I’ve been a little negligent with my blog as of late, but I have a good reason. It’s berry picking time here in North Central Saskatchewan

I have an absolutely amazing orchard on my property (thanks to the previous owners) and I can hardly keep up when berry time comes around. I have a huge raspberry patch, and 23 Saskatoon Berry bushes. I’ve been calling in friends and neighbours to come get berries, as there is no way I can use them all.

Never in my life have I seen a berry that big! It can get overwhelming, but I remind myself that whatever I don’t freeze, bake with, or make into jam will go to feed the assorted critters we have in the yard.
I have been trying to fit in some sewing time when I can, but there hasn’t been time to write a blog post. Even though i’m a few weeks behind, late is better than not at all, so, here we go….

This GLORIOUS Dresden Plate belongs to Opal. She got in touch with me last year, right before my honey broke both of his wrists. When she was younger a very special Aunt hand stitched these Dresden Plate blocks from her scraps. Opal has had them for years and finally decided it was time to get them made into a quilt. She chose a black background and the trusted me to put them together for her. It took me way too long to get working on it, but she was so patient and didn’t give me grief. I finally started on it in March, a full year after she had given me the blocks and background fabric.

I had a blast stitching the plates down. The fabrics were absolutely amazing!! If you look closely you can see where the maker pieced scraps together to make a piece large enough to cut a wedge out, or where she used a different fabric for some of the wedges because she had run out of the original.

There were 20 – 18 1/2″ plates on 20″ background blocks, so the finished quilt was queen size without the need for sashing or borders. I was thrilled because i wanted the Dresdens to be the star of the show, and they truly are! They pop so beautifully against the black background.

I machine quilted it with charcoal thread using two layers of polyester batting to keep Opal extra warm as she battles some health issues. The quilt was FINALLY delivered a couple of weeks ago, and she loved it. She’s so happy to have a quilt she can use and love, especially after her Aunt spent so much time hand stitching each and every block.

Linking up with crazy mom quilts for Finish It Up Friday and with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday

Back in February. I had a lady contact me on Facebook about completing some quilting for her. We had a few false starts, but were finally able to connect in the middle of March. She told me that the quilt was for her young son, as she was expecting and he would need to move to a big boy bed soon. We discussed some ideas and went on our way.
When I got it home, I realised that I had really dropped the ball. I had neglected to go over all of the things that are standard when I take on a new client, specifically backing size. For those unfamiliar with longarm quilting, it can be a surprise to learn that backing and batting need to be about 4 inches larger than the top on all sides. I don’t know why I hadn’t mentioned it as it’s part of my spiel, but I hadn’t and the backing wasn’t large enough. I quickly contacted her and we talked over some options. She asked me to see if I had anything that would go and i said I’d get some pictures to her right away. I lied. hahaha! I ended up getting called in to work at the library and my boys were home for spring break, so I had the energy of a sloth. It took me a week before i got some pictures to her. Then I heard nothing for a couple of weeks. I sent her a message. No reply. I tried again the next week. No reply. I was worried that something might have happened. Turns out I was right! She had been in the hospital, having her new baby! There were a few complications so she was there for a few days, and then was busy at home settling in with a toddler and a new babe. She tried to order more of the flannel she already had, but the shop had only a metre in stock so she would have to wait for it to come in.

Finally, in the middle of May, she got her fabric in. We made arrangements to meet, and I let her know that I wouldn’t be able to get it done until the following week as I had plans to go to Edmonton for the long weekend with my boys. That turned out to be the trip from hell. My van broke down at 10:30 at night in the middle of a rainstorm on a super busy highway. Thankfully, we were close enough to Edmonton that my Mom and Dad were able to come rescue us. My Dad and Uncle went out the next morning only to discover that a bolt had broken and it would need to go in somewhere to be repaired. As it was the long weekend, everything was closed until Tuesday. Sigh. We got an unexpected week long holiday, and made it home ok. I was able to get started on the quilt last week, and after a few hiccups, I got it off the frame yesterday.
It turned out great! I love the denim and flannel patches, obviously made from worn out clothes. I love that something that most would throw away can be turned into a beautiful quilt that will give warmth and comfort to a sweet little boy for many, many years.

I quilted it with grey Essential Pro thread from Connecting Threads, and used the Bumpity pantograph by Four Paws Quilting.
I also did the binding for her and she chose Line Dance from the CT Patriotic Minis line. It looks so nice with just that touch of red!

It took ages to get this quilt done, but it turned out so well it was worth the extra time.

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday and Confession of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!

It’s that time again! Well, actually, it’s a week late because the host was away the first Thursday of June. Since she was doing something quilty, I’ll let it slide. hahahaha!

When my sister’s kids were young, I was a career girl with no kids of my own. Needless to say, I was head over heels for my nieces and nephew. They were adorable and hilarious and I loved spending time with them. I desperately wanted children of my own, but since I had none, I focused my energies on them.

One day, I found the CUTEST knit fabric at the Fabricland down the road. I bought enough to make myself and my best girl (oldest niece) some jammies. I took it home, washed it up, and got to work. It was glorious! Thick, and soft and cute as a button! I whipped us up some jammies in time for her next sleepover. They were so cute!!! I ended up going back and getting more fabric, and made a couple pairs for all three of them. The youngest was only 2 at the time, so i was able to squeeze some tiny little nighties out of the leftovers from her sister’s.

For some unknown reason, I held on to the scraps for a few years. Maybe it was because the prints were so sweet, maybe it made me think of when the kids were wee, I dunno. Regardless, a few years into my quilting journey, I decided to make a quilt out of them. I thought I had much more than I actually did so the quilt turned out really, really small, but i stitched it together and hand quilted it, and gave it to my sister for her birthday.

I don’t even recall what i backed it with, or how i bound it, but I know my sister loves it and still uses it. It reminds her of her wee lambs, when they still loved to snuggle on her lap in their cozy jammies that Auntie Chrissie made them. The kids are all grown up now. The youngest just turned 18 and graduates from high school this weekend. It’s overwhelming to think about how fast the time has gone. It won’t be long and I’ll be watching my boys graduate. I must remind myself to treasure each moment while they still need me so. Maybe i’ll hang on to some clothes and make a memory quilt for myself someday.

Linking up with Jenn @A Quarter Inch from the Edge for Throwback Thursday Vol. 11