Welcome blogathon visitors

Welcome to visitors from Sew Sister's Blogathon. It has been an interesting cross country tour. Thanks to all the behind the scenes organizers. I do not have a special post for today. I would invite you to have a look around. I primarily create Community Outreach quilts in a scrappy style. I live in Southampton, on the east coast of Lake Huron. We have held the lake effect snows at bay for a while but I don't think we will be able to do that much longer. Piecefully, Joanne

Treasure Box Quilt

Traceyjay offered this quiltalong a couple of months ago. I actually finished it in time for the linky party. This quilt will be a Project Linus donation quilt for the Kincardine Sunset Quilters Guild. It made a dint in the pink collection but that one seems to keep getting replenished. The guild meeting was this week. Prizes from the quilt show were handed out and all the normal activites took place. The Past Presidents challenge was "issued". It is a crayon colour challenge. We had to reach into a black bag and take a crayon. Then using that colour and its complement we are to come up with a quilt design by the end of April. That should really say a finished quilt by the end of April.
Friday evening and Saturday I went on the local Christmas homes tour with my next door neighbour and her daughter's Mother in Law. We had a great time and saw many beautiful homes that were also beautifully decorated. Kind of puts you in the mood. Christmas is no longer strictly red and green.
The on-line group Canadian Quilters are having a Virtual Retreat today. So I think I will head back to the machine for a little while. Piecefully, Joanne

Blog Hops and Linky parties

Lately there seem to be a plethora of blog hops and linky parties. They can become a sink hole for time or an opportunity to expand your horizons. This week Quiltmaker magazine is hosting a blog hop to publicize their soon to be released magazine. And many bloggers who have had quilt alongs are hosting linky parties for followers to show their results. Following a blog hop can lead you to new bloggers whose style appeals to you, linky parties can show you what others have done with a similar challenge. Sew Sisters, a quilt shop in Toronto is hosting a blog hop of Canadian quilters later this month. Visit their blog for more details.  Piecefully, Joanne

A great day of sewing at the library

Yesterday the Sewcializers had a full day of sewing at the library. I completely finished my tote bag before I came home. Elizabeth was our teacher for the day and she did a terrific job. We had the cutting instructions ahead of time. That was really necessary because it was a full day of sewing. I have been working on the blocks for Traceyjay's Treasure Box quilt along here. Today I finished all the blocks and trimmed them up. I am hoping to get enough time tomorrow to create my layout and perhaps get the rows sewn together.  Piecefully, Joanne

Scrapbag quilters, brown quilts and busy times

It has been a busy quilting week. The show was a tremendous success on all sides. And we had terrific coverage in the local press.
Then Wednesday our Scrapbag Quilters group met. Cathy did the project for us this time and I got a kit with manly browns, greens and some earthy prints. An easy block to put together. Her other kits were great and we will have some wonderful quilts once they have their borders and are quilted.
And finally my brown finish for this month. It all came from stash. The diamond pattern is from Mary's Quilts page. The strings are sewn on rectangles that start at 7" by 10". The big thing to remember is that half the strings must lean to the left and the other half must lean to the right. Then just sew.
Grandsons are visiting for the weekend so that accounts for the busy times. Piecefully, Joanne

Kincardine Sunset Quilters Show today and Saturday

Here are two photos taken after the set up was complete yesterday. The show starts today, Friday and continues tomorrow. I am on duty tomorrow. Join us if you can. Princes Street, Kincardine. Lots of construction, parking available at the former Foodland parking lot. Piecefully, Joanne 

Can Brown be beautiful?

Jeni Baker at In Color Order is running a Block of the Month on her blog this year showing different ways of using Half Square Triangles to make a block. These are the first 10, only two more to go and then I can assemble them. I had these "bonus" HST left from a Bonnie Hunter project and just hope I have enough left for the remaining two months. Dylan liked his quilt enough he wanted to take it to school for show and tell. His Mom convinced him that a picture of him with his quilt would be a better choice.
It is Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend, so Happy Thanksgiving to those who might be celebrating.
I have a quilty week lined up with Kincardine Sunset Quilt Guild Wednesday and hopefully a shop hop Thursday and Friday. Piecefully, Joanne