Search....
 
front 1 QM Scrap Squad: Ginas Illinois Fall
 
To read more about Gina's Illinois Fall quilt, 
 
click HERE 
 
Have a great weekend
 
Christa
 
 
 
 


Monday, October 21, 2013

Beautiful Day for a Wedding

 
Canmore, Alberta....
 
a beautiful place to get married..... or do anything actually!!


 
With the Three Sister Mt Range in the background,
 

 
Gary&Terry Whitman walked their daughter, Tressa down the isle..
 

 
To marry her love, Matt
 
It was a great day to get married!!
 
Our room even had an amazing view...

 
the trees were showing off all their colors....

 
in every shade.....

 
While touring the town we saw this sign for a local quilt show....

 
Terry and I headed there on Saturday morning...
 
Cute banner....

 
but I think ours is outstanding in comparison
 
 
It was a very small show with only one vendor - Sugar Pine...
 
Star wedding ring...
 

 
 

 
Falling Leaves....

 
a Plaid rendition....

 
Old crazy quilt....

 
From 'Ladies Days' in 1904....
 
 
Log cabin...
 
 
 
Not sure what this was called but liked the end result...


 

I think this is the new 'Crazy Horse'!!!

 
The most exciting part of the show was the H.A.Kidd rep as she was enthusiastic about her new products!!
 
While touring Canmore, we came across this stand ...
 
 
It has all the tools you need to fix your bike and pump up your tire!!

 
What a great idea!!

 
We also made a quick stop over at Sugar Pine Quilt Store...
 
I loved this little mini log cabin which, to no surprise, was one of Terry's favorites also!!

 
That's what you get from years of hanging out together!!
 
A great representation of Alberta....

 
SugarPine had every kind of fabric you would want from Batiks to Asian fabric


 
These two caught my eye...

 
Then it was back to Calgary to visit with my sisters...
 
AND
 
a quick trip through IKEA to find a closet for the new entry!!!
 
Arnold would not say it was quick but I gave him the flash tour!
 
 
I think we have a winner!!
 
Christa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

Bucket Bag Tutorial

 I thought I would try to show you how to make one of these bucket bags... They are fast and easy. I used 2 Fat Quarters and some batting. I...