Corrected blog site addresses for Show n Tell Day

How annoying!
Some of the links in my post earlier today aren't working!  The other bloggers who have giveaways today are:

Cloth and Paper Studio

Just Let Me Quilt

 Moosestash Quilting

 Quilt in Piece

Seams to Be Sew

The Road Home - Show 'n Tell Day 2016

Welcome to Show 'n Tell day for the Road Home Row Along 2016!  Don't forget to sign up for the two special giveaways - a bundle of fabric from Northcott 


and a book by Barbara Dieges 'A Thread Runs Through It'.  Look to the right of this post and you'll find the Rafflecopter areas to sign up for both of these draws...and you only have Tuesday, October 11, 2016 to win these!!

Well....should I start by complaining about the quilting that didn’t work?  Not very interesting, or inviting to readers, I think! I haven't decided whether to hang this up over the entrance or to use it as a table runner.

I have definitely challenged myself to stretch my skills and I’ll bet that I’ll get better with every project.  I’m working on FMQ (free motion quilting, as they put it these days) and am using Wonderfil Invisifil on top and in the bobbin.  I finally worked out the bugs with my Bernina using this thread, but I’m away from home right now and brought my Singer Quantum to use.  So, of course, I’ve gone ‘back to the drawing board’ to try to get my sewing even and easy.  For those of you who haven’t tried this, I’ve seen the recommendations to use this thread for dense quilting.  I wanted to try it so that my stitching wouldn’t be the most visible thing on my quilt.  I’ve followed a number of suggestions to keep the thread from shredding or breaking:

• Change the needle to a smaller one (on my Bernina, I can use Jeans 70/10 quite nicely or Embroidery 75/11);
•  Loosen the tension;
• Re-thread the machine;
• Avoid putting the thread through the final loop before it goes into the eye of the needle;
•  All attempts in, I’m still having ‘shredding’ thread problems, but I'll keep experimenting!

The block as sewn

The block after colouring with Neocolor ii

The other thing I wanted to try was some ‘colouring’ on some of the blocks with Neocolor ii by Caran d’Ache.  I’ve read a few blog posts on this and how easy it is to use to colour fabric and still keep the colour permanent.  I coloured the rock on block 1 of my row to try to make the red look more ‘rock’ like. 

I used several shades of grey on it, then used a brush and textile medium to blend the colours.  I could have used water as well.  I think it worked ‘okay’, but I should have tried harder in the beginning to find the right fabric.  I can say that using these wax pastels does not make the fabric stiff and the colour is permanent.  I also shaded a few other elements in the row (like the inukshuk).  I'm still not sure about my highway rock cuts and I may end up taking then out and replacing the fabric!

The trees in all the blocks are going to wait until I get home – I seem to have left the bag with the rest of my thread at home.

If you look closely at the quilting, you'll notice that some of the other quilting isn't finished either!

I think I have to go back and thread paint the sunset into the water, don't you?

Thanks for visiting!
Good luck with the giveaways - someone has to win them and the prizes are only available today, Tues. Oct. 11, 2016!  And these aren't the only giveaways for today's Show 'n Tell.  Take a look at these other sites and see their final Road Home projects:

Seams To Be Sew
Quilt in Piece
Just Let Me Quilt
Cloth and Paper Studio
Moosestash Quilting

and, this is where you are right now:  WestEnd Quilter

The Road to Home Row Along - Day 10

Well I was very excited this morning because I was going to have a series of photos to show you how I fixed the first block of my row! 

As you can see, my attempt to sew the red granite and white quartz rocks along the highway did not turn out well!  Not even a bit lifelike.  So I have some painting  in mind that will amend the fabric to a more realistic look.  I want to make it look more like red granite and also I'd like to simulate the drill marks made in the rock when they dynamited it to build the highway north.

 But a trip to the hospital, xrays and an air cast for a fracture in my foot took up too many hours!  Life is!!

However, I have my supplies now:

• Textile medium
• Extra fine fabric markers 
• A waterbrush
• And...my secret ingredient, which you’ll see in the next few days when I get a chance to experiment!

The Road to Home Row Along is almost finished (sigh!).  I hope you’ll tune into www.seamstobesew.com on Oct. 11 to see the list of the bloggers who will be displaying finished projects with their rows!

In the meantime, here is the last set of bloggers who are revealing their rows today:

All Things Sewn at http://allthingzsewn.blogspot.com/

Seams to be Sew at www.seamstobesew.com

Quilt in Piece at http://chittenden.co.za/

Just Let Me Quilt at http://justletmequilt.com

Cloth and Paper Studio at Http://www.clothandpaperstudio.com

Moosestash Quilting at http://moosestashquilting.blogspot.com/

The Road to Home Row Along - Day 9

I had the most exciting week last week with this row along!  Thank you very much to everyone who visited my blog!!!

First of all there were all the nerves in setting up my blog so that everything would work correctly on the reveal of my row – no problem with the row because I had finished putting it and the directions together the week before.  But setting up the code for the giveaways and getting it up on time.  And one of the giveaways didn’t get on correctly, but at least I was able to fix it.  If you’ve never participated in a blogathon or blog hop then, from my experience I can offer some views:

• ·         If you’re the type of quilter who likes to challenge her/him self in trying new projects, then try a blogathon (I had done curved piecing before, but in preparing this row, I really focussed on honing my skills)
• ·         If you’re thinking about setting up a blog, then try a blogathon – it will force you to blog regularly and learn more about presenting images and info.
• ·         If you don’t have a lot of quilters in your area, then try a blogathon – you’ll meet new quilters and be able to discuss your projects with them
• ·         If you’ve run out of projects (this rarely happens with quilters, but you never know!) then try a blogathon – on Facebook you can check this page:  Quilt Blog Hops, Events and other Awesome Quilty Stuff! Or follow Marian at www.seamstobesew.com to learn about different blogathons (or blog hops) Or search Google for ‘blog hops’
• ·         If you’re learning to use EQ7 (like me), then join a blogathon to stretch your skills!

Now I am quilting my row so that it will be a small wall hanging in my front sun porch.  I’ll be showing it on Show ‘n Tell day on October 11, so stay tuned to see mine and other final projects!

Today we have 4 bloggers presenting rows that you’ll want to see!  I know I’ll be using these rows as souvenirs of lovely vacations!

Patchouli Moon Studio  at http://patchouli-moon-studio.blogspot.com

Linda Robertus at http://lindarobertus.blogspot.com/

Elm Street Quilts at http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/

Sarah Quinn featured at http://www.seamstobesew.com

The Road to Home Row Along - Day 9

Thank you very much to Marian (http://www.seamstobesew.com ) and Amy (http://sewincrediblycrazy.blogspot.com/)  for hosting this Row Along and for including me in it!

I designed this row in Electric Quilt 7® (EQ7®)  since I am not a trained (or natural) artist.  Click on the 'Craftsy' button to get the pattern.

EQ7 design - Leave a comment if you would like the EQ file.

 Nowadays my road to home is long and beautiful, because often I am travelling from visits to family and friends in southern Ontario in Canada to the west end of Manitoulin Island (the largest freshwater island in the world!) which is located in the northern section of Lake Huron, west of Sudbury, Ontario and east of Sault, Michigan in the United States.

The Island is home to a number of towns and villages, situated among lakes, farms, logging operations and quarries.  And quilters!  Since we enjoy mostly rural life, most of the families can boast of at least one quilter in the family.  There are two guilds, a club and several quilting ‘bee’ groups on the Island and many, many more quilters who just stay at home and quilt on their own.

After thinking about many ‘roads to home’ in my life, I chose the actual drive I take up Hwy. 400 to Sudbury, west on Hwy. 17 then south on Hwy. 6 from Espanola to Little Current.  After that, I travel Hwy. 540 to the west end of the Island and home.  I visualized this road trip as a movie and decided to design it as a movie or film strip with five blocks illustrating the drive I take.  The quilting (or piecing) challenge I decided to attempt was to improve my curved piecing techniques that I learned from Gourmet Quilter at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mIwp8TZtfU  I have tried this a few times, but I wanted to do it enough that I could do it easily.  I certainly recommend her video tutorial!

Block 1

 This block symbolizes all the rock – granite and quartz, etc... that has been dynamited and pulverized to create the highway to northern Ontario

From Espanola to Manitoulin Island, there is more rock and the windblown trees memorialized by the Group of Seven – amazing Canadian artists.  .  ‘Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay’ by F.H. Varley, in the National Gallery of Art  is just one example of the type of scenery we have in this area

Block 2

I wanted to show a barn quilt even though our barn quilt trail isn’t quite complete yet!  Of course, if I had wanted to feature the wildlife, I would have had to show you whitetail deer, sandhill cranes, Canadian geese, hummingbirds, loons, raccoons, squirrels, coyotes, skunks, weasels, porcupines, as well as all the water life like whitefish, salmon, trout, turtles, etc....

We have miles of rail fences along the roads as well.

Block 3

Indigenous people lived on Manitoulin Island (which means ‘spirit’ island) until decimated by disease brought over by Europeans and then driven out by the Iroquois.  Early in the 1800’s Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi began to move back to the Island. 

Nowadays these villages are vibrant places and each one celebrates and hosts visitors to their powwows and other events (Aundeck Omni Kaning, M’Chigeen, Sheshegwaning, Zhiibaahaasing, Sheguindah & the unceded reserve Wikwemikong).

At the entrance to Aundeck Omni Kaning is a welcome sign and a tipi, so I’ve included a tipi in my block.

North America is called ‘Turtle Island’ by the indigenous people so I had to include a turtle as a symbol.

The medicine wheel is a symbol of life and many aspects of the cycle of life:

· The  east is red and symbolizes Spring, growing, physical care, nutrition

· The south is yellow for warmth, Summer, breath and emotions

· The west is black for Fall, adults, water and spiritual health

· The north is white for Winter, dormancy, education and fire

These are the optional symbols that I have included, but of course there are many other items that could have been included.

Block 4

 I approach my home and in the summer, I can see the beach furniture and toys out on the beach (when the grandchildren visit).  Then there’s lots of activity on the beach and hours of fun.  Without the young people, it’s a pretty quiet place and I’m either working in the yard and beach or quilting! 

Block 5

How could I finish a road to home without a sunset?  I couldn’t.  My friends and I share photos of beautiful sunsets....as do millions around the world, I know.

I hope that you find something of value in the row I have designed!  The challenges involved in designing it have certainly helped me improve my skills with designing appliqué pieces in EQ7®.  This is a great computer program that will enhance the work of every quilt designer!  From designing quilt blocks to colouring the thousands that are included in the program ; to designing quilts, quilt labels, photo quilts and so much more....EQ7® is amazing!  Not to mention the company’s support of their software!  I’ve been using computers since the first personal computers and have never seen the level of support given by the staff at Electric Quilt.  They should all win awards for their efforts!

Thank you for visiting my blog!  Please enter for our giveaways today!

Besides me today, there are 3 other bloggers presenting their rows:

Quilted Fabric Art at 

www.quiltedfabricart.com

Pamela Quilts at pamelaquilts.blogspot.com

QuiltFabrication at 

www.quiltfabrication.blogspot.com

The Road to Home Row Along - Day 8

Well, I'm really 'late to the party' today!  Everybody else doing the Road to Home Row Along has posted and I'm just doing it now.  I just returned from my annual quilt retreat at Red Lodge on the east end of Manitoulin Island.  September is beautiful around here and being at the retreat for a few days is even better.  The food was great, the rooms were great and quilting together with the others just made the retreat wonderful!
On the last evening, we had a 'show n tell' of some of our projects and I'd like to share some of them with you:

Connie's Stars

Melissa's Dear Jane (in progress)

Evelyn shows a quilt that Melissa quilted for her

The Hebert family - their 21st September to meet and quilt!

Melissa's herringbone top

Margaret and Helene worked on Hunter's Star tops

Janice's amazing miniature paper-pieced centre

Melissa's Rainbow

Rose shows the centre of the mystery quilt

The bloggers presenting today are:

Seams to be Sew at www.seamstobesew.com

Batts in the Attic at battsintheattic.blogspot.com

Creatin’ in the Sticks at www.createinthesticks.blogspot.com

Sue Griffiths Featured At Just Let Me Quilt at justletmequilt.com