We’re not as young as we used to be...........

I’ve been absent from the blog for the past week. We’ve been doing grand parent stuff. Our grand daughter Abrielle's baby sitter was off on vacation last week, so we looked after her for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Then Saturday, there was a wedding, so we had her then too. Added to that, we also had our grandson Avery Saturday evening and Sunday until about 5. And that’s how we found out that we’re not as young as we used to be. There is a reason why people have their kids when they are young.....
So, there wasn’t a lot of sewing or quilting or stitching done in the last part of the week. I have a bit more progress on Leo’s Mane. I’m testing the blocks to make sure that they work, before publishing them publicly. The pieces on the star needed a bit of adjusting. The first attempt, the bottom one, was a bit full and ended up with a “c-cup” in the middle. The adjusted one worked much better. (grin) I’m ready to attach one of the octagon borders to the main part of the quilt. However, I’m not sure if I should go ahead with that, or just continue making blocks. I have the last border block to test out yet, and then I can get started on writing the instructions. Have I mentioned that I’m totally enjoying this project, even with the occasional “whoops”?
I’m linking up to Design Wall Monday, and then it’s back to more out doors time stitching away.

Slow Sunday Stitching

I have the first border for Leo’s Mane finished and sewn in place. I’m loving it! As it stands now, it measures 20 inches square.



Our guild had a mid-summer sewing day yesterday, and I had plans on finishing up a machine pieced quilt. Everything was together and ready in my suitcase where I keep my sewing machine for travelling, or so I thought. I got there only to find out that I had no power cord. So much for machine sewing. Thankfully, at the last moment, I impulsively grabbed Leo. So I got to spend the whole day working on him.  I cut and basted a whole pile of parts for the next border, which is made up of octagons and squares and partial octagons.



I had time to get a bunch sewn together, as well. This is what they look like, up against the main body.



While at the sewing day, I got the chance to consult with other quilters about exactly how the sew along for this project should work, so I can give some more information about it here. I will do a specialized post about it too. I will be giving the fabric requirements and introductory information on August 15th. After that, instructions will come out on the 1st and 15th of each month. There are six sections to this quilt, the centre medallion and five different borders. I will include a colouring page of the entire quilt for those who like to play with those in order to figure out their colours. At the beginning of each section, I’ll email out the pdf’s for the paper shapes, as well as the number of each shape needed to make the section. If you don’t want to cut your own papers, there will be a kit available for purchase on our website. I will need your email address in order to be able to sign you up for the mailings of the pdf’s. Please email me at eagleswingsquilts@icloud.com to sign up, or leave a comment on this post, as long as I can reach you from your comment.
This is going to be so much fun!
I’m linking up with Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching, Amanda Jean’s Monday Making and Design Wall Monday.

Leo’s Mane, first border

I have all the pieces sewn together into the borders, and two borders sewn onto the medallion centre. I love the way it looks!! The last two of this first border should be on by the end of the week. Then I can begin the process of assembling the pieces for the second border.
It’s too nice of a day to spend indoors, working on the computer, so I’m going to link up to Lorna’s Let’s Bee Social and to The Needles and Thread Network, and then I’m headed back outside for more warm temperatures and more hand stitching.

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Slow Sunday Stitching....

I’ve put aside all other hand stitching projects to focus on Leo’s Mane. I have decided to offer it as a  sew along here on the blog. But, in order to do that, I have to make sure that the blocks I have decided to use in the borders actually work, so that is my focus.
I have two sides of the first English Paper Pieced border done, and it is working quite well.


So, this is the current plan for the project, providing all goes well with the individual blocks. Pictured below is the proposed finished quilt. It is all English Paper Pieced.
 I will seriously start taking sign ups for it in August, but if you want to sign up now, by all means go ahead! I’ll need email addresses, since I will need to send out pdf’s of the paper shapes, for those who wish to cut their own. I will have a kit of papers available for those who wish to save the time and get right to sewing, available to purchase.

 I will post fabric requirements also in August, and the start posting the instructions in September. I will focus on the instructions for the blocks, but will not be doing actual EPPing instructions. There are tons of those already available in various places. I will search out some links and make them available.
So, what do you think? Anyone interested in sewing along? Email me at eagleswingsquilts@icloud.com or leave a comment on the blog. Make sure you are not a no-reply blogger, so that I have a way to get in touch with you.
I’m linking up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching and Design Wall Monday.
For the rest of the day, I’ll be spending it here, stitching on Leo..... who is named, by the way, for the constellation. Later this afternoon I’ll be joining a small group of ladies from the guild who are going to be sewing in public at the Home County Folk Festival. The festival has a tent/pavillion set up for different artistic organizations in the area to demonstrate who they are and what they do. They invited the guild to participate. So, along with stitching, we’re taking information about the guild, who we are and what we do. I’m hoping the weather will cooperate and that we’ll have a good time.

What I’m working on....

I thought it was finished. I decided it was finished. I even posted on Sunday that Leo’s Mane was finished. But then, the more I looked at it, the more I liked it, and thought that it was a shame not to do something more with it. So, I spent a few happy hours last night playing in Electric quilt, getting some ideas. It is going to grow a bit more, and become the centre of an English Paper Pieced medallion quilt. Here’s what it looks like now.
This is what it will look like after the next round is put on. Does anyone want to make this along with me? I can provide the pdf’s for the paper shapes, if you want to do a sew along. Alternately, if there is interest, I’ll do up a sew along section for the website, if you want to purchase them already cut. There are 4 more borders for this, on top of the one I’ve shown here.  Either way, leave me a comment, and make sure to leave me your email, in case your settings are for no-reply.
I’m linking up to Lorna’s Let’s Bee Social and Esther’s WOW Wednesday and also the Needle and Thread Network and Crazy Mom’s Finish it Friday for a finish that  turned into a not finished.

Slow Sunday Stitching

One of my slow projects, Leo’s Mane, is finished, the hand stitching part, at least. I think I’ll be putting a border on it probably out of the same fabric as the half diamonds around the edge.



I’ll be doing up a pattern for this project in the next month or two. I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to start next. I’ve just recently discovered the designs by Nancy Cabot, first published back in the 1920’s in the Chicago Tribune. A lot of them are very complex and would be perfect for the English Paper Piecing technique. Castor and Pollux was one of Nancy Cabot’s designs.
In the meantime, while I’m looking around and playing in the Electric Quilt software, I’m continuing to work on the half hexagons. This is a picture of what I have so far. I’m not sure of the layout here, but I have lots of time to play around and decide what I want to do.



There’s been a lot happening here this past week. I’m going to do a bit of “shameless self promotion” as my good friend Gail calls it. Our website http://eagleswingsquilts.ca launched on Wednesday, and we are now officially in business selling English Paper Piecing supplies, as well as some of my patterns. We are in Canada, so our prices are all in Canadian dollars, and we ship from inside Canada. When I first started this English Paper Piecing journey with La Passacaglia, I purchased from the States and was blown away by the added cost of the exchange on the dollar and by the cost of the shipping from there to Canada. There were actually four of us doing the project at the same time, and we all had the same reaction. We started thinking that someone should really do this in Canada. That was 2 1/2 years ago, and it never occurred to me at the time that the “someone” would be us. However, we don’t only sell to Canada. We can sell to the States, and the differences in our dollars can act in their benefit. I think it’s something like our dollar is the same as .70 cents in theirs.
There, “shameless self promotion” finished.
I’m going to link to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching, and then get back to more relaxing hand stitching out in the glorious sunshine. Of course, I’m going to check out what the others in the link list are up to, as well.

Our Canadian English Paper Piecing Website is launched!!

Eagles Wings Quilts is now in business, selling English Paper Piecing supplies to the Canadian market. We can also sell and ship to the American market. And the bonus for all the Americans is the difference in our dollars. All our prices are in Canadian dollars, and since our dollar is only worth about .75 cents US, it’s a big saving for them. This is so exciting!!! We launched this morning. There is a link to the website at the top of the right hand side bar.

Castor and Pollux is now a finished pattern. The supplies for it are available on the website.



In the meantime, I have been working on my other English Paper Piecing projects. I’m putting a rush on to get Leo’s Mane finished. It is all sewn together, and at the stage of putting the half diamonds around the outer edge to finish it.



A few more hours sitting in the glorious summer weather outside should finish it.  There will be a pattern to go with this, and the supplies for it will be available on the website. What an exciting thing to be able to say!! It make me want to run in circles and do a happy dance all at the same time. (giggle)
I’m linking up to Lorna’s Let’s Bee Social, the Canadian Needle and Thread Network and Esther’s Works in Progress Wednesday and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it Friday.

Slow Sunday Stitching

I’m making great progress on the two hand stitching projects I’ve got going. My design Leo’s Mane will be finished soon. It’s even further on in progress than shown here, but I don’t have an up to date picture of it.
And then, I’ve done a few more of the large hexagons for the strippy braid project I’ve got going using 2 1/4 inch half hexagons.
These things sew up fast! I can do a couple of the large hexagons in an evening.
So, this is going to be a very short and to the point post, because, after I link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching, I want to hurry up and do more stitching!