Quilting Barbie

WIP Wednesday, on Thursday.

2012-02-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

Oops. I missed WIP Wednesday yesterday. Hubby was home sick, so we had an impromptu family day and made a quick trip to Quesnel. We will be moving there eventually, and since I hadn't been there since September, it seemed like a good day for a road trip.

And the good news, while searching for the dance studio (which has moved, of course) I even found a new to me Quilt Shop that had lots of Moda fabric (sorry they don't seem to have a website. At least not one that I could google). Let me tell you, when you live in the land void of decent quilt shops, I'll take one that stocks Ruby, Hometown, Cosmo Cricket and the new Kate Spain any day.

So, since I missed the big link up yesterday, I'll just show a few shots of another baby quilt I've got in the works. My babysitter's mom is having a boy in a week or two, so I decided to use what I had on hand to make a quick baby quilt.

Little Man Pattern by Camille Roskelly. I love that it only uses 4 fat quarters.

I chose the Little Man pattern from Camille's Simplify book. What a great pattern. It only uses 4 fat quarters and some background and border yardage and it goes together fast. As in, really fast. I had the quilt top made in no time. And I used up every last scrap to make a striped backing too.

Striped Backing

And I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised how well it turned out. I don't really love the fabric line. It is "Be a man" by David Day. I think I bought the fat quarters and some yardage when I found it on sale and I was feeling guilty that I never make anything for my son. I still feel a bit guilty that I never make him anything, but it feels great to use up this fabric.

Now I just have to the thing quilted. I'm thinking straight lines since my machine is being fussy about stippling these days. Might be time for a tune-up. I just can't bare to be without it while it is in the shop.

Happy Thursday!

Interlocking Stars

2012-01-31T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm jumping on the interlocking stars bandwagon. I'm typically behind the current trend, or I just ignore it completely. For example, I'm ignoring the Swoon band wagon right now, even though it is so, so tempting. Okay, I joined the flickr group, but I'm trying very, very hard to just watch from the sidelines.

Anyway, back to those cute interlocking stars. Amber made a sweet little pillow a while back, and Darci has a great tutorial too. And of course, Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson has a quilt along going right now.

So, just to warm up, I made my sister a little pouch for her birthday. I used 2" squares and pink and aqua scraps. I'm pretty new to zippers and pouches, but now that I've gotten over my fear of zippers, I have to say that they are a fun and easy present. (My sister loved it, by the way).

If you are new to pouches too, I really like Kelly's tutorial. She shows how to put those cute pieces on the end of the zipper. And even better, she shows the technique, so you can adapt it to any size of zipper or pouch. I like being taught how to fish....

On the design wall

I also started an interlocking star quilt for a friend who is expecting in February. I'm going with a pink and aqua colour scheme with a little grey thrown in to keep it from being too sweet. My friend is pretty sure she's having a girl, so hopefully she's right, or else I'm going to have to make a quick boy quilt too.

I'm basically following the quilt along from Oh Fransson, except I used 4.5" squares, and I am making it smaller (10 x 12 squares instead of 20 x 24).

Hope you had a fabulous Tuesday. I'm hoping to post about another baby quilt in progress tomorrow for WIP Wednesday.

Are you trying to avoid any popular quilting trends? Or have you jumped on the wagon?

Aidan's Quilt and a Test

2012-01-12T14:05:00.000-08:00

No, don't worry, there isn't a test for you. I'm just testing out posting a photo from flickr. Thanks so much everyone for all of your help.

Aidan's Quilt

(Ha, I did it! Thanks so much Michelle! Of course now my formatting is all messed up, but I'm sure I can fix it. Why did it take me so long to figure this out? (Okay, maybe don't answer that)).

As for Aidan's Quilt, I finished this a long, long time ago, gave it away to my friend's little guy, but just forgot to blog/post about it. Today seemed like a good day.

I only basted it on March 6, 2011.

(Ha, I did it again. Yay!)

Thank you friends! You have no idea how much work/time you've saved the future me.

WIP Wednesday 1

2012-01-11T16:15:00.000-08:00

I guess since I made all of those New Year's goals, I should probably keep tabs on them. I've been watching lots of my favourite bloggers chart their progress with WIP Wednesdays, so I think I'm going to join the gang.

On the Go...

Here's my Maple Leaf Rag so far. (I know many of you have seen this on flickr already, but thank you for indulging me). I just moved this project from my 'design floor' to my 'design wall' (aka a piece of batting pinned to the wall), so I'm hoping to make a bit faster progress. When it was on the floor it got ran over by crawling babies and Thomas the Tank Engine on a fairly regular basis.

I love this quilt. I love using my favourite fabrics. I love that I only have to use a little bit of my favourite fabrics so I don't feel like I'm committing. This is my for fun project.

Maple Leaf Rag in progress

I also got a little quilt destined for our local NICU basted today. I was going to quilt it too but my machine was skipping stitches and generally being a big pain. So I gave up and went back to my fun project.

On hold...

Wonky 1/4 Square {Bee Inspired} Quilt
Colour Wheel Quilt
And oh so many others that I'm not ready to admit to yet. Give me time. Please.

I'm hoping to link up to WIP Wednesdays as much as possible this year. I'll try for every week, and hope to get twice a month actually accomplished.

******

~~I was wondering if any of you could help me out? How do I use photos from Flickr here on blogger? Right now I'm doing 2 uploads - one here on blogger, and then again on Flickr. Any suggestions?~~

(Edit: Thanks to all of your helpful advice, I finally figured out how to post a photo from flickr. Thank you!)

Handmade Christmas: Christmas Dresses

2012-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

(Sorry that I'm still posting about Christmas. I'm pretty sure this is the last one. But don't hold me to it.)

I've never been much of a Christmas Dress kind of mom, but for some reason, this year I got the bug. I think it is because I now have two little girls, and the idea of matching dresses, made by mom, was more than I could pass up.

Miss Lily Christmas dress. Please ignore the bright green hanger.

My oldest daughter just started highland dancing, and is in love with all things plaid (Please note, I had nothing what-so-ever to do with this. I swear. Really!) When the new Fabricland 5 minutes from my house happened to have Christmas plaid 60% off before Christmas, I had it home before I could think to myself, "When are you going to have time to make these stinking dresses?" Somehow I found the time, and my oldest even wore hers for her school concert.

I purchased a PDF pattern here called the "Miss Lily" by The Homemade Dress. (Don't you just love downloadable patterns?) I picked it because it had sleeves, a cute bubble skirt, and it looked pretty easy.

Sisters!

Overall, I was pretty happy with the pattern. My oldest is pretty petite, so I got away with using the size 4 pattern (she's almost 5 and a half) and adding a few inches to the length. The sleeve and bodice pieces are extremely similar, and at one point I sewed a six-month sleeve to the 4-year bodice. Enter my friend the seem ripper.

Other than that, the pattern went together pretty well. The elastic neck and arms are very forgiving, so I didn't worry too much about being perfect. I also didn't match up the plaid, but I'm okay with that.

I finished off the dresses with black velvet ribbon because everything is fancier with velvet ribbon. I love having Fabricland 5 minutes from my house (it only opened this fall). I may not like most of their fabric, but they have a great selection of ribbon and notions.

I also made my son a tie with the same fabric. He wore it under duress to mass on Christmas Eve, but I didn't get a photo of the three kids together because sweet Miss S was already asleep and stayed home with Grandma. We still have our tree up (I'm waiting till Epiphany to take it down), so I'm still holding out for a group shot. The tie was quick and easy to make. I used this pattern/tutorial because it has a velcro closure. This is a necesity if you are putting the tie on by force. How is it that boys come hard-wired to hate dressing up? If you are looking for a good round-up of tie and bow tie tutorials, check out Erin's post.

A Christmas Tie.

I was pretty proud to have my kids wear Mama Made clothes for Christmas. Next year, I may go for more coordinated than matching, but we'll see.

What about you? Did you make holiday clothes for your kids?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't quite finished showing off all of my homemade Christmas creations, but after reading Felicity's fabulous recap of 2011, I thought I'd better take stock of 2011 myself and make some new goals for 2012. I'll wrap up Christmas sometime this week, so that I can start the new year off fresh.

2011 in Pictures.

I didn't get quite as many quilty finishes done this year as I would have liked, but I do have a creative 5 year old, a mischievous 3.5 year old and a sweet little 8 month old to show for myself instead.

Kids!

This time last year, I declared 2011 the year of finishing UFO's. Well, I started strong, but I think the only UFO's I actually finished were in January. I also realize now that I didn't write very good goals last year. I went through enough years of university to know that goals should be specific, attainable and measurable. Oops. So this year, I'm going to try to write better goals!

My goals for 2012:

Finish up my red/green wonky quarter log cabin from my Bee Inspired Quilting Bee. I think that bee ended in 2009. Enough said.
Make a Maple Leaf Rag Quilt by Sarah Fielke. I love this quilt! I started crazy piecing the kites this fall and I can't wait to start putting blocks on the design wall.

Crazy Pieced Kites for my Maple Leaf Rag Quilt

Finish my daughter's Oliver + S Messenger Bag. Yup. Still waiting to get the perfect hardware for this one.
Finish my Colour Wheel Quilt. This one is a project. I pieced together the top, made a backing, got ready to baste it, then realized that it does. not. lay. flat. Not even close. This one needs to be picked apart. And I'm afraid of what I need to do to put it together again.
Make at least two quilts for charity. I've got one quilt top even made. Just need to finish it!
Use up what I have instead of buying and hoarding fabric. Okay, this isn't measurable and it probably isn't very attainable, but I am going to work on it. Really.
Write a tutorial for this blog. I'm by no means a designer, but I'd like to challenge myself to a simple tutorial.

What are your goals for 2012?

Homemade Christmas: An Apple a Day

2011-12-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

Hello and Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a amazing celebration. Christmas was so much fun this year, as our kids are getting old enough now that they understand a bit more of what it is all about. We celebrated our very first Christmas in our own home - we've always travelled to grand-parents - but this year they came to us. It was wonderful. I don't think we'll ever go back to travelling during the holidays.

Anyway, I have another homemade Christmas present to show and tell before the year is out. My mom was a high-school teacher for 30+ years, so I decided to make her an apple mini quilt. I was inspired by Tamiko's Pillow, so I used her paper piecing pattern and fussy cut apple fabrics for the centre.

An Apple a Day Mini Quilt

It took me a bit to get the paper piecing down, I'm by no means an expert, but once I figured it out, I loved how precise I could get each block.

An Apple Close-Up

Unfortunately, I didn't get it finished before my mom arrived, so I had to work on it in front of her. I did manage to finish hand-sewing the binding on Christmas Eve so it could go under the tree.

I had so much fun swapping for the different apple fabrics on flickr. Sometimes I find the process of tracking down different fabrics and prints almost as much fun as making the quilt itself.

Our company left Boxing Day, and we're now enjoying family time. We've been x-country skiing, skating on the outdoor rink and 10-pin bowling. And of course watching cheesy Christmas movies. I hope you are enjoying your family time too!

My Stocking and a WIP

2011-12-05T16:46:00.000-08:00

I had a couple of questions from my last post about my own stocking since it wasn`t hanging from the mantle. I`ve had the same stocking since I was a baby, and it`s looking a little bit rough. But I`m sentimental. So I`m keeping it.

Yup, I really was called Barbie as a kid.

And here is another homemade Christmas present in the works. My daughter asked for a Oliver + S messenger bag. Then she found my stash of Amy Butler Love FQs. I`m having so much fun on this one, and since I only had FQs, it will be a scrappy bag. I`m just waiting to pick up some strap hardware before I can go any further.

What are you working on

Handmade Christmas: Stockings

2011-12-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Stocking are one of my favourite Christmas projects. And since it is Little Miss S's first Christmas, I worked hard last week to make her one before December 1st.

Inspired by Camille's stockings, I dug out a 12 Days of Christmas charm pack from my stash (there may be more, wink, wink), and added some Bliss, Amy Butler and Cosmo Cricket, and started cutting hexes. I used the same template as for this little quilt, and pieced the hexagons with the machine. Then for the shape, I traced around the stocking I made for my son three years ago.

Here's all of the stockings hung up on the mantle. (Note to self: Decorate mantle for Christmas). These four stockings really show my progression as a quilter. I made the first one for my husband 9 years ago back when I thought that fabric only came in country colours. I also followed the pattern exactly as I was terrified and lacking the skills to just wing it like I did with this last one.

As I look at this group of stockings, part of me is so tempted to remake the first three in more modern colours and patterns. I know that as a group they don't 'go.' But the reality is that none of my house 'goes' together. I'm a terrible interior designer because a) I'm a terrible planner and fly by the seat of my pants b) I'm a procrastinating perfectionist and I always feel like there is something better out there and c) I'm cheap.

But when we hung up the stockings yesterday, my oldest two kids were so, so, so excited to see their stockings with their names on them again. The kids don't care if the stockings coordinate. To them, they are special because their mommy made them, and of course, I'm not kidding myself, because Santa fills them with lovely toys.

So I'm resisting to modernize the stockings. We'll just have to go with an eclectic theme for Christmas this year. And every year from now on.

What about you? Do all of your decorations match or are you eclectic like me?

Handmade Christmas Part 1

2011-11-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

One of the blogs that I just started to read is encouraging readers to take the commercialism out of Christmas by making, thrifting or buying homemade presents this year (craft fairs, etsy, etc). She even has a pledge. I love, love, love the idea of giving "gifts that are unique, meaningful and full of love" rather than something bought just to cross the name off the list.

When I suggested to my husband that we take the pledge, he actually said, "But I like new things." Hmmm. And if I let myself admit it, I do too. So I've decided to have a mostly, okay, somewhat homemade Christmas. I'll make presents for people that actually appreciate them, like my mom and my sister, and buy presents for those that like new. Like my husband.

So, my first homemade gift this year is for my sister. She recently decided to go back to school to become a nurse (a life-long dream and I am so proud of her). She had to move away from the house she owns and live in a little rental apartment. She told me it needed a little brightening up. So I dug into my scrap bins and I'm giving her some bright!

First is a patchwork bath mat. I used 3" squares and an old towel for the backing. Easy peasy.

Then I made some hand-towels to match.

Finally, because the kitchen needed some love too, I made a couple of patchwork dish towels.

Little sister done. Now I just have to wrap, pack and mail before Christmas. Isn't that the hard part?

What about you? Are you having a homemade Christmas?

A Family Day

2011-11-11T10:17:00.001-08:00

Today is Remembrance Day here in Canada. Along with taking the time to remember the horrible consequences of war and praying for peace, today is a much needed family day for us.

So today I am:

...baking yummy cinnamon buns. Thank you Pioneer Woman.

...teaching my 5-year old how to make paper snowflakes.

...creating homemade Christmas presents.

...listening to haunting war and peace songs on the Folk/Roots station.

...loving my beautiful family.

...remembering my amazing maternal grandparents, who put their lives on hold to serve in the Canadian Air Force in WW2. My grandfather was stationed in India, and my grandmother worked as a dietitian in a Montreal hospital. Thankfully they both returned safely to Canada, and I am so proud of their contribution.

How are you spending your Remembrance Day?

Halloween Recap

2011-11-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

Three kids ready to Trick or Treat. And only one angry Tinkerbell.

We survived Halloween for another year. I must admit, there were times last night when I asked myself "Why the hell am I doing this?" Especially when I had to bribe the kids to wear the costumes I made for them.

A little spider with 8 eyes.

My son only lasted in his "mama-made" costume for about 30 seconds. Just long enough to snap this photo. At least he is smiling. I made the costume from the cutest book, Cute and Easy Costumes for Kids by Emma Hardy. I used black dobby minky for the body and leg warmers from the Dollar Store for the legs. My kids love the show, Wild Kratts, and they learned that spiders have eight eyes, so I made him a hat with a Dollar Store toque and Styrofoam balls. Unfortunately, the legs were pretty awkward and heavy and he hated it. So he trick or treated in a hand-me-down, store-bought, made in China lion costume. Admittedly, he looked pretty cute, and at least he was warm and comfortable.

Tinkerbell!

And then there was my oldest daughter, who's Tinkerbell costume almost put me over the edge (thanks for all the kind words of support...I needed it). She was so upset that I forgot to make her pompom shoes (I even bought the pompoms, but do you think I can find them anywhere? It is terrible cleaning up for house showings....sometimes things just get thrown anywhere so the house at least looks clean). She was a trooper though and didn't even complain about the cold. She didn't wear it to school as she opted for her store-bought, made in China dress-up purple Fairy costume instead. Do you sense a trend?

But after all the costume drama, the kids had a wonderful time and were so excited to visit our friends and neighbours.

My 5-year old matched the pairs of fabrics for the bunting.

My only other Halloween craft this year was a quick and easy Halloween Bunting. I bought 2 kits from the amazing Amy at Diary of a Quilter. My oldest daughter sorted the fabrics into pairs, and then decided the order for me. I used Amy's tutorial to make the bunting, but I made my own binding strips out of Kona Black as I didn't have any store-bought and the baby was sleeping when I was putting it all together. My advice: don't wake a sleeping baby to buy craft supplies. She gets woken up enough with all of our back and forth trips to school everyday.

Halloween Bunting on my front door.

The bunting lived in our living room for a couple of days before I stuck it outside on Halloween. I'm pretty thrilled with how easy it was to make and how good it looks. Minimal input for maximum output. My kind of craft. I've already reserved a few Christmas bunting kits from Amy...

I love my new Halloween bunting.

For now, I am so thankful that Halloween is over. I'm going to have to rethink my costume making for next year. Perhaps we'll just keep it simple. Remind me of this next October, okay?

How was your Halloween. Did the kids wear your homemade costumes?

Halloween Sewing and a Rambling Rant

2011-10-22T16:25:00.000-07:00

Tinkerbell almost defeated me, but with a little help from a friend, I've almost got her concured. The organza-on-the-bias hem was just about too much, so fortunately I got some help. I guess there is a reason that this blog is called "Quilting Barbie" and not "Sewing Barbie."

Tinkerbell Costume - almost done!

And of course, this little costume would have been one-heck-of-a-bunch cheaper at Costco. But at least I can say it is Mama Made.

Now on to the spider....

And, if you're saying to yourself, "yes, if this blog is called Quilting Barbie, why the hell doesn't she quilt anymore?" you'd be asking the same question I've been asking for the last month. The truth is that we have our house on the market again. Hubby got a great job transfer to a town about an hour and a half south of here. He loves his job, I hate having to get the house ready for showings. Most of my sewing stuff is in the crawlspace, and the rest in jammed into a wardrobe in the sewing room. The lights are put away because they don't look pretty. The real estate agent says, "less is more." He clearly doesn't understand my fabric addiction.

I'm dreaming of quilting projects....Sometimes when I can't sleep I think about what I'm going to make next. Nevermind all the UFO's jammed into the damn crawlspace. Oops, I just said damn...is that okay? Sometimes I talk like the logger truck driver's daughter that I am. My mother would be disgusted. She is not a logging truck driver's daughter. But she married one....

I promise I will quilt again. And have photos to show. And I might even join a swap agian too (especially if the nice folks at the Pretty Little Pouch Swap would let me join their group...but I'm still waiting...)

If you are still reading this rant, thank you. I appreciate it. Are you sewig Halloween costumes?

In the mood for fabric swapping....

2011-10-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

I've really cut down on my online fabric purchases...it was getting, well, ridiculous. After reading the fabulous book, Organized Simplicity, I've realized that I'm doing myself, or my family any good buying fabric just for the sake of buying it. I need to get my fabric purchasing compulsion under control.

But that doesn't mean I don't still want more/new fabric.

Joel Dewberry #JD-20 Woodgrain - up to 2 metres to swap

Since there haven't been any fun parcels arriving at my house, I think I need to swap some fabric again. Swapping fabric is just too much fun. I get the thrill of new fabric, without the guilt of buying it.

KJR for Swap

Here are a couple of fabrics I've put into the swapping groups on flickr. But I'm adding more. Soon.

Sheri Berry - 1 metre for swap

So do you feel like swapping too?

My assistant...

2011-10-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

The Halloween costume production line is in full swing at my house.

Little Miss S supervises my cutting.

Thankfully, this year I have an assistant. Unfortunately, this assistant drools. All. The. Time. But we'll forgive her, right? She's still working on those first teeth. And she's oh, so cute!

Happy Thursday! Safe travels to all of you heading to the Sewing Summit. Wish I could join you. Take lots of photos, kay?

Hello Again!

2011-08-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....where to start? I can't believe my last post was in June. June?!? Where did the summer go? Life is good up in Northern BC, even though we've had very little sun and lots of rain. Sometimes I feel like I'm back home at the coast (not that that is a bad thing. I love the coast....just maybe not all the rain).

Anyway, here's a snapshot of what I've been up to and what I've got planned:

DQS11

Spicing up the Kitchen Swap - I sent my partner some lovely HR hexagons, a pot holder and a basket. I received a lovely patchwork kitchen mat, and a tea towel from Jennspen. Thank you!
Doll Quilt Swap 11 - I was pretty stumped by this one. I just couldn't seem to wrap my head around the new piecing only rules. I sent of some Canadian Flying Geese to my partner. Hopefully it will arrive soon.
I've become obsessed with Waldorf Inspired Dolls. Especially from Fig & Me, Bamboletta and Tumbleberry Toys. Since I can't afford $200+ for a doll, I've decided to make my own. I've collected most of the supplies from here, and now I just have to find some time.
I entered a few quilts into the Prince George Exhibition Quilt Show. It was the first time I've put any of my quilts in a show (I was too nervous last year), and it was fun to see my quilts hanging up. Unfortunately, I put all of the hanging sleeves too low so they flopped a bit at the top. Oops. I also volunteered to help out.
I'm getting geared up to do some back to school sewing. My oldest starts Kindergarten in September. Yikes!
I'm trying to spend more time with my kids, and less time reading blogs (sorry). I just don't want to be like Elizabeth in The Help.
I really want to be a positive, pro-active and interactive parent. My new obsession with Waldorf Dolls has lead me to some wonderful mommy/green/crafting blogs. It's fun to read something new.

I'm not sure what's in store for this old blog. Part of me thinks that the show and tell nature of it is tired. Especially when I never actually finish anything. We'll see.....

How's your summer? Do you have lots of plans for the fall

Barb

I've discovered....

2011-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

the cure to perfectionism!

1. A two month old baby who loves to be held (and a mama who loves to hold her).

2. In set seams. Enough said.

In set seams...how hard can they be?

3. And a deadline. I'm working on it. I promise.

A hot pad/table topper for my SUTK partner

Spicing Up the Kitchen

2011-06-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Even though I'm not doing much cooking these days, I still couldn't resist joining the SUTK Round 2 over on flickr. Last night, Little S actually slept during the evening, so I made this little basket for my partner. I've always wanted to make one, and it was so fun, so easy and turned out so cute. If my partner doesn't comment on it in the flickr pool, I just might keep it for myself.

Made from this tutorial from Pink Penguin. I don't think the handles are really different lengths in 'real life.'

Next up, one more item for my partner!

My First Schnibble

2011-06-02T13:56:00.000-07:00

We had a new niece born just 2 weeks after Susanna. I was hoping they'd have a little girl since they already have 2 boys, so I started a very girly quilt earlier this spring. Lucky for me the baby was a girl.

My First Schnibble Quilt is X-Rated!

The pattern is Shnibbles X-Rated. I used two April Cornell charm packs that my mom bought me a few years ago when her LQS closed. While the fabrics are lovely, they aren't really my style. But I think my sister-in-law will like it. I hope so anyway.

Close-up

I really like this pattern. I'd love to make another sometime. But probably with bigger squares. There was a lot of piecing put into this tiny quilt.

Backing

I got some Valorie Wells fabric on sale at Christmas in Kamloops and it was perfect for the backing with the left-over charm packs. The label turned out to be super-sized for this size of quilt, but I stuck it on anyway. I thought about making a new one for about half a second. But honestly, who I am kidding...this quilt is lucky it got a label!

Quick Quilt Stats:

Size: 31"' x 31"

Pattern: Schnibbles X-Rated

Fabric: Little Romance by April Cornell (Moda)

I'll leave you with a photo of the lily of the valley that is finally in bloom in my yard. Let's just say that we are weeks behind this year. But the Canucks are playing for the Stanley Cup, so I can't really complain, can I?

Lily of the Valley

Now do I dare pop this quilt in the mail? Or is a mail strike looming?

Susanna's Quilt

2011-05-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

The lovely Susanna is now one month old...it really is crazy how fast time flies. To be honest, I just adore this little girl. And so do her big sister and brother.

Sweet Susanna!

I did actually make her a quilt before she was born. Before we found out that she was a little girl. It is pretty gender neutral. In some ways, I wish I could go back in time and make it a little more feminine. It would have been a great excuse to actually cut into my HR Far Far Away. Anyway, here it is...

Susanna's Quilt

I started collecting blue/aqua and yellow fabrics as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Let's just say that this part of my stash is now overflowing. I decided to make a very simple quilt as my pregnancy brain couldn't handle much more. Each block has a fussy cut centre of some of my favourite fabrics.

My favourite block

I backed the quilt with a cozy Robert Kaufman flannel. I bought it at our local LQS and it cost me an arm and a leg. (No really, it was tres, tres cher...). But it was worth it. It is so, so, so cozy.

Flannel backing

I just quilted it with simple diagonal straight lines. At first I was disappointed that I cut through the centre of each square with my quilting lines...wasn't there a reason that I fussy cut all of those centres??? but now that it is done and washed, I've come to terms with it and I'm pretty happy.


1 month old already!

And now just a bit of housekeeping...you may have noticed that this blog was pretty silent during the SMS Give-away Day (the first I've missed since I started this blog). I decided not to participate this time around, but I will have a give-away very soon. Any suggestions on what you'd like to win?

Happy Thursday!

Oh Susanna!

2011-05-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone for your kind comments. I'm sorry I haven't responded to all of you, but I trust that you understand and you'll forgive my rudeness. Life with 3 kids under 5 years old, is well, busy. But Susanna is sleeping pretty well during the day so I've had lots of time to spend with her big sis and big bro.

Sweet Susanna - 6 days old

In March, I was lucky enough to win a beautiful charm pack from Corey, aka Little Miss Shabby.

Beautiful Charm Pack from Little Miss Shabby

My original plan was to make a little quilt for the NICU ward at the hospital (our guild provides quilts for all preemie babies born in Prince George). However, when I made that plan I was convinced this baby was a boy. Now that she's here, I just can't resist the gorgeous prints Corey sent. So, I started sewing them together last night and I'm going to make Susanna a quick patchwork quilt.

Doesn't Susanna look sweet on her quilt?

And since I'm using Corey's charms for Susanna, I promise to use my own fabrics to make a preemie quilt too. They are small (max 30" square) so I don't think it is too crazy of a plan.

Thanks Corey for the beautiful fabric.

Easter Baby!

2011-04-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Introducing Susanna!

Born Easter Sunday at 5:10 pm. 7lbs, 10 oz.

We are loving life with our sweet little girl. More photos soon. (And yes, I'm more than a little excited for the future filled with pink sewing...)

Speechless!

2011-04-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog, I considered it as a way of documenting my hobby. I never could have imagined that I would make friends...honest, to goodness, friends...from my blog. But I have. And I've also rediscovered the kindness of people all over this beautiful world of ours.

I returned home from my first-ever quilt retreat last weekend to find a parcel from Darci. She told me she was sending me a little something for participating in her interview with a sewer series so I decided to save it until the kids were asleep so I could enjoy my package.

Baby Quilt from Darci

But never in a million years did I expect what what was inside. Darci made our new baby a beautiful quilt. Isn't it gorgeous?

Close-up...Aren't those little squares yummy?

The colours match my nursery perfectly. I'd admired them over on flickr, but never thought they'd be for me! Check out how it coordinates with my new moses basket bedding!

The quilt works perfectly with the new Moses Basket bedding.

Thank you so much Darci. I was overcome with emotion when I opened your parcel. It is the first gift our new baby has received, and I will treasure it. And use it. The quilt is the perfect size for the carseat, stroller and as a floor quilt. You are so sweet to think of us.

I appreciate your gift, but I value your friendship more.

Happy Easter everyone!

Spoiled!

2011-04-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

My gorgeous Doll Quilt arrived yesterday. It took my breath away. Honestly. I am stunned by how gorgeous it is.

Doll Quilt Swap 10, Made by Janet (What Comes Next)

Janet, What Comes Next, made me the perfect quilt. It blends tradition with modern fabrics and a colour scheme that I adore. And the quilting is amazing. Really amazing. Janet's workmanship is absolutely outstanding.

Check out that quilting...perfect!

Janet also included some amazing goodies. Look at the pattern for those cute little baby bloomers...don't you think my baby needs a pair or two? She also included some lovely fabric and a tiny little scissors case.

Spoiled me...I'm bringing those scissors and case to Quilt Retreat this weekend.

It was also a shock to receive a Doll Quilt from someone right here in BC. Usually I get swaps from Texas, Florida, or even Australia. It feels like Janet is a friend already, just by the fact that we live in the same province.

I couldn't resist one more shot of the quilting. Janet even used different colour thread. Ahh....I love it.

Thanks so much, Janet. I love it!

Mama's got a new bag....and online shopping oops!

2011-04-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find that you have so many things that you want to blog about that you just don't write about any of them? That's the way I've been feeling for the last week....so apologies in advance for a rambling post....

First...my sweet friend, Darci, was kind enough to feature me in her Sewer's Interview Series last week. If you didn't get a chance to see her post, pop over, say hello and you can read all about yours truly. Thanks Darci!

Second, I finally made myself a new purse. You know how it goes, right? The cobbler's kids don't have any shoes...well this sewer had a purse that was literally falling apart.

My new purse...Pattern is Mini Miranda from Lazy Girl Designs.

I used fabric from my stash (my 4-year old picked out the Hope Valley...she's got good taste), and I used my favourite Amy Butler Full Moon Dot for the lining, and a linen cotton blend for the contrast. Pattern is Mini Miranda Bag from Lazy Girl Designs. I love it.

Third, good news and bad news about online shopping. Good news first. There is a fabulous new online shop located right here in Northern BC. It is so wonderful to have a shop close by that has yummy modern fabrics. (Sherbet Pips, anyone? And yes, I did buy a couple of charm packs last month and the Jelly Roll is calling my name).

New Fabrics from Fishskin Fabrics

Bad news?!? Impulse shopping with a pregnancy brain. I placed an order last week and it arrived in 2 days. (Okay, I'm still in shock about the fast shipping. Anything from the US takes literally weeks to get up here).

But unfortunately, I ordered 4 metres of Kona Snow when I really wanted Kona white, and my impulse Kate Spain purchases are not the colours I expected. I was looking for gray, aqua and yellow and I got brown, green and acid green. Oops. I wish I had just filled my cart with the Sherbet Pips yardage she has in stock. Do you ever have online shopping regrets?

Anyway, if anyone wants to swap any of the Kate Spain below I'm interested. I'm up for offers...I have a half metre of both in the photo below.

Kate Spain Central Park and Fandago (1/2 metres) up for swap.

And finally, in pregnancy news...I have 3 weeks to go, 1 quilt retreat this weekend, 1 baby quilt to finish quilting and bind, and 1 Moses Basket to finish recovering. Do you think I'll make it?

Doll Quilt 10 Complete

2011-04-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

I finished my little quiltie for Doll Quilt Swap 10 just in time for the International Shipping Deadline. I love me a deadline.

Doll Quilt 10

I added a couple of more birds to the centre to try to take away from it looking like a 'face'. Once someone pointed it out on flickr, I just couldn't stop thinking of a face every time I looked at the quilt. Hopefully I fixed it....although I'm not sure it really did. Again, that deadline was looming...

Dresden Plate Centre - I think my partner likes birds and toadstools.

I pieced together a back from a fat quarter and some scraps. I even hand-stitched the binding on (which goes against my new love of machine stitching) because I think I read somewhere in the official rules and regulations that we're supposed to do it the traditional way. It actually turned out really nice and I can see that it is worth the effort on special quilts.

Doll Quilt 10 Back

Quick Quilt Stats:

Approx. Size: 23" x 23"

Pattern: Dresden Plate (tutorial from Oh Fransson)

Fabric: Yellow and Aqua from my stash, background is a linen blend

Binding: Rainy Days and Mondays by melimba & beccabury by Riley Blake

Close up of quilting - I stitched in the ditch around the dresden, and fmq in the background.

I'm so thankful to have this one off my plate. And I'm looking forward to receiving my own quilt soon. Okay, not that soon, as Canada Post is officially the slowest postal service in the world!

Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap Received!

2011-03-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

I received a beautiful package from my Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap partner, Amy, last week. (Amy blogs over at amylouwho). I've just started to follow her blog...check out her gorgeous bird quilt. It's lovely! Anyway, Amy made me a gorgeous Dresden Plate table topper to go with my retro red kitchen table.

I love, love, love dresden plates. Especially ones with red polka dots.

I love the way it looks on the table.

I have my dad's old chrome kitchen table - the table topper is perfect!

Amy also made a diaper pouch and some burp cloths for our new baby. I'm thrilled to have some new baby items. With this being baby #3, the poor little babe is going to have to get used to hand-me-downs.

Thanks Amy for the thoughtful baby items!

The backing fabric is perfect too.

Even the back looks amazing. My daughter loves the apples and pears.

Thank you so much, Amy. I love them! And thanks to Darci and Erin for organizing a wonderful swap. I love the kitchen theme and the short turn-around time for making and sending items. I'm definitely up for Round 2!

Back Online!

2011-03-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

We came back from a quick trip down south to visit the Grandparents, and our Internet died! It is amazing just how much I can get done when I`m not constantly checking flickr, blogs, etsy, ebay, etc, etc. But we are now back online, and I`ve been working on a few projects.

I quilted that baby quilt from my last post. I used Nettie`s tutorial for straight line quilting. Let`s just say that I`m no Rita from Red Pepper Quilts. The lines are what I`d like to call ``organic.` Part of me wants to pick some of them out, but the 34.5 week pregnant part of me decided to leave them as is. I am letting go of my perfectionism.

Almost done...

I also got inspired to do some work on my quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap 10. I machine appliqued the centre yesterday and made the backing. Now to just sandwich, baste, quilt and bind. Perhaps this weekend...

Doll Quilt Swap 10 quilt top complete.

We`re finally getting some spring weather up here in the great white north. But there is still at least 5 feet of snow in the yard. My daughter was outraged yesterday that the snow didn`t miraculously melt with the first day of Spring. How do you tell a 4-year old that green grass is a long, long, way offÉ

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Note: For some reason, my laptop keyboard has decided to use the french settings this morning. That É is really supposed to be a question mark. I`ll figure out how to fix it today and I promise to fix this post asap.

Percy the Tank Engine...aka Quilt Basting Assistant

2011-03-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I attempted to baste a quilt while my kids were awake. Percy decided that he needed to help.

Percy the Tank Engine 'helping' with basting a quilt.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the quilt in the photo...the blocks are from here. Yes, a full year ago. But I'm working on all of my UFO's....I promise.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my SUTK swap projects. Sorry I didn't respond to you individually...it was just that kind of week. But I appreciate and value each and everyone of them! Thanks for reading.

Edit: Go check out Cheryl`s post about quilting with kids in the house.

Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap

2011-02-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

I just participated in a fabulous new swap over on flickr called Spicing Up the Kitchen. The swap is organized by Erin and Darci and there is an amazing pool of quilters participating. My partner received her goodies yesterday, so I can finally spill the beans about my projects.

Placemats, hotpads and magnets.

I was lucky to get Darci as my secret partner. It was a bit intimidating to have one of the Swap Mamas to sew for, but Darci is so sweet (we've swapped fabric a few times before this) I was more than happy to make something for her new kitchen.

The only problem was that Darci had pretty specific requests: I-Spy placemats for her two daughters and green. I was pretty sure that if I posted any of my progress photos to the flickr pool she'd know immediately that they were for her. Instead, Erin and I decided to lead her along for a bit. I posted a photo of bright rainbow colours and kitchen prints. Darci specifically said, No kitchen prints.

Okay, time to fess up...I'm not sewing with these fabrics anytime soon. But they are pretty, aren't they?

In truth, I pulled out some favourite fabrics and kept the design simple. I didn't want the images to be lost in a complicated design. And because I'm pregnant. My brain is mush.

I finally cut into my FFA2. Isn't sleeping beauty sweet?

Darci plans to decorate her kitchen with green, so I made her and her hubby each a green placemat to coordinate with the girls. It might be a bit of green overload (I'm wishing I used aqua for the binding) but I figure Mother Nature likes green overload too and she's a pretty good designer.

It turns out I have a pretty good green stash of fabrics - here are 35 different charms.

To complete the package, I made a couple of pot holders and some fridge magnets.

I added some aqua to these...it isn't easy being all green!

I love the fridge magnets - very easy to make and a great way to use some favourite fabrics.

These were so fun, quick and easy to make. I need some now for my kitchen!

I'm so happy that Darci received the placemats yesterday...I was beginning to look like a complete swap flake because I hadn't posted any sewing to the flickr pool. I was worried I was actually going to have to make something out of the fabrics I posted.

Set of four placemats for Darci.

Thanks Erin and Darci for a fun swap. I can't wait for round 2. And of course, to receive my goodies.

Blue and Brown Whirlygig

2011-02-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to show you another completed UFO! This one was started 2 years ago for a friend's wedding present.

Obviously, I am not opposed to sending late gifts. My mother causally suggested that I might consider sending some nice pottery the next time I get invited to a wedding. My husband agrees - he strongly encourages me to make small projects because they actually get finished.

This one is a good twin size. I forget the actual dimensions, but honest, it fits a twin bed perfectly.

Okay, back to the quilt. My other friend and I decided the we would each make half of the blocks in a variety of blues and browns. (I blatantly stole that idea from Amanda Jean...this quilt of hers was the inspiration. Here are the template measurements). All of my friend's blues and browns coordinate perfectly, while mine were much more scrappy. Together I think it is a great mix.

Ahhh...I love to see those KJR fabrics in an actual quilt instead of just on my shelf.

Since we don't live in the same town (or at that time, even the same province), she mailed me her blocks and the backing, and I sewed all of the lovelies together. I quilted it with a simple stipple. Say that three times, Simple Stipple, Simple Stipple, Simple Stipple!

The back...I'm loving a pieced back these days. We decided on a tropical print since they got married in Hawaii.

There was a point in the last two years that this quilt sat in my pile of UFOs that I really hated it. But now that it is finished, I'm really happy with the final product. My husband suggested that we keep it. While I was pretty tempted, I didn't...I dropped it off on my trip to Vancouver earlier in the month.

It feels great to check another one off the list!

Catching Up....

2011-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

We're having computer/camera/Internet issues here at the Quilting Barbie house. Each works independently but they are not play nicely together. Finally today I figured out how to get some photos onto the laptop (which still has Internet access), so I thought I should give a quick update on what I've been up to.

I'm working away on my quiltie for the Doll Quilt Swap. My partner is pretty darn quiet, but since I signed up for the quiet group, I guess that is to be expected. While not the most creative choice, I figured I couldn't go wrong with a Dresden plate. Everyone likes Dresdens, right? I used the tutorial from Elizabeth at Oh Fransson.

My initial idea for the centre was some yummy HR Owl and the Pussy Cat, but in practice it turned out terrible. The linen blend was just too thick to get a nice curve. So I'm back to the drawing board...any suggestions?

Dresden Plate for DQS10. Any great ideas for the centre?

I'm also sewing away like a mad woman on my Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap package. I broke out my gorgeous Amy Butler thread last night for some quilting. Hmmmm....I wonder what colour(s) I used???? More photos to come, I promise.

Gorgeous AB thread for my SUTK Swap project.

And finally, I had a great time in the big city of Vancouver...and I made a few fabric purchases too...so I'll share those soon too.

Over to the dark side...

2011-01-31T11:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone for your kind comments on my sister's quilt. I received some great name suggestions...but I think in the end, I'll just christen this one "Laura's Quilt" since it was made for my sister's wedding.

One of the reasons that I actually finished this quilt is because I machine stitched the binding. I used Rita's tutorial from Red Pepper Quilts and it worked out beautifully. I think I have officially gone over to the dark side. I might never hand stitch a binding again. Sorry to all of you quilting purists.

Machine binding on Laura's Quilt

See...it didn't turn out too bad. I just used lots of pins, and followed Rita's directions. The only thing I did differently was that I used 2.5" strips rather than 2.25". I think I needed that extra wiggle room. I did have to go back and redo a couple of spots on each side that didn't catch, but I can't even tell now that it is all done.

I also got a start on my quilt for Doll Quilt Swap 10. I don't have a great idea of my partner's style, so I'm playing it safe this round. Here is a shot of the trimmings. They seemed to get a positive response over on Flickr.

Now I just have to decide on the background. Any thoughts? Do you like white, light gray (ash), medium gray or something darker (Kona Charcoal or Coal) with yellow and aqua? Or should I invest in some linen? I'd love an opinion. I'm off to Vancouver on the weekend I've heard a rumour that this store has all 221 Kona Solids in stock. Heaven!

New Year Resolution Complete!

2011-01-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

As I've stated over and over again, I really wanted to finish some UFOs in 2011. Especially with a new baby on the way. With only 3 months to go, I'm ready to make some gorgeous baby stuff. (Like all of the gorgeous things Ashley has been making lately).

So here is UFO finish number 1. I'm actually quite proud of this one. It's big. It's huge. And I made it all by myself.

A Quilt for my Sister.

Although there are no designer fabrics in this one (I pieced the top before I became a fabric snob), I still love it. The pattern was originally from McCalls Quilting and called Roots. (sorry, it doesn't seem to be online anymore).

Almost all of the quilt.

I was going to call it "Nobody is Perfect" because it really, really, really isn't perfect. The quilting is crooked, the star points don't match, and there is a bit of a ripple in the border. But since it is for my sister, I figure she might take offense.

Outdoor photo shoots are trickier than they appear. Especially with 3 feet of snow in the backyard.

Any ideas on a good name for this one?

It is now raining here in Prince George, so I thought I'd share some photos of the weekend. It was gorgeous, warm and sunny and we had so much fun skating on our community outdoor rink.

My daughter wearing my sunglasses.

My son really only wants to play hockey...it's time for some 'real' skates.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Checking In

2011-01-18T07:03:00.000-08:00

I had two major sewing/quilting goals for 2011. I thought in the interest of full disclosure I should give you a quick update.

Goal #1: Finish some WIPs and UFOs. Here's a shot of my oldest living UFO. In truth, I wasn't even going to post about it since it really doesn't represent my style anymore (and the craftsmanship is terrible). But it is taking up so much of my time, I thought I'd give you a glimpse.

Long dead, and now resurrected UFO. It will get done, it will get done, it will get done.....

It is big. A Queen. And for some stupid reason, I decided to quit it myself. Lets just say that it is crooked, there are puckers and you can't look at it up close (I won't let you). Not if you have any quilting experience anyway. But I made this flimsy back in 2005 or 2006 and it needs to get done. And I'm giving it to my sister who loves traditional quilts and who may or may not have got married way back in September of 2009. 2009! I just have to quilt the border, bind and label this baby and she is done!

Goal #2: Fabric Diet/Use up Stash. It turns out I'm as bad at fabric diets as food diets. The first week I bought some Kona White to finish up my Colour Wheel Quilt. Never mind that I 'added' in a 1/2 yard of yummy Innocent Crush (I had to see it for myself) and found a new to me Canadian online shop that has Kona Cotton Solids for $7/yard.

Stalled progress on Colour Wheel Quilt. More Kona White just arrived...

Week 2 I resisted. But now we're in Week 3 and I had a major cave. I couldn't resist buying some new fabrics for my Spicing Up the Kitchen Partner. And my fellow Canadians know how it goes, right? I had to fill up the envelope to justify paying the shipping from the US. You understand, right? Right???

How are you doing with your resolutions? Are you like me...or can you stick with them? I'd love to hear!

Life is Good...

2011-01-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of pure happiness for you:

I found the cutest wool and sheepskin booties at a thrift store on Saturday for $3.

And I finally got my hands on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I've been on the wait list at the library FOREVER! Let's just say that there isn't much sewing going on this week....

Are you reading anything good these days?

Thanks Meg!

2011-01-06T07:56:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas, I received a gorgeous pillow from Meg for the Pillow Talk Swap. Meg blogs here. She's a librarian and a quilter. Isn't that a perfect combination?!?

Anyway, back to the pillow. I LOVE it. The colour combo is stunning, the pattern showcases some amazing fabrics, and it is perfect just for me.

When I signed up for this swap, I thought that my pillow would go in one of my kids rooms. Wrong. I've decided to be selfish and keep this one for myself!

Thanks again, Meg! I love my new pillow. (In fact, I've decided to decorate my room to match!)

Happy 2011!

2011-01-03T08:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas holidays are pretty much over for us now...hubby is back to work today, and I go back to teaching tomorrow afternoon. Today is going to be a day filled with crossing things off lists...take down tree...buy thread...send thank yous...work on UFOs....

2010 turned out to be a year of small projects for me. I only finished one lap quilt, started too many other quilts, and made lots of small things.

I've decided that 2011 will be a year of finishing UFOs. I've even started quilting a giant queen-sized quilt that I've had hanging around since 2004 or 2005. I'm hoping that getting some things finished will help me to enjoy quilting more as I won't have so many things hanging over my head.

I've also decided to join Angela's Fabric Diet. Have you seen this yet? 8 weeks of no fabric buying...it is something I wanted to do anyway, but this should help me keep up with it. I'm actually a very competitive person.

Unfortunately, I already need to buy some more Kona White so I can work on my colour wheel quilt. But I'm okay with that...I really, really want to finish this one soon.

So happy New Year to you and yours. What are your goals for 2011?

Home Made Christmas: Part 2

2010-12-29T09:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, I meant to write this post before Christmas, but you all know how life goes, right? So here are a few more gifts I made for my family this year.

First, a couple of pillows for my sister. She requested brown, cream and a hint of red. The first is a simple zig zag. For some reason I have a huge amount of that MM print in my stash, so I put it to good use. Background is Kona Bone.

The second is a simple wonky square, using up some of my red and brown scraps. It's my favourite. I LOVE it. And word is that my sister loves it too.

I also made my niece a wonky star doll quilt. I used some of my favourite Munki Munki for the centres of the stars and then raided my scrap bins. The background is an unknown light pink solid.

The quilting is very dense (probably too dense for a doll quilt). I wanted to practice my loops and stars.

I just adore those Munki prints...perfect for a little girl. And a big 30-ish girl too.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday. I was so thankful to spend it with my family. But I'm happy to be home. Can't wait to read everyone's 2010 wrap-up posts.

Home Made Christmas: Part One

2010-12-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

I tried my best this year to make as many homemade gifts as possible. Here are a couple of them:

A car cozy for my godson:

I used this tutorial with a few simple changes. I put an "S" for his name on the outside, and instead of ties, I added small tag and velcro for the closure. I also used a scrap of fusible fleece and quilting weight fabric instead of denim and canvas.

This is a fun, fast project. And judging by how much my own kids played with it before I got it wrapped, it's a hit with kids.

I also made a quick tote bag for my mom. She saw a bag she liked in Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki and this is my interpretation of it. (I'd already returned the book to the library...)

I love the combination of grey, black, white and aqua. Okay, I love anything with aqua in it!

I have a few other things to show you over the next couple of days. Enjoy the holiday season.

Give Away Winner

2010-12-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway for SMS Give Away Day. There were an amazing 513 entries.

The winner of the fabric bundle is #455:

Joanna said...: For Christmas I am hoping for a new TV since our old one broke and for a few months we have been using an old 13 inch one!!! I am hinting quite strongly to the hubster :)Congratulations Joanna. I'll send you an email right away so I can send you your prize.

Give Away Day

2010-12-12T21:32:00.000-08:00

The Give Away is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered. I'll post a winner asap.

It's the most wonderful time of the year....Welcome to Give Away Day at Quilting Barbie. Up for grabs are four Fat Quarters (Canadian sized...bigger...just like our football fields) from my stash.

***Sorry for the terrible photo, I just wanted to make sure I got this post up on Sunday so I wouldn't have to wake up ridiculously early to make the 9am Eastern deadline. It's dark here in the Great White North. I'll post a better one on Monday. I promise***

They are from top to bottom:

Heather Ross Brown Flowers from Lightning Bugs and Other Mysteries
Michael Miller Owls
MoMo Freebird
Joel Dewberry Broad Stripe

To enter:

Leave a comment...tell me what you'd like for Christmas. Or just say hi.
Make sure I have a way to contact you.
Have fun entering all the give aways. And good luck!
Give Away open until December 17 and then I'll chose a winner randomly.
I'll ship anywhere in this beautiful world of ours.

Barb

Hmmm....

2010-12-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

I just saw the announcement for the SMS Give-Away Day next week. I LOVE Give-Away Day (let's just say the kids watch at least one movie that day), and I've been lucky enough to win a few prizes too.

I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not I'll participate this time. Are you joining in? If so, what are you giving away?

My Give-Away Package from May 2010. Granted the bag is pretty ugly, but the fabrics are lovely.

If I do participate, I'm also not sure what I should give away. What do you like to win? Fabric? Something homemade? If so, what?

And finally thank you to all of those who gave great advice about taking pictures from my last post!

Finished Pillow

2010-12-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

I finished up my pillow for Pillow Talk Swap 4 last week. I've had a terrible time trying to get good photos...the snow outside makes it impossible for me to do an outdoor photo shoot, and I can't seem to get good shots inside. Any suggestions from seasoned photographers?

I added patchwork border in aqua, orange and pink and then finished it up with some Kona Snow. You almost, just almost, need sunglasses to look at this pillow it is so bright. But I think my partner will like it...she said she likes colour and I took her word for it.

The back was inspired/copied from this gorgeous pillow. I used my new favourite colour combo of yellow and aqua and a heaping of Kona Snow.

The pillow finished just under 20" square. I only have an 18" pillow form, but I think it would fill out beautifully with a 20" form. Now I just have to put together some goodies for my partner and it will be in the mail.

Finally, because I'm ~~curious~~ nosy, I'm wondering, did you take advantage to all of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday fabric sales? I was so, so, so tempted. I even filled up a few carts over at Sew Mama Sew and Fabric.com only to cancel my order. In the end, I just made one impulse buy at Solidia's Etsy store for some hard to find fabric.

I admit, those sales were so hard to resist. But I really am trying to be more responsible with my fabric purchases. One look around my sewing room shows that I already have more fabric than I can use. And just when I was thinking about the expense of my hobby, I came home to read this fabulous post about money and crafting by Jacqui at Hazelnuts (an Edmonton girl living in New Zealand). Go and have a read (the comments too)...it is thought-provoking and it helped me to be thankful for what I have instead of lusting over all the gorgeous fabric on sale all over the internet.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

A few handmade gifts....

2010-11-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

My mom was here last week and it gave me a chance to make a couple of handmade gifts while she played with the kids. (Thank you, Mom!)

I found this great tutorial through flickr and I made two cute box tote bags. The first one is for my cousin's birthday. She loves green so I chose a sweet Nicey Jane print. The tote is fully lined (I used a Kaffe Fassed Aboriginal Dot) and it is a perfect size for pencils, bath stuff, etc.

The second is for one of my dearest friends. She is a vet and an equestrian so I dived into my HR stash for her little bag. It is lined with a cute Michael Miller flower/paisley print. I filled it with some lovelies from the Body Shop and mailed it a full 2 weeks before her birthday. That in itself is a miracle...I am always late with birthday presents. Especially homemade ones.

And finally, my mom arrived at my house with her knitting in a plastic bag. I couldn't let that stand. She asked for aqua and red and I threw in a whole bunch of pink (because I seem to have a bunch of pink scraps) and made a quick drawstring bag. (I used the principles from this tutorial and just made the bag with scraps and a bit bigger).

Side 1:

Side 2:

I've also finished up my pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap but the pictures I took this afternoon are horrible. (Singing, "All I want for Christmas is a fancy camera....") I'll try to get some new photos tomorrow with better light and I'll show them to you asap.

Have a great weekend!

Improved Nine Patch

2010-11-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

Can you tell I found my Double Wedding Ring Template set this weekend? Remember when I made this block at a class two summers ago? (and no, I still haven't made any more...)

Well I discovered that the template set also allowed me to make Improved Nine Patch blocks. (The template is From Marti Mitchell). I was inspired by these gorgeous blocks (scroll down, they are worth it) by Amy at Badskirt.

Up first is my pillow for Pillow Talk Swap 4. My partner loves bright colours, Heather Ross and Flea Market Fancy (who doesn't??). I had fun pulling out a few favourite fabrics to make this block. At first I was concerned that it had too much pink, but the friendly people over on flickr seemed to like it.

What kind of border do you think I should make? I was thinking patchwork with aqua, orange and pink. Or maybe just aqua...I'm up for any ideas that you have!

Since I was on all roll, I decided to make another for Austen for The Maple Leaf Quilting Bee. I'm behind (sorry) so I was just happy to get this done before another month passes by.

I'm pretty much in love with these blocks. I'm thinking that I need to make a baby quilt with this pattern (without squaring off the blocks). I found that once I got going the curved piecing wasn't as difficult as I remembered.

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Last Minute Halloween Treak or Treat Bags

2010-11-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

I decided at the last minute on Saturday that my kids needed home-made trick or treat bags. Needed. So bought my very first Halloween fabric, and worked late into the night.

I used this tutorial as my inspiration and added a few inches to both sides to make them a bit bigger. I want these bags to last a few years. I also referred to this tutorial for basic bag making instructions. I used some images from Clip-Art for my applique templates.

A pumpkin for my son:

And a bat for my daughter:

These were so quick and easy and I was so happy that my kids didn't have to use pillowcases for trick or treating. Now I just have to start making home-made costumes!

Have you ever been to Vanderhoof?

2010-10-30T15:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever even heard of Vanderhoof? Probably not, unless you live in British Columbia. And I bet there are more than a few British Columbians who haven't heard of it either! It is actually a small logging and farming town in the geographical centre of BC, about an hour west of Prince George.

Why I am I rambling about such a small town?!? Because they have two wonderful quilt shops (which are magnitudes better than the shops in Prince George), and I went on a field trip yesterday to check them out.

Here are my lovely finds:

From the bottom: Sandi Henderson Farmer's Market, MoMo Freebird, an Art Gallery Oval Dot (oh, so soft), Kona Cotton "Tomato", a Kaffe Fassett Dot, Heather Bailey Bijoux and Amy Butler Belle.

A lovely Corduroy (bottom) and a Michael Miller print for a skirt for my daughter.

And some gorgeous Kate Spain "12 Days of Christmas" for a Christmas Table runner.

It was a great day and it was wonderful to see vibrant Quilt Shops in such a small town. I wish I could say the same for Prince George.

Have a great Saturday and happy sewing.

We're having a baby!

2010-10-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

Yup, #3 is on his or her way! I wonder which of these beautiful fabrics I'll get to cut up???

Another slight for Canada....

2010-09-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Oh, why, oh, why do people (or one creative, artistic, wonderful person in particular) insist on "NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING"????

I am so sad to be missing out on this year's sale. I would adore a Heather Ross Scrap Pack or a small piece of artwork. Have fun all my American friends...

Just to fuel my heartbreak, here's a shot of my loot from last year! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Nothing like a deadline to make me finish a quilt!

2010-09-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

I finally got the last of the buttons sewed on my little doll quilt this morning. Of course, today is the deadline to ship internationally, and I am going to make it, whew. (So there is a little hint...this quilt is not going to Canada).

I meant to get it finished yesterday but after pricking three tiny little holes in three of my fingers while sewing buttons, I thought I should take a bit of a break before finishing. Perhaps I should use a thimble???

This little quilt gave me lots of troubles. I designed it with borders because I thought Cathedral Windows were tricky, but it turns out that actually, it was the math for the borders that gave me the most trouble. And then a terrible ironing incident (imagine brown yucky water spewing out all over my beautiful pristine white fabric) caused some of the reds to bleed. Thankfully the kind folks on flickr helped to solve the problem...I just picked out the offending piece and sewed in a new one. Why couldn't I think of that???

Overall, I am pretty happy with this quilt. Again, I am hoping the Flea Market Fancy Effect will prevent my partner from looking at the flaws. Like the fact that the borders are not square (at all) and there is still a bit of bleeding in one of the yellow bouquet windows.

Here is the back of the quilt. As you can see the middle square isn't quilted...I had planned to bring the thread through from the buttons to have a tied effect, but it just looked funny. I'm assuming my partner won't want to wash it so I hope it is okay. You understand, right partner???

I also made my partner a little bag from a tutorial over at Pink Penguin. Isn't it cute? I love free tutorials....

I am so thankful that I finished this quilt (and in time for the mailing deadline no less). Now I can just sit back and wait for my own package. I love this swap!

A Quick Tote Bag...

2010-08-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

I've been working madly on my Doll Quilt, but I managed to whip up this quick tote bag this weekend. My mom is coming today for a week (I am so excited) and her friend is picking her up on Friday for a road trip. My mom's friend makes my kids the most beautiful hand knitted socks...and not just one or two...I get packages in the mail all of the time with a couple of pairs each. They are gorgeous (yes, I am jealous of my kids' socks). So I owe her. Big time.

I thought a nice bag, filled with some goodies would be a good start at saying thank you. I used this great tutorial over on Moda Bake Shop. But as you can see, I used scraps instead of a charm pack.

I'm also really working on getting projects completed...I had a great message from Rebecca about setting small goals, deadlines and keeping track. Rebecca just had a baby girl so pop over and say congratulations. And while you are there check out her fabulous sleep sack. I love it!

I also made some yummy jam...I ran out of raspberries so I added some blueberries and it is a refreshing change from plain old raspberry. Isn't wonderful when things work out even though they are different than your original plan?

Have a wonderful Monday. I'll be back soon with photos of my finished Doll Quilt.

Doll Quilt Update

2010-08-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons that I shouldn't start new projects right now (other than of course that I never actually finish my projects) is that I have a few obligations to complete first.

One of the most pressing is my quilt for Doll Quilt Swap 10. I've had my plan in place for quite a while, but I needed the courage to actually get going on it. Of course, the deadline didn't hurt either.

(Sorry for this awful photo...I really need to work on my lighting!)

I'm going for the FMF effect here. Blind my partner with Flea Market Fancy, and hopefully she/he won't notice the flaws in the construction of the quilt. I think my partner will love both the FMF and the cathedral window design. I used this tutorial. (Here is part two). I also read this great post/tutorial that has tons of great suggestions on how to make a cathedral windows block.

I'm counting on using buttons like in this pillow to hide where my points don't match up.

I think the trickiest part was actually folding the fabric but now that I'm at the sewing stage it seems to be going pretty fast. I love how the white gives some separation to all those bright prints. It also makes a difference what kind of fabric you use for the background. I bought some very soft Japanese cotton from my LQS because I loved the feel of it, but I think it is just too soft for this pattern to get a nice, crisp fold. Perhaps good old Kona Cotton would have been a better choice. I know for next time (if there is a next time!) Wouldn't this pattern be beautiful to showcase some of my favourite Heather Ross prints?!?

Thanks for all your great comments on the price of fabric from the last post. It seems folks in NZ have it much worse than us Canadians. But I'm impressed with how many of you work to support local shops.

Happy Sewing!

Fabric Finds...

2010-08-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

I always stop at the Jasper quilt shop on my way to Edmonton. It works out beautifully...my husband takes the kids to the playground and I spend too much money on fabric. The shop has a great mix of fabrics including lots of 30's reproductions, wilderness fabrics (they are in Jasper National Park after all) and every time I go there is a bigger and better selection of beautiful contemporary fabric.

This is what I came home with:

1 FQ of Heather Ross Mermaids
4 FQs of Light Blue American Jane Pez (I cleaned the store right out!)
1 metre of Tula Pink Flutterby Ladybugs
Unfortunately, I left all of the Nicey Jane and Hope Valley in the shop. (Believe me, it took terrible constraint)

I'm sure that for most of you, seeing this kind of fabric in a real, live, quilt shop is pretty common place. But I live pretty much smack-dab-in-the-middle of British Columbia, Canada and I am surrounded by Thimbleberries, batiks and dusty rose. I never get to actually see the fabric that I buy until my order arrives at my mailbox. So I feel like a kid in a candy store when the opportunity actually presents itself.

But the thing that gets me most is the darn prices of fabric in Canada. I bought the above lovelies because I know they are almost impossible to find on-line and I LOVE them, but they were all at least $18/metre. $18 per metre...isn't that disgusting?!? No wonder I buy my fabric online. I don't know how people afford to quilt/sew in Canada.

Okay, end of rant. Sorry. Especially to those of you in the US. Please enjoy your low fabric prices. Now I'm off to sew...I think my little darlings are finally asleep (is it really 9pm already?) and my husband is off watching UFC. I must get caught up on my all of my bee commitments.

Have a great weekend! Happy Sewing.

Thank you!

2010-07-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

We are just on our way to Edmonton for a family golf tournament, but I wanted to post a quick thank you before I left.

Stacy, from Peaknit, sent me the most beautiful pincushion yesterday. Really. I'm still gushing over it. And as if a Heather Bailey pear pincushion (weighted wonderfully at the bottom so it will stay put on my sewing table...and believe me...nothing stays put on my sewing table) wasn't enough, she also sent some gorgeous Tufted Tweets.

Stacy also included a cute ladybug pin from this etsy shop. All the way from Isreal. Isn't it sweet?

Go check out Stacy's photostream, she does amazing work. I really hope we can become 'friends.' So thank you so much Stacy. I love it. I'm thrilled.

Happy Mail Day!

2010-07-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

I received my fabric from Holly last week for our Colour Wheel Quilt Swap.Oh Happy Day! We decided to swap 10 fabrics, 9 of which we chose and the 10th one was dedicated as a surprise. Holly sent the best surprise, Pink FMF Seeds! Isn't she the sweetest? These fabrics are going to be perfect for my quilt. (I am also in love with the elephants!)

I think I only have about 20 more fabrics to collect. Interestingly, I'm finding it difficult to find pure blues from my stash. I love blue, but I seem to have lots of aquas and multi-colour print blues, but very few tone on tone. I may have to fix that with some fabric shopping.

I also was very inspired by this post. I wanted to do my part so I made these two blocks last night. These cross blocks are quick and simple to make and they are fun and modern too. Check out the flickr group for all of the blocks being made around the world.

Lucia has inspired me to get working on some more charity quilts. Once I get this Colour Wheel Quilt wrapped up, I'm making a few quilts to give away.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I also got these gorgeous squares in the mail yesterday. I won them from Katy. Thank you! I love this fabric, it reminds me so much of the sheets we had growing up. Maybe I could make a quilt like this as my first charity quilt....

What about you? Do you make quilts to give-away? What do you make? Who do you make them for? How do you find time to fit them all in?

Ice Cream Social

2010-07-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

While I work away on my Colour Wheel Quilt (and I promise, I really am working on it), I decided to join the Ice Cream Social hosted by Amy and Kate. I've discovered that I like sewing things for my daughter because A. she looks really cute in homemade clothes, and B. I can actually get them finished.

She decided she wanted a mermaid dress, so I found some Heather Ross in my stash and ordered a bit more off off ebay.

I struggled a bit trying to find a good coordinating fabric for the yoke. First I thought I'd find a good Kona Solid. Unfortunately, I don't have a LQS that stocks it or a Kona Swatch Card, and even with help from the friendly sewing community on flickr, I decided not to take a chance.

Fortunately, I did find a great print at the local LQS that I think will be even nicer than a solid. I went with pink rather than orange or brown because I know my daughter will wear a pink dress. She may not, however, wear orange or brown. She likes her pink.

So the first set of instructions are now posted, so I need to get my pre-washing and pattern tracing done so I can catch up. I can't wait to see how this project goes...I can see that the Ice Cream Dress could make fabulous Christmas presents for all of the little girls in our extended family. Go check out the flickr pool...there are some very lovely dresses there.

Happy Sewing!

I really don't need another project...

2010-07-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I'm not always completely honest about the number of projects I have on the go at one time. Sure I have a small list on my sidebar, but the truth is that I have way more in the works that I have blogged about once or not at all. It seems that in the past year I've become extremely good at starting projects and terrible at finishing them. I think it is all the gorgeous inspiration out there. I'm hoping that I'll get to the point where I can disclose all of those projects, but today, instead, I'm just going to share a new start!

I've been in love with Joelle Hoverson's colourwheel quilt forever. And then of course my idol, Melanie, made a gorgeous hand quilted one, and I knew it was time to make one for myself. So I got the book out of the library, and made myself a template of the wedge and pretty much left it there.

Until, I met a new bloggy friend, Holly. She blogged about her start and I commented that I was working on one too (or at least I had the intention of making one anyway). Then she suggested a fabric swap. What a wonderful idea...so I got right to cutting.

I got 22 wedges cut the other night. I seem to have lots of pinks and oranges, but I'm lacking in the blues and purples. I can't wait to swap with Holly so that I can round out my colour wheel.

And I'm determined to finish this one. This summer. So I can hang it in my new house! And so that it won't join the growing mass of UFO's in my sewing room.

How about you? Have you made a colour wheel quilt? Do you start one project and finish it? Or are you like me and have quilting ADD?

Scrappy Pincushion Swap

2010-07-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my pincushion for the Scrappy Pincushion Swap over on flickr. My partner said that she liked red & aqua so I ran with it. She had an owl in her mosaic so I made up this little guy.

He's perched on a scrappy log cabin pincushion that I made out of my scrap bin. I love it when scraps go to good use!

I even got to use some of my yummy sushi fabric for the centre....I figure owls must love sushi. I know I love sushi anyway. And now that we live in a big city we can actually enjoy it now and then.

I admit that I also struggled with this swap, but I'm happy with the end results. You might wonder why I keep signing up for swaps considering it takes me until right before the deadline to commit to an idea, but the truth is that is just the way I am. And I really love swaps because they push me to create. I would never have made this little guy with out a swap to make me.

This little guy is now off to his new home.

Give-Away Winners!

2010-07-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for entering the give-away...and for your kind comments. It made my day, well, actually, weekend.

I decided to keep this contest low-key (no announcements on flickr, etc) because I wanted people who actually read my blog to win. I have to say I'm a bit disillusioned with the SMS Give-Away Day but that is another story for another day...

So the winner of the Sandi Henderson FQ pack is #57 Kris who said... Thanks for a great giveaway!

And the winner of the the Hexagon Papers and 2.5" squares is #3 kylydia said... Woo hoo! Congrats on your 100th post!

I'll send you an email right away to get your address! Congratulations.

100 Posts Give-Away!

2010-07-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Give-Away is now closed. Thank you for entering....I'll have the winners posted soon.

It's taken me awhile (a year and a half), but I've made it to 100 posts. And you all know what that means....a give-away!

So, up for grabs are 4 Fat Quarters from Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet. This fabric is beautiful, so I thought I'd share.

The second prize is 50, 2.5" squares and a pack of 100 1" Hexagons (die-cut papers). All of the 50 fabrics are different and cut from my stash. I've tried to include some of my favourites, so you'll find a little FMF, a wee bit of Heather Ross, some Amy Butler and Heather Bailey. And a few others too. This should help to get you started on Melanie's Hexagon piece-along!

Let's keep this simple, okay? To win....

Leave a comment on this post.
If you want another chance, become a follower of my blog and leave a second comment. If you are already a follower, leave a second comment to let me know that too.

I'll draw a winner on Sunday, July 11. I'm happy to ship anywhere.

Good Luck!

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

We're enjoying it with a new sandbox, a beautiful walk on the trail by our house, and a community celebration at the park.

Happy Birthday, Canada!

Bee Inspired VQB Wrap Up

2010-06-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

I finally finished my last block for the bee inspired Virtual Quilting Bee. It's a bit embarrassing to admit that this was supposed to be April's block, but I'm pulling out the "I just moved" excuse.

Lisa sent a beautiful mix of prints and solids for her block and asked for something inspired by a quilt Tacha made for her daughter. Go check out Tacha's gorgeous quilt...don't worry, I'll wait...check this one out too...it is made with lovely Heather Ross horses (which I adore) and improv style piecing. Yum.

So, this is what I came up with. I'm annoyed that the yellow is touching in two of the corners, but I decided I can live with it. I'm really not a tear apart kind of girl.

As for my own bee inspired blocks. Do you remember this stack of fabric? Well, now it is a stunning stack of quilt blocks. I really need to move them out of the UFO pile and into the WIP pile. It would be a lovely complement to my new pillow in my living room.

Have you assembled any of your VQB quilts? Or are they like mine sitting in nicely organized piles? How do you get your inspiration to get them finished?

My Pillow

2010-06-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, I promise this is the last post about Pillow Swap 3 over on Flickr. At least until round 4 rolls around. I really appreciate every one's helpful ideas and support when I was struggling with this one.

I really wanted this one to be perfect because it was for Marianne. Last summer she offered a free long-arm quilting for the ORBC Quilt Along, and I won. She did such an amazing job on my quilt that I wanted to make something that would be an adequate thank you.

But then I was paralyzed by that desire to make it perfect. When I was in university, one of my profs told me I was a "Procrastinating Perfectionist." It describes me perfectly. In the end I run out of time and just have to go for it, but all the way leading up to it I'm always questioning every step, every decision. So all I can say is "Thank You" to everyone who took the time to respond to my fear that it just wasn't good enough. You are all wonderful.

In the end, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I love the Nicey Jane fabric, and the mix of green, blue and grey. I added some buttons to hide some pretty serious imperfections in my quilting, but I'm okay with that. I know I'm not perfect, so my pillow doesn't have to be either. And Marianne has already told me she loves it. And that makes me happy. Very happy.

Pillow Swap 3 Complete!

2010-06-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

My participation in Pillow Swap 3 is now complete. I received the most beautiful pillow from Linda a while back and I finally got some pictures to show you. I LOVE my pillow.

It has gorgeous paint-by-number birds, amazing curved piecing and a wonderful colour scheme. I feel like I won the pillow lottery. Thank you so much Linda, you made me the perfect pillow.

Here's a shot of the back. Isn't it lovely?

Okay and one more photo of the little bird...I just can't resist that little bird

Thank you Linda, it is perfect in my new house. And thanks to Heather and Kerri for your amazing work organizing this swap. I show some photos of the pillow I made in the next post.

Oops I forgot a title...how about Hand Sewing Convert?!?

2010-06-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

I decided to join the local Quilt Guild here in Prince George. Everyone was extremely welcoming at last month's meeting and there were even a couple of members close to my age with young(ish) kids.

The Guild has an Applique Social twice a month - but the nice ladies told me that any kind of hand sewing is just fine. I don't do much hand sewing (I actually have 2 quilts in my house that are currently being used on beds that have only about 75% of the binding sewn on). But I'm in desperate need of some social time.

So last week I printed out some of Melanie's 1" hexes and joined the group. It was fabulous. I got my much needed social time with other women who love fabric and sewing as much as I do. And I got to make some fun hexagons. I may become a hand-sewing convert. And I may have to join Melanie's Quilt Along too.

What about you? Do you like to hand sew? If so, what do you like to make?

Happy Friday!

2010-06-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all of your kind words of support from my last post. It is wonderful to have such amazing, thoughtful comments to help me through a creative crisis. I think I've pushed through my indecision, and now I just have to add the binding. And maybe some buttons, to, er, um, hide some imperfections in my quilting. Oops. There is a reason that we are supposed to quilt from the inside towards the outer edges, isn't there? Let's just say that I had the lesson reinforced. I'll post a picture asap.

I also received the most amazing pillow yesterday for the same swap. But I need to run out and get a bigger insert before I post a picture because it is just too gorgeous to photograph without a proper insert.

And finally, the kids and I are really taking advantage of life in a big city. The other day we had an amazing picnic and play at the water park. My daughter was fearless...what a perfect day!

Have a great weekend!

Paralyzed by Indecision...

2010-06-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Pillow Talk Swap 3 on flickr awhile back. I was so excited to be part of this swap...there are some gorgeous pillows being swapped around blogland. But as the deadline to mail out approaches, I find I'm paralyzed by indecision. I want to make the perfect pillow for my partner. And I know that is impossible, but I at least want to make a pillow that she will love.

Since the move, I've been slow to get back to sewing. I just don't have the drive that I had before. My first attempt was a Wonky Bento Box a la Quilt Dad. I even dug into my precious FMF Green Seeds scrap. Yes, you read correctly, scrap, singular. I was lucky enough to have Rachel from 2nd Ave Studios send me a bit of the gorgeous green seeds for her block of Stash Busting International and I've been using little tiny pieces every since. But I really only have about a 5" square remaining. Anyway, I digress. Needless to say, my Wonky Bento Box was less than successful. I don't like my distribution of fabrics, how the blues are all clumped together and I hate the solid grey as it stands out way too much. And as my mom says, "It just isn't wonky enough." I think I'll make it into a table topper and stick a plant on top of it...

My second attempt was a Stashbuster Block #2 from Little Miss Shabby's tutorial. I love Little Miss Shabby, don't you?!? I hope I can have her colour and design sense when I grow up. I just used 2" squares instead of 1.5" to make the pillow bigger.

Now I'm struggling with the quilting. What do you think? Should I pick out my lines and do something else? Or should I keep going? Do you think I should applique something in the middle? See...I am so indecisive.

Anyway, I hope you are making better progress than me! Happy Sewing!

More Teeny Tiny Squares

2010-05-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

We're just about finished our year of Stash Busting International. This has been a fabulous bee where we pull fabrics out of our own stashes to complete each member's block. I love the freedom that this allows and it is also a great way to actually use my fabrics rather than hoarding them. Yes, my name is Barb, and I am a fabric hoarder.

May was Little Miss Shabby's month, and she designed a beautiful block using 1.5" squares. I love Corey's work - she always chooses beautiful designs, and even more beautiful fabric combinations. This is my contribution to Corey's quilt. I love how it turned out, and I may just have to make one of my one day. Add it to the list. If you are interested in making this block, she has great instructions on her blog.

I'm off to the Farmer's Market. Have a great Saturday.

Winner

2010-05-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my give-away! There was a great mix of reactions about my little tote bag, and I'll I can say is that I think it looks better in real life. I was trying to push myself in terms of colour scheme and not take the safe route...sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But I really do appreciate honest responses.

The winner is.....#302:

Spendlove said...: Love Modify Tradition too - sweet giveaway thanks for the chance; May 19, 2010 10:41 AM

Have a great weekend everyone!

Give Away Day!

2010-05-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

The Give-Away is now closed! Thanks to everyone who entered.

Welcome! I'll keep this short...I know you have a bunch of blogs to visit today. Here's what I have up for grabs:

A Petite Drawstring Bag made by moi using the fabulous tutorial from Modify Tradition. I love that blog, don't you? I can't decide if this fabric combination is pretty or just pretty ugly, but I ran out of time to make anything else. And I really needed an excuse to actually cut into my HR stash.

10 Heather Ross 5" Charm Squares. I love these fabrics.

And I'll drum up some other little treats to stuff in the bag before I mail it off to you.

So to enter, all you have to do is leave a comment. One entry per person please! I'll leave it open until May 20 and then I'll draw a winner using that Random Number thingy. I'm happy to ship internationally. Thanks so much for entering and Good Luck!

Happy Sewing!

I'm in!

2010-05-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Come back tomorrow for a great chance to win! I'm thinking I'll Modify Tradition for this one....

Behind the Seams...

2010-05-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

I was asked to show the back of my teeny tiny squares block. Let me tell you, I was very tempted to fix it up before I showed it, but I decided that I'd take a chance and show the real me. Here she is:

And here she is up close!

And I wanted to tell you all that I am literally kicking myself. Last weekend, on Mother's Day, I might add, my husband dragged me to the Gun Show in this new town of ours. Marriage is about compromise, right? He's been to a few Quilt Shows too....Anyway, as I was trudging around, a woman came up to me and said, "I love your bag! Is that Amy Butler fabric?" I was so surprised that someone at a Gun Show appreciated Amy Butler that I just said, "Thank you" then ran after my kids who were running around the entire arena. Now, I'm kicking myself. She was young. And she appreciated Amy Butler. And she was at a Gun Show on Mother's Day. Wouldn't she have been a great friend? Or at least a great sewing/fabric contact? Arghh. So now I'm kicking myself, and hoping I'll run into her again!

Happy Sewing!

I'm Back!

2010-05-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Whew - it has been a long couple of weeks. I've never actually moved before - other than carting a few boxes of books and my computer back and forth to university. And I'm not convinced I'll do it again. Well, not anytime soon, anyway. But we are somewhat set up in our new house, and we love it!

I even have a special sewing studio (I read in a book once that it should be called a studio rather than a room, and I'm going with it. It makes me feel like an artiste!) It is the formal living room in our new place and since we aren't formal kind of people it is perfect for my sewing. It gets beautiful morning light and it is right off the main living area. I just have some organization to do and I'll be set. Okay, a ton of organizing.

Just before we moved, I was thrilled to win an amazing give-away from the Modify Tradition blog. If you haven't checked it out, hop over there asap. Beautiful tutorials and a wonderful mix of old and new. I'm so sad to see that they are having a Mini Quilt Swap. I can't believe I missed the sign-ups. I'm blaming Telus! (that's my Internet provider for my non-Canadian friends). Here is the gorgeous bag that I won. Isn't it beautiful? And it came with great goodies too!

And finally, here is the block that I made for Quiltin' Kyra for Stash Busting International. The squares are 1.5" unfinished so they finish up at just 1". I love this block and I think the quilt will be amazing.

Happy Sewing.

Pink Patchwork

2010-04-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

One of my good friends had a little baby girl last week, and we decided to throw a last minute baby shower for her this weekend. So of course, I had to make her a quilt. And since she already has a little boy, I thought that the quilt had to be pretty girly.

Don't you think moms of sweet, brand, new baby girls want to embrace pink? I know I did. So I made a quick patchwork quilt in shades of pink and grey.

And I made a couple of zig-zags, a la Denyse Schmidt, for the back. Then I just quilted a 1/4 from each seam.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

It is a bit loose though - my last minute basting left a bit to be desired. Note to self: Must work on my hasty basting technique in the future.

Hope you had a great weekend! Things here are a changing...moving truck arrives Tuesday!

Sometimes...

2010-04-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

It pays to root through the discount FQ bin.

I LOVE what I found!

Now I just have to find some time to sew. But with just a week left in our house, I think that packing/organizing takes priority. It might be a good time to take my machine in for a tune-up.

Happy Friday!

Quilt Along, Quilt Along...

2010-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Why do you tempt me so???

I just can't resist a good quilt along! So when Julie posted her instructions for the Hexagon Quilt Along, I just had to jump in. A perfect project for my red & aqua stash.

The only problem is that I realized that in my earnest to collect aqua prints, my red stash has really dwindled. And I love red...how did this happen? Does that mean more fabric shopping??? (Must resist, must resist, must resist...)

And, no, I haven't even started my Paint Box Quilt Along yet. But I will. When I get the nerve to open up my Kona Jelly Roll!

Happy Monday!

Quilting Bee Blocks

2010-04-08T07:56:00.001-07:00

Isn't life crazy? Busy crazy? It is here anyway...

We are moving at the end of the month to a new city about 490 km (that's about 300 miles!) north. I'm very excited because it will be a much bigger city (we don't even have a stop light in the town we live in now) and there will be so many more opportunities for my kids and me. Oh and three bathrooms (right now we only have one)! That means ballet for my daughter, and of course, a quilt shop for me! But it is crazy moving from 13 acres to a town lot...what will I do with all of the farm stuff? Thankfully, the new owners want my chickens and the tractor is sold....How am I going to resist all of the 'stuff' in a big city? I'm used to everything being closed on Sundays, only one grocery store and no fabric store!

Okay, enough of that, here is an update on all of my Quilting Bee Blocks:

First up, I finally got caught up in bee inspired. I finished two spiderweb blocks for Lynn...I'm not sure why I was so hesitant to make these because they turned out beautifully. Thanks Lynn for pushing me to try something new.Lynn included some selvages too and I added one from one of my favourite fabric lines.
Also for bee inspired, Deb asked for squares and rectangles. She sent a beautiful mix of fabrics. I added in a bit of Amy Butler Love and some Heather Ross dots.

And, then my first attempt at paper piecing in a long time. Catherine from The Maple Leaf Bee sent gorgeous grey and pink fabric to make a crossed canoe block. I wasn't careful enough with the print so I added in my own pink Kaufman polka dot. I think this quilt will be stunning. And have I mentioned how much I adore my Canadian Quilting Bee...I adore not having to fill out customs slips every time I send a block back!

Now that my blocks are caught up (for March anyway) I'm working on two baby quilts...more on those soon!

Happy Sewing.

A New Project...

2010-03-21T16:13:00.001-07:00

I started a new project yesterday. And no, I haven't finished any of my UFOs. I used this great pattern from Handmade by Alissa. I dug into some of my favourite prints for the centre squares. After doing quite a bit of improv/wonky piecing, it was very relaxing to just follow a pattern. I think I'm going to like how this one turns out.

And on a totally non-quilting related topic, we sold our house on Friday. Yay. Now we are moving up. Well, up north anyway. But I'm not going to pack my sewing machine away until the last minute. I promise I'll keep up/catch up on my VQB blocks.

Have a great Sunday!

It's here!

2010-03-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

I arrived home from a long road trip to find a wonderful package waiting for me...my quilt forDQS8. I instantly recognized the name and the country of origin and I literally started jumping up and down. The package was from Tacha (Hanies) and she is a member of my bee inspired VQB. She is an amazingly creative quilter and a great source of inspiration. Check out her photostream...you won't regret it!
I tore open the packaging to discover the most wonderful little quilt. Tacha said that she tried to include all of my favourites: aqua and orange, circles, little birds, and gees bend. I'm thrilled...she nailed it!
I love the little birds and the beautiful black outline quilting.

And look at these amazing hexes on the back for the label. And I know how much work those little beauties are to make.

I love my little quilt and I can't wait to find a home for it. Thanks Tacha!

In the Mail...

2010-03-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

I finally finished my quilt for DQS8! And I even made the International Deadline. Nothing like a deadline to get my butt in gear...
I used a vintage pillowcase for the back. The colours are perfect. My partner hasn't received it yet, so I'm not showing the photo with the completed label. I love this quilt. I used Denyse Schmidt's "What a bunch of squares" as inspiration. I can see another one of these in my future. Just have to pick up some more solids. Now I can't wait to see what my partner sends me...

Blue & Green Should Never Be Seen...

2010-02-21T17:08:00.001-08:00

"Except in the Washing Machine." And of course, in a Quilt!I'm actually a wee bit embarrassed to admit that I only finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago, since I've been using the blocks for my blog header for over a year! But it took me forever to actually get this top quilted and bound. This quilt is very special to me as it was my first attempt at Wonky Piecing and making a quilt without a pattern. I was inspired by Jacquie's Project Improv and her Wonky Log Cabin tutorial and just started piecing with a bunch of scraps that I had. It was so freeing!

I also love that I made this quilt before I became a fabric snob - I don't even know the names of the different prints and I still love it. It seems that now I'm just a wee obsessed with 'designer' fabric that I forget that great quilts don't need name brands.

Although I still adore traditional quilts and piecing, I feel like I've rediscovered the artist in myself with improv and wonky blocks. Thank you Jacquie for inspiring me to put away patterns (at least sometimes) and to just create.I LOVE this quilt...it makes me happy everyday. So I'm going to keep it for myself.

Happy Sewing everyone!

Fabric Buying Lesson Part 3

2010-02-16T07:39:00.001-08:00

The very best fabric....

is Free fabric!

Remember this? Well, I won a $25 GC to Pink Panda Fabrics. And I used it to buy some lovely Meadowsweet. Look at all of that monochromatic goodness? See, I'm learning...

Lazy Sunday

2010-02-07T16:17:00.001-08:00

I have to admit that I'm not much of a Football fan, but I did watch the last few ends of the Scott Tournament of Hearts. There I said it, I'm a curling fan....And as you might have heard in the pre-Olympic news, BC is having a very early spring. I live about 6 hours north of Vancouver, and we are usually under 4 feet of snow this time of year. But right now everything is melting. So it was a perfect day to take the dog (and the kids) out for a walk.
I also managed to get a start on my little quilt for DQS8. I'm going for a simple, Denyse Schmidt inspired look. Hopefully it works for my partner.

Happy Sunday!

Fabric Buying Lesson Part 2

2010-01-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

When you go to a new Quilt Shop...
and tell your three year old, princess obsessed, daughter that she can choose any fabric in the Sale Section...Hide the Disney Princess Fabric! It is awful (both to look at and to sew with).

Her brother (almost 2) was much easier to influence and chose a lovely Hoffman truck print. Here's his pillow on his bed (now made into a daybed because the little turkey decided he could climb out of his crib).Pillows made with Ashley's tutorial from Film in the Fridge.

Fabric Buying Lesson...

2010-01-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

I've been following Elizabeth's Paintbox Quilt Along over on Flickr. I'm dying to join in, but I'm on a self-imposed fabric diet until I can get some of my UFO's finished. I adore Elizabeth's quilts - she is a true artist.One discussion thread really caught my attention. Elizabeth gave some ideas for fabric lines that work well for the Paintbox Quilt. Interestingly, I have so many fabrics from these lines - Amy Butler, Sandi Henderson, Heather Bailey, etc. Unfortunately, I tend to buy the flashy, big scale prints. But then I don't know what to do with them because they don't lend themselves to small sized piecing.

It really struck me that I was buying the wrong fabric, when I read from Elizabeth:

"My preference in fabric for quilting tends toward monchromatic or otherwise simple prints anyway, so I tend to approach a new collection looking for those prints, rather than at the flashy bigger multicolored prints. For instance, Amy Butler's new Love collection has lots of big multicolored florals, but it also has several colors of a print called "Sunspot" that would be perfect for this kind of project." -Elizabeth, Oh, Fransson

- A successful purchase this summer - 7 out of 10 are monochromatic!

So, when my fabric diet is over, I plan to buy more monochromatic fabrics instead of the flashier prints. And I'm going to buy a Kona Roll-Up so I can make one of these beautiful Paintbox Quilts. Even though I need a new project like a I need a hole in my head!

So, what type of fabric are you buying these days?

Doll Quilt Swap 8

2010-01-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

I signed up for my third round of the Doll Quilt Swap. It is my favourite swap. Last year I participated in DQS6 and DQS7. The quilts are amazing! And I love guessing which one is just for me. I thought I'd just do a quick review of the quilts I made last year. Sorry for the repetition for anyone who's seen them before.
In the spring, I sent these little butterflies all the way to Australia for DQS6. My partner asked for something for her daughter's room.
And this is the gorgeous quilt I received. It now lives right above my ironing board so I get to enjoy it while I'm quilting. (And let me tell you, it is the only ironing I do!)
During the the summer, I made this little bluebird quilt. It went to live in Australia too.And I got this sweet blue and aqua quilt from Susi. It is beautifully hand quilted.
And now for DQS8! I think I've got some ideas about what to make my partner. It involves curves, lots of white, and some gorgeous blues and greens.

I can't wait to see what I will get this time.

New Bee

2010-01-07T07:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I joined another one. Another VQB that is. But how could I resist? This one is 100% Canadian. I am thrilled to work with other Canadian Quilters. And I'm also thrilled that I don't have to fill out customs slips every time I mail a block back.

So January is our first month, and I'm up. I'm a little slow getting things rolling (I was waiting for some yummy Munki Munki to arrive but it still isn't here). But I'm now pretty happy with my fabrics. (Sorry for the terrible photo - have you ever tried to layout fabric to mail out with 2 toddlers running around. Trust me, it is chaos! So I had to snap this picture at night).

I sent out a selection of blue/aqua and orange with a few of my favourite Heather Ross fabrics thrown in. I'm looking for wonky log cabins/improv blocks. Here is some inspiration.

I'm going to make these blocks into a twin sized quilt for my son. I can't believe he's almost ready for a big boy bed.

Favourite Fabrics of 2009

2010-01-02T16:33:00.001-08:00

True-Up is having a great fabric celebration/give-away. I had to join the party...so here are my favourites of 2009!

1. Favourite Quilting Weight Cotton Collection: Deer Valley by Joel Dewberry. But I still haven't bought any yet. But I will. When I get some of these darn UFO's finished. In the green and yellow. I figure if I finish 5 UFO's I can reward myself with some yummy Deer Valley.

2. Favourite Home Decor Fabric: You mean there is fabric other than Quilting Cotton? You're joking, right? Oh wait, doesn't Amy Butler's Love come in Home Decor???

3. Favourite Trend (Motifs): I'm going to have to go with the whole Gnome thing.

4. Favourite Trend (Colors): I'm loving the aqua & tangerine movement.

Biggest Fabric World Story/News: Heather Ross had a Studio Sale. And I got some lovely little mushrooms and gnomes!

5. Favourite Overall Designer: A toss up between Heather Ross and Denyse Schmidt

6. Favourite Floral Print: Those gorgeous Columbines from Deer Valley. I have columbines outside my house and the fabric just reminds me of home! (Photo from FreeSpirit).

7. Favourite Collection from Japan: Far, Far Away by Heather Ross for Kokka of Japan. I even splurged and bought some. But I haven't cut into it yet. But I will. I think. Maybe. Oh, it really is so beautiful!

8. Favourite Fabric Shop: Pink Panda Fabrics How can I resist Free Shipping in Canada? Really...Free shipping?!

9.Favourite New Fabric You Worked With in 2009: Wonderland by MoMo for Moda. I used this in my yet to be finished (yes one of my many UFOs) Double Wedding Ring. It is gorgeous. I love the reds. I'm a red girl. Oh, and I may have some FQs and a Charm pack destined to become a bag.

10. Fabric Collections I won't be able to resist in 2010 (aka Wildcard): Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson, Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey, and of course, Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt.

Beautiful fabrics! Can't wait to see what will come in 2010.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd make a quick mosaic to celebrate all of my finishes for 2009! I have been so inspired by quilting and crafting blogs and flickr in 2009. I can't wait to see what 2010 will bring.

So Happy New Year! And all the best for 2010.

Barb

One last finish...

2009-12-31T16:31:00.000-08:00

I made one last project for 2009 - another Phoebe Bag from artsy-crafty-babe, Rebeka Lambert. I made it for a friend for a trade. And I got a guitar! Yup, pretty good trade, eh? I LOVE the barter system. Anyway, she asked for brown and cream and I decided to put a cute little flower on it.Happy New Year Everyone! I'm hoping to bring in 2010 at my sewing machine. No exciting plans but I'm secretly excited to just spend some time sewing. We spent the afternoon X-Country skiing around our field. A perfect day!

Look for a 2010 Giveaway soon!

Barb

Santa Baby

2009-12-16T19:50:00.000-08:00

Santa baby, slip a Camper under the tree,
for me,
been an awful good girl
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.
Santa baby, a Nicey Jane FQ Bundle too,
in 'Cool'
I'll wait up for you dear,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Think of all the fabric I need,
Think of this obsession to feed.
Next year I could be just as good,
If you'll check off my Christmas list.
Santa baby, I wanna a Meadowsweet too
And really that's not too few,
Been an angel all year,
Santa Baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa honey, there's one thing I really do need,
The deed,
To the Fat Quarter Shop,
Santa honey, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

And the winner is...

2009-12-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

Sandra from Thistle Cove Farms! Congrats! I'll be in touch soon to get your address so I can pop it in the mail and maybe Canada Post will deliver it before Christmas (but I wouldn't count on it!)

Thank you to everyone who entered. Hope you were lucky on Give-away Day. I was...I won a beautiful tote from Miss Print! Thank you!

Give-Away Day

2009-12-01T19:02:00.000-08:00

This Give-away is now closed. Thank you to all that entered. The winner will be announced soon.

2009 has been the year of the Doll Quilt for me. I made my first in January for my daughter's Cabbage Patch doll. Since then I've participated in a bunch of swaps. I LOVE Doll Quilts. So I thought I'd keep it going right through the holiday season by giving away....a Doll Quilt!I whipped this up last night and I still haven't decided if I want it crisp or if I should wash it and make in nice and crinkly. So I reserve the right to wash it before I mail it. If you are absolutely opposed to this please let me know in your comment. And I'll throw in a couple of Fat Quarters too.

Leave a comment for an entry to win. Please tell me where you are from and what you want for Christmas. Or just say hi! I'll give followers a second entry so please let me know in a separate comment if you are a follower of if you become one.
I'm happy to ship anywhere in this beautiful world of ours. Winner will be drawn December 6 by that fancy random number generator thingy. Good Luck!

Birthday Bag

2009-11-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

My husband was away for work last night, so I stayed up late making this bag for my cousin's birthday. It isn't really a practical gift since she has a 7 month old and has to bring diapers (and wipes, diaper cream, arrowroot crackers, fishy crackers, 6 cars, 2 books, well, you get the idea) everywhere she goes. But I didn't feel like making a practical gift, I'm always practical...I used a great pattern from Rebeka Lambert, artsy-crafty babe, that I found at Sew, Mama, Sew. I haven't made too many bags in my life, so I was pretty happy with how this came together. Fabric is Flights of Fancy by Paula Prass.There are a few puckers around the inside of the bag, but since the outside is flat, I can live with a few puckers. It is homemade, after all.

And what does our black lab, Trooper, have to do with pretty hand bags??? Nothing, but I couldn't resist adding a photo. We love that dog!
Sew, Mama, Sew announced their Give-away Day for December 2. Any ideas what I should give away? Fabric? Something homemade? I'd love some ideas! Something easy, but also something that people will want....

A Very Late Present...

2009-11-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

My friend's little guy, Kai, turned 3 in September. SEPTEMBER! Yikes! And I just finished his birthday present. Oops. Where does the time go???
Anyway, I used the free pattern from Kellie at Don't Look Now. I love her patterns and quilts. The backing and binding is Bot Camp by Michael Miller that I got on a smoking deal from here.
I thought that this could be a place mat or a wall hanging. I'll let Kai decide.

FMF Freaks Giveaway!

2009-11-20T08:02:00.000-08:00

Run, don't walk, run! Over to FMF Freaks for a fabulous giveaway. And don't forget to sign the petition while you are there. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to buy FMF at reasonable prices?Here's my FMF stash that I bought recently on etsy. LOVE those colours....now I just have to be brave enough to cut into it...

Friendship Bag Swap

2009-11-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

I participated in the Quilting Gallery's Friendship Bag Swap a while back and received an absolutely lovely bag from Kris at Quilted Simple. I adore the fabrics, the colours, and the fact that she made it just for me!She included some fabulous goodies too. Charm squares by Robyn Pandolph which are so soft and sweet they will be perfect for a baby quilt. And a sweet cat applique- my daugter has claimed the lovely pink sequins for herself. And some pins. A girl can never have enough pins.

Thanks so much Kris. I'm really looking forward to reading Kris' blog...she lives on 20 acres and grows most of her own food. I'm so inspired....

Heather Ross Studio Sale

2009-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I got my package from Heather Ross ages ago. I was so excited to get something from Heather herself I forgot to take pictures. Here's what she sent...I think some of the Munki shirts may get sent as presents to some of my friends who have had babies recently. There seems to be a ton of new babies in our world these days. And isn't that wonderful???
And some yummy fabrics for me! I'm so excited to have a wee bit of gnomes and mushrooms!

Placemat Swap

2009-11-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

I participated in the Placemat Swap over on flickr last month. Cheryl, my partner, asked for white and bright, and we decided to make 2 placemats. Now that I know that she has received them, I can show you what I came up with:

I used some of my favourite fabrics and scraps.And even tried my machine binding again. It really helped that the binding and the backing are the same fabric - it hides most of the oops!

Here is a close-up!Enjoy Cheryl!