Quilting with Janet

Quilt Show and Sale over for another year!!

2011-09-28T13:39:00.000-03:00

We held our 13th Annual Quilts at the Harbour Show and Sale this past weekend and made over $700 for the support of the lovely small church in our community. In these days of disappearing rural community infrastructure it is good to see an active vibrant small church surviving. So many other features of the rural community have gone - gas pumps, stores, and one room school houses. But the community of Hall's Harbour continues to support an active fishery, an up-to-date fire protection service, and a Historical Society and C@psite . We rely heavily on volunteers and so many residents work hard to keep the community active and growing.

It was so nice to have an opportunity to visit and network with so many friends, new and old! Often our lives are busy and we don't have the chance to slow down and share, but this event gives us a nice opportunity to do so. It was good too, to see what everyone is doing and to get fresh quilting ideas from each other!
One of my goals was to move out a pile of quilting magazines and quilt-related bits and pieces and it was good to see so much of it got to new homes - more downsizing and de-stashing will be in the works this winter.
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And talking about winter, I think we may have had frost last night - very soon we will be starting the lugging of firewood and the countdown to Christmas!

I'm planning to be ready a little earlier this year - are you? I must get my fresh listings ready for FunkyBabyMine and A Coastal Christmas sites - keep an eye on them as I hope to make some progress there this week.
And if like me, you love the classic old quilt kits, both applique and cross stitch (wholecloth too!) you must check out http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/ - these lovely kits have become harder and harder to source and my inventory is extensive as we go into winter! Enjoy! And remember I also have gift certificates for those hard-to-buy-for ladies on your list.
Until next post, big hugs to everyone and apologies for not posting this summer. I must try to do better this fall.

UPCOMING QUILT SHOW: Quilts at the Harbour 13th Annual Show and Sale

2011-06-05T15:19:00.000-03:00

QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR 13th ANNUAL SHOW AND SALE

September will be here before we know it, and today I was revising my publicity documents for our 13th annual Quilts at the Harbour Show and Sale, and getting ready to print and distribute them. I thought it would be a nice idea to give you all an early heads up about the show, and some details:

QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR

13th ANNUAL SHOW AND SALE

September 24 (Saturday) from 10AM until 4PM

and

September 25 (Sunday) from 12 Noon until 4PM

Hall's Harbour United Baptist Church

885 W Hall's Harbour Road at Sullivan Road

(go through the harbour and climb the hill past the Lobster Pound. Stay on the paved road. The church will be on your right, facing the sideroad in about a kilometre or half a mile)

AMPLE PARKING and WHEELCHAIR FRIENDLY access.

Admission is by freewill offering and free refreshments will be available

There will be many quilts and quilted items for sale, as well as those that are on display only.

For avid quilters, the "Gently Used" table is always a very tempting delight

And of course we will have the traditional B AKESALE to go with the show!

The church itself is a beautiful vintage 1840's structure with a cemetery that fascinates geneologists. Most of the original church furniture is intact and cherished. Ask to see the antique collection box on a pole - any of us will be happy to show it; and Richard, who is a deacon of the church, an historian and last but not least the proprietor of the bake table, can give you many details including lots of leads if you are researching family connections.

Here's a picture of the outside of the church so you know what you are looking for - we will also have a banner and a sign out.

If you wish to enter quilts in the show, come by the church on Friday evening between 5:30 and 7PM and we'll take your entries - specify if the items are for sale or just on display - all quilters are very welcome to show - you don't have to be from Hall's Harbour. Bring two copies of your list and leave one with us so there are no errors at pickup time, which is around 4 on Sunday. Again if that time is not good for you we can work something out in advance.

If the Friday evening drop off time is inconvenient, just email me: janet@novascotiaquilts.com and we can arrange something outside those hours.

IF YOU JUST WANT TO BROWSE SOME LOVELY QUILTS, then we welcome you - you're in for a treat and this year I expect some older, vintage quilts and bedlinens for sale as well. Bus tours are welcome - not long ago we had folks on a bus tour from Newfoundland!

There are always lots of other local activities going on, fine dining is still available and the weather is usually very stable - fall colours will be lovely too!

I am selling my collection of vintage and antique quilts

2011-05-10T13:51:00.000-03:00

Hi everyone! Greetings from cold and soggy Hall's Harbour, Nova Scotia. I'm still plugging away on various quilt commissions plus the small quilt of next to nothing expense. There aren't enough hours in a day!!!

But I have nothing to show you for now from the various projects, but I think I can knock your eye out anyway with what I show you today!

So for this nasty, bleak day I'm going to show you some highlights from my vintage and antique collection of quilts. I have decided to liquidate these lovelies through http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/ and will be gradually listing them over the next few months along with some vintage bedlinens to enhance them.

Above is a sweet indigo flying geese quilt with doublepink setting squares - a very traditional choice of colurs and prints for this period. Gotta love it!

Reflecting my love of applique and of blue is this beautiful quilt, quite probably made from a kit, but I haven't yet found proof for this yet! Will keep looking though.

This is the vintage 1950's 1960's "The Living Rose" kit made up with great skill.

Definitely a quilt made up from a kit - now if I can just find out which one!!

A truly exceptional loneststar with added verve - the quiltmaker chose a glorious pink/rose colour for the setting and carried the same colour through to the back too!! I'm having a hard time parting with this one!

This one is made from a kit and is in impeccably finished cross stitch - full queen/double size and suitable for master bedroom in that it is not too froufrou but is still lovely!

All these quilts have been carefully selected by me to have been completely flaw free - no rips or weak spots, nothing coming unstitched and above all no stains or funky odors. What's not to l0ve about any of them.
Watch as the complete collection unfolds on http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/ and I hope I've made a cloudy unpleasant day a little brighter for you!

Until next time.....hugs! Janet

VERY FRUGAL QUILTMAKING

2011-05-02T13:51:00.000-03:00

I am frequently asked if I find the current pricing on fabrics makes it hard to make up-to-the-minute and inspired quilts.

My response is that if you know where to look you needn’t spend a whole lot on fabric, and free patterns are at your fingertips everywhere on the internet. If you have steeped yourself in traditional design and gathered in your files pictures of many blocks and inspired designs from the past it should be easy to draft a pattern for yourself and to draft one that is at your current skill level.

A case in point: I am an inveterate hoarder of scraps – I make a lot of quilts and buy my backing fabric by the bolt, so when I trim my quilts as I am completing them, I end up with several inches off each side of the quilt, and squirrel that plain ecru muslin away in a bag. Recently this cache has been growing and I’ve been wondering what to do with it .................

Enter a giveaway that the Alma and Barb at Blackbird Design hosted to publicise their beautiful new Moda fabric line – Antique Fair – (what’s not to love with this fabric) and when I won, it was for 4 lovely little 2.5 square sample packs – in total 168 luscious little squares of pretty and colourful fabric.

I did the math and figured I could make 84 four patches – and I could arrange them maybe 9 by 9 and with some sashing, maybe a border, end up with a sweet baby quilt of about 44 by 44 – no cost to me – right?

And the most recent line of Blackbird Design too! Win/Win!

You'll note that I'm piecing by hand - my supplies are limited to thread, a needle, a few glass headed pins and a two inch square of template plastic which I keep from project to project in a plastic sleeve for my templates.

I can piece a four patch in just ten minutes and tuck it away and get on with my other paying projects - this method works for me - the piecing is accurate and acceptable the first time round and can be picked up and put away without the time and effort waster of setting up and then putting away my machine.

Being still on dial up (groan!!) I can stitch a seam in the time it takes to load an image-heavy page, so I'm not sitting here twiddling my thumbs!

A big thank you to the gals at Blackbird Designs for that generous giveaway!
http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/
Folks should bookmark this URL and check back often - Alma and and Barb have frequent giveaways and the prizes are always really great!!!

As I make progress I'll post more pictures of this project - I hope to have it ready to present at Quilts at the Harbour Show and Sale, and as well at my studio's series of Pre-Christmas open houses - "A Coastal Christmas" http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/

Bye for now - Janet

DO YOU OWN A KINDLE? Did you know you can lend and borrow e-books? Did you know that there is a great organization that aims to place a Kindle in the hands of each school student in developing nations - here's how you can help....

2011-04-20T16:47:00.000-03:00

Today I read about a really inspiring international group of people working in cooperation with educators in developing countries and with business partners in the book publishing industry to bring about changes in the ineffective and random way in which books have, up until now, been made available to students and their families in developing nations.

Check it out at:

http://www.worldreader.org/how-we-operate.php

I'd like you to read about worldreader.org and get an idea of what their mission is and how they are accomplishing it.

This not-for-profit Non Governmental Organization has only been off the ground since November 2010 and yet they have had some remarkable successes in their pilot project and are about to launch a second project as well. Read through their website and see if their goals and methods are a fit for the way you look at problems and solve them, and then donate - it doesn't matter how little as long as we each give a bit.

Above: the international team working in Ghana.

Courtesy of worldreader.org

Below, children in one of the first classrooms to start using Kindles in Ghana, are amazed at their new view of the world and with the fact they can take them home and share with their families.

                                                                      Courtesy of worldreader.org

Next, go to the Booklending.com website's blog http://blog.booklending.com/2011/04/helping-worldreader-change-kids-lives-with-books/ and read about the fundraising partnership Catherine has set up to tap her large membership and encourage them to take a one month challenge to donate $5000 worth of Amazon gift cards to worldreader.org - you will note that Amazon has partnered to sell discounted first quality Kindles to worldreader for distribution, so your gift dollars go much farther.
Follow the instructions on Catherine's blog entry to make a donation - I just did, and I feel a whole lot prouder of myself!!!

Back to quilting in my next post!!
Bye for now - Janet
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Looking through my stash of books on quilting, taking stock of where I'm at....

2011-04-20T14:42:00.001-03:00

(Lately, I've been feeling a little restless and unfocussed after a prolonged period of working on the same three projects. So as soon as I finished the first phase of one project, I gave myself a week's vacation. I feel the better for it!)

This is the time of year that I feel the need to go through my stash, my started but laid aside projects, books and patterns, and to weed out items I know I am not likely going to use - I set them aside for the Quilters' Gently Used table at the Quilts at the Harbour Show, which is held on the last weekend in September every year - this year is no exception, so put a ring around Saturday September 24, and Sunday September 25, 2011 and be sure to pop by - we'll be looking for you! We always have great items for quilters to add to your stash!

The above two pictures are of several projects I completed over the last year or two - they vary from a small quilt, mattress and pillow with pillowcase designed to fit the little doll's cradle also in the picture, and directly above an amish-style queen sized strippy Flying Geese quilt which was entirely handpieced and handquilted. I'm lately exploring another way to produce flying geese more quickly but just as accurately as these were done.

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At the moment, I'm completely out of fresh books and magazines to read and since I need to read an hour or two before turning out the light, I've begun going through my library of quilt books and periodicals. I find this a really stimulating past time. Last night I was going through a Kaffe Fassett book (ISBN 1 - 56 - 158 - 650 - )

and also "Homage to Amanda" (ISBN 1 - 55853 - 268 - 4)

These two books sound as though they might be at opposites in the interest spectrum, but early on in the book, Kaffe states his and his co-author Liza Prior Lucy's strong base in traditional vintage quilts. Stunning quilts and lots of great ideas and inspiration in both those books!

And of course I must remind you all of Fons and Porter's Complete Guide to Quilting - I cut my quilting teeth on this text and keep a copy handy as it has so many handy little boxces of highlighted tips - right now I need to look up the diagonal measurements of squares in order to estimate an on-point quilt's size.

Today, in between tidying up a few almost complete small projects on my work table, I have been going through one plastic tote of stash and finding a place to put some very tempting new pieces of fabric. This has led me to all sorts of new ideas and to poking through my computer files of inspiration pictures.

I have remembered a wonderful almost toile like fabric I liberated from a high end printed cotton skirt I bought at Frenchy's: it is a series of six old engravings rendered on raspberry, rose, and two shades of a dark taupe - the subject is a turn of the 20th century America's Cup race and I see a quilt in the economy quilt pattern as suggested above - I think later I'll get that fabric out and at least cut the interior blocks to be framed by some yet to be found additions from the stash - a nice tie in to my http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/ projects - follow along as I get this new project started.

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And below some teasers from my two current major projects:

Launching a kayak from the wedding quilt I described some posts back - you'll be seeing more of this later..........

and

Above are the last blocks to be restored on the lovely heritage silk crazy quilt; the final step is now the fancy embroidery stitches that need to be replaced in spots. You gotta love that printed-on flapper!!! Thank heavens that particular block survive the decades since the quilt was made in 1928!
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Talk to you later - hugs! Janet

Launching "A coastal Christmas"

2011-04-16T19:09:00.000-03:00

Over the years I have collected many vintage treasures, mainly in the area of vintage china and pottery, fine vintage bed linens and a few carefully selected vintage and antique quilts.

This is in addition to my primary business of one of a kind quiltmaking to special order and my sister business of buying and selling vintage cross stitch and applique quilt kits (http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/) .

12 piece Japanese lustreware breakfast set

The time has come where I need to start dispersing my carefully selected treasures and I am opening a site called "A Coastal Christmas" (http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/) which will be both an online and a bricks and mortar resource, operating year round for fine

vintage treasures out of my home here in Hall's Harbour, Nova Scotia.

Sweet pair of hand embroidered and picot edge pillowslips

Some of the items offered will overlap with my other site - http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/, which sells a variety of vintage treasures, but most will be new and fresh to the market.

Double/queen hand embroidered and quilted - from a vintage kit

What I am offering is the opportunity to choose a lovely treasure that already has been pre-selectd out of the less desirable items which usually make up the majority of vintage and antique items in shops and online.

If it had major defects I walked on by - I am choosy in what I buy and you will find no items with major defects here. If I would'nt display it myself - I won't sell it to you.

Late 1890's indigo and double pink flying geese quilt - immaculate!

This is particularly true of the vintage and antique quilts and the vintage bed linens I offer - you deserve to be able to display a clean undamaged quilt and linens on your bed, and you won't find anything else here.

So please go on over to http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/ and view the items I have shown you above - along with details and pricing. Remember, I am set up to take Paypal and am happy to discuss two or three equal monthly payments to secure your choices. Otherwise your personal cheque is acceptable in USD, other currencies please check with me first.

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Meanwhile, next week regular chatty blogging will resume. I've been very busy with commissions over the last couple of months, but that is easing slightly.

Until next week - cheers! Janet

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What I've Been Doing Lately - it certainly hasn't been blogging!

2011-03-02T12:31:00.000-04:00

In terms of my current workload, there simply aren't enough hours in a day. I have a full plate - designing and working on a queen/king size wedding quilt; doing an appliqued art quilt which is one in a long series of art quilts for a very good return customer; working on a wholecloth queen sized quilt for another return customer; and restoring a beautiful circa 1928 silk crazy quilt. In addition I write and research a blog entry a week for a client and manage SEO for him; as well as researching and continually checking the secondary market in vintage quilt kits, both applique and cross stitch for my business at http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/

No real excuses for losing my blogging mojo though, except for the fact that winter should be over and isn't! I admit to a certain amount of cabin fever and impatience and some of my local friends in my sidebar are saying the same thing.

On to a happier subject: Here is the centre block in a medallion of 9 blocks celebrating aspects of a recently married couple's life together. This particular block celebrates their wedding day, and when finished will be embroidered with their names and their wedding date. So it doesn't quite look finished, but I'm currently ready to move on and come back later to put the finishing touches on. The background is one of the Hoffman 1895 range of batiks as will be many other of the fabrics in the quilt. The 1895 range of colours is very pleasing, and the fabric is silky, soft and very closely woven so it is very stable and takes both embroidery and applique well. The appliques have been done using vintage floral prints and some more recent repro fabrics from the 1800's, and have been enhanced by embroidered details. I hope you like it!

Maybe in the next few days I will have something to show you on the crazy quilt restoration, especially if we get a little natural daylight around her! The flash does unpredictable things to silk due to the silks' irridescence and lustre - the photographed colours are not true and tend to be far more harsh than they are in the flesh - oh well!
I must get going before the day is fully out of control - I need to bring some more wood into the house and make some supper casserole preparations as well as do a little more stitching.
Stay warm and look out on the ice - driveways are treacherous around here!
Hugs
Janet

CHECK OUT MY GUEST POST at http://www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com

2011-02-11T13:11:00.000-04:00

I've just had my first ever guest post published on Jenna's blog: http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/

Needless to say, I'm just thrilled that Jenna is hosting my post on her blog! Back in the fall, I quickly joined her wool CSA when she announced it and was lucky to get in as there is now a waiting list. I can hardly wait to receive the major shipment of this year's share which is expected to be sometime in late summer after her sheep are shorn and the wool processed and spun at a nearby mill.

Since I received two skeins and the hat I made for Jenna took less than one skein, I am going to knit another, smaller one for a baby or child this weekend and will show you the results as soon as it is finished and put up for sale on my shop: http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ which in addition to vintage treasures features items for babies and children.

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In other news, the giveaway held by http://www.fiberfarm.com/blog in aid of Pete's Greens is over, having raised over $11,000 to help cover the uninsured loss by fire of the huge barn which supported the Pete's CSA, and I was among the lucky winners - I have won the entire selection of patterns published by "Champagne Maker" at: http://stitchpoet.blogspot.com/ I gave a child's size wholecloth quilt kit to the cause, and Julie, the winner will be receiving it in the mail very soon.

(I must apologize to all my various giveaway winners as this winter has seen a huge amount of snow and it has been very difficult for me to get out as I am somewhat disabled. I still have one set of prizes to go out on Monday - everything else is on its way!!!)

Hmmmmmm..... maybe something like this to make from Jenna's next shipment of wool? This lovely selection of pretty patterns is going to really expand my horizons - I need to brush up on cables!!! Or maybe a lovely cowl - I'll also be getting that pattern - actually there will be over 30 arriving on my doorstep very soon!!! Yeay!!
Have to go take lunch out of the oven - catch you later.
Keep warm and safe this weekend.
Janet

A REALLY DESERVING GIVEAWAY

2011-02-01T14:05:00.000-04:00

I received an email yesterday alerting me to a giveaway benefitting a young farmer in Vermont who lost his whole CSA storage and processing barn to fire two weeks ago - a loss of half a million dollars which is only partially covered by insurance, will make it difficult for him to get up and running again as he lost all his stock, freezers full of meats and his packing machinery and stores. His CSA offers meat, fresh vegetables and fruit and locally grown and processed grain. People in the localvore and green movement are rallying to his support and to the support of the organic CSA movement.
Check out what happened at Pete's Greens website: http://www.petesgreens.com/index.html Then go to the site that is hosting the most amazing giveaway to benefit Pete's operation and help get him up and running again: http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/01/a-friend-in-need

Even if you are unable to donate, you can still enter the giveaway, but you will have only until Feb 6 to do so - so hurry!
In the winter, I am always short of disposable income due to extra electric and snow clearing costs, but I always have lots of good things in my stash so I have offered the choice of one of two prizes:
1) A Benartex wholecloth quilt kit - all you add is the quilting thread and the quilt batting and I am also offering email support and advice to the first time hand quilter too!

OR 2)you may choose a $50 gift certificate to spend on my vintage treasures online boutique: http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ which features children's items, vintage handmade and embroidered houselinens, small vintage decorative items, etc.
Pop on over and check it out - just click on the button in my sidebar on the right.

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Remember, too, that the Moda Pillow Talk Blog Giveaway starts today - go to http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/2011/01/pillow-talk.html to get started! There are some great blogs to visit and some great prizes.

See you soon - meantime, if you are on the eastern seaboard, both Canada and the US, batten down for a good one - I see a roaring woodstove and home made bread in my immediate future!!
Take care - and warm hugs from Janet!

ENDURING WINTER - WAITING FOR SPRING

2011-01-25T15:12:00.001-04:00

Last Friday we had a little of everything - we woke up to snow which later in the morning became heavy, but by later in the afternoon we had passed through sleet and settled on drizzling rain and a wind from the southeast.
By bedtime, the wind had backed around to the northwest and was howling in off the Bay of Fundy. Saturday morning dawned very cold but with the wind gradually lessening. The high winds had coincided with high tide and the phase of the moon which means a higher tide than usual, and the damage to facilities at the harbour here was extensive.
Compare this photo with the one I posted in my last post - the view that sunny summer day was taken from the same level as the structures in the photo above are built on - the ripped off shingles were caused by large items such as a small shed and the small craft mooring pontoons which were in their winter storage positions nearby being thrown against them. The buildings are seasonally used storage for the Lobster Pound Restaurant and a building used as a Gallery for artists. It would appear the Lobster Pound itself and the Restaurant and washroom buildings must have had water in them too, and their raised septic bed had damage.
There was as well some erosion damage to seaside embankments on which homes are located. This points up very clearly the peril coastal communities the world round will face in the future due to rising sea levels coupled with increasing intensity of weather systems affecting us.

The weekend was intensely cold, at a consistent minus 18 celsius but the biggest factor in enduring that cold in an old uninsulated house like mine is the wind factor and that was variable settling down a little Saturday only to start to rise again Sunday evening and peak last night before settling again.
I did my usual thing - wandered around with a supply of left over quilt batting strips and a butter knife, tucking batting into all the drafty cracks I found, and keeping doors to the outside and to unheated parts of my house covered with heavy drapes. Both days I was a sight to behold with a knitted cap tied under my chin and two layers of clothing topped by a nordic fleece dressing gown - yikes - thank goodness no one was out and about visiting and thank goodness I didn't have a chimney fire - what a sight to behold! But today, it is rising to a balmy minus 11 and some gentle snow is sifting down out there and snow heralds warmer weather!

Have spent my time searching the internet and writing ideas down for improving my old 1820's house for next year. The old house has at best a layer of birchbark under a layer of shingles and many of the windows really need replacing, but so does my bathroom floor and that must come first.
I'm looking at another woodburning stove and have found something I just love - it is a compact oven cooktop and is small, sleek and nicely designed and engineered - it would be compatible with my old kitchen and could be installed in front of the bricked up fireplace and bake oven combo. It is manufactured in Vermont so I have sent an email to see if it is possible to buy in Nova Scotia.

I also have been checking out a new site that my daughter has launched as a Kindle book lending exchange now that Amazon has allowed lending to take place. Check it out at http://www.kindlelendingclub.com/ - if you already have a Kindle or are considering buying one, borrowing books makes a lot of sense - even if you can't finish it in the allotted two week span, then you will know if it is a book you'd like to buy and can go ahead and purchase it from Amazon instead. I've put the link on my Blogs and Website sidebar, so go check it out.

It's now finally warm enough in the house to be able to attack the hand applique I'm doing, so I must go now and first bring in more wood; and second spend a few hours at quiltmaking.
Cheers everyone - winter will be over soon!
Keep warm! Janet

A GREAT GIVEAWAY OVER AT BELLA'S

2011-01-21T11:39:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy few weeks since New Years. As always in winter there is a lot to do in an old house to keep the cold and frozen pipes at bay. It has been a scurry of lugging wood in, ashes out; and waking a few times each night to keep the woodstove filled up and pumping heat. We've had lots of snow, but we're now a month past winter solstice and the days are gradually lengthening - can spring be far behind?

I've been busily designing blocks for an appliqued wedding quilt celebrating a life together for a young Nova Scotian couple who were married last August. As it develops and after they are the first to see the photos, I will be sharing them on this blog.

Last evening I was browsing around some new blogs about home decor - wanting to send URL's to an American friend who is renovating a 1930's Arts and Crafts style home, and I came across Bella's blog. Bella is hosting a giveaway which will be drawn next Wednesday. She is giving away a copy of the January 2011 issue of Jeanne d'Arc magazine. A cover shot and a typical inside spread are shown below. Go to http://bellashabby.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeanne-d-arc-living-magazine-give-away.html to sign up by commenting - you can earn an extra ballot by becoming a follower of Bella's blog and another still if you blog about it on your own blog, as I am doing here.

This magazine is a high quality publication more like a book than a magazine and it retails for over $17 - I know, because I came close to buying it online the other night and became distracted by a momentary power failure that caused me to have to re-boot. Anyway - now I'm going to wait and see if I'm the lucky one who wins it instead!!!!

I'll be back after the weekend to talk a bit about quilting. One bit of news I have is that I have just made a rather large sale of vintage quilt kits so am working on re-stocking inventory. I already have a back order for one kit in particular, so the economy seems to be looking up.

Have a great weekend, I'm going to spend mine thinking about planting a few things in the spring!
Warm hugs!! Janet

ON THE VERGE OF ANOTHER YEAR

2010-12-30T17:45:00.002-04:00

Wintry Greetings from my tiny community of Hall's Harbour, which is located about 12 miles due north of Kentville, Nova Scotia on the Fundy Coast. If you follow highway 359 out from Kentville as far north as it goes, this is the scene on entering the Harbour. This photo was taken last summer when the wharf under the bright red Fish House Museum was being restored and raised due to rising ocean waters and the damage that had been done in previous storms. We are fortunate that this construction took place when it did or the last two severe storms and tidal surges could have done a lot of damage.
You can see from the height of the wharf, that high tide is about thirty five feet above the Harbour's floor, which is exposed at low tide, and has only a tiny stream running through to the ocean.

In the winter, the store is closed for the season, as the proprietor is a "snowbird" and spends her winters in Florida. Life here in the winter is very quiet, the community hall and the historical society building are both closed to conserve costly fuel and lower operating expenses, and the community's C@psite and official clerical seat for the many community organizations moves over to the firehall, which must be heated at all times to assure the continuity of fire and first responder service. The small rural church down the road from me continues its regular schedule of services on Sunday mornings and the occasional hymn sing as well, but mothballs it's second, smaller church on the east road and uses only the lovely 1840's structure over here on the west road. Several of the "year round" residents have taken to wintering in town or in Florida, and the seasonal residents aren't seen until spring either.

Over time, many of the younger residents have left for the city, other parts of Canada, and in the case of my daughter and her family, to Europe. Many of the houses now contain one or two aging people at the most but it is heartening to see several younger families raising their kids here, and a few young single people still around too. We all keep an eye out for each other and get through the winter and welcome spring with a sense of relief.

Before I go back to taking inventory of the vintage quilt kits I offer for sale on http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/

I want to share this sweet vintage New Year's card with you, and also

I want to remind you that my friend Mich at Redkettle.com is hosting a GIVEAWAY on his blog. Got to http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/ and leave a comment in order to be entered for a chance to win. The giveaway will be drawn at midnight December 31 - that's tomorrow!!!

Until tomorrow - enjoy your evening, stay safe and stay warm.

Hugs from Janet!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNER IS.................

2010-12-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

I hope you have the blessings of family and friends together today and that all you wish for in the New Year will be yours.

Late last night I drew the winner of my Christmas GIVEAWAY and an amazing coincidence took place! My winner is Micki of Irish Muses (http://thedote.blogspot.com/) and guess what? Micki won another giveaway which she is going to re-gift to a friend and won it the exact same way she won mine: she was the last to comment and enter on each one.

Now I use Random.org to determine my winners, so there is no playing fast and loose here - a genuine coincidence - last and first seem rarely to be chosen and to have it happen twice in one day? Amazing!!!

Micki - I will be sending an email and leaving a comment on your blog, so contact me and tell me what you wish your gift to be - a lap sized wholecloth quilt kit, a set of repro civil war fabric fat quarters, a penny rug kit, a counted cross stitch kit or a lovely hand embroidered and crocheted table runner from my sister site http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/.
I'll get it out to you right after Christmas Holidays.

Today has dawned bright and relatively mild with no snow other than a light skiff on the ground. We may get the tail end of the storm that is hitting Washington at the moment, but that will probably be late tomorrow or on Monday morning.

My only daughter and her family live in Europe so it is a long distance celebration, and hence very low key here. Yesterday I visited with dear friends who had all three of their adult sons home at once and had an early Christmas dinner with them as June must work this afternoon. A lovely festive meal and delicious as always.

I plan to cook my turkey breast with all the trimmings for New Years and will munch snackies today - hopefully avoiding many of the temptations in the house at the moment, and eating cheese and fruit.

I am counting my blessings and enjoying a new-to-me Dodge Caravan that has no rust, and runs very nicely indeed, and preparing to make inroads into the quilt commissions I have on hand.

Blessings to you all! Stay safe, stay warm and enjoy family and friends together during this holiday season!

Love and hugs
Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 1 day left and my giveaway draw is tonight!

2010-12-24T11:38:00.000-04:00

A contemplative Santa from the earlier days of urban life, when high rises were only slightly taller than church steeples and chimneys were still made of brick and mortar! Perhaps fewer world issues for Santa to contemplate, perhaps not; as we need to remember there had just been a major world war and a tragic 'flu epidemic. Yet to come was World War II, and the concepts of mass extinction of peoples and nuclear warfare. I hope we all nurture in our hearts the idea of universal brotherhood and the basic human rights of free speech, education, health services and a constant food supply in the coming years. I want to wish everyone, no matter what they celebrate, their heart's wishes in this coming New Year.

Peace and brotherhood to all!

On a lighter note, you only have the rest of today to enter for my great GIVEAWAY draw - it will be drawn for at midnight tonight and announced tomorrow morning, so get on over to:

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

And good luck!!

Be safe, warm, content and surrounded by friends and family during this holiday season.

Love

Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 2 days left

2010-12-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

WHEW!!!!! All done - nothing more to do and nowhere to go - I'm drinking this morning's coffee that I missed this morning as a warm over and just started the woodstove. Misadventures with the new car ate up yesterday and this morning as I visited the garage and had a new battery installed. Picked up my mail, went to the bank, the grocery store and picked up a couple of presents that had not been gotten because of the changeover from old to new car. It's turning cold and I really need the fire today, and will just spend the day picking up loose ends, eating chocolates and lazing about the house (that will be after I carry in some wood) scanning blogs, and wishing season's greetings to all my friends.

A darling Christmas Greeting postcard this morning shows a little boy and girl at their Christmas tree. They are dressed in the typical children's wear of the 20's and 30's and the scene is in an Art deco mood. Another found treasure!

My Christmas GIVEAWAY ends tomorrow night at midnight when I draw a name with the help of Random.org so get over to:

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

and good luck

My friend Mich's giveaway runs until midnight on New Year's Eve so go to:

http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/

and leave a comment in order to have a chance to win his lovely prize.

Stay warm, stay safe and enjoy the fellowship of friends and family!

Warm best wishes

Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 3 days left

2010-12-22T14:53:00.001-04:00

I wish I could tell you which old European Master painted this lovely and devout Nativity scene. There was no credit line for it, so if anyone knows I'd love to know too. What is so lovely is that there are no rich robes and jewellry here and no kings or wisemen, just awestuck faces of country peasants, the rapt parents Joseph and Mary, and a few cherubim.

It's going to be a green and damp and chilly Christmas in Nova Scotia this year I think, but on the up side after days of gale force winds coming from the direction which causes my stove to backdraft I've finally lit the fire and met with success rather than having to air out a cold house full of smoke!

Yeay!!!!

Now to remind you to get over there and enter my special Christmas giveaway to be drawn at midnight on Christmas Eve. Go to:

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

Your chances are still quite good to win a prize of your choice from one of five possibilities, and entry is open to anywhere in the world. Enter today - just become a follower and leave a comment.

My friend Mich's giveaway is on until Midnight on New Year's Eve and is a wonderfully illustrated book featuring the Huron Carol as depicted by a First Nations artist, a metis poet and sung on an accompanying cd by Inuit artist Susan Aglukark. A unique gift for you, especially if you are not yet familiar with Canadian First Nations Art. Read the article on Mich's blog - informative and inspiring!!! Head over to:

http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/

Until tomorrow ~ my wish for you this evening:

That you are warm, safe and well fed and that you take a pause to remember all your blessings, and to make sure that someone less fortunate has a few blessings to count too.

Warm hugs,

Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 4 days left

2010-12-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

Today is the winter solstice ~ a time when, before Christianity, the celts and druids celebrated light and fire and made merry to prevent the death of the sun, and to ensure that spring would return. It was natural as Christianity took hold in Europe and the British Isles, for the birth of Christ to be celebrated at a time when feasting and religious observance had always occurred.

Here today it is very windy, and it's rainy and my fire won't draw - all unpleasant, but not the end of the world; and I'm waiting for the water to boil for my cafetiere of morning coffee - always yummy! Things will look much better after I've had morning coffee.

We have been watching the days growing shorter and shorter for the last few months, but after today we can watch them gradually getting longer and brighter again, and begin to watch for other signs too. Although January and February often carry with them brutal cold and storms, by the time February is over, spring is truly on the way.

I have reached the point in my daily blog reading where it seems just about everyone has a giveaway going on, but before you go looking at my suggestions, make sure you stop by and enter mine at:

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-15T16%3A59%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=7

All you have to do is leave a comment and make sure you become a follower and if your name is drawn you will win your choice of one of 5 prizes - all nice worthwhile items

AS well drop, over to my friend Mich's site and read about our unique Canadian Christmas Carol dating to 1643 and written in the Huron/Wendat language by a Jesuit priest who was later martyred in tribal warfare while serving his Huron congregation. You can sign up there for a chance to win a beautifully illustrated book and cd featuring the Carol. Go to:

http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/

I will update here by adding giveaways from the blogs I am going to check out this morning ~ check back later!!!

Blessings of the season!

Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 5 days left

2010-12-20T12:26:00.000-04:00

Greetings from chilly Nova Scotia

Here's a Greeting Card of Father Christmas on his rounds a few days early!

There is a feeling of anticipation in the air today and it has more to do with expecting snowfall than with Christmas. The wind has moved around to the Southeast, which always heralds wet weather here, and it is raw and damp. I went outside a few moments ago and you can almost feel the moisture in the air. I expect we will see a fine driving snow within the hour, so I'm putting off my plans to head to the Post Office for today and will hunker down near the stove and work instead.

I am working on the restoration of a fine silk crazy quilt dated 1928 and enjoying the challenge. Rather than removing the old pieces where the silk has shattered, I am appliquing over them with new silk pieces and then replicating the embroidery stitches, so that nothing is lost and it is all there if the owner wishes to return it to its original condition. Fortunately, the backing and binding are relatively whole so I have a good framework to work within. This is a family heirloom and rather than covering the shattered silk with organza as would be done in a museum collection, so that the original work can still be seen although protected, the owner and I opted for covering the old with new work to enhance display of the textile at family gatherings.

I want to thank all the people who have responded to my giveaway and become followers. After Christmas I want to consult with you all to see what direction my posts will take in the New Year. Meanwhile, if you haven't yet entered my Christmas GIVEAWAY, go to

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-15T16%3A59%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=7

I have made sure that I have enough choices in the prize so that everyone's tastes are met - and what nicer surprise on Christmas morning when you check my blog to find that after all your family's presents are opened, you will still have a nice one on it's way to you?

I've found another site that is having a marvelous quilty giveaway:

Aren't those Lecien fabrics fabulous? Two full sets of 20 fat quarters are up for grabs - make sure you go to:

http://retromummy.blogspot.com/2010/12/flower-sugar-giveaway.html

I hope I win!!!

And finally, my friend Mich in Victoria, British Columbia is celebrating his first giveaway ~ Mich deals in First Nations Canadian art and has some of the nicest pieces I've seen. As a special Christmas post he has outlined with great research and images the story of Canada's own distinctive Christmas song ~ the Huron Carol or Jesous Ahatonhia - go have a look - and while you're there, enter the draw which is for a book and cd of the carol, sung by Susan Aglukark in Inuktitut, the language of Canada'a Inuit people.

Go to: http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/

That's it for today - Christmas Blessings and stay safe and warm!

Love and hugs! Janet

AS PROMISED EARLIER TODAY

2010-12-19T17:36:00.002-04:00

Hi folks - the post I promised earlier is up now and is a fabulous read as well as having a very nice GIVEAWAY attached:
http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/
Mich is an art dealer who specialises in Canadian First Nations art. He has many lovely pieces of art and is continually searching for new and exciting acquisitions for his clients. He is quickly developing a following with his weekly blog posts and has decided to share the Christmas spirit with you via this GIVEAWAY. It is open now and will run until midnight December 31, 2010. Good luck - I hope you win, and please check back with me again tomorrow as I continue with my Countdown to Christmas.
Bye for now.
Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 6 days left

2010-12-19T10:42:00.000-04:00

A quiet pause for the last Sunday in advent, before everyone launches into all the last minute things that need doing!

My greeting card this morning encourages quiet reflection - a beautiful sunny day in a wintry landscape that is much like what I see through my window as in one direction I look across the road to a small piece of woods with a brook running through it, and in the back I look across a large snow-covered field to a line of trees that encircles my house in the three other directions. It is quiet and very calm today - shortly there will be a tiny rush of traffic as the small rural church finishes its service and then it will be quiet again.

I've found you folks another nice GIVEAWAY that will not be announced until later this evening at which time I'll post the link for you to go enter and to also enjoy the interesting post that will go with it. So check back later.

And meanwhile make sure you enter my christmas GIVEAWAY at:

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

make sure you check back here and pick up the link to enter that other great giveaway later tonight.

Meanwhile enjoy this lovely day!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 7 days left

2010-12-18T09:00:00.001-04:00

More Christmas Greetings going out to you today. Do you realize this is the last Saturday before Christmas? I was going to make a quick run into town today, but I think I can wait for that pleasure - lol - possibly tomorrow around noon will be less crowded and I can get things done more quickly.
It's another lovely but cool day; the sun is shining and there is no wind. I'm waiting for my coffee water to boil while typing this. There's nothing like the simple pleasure of slightly sweetened black freshly ground pressed coffee made with well water.

Today's seasonal postcard reflects simple values of early American self reliance, family and old-fashioned virtues. Interestingly enough this card is from the Post World War One era when the economy was flagging, and for the first time there were more people in cities than there were on the family farms. Poverty and disenfranchisement were endemic both in the country and the city as people became dependent on a wage rather than the land to sustain them. Life was more likely being led in a cold water flat or a decaying and rudimentary rural dwelling than the idealized light filled cottage depicted here.

I think the values reflected in this card have come to the forefront of people's minds again these days and we are reading of people on small holdings and in the cities trying hard to cut down on consumerism and lead a simpler life with simpler pleasures. I'll certainly support that and wish I were young enough to supply more of my own needs. But I have joined a wool CSA and try to buy my food organic and local as much as possible.

Most of my readers are people with similar values who enjoy needlecrafts, flea market decorating and so on, so my Christmas GIVEAWAY will be attractive to them - as the prize you will have your choice from among 5 options ` 4 of which are needlecrafts related and the fifth a lovely hand embroidered table runner from my sister site http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/
To enter, just go to http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html, become a follower and you're in! There are ways to improve your chances of winning, so be sure you check those out too!

I'll be talking to you again tomorrow when I bring you another of my vintage greeting postcards. Until then ~ hugs from Janet!!!
And let's hope the weather holds.

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 8 days left

2010-12-17T14:02:00.000-04:00

Greetings from a cold and snowy rural Nova Scotia. Don't you just love the sweet little boy and girl with their decorated Christmas tree and their darling pup romping in the snow. The little boy is a bit like an elf or a Kris Kringle with his red stocking cap, belt and leggings and his black boots. The little girl whose hand he is holding is dressed in warm rose jacket with furry collar and a paler rose long full skirt. They epitomize the sweet romantic childhood images drawn by Lucy Mabel Atwell.

Today is peaceful and quiet and I'm getting back into my gentle pre-Christmas routines with power finally restored, which on a well means hot and cold running water is back - yeah! Laundry and dishes and a general scrub up has been done.

Yesterday I got all my junk out of the old car, made my final run down to the garage without incident and picked up my nice new-to-me Dodge 2002 Caravan! It handles beautifully and I enjoy again being up nice and high and surveying traffic. I drove only trucks and vans until a few years back when I started buying small cars because they were easier to find, and I'm looking forward to having a bit of load capacity again so that if I want a bale of peat moss or a couple of sacks of kindling I don't have to worry about getting it home. It's all good!

Have you entered my Christmas GIVEAWAY yet?

If not, go to http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

and enter right now - the choice of prizes is too good to miss. I've also been checking to find other giveaways for you to enter and will list any new ones I find today in my Saturday post.

Time to go carry in more wood and then get supper going ~ hard to decide between a homemade soup and a lazy gal's grilled smoked meat and cheese sandwich ~ decisions, decisions!!!!

Warm hugs! We'll talk again tomorrow

Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 9 days left

2010-12-16T11:18:00.000-04:00

Doesn't this fashionable looking shopper look like she has everything under control?

And all the elements of a 1920's celebration are there - snow, nostalgia, a cosy cottage up on the hillside and a lovely young woman.

In my area we are coming out of a two day power outage which put a lot of plans for shopping and other Christmas preparations on hold. I have a list as long as my arm of things I need to pick up and errands I need to run in the next few days!

I have now reached my 40th follower and am pleased to see the number of entrants in my Christmas GIVEAWAY rising day by day. You still have plenty of time to enter and to get your friends to enter too, so go to

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html and enter today. Yesterday I ran across another charming giveaway at http://rookeryramblings.blogspot.com/2010/12/december-giveaway.html this is the blogsite for the Tasha Tudor and Family Inc firm and they are offering six lovely pink lustre teacups so although there are a lot of entries, your chances are good to win one of them. What a lovely way to enjoy your daily cup of tea - check out the picture! Then go and enter, leaving your comjment including which you'd choose and your email address. You can also enter directly by sending an email message. Good Luck!

There are lots of lovely things and ideas to look over and a lovely nostalgic feeling to the posts on the blog. Lots of pictures of sweet babies and adorable animals so what's not to love?

This giveaway is open to all residents of the United States and Canada so get over there and enter!

Will be back tomorrow with Countdown to Christmas! See you then.

Love and warm hugs from Janet!!!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 10 days left

2010-12-15T17:12:00.000-04:00

Birds and holly leaves against a wintry background have always been a popular image for Christmas Greetings. Bluebirds especially have been popular and show up on imagery in music, embroidery, paintings and cards in both North America and the United Kingdom. These ones are especially attractive.

Now that the power is back on, my house is warming up and a cooked meal is going to be ready soon. We all were very lucky in this region there were no major fires, damage, flooding or extreme cold and that power was restored fairly quickly.

If you haven't yet entered my Christmas GIVEAWAY go to http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

and do so - all you have to do is become a follower and leave a comment. If you win, you have a choice of 5 gifts from which to choose. Lots of luck - I'm looking forward to hearing from you!!

Big hugs and hoping you're almost ready for Christmas and that you are home warm and safe!!

Janet

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 11 days left

2010-12-15T16:59:00.000-04:00

This was to have been Tuesday December 14th's post. However, Monday night we had a wild wind and rainstorm go through our part of Nova Scotia and at 8PM the power was gone, along with several roofs and many trees. No loss of life and no injuries, but a very wild night. Tuesday was a washout, still without power, but it finally returned after a few fits and starts about an hour ago.

So on to the post I had planned for today!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 12 days left

2010-12-13T11:22:00.000-04:00

Visiting and bringing gifts is a tradition at Christmas.

This Olde English couple are visiting a quaint little cottage so loved in 1920's illustrations. Clearly a Dickens influence going on here with the Victorian costumes and idealized countryside. Traditional colours enhance the scene, as does the dusting of snow.

I've been visiting a lot of blogs lately and I am amazed at the number of really generous giveaways being posted.

My GIVEAWAY is meeting with great success, check it out at

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html and make sure you enter today!

And thank you all the people who have posted about it and linked to my post and also become followers - thank you, thank you.

Warm hugs from Janet!!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 13 days left

2010-12-12T09:36:00.002-04:00

Today it is a lovely morning: bright sunshine, not a cloud in the sky and very still. It's not too cold with no wind blowing, and I will take advantage of that later (after my morning shot of fresh ground, dark roasted fair trade coffee and a few rounds knit on a little sweater I'm working on) to bring in plenty of wood for the next couple of days in case we get the tail end of that blizzard which is hitting the midwest. I hope you are all safe and warm if you live in that area or in southern Ontario, which is also expecting to be hit with it.

Take a look at my sweet vintage postcard for today - elements that were popular at the time were those that gave a glimpse into the past and a simpler time. This is no surprise as we do so today in our choices of items for celebrating Christmas.

Here we see simple bursts of colour against black and white, giving a woodcut effect.

TODAY'S UPDATE ON GIVEAWAYS!

Thearica at Pigtales and Quilts

http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/2010/12/happy-new-years-day-giveaway.html is hosting a remarkable giveaway and has kindly taken my button and also mentioned my giveaway too.

Thearica is giving away a scrumptious vintage yoyo quilt in absolutely immaculate condition. This is so generous of her!!!

Look at the lovely idea for display! Can't you just see this lovely setting off your finest tea set and china and a big pot of cyclamen - it would have to be deep rose, of course!!!

Thanks to Thearica's generous giveaway, one of us will soon own this lovely piece of history! Enter today!

And.....

Enter my GIVEAWAY, too - go to

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html

and enter right away to win your choice of five gifts!!!

and compliments of the season to all my readers!

Hugs from Janet!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY: 14 days left

2010-12-11T11:11:00.004-04:00

Don't you just love the vintage images so popular these days. This winter scene gives hints of the influences and inspiration common to the first quarter of the 20th century: look in the background to see Lombardy Poplars and a mountain which curiously resembles Mount Fuji - reflecting the japanese

influence to be seen in all decorative elements at that time, from textiles to architecture.

courtesy http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/

The above is an image of one of a set of three children's books I own which were published in the 1920's and which clearly shows the keen interest in things japanese at that time. This was my favourite book as a small child and I rediscovered the woodcuts and traditional 17 syllable haiku verse at university some years later.

I want to remind you that I am hosting a very attractive GIVEAWAY leading up to Christmas. Go to

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html and leave a comment and become a follower if you aren't already. You can have your choice of one of 5 items if you win and one of those items is illustrated below.

Anchors Aweigh, a 40x54 wholecloth quilt kit by Holice Turnbow for Benartex. This kit has everything you need except for thread and batting and would make a lovely statement in your beach-themed home. A hard-to-find item these days.

Easy and fun to make!

Keep watching my blog as I add a vintage postcard Christmas Greeting each day.

CHEERS! AND WARM HUGS from

JANET!!

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY: 15 days left

2010-12-10T12:32:00.000-04:00

another vintage postcard from my collection

It snowed yesterday and we now have about 6 inches of light, fluffy and white frosting blanketing the ground. A good time to stay home close to the woodstove and drink tea while working on a crazy quilt restoration and listening to festive music.
Yesterday I was thinking of what to post on a client's blog for the pre-christmas week - I have come up with a great idea and have the blog owner's go-ahead to do it, so will post a link to it when it is published.
Meanwhile a picture of my favourite feather tree, which I'm hoping to get up soon on my kitchen table, with one of my "Star" series small quilts acting as a tree skirt.

Also I need to remind you of the pre-Christmas giveaway with a choice of wonderful prizes. Enter at:

http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html and get busy chalking up extra entries for yourself by displaying my FunkyBabyMine button and getting your friends to enter for the giveaway. Entries close at midnight on Christmas Eve - hope you win!!

my home in winter.......

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY - 16 days left

2010-12-09T09:52:00.005-04:00

16 days until Christmas!

I have some lovely images of vintage Christmas postcards saved in my computer, and I thought I'd head my post with one each day.

The sentiments of the little poem are appropriate for my giveaway which runs right up until midnight of December 24th.

Go to http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-christmas-giveaway.html and enter - to enter you just need to make a comment and become a follower - if you already follow, just tell me.

There are also fun ways to increase your chances of winning.

I think the prizes are really good - you have your choice of 5 different possibilities: a 45x60 Benartex wholecloth kit designed by Holice Turnbow; a dozen fat quarters in quilt shop quality repro fabrics, either civil war or depression era; a large cross stitch kit ready to complete; a wool penny rug kit or a vintage handmade textile from my sister site http://www.;funkybabymine.blogspot.com/. Pretty special, eh?

Good luck to all my new friends!

And Merry Christmas from Hall's Harbour,

Nova Scotia, where the snow is softly sifting down.

My Christmas Giveaway

2010-12-06T11:09:00.002-04:00

I want to tell you about my wonderful giveaway which will run until midnight on Christmas Eve.
I've been thinking of ways to make the prize desirable to my large cross section of readers, who are not just quilters. I think I've come up with a good solution: I am going to offer your choice of a prize drawn from the wide cross section of needle arts I pursue. For my home decor readers, how about a nice item from http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ ?

First up: a selection of twelve (12) fat quarters in your choice of either assorted quilt shop quality 19th century repro fabric or Depression Feedsack style cuties. Sorry, I tend not to go for the retro 50's and brights, so they won't be featured.

Or: a Benartex Holice Turnbow wholecloth quilt kit called "Anchors Aweigh" this quilt kit contains backing, top and binding material - just add a batt and some thread! Size 40x54, wouldn't that look great in your beach-themed room?

A complete cross stitch kit - floss, pattern material - let me select a good sized one from my collection of quilt themed or landscape and seascape patterns.

And finally: a wool applique project kit, everything included - penny rug anyone?

How To Enter:
Leave me a comment and mention if you are already a follower - if you aren't yet, then join to follow. You're in!

Now: if you'd like more entries tell your friends - keep track - as each one leaves a comment and becomes a follower, then keep track and leave me a note before I hold the draw as to how many friends have signed up. You'll get an extra entry for each one! Make sure your friends know they can do that too!
Taking my FunkyBabyMine button will win you 5 more entries, seperately from all the above - tell me if you already display the button....

I'm looking forward to all the comments I'll be reading - keep them coming!

And I'll show you pictures of your possible prizes when the weather improves enough to take some decent pictures. Also when the power stops going out - hard to post today!

HUGS from JANET

Looking for a UK blogger to do a trade with me

2010-12-03T18:06:00.000-04:00

I have hunted everywhere, but have come up empty in my attempts to find a couple of copies of the UK version of Country Living magazine, but came upon this idea online and will give it a try......

Today I received in the mail my 2010 copy of Matthew Mead's Holiday - a big. richly illustrated magazine/book, with minimal and interesting advertising which is 144 fully packed pages of holiday ideas and some of the best cookie recipes I've seen in a long while.
http://www.holidaywithmatthewmead.com/ The publication is priced at $15 so you will be getting good value, and the ideas inside are lovely. I find these days that I simply must keep paring down my "stuff", hence my willingness to part with it as soon as I have copied some recipes and scanned a few pictures.

I propose exchanging this wonderful book/magazine for a couple of copies of UK Country Living or French Marie Claire(I read French fluently) and would love to hear from you if you are willing to part with your mags. If you would prefer, I have the 3 most recent copies of the American Country Living to exchange instead of the Mattew Mead book.

I'd love to hear from you!

And....... I will be announcing my giveaway on the weekend too - so keep your eye peeled!!

WILL YOU VOTE FOR ME?

2010-12-03T11:30:00.001-04:00

Well, I finally got up the gumption to enter one of my quilts in Michelle's weekly themed quilt contests. This week's theme is "Star Quilts" and I had one hanging around calling - "enter me!" so I did.

Now I need you to go and vote for me! http://quiltinggallery.com/2010/12/03/vote-now-star-quilts/
Voting began today and you can vote until one minute before midnight on Sunday December 5th.

A little about "Christmas Stars": this small quilt is approximately 45x56 inches and is made entirely of 100% cotton products, batting included. It is hand appliqued and handquilted and extremely versatile - it can be used as a wall hanging (hidden and integral hanging sleeve), a snuggle quilt,. a table covering or a durable child's quilt. It is awaiting sale among my current inventory.

I've been a member of Quilting Gallery since Michelle started the site and it's a great way to see what's going on in quilting circles throughout the world. Starting with only a handful of listings in her blogroll, Michelle has grown her site to several thousand participants, runs a weekly quilt contest, hosts giveaways, a forum and lots of other grat activities! Join today!!!

Go to http://www.quiltinggallery.com/ and sign up, but first go to http://quiltinggallery.com/2010/12/03/vote-now-star-quilts/

and vote for "Christmas Stars" ~ I so-o-o want to win that fat eighth bundle of French General and Moda's Maison de Garance goodness!! Thanks for voting for me!

My Giveaway from Scotland for the Senses has arrived!!!

2010-12-01T18:51:00.000-04:00

Recently, Sophie at Scotland for the Senses http://scotland4thesenses.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-11-07T20%3A03%3A00Z&max-results=5 offered a giveaway of two cards courtesy of Keli Clark, an artist who sells her prints and greeting cards, and I was lucky to be one of five bloggers who each were invited to choose their favourite two cards to receive. Keli's site is here: http://www.keliclarkdesigns.com/ and I must say I was really hard-pressed to choose - a wealth of visual riches and very reasonably priced they are too!
Thank you Keli and thank you Sophie for making this great gift possible - I will treasure them!!

EXCITING GIVEAWAYS!!!

2010-11-19T12:07:00.000-04:00

Today I want to give you a heads up for some giveaways I've noticed.
LINDA HUBBARD is giving away a lovingly handstitched and embellished Santa ornament on her blog ~ you can choose one of the three lovely Santas pictured here:

For a chance to win, go to http://linda-hubbard.blogspot.com/2010/11/time-for-giveaway.html , read the instructions and enter - cross your fingers - they are delicious aren't they?

And don't forget my giveaway at my sister site:

http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html

You can choose to win either a $25 or a $50 gift certicate and if you grab my button and display it on your blog you get an extra 5 chances to win the draw!

Check back here in the next day or two as I am in the process of looking for a few more giveaways on blogs I read - they seem to be cropping up lately!

BACK TO BASICS IN QUILTING

2010-11-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

As winter starts to close in on me and more time is spent in working on my quiltmaking commissions I seem to let my mind wander in so many different directions while I stitch away and listen to music.
I've been thinking a lot about what frees creativity and I've come to the conclusion that having all the skills and information at your fingertips has a lot to do with confidence in following your heart and your creative urges.
I find too that the less you rely on gizmos and short cuts and notions, on complicated rulers, glue sticks, machine sewing and quilting processes, the more your mind and hands are free to follow your inclinations.
Most of the time, I rely only on thread, pins, needle, a ruler and pencil and of course, the very best 100% fabrics that money can buy.
One tool that I have had on hand since beginning to makes quilts almost twenty years ago has been a book that I consider among the best in teaching the basic skills necessary to make exciting quilts:

This is Marianne Fons and Liz Porter's Quilter's Complete Guide, published in 1993 by Oxmoor House. I had this constantly open as I made my first successful quilt so many years ago and it has not left my sewing table since. It contains all the information you will ever need to make quilts from the beginning level right up to the most complicated; and I have recommended this book and used it in teaching over the years. I am fortunate to have a few copies to spare and will consider selling those off - contact me if interested.
You will never be disappointed in this text and if after absorbing all the info you decide to use today's labour saving tips and tools you will do so knowing you have learned all the basics and also that there are all sorts of measurement tables inside that you must have at your figertips!

How's Your Christmas Coming Along?

2010-11-10T13:21:00.001-04:00

Are you planning on a homemade and recycled Christmas?

I've bought a sweet small feather tree and will put it up in a few weeks time using a "Starry Christmas" quilt I completed not too long ago as my tree skirt. I had been planning to buy a vintage putz fence and a few mica covered vintage houses but felt I really couldn't justify the expense and so will settle for the festive tree skirt and a couple of vintage crocks to enhance my tree instead. (I have a very quiet Christmas as my only child lives in Europe with her family.) I may or may not roast a turkey as I usually go to friends for Christmas dinner, but it is nice to have leftovers and hot turkey sandwiches at home.
For my tree, I have a nice assortment of cranberry red wooden bead garland and brightly painted wooden ornaments dating back to the 70's, so will have nice vintage looking decoration without extravagant spending and without enlarging my carbon footprint by having to ship stuff in to me.
Using what you have is certainly the way to go these days.

view before the rain washed away the leaves

You may have heard how wet it has been here in Nova Scotia for the last week - I am fortunate to live in an area where there is little or no risk of flooding - my house is built high above the road and above a brook which forms my southern boundary and then crosses under the road to join the larger Hall's Harbour Brook further downstream and thence to the harbour.
It's colder now and not raining and the wind is gradually dropping after a very rocky start with my woodstove backdrafting and the house filling up with smoke - yuck!! Warm cosy and all aired out now!

I want to remind you of the great GIVEAWAY at http://funkybabymine.blogspot.com/2010/10/pre-christmas-giveaway.html in case you hadn't heard or had forgotten. This is my sister site which is selling all sorts of vintage treasures, including carefully selected vintage and antique home linens and other decorative items. Pop on over and have a look ~ I'm adding items daily and have a promotion including free shipping in North America ~ gift certificates are available too!
For now I'll say goodbye as I need to go out later to check the mail and gas up.
Cheers and ~ STAY WARM and DRY!!!!

GIVEAWAY AT http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com

2010-10-21T12:49:00.009-03:00

                 Lavender Sachets 3 for $22.50 USD at
                     FunkyBabyMine

Just a heads up about the new giveaway at my sister blog http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/        I'd like you to go over there and see what is on offer and how easy it is to win either a $25USD or a $50USD FunkyBabyMine gift certificate.

The giveaway is open until November 30, 2010 and if you have a
blog you can enter.

TIPS AND TRICKS: COMPLETING SUREFIRE, NEVER FAIL HST'S

2010-10-20T15:18:00.000-03:00

This is a picture of an orphan block that was left over from a quilt I made several years ago for a customer. It is the jewelbox variation of Jacob's Ladder and it didn't take me long to decide to concentrate on this one since I had already done some prep work and am planning to make a total of nine blocks - 54 inches square then, without a border, so with the border it will be 60 inches square - the ideal size for a snuggle quilt to curl up under to read or watch tv on this winter's chilly evenings.

Here, I have selected the 4 blocks that come together in the centre of the block, and have set the remaining 4 identical blocks aside as they will be needed for the same block a bit later. The 16 inch block is completed by making 4 patches from 2 inch squares and sewing everything together with careful attention to detail.

Here is a picture of several already prepared HST blocks. If you enlarge the picture you will see that I handpieced as well as machine pieced - either works equally well, although later, piecing the 4 patches and then piecing the whole block I will probably rely on handpiecing - either way works but handpiecing works better for me. That's your choice.

Here, I have just cut a HST apart and using my thumbnail, I've finger-pressed it, being careful not to stretch that bias seam. It is now ready for piecing. I find my fingernail is gentler and more forgiving than a hot iron when dealing with something on the bias.

What do your HST's look like, what prints, what colours, what size? - maybe you can post about them and your plans for them, and questions you might have, and leave a comment to let me know so I can go have a look?

What project do you have planned for them?

Right now my big pictorial quilt is calling to me, I've finished some northern lights, an igloo and a polar bear, and now I'm working on appliquing an Inuit man carrying his kayak down to the sea to launch it. When I clear with the recipients I will publish a picture or two as I progress...... Just going to put more wood in the woodstove and then get back to the quilt......

Leave your comments and we'll go from there......

TALK TO YOU SOON! BIG HUGS! JANET

TIPS AND TRICKS: My SUREFIRE, NEVER FAIL HST'S

2010-10-15T20:41:00.003-03:00

Jacob's Ladder - jewelbox variation

Before we get down to the nitty gritty of my surefire accurate, neverfail HST's I want to tease your eye with a few more HST beauties. Please accept my apologies for the poor quality of this picture - it was taken while
I was still using a first generation digital, and colour trueness wasn't its strong point! This is a quilt I made for a lady in Washington state using scraps and fat quarters.

Set Sail 36x46 inches - shop model from a kit
I chose to show you this one because one of the first quilts I ever made for sale, entitled "Ship of Dreams" was a red, white, navy and ochre variation on this one, and at the moment I can't find a picture of it. I must hunt through my pre-digital albums and do some scanning.

Janet's Indigo Basket

Ah! Much better! One thing I've learned is to photograph quilts outdoors for best colour results. This is my Indigo Baskets quilt which, although it doesn't strike you immediately, is basically a half square triangle quilt on point, with appliqued basket handles. A great quilt with very little effort. It was so much fun that there is another in the works. I'll bring it out later in a tutorial I think.

NOW FOR THE NITTY GRITTY!!!

TODAY (right now!) I want you to get out your quarter inch grid paper or your gridded template plastic, or promise to be really really accurate if you don't have either. Find your mechanical pencil or your fineline permanent marker. We're ready to start.
SIZE: We will be making templates for HST's to finish at 2, 3, 4,5.and 6 inches and maybe 7 inches too - why not go for all of them - I think I will. And the reason I will is that long ago I learned the lesson of scale being essential to a quilt's size.
For example, if I am going to make a baby quilt, which I tend to size at 42x54 or 42x60, I am not going to make it from large blocks - I am going to size my blocks at less than 6 inches square. For a lap quilt which I size at 60x60 most of the time, we can go for perhaps 8 inches square; and for a double queen, I usually stop at around 10. I am currently working on a 96 inch square pictorial applique and have stretched the rule to multiples of 12. If you make a lot of doll sized quilts, you can settle for blocks that are no more than 2 inches square.
MAKE YOUR TEMPLATES: in order to be able to build in complete accuracy you will make your template fininshed size + 2inches on each side.
For example, your 2 inch finished size will yield a template of 6 square inches.
2 inches cut template at 6 inches
3 inches cut template at 7 inches
4 inches cut template at 8 inches
and so on......
Make at least the templates listed above for starters. If you make larger ones, try taping the template plastic together as the gridded plastic doesn't come that wide.
When cutting on the gridded line, try to cut very straight and right through the inner edge of the line to allow for greater accuracy, as a pencil width mark will take up some room.
Now you are ready to cut out your squares!!!
Now either mark all your light coloured fabric using a mechanical pencil on the wrong side, or mark all your dark fabric on the wrong side using a piece of white tailor's chalk or a white chalk pencil. Make sure you keep the chalk or chalk pencil's tip sharp so as to mark a thin line.
You can vary the sizes or make a supply all the same size - it's up to you.
BEFORE YOU CUT OUT YOUR BLOCKS: carefully mark a diagonal line from opposite corners. Then mark another diagonal line on each side of this one and in a quarter of an inch, using whichever marker you used before.
Now you can cut out the marked squares. Then you will lay them right sides facing, on top of the other fabrics (either lighter or darker) that you chose.

TOMORROW:we'll sew a few HST's together and take a picture or two!

See you then!!
Hugs!
Janet

EDIT!!!!!!! And the winner is.........
number 9 generated by Random.org
and that is....marie in oregon!!! who left me her email addy - I need you to contact me, marie, with your snail mail addy

and you'll have your lavender sachets before you know it!

AND!!!!!! I did say I would award a second giveaway prize if the entries reached 125. Now they only reached 122, but that didn't stop me - gotta love Random.org!!
MY SECOND WINNER IS.........Teresa (Westherbee ;) of Renton, Washington who has just started a blog.
Both gals should contact me with their mailing addresses and I'll get those lavender sachets on the way out to you on the west coast the first of the week.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU, DEBI, FOR HOSTING THE FALL INTO FALL GIVEAWAY - IT'S BEEN GREAT FUN!!

Make a note of my sister site's URL - http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ vintage handmade household linens - because I'll be announcing a giveaway over there next week

TIPS AND TRICKS: HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES

2010-10-14T14:25:00.000-03:00

Janie's 19thc Churndash 2009

I just spent a half hour going through my saved images of quilts I have made and other quilts I would like to make.... I'm amazed at how many of them involve half square triangles and what a huge variety of quilts the lowly half square triangle can support.

TOMORROW we will start to work on making ourselves a supply of hst's to start quilt designing and quiltmaking with, so look out your favourite ruler, a permanent marker fineline and some ruled template plastic or some quarter inch grid paper. That's available in pad form three hole or not, at Staples/Office Depot. Don't forget your utility scissors - cutting plastic is no good for your good dressmaker's shears - this is the time for the 'el cheapo' scissors!

TODAY your exercise is to go through your source of pictures, patterns, magazines and so on and bookmark quilts that pique your interest. If like me, you do this on your computer; it is easy to set up a file for the exercises you will be doing. If you work better with real paper, books, patterns and magazines, perhaps a clearly marked project box is called for. I often use the clear page protectors and keep my favourites in a three ring binder that can be put on the bookshelf with other books and doesn't add to the clutter.

Next go through your fabric stash and simply pick appealing fabrics at random or with a plan in mind. You can choose bits and pieces and ends or for a more unified effect choose a couple of pieces of yardage. Just make sure you choose some light and some dark, as contrast is part of what makes hst's so appealing.

A MARCUS BROTHERS FREEBIE

As my major goal in any teaching I do is to empower quiltmaker's colour sense and designing skills you will notice I am leaving a lot of choices up to you - if you feel you aren't yet ready for this sort of independence, then just pop in a comment describing your current needs and I will address them either here in the blog or privately if you wish.

TODAY's major goal is to help you develop your ability to choose how you wish to go about the project - scrappy or colour co-ordinated? traditional or wild fresh colours? tone on tone or solids? batiks? Your stash will tell you a lot about your preferences as soon as you look through it. I know mine is short on the warm end of the spectrum (yellows. oranges and reds) and almost entirely lacking in brights and the more modern "retro" prints from the 50's and 60's which are popular right now - I'm trying to leave my comfort zone and try out some of these!
The above quilt top and blocks will look entirely different according to whether you decide to hang them on point or butt them together in a straight set and with or without sashing and setting triangles, so start playing with your graph paper sketch pad and maybe even use some crayon or coloured pencils - I keep on hand an old set of both that my now 18 year old grandson abandoned here years ago when something better arrived under the tree - works for me! You may already be into electric quilt software and have the 2010 Stash software for all I know!
I want you to develop your colour and design sense to the point where you don't need these aids, but you need lots of practice before you get to the point where you can dispense with the preliminaries.

Spend the next day or so looking at as many quilts as you can - perhaps pulling the ones you choose together by printing off copies or just scanning and filing them together.

I'm interested to hear your comments after you've done that.
Talk to you soon.
Janet

TIPS AND TRICKS: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

2010-10-13T12:38:00.001-03:00

I want you to start thinking outside the box that most of us 21st century quilters inhabit. This box has been made to look cushy and creative, but really is more about selling product than it is about creativity. I have nothing against any of the current trends but am concerned that when adopted quickly by beginning quilters these trends can stifle their creativity and lead them to believe that complex is difficult and fast is best.

Quilter unknown - not mine!!! Definitely lovely

Basically my feeling is that the more gizmos and machines you add to the quiltmaking mix, the farther away you get from the ability to see your quilt develop and make changes and improvements as you go along. I think most artists will tell you that is the creative process itself that is so essential to them, not the end product and personally I find that the less that is between me and the process of making a quilt, the happier I am and the more successful I am.
I want you to do this exercise TODAY: think about it first. Imagine you are going away to an isolated spot where you will spend an extended holiday - no shops and no internet although you can bring along a laptop with your notes and files.
You can bring only your basic quilting supplies - good dressmaker's shears, utility scissors, needles, thread and marking devices (mechanical pencil, chalk pencil, tailor's chalk and powdered chalk in a holder with wheel. You will be allowed to bring with you a selection of fabric cut into squares, rectangles and half square triangles and you can bring a bit of yardage too if you wish. And for patterns you will have some rough schematic drawings and some plain lined and unlined paper along with a favourite ruler and some template plastic, gridded and plain.
You will have to do lots of homework before you set off, so come along with me over the next couple of weeks and see what that will entail and what you may learn!!
START RIGHT NOW AND KEEP LOTS OF NOTES EITHER ON YOUR COMPUTER OR IN YOUR PROJECT BOX!!
See you soon!

What's New?

2010-10-10T12:35:00.000-03:00

My goodness! What isn't new? This is a catch-up post and I'm going to flit here and there to bring folks up to date.
QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR:What a weekend that was - catching up with old friends and meeting new ones while hosting an event which has become an annual must-do for local quilt lovers, and always a few tourists doing some early leaf-peeping come along too.
We had our most successful show so far with 4 major quilts sold and over $700 raised for the church as well. To this tiny community, that amount is remarkable and I want to thank all the people, exhibitors and visitors plus faithful volunteers (in particulart, Richard, Joanne, Kathryn and Grace) who are there for us each year. Word has spread too, about the quilters' gently used table and things sold so well that Saturday night I had to go home and raid my fabric stash for more items as the table was so badly picked over!!! I'm looking forward to next year already!!!

FALL INTO FALL GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP: Debi is hosting this blog hop at: http://www.fallintofall.blogspot.com/ if you haven't already been "hopping", hop on over and check it out - she has signed up over 150 blogs; each one of us is giving some lovely item(s) away if you sign up before October 15th, so there is still plenty of time to do some hopping. I'm thrilled at the number of people who have visited my blog to sign up for the set of three handmade lavender sachets that I am offering and if I reach 125, which is my goal, I will be adding a second prize of three more sachets. I've found so many new-to-me blogs that I want to follow that I know my winter will be a busy one!! Keep an eye on my blogroll for new additions. And thank you to the additional followers I have noticed signing up!

On the home front I'm plugging away at clearing all the summer accumulation out of my back porch so I can store my winter supply of wood under cover for those days when the wind blows hard and the snow falls deep. Slow work as I have two large and two smaller projects on the go for patient customers and those need to take priority. However, today I lit the stove for the first time this year and the warmth is lovely! Nothing beats heating with wood for surrounding you with cosy comfort. And as they say, it warms you twice: while stacking and lugging, and while sitting cosy by the stove with a cup of coffee and some handwork.

And finally: QUILTING WITH JANET: GETTING STARTED: I haven't forgotten my promise to so many people that I will begin a programme of tips and projects and essays designed to help newbies with their biggest puzzles - I have talked to several other new and not so new quilters who are puzzled by such things as getting your corners to meet up, quilting across spots where several seams come together and things like choice of patterns and colours.
I'm debating starting with all the things you can do with half square triangles - see above! I have located some papers, workshops and lesson plans and will be adding content to the pages you see listed at the side of my blog. If you decide to become a follower, I will give you a heads-up when new content appears on those pages.

Now I really must make myself a hot turkey sandwich and while the gravy is heating up I will lug in more wood.
See you all later.
Hugs, and warm wishes for a happy Canadian Thanksgiving
Janet

Announcing Fall into Fall - and my giveaway prize is!!

2010-10-01T14:33:00.000-03:00

In order to have a very inclusive giveaway, I decided to give a set of three handmade lavender sachets filled with fresh lovely smelling lavender - because this gift can be packaged very small and therefore mailed very economically, I can include everyone, worldwide in this draw! So come along and join in the fun - just leave a comment on this particular post and I will include you for the draw! This is so much fun I think I will soon have a giveaway on my other blog soon too!

Because all the sachets I had for sale at the local Quilt Show and Sale last weekend sold out, the fabrics used might not be the same - and in fact perhaps you would like to choose colours - that's possible too as I am making more at the moment.

Giveaway will be drawn for at midnight my time, on October 15th - hope you win!!!

QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR 12th ANNUAL SHOW AND SALE

2010-09-20T12:05:00.002-03:00

An overview of the Sepember 2009 show

It's that time again!!! The last weekend in September is reserved for the Quilts at the Harbour Quilt Show and Sale and it's hard to believe that we are coming up for our 12th show!
This coming weekend:
WHEN: Saturday Sept 25th from 10AM until 5PM and Sunday Sept 26 from Noon until 5PM
WHERE: West Hall's Harbour United Baptist Church, 885 West Hall's Harbour Road - follow the road around through the Harbour, past the Lobster Pound and on up the hill on the paved road - the church is on the right hand side facing toward Sullivan Road coming in from the west.
WHAT: Quilts and Quilted items, gently used tables for quilters, bakesale table and free light refreshments
              In addition, an opportunity to view a small heritage country church and cemetery dating to the
             1840's - original furnishings intact
HOW MUCH: freewill offering. All proceeds will benefit the church

Come and bring your friends - a great opportunity for Christmas shopping and for quilters to get new ideas. Buy local and buy hand made!!!!! Green is the trend these days.

See you there!!!!!

WHAT THE QUILTING INDUSTRY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!

2010-08-26T12:15:00.003-03:00

Okay - you've decided you want to learn to quilt - you've visited a quilt show or two and looked at a few sites online and the idea is very appealing. And why shouldn't it be? There are countless numbers of women and men too who are making quilts and supporting a multi-million dollar business in the process.
Just think of the number of fabric designers, quilt designers, sewing machine dealers, long arm quilting machine dealers and long arm quilters, the notions business, thread business, local quilt stores, quilt teachers, quilt retreat operators and on and on and you get an idea of what I mean.

My very strong feeling is that in the rush to get to something new, finish as many pieces as possible and take the next popular set of lessons, we have become driven by the industry's need to forever innovate and grow their markets, and our own creative processes have been left to one side while we are encouraged to follow te latest trend and do it "exactly as it is shown in the magazine".
.
Do we really need to have the latest sewing machine with all the bells and whistles that we may never use? Do we even need a sewing machine? Personally I have had a love/hate relationship with my two sewing machines - a 35 year old Bernina which was state of the art back when I bought it in the early 70's, and my chain store 'el cheapo' I bought when my Bernina needed service and we had no trained service person within 600 miles! Yikes! We do now, thank goodness for Jean Hunjtley the Bernina Lady.
I eventually came around to thinking hand piecing ,although slow, was the way forward to accuracy for me and in fact was a lot faster and more self-affirming than picking stitches out.

Do we need all the notions that are being pushed on us - special acrylic rulers for this and that with special patterns and instructions? What is wrong with one omnigrid ruler with some angles etched on it?
And what is wrong with making your own templates and marking and cutting pieces individually? I do have a rotary cutter and a self healing cutting board but I'd be hard pressed to tell you where the cutter is right now - haven't used it in months!

Do we need the very latest fabric release?

In case you haven't been looking closely at what fabric designers are releasing, there seem to be a lot of copycat fabrics out there - what you need to do is be aware of what your favourite designers and fabric companies are doing, what colours you prefer and look really closely at their output - many fabric lines use the same basic hues and choices can be made among them interchangeably - for example Minick and Simpson's last three or four lines have been easily interchangeable with one another, so if you find full price hard to do you can look for 'remaindered' fabrics and buy on sale at a considerable discount - you don't have to have the exact same fabric as the pattern shows - the world doesn't end and actually no one will even notice if you don't. You definitely don't need "special occasion" fabrics - Xmas, thanksgiving, hallowe'en, patriotic etc your colour choices will send the message.

We do need quality though - some fabrics that are remaindered or end up in the chain stores are made from lesser quality greige goods - the undyed fabric - and are a poor choice as they become flimsy and wear out quickly once the sizing is removed by the first wash - so buy first quality but on clearance.

Books and Patterns: I have a stack of books as high as I am and a huge cache of patterns and yet I rarely open a book or follow an actual pattem.

Why is that?

For starters, when I began to make quilts about 20 years ago I bought one very good "how to" book - Fons and Porter's Quilter's Complete Guide which was written before all the innovations in quiltmaking happened so I was instructed on how to draft a quilt block, basic quiltmaker's math and basic handquilting - all skills that are now lost to many newer quilters. From this book I learned the particular hints and tricks unique to quiltmakers as I already had the basic sewing skills I needed. I have a few copies in stock - they are hard to find now - out of print.

I buy patterns every chance I get if they tell me something useful to add to my design skills but I seldom actually sit down and follow one pattern from start to finish - in this way my quilts never become just like someone else's. I am still stunned when I visit an online site selling high end quilts and see one made from a kit or a pattern - what's the point in that?

These are a few points I want to make to help you free up your creativity from the strictures of popular quiltmaking. I will be adding several articles shortly expanding on the topics discussed above.

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Minick and Simpson Stars and Irish Chain using their Wiscasset line

"old faithful"

Please accept my apologies for the repeat pictures and their poor placement. It appears Blogger is having some glitches. I will attempt to straighten things out later!!

Changes Coming - series of tutorials for confident beginners

2010-08-13T16:11:00.000-03:00

You could make this quilt as your first big project!

Over the last couple of years I have had increasing numbers of beginning quiltmakers contact me about lessons and where they might find the support they need.

As I see it, potential quiltmakers fall into several categories and need programmes tailored to their specific interests and needs. The first and probably larger group is composed of people who want to make one or two projects that are easy and readily available. They want to have a social experience mainly and secondarily a quiltmaking experience, and are not too interested in going further into the tradition and becoming intensely involved.

The second and smaller group of potential quiltmakers will not be best served by a large, mainly social group such as a guild or a class at the local quiltshop. Instead they are ready to learn all the skills needed in traditional quiltmaking and want to do so from the ground up - and in an organized and detailed way while at the same time exploring their creativity, their access to all art forms and to the history of quiltmaking over the years.

The latter group is the group I am interested in reaching out to and I have given a lot of thought to how best to serve their needs.

As I age and as my own quiltmaking business expands rapidly, I have less and less energy to spend on the direct teaching aspects but have spent considerable time in polishing online lessons or tutorials and getting them ready to present to you, and am well aware of the need to provide feedback. This blog seems like the ideal vehicle to serve your needs and I will be interested in hearing from those of you who feel they would like to expand their skills at the same time as they unleash their creative quiltmaking "inner self".

Your comments will help me to gauge the need for this type of tutorial and what the content should include. Don't be shy, talk to me and I will respond to your comments.

Basically I am going to offer this as a free service but may expand to provide at cost simple fabric packs and instructions including templates for a limited number of projects.

See you soon!

Giveaway Reminder!!!

2010-07-30T15:34:00.000-03:00

I want to remind you all that you have until midnight my time - Atlantic Daylight Saving Time - to visit my sister website: http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ and enroll as a follower to be eligible for my giveaway prizes. For those who miss out, stay tuned as I will be running another giveaway later this summer.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE IN THE SUMMER:

Unusual in my Northeastern Atlantic corner of North America, but this summer has been unbearably hot humid and muggy. I have no real desire to do anything about food except to eat very lightly, using what is available locally and is fresh and light. A typical menu one day this week was coffee and fresh fruit(berries) for breakfast, a mid afternoon meal of doorstep sized slabs of fresh white bakery bread popped under the broiler with slices of swiss cheese and minced green onion washed down with nice cold well water and for supper after the heat of the day a sauce of stewed blueberries and a sprinkle of nutmeg over a small slice of lemon loaf cake.

RECIPE FOR LEMON LOAF:
half cup softened margarine or butter
three quarter cup fine sugar
three quarter cup flour
teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons milk or water
2 large eggs
grated rind of one lemon

bake 40-45 minutes in 325F (180C) oven
pour mixture of 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of icing sugar over hot cake - let cool in tin and then turn out or cut and lift out as required - yummy!

Not long ago I acquired a tin of Crabtree and Evelyn shortbread cookies which supplies my need for a sweet now and then and awaits company for tea and a biscuit! And I get to have the lovely tin to keep needlework notions in later!!
For tonight I am thinking of fresh peas and carrots with a side of sliced fried new potatoes saved from boiling extra the other evening to serve smothered in caramelized onions alonside fresh veggies and a hamburg patty.
There is no need to heat the kitchen with cooking, and no real need for meat when so much fresh produce is available and so plentiful and yummy, and there will be time enough for long simmered oven stews, casseroles and home baked bread in winter when the extra heat generated is welcome in my old and drafty house.

GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-06-18T16:43:00.000-03:00

So again, today I forgot to take my camera with me when I went to run errands. Ah well - Still a few days left to capture the lovely drifts of lupins alongside the roads up here on the mountaintop, and maybe another two weeks to get some shots of the lovely magenta coloured wild roses growing everywhere. Will try to get out this weekend and do so - I'm planning to go put up some posters for the July 1st Quilt Show and Sale, so must try to remember that camera. Meanwhile, I just took some pictures of the aquilegia blooming near my door so you'll have to content yourself with those.

The last of the three is of the purple variant which is blooming for the first time after having taken a couple of years to get established. Must find time to get some more plants in this weekend, but quilting is keeping me very busy!

Now to tell you about the Giveaway!!!

Go to FunkyBabyMine http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com and check out what you have to do to qualify, and also how to pick up more than one entry.

The GIVEAWAY is open until midnight my time (Atlantic Daylight Saving Time) on June 30 and there are two great prizes - a sweet vintage teacloth and a lovely retro apron in funky 60's orange yellow and brown!!

So be sure to go over to my sister site and register as a follower and start checking out my listings and commenting. See you there!

TOO BUSY!

2010-06-10T11:03:00.001-03:00

Lately I find there are not enough hours in the day and my "to do" list keeps growing! As I live alone, if it gets done, it will be by me whatever it is: from garden care to running errands to minor home repairs. And of course I have to have time to work on my various quilt commissions. To say nothing of my own projects to add to my inventory for those folks who come through my door at my quilt studio during the summer months. At the moment I am in the planning stages of a large quilt commissioned by a young couple to celebrate their life together and their marriage taking place later this summer. I also have a small art quilt wallhanging on the go, and will be starting a large wholecloth quilt very soon.

So I really didn't need to launch a new website, but then again I did. I have promised to myself that I will liquidate my extensive treasure trove of lovely and carefully selected items and the way to go is to set up an online shop. So I am doing that and adding a few more treasures every day. I am open for business but not up to speed with a full inventory yet, so I'd suggest you check back frequently to see the latest.

In another week or so I will be announcing a giveaway at FunkyBabyMine which will run for the rest of June and may become a monthly thing. Start increasing your chances by becoming a follower(worth one chance!) if you are on blogspot and by commenting often, as a weekly comment will give you another chance. Linking to http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ in your list of Favourites on your sidebar will earn you five whole chances! I will have a first prize and a runner up prize as well, and will announce what the prizes will be very soon.

I've been a bad bad blogger!!!

2010-05-30T17:51:00.001-03:00

I must confess to a blogger's worst sin - letting real life get in the way of blogging! If you think I went toes up, no such luck. I just got incredibly busy between various commissions - I currently have two queen/king quilts and several smaller ones on the go, plus I am restoring a lovely family heirloom silk crazy quilt for a very patient client. Fortunately the end is in sight for the crazy quilt - it's a challenging and somewhat tedious process, but sourcing the materials has given me lots of fun. I look forward to blogging about this process after I've done.
In addition, I recently finished a smaller lap size wholecloth quilt in a creamy ecru, and the new owner is so happy she wants a bedsized one too! This will be my fourth commission from Janie and she is talking about a fifth to round the collection off!
I have had to put my own quiltmaking projects on the back burner, but I love being busy.

One project I will not shelve is the opening of my new shop at http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/

This shop will specialise in fine handmade table and bedlinens from the 1930's, 40's and 50's and baby and small child dishware and cutlery. Now and then other quirky treasures blow in too! I am drawn to pieces of fine handmade lace, but have to admit that my tastes are eclectic and if somethings calls me I will likely go for it.
I know from the large number of home decorating blogs and young mothers' blogs that there is a keen interest in retro, vintage, romantic and sometimes funky finds for your home. This coupled with the fact that recycling of carefully edited treasures from the past is a very green method of decorating.
Many young professional families are choosing to restore homes in the "inner suburbs" of major cities which were developed with the advent of the electric streetcar. Homes in these areas take in a wide time range from Edwardian through twenties and thirties art deco and craftsman homes up to the lovely bungalows and dutch colonials of late thirties and early 40's. My own home growing up was an english cottage style house completed in 1938 in the west end of peninsular Halifax, Nova Scotia and from there it was possible to walk to a complete range of neighbourhood shopping and services.

I was a child growing up in this middle class home in the mid-forties and was steeped in this kind of handwork, knew what was in the linen closet and the drawers of the sideboard and was taught to embroider, sew and knit at an early age. My favourite reading was a huge stack of 1930's dressmaking pattern magazines. Thus I developed a strong love of these skills which are now close to lost. You can trust my judgment when it comes to choosing the very best of what is out there. To whet your appetite I want to show you a sweet and impeccably made set I acquired today.

The above teacloth is 36 inches square, beautifully embroidered and edged in lovely hand crocheted lace. The napkins are a set of 4 each with a small flower motif in one corner. There are no issues.

Check back with http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ as I begin to list more of my treasures.

Winterizing the old house

2009-12-12T10:39:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we had a really rude awakening after a lovely, mild fall as temperatures dropped well below freezing and a fierce wind blew in from the northwest off the Bay of Fundy.
I have been putting off winterizing my drafty old heritage home and had to hustle around putting up clear plastic at the kitchen windows and also I ran up a curtain to hang over the poorly fitting door to the attic staircase. No need to wonder what sort of fabric to use in my house with the stash that I have! So I looked out some lovely Provence inspired drapery fabric and got on with it. An hour later I had a colour and style coordinated curtain that set off my little French corner in the kitchen. It's a lot warmer in that corner now, too!

As you can see I've filled my old French granitewear pitcher with a huge bouquet of lavender that I got from the same farm that supplies my loose lavender for sachets. I ordered several pounds fresh this fall and am now making up and shipping lovely lavender sachets like you see in the picture below.
PRICE 3 for $27.50 USD flat rate for shipping 3 or any quantity is $5 USD mailto:janet@novascotiaquilts.com to order

Fall and Winter Open Hours

2009-10-11T10:12:00.009-03:00

It's time to switch over to my fall and winter open hours for Hall's Harbour Quilt Studio - this year Thanksgiving crept up on me and I didn't notice it coming until last week!! At any rate, I am now open only on Holidays and weekends with the exception of later this month during the National Springer Field Trials which this year are being hosted by the Nova Scotia and PEI Springer Field Trial Clubs and will be taking place on the farm land back of my studio/home here on the West Hall's Harbour Road. The farm land was originally attached to the home lot on which my 1820's home was built. An interesting event for dog lovers and an excellent and green use for this beautiful land. Come out and watch for a while.

And drop in on me - I will be open!!

I plan to be open on the weekends until Christmas at least and later if road conditions remain good. Maybe we will be lucky and have an open winter, meanwhile I'm stacking wood!! It pays to be prepared.

I won Heidi Kaisand's blog draw!!!

2009-10-04T11:12:00.003-03:00

A while ago I entered Heidi's blog draw, never thinking I would be one of the five winners!

I was amazed when she notified me that I had won - a sweet little wool candlemat, a beaded votive holder and a lovely spice scented candle - I've been enjoying burning it ever since it arrived last week and will get some replacement candles when this one is finished. Heidi can be found blogging about quilting, family activities and her travels most days at http://www.heidikaisand.com/ I've subscribed for email posts so I don't miss any!!!

Thank you so much for the sweet gift Heidi!!!

Convening a Quilt Show and Stacking Wood

2009-09-23T10:57:00.005-03:00

it will be nice to have a stack like this when it snows

My winter supply of wood arrived last week and at the moment the neighbour who takes on the job of stacking it is busy painting barns and houses while the good weather holds, so I am doing a small amount of stacking, in between doing the publicity and other preparations for Quilts at the Harbour http://www.quiltsattheharbour.com/

QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR 11th Annual Show and Sale

Hall's Harbour United Baptist Church

Corner of West Hall's Harbour Road and Sullivan Road - follow the main road past the lobster pound - the church is about 2 km on the right on the paved road - watch for the red, white and blue OPEN banner

Saturday September 26/09 10AM - 5PM

Sunday September 27/09 Noon - 5PM

Bake table and quilters gently used table as well as beautiful quilts for sale

Free refreshments

Freewill donation

All proceeds to benefit the church!

It's hard to believe this will be our eleventh anual show and sale. We've been very successful in raising funds to help support the community's small rural church and this year added a one day show and sale on July 1st, which was a resounding success and complemented other activities taking place in the community on that day.

QUILTMAKING AND ENDURING VALUES IN TIMES OF CHANGE

2009-01-14T12:43:00.007-04:00

I think we are all sensitized now to the shifts that are occurring in responsible lifestyle choices.

This is nowhere more evident than in our leisure activities.

We need to become very careful of waste and unnecessary spending for several reasons: We are no longer able to blissfully disregard the fact that we need to reduce our carbon footprint, which is still the largest in the world; and that many resources are no longer renewable and must be husbanded; and secondly we are under financial stress due to Wall Street's irresponsible practices and the mortgage market's willingness to extend interest only variable rate mortgages to people who could not afford to pay them once the mortgage rates went up and their home values plummeted. While the governmental cat was away or refused to be interested, it was proven that greed and not personal honour governed big business, this is true in my own country, Canada, as well as in the US. The final reason we must mend our ways is that the eyes of the world - often envious and angry eyes - are on us and it is time to put our money where our mouths are.

I am reminded that my minimalist approach to quilting may have been very much in front of the curve in the past but is now being practised by more and more quilters. Below is a quilt I made several years ago, entirely by hand and from clearance fabrics.

We need to look at how we express our interest in quilting. Are we ready to continue the "fast fast and on to the next" method in quilting. Are we ready to continue using glues, commercial embellishments imported from third world countries, fusible web made from petrochemicals, many many special acrylic rulers and other gizmos, and finally quilting machines that cost as much as a motor vehicle, and sewing machines with so many of the bells and whistles that we may never need to try them all out.

I own a Bernina 830 that I bought over 35 years ago and with a tune up and minor repairs amounting to maybe $175 last year it's now good to go. This was the first money I spent on the machine. It has dropfeed, knee operated needle lift and a lot of the things being touted today as the last word. Most of the time I don't use it, choosing instead to piece by hand because of the Zen feeling of getting close and connected to my passions and also being able to get it right the first time. Yes it is slower, but who said fast is best - the industry perhaps, becauser of its interest in selling more and more product and running more and more classes.

I also hand quilt - almost unheard of today, but do some everyday and it gets done. Quick and easy to pull out if you aren't satisfied. I can't express the pure joy of sitting in a warm house, with a cup of coffee at hand, listening to great music and handquilting. You have to try it to believe it!

So let me look at my tools, and show them to you - I have learned over the years that these are best for my minimalist approach: chalk markers in solid and loose chalk both (in yellow and in white) if you want the mark to stay around awhile use the solid chalk and if you want to brush it right off, use the loose chalk in an applicator. In addition a very narrow, fine permanent marker in black or sepia for lightly marking your seamline on the back of lighter coloured fabric and for writing on your labels. Ocasionally I also use a fine mechanical pencil - bought in bulk at Office Depot. I have lost faith in the various pencils and "removable" flow on stuff. Add a few sheets of template plastic if you are a reckless spender - these are available in an envelope featuring both gridded and plain - gridded is great for piecing templates, plain for applique although if you aren't going to cut many, cardboard will do too. You can also used ice cream containers, cut and flattened if you are very careful to be accurate as that stuff wants to roll up. The lids are great for smaller templates.

The very best quilting thread (cotton) that money can buy, in a few basic colours and as large a spool as you can find. And for piecing: the same, but of course a lighter weight - neutral colours seem to work for everything.

For needleturn applique, which is now the only kind I do, I found a supplier on Ebay who was selling new old stock fine silk finish (mercerized) cotton in a multitude of colours and ordered a variety of 40 spools - I think I will not need to replace it in a hurry and I do a lot of applique - this was cheaper than buying new at my local quilt store and the quality is superb, as are the colour choices.

Again buy the best pins and needles - needles as small as you can tolerate - start with a mixture of sizes - DMC puts out a nice variety pack - and you are bound to find what you like and when you're ready to move to a smaller size you have them on hand.

Scissors - large dressmaking shears - top quality ones - mine are Gingher, smaller embroidery scissors to use as clippers and a pair of kitchen shears to use on template material - never never allow your dressmaking shears to cut anything but fabric - hide them from the rest of the family if you must!

Patterns and fabric: there are wonderful free patterns out there on the internet - and in addition, shop the online quiltshops and ebay sellers for patterns that appeal at less than full price. As for fabric, of course buy only top quality Quilt Shops Only fabrics but buy carefully to avoid paying top dollar for these fabrics. You may be attracted to prices at Joann's and Michael's but there are many levels of "greige goods" used to print the same fabrics so you want to go for the highest thread count per square inch and no sizing which washes out at the first washing, leaving a shoddy stretchy material that will soon fade and wear out and look shabby.

As a rule, try to buy from clearance items at venues that are known to stand behind their goods. I have gradually found a number of Ebay sellers of this calibre and also a number of online shops.

I know you will be pleasantly surprised at how economically you can make quilts if you slow down and apply your energy to finding just the right pattern, just the right fabrics (prints and colours) and just the right approach to relaxing and slowing down.

Next I will post on how to make a very acceptable smaller quilt from next to nothing! I'm looking forward to showing you how!

I'VE BEEN QUILT MAKING AGAIN!!

2008-08-08T16:55:00.006-03:00

Happy August everyone. The weather has finally broken and it is cooler, thank heavens.

The last few days I've had the push on to complete this quilt top, which I call "Janet's Indigo Baskets".

It's made up of repro fabrics dating from the 1850's through to the 1870's and was a great deal of fun to do. I will be posting a project soon based on this design on my learn to quilt website:http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/. I plan as well to write a couple of articles to post there on the theme of half square triangles made into baskets; and in fabric/colour choices to make a quilt like this sing.

In addition, I have quite a few leftover orphan blocks so may do another variation of this type of quilt and use a couple of other colour prints such as an ochre flower print and some darker madder red prints as well.

I'm looking forward to getting the binding on another small quilt over the weekend - a vintage 1972 Paragon Holly Hobbie quilt kit I have just finished quilting - so that I can sandwich "Janet's Indigo Baskets" and get that handquilted before our small Quilts at the Harbour 10 show coming up in late September.

That's all for now. Have a restful and pleasant weekend!

Janet

Giveaway for quilters

2008-07-27T17:59:00.006-03:00

As you will recall, I have launched a membership teaching site and am beginning a campaign to encourage people to join. Between now and the end of August everyone who becomes a member will have a chance to win a prize consisting of a book, fabrics, notions and perhaps a small quilt kit. I am gathering items at the moment and will announce a bit later the contents of the prize package. It will be worth at least $50 USD, and anyone signing for membership who hasn't dropped out during his/her first 30 days will be entered in the draw which takes place around the first of October.

The pictures above show my quilting library, a basket full of notions as well as a box of more notions and stacks and stacks of patterns. I will be drawing on this cache to fill the giveaway box as well as including some fabrics similar to the picture in the previous post!

I think you will enjoy checking out the projects listed so far and two more projects will be added very shortly at:

http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/

Cheers

Janet

Stash Enhancement!

2008-07-23T16:57:00.008-03:00

I have a confession to make! I bought 15 yards of fat quarters, yardage and two yukatas(lightweight summer komonos in cotton) from Japan. I did it and I'm shamelessly happy! My argument is that stash enhancement unleashes my creativity. The yukatas are stunning - I intend to unstitch them and make a full sized(queen) quilt using several more pieces that are winging toward me as we speak, combined with the indigo Kona cotton from http://www.equilter.com/ that is with it. I'm looking forward to this exercise.

Also shown are 4 yards of Jo Morton's "Fredericksburg" line in green - this is to top up my supply which has been dwindling. Since it's out of print I grabbed it while I could.

The fat quarters are a mix of Moda in the same colours as the 3 Sisters Chocolat line, and a good supply of plum fat quarters for my plum/smoky lavender stash and then some neutral, indigo and red civil war fabrics. A nice haul; keep an eye on this spot for what I will create from this great stash enhancement.

Above is a shot I took the other day just after it stopped raining for a moment. If you enlarge the picture you will even see the aphids on my hanging basket of nasturtiums - what do you do to get rid of them? Any suggestions? The view is toward the road in front of my house - you can't see it because the vegetation is so lush with all the rain.

We have been between a rock and a hard place for the last two weeks as one tropical storm lingered near Newfoundland and another beat its way up from the Carolinas. It has been muggy, foggy, too darned hot and impossible to dry laundry. The sun is weakly poking through finally, so maybe I'll get some laundry done tomorrow - I certainly hope so, otherwise I may have to resort to a laundromat and that doesn't bear thinking about as most of them are not air conditioned!

I'm sitting around alternately quilting and writing this post and finally getting my first coffee of the day into me at 5:30 PM. Wondered why I had a headache until I realized I was in coffee withdrawal. I left for town very early this morning so didn't bother, but hey - look at all the lovely stash that was waiting at the post office.

The last three pictures are of projects I've been working on recently. One is called Janet's Indigo Baskets and these are the trial blocks I just finished this afternoon. Doing a little happy dance because I thought I might have made an error but I haven't so I will go ahead and cut the rest of the blocks out in the morning. This one will be fun. I'm going to be posting it as a new project on http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/ as soon as possible.

This is the first block in another project for http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/ . It is called Civil War Friendship Stars and I have to finish up the rest of the blocks - they are cut out and I have a couple more of them pieced. The fat quarters to the left of the block are a sample of the fabric choices I'm using.More pictures later.

And finally, a corner of my quilt studio, showing several of the projects I have already posted on http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/ - full instructions are available to members. Check it out.

Now back to quilting some more on a sweet little vintage 1972 Paragon Hollie Hobby crib quilt kit I am finishing for my inventory and to display at the 10th Annual Quilts at the Harbour Show that is coming up in late September - will have a picture of it soon. Soft spot for it as my daughter was 2 years old in 1972 and had several Hollie Hobby dolls, nighties and so on.

Catch you all later - warm wishes and hugs!

Janet

Enjoying Life as a Quilter

2008-07-05T08:29:00.005-03:00

Nova Scotia in summer has got to be one ofthe best places on earth. Everything in full bloom, and most days warm but not too warm, a soft breeze and bright sun, ending with a Joe Norris sunset that is different each evening.

Roses, both wild and cultivated are in bloom. These are the wild deep pink ones that grow in my ditch, make sure you click on the picture to see some detail - these are exquisite!.The rhubarb has bolted, but now we have strawberries and baby greens and soon a progression of fresh local fruits and vegetables at more than reasonable prices will be here. It is so easy to eat nothing but local food during the summer months. There is a fresh produce market near the Post Office in the small village just at the foot of this mountain.

Love the early morning here - my window beside the computer faces west toward the bay and there is usually a breeze off the water. It is so quiet I can hear a dog barking way up the road and no cars go by this early on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

Am just finishing up my latest project for http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/ and am cutting out the next one. I have so many ideas flitting through my head for articles and projects that I have started writing them down.

Have just taken a good picture of my display area in the porch off my studio work area and will show you it after I have re-sized it later today. For now, my work day calls.

A SPRING TABLE TOPPER

2008-06-20T11:43:00.002-03:00

What fun it has been to complete this small wallhanging or table topper! I sandwiched it last evening and will begin to quilt it later toay. The timing was just right - I completed it as an entry in the fiber arts category in an upcoming Lavender Festival and also have used it to design a project to showcase learning design skills on my teaching site http://www.simplequiltmaking.com . Just now, my huge old lilac bush outside my front door is blooming and the lilac/lavender and deep green is so much like the little quilt top. All I have to do is glance up out the screen door while I'm working to see this wonderful sight. I love spring, but there hardly seem enough hours in the day to get everything done, indoors and out at this time of year. I must guiltily admit to being behind both on posting and reading my fave blogs. Will try to get caught up this weekend!
Hope you all have a busy and happy weekend.

WWW:SIMPLEQUILTMAKING.COM

2008-04-26T18:14:00.005-03:00

ANTIQUE INDIGO AND DOUBLEPINK HONEYBEE QUILT

Announcing a new concept in learning to quilt. This is a minimalist, low cost approach to acquiring quiltmaking skills; or a renewal for quiltmakers who are tired of the current emphasis on the "fast, fast, what's new and popular" approach currently found in the industry.
Here(http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/) you will learn to approach quiltmaking with only a pencil, pins, a ruler, and a pair of scissors plus needle and thread. To begin with you will only need to know how to thread a needle.
At http://simplequiltmaking.com/ you will find the satisfaction of learning to confidently design and construct your own quilts, seeing them through from the initial stages of fabric and colour choices to piecing, applique, handquilting and binding. You will design and make quilt labels to document your quilt and you will also learn to make an invisible hanging sleeve that is an integral part of your quilt.
This is a website devised to empower women everywhere (with a special emphasis on those quiltmakers who are either far from centres where they might learn or whose family commitments are such that they cannot easily get away for classes or retreats)
I want to support quiltmakers to feel confident in their developing capabilities and to rely on their own artistic experience and judgment, while at the same time spending as little or as much as they want to develop their skills and artistic expression.
It is planned to have an ongoing instructional course on quilt design and the skills needed to finish a quilt of any size; a monthly update of pattern ideas along with 2 new projects a month: buying tips: where to find the best books, patterns and tools at the best prices; and how to shop for the best prices on a variety of first rate, quiltshop quality fabrics, backings and batting. Best of all http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/ is planning a members picture gallery and a forum for comments, queries and exchanges.
ABOUT ME: I live in rural eastern Canada, and I have been doing needlecrafts of all kinds for over 60 years. I have had a business website presence at http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/
for over 10 years now, and set up my blog a few months ago at http://www.quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com/. I have been making quilts for sale through my quilt studio for about 12 years now and am represented in quilt collections in North America and Europe.
I feel I have a very good grasp of trends in the industry, of quiltmaking in a historical context, and the requisite skills to make quilts that are very much in demand.
My life before "retirement" involved a career as an educational psychologist, and I have both the skills to know how to teach a complex subject like quiltmaking and the desire to empower women through the medium of textile arts. Best of all I am using an information management system on http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/ that enables me to post directly, so there is no waiting for a webmaster to load content, and your questions are answered in a very timely manner.
Come on this journey with me over the next little while - I know you will not be disappointed! You and I will exchange lots of ideas at http://www.simplequiltmaking.com/.
I have a one month trial, moneyback if you are not satisfied and decide to cancel membership within the first 30 days. You can't go wrong!

Tutorial: Sea Creatures - Part 3

2008-04-21T12:58:00.010-03:00

The above illustration is to help you in cutting and basting bias strips to represent seaweed for the sea creatures quilt - choose a fat quarter of muddy green, brown and/or dark plum print. Draw lines at 45 degree angles about three quarters of an inch apart on the wrong side of the fabric. Cut away the short triangle and set it aside.
Next turn over a quarter inch seam allowance and baste it. Then cut away the three quarter inch strip inch along the marked line. Do this until you have as many strips as you will need to make seaweed, and when you have enough, turn over all the strips another quarter inch and pin. Set aside.

Before you go any farther in cutting out fish, starfish, jelly fish turtles, etc, it's time to get a border around the inner part you have pieced. If you are using a print that is directional, as I did, you will first cut a top and bottom strip across the fabric. Each strip should be about 10 inches wide. Fold it over, wrong sides together and right sides outward, and then either drawing freehand or making a paper template, trace shallow a shallow curved line along the inner edges and then pin and cut along the drawn line. Set aside. Measure your side edges of the central piece and give yourself a little extra that you will trim off later. Cut two strips each about ten inches wide, then wrong sides together and right sides outwards, trace another curving scalloped line on the inner edges and pin together and then cut along line. Arrange the four pieces on your work table and carefully turn under scalloped edges and then baste down all four pieces along their scalloped edges.

First pin and then baste the side pieces, You will have first drawn a line on the outside of the pieces about 8 inches from the edges. Then turn over to the wrong side, baste checking that the scallops fit the central pieced section without gapping. Next arrange the top and bottom pieces to fit nicely and to make the edges all fit at 90 degree angles. (Again you can draw a line on the wrong side about 8 inches in from the edge). Baste and check by spreading out on the table and measuring to be sure the quilt top is square and all sides are equal. When you are satisfied, baste and set aside.

Next select prints you will use for fish, turtles, starfish and jellyfish.

I chose two shades of green for the turtle, a beige and a coral for two different starfish, a dark blue, a lighter green and a red and a mustard for fish and the same mustard for a jellyfish. These prints will be compatible with the "Nantucket" style print I am using for border.You can blow up and save to your computer the template drawings - then print them off and cut them out.

The dotted lines on the jellyfish tentacles show where they will be slid under the body of the jellyfish.

Next and last part of the tutorial will address arranging the appliques and sewing them down.

THIS AND THAT - ODDS AND ENDS

2008-03-11T12:18:00.005-03:00

These lovely tulips were brought to me on Saturday by a friend and neighbour - very timely - we're all longing for spring!

I have been too busy lately - and have neglected to post as often as I should. I'm embarassed to say, too, that I still owe you all another instalment on the Sea Creatures tutorial, and promise to work on it this week. I have some new ideas there for you - we'll look at finishing it in two possible versions - each very different from the other.
In addition to quilting like crazy on the Flying Geese quilt, I have been taking inventory on all the good stuff I have squirreled away in Rubbermaid totes. I now have a good idea of how much is too much on the fabric front and also am about ready to make a list of all the various vintage kits I own, and set prices on them - my daughter will not be a happy camper if this job eventually falls to her, so there's no time like the present to get on with it. Spring cleaning is in the air!
On top of that myself and a co-conspirator are drafting a policies and procedures manual for an organizaton we both serve as members of the board of directors; and as well, I am writing some of the editorial content for another local organization's revised website. Not enough hours in the day and I must get the flying geese quilt finished as soon as possible.
I've also been trying to keep abreast of all the blogs I follow and checked back to
Jeana Kimball's website which also has Jeana's blog and her "Sewing Room" link.
She has a lot to tell us that she has clearly thought through very carefully - she talks about hand quilting and hand applique, the current popularity of art quilts, machine quilting and applique and fabric painting and embellishment.
I have been thinking along these lines recently too - about fads and fashions and where it leads me as an artisan and artist.
I had jumped on the stashbusting bandwagon and to the extent that it helped me to look at my collections of patterns and fabrics and vintage stuff - this is very good. On the other hand I went for a couple of months there, not looking at new fabric lines, not window shopping and definitely not buying. It didn't work - I fell off the wagon bigtime and purchased in the last month quite a lot of new fabric and patterns. I have come to the conclusion that in order to keep my creative juices flowing I need to have actual new fabric under my hands and on the table to play wih. I will make a bigger effort still to use some of what is in my stash - that far is another good goal!
I also realize that even though I haven't had this blog all that long, I need to rehab the site a bit and update here and there. Another entry on my to do list!
Will try to return much sooner this time and forgive the long, long post!
Cheers!

My "Ironing Corner"

2008-02-28T13:32:00.004-04:00

I decided to play with Libby http://www.simplylibby.blogspot.com and so I'm posting a picture of my "ironing corner" above.
As I told Libby, I am the original "barefoot quilter", preferring to keep things very simple, so if I can't use my thumbnail or my $10 iron with a bath towel spread on my work table, it ain't gonna happen. Works for me!

Where does inspiration come from?

2008-02-23T18:00:00.003-04:00

I'm writing an article about sources of inspiration for quilters designing their own quilts and want to run a few ideas by my readers at this blog.
This is the view of the "big blue cupboard" I have from my worktable - there are lots of other things on the cupboard, but two of the big sources of inspiration for me are the jewel box or modified jacob's ladder block which was orphaned from a project a couple of years ago because the client did not care for pink in any form. It constantly reminds me of the importance of accuracy in piecing and the fact that with several not necessarily totally fetching fat quarters and scraps you can make a very compatible whole.
The framed print is by a local and lesser known folk artist who, I think, is very under rated. It is the view of Hall's Harbour that I have as I come down my road and enter the village from the west side. Someday I will ask Marjorie for permission to make a quilt out of that painting.
Where else do I find inspiration? Lot's of times from the sea - that's a given with Nova Scotian artists, but also a lot of time from pictures and layouts in magazines, from websites - the International Quilt Study Centre in Nebraska is high on that list, and of course from bloggers' pictures, from online fabric stores and from the large stores that still send out actual printed catalogues - I think I have every one put out by Hancock's of Paducah, Connecting Threads and Keepsake for the last ten years and wouldn't dream of throwing them out. Lately too, as I've been going through my stash trying to get a handle on inventory, I have found a trove of 1.5 inch swatches from Keepsake and a whole bunch of 2 inch ones from the New England Quilt Supply Company. Seems serendipity that at the same time, I have been looking a lot at doll quilts and "Little Quilts"
Let me know your take on inspiration!
And for those waiting for another instalment of the Sea Creatures Tutorial - I hope to have done enough more piecing to show how to put an irregular, scalloped border around the part whoch will have applique by late Sunday or early Monday.

A Learn to Quilt Tutorial

2008-02-12T20:59:00.000-04:00

As I get ready to launch my new website Simplequiltmaking.com, I have decided to offer a tutorial on my blogsite http://quiltingwithjanet.blogspot.com
I have just posted the next part of this tutorial which you can follow through all the steps to make my original design: Sea Creatures. In it I show the joys of handquilting, one of which is total accuracy the first time, every time - check it out - I am eager to see your comments and will answer questions for you.
Working very hard just now on several commissions and also on a small vintage quilt kit I am handquilting.

TUTORIAL - Sea Creatures - Part 2

2008-02-10T08:56:00.000-04:00

You will have cut all your sets of 3" blocks for the four-patches and are now ready to pin them together before sewing them. Remember that when I say 3" block I mean to draw around a 3" template but cut out with an extra quarter inch on each side for seam allowance - in other words - 3.5"

A REMINDER: you need 24 completed blocks so cut 48 of each of two fabric choices. 96 in all.

Hang Pinning: working with right sides of each piece facing inward, you will hang pin to secure for sewing. Put a pin through the exact corners of two different 3" blocks - line up the pieces exactly and do not bring the pin back through the two pieces - just let it hang. Repeat at the other corner. In the middle, between the 2 hanging pins, line up the markings and hang pin there too. Make sure there are no puckers or gaps. Proceed to pin together all the sets of two different fabrics.

Piecing goes much faster if you don't have to stop to pin each one.

PIECING: Thread your needle but do not make a knot. Insert you needle down through where the right hand corner lines intersect and the pin has been placed - this is crucial to accuracy. Remove the hanging pin.

Bring your needle back up a very short distance left of the entry stitch and repeat, then overcast the first stitch and draw the needle through the loop to secure the end of the thread, leaving a loose tail at least an inch long.

Working from right to left, make tiny running stitches and make a lock stitch every 5 or 6 stitches. The lock stitch is simply a stitch going over the previous one and will serve to make repair easier should a stitch break. Keep your work taut(firm) but not enough to make puckers.

Finish at the exact point where the left corners intersect, and again make a double stitch with the needle through the loop to secure - cut thread, leaving a tail of at least one inch.

Repeat this process until you have no pieces left - you should have 48 two-block units.Press all seams to the right - making sure they are all to the same side - either using an iron, your thumbnail or one of those little flattened wooden sticks you can find in the notions department of your local quilt shop. I'm always losing things so I use my thumbnail - it's imposible to lose and always available - smile - and I save money that I can then spend on more fabric!

PIECING THE 4 PIECE BLOCKS:

Next take 2 of the two block units and turn one of them so that the seam to be stitched comes together, with one seam going one way and the other seam going in the opposite direction. This is most important in order to avoid bulky seams, but more importantly to help the two units to almost automatically come together in a perfect, accurate intersection.
Hang pin the two two piece units right sides together, starting with each end first. Then at the seam in the middle, hang pin on one side of the seam, exactly at the point where the lines intersect. Do not put the pin through the seam allowace, leave the seam allowance free. Then place a pin midway between the end pins and the intersection.
Match marked lines carefully.
NOTE: Until you are confident of your stitching, you can start at the central point(intersecting seam), stitch to the end, cut your thread and then flip the piece over and repeat, starting from the middle intersection again.
Note: Never stitch through seam allowances - just up to them, make a lockstitch and then pass the needle through the seam and continue on at the exact beginning of the marked lines on the other side of the seam. lockstitching helps to maintain accuracy at intersections by preventing "creeping".
Yet Another Note: after several stitches, flip over and check that you are sewing exactly on the marked line on both sides, adjust as you go.

Do all 24 four patch units, checking each for accuracy. When satisfied, press each seam to the same side. Never press seams open inless specifically instructed to - always press to one side, and make it the same side with similar units. Try to press to the darker fabric's side to minimize chance of dark fabric shining through from the wrong side. If that happens, carefully trim away enough of the darker fabric so that the lighter covers it, maintaining a safe seam allowance to avoid ravelling.

Laying out the blocks in preparation for piecing into the large central background:

You will have already cut 6 inch blocks (6.5 including seam allowances) of print #3, 9 for the inside squares, 16 for the setting triangles along the edges and 4 for the corners - 29 in all. Later on you will learn how to cut exact size triangles but for now, we'll work with the squares which will later be trimmed or not as you wish - the part to be trimmed is covered by the scalloped border.

Lay your blocks out on your work area or design wall if you are lucky enough to have one - the 4 patch blocks will be turned "on point" and will start out with one in the upper left hand corner, going diagonally across the design, the next row will have a four patch, a solid block, and another four patch. The third row will have a four patch, a solid square, a four patch, another large square and a four patch. Fourth and final row will have the same arrangement : start with a four patch, end with a four patch - carry on until you have completed a symetical 4x6 grouping of 4 patches, interspersed with the solid blocks, working diagonally downwards and keeping track of where the corners will be.

The blocks - 4patch and solid 6"blocks will be seamed as shown and placed back in the design area and the next row addressed, as shown in the pictures.

When you have all the rows seamed, check carefully that you have not "turned" a block and accidently spoiled the symmetry - if you have, unpick and re-do. Press each row toward the solid blocks each time - this lessens bulk and again allows the seams to nestle into each other, making for great accuracy.

Before seaming the rows together, add solid squares to each end and to the for single corner blocks, pressing as described before. Mark with a pencil at the line where trimming will take place (or not take place if you choose that option. Seam each row together checking for accuracy and pressing each seam in the same direction. You will end up with a rectangle if you imagine the top trimmed or actually trim it.

The next installment - SEA CREATURES TUTORIAL - PART 3 will be posted very shortly - on it I will show you how to achieve a wide scalloped border and discuss preparing the applique pieces.

Tutorial, Sea Creatures quilt - part 2 coming soon!

2008-01-13T16:48:00.000-04:00

To all my friends who are waiting for the next installment of my tutorial on the Sea Creatures quilt I want to let you know that I have pulled out the fabrics for the quilt top's background using my choice of three printed neutrals for a pieced blocks background;and a second choice using one print neutral for a wholecloth background. The fabrics are shown in the photograph and the border will be the lovely "Nantucket" fabric by South Seas International that I show with it. Bonus: I am busting stash here finally!!! No new fabric will be bought and when the tutorial is finished I will have made two quilt tops, and hopefully started to quilt them too, to add to my studio inventory for the summer tourist season.
Part 2 will consist of piecing instructions and how to add the scalloped borders.
Hope you will find this project fun to do!

FIRST FINISHED UFO!

2008-01-12T08:50:00.000-04:00

I finally finished the lovely "Garden Path" queen/double quilt top that I have been handquilting for Ruth in South Carolina. Before I sent it off to her yesterday I
took a moment to get a picture of it on my worktable - I usually do my photos outdoors in natural light, but in the winter my options are very limited - lol! Please excuse the poor quality. I show the hand embroidered label I put on this quilt in the other picture.

Now I can get on with Janie's quilt - a flying geese in very traditional solid colours of ochre, red and dark green, that I have posted here in the past. It is inspired by a quilt in a Pennsylvania museum's collection.
So happy to be making some progress!

TUTORIAL: SEA CREATURES QUILT - PART 1

2008-01-06T09:34:00.000-04:00

SEA CREATURES - size approx 40x60 inches

Suitable for a crib or youth bed quilt, table cloth or wallhanging

Pieced and appliqued

This project will provide you with the skills to piece very accurately, plus the basics of needleturn applique and handquilting. In addition, it will stretch and develop your confidence in making colour choices and design modifications. This tutorial will enable you to put your own identity into your final results. It will be posted in parts (today's is Part 1) on a weekly basis until we finish.
Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have questions or need further assistance.

YOU WILL NEED:
1) your fabric choices, including batting and backing fabric - try to use good quality 100% cottons and for the batting Quilter's Dream request weight or Heirloom 20/80
2) a quilting ruler of the size of your choice - most versatile is 6x24 Omnigrid, but I got along for a year or so with their 3x18 ruler
3) a thin lead pencil - mechanical works with a very fine line - for light colours
4) chalk pencil and hand sharpener for dark colours
5) template plastic - for cutting accurate geometric shapes nothing beats gridded, but with care clear can be used, and should be used for the applique templates
6) sharp scissors (dressmaker's shears) you use only for fabric - this is important, hide them if you must, but don't let anyone use them for other purposes!
7) utility scissors to cut template plastic
8) sharp, long, thin glassheaded pins - you can use plain pins, too, but these are better
9) betweens needles size 8 or 9
10) piecing thread - 100% cotton - I use Star brand
11) quilting thread - 100% cotton - I use YLI

A FEW WORDS ABOUT FABRIC CHOICES AND DESIGN:

Background is really your choice with a few suggestions - I used darker mid green and mid blue for the four patch blocks because my client specified those colours - for myself I would today choose either a darker and a mid tone beige neutral print for the four patches, with the setting squares and triangles of a lighter neutral - that is 3 different but related neutral prints. Another choice that strikes me as simplifying the whole arrangement and making the appliques stand out more is to use
a light, neutral and simple tone on tone, marbled or one colour batik such as the Hoffman 1895 range - I love this fabric - it has a hand like silk and very good range of colour choices - super stuff to work with!

If you are going with the four patches, cut 24 sets of four patches - using a 3 inch square template - drawing around the template and leaving room for a quarter inch seam allowance outside your line when you cut them out - in other words - 48 pieces of each of the colours you have chosen.
Then cut out 6 inch blocks being sure to add your seam allowance from the background fabric you choose - you will need 31 of these. You will also need a 9 inch block of the same fabric which will later be cut into the corner pieces.
If you decide to go with a solid piece of background fabric then you need to cut a piece about 25x45 inches.

For the border (instruction for scalloping it later in the series) you will need a batik - again I used Hoffman's 1895 series - but as long as the fabric is suitably sea-like, anything goes! Buy 3 yards - you don't want to be left trying to match this type of fabric. Any left will be a very good addition to your stash - so versatile!

Now, at your leisure, you can look around for the fabrics for the applique - anything goes, except for the seaweed which should be suitably dark and muddy looking because that's what seaweed looks like and also because it provides a nice contrast to the brighter fabrics of the creatures.

The creatures I used are small fish, jellyfish, turtles and a seahorse or two and I used very small bits from my scrapbag - mostly bright calico's, but again it's your choice. Templates and full instructions for the animals later on.

You are now ready to begin sewing the four patches, or just cutting out the single background piece if that's your choice. Perhaps you are not ready to learn to precision piece and perhaps you don't have the time for it just now - that's ok - you can go at your own speed.

And remember - just holler if you need some pointers! See you next Sunday with the next installment - good luck and good quilting!

TUTORIAL - SEA CREATURES QUILT - part 1

2008-01-06T09:28:00.000-04:00

WISPS AND UFO'S

2008-01-04T15:07:00.000-04:00

I simply cannot believe this! It has been snowing big huge fat flakes off and on again all day - this last bout has been going on for over an hour and appears to be one of our famous "off the Bay" flurries - it certainly is dark out in that direction. Have wuzzed out on a meeting this evening - cold, snow and after dark is not my cup of tea now that I am staring 70 in the eye!
Have been working hard on one of my commissions all day now - I have 4 more blocks to handquilt and then the binding will go on - yeay!!! And then if I can travel on Monday - off it goes in the mail to balmy South Carolina - think I can squeeze myself into that box too? Would love a little vacation from lugging firewood and dealing with snow.
Have been looking over my pile of WIPS and UFO's, and as well as the current two commissions I'm working on, there is also a scrap hexagon one patch, and a big block, very masculine quilt I decided to do after buying a huge amount of marked down Thimbleberries fabrics that despite their lovely "hand" and how well printed they are tend to be unashamedly muddy colours - I ask myself again and again - what was I thinking?
The price was right but outside my comfort zone - so, I guess it is a charity quilt in the making!
Whoops! just glancing around and realized I missed my small amish-style strippy quilt which is already sandwiched and being hand quilted - that is picture #1 above, and since I seem to be unable to add more pictures to this post will post the others in a new post just below.

A CHANGE IN DIRECTION

2008-01-02T19:25:00.000-04:00

Have spent a lot of time over the last week or so thinking about the direction my activities should be taking at this point in my life. Have looked through my stash and my vintage and antique quilt kits and quilt top collections and my other collections of local folk art, smalls, books, paintings etc and decided that now is a good time to start downsizing. As my quilt studio opens as soon as the snow is gone around here I plan to work on selling many of these items. If you are interested in anything like the above, drop me a line and tell me your wish list and we'll see if I can be of help. I just might have what you're looking for.
Check out the blog on my homepage at http://www.novascotiaquilts for some pictures and more details....
In another way, my life is taking a slightly different turning as I am working on opening an online, membership website for teaching quiltmaking, including developing colour sense and design skills. Looking forward to that! In the interim, I am planning on setting up a free tutorial on "Quilting with Janet" for people who would like to see how to do my "Sea Creatures" quilt. We have a few interested parties and I am asking for several more in order to make it worth my while.
The weather here has ben very conducive to staying home and getting things done as it has been snowing pretty steadily since New Year's Eve.
Hope you are all enjoying that post holiday pause.
I am thinking about a Pay it Forward giveaway and will likely announce one in a week or so.....

RECIPE - OATMEAL BROWN BREAD

2007-12-30T13:02:00.001-04:00

A couple of friends have asked for my oatmeal brown bread recipe - so here goes: BTW today breadmaking is just not in the cards so i have had to rely on stock photo - will take a picture of my next oatmeal bread effort and replace it, I promise. Meanwhile - thanks to http:/www.freedigitalphotos.net

Directions: put one cup of quick oats(not instant, just quick) in a large bowl with about one eighth to a quarter cup of butter - oil simply will not do it - and some salt if you use it. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and pour over the oats and stir.
Meanwhile turn the oven to 350 or so and then add about a quarter cup or more to taste of dark molasses to the oat mixture. Allow to cool a little, while putting a teaspoon of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger in about a half cup of warm water - sprinkle an envelope of yeast over top and wait for it to become foamy, stir down and add to the cooled oatmeal mixture.
Then add by halfcup increments bread flour stirring until the mixture gets hard to beat - put about a cup of flour on your board and flour the top of the mixture you turnout onto the board - flour your hands too and keep working in and kneading, punch down with knuckles away from you, fold the dough add more flour, turn it around and on and on, until it feels very elastic and stiffer. Oil a bowl, put the dough in and turn it to cover with oil - set it on your stove top, and cover it with a clean dry teatowel. When it has doubled in size, punch it down and either make two freeform loaves out of it on a baking sheet or put in greased pans and again cover and let double
Place in oven at 350 to 375 and bake until browned and when you knock on the loaf it sounds somewhat hollow. Pull apart, butter and devour!
TO GO WITH: Homemade pea soup - put half a package of either green or yellow split peas in about 7 or 8 cups of cold water after having sorted through for impurities. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and add seasonings including pepper, garlic, onions and savory. Chop carrots or dice, add either a ham bone and leftover ham or a slice or two of toupie ham and a teaspoon of bacon fat. Optional - diced potato and/or dumplings. This soup is far better the second day,warmed over.

REQUESTS FOR TUTORIAL

2007-12-30T12:31:00.000-04:00

Several comments have been left by nice bloggers interested in having a tutorial in how to construct this quilt and I would love to do a tutorial for you all if there is enough interest - so if you would get any others that you know to make a comment requesting this I will go ahead and set one up - comments can also be left on my other blog on my quilt studio site:
www.novascotiaquilts.com
Originally this quilt was made as a custom order for a young couple expecting their first child. At the same time I made a second one which was raffled off at the small independent school my grandchildren attended. Fun to make, and definitely not rocket science; in the tutorial there will be lots of room for your own creativity to shine!

SMUG AS A BUG!!

2007-12-27T17:42:00.000-04:00

A friend on the(much milder)West Coast of Canada just emailed me and hoped that I was snug as a bug as we have a severe weather warning out. It has already been snowing for a couple of hours and I emailed him back that as well as being snug as a bug, I was also smug as a bug - having 1)gone down off the mountain to bank and buy groceries before it started, 2)proceeded to bring in a gigantic pile of wood for the stove from my outdoor pile instead of lazily bring it in from the enclosed back porch/woodshed, 3)spent the afternoon quilting, eaten supper, had a nice little nap and 4)I am prepared to quilt all evening.
We talked about looking back over the year and looking forward to the New Year's clean slate. I feel good that I have managed to cut down my waiting list for my customer's finished commissions and am finally in a position to set aside time for my own creative muse and for some serious stash busting. Talk about visions of sugarplums - what a bunch of quilt ideas I have jostling around to get accomplished.
I've only made one or two designs of my own this year so it will be a great joy to do more now.
For a long time now I have wanted to try translating a Joe Norris painting into fiber art. His paintings are so reflective of the hard, brilliant Northern Atlantic light seen in Nova Scotia; and his designs frequently include a decorated frame evocative of applique quilt borders - with all the great balis and marbles it should be a joy to try one.
I also want to do either a small or a larger quilt using the traditional 19th century red, green and acid yellow prints - perhaps this small Birds of a Feather hanging for a friend who needs a "no-occasion" gift right now. Anyway, lots of ideas!!! Lots of fun!! And best of all can use up a tiny fraction of my stash.
I'm planning to make the best of this enforced stay at home time.

WISHING YOU PEACE AND GOODWILL - (and lots of quilting time!)

2007-12-23T10:38:00.000-04:00

Pieceful wishes for a happy and safe holiday season - best wishes from a non-consumer this year and every year and hopes that your creative juices flow into your quilts this coming New Year!!
Personally, I am giving gift certificates from Kiva.org this year - an organization that enables you and I to loan to people wishing to develope their businesses in third world countries through local ngo's specializing in microfinance.
I have been reading many blogs lately and am inspired by them to bust stash and use it in "my time" quilts every weekend, leaving the week days to my commissioned work - it's time now to do something for my own creative urges rather channeling them all into commissioned quilts. You will be hearing from me and seeing these quilts that are bubbling to the surface - I look forward to communicating with you all and taking my example from your creativity!
Blessings!
Janet in beautiful coastal Nova Scotia

Minor Mishap

2007-12-16T10:10:00.000-04:00

We are about to have the massive snowfall that the US eastern seaboard is now experiencing - it is just starting here and is extremely cold. My first chore in the morning in the winter is to get the woodstove perking out lots of heat and replenish the heap of wood beside it. I was picking up wood just now and dropped a piece on my baby finger - much blood and therefore have to wait for it to scab over before I can start to quilt. So-o-o it makes sense to blog first, quilt later.
Lately I've been wanting to bust stash and my best efforts have been not to buy any more fabric for a while - I'm doing admirably well on that score but can't seem to find the time to actually make anything using my stash. I have lots of ideas - that's not the problem - the problem is finding time to work on my own creativity while completing the many projects that have been commissioned. Of course they take first place, but I think (I hope!) I'm getting to the point where I can make a New Year's resolution. I am resolving to set aside weekends for my own projects, using my not inconsiderable stash to complete lots of ideas floating around in my brain. Let's see if I can stick to this!!

Another job finished and going going gone!!!

2007-12-09T20:51:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this wall hanging for a client who is an art dealer in British Columbia. He specializes in Native Canadian artists and this is the second piece he has asked me to interpret from a painting; check an earlier post for the first one I did for him, inspired
by a Daphne Odjig work.
This one is called Friends and the original was painted by Benjamin Chee. I plan to start the third in the series after Christmas rush is over and things calm down around here.

Remembering

2007-12-06T10:09:00.000-04:00

I don't always blog about my "quality quilty time" As I warned you before, and you quilters all know this, quilting is sometimes a mindless, repetitive activity and my mind wanders off in all directions.
Being an avid student of social history, and in particullar local history and having spent the first 25 years of my life in Halifax,Nova Scotia,I am thinking today of the 90th anniversary of the 1917 Halifax Explosion. On Dec 6, 1917 at 9:04AM, 2000 people lost their lives, a thriving square mile neighbourhood of north-end halifax was wiped off the map and many people lost homes, livelihood, loved ones and way of life in an instant. Many were blinded by flying glass and many more were scarred and disfigured by the chemicals in the over 2 million kgs of explosives with which the Mount Blanc was overloaded when it collided with the Belgian relief ship Imo at the narrows of the Harbour. When I was a small child, only 25 years later, I remember seeing people who bore the scars as they went about their lives, and being told by my mother not to stare. I feel I must remember this and at shortly after nine this morning, my thoughts went back 90 years.
If you wish to learn more about this disaster, there are extensive archives online - I am including a before and after picture of the Acadia Sugar Refinery in the dock/railway/industrial complex in the northend as being typical of the more widespread devestation experienced.

Quilting with Janet

Quilt Show and Sale over for another year!!

UPCOMING QUILT SHOW: Quilts at the Harbour 13th Annual Show and Sale

I am selling my collection of vintage and antique quilts

VERY FRUGAL QUILTMAKING

DO YOU OWN A KINDLE? Did you know you can lend and borrow e-books? Did you know that there is a great organization that aims to place a Kindle in the hands of each school student in developing nations - here's how you can help....

Looking through my stash of books on quilting, taking stock of where I'm at....

Launching "A coastal Christmas"

What I've Been Doing Lately - it certainly hasn't been blogging!

CHECK OUT MY GUEST POST at http://www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com

A REALLY DESERVING GIVEAWAY

ENDURING WINTER - WAITING FOR SPRING

A GREAT GIVEAWAY OVER AT BELLA'S

ON THE VERGE OF ANOTHER YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND THE GIVEAWAY WINNER IS.................

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS: 1 day left and my giveaway draw is tonight!

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AS PROMISED EARLIER TODAY

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My Christmas Giveaway

Looking for a UK blogger to do a trade with me

WILL YOU VOTE FOR ME?

My Giveaway from Scotland for the Senses has arrived!!!

EXCITING GIVEAWAYS!!!

BACK TO BASICS IN QUILTING

How's Your Christmas Coming Along?

GIVEAWAY AT http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com

TIPS AND TRICKS: COMPLETING SUREFIRE, NEVER FAIL HST'S

TIPS AND TRICKS: My SUREFIRE, NEVER FAIL HST'S

TIPS AND TRICKS: HALF SQUARE TRIANGLES

TIPS AND TRICKS: THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

What's New?

Announcing Fall into Fall - and my giveaway prize is!!

QUILTS AT THE HARBOUR 12th ANNUAL SHOW AND SALE

WHAT THE QUILTING INDUSTRY DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!

Changes Coming - series of tutorials for confident beginners

Giveaway Reminder!!!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

TOO BUSY!

I've been a bad bad blogger!!!

Winterizing the old house

Fall and Winter Open Hours

I won Heidi Kaisand's blog draw!!!

Convening a Quilt Show and Stacking Wood

QUILTMAKING AND ENDURING VALUES IN TIMES OF CHANGE

I'VE BEEN QUILT MAKING AGAIN!!

Giveaway for quilters

Stash Enhancement!

Enjoying Life as a Quilter

A SPRING TABLE TOPPER

WWW:SIMPLEQUILTMAKING.COM

Tutorial: Sea Creatures - Part 3

THIS AND THAT - ODDS AND ENDS

My "Ironing Corner"

Where does inspiration come from?

A Learn to Quilt Tutorial

TUTORIAL - Sea Creatures - Part 2

Tutorial, Sea Creatures quilt - part 2 coming soon!

FIRST FINISHED UFO!

TUTORIAL: SEA CREATURES QUILT - PART 1

TUTORIAL - SEA CREATURES QUILT - part 1

More pics to go with post below - UFO's and WIP's

WISPS AND UFO'S

A CHANGE IN DIRECTION

RECIPE - OATMEAL BROWN BREAD

REQUESTS FOR TUTORIAL

SMUG AS A BUG!!