TOO BUSY!

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!!!

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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!