Clue 8: The Big Reveal… and My Big Pink Feelings

Well, it’s happened. I've finally reached Clue 8 of the Lupine & Laughter Mystery Quilt. The layout has been revealed, and I now officially know what this quilt is going to look like.

Which is wonderful.
And exciting.
And also…in my eyes... very pink.

Now, look—I did this to myself. Nobody forced me to pick pink. Nobody snuck into my sewing room and replaced my neutrals with bubblegum and flamingo tones. No, I boldly declared back in November:

“I’m going to challenge myself this year! I’m going to use pink! It’ll be FUN!”

And now I’m staring at the reveal layout thinking:

“Oh no. I have made a terrible, rosy-tinted mistake.”

Pink Is… a Lot

Pink and I have never been best friends. At best, we nod politely when passing in the fabric aisle. At worst, we pretend the other doesn’t exist. So naturally, I chose this mystery quilt—this bright, joyful, lupine-inspired adventure—to shove myself outside the comfort zone.

And shove I did.

Clue 8 put all the pieces together, and suddenly my design wall looks like it hosted a convention of extroverted flamingos. There are entire blocks shouting PINK! with the enthusiasm of a toddler who’s had too much fruit punch.

Is it pretty?
Absolutely.
Is it my usual aesthetic?
Absolutely not.
Should I have anticipated this when I picked the color palette?
…Let’s not dwell on that.

Trusting the Process (And My Past Self’s Questionable Decisions)

Despite the shock of seeing all that pink organized into an actual quilt design, I’m sticking with the plan. I trusted the process through the previous seven clues of “What is this going to be?”, and I’m trusting it now—even if it means embracing a color that feels, frankly, a little loud for someone who prefers calmer hues.

Because here’s the thing:
Now that the big picture is visible… it is beautiful.
Bold, happy, floral, lively—and yes, pink enough to make a flamingo blush.

And maybe that’s the point. Maybe my fabric choices knew I needed a quilt that would shake me up a bit. Maybe there’s room in my quilting life (and maybe even my actual life?) for a little more brightness.

Moving Forward (Into the Pink Light)

So I’m forging ahead!
Quilting with enthusiasm!
Pretending I’m not questioning Past Me’s sanity!
Accepting that sometimes a creative challenge means letting pink take over your sewing room and possibly your personality.

Stay tuned for assembly updates, wherein I either:

• fall hopelessly in love with this exuberant quilt,
• or become known as “the quilter who bravely survived a pink-themed mystery.”

Either way, Lupine & Laughter has delivered on its name.
The lupines are beautiful—and the laughter is mostly me laughing at myself!

Chasing Lupines, Laughter, and the Elusive Evening Hour

Some evenings—usually when the full-time workday finally releases me from its jaws—I tiptoe into my quilt space for a much-needed battery recharge. It’s my happy place, my sanctuary, my fabric-filled spa (minus the cucumber water, plus a healthy layer of thread trimmings). In there, nothing demands a meeting, and absolutely no one says “quick question?” from behind a cubicle wall.

Lately, I’ve been circling back to Part 4 of Bonnie Hunter’s Lupine and Laughter mystery quilt. I’m working the clues out of order, which feels a bit rebellious—like the quilting equivalent of eating dessert before dinner. I started this clue once already, but now I’m giving it the attention it deserves instead of the “I have ten minutes before I fall asleep sitting up” version.

This also marks my real introduction to the Creative Grids Half Rectangle Trim Tool. I can’t claim any long, complicated past with half-rectangle triangles; we were basically strangers until this week. But as first dates go, this one is going pretty well. After a few trial runs and one moment where I questioned the direction of all my life choices, the units are trimming up beautifully. The ruler has a very reassuring energy, like it’s saying, “Relax, I’ve seen worse angles than whatever you just stitched.”

And because I apparently enjoy chaos with my creativity, I’ve also tiptoed back to a longarm quilting project that’s been quietly aging like fine cheese. I’ll keep that vague, because even I’m still figuring out what Past Me was attempting—but the longarm and I are cautiously rebuilding trust.

These little evening sewing sessions—five minutes, fifteen, whatever I can wrestle away from the day—feel like small victories. Truly, a handful of seams can undo a whole day of meetings and revive my soul faster than any scented candle ever could.

Here’s to lupines, laughter, and squeezing in stitching time whenever life looks the other way!

Clue 7: The Case of the Kitty Ears (and Other Quilty Shenanigans)

This week’s installment of Lupine and Laughter, felt a little less “lupine” and a whole lot more “laughter”—specifically the slightly unhinged, quilter-on-hour-three-of-cutting kind.  I have started the clues each week Bonnie released them, but I am clearly working to my own rhythm on this project when it comes to finishing them. 😉

Clue 7 called to me today, with its cheerful instructions, and right there in the middle of them was the line that struck fear into the heart of every scrap-loving quilter: "trim the seam allowance"

“Trim off the kitty ears?”

Excuse me? Trim them off?
As in… throw them away?
As in… waste them?

Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie. You know us too well. You knew this would cause a stir.

Now, I’m a rule follower when it comes to mystery quilts (mostly—don’t ask about Clue 3). So I dutifully trimmed off those little triangles. 

But as they started piling up beside my machine like a tiny mountain of potential, I could hear the whispers:

“Don’t toss us.”
“We could be something.”
“Surely this quilt needs a coordinating mini-quilt? Or maybe a mug rug? A coaster? A small but mighty cat-sized cape?”

Who am I to ignore the pleas of triangles?

So instead of brushing them into the trash—because we all know that was never going to happen—I started chaining the little cat-ear half-square-triangle pairs together. One after another, like a parade of miniature possibilities, sewing themselves into… well… something.

What something?
Honestly, no idea.

Right now I have a growing chain of teeny tiny HSTs, absolutely adorable, completely unnecessary, and full of chaotic promise. Will they become a border? A pincushion? A tiny emotional-support quilt for when Clue 8 hits? I genuinely do not know.

But I’m sewing them anyway.

Because if quilting has taught me anything, it’s this:

Always save the scraps.  One quilt's scraps could provide another entire quilt (it at least a portion thereof).

So check back next week—or possibly in three months when I rediscover this pile and wonder what past-me was thinking—and we’ll find out together what these tiny triangles evolve into.

Until then, may your seams be straight, your triangles behave, and your scraps inspire only slightly unhinged decisions.

Happy stitching!

Lupine and Laughter: Trusting Bonnie, One Seam at a Time

I am currently working on Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt Lupine and Laughter, which means my sewing room looks like a fabric store had a minor emotional breakdown. There are stacks of units everywhere, scraps multiplying overnight, and at least one pile I’m pretending is organized.

Progress? Yes. Fast? Absolutely not.

This phase of the mystery is what I like to call “faith-based quilting.” You cut a lot. You sew a lot. You press until your iron questions your life choices. And at no point do you fully understand what’s happening—but you trust Bonnie. Because Bonnie always knows. (Even when I am quietly suspicious.)

I have, of course, been peeking at photos from people who’ve already finished. Just a tiny peek. For motivation. Purely scientific research. And WOW. Their finished quilts are gorgeous, dynamic, and proof that my current chaos will someday become something spectacular. Also proof that some people sew much faster than I do, but we won’t dwell on that.

My own progress is best described as “steady with frequent snack breaks.” A few units at a time, a lot of rearranging, and the occasional moment of panic followed by relief when everything lines up exactly as promised. Slowly but surely, the pile of finished pieces is growing—and that is deeply satisfying.

So for now, I’ll keep stitching, keep trusting, and keep laughing at the mystery (and sometimes at myself). Lupine and Laughter is already living up to its name, and I can’t wait to see how all these bits and pieces finally come together.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my sewing machine is calling—and I think my iron needs a break. 😉

🧵💜✂️

Welcome 2026: New Threads, Fresh Starts, and a Year of Making

As the final days of 2025 are behind us and slipping quietly into memory, it’s time to welcome a brand-new year here at Highland Stitches. There’s something especially fitting about a new year for quilters — a clean edge, a fresh layout, and endless possibilities waiting to be pieced together.

The start of 2026 feels like opening a neatly folded stack of fabric: full of potential, colour, and ideas just waiting for the first cut.

Looking Back with Gratitude (and Finished Quilts!)

2025 was a very good year in the sewing room. One of my main goals was to finish more projects than I started, and I’m happy to say that goal was met. More quilts were completed, bound, and enjoyed than were added to the ever-growing list of ideas — a satisfying achievement that brought both clarity and joy.

Each finished quilt tells a story, not just in its fabrics and patterns, but in the time spent piecing, quilting, and bringing it to life. 

Quilting Intentions for 2026

Rather than big resolutions, this year is about thoughtful, steady progress and enjoying the rhythm of quilting:

• More finishes — continuing the momentum from 2025

• Scrap and stash sewing — using what’s already on hand

• Slow stitching — enjoying some time with hand piecing and hand quilting

• Room to experiment — new blocks, layouts, and quilting ideas

The focus remains on finding pleasure in the process, even when seams don’t line up perfectly and plans evolve mid-project.

A Gentle Start to the New Year

Quilting has a way of grounding us — one piece at a time, one seam after another. In 2026, I hope this space continues to celebrate quilts that are made to be used, loved, and shared, not just finished.

Whether you’re quilting every day or stealing moments when you can, you’re always welcome here.

Here’s to 2026

May your seams be straight enough, your bobbin never run out at the worst moment, and your quilts bring warmth and comfort wherever they land. Thank you for beginning another year with Highland Stitches. I’m looking forward to all the quilts — finished and in-progress — that 2026 will bring.

Happy New Year and happy quilting ✨🧵

My First Quilt Show – Four Quilts, White Gloves, and a Runner-Up Ribbon!

This year, I did something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time—I entered my very first quilt show. Not just one quilt, but four of them. The show was hosted by the wonderful Almonte Quilters Guild, and while it wasn’t a juried show, it was filled with some of the most creative, skillful, and inspiring quilts I’ve ever seen.

Taking the Leap

Every year, other fairs or quilt shows come and go and I’d tell myself “Maybe next year I’ll enter something.” This year, I finally stopped saying maybe and said yes.

Choosing four quilts to enter felt both thrilling and slightly nerve-wracking. None of them were perfect (is any quilt ever?), but each one told part of my story—explorations of new techniques, experiments with bold colors, and those beloved “just-for-fun” pieces that somehow become favorites.

A Community Event

One of the things that makes the Almonte show so special is that it’s not juried—every quilt entered is welcomed and displayed with equal pride. That spirit of inclusion and encouragement made it the perfect place to show my work for the first time.

Throughout the weekend, hundreds of visitors passed through the show. I had the chance to be part of it not just as an exhibitor, but as a volunteer, helping out with white glove duty. For those who don’t know, that means standing ready—literally wearing white gloves—to help guests get a closer look at the quilts without touching them directly. It was a joy to chat with attendees, answer questions, and witness firsthand how much people appreciated the artistry and effort on display.

An Unexpected Honour

When the votes were tallied for the Viewers Choice Awards, I was stunned to hear that one of my quilts had been selected as Runner-Up. Knowing that visitors had taken the time to vote for my "Bears in the One-Block Wonder" —and that so many connected with my quilt—was a complete and joyful surprise!  It’s a feeling I’ll carry with me for a long time

The winner was a beautiful quilt by a wonderful woman I've known for years.

What I Took Away

This first quilt show experience gave me more than I expected:

💪 Confidence. Taking the leap to show my work taught me that you don’t have to be “perfect” to participate.

🤝 Connection. From fellow quilters to curious visitors, every interaction reminded me how meaningful this craft can be.

🧵 Community. Whether you’re exhibiting, volunteering, or just attending, quilt shows are a celebration of shared creativity and love for the art.

Looking Forward

I’m already dreaming up ideas for the next show. New patterns, new colors, maybe even a new technique or two. I’m so grateful to the Almonte Quilters Guild for hosting such a welcoming, inspiring show—and to everyone who came, voted, and supported local quilting.

To anyone who’s thinking about entering a show: do it. You don’t need to be a master. You just need to be willing to share what you’ve made. You never know who you might inspire—or how deeply you’ll be inspired in return.

Finding Time and Finding your Happy Place

 I have been struggling to find time to quilt.  With a full time job and a home that I share with my husband and two dogs to take care of, it's a challenge.

Making it even more difficult was sharing a space.  We originally wanted to have each of us, my husband and I, work on our hobbies together.  What we discovered is he loves to watch movies and play video games as a hobby, but he likes a darkened room for that.  Quilting does not exactly work well in the dark.  We agreed to divide and conquer, so I moved my sewing machine and main table to my daughter's former bedroom where the long arm is (the one withe the quilt on it that's been there for a year).  

Suddenly, I found myself in a room filled with light. I hung one of my quilts, I'm thinking of a design wall for the first time.  The room is taking on a warmth it did not have before.  Now, I find myself wanting to quilt everyday! 

The transition is incomplete as I need to move some of the last of my daughter's bedroom furniture out and I still need to bring my fabric stash over from the old location.  It is a work in progress and I still have ideas and thoughts about changes I would like to make.  For now, I want to focus on getting back to my new-to-me happy place.

Have you ever made changes or have ideas of what 

Happy New Year and what's next for this Blog

I seem to go it starts and stops when it comes to this blog.  The new year has given me the chance to see a time when I will have less volunteering and more time to focus on my own creative pursuits.  

Why Re-energize this Quilting blog Now?

I think many of us are craving something real. In a world where so much happens on a screen, quilting lets you slow down, work with your hands, and create something tangible. Plus, it’s sustainable. Using scraps and upcycling old fabric feels good when you’re trying to live a little greener.

Then there’s the community aspect. Social media has turned quilting into a global phenomenon. With hashtags like #Quilting and #QuiltLove, you can find inspiration and connect with other quilters from all over the world. It’s like being part of this big, colorful club where everyone’s cheering each other on.

My Quilting Journey

I didn’t set out to become a quilter. It kind of happened by accident. My first quilt? Let’s just say it wasn’t winning any awards—crooked seams and all. But I loved it. Each quilt I make tells its own little story: a baby blanket for my daughter, a photo memory quilt for my elders, a cozy throw for my couch on chilly nights. Quilting has become this beautiful way for me to express myself and connect with others.

One of the best parts? The people I’ve met along the way. Quilters are some of the kindest, most generous folks you’ll ever meet. Whether it’s at a local guild meeting, a quilt show, or just swapping tips online, there’s a real sense of community. It’s like we’re all part of this big, creative family.

The Future of My Quilting Blog

I’ve been thinking a lot about where to take this blog as quilting keeps growing and changing. There’s so much I want to share with you—not just about quilting techniques or patterns (though don’t worry, there will be plenty of that), but about the stories behind the quilts. Who made them? What inspired them? What do they mean to the people who use them?

I also want this space to be a hub for connection. Maybe that means hosting virtual quilt-alongs where we all work on the same pattern together or spotlighting quilters who are doing amazing things. I’m even toying with the idea of starting a podcast—imagine sitting down with a cup of tea and listening to quilters share their stories and tips.

And of course, I want to keep exploring how quilting fits into our modern lives. How can we use it to be more sustainable? How do we pass this craft on to the next generation? These are the kinds of conversations I’m excited to have with you.

Let’s Stitch This Together

Quilting has given me so much—a creative outlet, a way to connect with others, and a whole lot of joy. I hope this blog can be a place where you find all that and more. Whether you’re a seasoned quilter or someone who’s just curious about giving it a try, there’s room for you here. Let’s keep stitching, sharing, and celebrating this amazing craft together. I can’t wait to see what we create.

A Change of Pace

Sometimes, when I get behind on a Mystery project, such as Bonnie Hunter's Indigo Way, I find myself getting discouraged.  I know it is not some kind of race, but I have a tendency to be hard on myself for not keeping up.  This year, we've had some health challenges in the family and we've had to support our family with our time much more so than usual.

I decided, rather than getting discouraged on Indigo Way, I would switch gears to one of my UFO's to make some progress on that front.  My first One Block Wonder allowed me time to sew with my Featherweight - always a fun experience - and the larger pieces allowed me to see progress much faster.  I was able to get all of the hexagons assembled and now I just need to applique it to the center panel

I do have a question about covering the bear's buttocks on the left side of the panel.  My quilting besties suggested I pin it and let it stay on the wall until I felt confident one way or the other.  I have made a decision, but I'll share more on that another day.

Do you know what else happened?

I got my mojo back for Indigo Way!  Sometimes a change of pace is exactly what we need to get our quilting juices flowing again.

What do you do to get yourself back on track with your quilting?

Tip: 4 at a time Half-square base triangles

As part of the Bonnie Hunter mystery experience, I meet with a group of ladies who share tips and tricks to make assembly of these wonderful quilts a little faster.  This is not to say Bonnie's instructions are not fantastic, because they are.  I tend to do her mystery quilts with yardage as I have not convinced myself I have a large enough stash to go scrappy.  When you use yardage, these tricks can make assembly much faster.

When we first looked at Clue 4, we need half of the block to be half square triangles cut in half, or so I thought.  The challenge is half your triangles are dark on the right and light on the left and the other half is vice versa. 

My friends came to my rescue with a new way to tackle this.  Take the light square, draw the usual diagonals.  Pair it up with the other fabric needed, right sides together, then sew two seams with a jog in the middle. 

Cut apart on the two diagonals.

Press your seams and you're ready to move on.

My quilting friends never fail to amaze me with the tricks they share.  The journey for Indigo Way continues.

What happened now?

WARNING:  There are images and descriptions that some viewers may find disturbing.  Please feel free to pass this entry if you are easily made queasy.

About one year ago, a member of our guild was working on a Bonnie Hunter mystery when she accidentally sliced her finger with her rotary cutter.  She had a nightmare recovery, but she is back quilting prolifically today.

You can see where this is going...

Just after Christmas, as I was working on a Bonnie Hunter mystery and trimming blocks with a brand new ergonomic rotary cutter I had received days earlier.

My non-dominant (left) index finger wandered off the edge of the ruler as I was slicing.  I headed up the edge of the ruler and right into my finger.  At the time, it didn't hurt, but I immediately realized I'd done something foolish.  I ran to my washroom with a concerned husband following close behind.  After bleeding through two bunches of gauze, I told him I needed to go to the hospital to have it looked at.

After a 5+ hour wait in the local emergency room, a wonderful emergency doctor came in to check out what I had done.  It was just my luck that not one, but two, ambulances had come in with victims of car accidents.  When it was my turn, I was fortunate to be immediately seen by the doctor.  He first numbed the finger and THAT was the worst part of the whole experience.  Once frozen, he had me sit in front of a sink and run the finger under water that was between lukewarm and slightly cook for 5-10 minutes.  This is KEY.  If you ever cut yourself with a rotary cutter, and I certainly hope you do NOT, those blades have an oil coating and fibers from the cloth we cut.  Flushing out the wound is key to having a chance of healing well.  He got out his suture kit, I joked about "I'll be the judge of your stitching skills sir" and he proceeded to put me back together with 5 stitches and a splint to stabilize the finger for a week.

Immediately after the stitches were completed in the hospital

For those who are curious, NO, I did not bleed on any of the fabric.

Here's what it looked like after a week when the stitches were taken out.  Another week and I was panicky as the seam was opening up.  In reality it was only the top layer or two that died off, the stitches had done their job to hold the deeper cut together.

 

Here it is now!

You can see where I had hit my fingernail, though it has start to grow out since this happened. I do have some nerve damage on the side of the my finger, but the tip is not too bad.  I am very, very lucky and grateful for the medical services I received.

Needless to say, when I shared this with my quilting friends, there was a run on ordering gloves to protect hands while working with rotary cutters.  Whether you use a protective glove or not, please remember that quilting is not supposed to be a blood sport.  Use caution and know when to stop of you are tired or feeling at all unwell.  Don't follow my lead on this on, please!

Welcome 2024 and first completed Quilt of the New Year!

Here we are at the start of another journey around the sun.  This past year was not what I expected.  I had thought, "No new projects", going into the start of 2023.  I guess we need to consider that goal a fail, given I added 5, no 6 new projects this year - but is that really a "fail", or just a commitment to the joy of quilting?  I've updated my UFO tracker, if you are curious.  You can find it here:  UFO tracker

Even though we are only 4 days into the new year, I already have my first quilt completion.  I tried on New Year's Eve to make this a completion for 2023, but at 11:59 I put the quilt and my needle down and conceded that I was not going to get the binding completed.  Last night, I finished the binding and the labelling of "Summer Swag".  This quilt was based on a workshop our guild held with Krista Moser.  One of the great things from the COVID pandemic was the chance for guilds to engage virtual speakers and teachers from far away for their meetings and workshops.  We had Krista come and do both - speak and lead a workshop.  I can't say how much I enjoyed her energy and positivity.

My husband came with me to select the fabrics for this quilt and it was my first time using a paper pantograph with my longarm.  I don't know if it was the pantograph pattern that was selected, or my inexperience with the longarm, but it was not my favourite way to quilt.  The next one will be a custom quilt job, to be sure!

Here is the end result, and I'm quite proud of it.

So, here's to 2024, and striving for a low cost, high completion, fewer UFOs year.  I've also set myself a target to get more engaged with this blog and hope to capture my quilting journey as I progress forward.

Time passes but the quilt projects keep growing

It has been too long since I last wrote.  I've struggled to find the time to quilt and to blog and recently started to get back to quilting.  I've got new projects that have helped to reinspire my desire to quilt.  I think all quilters go through these cycles of passion for this craft and feeling the minutes and hours of life being consumed by the mundane, the necessary, and the distracting.

So let's chat about what's re-ignited my passion for quilting.  Our guild is blessed to have a wonderful quilt designer in our ranks.  She has generously created a design for all of us with a clue a month through our season. Unlike a mystery quilt, we know what the end result will be.

When I get these opportunities to support a fellow quilter, I take the chance to push my comfort zone and try something new.  In this case, I need three colours plus a background.  She showed both a light, white on white, background and a darker background.  I decide to approach things differently.   I decided to flip that on it's head.  I have a colourful background fabric and tone on tone's for the foreground fabrics.  I have no idea if this will work, but I take projects like this as an opportunity to try new things.  Like all projects, I took both a colour and a black & white photo of the fabrics to ensure I had a range of tones.   What do you think? (Note: one of these fabrics did NOT make the cut.Can you guess which one?

 

The next project is a One Block Wonder quilt.  It is the first one I've ever done.  Again, experiment time, I have a panel that is part of the Northcott "Northern Peaks" line as my centerpiece, but the actual OBW is being built from the coordinating fabric line.  This was a workshop held in person by our guild.  We were all amazed at the diversity of choices everyone had made.  Like the previous experiment, we'll see how this goes with great anticipation.

Finally, Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery has started and of course, I joined in once again.  This time, having just finished a blue, red, and white quilt, Ai wanted a change of colour scheme.  Brown and gold, here I come.

There is a fourth project I started this fall too, but I'll leave that for the next post.  

Needless to say, I'm surrounded by fabric these days and feeling such joy at the potential this fabric represents.  I'll have a big update for my UFO list but 2024 will be an epic year as I work to complete all of these projects.  I hope you will join me along the way.

Chilhowie is pieced

I think I need to admit that I'm a Bonnie Hunter enthusiast who has started several of the annual Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilts, but if truth be told, I've only ever finished one - Frolic.

Today, I took a big step forward and worked on piecing the 2022-2023 mystery, "Chilhowie"

I had to start with finishing the assembly of the border strips.  I have a love/hate relationship with pieced borders.  It can feel like a never ending effort but at the same time, it produces an epic result.

Once I had the top fully assembled, it was time to snap a picture.  It was breezy outside but the sun was shining, so I wrestled to hang the quilt on my clothesline.  The wind was so gusty that I had to lie on the ground to take any picture and the quilt was never fully flat when I snapped the picture.  Still, the quilt top looked like stain glass against the sun.

I brought the quilt top back indoors and laid it out on my floor to snap a shot.  Not as bright, but here it is.

Thank you, Bonnie, for a wonderful challenge and learning experience.  I still have to quilt this beauty, but getting this far feels like such an accomplishment.

Now, which of the Quiltville mysteries to tackle finishing next?

Happy New Quilt Year - 2023

 It is that time again when we can refresh our UFO lists (I've done mine on another tab of this website), and get inspired to spend more quality time indoors working on our projects.

I was fortunate to spend New Year's Eve with some fellow guild members and did a 12-hour Virtual Sew Day!  What a wonderful way to spend the day!  I've been busy working on my Bonnie Hunter Chilhowie mystery, and finishing off a Quilt of Valour project that will be going to a veteran at the end of this week!

How about you?  Is your New Year off to a good start?  Are you considering doing the Declutter challenge by Karen Brown of "Just Get It Done quilts" or are you like me and still in the depths of the annual Bonnie Hunter mystery?  Even if you don't mark the new year in a special "quilty" way, I hope you'll join me along the journey as this year I plan on blogging more than in past years and sharing my experience and journey with all of you.

Of course I need a new project!

 It's the most wonderful time of the year - Bonnie Hunter's Annual Mystery.  This year's mystery, Chilhowie, will be another epic project and while I certainly don't NEED, a new project, this is a project just for me that I wanted to undertake.

Unfortunately for me, Bonnie wanted to use orange as her primary colour, with this photo being one of the sources of her inspiration.  These irises are beautiful, but there was something about orange being a dominant colour.  If you want to see her introduction to Chilhowie, you can find it here:  Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville - Chilhowie Mystery

My Bonnie Hunter mystery started last year and utilized the colour orange and my local guild mystery quilt also contained orange.  I wanted something OTHER than orange as my dominant colour!

I took the advice of a great friend to look in my local quilt shop (If I must, oh darn) for a multicoloured fabric that I found inspiring and draw my colours from that.

I found this fabric line from Northcott - Modern Love by Deborah Edwards.  It was carma!  Deborah had come to speak at our guild last season.

No ORANGE!  There was something positive and beautiful that spoke to me.  I then went to my new favourite fabric line, also by Northcott - Chroma.  You can see the full line here:  Northcott Chroma

All of my colours came from this line and were drawn from the inspiration fabric:

Each week I'll get the fun of working with these beautiful fabrics!  I can't wait.

Quilt Guild Inspiration

This week I had the pleasure of attending not one, but two, quilt guild meetings.  

The first group had Kellie of Silly Moon Quilting Co.  If you have not seen the Silly Moon quilting rulers, you are missing out on a wonderful set of tools.  I personally own two of her rules already and after her presentation, I'll be looking for more.

Anyone who has a ruler named "Turkey", is good in my books (and yes, I own a Turkey ruler of my own)

The second group had Joen Wolfrom as their guest speaker.  That name didn't ring a bell for me until I realized this is the lady who created the Ultimate 3-in-1 Color Tool.  I've had her Color Tool on my wish list for a couple of years now and it was fascinating to hear her speak.

Her talk was both beautiful and inspiring.  My whole understanding of colour shifted slightly as I grew up with the red-yellow-blue primary colour set, but she helped me understand I should be using Yellow-Cyan-Magenta.  It is a subtle shift but it changes everything.

Quilt guilds are a great source of inspiration and I encourage you to consider getting involved in one or more, like me!

Franken-backing

Have you ever finished creating the top of your quilt, only to realize you don't have enough fabric for a single backing piece?  That's the time to embrace the inner Franken-backing creator inside of you.

The civilized term for a Franken-backing is a Pieced Backing.  It is an accidental opportunity to create a secondary work of art.  I lay out my scraps and look at them like a jigsaw puzzle.  How do I combine these to make enough fabric to equal the size of backing I need?

It takes a bit of time, but once you put the jigsaw together, you end up with a thrifty work of likely modern art!  What a great way to use leftover fabric and have a one-of-a-kind backing for your quilt.

Now I'm off to load the long-arm!

Perfect is the enemy of Good

 The saying "Perfect is the enemy of Good" is something that comes into play with my quilting.  

I took a moment to look up the origin of that saying, which is attributed to Voltaire.  I've also found references like, Robert Watson-Watt talking about a "cult of the imperfect", in which he stated, "Give them the third best to go on with; the second best comes too late, the best never comes".  Even Shakespeare had a thought on this, with King Lear's Duke of Albany, warns of "striving to better, oft we mar what's well" and in Sonnet 103:

Were it not sinful then, striving to mend,

To mar the subject that before was well?

This weekend, I was in a virtual Sew-Day with the Quilt Guild I am a member of and I realized I was sitting there agonizing over a border for a mystery quilt that did not have perfect points.  Should I rip it all apart?  Would I be any better off if I did?  How much time would that consume?  I decided to ask for a little perspective from my quilting family.  

It was they who said that unless I was seeking a competition-level quilt, leave the borders and send the quilt on its way to be quilted.  Take the lessons I learned from piecing it together and recall the memories of working through the clues and change it from an object of frustration to a piece of imperfect art that someone in my life would thoroughly appreciate.

What do you think? PS - this was also my triad colour quilt - Green, Orange and Purple.  Using a triad is supposed to allow the quilt to look extra vibrant. 

I give this one piece of advice freely - if in doubt, seek a second opinion from your quilting family!

Just keep quilting, just keep quilting

Do you ever find life so busy that you actually have dust accumulating on your quilting projects?  Sadly, that is the state I am in.  I work full-time and I volunteer for multiple organizations and I found myself lacking the time to do the thing that always makes me feel in tune with my creative self.

So, starting today, I'm planning on a few things to help me prioritize my quilting time.  One of those is my 20 minutes per blog post.  This blog is something that has suffered from lack of attention too.  No quilting = no content to write about.  

I have found that my Blogger app is great to use on my phone.  It is easy to snap a picture of what I'm going to be working on and add it right in.  

That's one of the ways to build habits that add value to your life.  Take something you struggle to do and allow a few minutes to focus in on it, in this case, today's blog post.  Reward yourself with something you love to do, in my situation that would be time with my quilting projects.  Finally, add a time limit to the whole thing so it doesn't overwhelm you.  I'm shooting for 30 minutes.  If after 30 minutes I'm having fun and nothing else is pressing, then keep on quilting.  At least this way, if all you do is 30 minutes, that starts to build forward momentum.  I don't want to look back at the end of a week and say I just let dust accumulate on my quilting projects.  With multiple 30 minutes blocks, there is no doubt great progress will be made.

So what will I spend the rest of my 30 minutes today on?  A dancing date with my longarm, trying to practice my feathers.  

How about you?  How do you find time and motivation for your quilting?