Showing posts with label almost daily stitching. Show all posts

Thursday, January 22, 2026

Getting stuff done and I Quilted This!

Hello and welcome 😊 Has your winter started yet? Apparently the weather here is cold enough for the Rideau Canal to be open for skating - so it's officially winter in Ottawa. The weather inside my studio is lovely so stuff is getting done! My plans for 2026 are ambitious, but at least I'm working on them.

FMQ the Cowboy panel quilt (SAHRR 2025)

I stitched-in-the-ditch most of the quilt and it was time to start quilting the blocks. I used the walking foot for the quilting that was straight lines and then switched to the FM or darning foot for the rest. I'm very happy to report that my tension was perfect even with the cotton thread.

Here are a few of the blocks. Some of them were quilted in straight lines with the walking foot.

Straight line quilting

Other blocks got a mix of straight line quilting and then FMQ.

Straight line and FMQ for this block

Some blocks were FMQ.

Lots of fun FMQ

FMQ with dark variegated thread.
The cow will be outlined in another colour.

FMQ with the possibility of adding
more details on the hat and boots

I worked through the quilt by colour. The straight lines were mostly done with blue thread. I then started FMQ with the dark variegated thread and finally a soft gray polyester thread. Once I finish quilting the blocks, I'll tackle the panel. I really don't mind following the fabric's pattern but I have to be careful to actually stitch on the line! 😁

First baby quilt in the making

My youngest adult child has three friends who are having babies so we are making them baby quilts. JJ helped me decide on the patterns and the fabric. This first quilt is from the Martingale book, Modern Baby. We chose the Square Dance pattern because we want to include fabric that relates to the parents' hobbies and lives.

Square Dance pattern

Modern Baby by Martingale

I'm using my stash of Kona cottons to make the shapes while the squares within will be novelty fabric to reflect their interests and of course baby.

This is what the quilt looks like so far. Unfortunately my design wall is not wide enough, but you get the idea.

The first row of the quilt

The first block is a Star Wars fabric, the second is cute dinosaurs, the third fabric has a rainbow and flowers and says "Be happy, be kind, be you" and the fourth fabric is adventure themed.

It took me a while to figure things out because the pattern assumes that you'll make all of the same pieces at once. Since I'm using the fabric I have, I had to figure out how to make each block. The trickiest part was to make the half square triangles with three different fabrics. It took a few tries but I got it! I'm happy to report that I didn't have to use the seam ripper much 😁

I've made a rough plan to keep me organised.

The plan to keep me on track

Embroidery

Yesterday I finally put away our Christmas tree. Now I have my slow stitching space back in our living room. I started by stitching the year in the next square of my Not so daily stitching project. I couldn't help stitching it in white 😀 as a nod to the silly colour of the year, but I then had to add a bit of colour!

I also experimented with the turkey stitch. I stitched it in beautiful silk yarn. Our local yarn store is closing since the owner is retiring. I've been in there a few times in the last couple of months to pick up some beautiful yarns to embroider with. You can get quite a bit when it's 40-50% off.

Practicing the turkey stitch with silk yarn

before the haircut!

Turkey stitch with a trim

This was very much a practice block, but I guess I should add a little something to make it more cohesive.

I've been wanting to practice this stitch but didn't remember its name. Fleur Woods, the textile artist that I took a course from last year is offering the same course again and since I registered last year, I can participate in this one. I reviewed parts of the course and found the turkey stitch. I want to use this in the last coiled project that I was working on to add flowers to the piece. The turkey stitch will be perfect!

What I learned

I've really enjoyed quilting the cowboy panel quilt. With so many blocks to quilt, it's fun to jump from one to another to use the same coloured thread.
Since my tension is doing great, I don't even have to change the bobbin thread except from dark to light to match the top thread.
I do enjoy FMQ by following the lines in the fabric images. It's just getting harder to stay on the line but I'm OK if I take it slowly.
I'm also FMQ with a strong pair of reading glasses, that has a clip-on magnifier attached to them. What a difference it makes. I now have two sets (upstairs and down) and use them to embroider and get that darn thread/yarn into the needle!
I really enjoyed figuring out the Square Dance baby pattern. I should be able to use the Kona solids from my stash. We also have some really cool novelty fabrics to choose from.
I've been really scattered and overwhelmed during the last week. Today doing some slow stitching really helped to calm me down. I feel so much better. 😊

Coming up

Things are getting busy so I'm going to use this space to keep myself organised!

This week's prompt for Project Quilting is plaid - the finished project is due Sunday.
Round 1 of SAHRR 2026 is now out - it's the hour glass block. I need to get fabric from my stash and make at least one block. The linking party closes on Monday.
The Cowboy panel quilt is my January OMG - I have until January 31^th to post it.
The blue house for A Quilter's Cove QAL needs to be done by January 31^th so that I can host the linking party!

I Quilted This!

Welcome to the I Quilted This! linking party. I'll be featuring the projects from last week's party that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting. Thank you everyone who linked up. Feel free to grab the button.

Kat of Scrapbox Quilts quilted another charity quilt with a donated flimsy and backing. Kat quilted this baby quilt in a continuous circle.

Baby quilt quilted by Kat

Melva, of Melva Loves Scraps, made a quilted panel for her t-shirt. Melva quilted the block before adding it to the t-shirt using a reverse appliqué technique. If you're interested, read her post to find out how to make your own!

Melva's finished t-shirt with a quilt block

Melva and her Arches National Park t-shirt

Preeti of Sew Preeti Quilts participated in the Starry Seas Blog Hop. Her quilt, Dawn to Dusk, was inspired by her commute. You'll want to check out her post for more details of the story.

Preeti's Dawn to Dusk quilt for the Starry Seas Blog Hop

It's now your turn!😍

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Some Embroidery

Bonjour and welcome 😊 I don't have much to share today except a bit of embroidery. So let's get to it!

Not so daily stitching

This week has been full of appointments and non-textile related tasks. I did get a little bit of embroidery done on my "Almost Daily Stitching 2024" project, which BTW won't be finished in 2025.

Sunset over water

Rain and more rain

Random stitches

I did finish Desert Landscape but I want to attach it in the hoop and take good pictures. It should be next week's post (as well as some progress on the cowboy quilt....I hope!). I also started my next coiling project. Nothing to show yet. I've mostly been stitching in the evening but this night owl has been going to bed early and waking up way too early. I hope that's going to stop soon. 😁

Here's a photo of the freezing rain that we got - it was minimal, so just pretty but not dangerous!

Freezing rain on the tree

What I learned

I must be tired because I was not motivated to write this post - sorry for the late post again.
I'm glad that I've stitched on my "Almost Daily Stitching 2024" project. I tend to forget about it except when I'm inspired. I like how my Sunset over water translated to embroidery. Since I gave the piece away, this will be a great reminder.
There have been a lot of appointments but I'm happy to say that it's all good. 😊
I can't believe that it's already almost the end of the month....I'm so not ready for what's coming next!

A Nostalgic Trip and Hand Stitching, August 07, 2025
Scraps, Embroidery and Free Motion Mavericks, October 31, 2024
Floral Fusion and hand-stitching on Free Motion Mavericks, September 05, 2024
Spending Quality Time Slow Stitching, February 06, 2024
So much slow stitching going on, January 09, 2024

Linking parties

I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties. You might want to check some out. Monday Musings, Sew & Tell, Put your foot down, Off The Wall Friday, Patchwork & Quilts, 15 Minutes to Stitch 2025, Slow Sunday Stitching,

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 558 of Free Motion Mavericks! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Gail of The Cozy Quilter finished a lovely winter wall hanging that will be donated for auction. She quilted it using her walking foot.

Winter wall hanging quilted by the Cozy Quilter

Gwyneth Trefethen is learning to use her Bernina 990. It sounds like she used the embroidery function to quilt a spiral motif.

Gwyned learning more functions on her Bernina

It's now your turn 😊

Thursday, August 07, 2025

A Nostalgic Trip and Hand Stitching

Hello and welcome 😎. Last week I was on a very nostalgic road trip with a friend. It was really great reminiscing about our childhood. It felt like we were saying goodbye after all this time. It's good to remember but it's also good to let go - and that's what I did.

My Favourite Provincial Park

Although I spent most of my summers at our cottage, we did, as a family, spend a lot of time at Esker Lakes Provincial Park. We are blessed with many amazing Ontario parks, but this one is special! It was created by the receding ice age that deposited lots of sand, some huge boulders and gave us many beautiful spring-fed lakes. There are also has some awesome birch trees among the pines. This is truly impressive in North-eastern Ontario.😍

When I got home, I stitched on my Almost Daily Stitching tablecloth. It had been a long time - mostly because I don't usually know what to stitch! The Esker Park photos below inspired me to stitch a few blocks.

Esker Lakes embroidery

Embroidery of a close up of a fireweed

Fireweed - the model for the embroidery

Here are a few more photos of Esker Park. This is at the beginning of Bog Trail. It really has a rugged beauty.

Swamp and lotus flowers

Rugged beauty

More rugged beauty

Here is the trail to the beach - you can see the birch trees. Unfortunately the sandy beach has mostly been flooded and taken over by the swamp.

Trail to the beach.

View of the lake from the beach

Although the beach has been taken over by the swamp, there was still a bit of a sandy beach and space to swim. Amazingly enough for a spring-fed lake, the water wasn't as cold as I remember it.

When we drove to the other end of the lake where the camping area is, we saw and heard loons. They were crossing the lake and calling to each other. It really was magical. I was able to modify and upload my recording. Click here to listen to it.

In a ditch, next to the hotel in town, was more swamp - but look what was hiding in the shade there!

Forget-me-nots hiding among the bull rushes

Embroidery in progress of a spotted Joe-Pye weed

View from the road - just a little blue peaking out!

On the way to Kirkland Lake we stopped in at the Quilting Barn in Earlton. What a lovely store. I was very reasonable 😁

Quilting Barn in Earlton

My purchases - a Christmas panel, some 5" fabric cuts and
this beautiful fabric designed by Peter Parling by Stof

I also embroidered on the last space of the row of my Almost Daily Stitching project - it's a little smaller so I just stitched an abstract design in variegated thread.

Abstract design in the square on the edge

One Monthly Goal for August

I'm really going to try to get that Cowboy panel quilt done. I put on the inner border in July and now I'd like to get at least one outer border done. I suspect that once I have one border done, that I'll be encouraged to make the others. Here's hoping!

Going to get at least one outside border done in August

What I learned

Travelling with my friend was great. Among other things, we both love food, so we found some lovely restaurants along the way.
During the trip I did play with hexies but haven't stitched them together. I'm no sure if I want to use them for the Bloomers SAL - all of the different colours might distract from the appliqué.
I'm considering either using all of the same colour for the hexies, and/or using larger hexie templates than ¾".
I've already started putting together some of those 5" fabric cuts that I bought. This month's Table Scraps Challenge colour is teal (aqua), so I've put together another BB quilt. I'm looking forward to sharing this with you soon.

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 543 of Free Motion Mavericks! It was a very productive week! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kate of Scrapbox Quilts has completed more Bear Hug quilts. She's FMQ one with an orange peel design. The second image is of a baby quilt that she FMQ with various designs. The FMQ is really lovely.

Kat's Bear Hug quilt with FMQ orange peel design

Baby quilt with some lovely FMQ by Kat

Donnalee finished a lovely cactus runner using an oval circular template to quilt them.

Donnalee's Cactus runner quilted with an oval circular template

Quilting Gail finished her orange quilt for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in July. Her design is lovely and based on the disappearing nine patch. Gail used the Silly Moon Charming ruler as well as FMQ some lovely swirls.

Gail's lovely Orange quilt with ruler work and FMQ

JanineMarie of Quilts from the Little House made a lovely Billie inspired quilt. What a lovely finish. You can check out her post for more pictures.

JanineMarie's Billie inspired quilt

Details of JanineMarie's quilting

It's now your turn.

Wednesday, October 02, 2024

#2024 Quilting Q2 and Q3 Check-In

Hi and welcome. I missed the second quarter (Q2) check-in but since I found writing up a first quarter (Q1) check-in post so useful, I'm going to put both Q2 and Q3 here. I hope that you'll indulge me - it is a long post.

Second Quarter Check-in

April, May and June

Although I worked on a few larger projects, most of my finishes in the second quarter were smaller pieces.

Spring Tulips was an ambitious 3D art piece. The background was quilted while the vase and tulips in the vase were created with Solvy water soluble stabilizer. You can find all of the details in this post.

Spring Tulips, a 3D art piece

I also made a number of Cathedral windows hot pads using a layer cake package and a wonderful tutorial. These made great gifts.

Cathedral windows hot pads

As usual, I participated in the Table Scraps Challenge. This is a cute yellow cuddle quilt. I was able to practice my FMQ and quilting with rulers. I finally figured out how to properly use my universal darning foot. More practice is required but it was a lot of fun.

Yellow cuddle quilt

In May, I participated in a workshop taught by Alice Vander Vennen. I really like the mini that I made during the Nature Narrative workshop. I'm still working through the design of my larger piece.

Mini made during the Nature Narrative workshop

In June, I learned Kawandi style quilting from Jen Strauser during Making Zen. I finished it during our Alaskan cruise. It was a great stitching project for the trip.

Kawandi style quilting

From March to April I started the 2 Colour Mystery Quilt hosted by Joanne of Canuck Quilter design. It consisted of only two colours and worked my accuracy challenged brain. I sewed six of the twelve blocks, which is in week 7 but didn't post on it. This is now a WIP, unless it becomes a UFO. 😁

Half of the blocks sewn together -
at least all of the fabrics and blocks are in one place!

See the Parade of Quilts on
Canuck Quilter's site

Third Quarter Check-in

July, August and September

The end of June was an incredibly busy time as I tried to finish up my pieces for the Impermanence - Éphémère Outdoor Fibre Art Exhibit at the Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill. We set up the exhibition in early July with a vernissage on July 5th.

For the first time ever, I used my blog as a way of keeping track of what I still needed to do to get the 5 pieces ready. In fact, there were 5 pieces, but two of these consisted of 5 and 4 art pieces. I'm not going to repeat everything in this post. If you're interested, I created a page "My pieces in the Impermanence - Éphémère Outdoor Fibre Art Exhibit". It has lots of details and links to the original posts.

The outdoor exhibit was very well received and there is a possibility of participating again next summer.

Three seasonal garden fence art pieces

In the Sky, an Outdoor Hanging Sculpture

A series of Prayer Flags

I am very happy to say that all of these outdoor pieces are now in my yard.

In the Sky is now hanging in my poplar

The series of Prayer Flags

Raining Pink Petals and Essence of Leaves

Squirrel! is the only one that was changed by being
outdoors. Someone (probably a squirrel) stole the nut
that the squirrel was getting ready to eat😂

At the end of September I learned to make twine with fabric strips. This is my latest yard art piece.

Yard Art piece made with twined fabric

In mid-July I mosquito proofed my swing. I am so happy with it and spent many hours, mostly in the evening, enjoying the back yard without being eaten alive!

Mosquito proofed swing

After the intense productivity of June, it was wonderful just playing around and making small projects. This is my second finished Kawandi style quilt. It was bigger than the first piece and I would love to make an even larger one eventually.

Second Kawandi style quilt

After quilting the yellow cuddle quilt using rulers, I decided to make a scrappy blue butterfly table topper. I quilted it using FMQ and rulers. Practice does make it easier!

Scrappy blue butterfly table topper

During our Alaska cruise, I started on a mini landscape quilt based on one of the pictures that I took. Enjoying Alaska was finished after re-doing the gray mountains using FMQ instead of embroidery. Textile art can be so forgiving. Don't like a section? Just cover it up!

Enjoying Alaska mini landscape quilt

Another project that is a WIP is my Tibetan appliqué piece. I absolutely love it but have been distracted by pretty much everything! I only wrote one post on this project but got quite a bit further on it. I need to add another border, stitch on some cording and then decide how to finish it. I will probably quilt it but I'm quite nervous about it. I'll have to feel very Zen before tackling it!

Tibetan appliqué piece in progress (WIP)

I had a few playdates with my friend Connie to create journals. With her encouragement I did some eco printing on paper. This was the first one that I stitched on.

Embroidering on eco printed paper

I continued to make scrappy pieces for the 2024 Table Scraps Challenge. This is my orange scraps piece. I started using orphan blocks and adding to them. I also used the pillowcase method to finish these off. It's so much easier than binding small pieces.

Orange scraps piece made around an orphan block

This is a second scrappy mat that I made using an orphan block. I used it to practice my FMQ.

Second scrappy mat

For International dog day I made this lovely scrappy mat for Poppy's water dish. It has doggy prints as well as fabric picturing her friends (birds, rabbits, squirrels, etc.) 😀

International dog day scrappy mat for Poppy's water dish

Finally these are the last scrappy mug rugs that I finished for my son's niece to play with. I only used scraps, most of which I had just gotten at our quilt guild meeting.

Scrappy Play mug rugs

As part of the pre courses for the 2024 Sketchbook Revival, I made a journal for hubby to use at work as well as one for me. This was a new technique by a new-to-me teacher.


Lay-flat Notebook with French Link Stitches

5 hole pamphlet stitch journal

I treated myself to a course, Joyful Embroidery with Fleur Woods through Fibre Arts Take Two. To get ready, I made a Joyful Journal for my notes.

My Joyful Journal

As if these projects weren't enough to keep me busy, I started the Floral Fusion Sew Along presented by fellow blogger Denise of The Quiltery. I am presently a couple of weeks behind but should be able to get caught up on the weekend (my famous last words!)

Floral Fusion blocks so far

I have a couple of ongoing embroidery projects but the one that I've stitched on the most in the last quarter is the Almost Daily Stitching project of 2024. I love trying out new embroidery stitches, thread and designs. It's coming along nicely and is still a stress-free project done whenever I feel like it.

Almost Daily Stitching project

Well, it looks like I've had a very productive second and third quarter this year. Thanks so much to Quilting Jetgirl for hosting this great event. Again, I'm so glad that I've taken the time to do this.

Linking parties

I'll be linking this post to many fun linking parties, particularly the #2024QuiltingQ3CheckIn. Sew & Tell, Midweek Makers, Put your foot down, Needle & Thread Thursday, Off The Wall Friday, Beauties Pageant, TGIFF, Patchwork & Quilts,

Free Motion Mavericks

Welcome to week 501 of Free Motion Mavericks! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.

Kat of Scrapbox Quilts used an all over design to quilt up her Sulky Village quilt, started in 2004! She quilted wavy lines using Superior Bottom Line thread, perfect for such a busy top.

Sulky Village quilt by Kat

Details of the Sulky Village quilt

Vivian, the Bronx Quilter custom quilted her lovely "Apple Crisp" quilt. She wasn't sure how to quilt it but then went literal - using an apple core template as a ruler to quilt the inside of her blocks and borders. She used her clam shell ruler to stitch the sides of her triple four patch blocks.