Happy New Year 2017! Looking Back at 2016.

We had a snowy New Year's Eve for the last day of 2016.  Just outside my condo door there are some windows.  I was nice and warm inside but enjoyed the falling snow.

 Here is a short video I shot thru the windows.

Here is a picture I took on January 1, 2016, very foggy quite a contrast.

 February brought Chinese New Years celebration around our city.

February brought Cherry Blossoms out in full bloom in our courtyard.

Took a class with Susan Teece and made birch trees while everyone else made evergreens.

I also was busy stitching my beginning blocks for Let It Snow mystery with Buttermilk Basin.

 In March I took a quilt as you go class with Marianne Haak.  I still have to join my blocks together.

 I made some Spring pillows for Easter.

Some bigger than others.

 Even though some of the trees were without leaves the tulips and hyacinths were blooming.

 A small basket quilt for the seasons were made in April.

In May I was still working on my circle quilt blocks.  Stopped in July, I need to finish the last part of the year off.

 June smoke from the burning bog across the river.  This lasted for several days.

 I was working on my Sarah Fielke Happy Days applique blocks.

 Baskets for a Gwen Marston Sew Along.  I did three in total.

 I drove to Spokane for a retreat with Mary Lou Weidman.

 Adding some applique to my fish blocks.

 To my bird blocks I designed an applique cage.

 And a tree for my owls to roost on.

 Stopped in at a quilt shop or two along the way home.

 In July I went to Sisters and met up with Anna from Woolie Mammoth blog.

 I also got to meet Stacy West on the right of the photo from Buttermilk Basin.  Robin is on the left, Anna and Lori.

In August I went on a Quilt Shop hop to pick up some row by row patterns and stopped at the Deception Pass bridge for some photos.

 One of my favourite houses in the Mount Vernon area.

 An abandoned old barn.

 I also got to meet Sylvia Pippen and video Anna's interview with her. Her new BOM is gorgeous.

 Anna's dog Enzo rolled his eyes at me as I took this picture.

 September I got my wonky log cabins made for the Mary Lou swap.

 A dear friend Brenda gifted me with an angel made of old quilts from Louisiana.

 October blocks, not sure if I'll make a quilt or pillows with them.

 Colourful trees in my neighbourhood.

 Views from my condo of October sunsets.

 Finished the applique of my cage, plan on adding some borders soon.

 November I made a Sue Spargo needle case.

 December photos from along the quay.  Beauty Berry bush in my friend Rita's garden.

 Strawberries also.

 Snowman pillows, appropriate for all the snow we got this year.

 Christmas trees.

 Finished my Santas just after Christmas.

 Snow crystals on the deck plexiglass.

 Wonky free cut Christmas trees in progress.

 Woolie Baskets from Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Quilts.

 Gwennie Sew Along Twin A

Gwennie Sew Along Twin B

 Windblown Tulips Gwennie Sew Along.

 Let It Snow from Buttermilk Basin with my bottom original border.

 Now to plan what to do in 2017!

Quilt as you go with Marianne Haak; Day Two

I trimmed up my blocks before quilting.  A misstep as Marianne suggests quilting then trimming afterwards.

 I decided to play with possible layouts of my rectangle blocks.

 Rectangles don't go together as nicely as squares.  But I'm liking some of the possibilities.

 It is amazing how many variations you can come up with thank goodness for the photos to help make decisions.

 I'm liking how this is looking.

 Maybe a different orientation, love that odd trimming piece.

 No, I think I like the ripple effect more.

 Maybe if I made two more blocks from those trimmings?

 I did the log cabin flip and sew method with a piece of batting behind.

 At home on Saturday night I layered the blocks, batting and backing pieces and used a fusible spray to keep them all together.

 Second day inspiration from the class.  The blocks on the left are Brian's.

 I think these are Nicole's.

 Marianne did this spiral quilting on the fractured sample.

 Not sure whose these are but they are lovely.  These are 20" blocks.

 Some more colours and shapes.

 Love that golden yellow/orange print.

 Interesting fabrics in different stashes.

 Cathy did this one, love the narrow print that is slashed.

 Luscious hand dyes by Mary's daughter.

 Some creative redoing of a block.

 All my blocks are quilted.  I did a spiral on the top right and a straight line log cabin look on the bottom left.

 Thinking of possible joining strips.

 Walk around the room at the end of day two.  A mix of fractured and non fractured blocks along with some quilted ones.

 Bold graphic prints mixed with solids.

 Soft pastels.

 Bold pastels.

 Multiple fractures on this quilted block.

 I love that black/grey building print.

 A larger sample of the collection.

 Designing some chair pads.  Using applique strips across the block.

 Favourite fabrics with possible joining strips.

 Spiral quilting on all these blocks.

 The blocks on the left were part of the soft petal collection that had some red added.  One of the rainbow children's prints used on the right four blocks.

 A closer look at some of my free form quilting lines.

 I used the same soft aqua top thread on all the blocks.

 The spiral was more free formed than following the presser foot width.

 I'm liking how the colours work against each other.  I sewed two sets of rectangle blocks together to change up the feel of the piece.

 I like how this one turned out.

 Gentle rippling curves.

Now to finish this little gem, time to make some decisions about joining strips.