Spring in Nova Scotia

It was another beautiful spring day here in Nova Scotia. I spent the morning in Dartmouth, the afternoon in Bridgewater and the evening in Brooklyn (near Windsor). Not looking forward to the cooler temperatures home at the end of the week.

I hope your projects for Mother's Day are well underway.

To my non-facebook friends, here are a few links I found from Facebook Posts:

• 14 Quick-Sew Gifts for any Occasion  
• Sewing Instructions for Quick (and less quick) Fabric Baskets 
• Embroidery Tutorials 
• Bernina Zippered Rulerwork Bags 
• Round Robin Collection - Free Quilt Patterns 

Crossing the McKay Bridge after lunch, I managed to take this photo of a very large container ship heading into Halifax Harbour.

    

Baby it's Cold Outside

Happy Valentine's Day!!
I hope you have a good one.

Here's a pattern that I found yesterday. The Winter Olympics are half over so I figured I should post this now to give you the chance to get your free pattern.

The Red Boot Quilt Company is holding a  2014 Winter Olympics Polar Bear Quilt-a-Long. Their pattern, Baby It's Cold Outside, will be free to download just during the Olympics, so get yours today. After February 24, you will have to pay for it. Check out the other patterns listed there too.

I saw this one on Facebook and thought some of you might like to get it.

Enjoy!

More Stuff for Valentine's Day

Here's a few more Valentine's Day ideas:

Valentine Hearts Wall Art
Valentine Heart Block
Hearts and Valentines 2014 (free patterns)
Free Valentine Quilt Patterns
Free Valentine Sewing Projects

Previous Valentine's Day Projects and Mug Rugs

Newfoundland Pony

Sunday, I took a trip around the bay and spied this little fella, a Newfoundland Pony, in Crocker's Cove, Trinity Bay. He was very friendly and came close to say hello! He got a pat on the head and his picture taken. This breed of pony, originating in Newfoundland, are hard workers and easy to maintain. Its ancestors are from the British Isles and adapted well to the Newfoundland climate. At the moment the population numbers less than 400 and are now considered endangered by Rare Breeds Canada. If you wish to learn more about this breed, please check the links above.

 

Here are a few sites for you check out:

• Paper Pieced Horse
• Applique Horse (This one caught my eye!)
• Hobby Horse Ornament
• Strapping Stick Horse
• Free Horse Quilt Patterns
• Rocking Horse
• Fabric Portrait of a Horse Quilt Block (Interesting)
• Painted Ponies Swedish Dala Horse

Enjoy!

Patterns and Projects

Just in case you are at loose ends and don't know what to do with yourself, check out some free projects and patterns:

Quilting Treasures (download the project sheets)
Craft and Fabric Links (applique)
Fiber Images (quilting patterns & projects)
Cherry Blossom Tutorials (check out Color your Fabric)
Sentimental Stitches (check this one - hand embroidery)



Also a Happy Birthday to my daughter, Jill, in Chicago. I'm so lucky to be able to celebrate it with her and her family!

Hobby Horse Quilt Shop

I visited the Hobby Horse Quilt Shop, in Georgetown, Ontario, awhile ago. This is another store that is a quilter's dream. It has two floors of fabrics and accessories. The basement level is devoted to Christmas all year long and to baby / children 'stuff''. As you can see from the photos, there's lots to see and purchase in the store. Look closely at the last photo and you will see a panel on the top about cats that I did buy. I have no idea what I'll do with it but it caught my eye anyway!

Triplets!

My brother sent this photo to me this morning. These three young moose were standing around minding their own business in his driveway. His home is located in central Newfoundland on a beautiful lake with lots of wildlife around.

Here is a link from a previous post. The door crown is called Moose Walk. I created a packaged beginner's quilting pattern for this door crown. I realize winter is over (thank goodness), but some of the links might be useful to do for next Christmas.

Moose fact:
Newfoundland's 150,000 moose are descended from just four that were introduced from New Brunswick a century ago!

Enjoy!

Free Stuff

Free Clip Art Project

I was checking out some blog posts for free patterns and found Michele Bilyeu's blog of Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns. She has links to over 2,500 free quilt patterns which have been updated for 2010. You will need a lot of free time to check out even a small section of this site.

StudioKat Designs is offering a new line of free designs as a way of introducing a new line of patterns.
Stitchin' Heaven has Free Pattern Links to check out.
Me and My Sister Designs have more choices for your next project.

Free Clip Art Project

The Golden Thimble has a list of 1515 links to free patterns! Scroll down the page to find the beginning of the list. This site will also keep you busy.

Patchwork Pattern Maker

Isn't the internet wonderful! Regardless of where you are (and you have an internet connection), you can read about all kinds of things. I just came across a reference to the Patchwork Pattern Maker on the Victoria & Albert Museum site.  This on-line program allows you to transform any image into a patchwork quilt. All you have to do is upload any image and convert it instantly into your own quilt pattern. Here's the photo I just did and the pattern made from it. This one is medium complexity (20 x 20 squares). I'm assuming the squares can be any size you want. Give it a try. It's quite easy to do!

This piece was a test for a larger one with five houses. It needs quilting in the sky as it sags a bit.