Alight at Night

Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, ON is a wonderful place full of living history and during the summer months you can visit to see the cabinetmaker, baker, and sawmill all at work, but after they close for the season, they spend the next 6 weeks stringing Christmas lights over the entire village. Then for the month of December (up to January 6th) they open their doors at 4:30 pm to let visitors enjoy the Alight at Night display. We had never been before, so this year we decided to make the trek. Even though is was drizzling a little, we had a wonderful time on the horse drawn buggy tour, drinking hot chocolate at Cook's tavern and listening to Christmas carols in the church. The newest addition in the enchanted forest with wonderful lit up animals.

A Country Home Christmas Studio Tour

Here are some more pictures from the studio tour. It was a very successful tour for me, so Nellie and I are seroiusly thinking about doing it together next year!

A Country Home Christmas Studio Tour

I have been so busy getting ready for Christmas, that I forgot to put up pictures of the studio tour that I participated in at the beginning of December. It ran over two weekends and I was a "guest artist" along with two woodcarvers, Dave Francis and Ray Tourangeau, and we were all set up in the Heritage Place Museaum in Lyn. It was a great spot with lost of character.

Here is Dave setting up his display.

Here are some of Ray's wonderful wood carvings.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Baker Family!

Thanks Jean!!

Jean made my quilt this year (last year I had her name). The fabrics I gave her were all very rich looking in deep colours of burgundy, black, gold and green. She scanned the floral fabric into her computer then used her kaleidoscope program to make a different kaleidoscope for the centre of each quilt block - it is quite beautiful and I need to find the perfect spot to hang it in my house!

Here we are - all the Fibre Friends snuggled under their quilts - Merry Christmas everyone! I'm looking forward to another wonderful year of good friends, good food and beautiful quilts.

The last of the quilts

Dyane is the proud owner of a wonderful embroidery machine, and she used it to help create the quilt that she made for Linda. Linda is a wonderfully creative seamstress that seams to be able to make just about anything! Dyane used her embroidery machine to embroider a variety of shoes, handbags and hats onto the middle of each block. It was very beautiful!

Here is a closeup of one of the blocks.

Jean's quilt was made by Marilee - and there was a story behind it. When she went to buy some fabrics to match Jean's fabrics, the quilt shop owner (who is a friend of Jean's) convinced her to get a whole different set of fabric so that it would match Jean's newly decorated house - that was a first for Fibre Friends - many of us have been unable to use every fabric that we were given but this was the first quilt to have NONE of the original fabrics! But it is stunning anyway!!

More quilts!

With every bag that was opened, another wonderful quilt was discovered. Each one was so different - we were all amazed by what had been created!

Colleen made Dyane's country themed quilt - it will look just lovely in her family room.

Linda made Cheryl's pink and brown quilt and was happy to see that Cheryl was carrying a tote bag that she had made using many of the same fabrics. The splash of yellow is an unexpected surprise in the quilt.

Everyone loves batiks and Nellie loved making Trudy's quilt using a selection of beutiful earthy coloured batik fabrics.

Bring on the quilts!!!

After lunch on Friday we FINALLY got to unwrapping the quilts. Everyone was very excited to give the quilt they made AND get the quilt that was made for her.

Nellie loved the quilt that I had made for her with her reproduction fabrics - I even got to use some of the leftover fabrics from the quilt I had made for Cheryl two years age.

Cheryl made Colleen's beautiful quilt - and made her a matching tote bag too!

Trudy made this gorgeous batik quilt for Marilee - she just loved it.

Fibre Friends Christmas Quilts

Last Friday, my Fibre Friends quilt group assembled at Nellie's house for our annual Christmas lunch and quilt exchange. In February we did a mystery exchange of fabric and made a quilt for one of our Fibre Friends. I was lucky to finally get Nellie's name - I couldn't wait to give her the quilt. But before the quilts came lunch. Nellie's new dining room looked festive and beautiful.

We ate lasagna, salad and rolls (with some wine for making Christmas toasts).

You Can Machine Quilt! - Class #6

Our last machine quilting class is today and although I'm happy that my students have made such progress, I'll be sad to see the end of our classes together. Today we will work on the students' own unfinished projects - I can't wait to see how they are all doing.