2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 33 - Q1 - Quilting

I am doing catch up on my slow stitching project book.

K3N Cloth Tales chose Quilting for the first Q prompt and I just went with it.

She did it wonky but I chose straight lines for mine.  I drew my lines with a water soluble pencil.

I sandwiched a piece of cotton batting between my foundation layer and my top layer.

I chose white all the way around.

My alignment of my layers is a bit wonky and I think my margin on the left hand side is a bit slim.  I will sort it out later.

On wards and forwards as the P prompt comes out tomorrow and I still Q2 to do. 

2026 Slow Stitching Project - Page 8 - D2

I am following K3N Cloth Tales' slow stitching project for 2026. 

This week's community prompt was Disappearing 9 Patch.  I am not a fan of traditional quilting so I almost did something else but the options were few.

I persevered through the video and I liked one of the options K showed on how to reassemble the 9 patch once it is cut. I cut the 9 patch horizontally and vertically right through the center.

I re-appliqued the pieces to my piece of white linen.  When I rewatched the video I realized it may have been more effective to have my patterned pieces as the whole squares but it would have had to be assembled differently from the start.  I am not familiar with this technique at all.

I am happy with the final result.

Slow Stitching - No. 046 - Kantha Motifs

K3N Cloth Tales Slow Stitching Challenge 2024.

This week's prompt Nakshi Kantha Motifs which is part 2 of last week's Kantha Stitches.

I chose the fish as my motif.  I drew a circle which I stitched in black stem stitch. Then added my 2 fishes going around in it.  The central element is a lotus flower reflected.

I chose two different shades of green threads and alternated them on each fish.  

I used blue thread and seed stitches for inside the circle.

I used the Double Running Stitch in blues for the background quilting stitches. Alternating with single running stitches in darker blue. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

We had regimental funerals for 2 police officers killed in the line of duty recently.  It was held at the arena where thousands of officers attended from all over North America.

One was going to be a Dad this summer and both were married.  A very sad day for our city.

The young man who killed them also shot his mother and killed himself so a tragedy all the way around.

Mental health is so important and it's hard to measure when one has slipped over the edge.  Help is sometimes hard to access on an emergency basis and comes too late for some.

It is important to take care of ourselves everyday.

With my sewing machine in a desk I take cutting work to quilting on the Mondays that we get together.

It's a great time to connect with like minded souls and see the projects are working on.  I had a good visit with a former work colleague who is looking forward to more time to sew later this year as retirement becomes a reality.

I cut about 20 unPaperTowels which remain unserged as I write this.  It will happen in due course.

This green polka dot flannel is gorgeous feeling.

The left overs will go to the make up remover pad project.

This is reflected sunshine that I see from my chair just about supper time these days.

It reflects off the windows of the huge apartment building which was put up a few blocks away in the last couple of years.  Construction did not slow down during the pandemic here.

I loved how it created stars through the trees.

Warmed my heart since it still cold outside with snow on the ground.

Everyone is asking when will spring arrive. I have say I am envious as I watch a couple of my regular Youtubers planting veggies and flowers.

Last week when I visited my sister she helped with the Reusable Make Up Remover Pad project by cutting circles for the ties on the laundry bags.

I can now go ahead and make the bags and get a step closer to the end.

I should test the bags out to see how permeable they are in the washing process before I get carried away.

I will work on that next week.

We cut the circles with the Sizzix red original 4 circle die.  The second smallest make the circles about 1.5 inches in diameter then I used a circle punch for the smaller holes for the thinner cord and the larger punch on the Crop-a-Dile for the larger cord.  Love the color.

These are a couple of books that I started in the last couple of weeks but just did not finish.  I debated whether to document them but it is good know that I touched these books and made an effort to read them.

This one was great!  The Aphothecary's Garden by Jeanette Lynes presents the life of  Lavendar Fitch who lives in Belleville Ontario in Victorian times.  She lives in her childhood home with a young man which she considers as a brother as he was brought into the home when he was a baby. Her mother and father have both passed away.  Her mother was a harpist and supported her husband in his Apothecary business. 

Lavendar loves her garden which she inherited from her mother.  She learned many things about herbs and remedies at her mother's knee.  She earns a bit of living by selling her wares at the train station - the garden flowers in the summer and evergreen wreaths harvested from the woods nearby at Christmas.  

A famous medium Allegra Trout comes to Belleville accompanied by Robert Trout who is quite disfigured. She conducts tea leaf readings,  tarot card readings all the while preparing for the major event of a Mystical Extravaganza to be held all hallow's eve - October 31st.

The town is a buzz. She influences the dress of the day when the ladies want the type of dress she wears, the shoes and hats she wears.

Robert buys all of Lavendar's flowers the day they arrive at the train station. Lavendar is grateful and is intrigued by this mysterious man. 

The story has some interesting developments and has a wonderful ending.  I really enjoyed this book. 

I have not looked up the streets mentioned the book but having spent some time in Belleville I am tempted.

This is a small piece of a wool painting I saw a the Art Gallery of Albert which I visited with aunt on Friday.  The gift shop had some pieces for sale but I am not sure they were by the same artist.

We went to see the Canadian Art collected by the Sobey family.  Many old pieces in the traditional styles. 

Three of the galleries were under installation so the amount of art was limited.  

We had lunch at a restaurant nearby L'Espresso Organic Cafe - soup and panni was very good.

Recent Photos

I went for a walk with my aunt on the weekend and finally got a good photo of the Bohemian Waxwing.  I did not recognize their song but she did as she gets great shot regularly in her neighbourhood.

They were in very tall trees and and the coloring was so close to their feather they were very hard to spot.

I just love their vibrant coloring especially their bring yellow tail.  I can see the light in its eye which was great to capture!


Macro Monday on Flickr this week was Sweet or Savory.

Here I have photographed white sugar with my antique silver sugar spoon.

You can check out my photostream and my final selection.

A visit from my sister and brother in law recently saw the return of my TV tables.  He created a small stand for the tables from the wood of the larger table that used to hold them.  I did not need the table and needed the room it was taking so he offered to re engineer the set.

I am so happy with this smaller foot print!  I will have to declutter some more to make the perfect place for them but it is coming along.

Gaining on the keeping the place tidy!

My small quilt box was overflowing!   I delivered these quilts to the rep for Project Linus yesterday!  Now I have room for more quilting.  I also delivered 3 made by my sister. Red and Blue, Animal Baby Quilt, Baby Boy Quilt

She has been quilting a lot this winter as well.

I will likely not be quilting this summer and focus on photography!  I soon will have to trim down my volunteering so I can feel I have a little more free time.

I made a Memory Book for my Mom from the photos I took at our Reunion this summer.  This was a Christmas gift.

I delivered it to her on the Family Day weekend.

Sharing on Mosaic Monday #68 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Through my Lens #229 hosted by Mersad.

Blog Give Away

I am working on a photography show in 2021. 

There are several options regarding subject matter.  Nature Minimalist, Golden Hour, Black and White, Abstract, Reflections.

I am interested in what my followers' opinions would be. Follow the link above and leave a comment with your choice and what you think about the style.


Thanks so much.

Photos - This Week

My aunt gave me this plant - Dracaena.  It is a good indoor plant and helps with cleaning the air.

When growing a dracaena plant, locate it in brightly filtered light, such as through a sheer curtain in front of a sunny window. Room temperatures of 60-70 F. (15-21 C.) are best during the day, with night temperatures about 10 degrees cooler. However, the dracaena is forgiving of temperatures, as long as they are not too cold. 

I have placed it near the east window which is the brightest I can provide.  I think right next to the window would be too cold so it is about 4 feet away. We will see how it goes.  It benefits from misting occasionally and moist soil but not soggy.  It enjoys a time of dormancy in the winter during which it does not need fertilizer.

I really don't have a green thumb and growing things does not come naturally. 





I finished this book recently.  A Sudden Change of Heart by Barbara Taylor Bradford. The story's main characters are Laura and Claire.  Laura is from a well to do family and Claire is taken into the family at about age 10.  Laura is an art consultant and works in New York but travels a lot.  She enjoys time with her grandmother, Megan Valiant.  And the family farm where the girls spent time together as children is in Connecticut. Claire lives in Paris with her teenage daughter following a divorce and works for a magazine.

When Laura's work takes her to Paris she always takes time to visit with Claire. 

Laura works on finding art which was stolen from Jewish families during the WWII.  She finds several pieces but the challenge is to have the current owners relinquish the art to the rightful owners or their descendants. Many are worth a lot of money.

Health challenges visit Claire and eventually she is back in Connecticut in the home she lived in as child.  Memories surface of her home life before coming to live with the Valiants.  She comes to terms with the life events with the help of Laura and Megan.

I cut a few 2.5 inch strips of bright fabric for our quilting time tonight.  We are working on making some kid quilts for a women's shelter.

These will be assembled like jelly rolls.  They will get a layer of polyester fiber fill and a backer.  I believe the small quilts will be machine quilted instead of long arm quilted.

Hopefully, others will have some coordinating colored strips.  I forgot to ask if I should have included solids as well.  We shall see.

Recent Photos

I found this Robin at the very top of an evergreen tree.  I could hear it but it took me a while to find it.  I always look in the tree but generally the birds are up high taking in the rising sun!

One and half hours this morning for my walk because it was above 0C for a change.  Last week it was freezing at -4C and I have found that as the sun comes over the horizon it gets colder.  Gloves and tuques last week wonderful temps this week!

One of my challenges on Flickr was fences so I found quite a few this morning.

I created a mosaic with three that I shot on my walk.

I have said for years I would not start quilting but I have capitulated.  I did make several in my 20's but it has been years.

Now that card making has gone to the way side I have to have something.  I have all this fabric I bought for aprons which was a bust.

Now, I will be making a few quilts for trauma victims.

I was able to find at mat at the ReUse center, blades for my ancient rotary cutter, a selection of fabrics and a large square quilt ruler.

I am going to be using the Quilt As You Go Method.  I will post a photo when I am done.

This Dark Eye Junco was also filling the air with its song on my walk.  It has a chirping sound so I thought it was a Chirping Sparrow but when I downloaded it, it was a bird of a different feather.

Lovely bird sitting high in a tree and nice to spot as the trees have little leaves yet.

The challenge at Flickr Macro Monday was Four Elements - Fire, Air, Water and Earth. 

I chose Fire and Water in this shot.  You can check out this link to see the one I submitted as I was able to get earth in there as well.

I am sharing with

Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf who hosts Mosaic Monday #26.

Mersad at Through My Lens #190.

Have a great week!

Recent Reading

This book is cleverly written which leaves us with a major twist at the end of the book.

A tragic accident. It all happened so quickly. She couldn't have prevented it. Could she?

In a split second, Jenna Gray's world descends into a nightmare. Her only hope of moving on is to walk away from everything she knows to start afresh. Desperate to escape, Jenna moves to a remote cottage on the Welsh coast, but she is haunted by her fears, her grief and her memories of a cruel November night that changed her life forever.

Slowly, Jenna begins to glimpse the potential for happiness in her future. But her past is about to catch up with her, and the consequences will be devastating . . .

I loved the living by the sea in a small cottage getting to know the neighbors and town folk.  Jenna working through trusting people again, going for walks and being in nature as a healing process.
 

Sylvia Compson is a quilter who returns to the family manor Elm Creek Manor in the south after inheriting it after her sister passes away.

She has built a business of providing quilting retreats at the manor where the guests stay and the Elm Creek quilters teach classes.

The Runaway quilt focuses on a journal Sylvia found in the attic of a early ancestor Gerda Bergstrom who lived at Elm Creek before the Civil War.

The Master Quilter brings another story of Sylvia Bergstrom Compson who marries her sweetheart.  The Elm Creek quilters decide to make her a wedding quilt as a gift.  The story has secrets, financial hardships, relationships struggles test the bonds of friendship.

I put a hold on this book at the library after I read a review from on of the bloggers I follow reviewed and highly recommended it.   I waited a long 6 weeks for notification that it was now my turn to read it.

I was expecting it to be good and it was terrific.

A story that covers 1913, 1975 and 2005 starts with a little girl sitting on a wharf in Australia with no one to take care of her in 1913.

The little girl does have a family care for her and when she finds they are not her real parents she starts the hunt.  When her father passes she finds has a fairy tale book which was in her small suitcase when she arrived in Australia. Eventually, she heads to England to discover the cottage during her time there. Her plans to move are interrupted.

When her grand daugther inherits the cottage she decides to visit England to find out more about grandmother Nell's family history and see the cottage and the secrets it may hold.  There is more there: The Blackhurst Manor, the Maze, the Walled Garden and the tiny cottage on the edge of a cliff.

I could not put the book down.  It is over 500 pages.  I did sleep but I finished it in 2 days! I loved it!

The layers of the  family  history is quite complex and I certainly will have to read it again in a while to absorb more of it.

Again, English and Australia settings are wonderful. Mothers, grandmothers, cousins and women are the focus of the story.

This book mark given to me by my painter aunt came in very handy with all the reading I have been doing.  I love the colors and texture of this piece of art.

It is becoming my regular bookmark in the book I am reading.

Looking forward to my next escape into a good book.

Mosaic Monday - Fabric and Art

I attended my first Fabric Frenzy on the weekend.  It lived up to it's name.  I stood in line for an hour just to get in, it was raining/snowing, and I met a couple of ladies who quilt. I would estimate the number of people in line to be at least 300-500. They were letting in 25 at a time.  I understand this was unusual to have so many attend.  This is a fundraiser for Grandmas in Alberta for a New Generations who support grandmothers in Africa raising children orphaned. 

There was a room with quilting fabric and notions then one with all the rest of the fabric.   I knew my sister was ahead of me in line but did not see her outside. I managed only the quilting room and I found her there. I was shopping for my aunt who was supporting her sister in an art show which I was attending later in the day.  My sister managed to get her some denim and we each made color selections for the start of a quilt project. I did see several friends as they were leaving with full bags in arm. 

I managed some lace, thread and one piece of fabric for my self.  I'm really happy with the multicolored piece of 1 meter at $5 was a great price.

I was headed off to the art show for my aunt Maria the artist.  The goodies were excellent.

The weather was better 2 hours away from home.  I had a visit with 3 aunts and viewed some art. 

One of the artist at the show had fabric for sale.  Left over from when she own a fabric store.  Well it did not take much for some of us to head on over after the art show reception. These are the pieces I bought.

Sharing with Maggie at Normandy Life who hosts Mosaic Monday#37.

Card - Quilting - Lattice Die & DP

 A few more quilting themed cards.
On the left I cut the SU Lattice Die 2 times. Once in black and once in double sided Designer Paper.  I then selected my background paper in the deep pink and adhered all the pieces together.  The striped piece, then the black lattice die then the light pink ellipses which is the back of the striped paper. Then I ran the whole piece through the Cuttlebug Polka Dots embossing folder.  I placed a piece of black gross grain ribbon across the bottom of the square.  Added a greeting made of the SU Modern Label and the Word Window punchie.  Placed a button in the centre with a Zot.
The card on the right used some terrific quilting designer paper.  I wanted to really leave it as it was so I just added a piece of gross grain ribbon in deep moss green and the Decorative Label punchie and a color printed greeting cut with the CM oval cutter.  The greetings are mounted with 3D Foam tape.

Cards - Quilting - DP

On these cards I used some quilting related designer paper.
The card on the left I placed a 4" square of DP on the top portion of the bittersweet orange cad.  I added a seam binding ribbon below the square and tried a new way to tie it.  I made a hole in the centre of the space, then  ran the ribbon across the card through a slit in the fold through the hole to the front with one end going above and the other going below the ribbon going across the card.  Tied a knot and a bow.
The card on the right I split the 4" square in half and placed the pieces at the top and  bottom of the card. I placed a greeting in the centre space that was color printed then cut with one of the Apothecary Framelits.  It is held in place with 2 mustard brads.

Cards - Quilting Theme

I made some Pin Wheel cards for my Card Gift Sets for the upcoming sale. Check out the original posting here with all the details.  These are red, white and black.  Stamped greeting on the Word Window punchie.