Thursday 31 October 2013

Trick or Treat!...

 Happy Halloween from Mrs P's!

Trick...
Sorry this is late...the 1st post didn't work. Goblins must have attached themselves to the post!

Your comments are being delayed in posting as I turned on the anonymous feature- my Montreal Sister had requested this!   

Treat...
Today, to my surprise, I have BLACK poly cotton batting and BLACK fusible batting.  I've priced them at the same prices as the white... $ 9.95/m for each. The poly cotton is 96 inches wide.







Wednesday 30 October 2013

The Quilt continues...


Thought I'd do a quick update on The Quilt...

          
     

As the quilt top is done...I had to pick batting & backing. 

I chose wool as the batting.  I have made a potholder with 100% cotton batting and I found it 'flat' or not much loft afterwards- but it may not be the batting...I kept ironing it. :) Apparently, that a no-no!  

The backing was a surprise.  I had my choice of 2 wide widths- off white or white.  I laid them on the quilt top and I was drawn back to the white every time.  With the tans and beiges I figured off white would 'look' the best.  It looked okay, but I really liked the white.  I think it's important that if you are taking your time to 'make' something- that you put your personality or preferences in it.  Don't be afraid to throw that something 'extra' in there.  Chances are if you like it, others will too.  

The white also had the 'hand' or feel that I liked. Cool and crisp but soft too.  Our five senses are what give is our experiences.  Touch is often forgot about, but watch near a display of towels or other fabrics & we often reach out and touch- the colour may have drawn us to a display but the feel of them makes us stay there...



I laid the top out, then I made sure the batting fit and also the backing.  

Now to find the space to get it flipped arpund and still flat to pin it ( baste it). This could take awhile as I have a perfect spot but I need to clean a lot of stuff off to get to the flat surface.  

I'll keep you updated on the quilting adventure!

Monday 28 October 2013

Flapping in the Breeze...


Let's see if this works...


                       Mrs P's 1st quilt top!

Mrs P's makes a Quilt Top!

I'm still trying to compose the blog on different computers and thus be able to post more effectively. So far, it's far from perfect- but it's an adventure !

I'll start today's blog, but it will take awhile to tell the tale. 

It began with the seemingly simple question- how big is a jelly roll? 

I can answer that- it is 40 strips of fabric cut across the fabric widths.  Usually, it's a complete collection of fabric with one or two extras ( that blend or play well with all the others) tied up looking like an old fashioned jelly roll cake.  They are very intriguing because you see a bit of all the colours & you can start imagining how they'd look in a quilt.  



I was captivated by Grant Park ( Minick & Simpson ) by Moda.  A 'simple' colour scheme of blue, red and white/beiges.  I have toyed with a jelly roll in the past- I used it to provide 2 &1/2 inch squares for making quilt blocks but this time, I wanted to see how big a quilt a jelly roll would make but I wanted more than just strips...

I toyed with the idea of a jelly roll 'race' quilt.  In this, the strips are sewn together (diagonally) end to end and then sewing that long, long strip together lengthwise.  You keep sewing the long sides together until you get to the width you are looking for.  It's makes an interesting quilt, but I wanted to make blocks....

I found on YouTube, a tutorial by the Missouri Quilt Company,  "The Coin Quilt with a Little Pizzazz."  This involved sewing 4 strips together, cutting those into rectangles instead of squares and add a colour to the sides of the rectangle to give the 'pizzazz'.  I think I can do this!

Armed with a jelly roll, I looked for colour to add my pizzazz...probably white or off white was my thought...turned out- it was harder than I thought. 

Taking a deep breath, I took the wrap off 'my' jelly roll.  Wow- it's always so awesome.  I picked 4 colours I liked together.  Sewed 2 stripes together for their almost 45 inches length- then sewed the other 2 and sewed those sets of 2 together.  Did I mention the pressing...or the empty bobbin half way down one of those lengths?  After a bit, I had a piece of striped fabric about 45 inches long and 8 & 1/2 high. 
Inspired by these, I went for another set of 4. That night, I had 4 sets of these made.


Before I cut these long stripes into to 5&1/2 inches wide rectangles, I laid them out on my possible 'pizzazz' colour and found out....white is too white, the off white didn't add much and so on.  Finally, I kept coming back to 'Apple Picking Time' by Benartex. 

Below is the strip set cut into its rectangles...

Now to add, the 'pizzazz', a 2 inch strip of that fabric is cut ( I used the width of fabric).  Instead of cutting the Apple Picking Time into correct size strips, the rectangles were chain pieced ( sewed onto the strip of fabric one after the other) onto it and cut apart after. The length allowed for 5 blocks on one side.  

Then another long strip was added to the other side of the blocks, sewed and then these were separated giving a finished block.


Above shows the extra fabric sewed to each long edge of the block. 



The reveal of the 'pizzazz' !

On average, each original 4-strip set gave 7 blocks and there was 10 4-strip sets, so a total of 70 blocks was possible.  I got less....remember measure twice, cut once!  

Next was the lay out...



                                   


By turning each block, the illusion of a border was created around each rectangle, adding more 'pizzazz.' 

I'm amazed at how quickly I made the blocks and the fact I made all the blocks.  It was quick, easy and interesting to make the blocks.  

The rows across are sewn together  then the rows are to be sewn together making the quilt top.  

I laid these out on a double bed until 'my eye 'was happy.  As, I sewed the rows, I realised there are 2 the same in some areas but if I switched them around, I didn't like the whole as well.  Sometimes, it was right but it looked better rotated around.  

I also planned to add a 5 inch blue border....wow, it's massive and maybe not a beginner project! 
 
I decreased the size to 5 blocks across and 7 blocks down surrounded by a border of 1/2 inch red and another 5 inch blue.  It's a much more manageable size- like a twin size or a perfect 'couch napper' size!

I started this top last Monday and this Monday, I have it finished!  For a non-quilter, this is an amazing feat!  This week, I'll need to pick the type of batting and a backing...although, I probably have enough blocks to make the back too!  Then comes the quandary ... hand or machine quilting...

I'll post a good picture of the finished top tomorrow, if it doesn't rain! 

Sunday 20 October 2013

Computer Glitches...


My computer won't let me in to access my blog.  Sigh....I know it will be something simple but I'll need to take the time to do it.  

In the meantime, I can and will post Mrs Pugsley's Emporium Inc - Shop Hours 

  For the week of Oct 21st to Oct 26th, 2013

Monday & Tuesday- by appointment
Wed- 1 PM to 4:30 PM
Thurs- 10 AM to 4PM
Friday- 10 AM to 4 PM { evening by chance }
Sat- 10AM to 3PM

Please note: the shop will be shut for lunch on Thurs & Fri 
usually 1:15PM to 2:30PM



Thank you to all that shopped and looked at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium Inc. the last week.  It was totally amazing to see so many people shopping & enjoying themselves in Amherst at the 6th Nova Scotia Fibre Fest.  Kudos to all the organizers of the many events and a special thank you, to all the teachers of the classes.  We are so fortunate to have the caliber of the instructors.  

Without the participants though, the reason for the festival wouldn't exist.  Thank you to all that live in town that came out to enjoy & participate in the Fibre Festival and thank you to all the participants that came to Amherst to share their love of their fibre craft/art.    It's a special time for our town. 

Have a great day. 


Tuesday 15 October 2013

Quick Shop Hours...




Shop Hours this Week...

Tues- 10 AM til 5 PM
           Then opening reception at our newly renovated Town Hall.

Wed- 10 am til 4:30 pm
          Closed for supper and then back from 6pm to 9pm- ish( means if no ones around, I'll leave at 8:30pm

Thurs and Friday- same as Wed.

Sat- 10 to 4:30 pm

Please note that I will be trying to pop out for food around noon hour or 1pm.  I'll leave a note on the door with time I should be back.

Thursday 10 October 2013

Still experimenting, but...


 Retro and luxurious....






Mrs Pugsley's Emporium Inc. is proud to carry Hoffman fabrics.  The above one is from the Florence line.  


Others in the line include...


Seeing these fabrics does invoke memories of Florence, Italy.  The warmth of the sun and surrounding fields of sunflowers and vineyards.; of staring in awe at  Giotto's 'perfectly straight' bell tower, (referring to how everyone takes pictures of the leaning tower of Pisa because it leans) and all the different colours of marble in the Florence Cathedral exterior. 

No visit to Florence would be complete without visiting the Uffizi Gallery.  Outside, artists were selling their paintings of the masters in the street.  Inside you can see the original paintings by the masters and bathed in natural light, was Michelangelo's, David.

Florence, is a lovely city and this is a lovely line of fabric. 

 
 

Wednesday 9 October 2013

trying something new...

I'm attempting something new for blogging.  I'm hoping this will allow for easier posts for Mrs P's which, will in turn, allow more posts.

I have received word that bags of 'Moda scraps' should be here in time for the Fibre Fest next week! 

Time to see how this posting works!  Have a great day.  The new thing for tomorrow will be adding in pictures.  

Saturday 5 October 2013

New Fabric In ...



and Some Fall Musings...




Midwinter Reds by Moda is available at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium Inc!  There are Jelly Rolls, Charm Packs, Layer Cakes, Honeycombs and bolts...all 34 bolts in the line. 

I brought this collection in especially for the 6th annual Nova Scotia Fibre Fest in Amherst. {and yes, it is available for sale now}  Fibre Fest runs from Tuesday Oct 15th to Sat Oct 19th throughout Amherst.

http://www.fibreartsfestival.com/ is their website and they keep up to date with a blog as well.

A work in progress...
Moda Display at Mrs P's
Fall in Eastern Canada is such a vibrant time!

Quebec Fall 2013
And the evenings, although cool are absolutely awe inspiring...even without leaf colour...

Sunset in Ottawa
 And in the Maritimes...

Hartland, New Brunswick, Fall 2013

                             Fall, a season to enjoy the colours! 

Mrs P's is hosting a Quilters Corner at the shop on Friday night of the Fibre Fest.  The thought is; you can bring your quilt finished or in progress and we will host a show and tell type evening.  The piece can be big or small. Perhaps, something you made with skills you learned at a previous fibre fest.  

It's a chance to see what different parts of the province and other areas are working on.  Maybe,  exchange ideas to help inspire your next quilting adventure.  Anyone interested is welcome - even non-quilters.  It is an evening for fun.

Please feel free to email mrspsamherst@gmail.com or leave a comment below on what you would like to see at YOUR Quilters Corner... food? drinks?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Enjoy the week!  Watch the trees change colour...
I will be back in the shop Thursday, Oct 10th by 1PM.