Completed Selvage Snowman Quilt

So what can I say? He's done. He's huge. He's made of over 700 pieces of selvage. Yes, I am sane. He's my favourite selvage quilt I've made. (So far.) He's my own design. He was free-pieced as I went along.

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I went a little wild with the pictures. It was fun! Click any picture to enlarge. More info on the quilt and that giant snowman in the background are below.

The quilting was done at my local quilt store by long-arm. Thanks Tina! It's a free-style all over stipple done in white thread. Tina (Tina Hanson of Town and Country Quilts, Rothesay, NB) does a great job. On this quilt I think the quilting looks like wind swirling in a snowstorm.
I couldn't believe how the giant snowman's colours coordinated with the quilt!
For an idea of the size of the quilt, here it is on a Queen size mattress. I wasn't planning on making it that big, but people kept giving me selvages to include! (Which was awesome.)
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On the subject, I get a lot of questions about how I get so many selvages to use for my quilts. They aren't all from my own fabrics -- not even close. If I had to rely on only my own selvages I could have maybe made a table runner, but never a queen size quilt. I am so fortunate to have "met" blogland friends who volunteered to send me some selvages, plus local friends and my Mom who gather them for me too. I love the recycling aspect of selvage quilting -- using these bits that would have been discarded otherwise.

Here's a close up of his head. It is fun to carefully choose the placement of selvages. There is one that says "Peas and Carrots" right near his nose.
Close up of the bottom snowball.
The border. I alternated Christmas fabrics between selvages.
The backing is from the Rainbow Garden line by Prints Charming. It is so soft. I love it.
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The dark turquoise and red in the quilt are Kona cottons. The light turquoise is Northcott.

I signed and dated it right on the front on some selvages. The signature is in the lower right of the quilt. It is dated 2010 because all the piecing was done just before Christmas.
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If you are interested, I wrote a tutorial on how to make the selvage snowflakes. The link is on my sidebar.
Just for fun, here's a blooper reel pic. I tell you, our "photo shoots" get more and more hilarious all the time. I am lucky my husband is such a good sport about it. We had to take a dining room chair along with us this time and it was tricky to get it level in the snow. Plus it was slippery with snow on it. The quilt was so huge it had to be clipped to a curtain rod. Plus it was windy! So anyway, believe me there were more out takes than decent photos.
So, about that giant snowman. His name is Gerby 2011. He is 20 feet 11 inches high. He is located in Saint John, NB. (About 20 minutes from where we live) He was made by a single man. Yes, WOW! The creator's name is Chris Brake. You can read an article about the making of the snowman here. It is really cool. After we took the pictures we probably stayed for another hour while the kids played around the snowman and in a big snow fort built beside it. Other people came along and took pics of the snowman too. It was a great outing for a sunny winter Saturday afternoon.
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Happy Quilting!

confession time . . .

This is my safe place, right? No judging? Or at least, I can delete comments I perceive as judgmental. Just kidding!!

I still have Christmas decorations out.

There. I said it. And I don't care! I want the whole world to know!

Well, not really. But I do have my reasons. It's not because I haven't had time or that I'm too lazy. I've had plenty of time, and I'm *not* lazy. I just carry the spirit of Christmas in my heart all year long. And . . .

I
just
like
it.

Here's my Top Ten list of reasons why Christmas remains . . .

10. Removing the wreath from the front door would displace the wren (again).

9. Snowmen, and cardinals are all really winter decorations.

8. Holly, pine cones, and evergreen are also really winter decorations.

7. The colored lights on my front porch make it easier to find at night in the big woods.

6. Like the song says, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

5. My picture of the Last Supper stays hung year-round. Why not the Nativity scene?

4. I'm celebrating Christmas for the entire time it took the wise men to actually get to Bethlehem. And my wise men figurines 'travel' every time the washer/dryer runs. It's funny-- they always end up facing the same direction, next to each other, no matter where they've started from.

3. Deer outside, reindeer inside.

2. Because I can and it makes me smile (and my darling husband tolerates it).

And the number one reason why Christmas is still up here?

1. The Stocking Elves are still visiting!!

You'd still have Christmas up, too!

:)

[And ps -- it's not like my Christmas decorating was over-the-top, I promise!]

My 2010 Quilts and The Story of How I Started Quilting

What a fabulous quilty year 2010 was. But before I show all my 2010 quilts, I thought I should briefly tell the story of how I started quilting. Here goes ...

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Spring, 2009. I am at a yard sale. It is the estate sale of a quilter. There is fabric everywhere. I am looking at the fabric and a lady asks me "Are you a quilter?" I say something along the lines of no, but that I really like to look at all the bright fabric. She says well go ahead and fill a box for $5.00. She brings me a box. I fill it.

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This is about a month before my daughter's second birthday. I decide to make a quilt for her. I am kind of an artsy sort (although a totally-untrained-just-for-fun-artsy-sort) and I had painted a colourful series of paintings for each of my children's rooms. I figure that a quilt will be a nice compliment to the deco. And I have a sewing machine packed away in a closet that was a gift from my mother-in-law. I can try a quilt. Why not? I mean I took Home Ec back in Grade 9 a few eons ago.

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Please don't laugh too much at this next part. I cut a square out of cardboard, probably about 3 inches in size -- of course I don't measure. I trace this square onto the back of the fabric in pen over and over, and cut each square out individually with fingernail scissors. My fingers and thumb hurt. I think of abandoning the idea, but the possibility of a birthday gift is a powerful motivator. I get out the sewing machine. I make nine-patches. There is a lot of frustration. I eventually complete the quilt and even quilt it myself. I am happy to have it finished by her birthday but have no interest in EVER making a quilt again. The quilting was a nightmare. I have no idea how I didn't throw my sewing machine out the window in the process.

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The sewing machine gets put away. But then, horror of horrors, my son wants a quilt too. You Moms understand that of course I have to make him one. I use the same cardboard square again to trace the shape. I piece the quilt together. I don't even bother to try quilting it this time, I just tie it. It gets finished. I don't enjoy it. This is maybe July. To my quilting attempts: Goodbye and Good Riddance.

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Then, about October a bunch of things happen at once. On Facebook I reconnect with a cousin and an acquaintance from high school who both quilt. They have lots of pictures of their quilts online. It is pretty inspiring to see the great stuff they've made. I meet a new Mom friend whose son starts attending preschool with my son. She quilts and is very enthusiastic about it. Also about this time my agent phones to tell me that my first novel has been accepted for publication and I feel a real boost in my creative confidence.

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All this mixes in my mind and I ask for a rotary cutter, cutting board and ruler for Christmas 2009. By January, 2010, I attempt quilting again using proper tools. I read a ton of info online for basic tips. This time it is fun. I almost instantly feel I have found the perfect hobby for me. By March, I start this blog.

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And now, here I am a year later. Blogging has added SO much fun to this hobby for me. Thank you to everyone who has stopped by the blog.

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So anyway, here's what I made in 2010. I completed 13 quilts. All are my own designs.

The Lighthouse Quilt
My favourite block: Red sky at night, Sailor's delight.
Vitali-T!
Princess Castle in progress.

Royal-T: Tess's Princess Castle Quilt

At the KVQG show.

Eli's Log Castle

Attack of the Scraps

Attack of the Scraps and Pretty in Pink

2010 Selvage Sampler

Les Iles Inspired Quilt

Halloween I-Spy Quilt

In use.

Halloween Spidey String Quilt in progress.

Halloween Patchwork Quilt.

Selvage O'Lantern in progress.

Selvage O'Lantern

Pretty in Pink

Selvage Snowman in progress. I don't have a design wall.

Hi there!

Selvage Snowman. He will be a 2011 finish as he isn't quilted yet.

No Rhyme Nor Reason Quilt

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Happy, Happy, Happy 2011!

last one . . .

I've noted this several times already, but it's the last day of the year and bears pondering again. Where did this year GO???! I can hardly believe this is my last entry of 2010. Wow.

I'm not making any new year's resolutions. I am considering making some life changes. There's a subtle difference. More on that later in the coming week.

Last night, I took my poor little Princess Buttercup (my yellow PT Cruiser) in for a *much* needed bath! I did take pictures, but I won't post them. I'm so silly! But she drives so much better when she's clean and sparkly!! Plus, she was driving us through the Galaxy of Lights, and I wanted her to look sharp!

Todd, Jason, Joc & I were going to go to dinner and then through the light show. Unfortunately, Todd's been battling a terrible sinus battle, and he was miserable. But because it was the second-to-last night of the show, it was now or never. So I met Joc & Jason and the three of us ate and headed over to the Botanical Gardens.

We met for dinner early (5ish), and then headed over to the Gardens, so the traffic wasn't too backed up when we got there.

Joc noted as we drove up, that there was an odd lack of "be ready to pay" signage. I joked that it was because it was "free!" We knew it wasn't, but I had a comp card for free entry, so we didn't know how much it was. It blew my mind when we pulled up to the money taker and she asked for $20!! I looked at her with a straight face and said, "You mean it isn't free?" You should have seen her poor face!! I quickly grinned and handed her my little freebie ticket, and the relief on her face was noticeable!

There were lots and LOTS of fun light displays. According to the program you can tune to on your radio as you do the tour, about half the light displays are the same every year. It's a fairly long drive through the Garden -- two and a half miles long, to be exact.

Both the above and below Christmas-y scenes were new this year. Love the Santa in his sleigh!

I couldn't see this one without singing it!

I don't recall seeing the Nativity Scene there before, but Todd said he though it was.

There were lots of singing groups!

This one, of the pumpkin carriage traveling to the palace, has always been a favorite of mine.

Huntsville is, after all, the Rocket City!

Evidently, we're also the "dinosaur city". Who knew?!?

These owls were new this year. Joc, who's fallen in love with owls this year, noted them right away.

Followed by Todd's favorite woodpecker . . .

Then my favorite cardinal . . .

And every one's favorite clown, the blue jay!

What? No wren?? What do these people know, anyway? LOL!

There was a fairly decent trail of cars. At some points we were driving bumper to bumper. I tried to keep it a little more spaced out, as did the guy behind me. That made it very nice!

This was the final shot before heading out of the Garden. When we pulled back out onto the main road, we could see that the line to get in was WAAAAAY backed up! Glad we got there when we did!

It was a nice night. The weather was pleasant and the night was clear, so we were able to open windows (and the sun roof) to take good pictures. One year I'd like to do the walking tour, which they offer at the beginning of the season (it opens in November). I think it would be pretty to walk through all the fun lights and take as long as I wanted to "ooooh" and "aaaaah!"

I really enjoy the Botanical Gardens. I've often thought about getting a membership; now that I have grandbabies, I may look into that -- they do offer grandparent packages. So much for the two adult grandparents and then it includes each of your grandchildren under 18! Pretty nifty!

I have to share this. In all the Kindle advertising and instructional material, it refers over and over to the "reading experience" and wanting readers to "lose themselves in the story" or to "give themselves over to the pages". I was reading in bed this afternoon (a brief foray before I napped, preparing myself for a late night of babysitting). I'm just reading and reading away, when all of a sudden, I realized I'd reached my fingers up to turn the page!! LOL! I'd say I'd definitely lost myself in the story -- way to go, Kindle!!!

Todd was to be on shift tonight, and I'd agreed to spend the evening with my darling cherub. If I couldn't spend the evening with my hubby, Sawyer was my second choice!! Poor Todd - he still wasn't feeling well this morning, so he called in. Now he'll be home alone, but I imagine he'll be tucked in bed shortly after I leave.

As I noted on my facebook page earlier . . . the joys and blessings of this year have far outweighed the trials it's presented. A toast to 2010! You ushered in a precious new grandson and the promise of another. Family and friends blessed us with their love in lavish and wonderful ways! We were commissioned as missionaries -- something I wouldn't have even dreamed possible at the beginning of the year. Our ministry in Camp MACOBA and with the Madison Baptist Association has flourished. We celebrated a special, golden anniversary of my mom & dad. I had lots of quilting firsts, retreats and finishes. We remained relatively unscathed by the sluggish economy. We've watched the marriages of both our children grow strong, blossom and mature. And I spent it in the company of my best friend in the whole world, my darling, selfless, loving husband. Here's to you, 2010!

I do count it all joy!

:)