We sent Sandra some fabric from the Better at the Lake collection by Janet Rae Nesbitt of One Sister Designs at the first of June. She has had a very prolific month of sewing!
Here is a shot of all the work Sandra has done this month on the shores of Lake Erie. |
Here are a few photos that she has let trickle in via email this month:
The day her fabric arrived! |
Quilt in the works...Her own design, called Blue Skies and Sunny Days, now for sale!
Playing with design
A little landscape pillow in the works
Meet our June Challenger: Sandra Walker.
I live in
Kingsville Ontario; sitting way down on the 42nd parallel, we are Canada’s
southernmost town. The town is right on
the north shore of Lake Erie, about a half hour south of Windsor, Canada’s
southernmost city. Windsor is the only
city where you have to go north to get to the US! It is on the south side of the Detroit River,
with our big sister, Detroit, on the north side. Living on a Great Lake means we have a fairly
temperate climate; as a result, Essex county is home to 18 wineries, a lavender
farm, orchards, multiple greenhouses as well as produce farms, and the best
(IMHO) tomatoes and corn in North America.
I am fortunate enough to be able see Lake Erie, between some trees and
other houses, from my patio.
Picture perfect day on Lake Erie, with the Better at the Lake quilt in view |
Close-up of quilting...back and forth to represent the lake motion |
The entire quilt - Sandra will be donating this to the Windsor Sexual Assault Centre |
Lake Coasters: Front and Back
Mariner's Compass and Migrating Geese Table Centerpiece |
Lake Rules Sign (which is also the backside of the Mariner's Compass piece shown above) |
I like all
quilts, all sizes, from mini-minis to bed size, both traditional as well as
modern design. As for techniques, I
enjoy pretty much everything but if I had to pick one for a quilt top, it would
be piecing. I LOVE playing with colors
and shapes. I’m happiest when I’m
rummaging through my stash, which is pretty plentiful I’ll admit, after 20
years of quilting(!), pulling multiple fabrics to work into a quilt
design. I mainly have sewed from
patterns, at times altering them to suit my needs, at times combining a couple
of designs. Occasionally I have made my
own designs, which I’ve been doing a lot more of over the past year, which is very
exciting for me! I also just love the
quilting part of making a quilt. Seeing
Kathy Sandbach on “Simply Quilts” was a huge game-changer for me, showing me I
could ‘draw’ with my sewing machine! I saved
for a few years prior to leaving teaching, and purchased a barely-used Avanté
in 2013. It is so much better than wrestling a
bed-size quilt through my Bernina!
However, I do still love to quilt from time to time on my Bernina; the
projects I’ve made for this challenge show both methods of quilting a quilt.
Cute Better at the Lake drawstring backpack with Panel Block as the pocket. Free Craftsy pattern by Caroline of www.sewcanshe.com |
I started my blog in the Fall of 2013. I must say the online community of quilters,
something Helen of Midget Gem Quilts and I dubbed QBL, 'Quilting BlogLand', has
enriched my life more than I ever could have foreseen. I have friends around the planet, something
that binds us (pun intended) together and gives me a sense of global community
like nothing else ever has. As well as
doing yoga, I think politicians should learn to quilt; we’d have a much more
peaceful planet!
The final project that is using all the last little bits... |
Finally, about the perfect guy in my life... I’ve
been happily married to my husband for 36 years this August. He goes by
MacGyver on my blog because he can make anything, from metal to meals, and fix
pretty much everything broken, from cars to hearts.
Pieced Coffee Cozies |
Thank you SO MUCH to Henry Glass Fabrics for the gorgeous
fabrics and for trusting me with the challenge of creating something inspiring
for other quilters. It has been a truly
amazing experience; creating a variety of items within the 3-week time limit
has made me grow as a quilter/designer!