Heart and Hands Quilt Retreat 2016

As usual.....

It was a roaring good time!!

40 women, a ton of fabric and the hum of sewing machines..

This Lion was coming to life by Ester Bangsund

This is what he will look like in the end!!

Marilyn Palmer was working a Dresden Plate...

She had nearly completed by the end of the weekend

This is also her Flying Geese quilt

Colleen Marcotte was working on X's and O's

Marilyn Wock(and her team) finished a Veteran's quilt for her dad

There were quilting in progress on every wall...

which will be come next years show and tell!!

Joanne had a baby quilt inspired by the sea...

The other 'Joanne' had a fabulous quilt made with vintage doilies

Eileen McKersie made a Lumberyard 

with

 500 different pieces of fabric from her own stash!!

Elenor Hirsh made this Delectable Moutains.

This was the inspiration for my Farmer's Wife border

A Sand Castle Quilt...

Nancy Shirley did a row quilt

and a needle turned Block of the Month

Eileen started these pooches

and

Terry finished them

Heather Piermantier finished a Christmas quilt

Anne brought a picture which made us all cry.

He dad recently passed away and she inherited a box of pictures.

The lady at the center back  is her great grandma in the 1950's

It meant the world to her to see this for the first time

and

to be carrying on the tradition

We all had a tear in our eyes.

Thanks for all the fun, Hearts and Hands!!

(My butterfly is slowly emerging)

Christa 

The Evolution of a Butterfly

OK.. call me crazy...

It is Heart and Hands Retreat this weekend in Kenosee Lake, Sk

Ordinarily......

 I try to pick a mindless project so I can concentrate on visiting.

Not this year....

This Butterfly has been in the cocoon stage for awhile...

With it's many blocks to contemplate,

it has taken alot of thinking!!

I gathered a few interesting stripes, batiks and prints

Started cutting out the blocks and bagging them for retreat

But as they got more complicated.

I remembered how I was able to keep the last project all together for guild

As I cut each set of blocks, 

I layered them on my design board and Press and Sealed each layer

This way.... it's all laid out and ready to sew when I get there!!

Genius!!!

What may not be so GENIUS is what the end result will be!!

Might be more 'Mad Scientist' or  'complete do-over'...

Stayed tuned...

Christa

Quadrants Quilt

I finally found some time to get to quilting

My 'Quadrants' quilt 

It is the quilt I tested for Gudrun Erla

 for her new book

'Stripology Squared'

I tried quilting with my industrial machine

which I have come to the conclusion.....

it is TOO FAST

Yup....

you heard it here....

Too fast for free motion quilting!!

Now to get it bound!

I also made up some self binding receiving blankets.

Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Co. has a great tutorial on this easy gift

I used two Westrade wideback flannels from my recent order

It takes a 40"x 40" square 

and 

a 30" x 30" square.

With two Westrade widebacks,

 you get 9 receiving blankets of alternating combinations

As an added little bonus,

 I stitched a 'ps.I love you' tag into the seam

Quick and Easy!!

And speaking of Baby gifts....

Wouldn't this make an cute baby quilt??

Hmmmm...

I need more time in a day!!

Christa

Sustenance of Life

Some say it's food...

 

BUT without water...food doesn't grow!!

 

We have been so dry for the past few years.

 

Our dugouts are super low....

 

We spent the weekend pumping two dugouts into one big one

 to make sure

 we have enough water under the ice this winter!!

 

(I tell yah...that dog makes it into every photo without even trying)

 



 

It was quite the angle since the water is so low!!

 

The weather couldn't have been nicer.

 

 

 

 

We also went for a drive to Angusville, Manitoba

 

 



 

 

to look at some new Herford cows

(kind of ironic...herfords in 'Angus'ville....)

 



 

 

We have purchased from this breeder before

and

love their cows.

 

Justin and I both said at the same time 'How cute!!'

 

Then had to remind ourselves...look at hooves,udders, confirmation

 

But really....aren't they adorable??

 

The trees in Manitoba were incredible

 

The colors of fall were everywhere

 

 

The farmers in Manitoba seem to respect old homesteads leaving them standing.

 

Such heritage...

 

 

 

And no road trip is complete without a stop at a quilt store!!

 

We made it with 20 minutes to spare to Shirley's Sewing Room in Moosomin

 

Where if you look closely...

 

you will see Sharon Armstrong in the window coming to greet us!

 

 

 

Shirley and I are sisters from another mother.

 

She loves blue as much as I do...

 

and stars couldn't look better in blue!!

 

Her new store looks amazing...

 

Which you could have seen

 if

I would have taken pictures of something other than her amazing 'Blue' 'Star' quilts

 

I hope your weekend was as productive as mine!!

I hear winter is coming this week!!

Christa