Barrie Fair Week

August 27, 2014September 3, 20142 Comments

It was Barrie Fair Week, last week. I call it a “week” because I volunteered there

just about every day, for the whole week. There is alot to do, to organize, set up

and tear down in the HomeCraft Division. As promised, I did take some pictures

for you. I hope you enjoy the eye candy.

Here is “Lily of Rosenberry.” I thought that I would put it in the Fair, to see how

it would show. It won. However, it is easy to win when there are only 3 quilts in

the whole show. I was disappointed that there were not more quilts but we are

hoping to generate more interest for next year. There are alot of amazing

quilters in Simcoe County and I am hoping to get them involved in

exhibiting in the Fair next year.

Phyllis made this cute bunny wallhanging. You have got to love the bunnies.

Phyllis also made this cute wallhanging. She was able to draft the pattern

by looking at a photo. Pretty creative, if you ask me.

This is my “Trillums” wallhanging I made several years ago. Elizabeth

Alexander held classes and I took one with her. I am so glad that I did

because she moved back to Scotland this year. She is a very, very talented

fiber art and quilting lady.

This gorgeous wallhanging was made by Phyllis. I love how the beads look

like frost on the leaves. It is so cool. Phyllis won 1st in the Art Quilt category.

I think she mentioned taking a class for this art quilt but I don’t remember with

whom.

Don’t you just love this little mouse? I think he is so cute!

Again, Phyllis made this little guy. She not only quilts but knits and

crochets too. Where does she find all the time to do all 3?

I love this doll! Her shoes were laced up and even the corset

on the back. Another adorable creation by Phyllis.

I am unsure who knit this hat but it got lots of attention at the Fair.

If you are unsure of who he is, he is a character in a recent kid’s movie:

“Frozen.” He is the adorable snowman, Olfa.

I thought that this was a cute centerpiece. The Class said

“decorate an old shoe.”

And who can resist the horses? I had to watch a few horse shows while

being there.

Isn’t this drawing just amazing? There is one very talented young lady out

there. Pencil is the medium and the shading is incredible! This will

definitely go on to the next level.

This drawing, of an mommy and baby dragon is cute too. I thought

that the artist is very talented as well.

And who can resist this cute scarecrow? The kids seem to love the

scarecrow division in the Fair.

I am working on some more fabric postcards and hoping to have

more for you next week.

One crazy week…

August 21, 2014Leave a comment

Last year, I committed to helping out on The Barrie FAir Board. This means that

when the annual Barrie FAir rolls around, I volunteer in the Homecrafts Division.

This has been one crazy week due to helping at the Fair. IT has been busy but fun.

Today, the Fair opens so I will take my camera and get some shots for you. I will

make sure to get permission from people who own the stuff I take shots of.

Sherri brought me this quilt a while ago.

This is a very unique quilt. Sherri chose a pantograph for it, called “Waterworks”

by Willow Leaf Studio. We used a cream polyester thread for the front and a dark

green polyester thread to match the backing.

Here is a corner shot of the quilt. I really love the purple, cream and green that

Sherri chose for the color scheme.

A side profile of the borders on the quilt top. Sherri mentioned that she

took a workshop at her Guild, with one of her Guild members. The technique

is called “A, B, C, D. ” I have never heard of that but I think that I will have to

do some research about it.

If anyone has any information about it, please feel free to let me know.

Here is the backing of the quilt. Sorry for the glare, I did adjust the

color but can’t seem to get rid of it.

One last shot of the top. Hoping to have some fun shots of the FAir for

you next week. And of course, there will be some quilts in there as well.

Have a great week.

Lazy days of summer

August 13, 20147 Comments

I am beginning to understand what the “dog days of summer means.” Some days,

I feel like lying around by the pool and snoozing all day long.

In one way, I am glad that I don’t. I would miss out on some really cool quilts.

This cool quilt belongs to Dale. It is actually her second time making this

small art quilt. The first one was for her daughter but in a different color scheme.

I really love the sun. Even the fabric Dale chose suits the sun to a tee. Maybe in

the future, I will have to make a cool sun like this and use it somehow.

In the middle section, I quilted a tree but you really can’t see it that well.

Stippling was quilted in all the large areas so that the elephant would pop

a bit more.

In the small lime green border, swirls were quilted. The outer red orange border

received straight lines. On the top and bottom border, I stitched back and forth, so

that it almost looks like it has been cross hatched.

On the side borders, I stitched straight lines in only one direction. This just adds

a bit more of interest to the border area.

On to the postcard challenge. I completed numbers #4 and # 5 last week. Here is

what they look like.

The top fabric postcard depicts some barns. I used Inktense Pencils to color the

picture in and then water was added to make the inks more vibrant. The finished

product looks more like a watercolor than anything else.

Here is a fabric postcard of my dad’s boat. The brown areas represent the

sea weed that floats on the ocean. And the blue strip represents the mountains

across the ocean. That choice is complements of Leni Wiener. She uses all

kinds of prints to add a little interest in her pieces. Thought I might try it as well.

And finally, I have another postcard ready for Janet. I sent her one for the

Canada DAy Postcard Exchange and hers was stolen on its way to BC. I guess

I should take that as a good sign that my postcard was a little ok.

Here is the new and improved version, which will make its way to BC, this

time in its own envelope so it can’t be lifted.

Have a great week and enjoy these “dog days” of summer.

A mid summer quilt.

August 6, 2014Leave a comment

This cute quilt was made by Jeanette. She made it for her grand-daughter.

She wanted it to look like a Holly Hobby style quilt and I think that she succeeded.

What a great view of the entire quilt top. Can you imagine piecing all

those tiny pieces? It was definitely a labor of love.

SONY DSC

Can you see how small the pieces are for this block? This is one of

the 2 different blocks that made up the entire quilt.

Here is the second block that makes up the quilt. Again, alot of tiny

pieces sewn together. I don’t think that I have the patience for that much

piecing any more.

Here is a close up of the border section. The blue floral fabric fits nicely with

the rest of the colors of this quilt.

The backing fabric matches the front too. Jeanette wanted a pink polyester

thread for the top and back. It does look nice for a tween bed. Jeanette also

chose a “Daisy” panto for the quilt.

Last week, I managed to complete 2 fabric postcards. I reproduced one that I

had made for Janet, over at whatcomesnext.blog. There was a fabric postcard

challenge for Canada Day. The theme being “maples.” Here is a second one

because the first one was misplaced, stolen or lifted on its way to BC. I guess

I should take that as a compliment, as it was good enough to steal.

Summer has me thinking about flip flops so I made a postcard of flip flops.

One of these days, I will make a quilt depicting flip flops. I love them but I

don’t even own a pair.

The tongs on the right side are a bit smaller than the left but I will say that they

are 2 different sizes of flip flops. It is good to share mistakes that we make, right?

And lastly, I went down to Toronto last week, to the Ripley’s Aquarium. I was

very impressed with the design and layout of the building. There is also so much

for young kids to do-crawl into holes, touch wierd fish and sea animals and

activities for them to participate in. No, I am not being paid to say all this. Then

there is a conveyor belt you stand on and go through a glass tunnel with fish,

sharks, a saw fish, and other marine life swimming all around you. It is totally

freaky when the sharks are swimming right towards you. The hair on the back of

your neck stands up for a little while. It is amazing!!!! I took so many

pictures, it was crazy! Can you tell that I enjoyed it?

This is one of the eels that lives in the huge 20-30 ft high tank. Isn’t the coloring

on him gorgeous? I couldn’t help but take his photo. Maybe I will make a

postcard of him and send to my dad.

Have a great week!

Stitching Impressions

All aspects of longarm quilting

Month: August 2014

Barrie Fair Week

One crazy week…

Lazy days of summer

A mid summer quilt.