superlative sewing

doubleplusgood - top complete!

2011-09-27T10:33:00.001-06:00

Well, it only took me two months, but the last 2 rows of the doubleplusgood quilt are done and attached and I can officially call this top complete!

I can't remember exactly, but I think it's roughly 70" square. A generous lap quilt. While at Ikea on a massive fabric binge (more on that later) I found a fabulous blue and orange fabric that will eventually become the backing for this baby. Now I just need to get around to finishing it up.

Blue Diamond Baby Quilt - Complete!

2011-09-26T10:32:00.000-06:00

After a long silence around these parts I am back and I've got some fun stuff to share! I'll start with what I consider to be the most exciting. A new baby quilt for a sweet new baby!

Nope. Not my baby. But really, this little man is the next best thing. One of the two families that I nanny for welcomed a brand new member of their little family last week. I got to meet him at just 7 days old and we snuggled for quite awhile!

In honor of the little man's arrival I whipped up a quilt. I had been playing with a little stack of fabric for some time trying to perfect it, and it wasn't until the new baby appeared (10 days earlier than expected!) that inspiration hit.

I used this incredible tutorial by the lovely Jess of Urban Patchwork to create what I have named the "Blue Diamond Baby Quilt." Original, I know.

Here's the stats:
Fabrics: 4 pieces of Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt, 3 men's dress shirts (thank you brother!), grey Bubbles and Blooms, and a bit of white (somewhat like Kona Snow) from Ikea. Backing has pieced strips from the fabrics on the top and some blue, also from Ikea. Bound in Bubbles and Blooms with a small piece of Big Dot Little Dot from the KJR line.
Dimensions: 36 x 52.
Quilting: Straight lines 1/4" on either side of all the seams.

What is left over of my stash of Katie Jump Rope has been really hard to part with. The only other place I have used a significant piece is in the little denim jacket I made for a baby shower gift. The fabrics are near impossible to find anymore, and I truly love the entire line, so it's been difficult to find the right project to use them in. When the new baby was born I knew they were destined for him. Not only because they fit in his nursery, but also because I know without a doubt that this quilt will be treasured. I am a big supporter of using beloved fabrics and not hoarding, but I want to be careful to use them in projects I know will be cherished and not ones that I plan to sell.

When it was all finished, I decided to use the button placket from one of the shirts I cannibalized for the project to wrap it up. Super easy! All I did was take a button and add it to the placket where the ends overlapped. I thought it was a cute way to present it to the new mommy.

I am beyond excited to have met this newest addition to the family and am looking forward to seeing him grow up. Welcome to the world Baby M!

Pretty {Little} Pouch Swap - Complete!

2011-08-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

Well, another swap has finished. I can now say that I have both sent and received my Pretty {little} Pouch Swap packages. Here's how it went:

I made my partner two pouches, one on the medium/large side and one small one. She had added a few items including applique to her inspiration mosaic so I ran with it. The grey for the cloud pouch came from an old pair of linen/cotton pants I had. The other pouch you may recognize from the wedding gift I made for some friends in May. I had created an extra panel of green and brown patchwork so I decided to put it to good use in a bonus pouch. Both items came together without a problem which is totally remarkable considering my limited experience with pouches.

My partner sent me this little goody:

The little box pouch she made me was a cream canvas(?) with a sweet little puppy in a tea cup on the side. He looks all wriggly! I don't know for sure, but I'm going to claim this as a Heather Ross print. Correct me if I'm wrong please.

Inside was a pile of surprises!

Not only did she line it with some of the blue and green dots of the DQ Quilts collection (which I can't get in Canada because there are no Joann's) but she added some goodies from Cath Kidston and some green tea mints from Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is yet another brand we don't have in Canada so it was a real treat!

I am thorougly impress with my partner and how hard she worked on my little pouch. It was really sweet of her to include extra goodies as well! Overall I would call the swap a success.

All that being said, I feel like I should add something to this post. While I am so happy that my pouches were well received, and love the package I got, I actually didn't really enjoy this swap. This has nothing to do with the organization, the talent in the group or anything outside of myself. In fact, this swap is fabulous! It is well organized by two very sweet and hard working swap mama's, the group is full of incredible talents and there is eye candy galore.

I didn't enjoy the swap because I realized that I would rather drool over the eye candy than fret about what to make for someone else. I've taken part in several mini quilt swaps including two rounds of Doll Quilt Swap, and I think those might be more up my alley. Designing and creating mini quilts comes more naturally to me and I am more likely to be satisfied with what I have made. The pouches are not as much fun for me and I feel like that really held me back.

Do any of you participate in swaps or online quilting bees? Do you feel like it encourages your creativity? Or, like me, do you prefer to let inspiration come when it comes and stick to your strong suits?

365 June 2011

2011-08-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

1. 365.157, 2. 365.158, 3. 365.159, 4. 365.160, 5. 365.161, 6. 365.162, 7. 365.163, 8. 365.164, 9. 365.165, 10. 365.166, 11. 365.167, 12. 365.168, 13. 365.169, 14. 365.170, 15. 365.171, 16. 365.172, 17. 365.173, 18. 365.174, 19. 365.175, 20. 365.176, 21. 365.177, 22. 365.178, 23. 365.179, 24. 365.180, 25. 365.181, 26. 365.182, 27. 365.183, 28. 365.184, 29. 365.185, 30. 365.186

the week in review

2011-08-18T14:05:00.000-06:00

Well, the week (at least the "work" part of the week) has come to an end and I have a status report for you. It's not as stellar as I would have liked, but here goes:

Tuesday, Wednesday and a good part of Thursday was spend doing....not much. I pushed some laundry through and managed to make the bed each day and keep the kitchen tidy. That is about all. Oh and on Thursday I had a little workout. Clearly I was relaxing a bit. A lot of time was spent on Pinterest. Do you Pinterest?

It brought me such gems as:

source

That's right. It's a serious time waster.

Thursday and Friday became cooking days though. Here is the run down:

37 individually portioned freezer lunches including:

-butter chicken (from scratch - seriously the best recipe ever - email/comment if you want me to share) with rice, and homemade naan bread.
- vegetable risotto
- chicken noodle soup
- cheesy shell pasta with broccoli
- shepherds pie
and
- penne with meat and vegetable sauce

Seriously. I was about ready to fall over by 9pm on Friday when I finally finished all that cooking.

***

It's now been a few weeks since I did that cooking and I can tell you it has made a huge difference in our house! Both Joel and our roommate make use of them regularly and have told me how much they appreciate not having to think about lunches.

My favourite recipe has to be the butter chicken with rice and naan. It is as good if not better than the butter chicken you can get from local Indian take out places and it's SO MUCH cheaper. Joel had purchased a 4L (1 GALLON!) tub of plain yogurt and it was put to good use with this recipe. In fact, last week when it was about to expire I made up a huge batch of butter chicken sauce and stored it in portions so we could just poor it over some rice and chicken if we want a quick dinner.

All of this cooking really got me excited to cook more and since then I have tried out a few new recipes including pizza monkey bread. It does make me want to facepalm (yes. I said it.) because I never get pictures of my delicious food. I just eat it or freeze it. Oops.

a week for productivity

2011-07-19T14:07:00.000-06:00

**Warning: the post is really wordy!**

I have a week off from work and I don't want to waste it. Since I am lucky enough to regularly get time off to relax, I feel like this week should be a productivity week. I have set some really lofty goals for myself and I hope that if I post them here I will feel more pressure to be accountable. Want to see the lists? Yes. LISTS.

Cleaning
Clean Upstairs Bathroom
Clean Downstairs Bathroom
Clean Kitchen
Wash Sheets
Make Bed
Wash Guest Sheets
Make Guest Bed Upstairs
Make Guest Bed Downstairs
Tidy Sewing Area
Vacuum Upstairs
Vacuum Downstairs
Cat Box
Wash Floors
Finish All Laundry
Dust
Garbage & Recycling

This list is purely my regular cleaning list. I usually neglect it, but it would be good to get the house really clean before we have 4 different guest over the next 10 days.

Extra Cleaning & Organizing
Organize Linen Closet
Organize Under the Stairs Closet
Organize Pantry
Organize Kitchen Corner Cupboards
Clean Out Laundry Room
Clean Out Bedroom Closet
Clean Out Front Hall Closet
Sort Winter & Summer Clothes
Find Joel’s Sandals
Clean Out Car
Weed Gardens
Cut Lawn
Edge Trim Lawn

This list is the list of things that bother me but I never get around to. For instance, the cat box is in the laundry room, and the cats tend to spread litter all over the floor around their box. I would love to pull up the foam mats on the floor and sweep really well, but I never do it. Or how about Joel's sandals have been missing for weeks and I can't get enough floor space in the downstairs storage room to actually stand there and look through boxes. The mowing the grass and weeding I may farm out to our roommate.

Am I seeming crazy yet?

Cooking
Butter Chicken
Pea & Bacon Pasta
Chickpea Korma
Falafel
Soup
Spaghetti Bolognese
Basil Pesto & Chicken
Pork Chops

The cooking list is a new one for me. A couple of days ago I was inspired to cook a pile of single serving meals for freezing. My hubby and our roommate both work in office buildings and both spend long days there. They each take different approaches to lunches. Joel just doesn't bring one which drives me crazy because I picture him starving all day. Our roommate always packs a good healthy lunch, but it's always whatever is convenient which is usually very expensive and ends up with us having to make more trips to the grocery store than we want. So I've come up with a plan to make (hopefully) a month to six weeks worth of healthy, yummy and interesting lunches that they can grab out of the freezer in the morning.

And finally...becuase I need to do something for myself in all of this or I might go crazy from the stress:

Just for Me
Finish Cosmo Bag
Finish DoublePlusGood Quilt
Cut Pieces for Christmas Stars
DQS11 draft
PLPS draft
Workout
Pillow Covers?
Dr.’s Appointment
Blog

Most of the things on that list are probably not going to happen, but oh well. At the very least I can take a trip to the fabric store on my way back from the Dr.'s office.

Please feel free to call me crazy. Do you ever get in moods like this? You've had enough and you just force yourself to push through all the annoying tedious things you don't usually find time for. Or are you more like the realistic me who knows that 1/2 of this won't get done but the 1/2 that does will make you feel really good anyway?

My plan is to update as I go through the week. Maybe if I get it all done (or at least a respectable amount of it) I will host a giveaway over the weekend. Stay tuned.

doubleplusgood - a new quilt

2011-07-18T10:40:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday of last week I stopped by Traditional Pastimes after dropping my hubby off at work. I probably shouldn't have gone in. I was 1/2 in my pyjamas (read: pyjama top covered by cardigan and some denim shorts) and I hadn't showered or brushed my hair. Oh well. I needed some fabric yumminess to brighten what was a really dreary and rainy day.

Let me say, I love this store! The owner is a really sweet lady who does a fabulous job of balancing the needs and tastes of traditional and modern quilters alike. The staff are all very helpful and friendly and always willing to give an honest opinion.

I went in looking for some inspiration for an orange and aqua quilt for some friends. I wasn't sure what I would find, but after some chatting and wandering, we had managed to pull an amazing collection of fabrics that I knew would be just right.

Once I got home I worked feverishly. I neglected everything else that needed to be done. Including eating. After about 5 hours, I had all the blocks sewn together. The next day I took another hour or so and completed most of the quilt top.

Here it is so far:

Actually, since that picture was taken, I've completed the partial crosses on the left and right edges, and sewn up another row to be added to the top. I need to go and buy a bit more white since I have used up every bit in my stash - even the scraps. Once I have that, I will be able to add one more row to the bottom and start working on the back.

My plan is to create a pieced back out of 3 left over blocks and some larger pieces of the fabric from the front. I want to try and man it up a bit since it's for a couple. I feel like it might be a bit of the girly side right now.

I hope to have this baby completed by the end of the week, but we will see how that goes. I have the whole week off work except for a few hours today, and I have big plans for productivity. Lots of cleaning, organizing and cooking needs to be done this week so I can feel stress and guilt free and spend the rest of my time sewing.

I've also started slowly working on another new quilt top, but more on that later.

Hope you all are having a fabulous week and a warm and relaxing summer so far. What projects are you working on right now? **Also, bonus points to anyone who can tell me where the name of this quilt comes from without having to Google it.**

Pretty Pink Baby Quilt

2011-07-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

It's been quite a while since I complete a quilt. A few weeks ago, I got the sudden urge to start stitching up a quilt and I had a pile of pink fabrics left from my Hope Valley collection bundle and a small stack of Kona White scraps.

I wanted something quick and easy to sew up, and have been wanting to make another quilt in the style of Hop, Skip & Jump from Denyse Schmidt's Quilts book.

In a matter of just a few hours I went from nothing to a quilt top.

Little Cheddar helped me hold the quilt down so I could take a picture.

I managed to get the top complete, and the quilt basted and 1/2 quilted in a matter of just a day, but then, life got in the way, and the quilt went by the wayside. Then, just a week ago, I was struck with the same urge to just sew, and I finished it up and got it washed that morning.

Here are the stats:

Size: 42" square
Fabric: Kona White, Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley, Kona Cerise for the binding and Kona Blush for the Backing
Quilted in concentric circles, bound by machine.

I had been seeing concentric circle quilting for a bit and kept thinking it would be so much fun to use...but on what? And then, once I had finished the quilt top I couldn't think of any quilting that would go better than the circles. I love the juxtaposition of the straight(ish) lines of the top and the soft, circular quilting.

I didn't end up using the pattern from the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book, but rather, got my inspiration from Kate Conklin Designs and her Stack and Slash Tute for Chasing Cottons. I followed the basic instructions, but instead of 2 groups of 4 fabrics, I used 1 group of 5 fabrics and also cut my blocks a little smaller. All in the name of using only what I had.

I have come to the decision that I need to start creating and giving away more or selling more if I want to replenish my stash. I have a sizable bin of fat quarters and some 1/2 yard cuts and also a small amount of yardage and it's starting to be boring to me. Not that it's not all totally fabulous fabric, but a lot of it is small pieces that I don't often have a use for. So in order to facilitate a re-stocking of my stash in larger cuts, I have listed this quilt for sale. If you are interested in this quilt or would like to talk about a custom order, please email me.

Pretty {Little} Pouch Swap - Inspiration

2011-07-11T13:00:00.000-06:00

I'm very excited to say I have made it into the second round of the Pretty {little} Pouch Swap! I have made a few pouches previously, and am really looking forward to creating something for my partner.

Here is the inspiration mosaic I created to help in her creating:

I can't wait to get started!

DQS11 - I'm In!

2011-07-10T22:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I am over the top happy to say I got into DQS11! I had such a great time in the last Doll Quilt Swap and I am really looking forward to participating again. This time around they have decided to go back to their roots and have asked that people create tiny versions of bed quilts as opposed to art quilts.

I think I will find that both challenging and extremely fun!

So, to start things off, here is the inspiration mosaic I created for my partner:

I've already had a chance to peruse my partner's mosaic and favourites and I can't wait to start coming up with some ideas!

Noodlehead gathered clutch

2011-06-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

I finally got a chance to make a Noodlehead Gathered Clutch the other day! I can't believe I waited this long to try it out. It is so fun and easy and so satisfying. It is definitely going to become another go to gift for friends and family.

Anna of Noodlehead is a creative wonder. She is constantly churning out fabulously cute items and the gathered clutch is no exception. The instructions were simple, concise and easy to follow. I know that there is the option to download a more detailed pattern for a small fee (it is really reasonable and comes with a license to sell.) But I did not find a need for the more detailed instructions. I may decide later on to sell some of these so I will buy the pattern at that point but for now I'm happy to just make them for myself and as gifts.

I chose a cute grey and pink fabric I picked up at Bolt last summer. Once again, this is a remnant piece without a selvedge so if anyone has the details on it, please let me know. The pattern uses less than a fat quarter of the main fabric and basically a few scraps of the contrast and lining. I think the whole thing went together in less than an hour, easy peasy.

I picked up a bunch of zippers at Fabricland a couple of weeks ago. They have been having a big sale since the beginning of June so I grabbed 3 zippered for .99 cents, then I grabbed 3 more. Then yesterday I went back and grabbed 6 more when I was picking up some thread. As much as I hate stepping foot in that place, when they have a massive sale it's almost worth the soul sucking madness of going there. Yesterday I got 2 spools of guterman thread and 6 zippers for only $4.01. Not too shabby.

I made a few adjustments to my little clutch. The first was the zipper. My cheap zippers are 7 inches instead of 8 as the tutorial calls for so when I was making the zipper tabs I chose to sew them on the other size of the zipper stops (you know, those little metal bits?) I was able to lengthen the overall zipper piece enough to make it work, and I really don't mind the metal bits showing. I choose to add the internal divider and card pockets which I might just leave out next time. I felt it made the final product a teensy bit bulky. I also added a loop and O ring to the outside just for some flare. It gives it a bit of detail and makes it seem even a bit more finished. Also, when I'm running around, I have a tendency to leave my keys places so this way I can hook it all together.

I see many more of these babies in my future. Especially with my new surplus of zippers. I suggest you go check out the pattern and make one immediately.

bags, bags, bags!

2011-06-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've been working on a lot of bags recently. A bunch of gifts for friends, and I thought it would be fun to share. The first 3 are all buttercup bags made using the free pattern/tutorial by the fabulously talented Rae Hoekstra of Made by Rae.

I've made these a bunch of times before, and they are fun and quick and have become a go-to gift for friends. The girls at least. I can't seem to tire of them.

It feels good to use of some of my stash that has been sitting for a while. The Amy Butler print has been in my bin for 2.5 years! Since a lot of my stash is made up of fat quarters (because it took me a while to learn that I actually wanted bigger cuts), the buttercup bag is a great project to use up the piles of fat quarters.

Here's the details:

Buttercup Bag One:

Exterior - Amy Butler, Tree Peony in Sky from the Lotus Collection
Lining - Lyndhurst Studios, Bubbles and Blooms in Grey

Buttercup Bag Two:

Exterior - Kaffe Fasset Shot Cotton in Cassis
Lining - Denyse Schmidt, Canyon Stripe in Fiesta from the Hope Valley Collection

Buttercup Bag Three:

Exterior - Denyse Schmidt Bouquet in Porch from Country Fair
Lining - Kona Cotton in Camel

For each of the bags I made a few modifications. I added an interior zipper pocket and an "S" tag, and I left off the decorative butt flap.

These three were finished in two afternoon assembly line sessions. I made the mistake of trying a new way of putting in a zipper pocket and it was (at first) a disaster, so it took a bit longer than usual to complete them.

There are two more bags I'd like to show you, but you'll have to wait for another day, because one isn't finished, and I don't feel like writing about the other one for now.

365 May 2011

2011-06-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

1. 365.126, 2. 365.127, 3. 365.128, 4. 365.129, 5. 365.130, 6. 365.131, 7. 365.132, 8. 365.133, 9. 365.134, 10. 365.135, 11. 365.136, 12. 365.137, 13. 365.138, 14. 365.139, 15. 365.140, 16. 365.141, 17. 365.142, 18. 365.143, 19. 365.144, 20. 365.145, 21. 365.146, 22. 365.147, 23. 365.148, 24. 365.149, 25. 365.150, 26. 365.151, 27. 365.152, 28. 365.153, 29. 365.154, 30. 365.155, 31. 365.156

the aprons

2011-06-17T21:25:00.000-06:00

As you know, I gave away an apron for Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. And then I gave away another.

What you don't know, is I made a third apron! While I was stitching up the giveaway apron, my mom was admiring it, so I decided to make one for her too. I guess I've started making sure she doesn't leave for home without something handmade by me. Two Christmas's ago there was a quilt, which for some reason I don't have pictures of. Then there was the pillow, which I also don't have pictures of. Now there is the apron.

Yup! It's Neptune again! I ripped apart a housecoat I was making and had given up on so I could find a piece of Neptune big enough for the apron.

Like the giveaway apron, this one has pintucks at the top and extra long ties so you can make a bow in the front.

I wasn't sure what fabric to use for the contrast, but it was my ever so stylish brother who picked it out.

I'm not sure who makes it because it was a remnant from a local shop and it didn't have a selvege.

I love this apron, and I am glad it's gone to live at my mom's house.

Here are the two together!

I had meant to get some better photos of the second giveaway apron before I mailed it off, but I forgot.

An interesting (if not aggravating) sidenote: We are currently experiencing a "disruption" in mail service here in Canada. It started as a rotating strike by the union members, now they have been locked out. I won't share my opinions on the whole matter here, but I'm not happy. We already pay a lot for our postal service here and it's often unreliable. When I did finally get around to mailing the aprons, it was only 12 hours later that the lockout happened. So far it has been more than 2 weeks of disruptions and it looks like it could be at least a week more. Needless to say, the aprons and a few other letters that I sent out are now sitting in limbo. Wish them luck.

be friends with my friends

2011-06-08T08:58:00.001-06:00

So, I have this lovely friend Esther, who really is something of a kindred spirit. We share a love of cats (okay, more of an obsession) and crafty endeavors. Esther definitely has one up on me since she crochets as well as sewing.

The point being, Esther recently decided to spend some time putting her work up on her blog and I love it! We may live in the same city and therefore have regular access to each others work in person, but it's super fun to see her work right when it's done instead of having to wait until the next time I see her.

Esther is currently hosting a giveaway on her blog and I want it so bad. Since I just made 3 different aprons and gave them all away, I am feeling the need for one myself.

Esther is not only a talented crafter but a super thriftier, so her cute little apron is made from some of her recent thrifting finds.

Go check it out and see if you can win!

a wedding present

2011-05-30T09:00:00.001-06:00

On May 21, Joel and I had the privilege of attending the wedding of our dear friend Lorraine. She married the sweet and kind Darryl in a beautiful ceremony on a warm ans sunny Saturday and it couldn't have been more perfect. Except that it was!

There was a candy buffet.

Seriously.

I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy stuffing my face but it was delicious. Everything you could think of was there.

Lorraine wore an amazing green iridescent dress with a sparkly, lacy bolero and a stunning beaded headband made by a friend. She was radiant!

Since Lorraine wouldn't tell me what she wanted for her wedding, I took matters into my own hands. She had mentioned kitchen things as favourite wants and I knew she loved green and brown, so voila:

A double oven mitt and potholder set. I made the oven mitt using this tutorial, sort of. The potholder I just threw together without instructions.

Do you ever have one of those moments while you are sewing for someone else where you feel totally inspired by the fabric or colour combo and wish you were making something for yourself instead?

I totally had that moment with the potholder, but alas, the majority of the fabrics were just tiny pieces of scrap that I used up. I did manage to make an extra patchwork square for myself, but I don't know what I'll use it for yet.

Lorraine and Darryl - congratulations on your wedding, may you be endless happy!

mom's annual visit: part 2

2011-05-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

**Warning: This post is extremely picture heavy!**

Well, mom's visit has come to an end. We put her on an airplane back to Ontario bright and early on Wednesday morning and it was sad to say goodbye.

What did we get up to for the rest of her visit? Lots! Here are the highlights:

Saturday and 1/2 of Sunday she spent with my brother, road tripping to Banff. They rented a Mustang convertible and whipped through the Rocky Mountains snapping photos and exploring Bison pastures....really?

Sunday we checked out Cross Iron Mills. I guess this is the first mall built in Western Canada in over 20 years which seems crazy to me but whatever. It's gigantic. And busy. but full of cool stores. We were on a mission to find mom a great professional outfit to wear for an upcoming event she is speaking at and let me say - mission accomplished! I don't think I have any pictures of that, sorry.

Sunday evening we went to Boxwood. A friend of ours is the GM there and it is really fantastic. A tiny casual restaurant in the middle of a city park, and it serves all fresh and local food that is positively scrumptious. The building is quite stunning as well.

If you look past my adorable hubby you can see how pretty it is with all that cedar and those pendants and glass water bottles.

With all that warm natural light and the beautiful surroundings, we took the opportunity to take a family portrait.

Monday and Tuesday it rained. Monday we hung around the house, sewed, watched some 30 Rock, and then I went to work for a couple of hours in the evening and Joel and Mom played board games and ate pizza with Rob.

Tuesday started out as another lazy day, but we ended up taking a short trip into Inglewood again. Most of the shops were closed still from the long weekend but we went to a crazy chocolate shop and several antique and collectible shops. No pictures, but one of them had a pile of war memorabilia including creepy things like Nazi uniforms and knives. It gave me the willies.

Also, my brother seems to think they found the Arc of the Covenant. All these years and it's been sitting in an antique store in Calgary. Who would have guessed?

After Inglewood we went to Chinook Centre, the other very large mall in the city which has recently finished a giant addition that now holds some awesome American stores. Anthropology and Urban Outfitters make me drool and lust. I got a wicked 10 dollar dress thanks to mommy dearest and snapped a picture of some really cool displays in Anthro. How can I get a bed that's on 15 foot stilts??

Also, there was this:

Oh yes, and there was Phil & Sebastien. Awesome coffee shop with the best latte I have ever had, and some equal awesome decor.

Tuesday for dinner we hit up one of my favourite restaurants in the city - Pulcinella. There is really nothing like authentic Napolitana pizza to end a day of shopping. Wash it down with a yummy Moretti beer and some great conversation and you've got a fabulous day.

There is really nothing like authentic Napolitana pizza to end a day of shopping. Wash it down with a yummy Moretti beer and some great conversation and you've got a fabulous day.

It's always sad to say goodbye to my mom, but I am excited that I already know when she is coming back. This year her and my step dad will be making the trip out to our place for Christmas - yay! I love you mom, thanks for a great visit!

giveaway day winner part two

2011-05-27T21:55:00.000-06:00

As promised, due to the overwhelming response to my giveaway day post (seriously, THANK YOU) I have created a second prize.

Just like with the first one, I flip flipped several times on what to make, and finally came up with this:

Yup! Another apron. This one is a bit scrappier and with pleats instead of pintucks. These photos truly are bad because I have gone back to my regular camera and it doesn't do well in low light. Like say, when I finish something at 9:30pm on the day I am supposed to blog about it!

What do you think?

Seriously Leah Claire, what do you think? I hope you like it because you are the winner! Mr. Random picked you and I have sent you an email asking for your mailing address, so be on the lookout!

Leah Claire was #266 and said:

"Love love love the pintucks on the apron. so cute! Thanks for the chance."

Well Leah Claire, it isn't the Neptune apron, but I hope you love it.

Happy Weekend Everybody!

giveaway day winner part one

2011-05-26T13:58:00.001-06:00

Drumroll please....

The winner of the Neptune Apron is:

#154 - Just One More Thing

Who said:

"This is the first apron giveaway I've seen and to be honest --I want it!! Very pretty. Thanks for the chance to win."

Congratulations! I've sent you an email.

I would like to take a second to thank everyone who entered the giveaway. Those lists at Sew Mama Sew were HUGE and I appreciate the time you took to stop by my little corner of the interwebs.

A big thank you also to all the wonderful people who decided to become followers or who were already followers - it feels good to have regulars!

As promised, I am going to make a second giveaway prize. I will make the second prize and draw the winners name on Friday.

And because I hate to post without a picture (unless of course I'm ranting) here is what else I will be working on this weekend:

Any guesses as to what it all will become? A hint: It will be three of the same items in different colour combos.

P.S. I already miss my mom's camera. I want a DSLR back!

baby in the hood jacket - the girl version

2011-05-25T14:02:00.003-06:00

As I mentioned in this post, I made a practice version of the baby in the hood jacket before I made the one for baby Joel. The idea was to make sure that I could do a good enough job on it to be proud to give it away. I always try to make sure my gifts look as professional as possible and air more towards the handmade side than the homemade side.

For the practice jacket I decided to make it in the 24 month size and use some bright girly fabrics I had sitting around. As I mentioned before my stash is really lacking in the boy friendly fabric department right now.

I pulled a bright floral (if anyone can identify it that would be helpful) that I got at Bolt in Portland, some Kona Cerise and Honeycomb from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern.

After all the tracing cutting the fabric was super easy!

It took me between 4 and 5 hours spread over a couple of days to make this baby. I made one really minor alteration on this and the boy version. I shorted the suggest elastic length for the hood by about an inch. If I was going to make the pattern again (and I'm sure that I will) I would add and inch or two to the length so it would fit kids older than 2. Little ones like dear Miss A of the twins comes to mind since she is tall and skinny but nearly 3.

For the buttons, once again, my husband picked them out! He was really into wooden buttons that day and they really were the absolute cutest and best option. I particularly like these ones because of the smooth tops. No thread showing!

I have absolutely no idea what I will do with this coat. There are so many little boys in my life between the kids I nanny and our friends kids, I don't think I know anyone I can give this to.

Any suggestions what to do with it?

giveaway day!

2011-05-23T06:51:00.006-06:00

*** THE GIVEWAY IS NOW CLOSED. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED THURSDAY MAY 26, 2011. ***

It's here, it's finally here!

Welcome to everyone stopping through via Sew Mama Sew for Giveaway Day! And a big welcome also to my regular readers.

I'll get right to it. I had a hard time deciding what to give away this year, but here it is:

An apron made by yours truly! This little baby came together yesterday after much deliberation as to what I would make. I dug deep in my stash and found a rather large piece of some Neptune by Tula Pink. I know it’s super hard to find now, and really, who doesn’t love some sea turtles, so I thought, why not? The apron is a ½ length style but it can be worn up higher to protect your shirt. It measures about 22” in length by about 25 inches wide and has extra long ties for those who like to have a cute bow in front like I do.

The contrasting fabric is another piece from my stash and one of my all time favourites – Happy Dots from the Midwest Modern collection by Amy Butler. There is a pocket on the front just big enough for a recipe card or whatever junk you might want to carry around.

I added some cute pintucking to the waistband for some extra flair and it gives it a bit of support so it doesn’t slip down over time. Plus, seriously, who doesn’t love pintucks?

The apron was created using this tutorial via Delia Creates, but with a few minor tweaks. I added a piece of Kona White to the back as a liner to give it some weight and durability.

To give the prize a bit of extra umph, I’ve decided to add a small scrap bundle to the package before I mail it. I promise to pick some really cute pieces for the winner!

Would you like to enter for your chance to win this cute little apron? Here’s the deal:

- Leave a comment, any comment.
- Make sure you either leave an email address or that yours is visible in your profile.

I will leave comments open until 11:59pm MST on Wednesday, May 25 and draw a winner using the Random Integer Generator on Thursday.

If you decide to become a follower or already are, leave me a second comment for a second chance to win.

One last thing: ~~if by chance, I get more than 350 entries,~~ Since I have now surpassed 350 entries, I will create a second item and scrap bundle and choose a second winner. That prize will be a surprise though.

Good luck! And thanks again for stopping by!

(**I do apologize for the terrible pictures. I got up early to write this and it was cold and dark and rainy outside. Oh well. I will replace them with better ones eventually.)

mom's annual visit

2011-05-21T08:38:00.000-06:00

Every year in the spring or summer my mom comes to visit. This week is her visit of the year!

She arrived on Wednesday night and since both my brother and I worked on Thursday, she hung out with Joel and had a relaxing day recovering from he long day and bumpy flight the day before.

Friday was mom's birthday (her 29th of course!) so we went on a photo journey/city wandering adventure. We went down to Inglewood to do some window shopping/real shopping. We checked out a couple of cute kitchen stores and antique stores and then went to the Eco Store. Even though it was my mom's birthday she decided to buy me a signature "hippy dippy" present. A new Kleen Kanteen water bottle and a sweet tiffin and bamboo cutlery set.

After our shopping we were hungry so we headed to a place called the Wilder Nest for lunch. We had heard that they are very accommodating to vegans and vegetarians, so we knew we could find something for mom to eat.

Mom had green tea and a grilled vegetable panini with a funky salad.

I had an apple and pear panini with walnuts, gorgonzola, arugula and a maple spread. Oh gosh, it was so delicious, I would eat that every day if I could! It came with a yummy spinach salad topped with cranberries, strawberries, mushrooms and a lemon poppyseed dressing. So satisfying.

Inglewood is a really cool little neighbourhood in the SE of Calgary. It is historic and ecclectic and full of really interesting stores and things to take pictures of.

There was a whole set of weird billboards on the main drag that included animals doing odd things and food being incorporated into landscapes. I still have no idea what they were about. AND, I missed getting a picture of the one with the moose antlers half submerged in an icy lake.

Seriously. The polar bear is sitting on a stool.

After lunch we went to the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary to see what we could see. Mom is an avid birder so she knew what most of the birds were and which ones were special.

And some wigeons (they are ducks) and lots of really cute but common birds like chickadees and robins. And just because I have to rub it in, I got a picture of the elusive Wood Duck.

Apparently they are really hard to find because they are the only kind of duck that roosts in trees. This one was taking a nap on a long branch over a quiet pond.

The second best part of the day (the best part being spending time with my mom) was getting to use her camera! She brought out her Canon Rebel T2i with a couple of lenses and filters and I had a grand old time getting to know it and figuring out how to get great shots with it.

At the end of our time at the bird sanctuary I decided we needed to take a self portrait.

Clearly I forgot that I had the camera set to manual focus and so the point of focus is in the middle of the photo and not on us. Oh well, I love the picture anyway!

Mom is here until next Wednesday, so I am looking forward to lots more adventures with her before she has to head back to Ontario.

Oh and before I end this post - here's a quick heads up. Monday is Giveaway Day! I love this awesome day hosted by Sew Mama Sew. If you don't know about it, it consists of over 500 bloggers all giving away awesome prizes on their blogs. Sew Mama Sew organizes it and keeps a master list of all the bloggers participating.

I will be participating again this year and I can't wait. I have yet to decide what my giveaway will include, but I have some ideas and it's going to be good. Make sure you drop by on Monday to check it out.

baby shower present

2011-05-21T08:08:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I attended a baby shower for a sweet little guy named Joel. I've known his parents for a few years now, so it was really wonderful to get to meet their first child and help set him up with lots of cute clothes and toys.

Joel's aunts put the party together and it was super cute! They decorated the room with blue and green and little hits of brown. The food spread was amazing. a few people brought things like yummy fresh fruit and veggies and a really cool strawberry and mint spread thing. The aunts made a super cute cake and a whole batch of sugar cookies shaped like onesies.

For the shower I decided to try out making a Baby in the Hood Jacket from the book Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner. I was a little worried about my ability to make the jacket well enough to give it to someone, so I made a practice one (more on that later).

I made the jacket in the 9-12 months size. I was really running low on boy friendly fabrics, so I decided to use an old pair of my Joel's jeans for the exterior fabric. The button placket and hood stripe are made from Kona Chocolate.

For the inside I cut into my stash of Katie Jump Rope! I wasn't sure about the orange, since it's one of those colours that most people either love or hate. I ended up really loving the combination of the orange polka dots and the denim.

I added a little tag for the size and a Cowtown Baby label to the inside bottom corner. When it came to picking out buttons I just couldn't decide. It was my Joel who came up with the idea of using the wooden toggles and I LOVE how it turned out!

I was really happy to be able to give this to baby Joel and I look forward to seeing it on him when he grows into it. He's currently only a month old, so I made it to fit him next year. I guess I'll just have to wait a bit.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

2011-05-14T10:42:00.001-06:00

Well, it's that time of year again - Bloggers' Quilt Festival! Last year I wrote about the Argyle Quilt of Doom. This year, the Quilt Festival lined up with the completion of Plain Spoken III.

Plain Spoken III (I really need to come up with a more creative name than that) is the biggest project I have ever undertaken. It is massive. Before washing it measured approximately 112" by 110". That makes it larger than a king sized quilt.

I've written about it before, but just like the Argyle Quilt of Doom, Plain Spoken III was a wedding quilt created for some very special friends.

My husband Joel has known Jeremy and Breanne for a while longer than I have. He met them when he first moved to Calgary, and I met them about 3 years later when Joel and I stared dating. Jeremy and Breanne would probably tell you that their romance was a long and winding road full of it's fair share of bumps. However, I have never doubted their "rightness" as a couple since I've met them. They really are the kind of people that make you believe in soulmates.

So, after a 7(?) year courtship, when they finally tied the knot, I knew they needed something really special. This quilt is the first time I have made a quilt for someone and let them pick out the pattern, size AND fabrics. Originally they had chosen a queen size quilt, but I think most people would agree that a bigger quilt is always nicer. They chose the Plain Spoken pattern from the Modern Quilt workshop and we went browsing online for the right collection of colours. Jeremy is famous for his love of blue, so we chose 11 shades of blue beige and brown and ordered them up.

This quilt has been in progress since a week after their wedding. Oops! Living in Canada means a very limited supply of Kona cottons, and ordering from the States takes about 3 weeks to get here.

Once I had decided on a king sized quilt, the next challenge was how to make it on my regular sized machine. I devised a plan that included making it in 4 quarters to make it more manageable during the piecing stage. After the first 3 were complete I stalled. I started wondering how I was possibly going to get it quilted on my machine. I stalled and stalled some more. After about 3 months of stalling, my husband was trying to encourage me to at least get the top done. So I went back to work and pieced the last quarter of the top. All the while fretting about how I was possibly going to get it quilted.

Joel is the one who came up with the solution. Quilt it in two halves and then join them in the middle and quilt over the last tiny section in the middle. Genius!

I spent about 4 or 5 days quilting straight lines 1/4 inch apart. It was a workout to say the least. I chose to go with a medium-light grey because I couldn't decide on anything else. I love the dimension the grey adds to it!

In order to get the quilt ready to be attached in the middle, I decided which half would be the top and which the bottom. Once I had decided I quilted all the way to their respective edges. I then trimmed the batting and backing to match the edges of the quilt top and sewed the top and bottom pieces together using a regular seam that only went through the first two layers, leaving the backing free. Once that was done I trimmed one piece of backing as short as possible and folded a hem into the other, making it overlap the trimmed edge. I pinned the hemmed piece in place and stitched it down with the quilting thread. I them quilted in the blank space surrounding the seam and voila, a nearly invisible transition between the two pieces.

I don't know how clear that was, but if you want more instructions, let me know and I will either write up a little tutorial or send an email.

After all the quilting and binding was finished, I stitched up a little tag to add to the bottom corner. Just a simple dedication tag with their names and wedding date plus who it's from. I attached it to the quilt with my free motion foot.

It took me 3 different sessions over 3 days to get all the pictures I wanted of the quilt. I tried to get Joel and our roommate Thomas to hold it up, but it proved too big. And windy!!

The quilt was officially finished on Sunday, and the plan had been to give it to the happy couple of Sunday, but I couldn't find the time to drop it off. I was happy to have an extra few days to get more photographs.

Jeremy and Breanne finally received their quilt on Wednesday when we had them over for a tequila tasting night.

I'm glad to report that they love it! Oh, and that they have upgraded to a king bed so it's a good thing I made a king!

It's here!

2011-05-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

It arrived last week, but it took me this long to post about it. Shameful!

Yum.

Thanks again to Katy of I'm a Ginger Monkey for this fabulous pillow!

It's made up of fabulous pieces of Liberty of London, Kona Raisin and Kona Cerise.

Oh yeah, and in case you are wondering...it looks EVEN BETTER in person!

365 April

2011-05-10T20:54:00.000-06:00

1. 365.97, 2. 365.98, 3. 365.99, 4. 365.100, 5. 365.101, 6. 365.102, 7. 365.103, 8. 365.104, 9. 365.105, 10. 365.105, 11. 365.106, 12. 365.107, 13. 365.108, 14. 365.109, 15. 365.110, 16. 365.111, 17. 365.112, 18. 365.113, 19. 365.114, 20. 365.115, 21. 365.116, 22. 365.117, 23. 365.118, 24. 365.119, 25. 365.120, 26. 365.121, 27. 365.122, 28. 365.123, 29. 365.124, 30. 365.125

things i love to hate

2011-05-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

I just come right out and say it: tracing patterns sucks! I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that.

Up until yesterday my pattern tracing has gone a little something like this. Find pattern I like. Decided which size to make (if applicable). Tape many pieces of plain printer paper together. Squint through paper to find appropriate lines. Trace in pencil since I'm bound to do it wrong. Fix mistakes. Go over pencil lines with pen or sharpie. Repeat for all pattern pieces. WAY TOO MUCH WORK!

A few days ago I had an epiphany. Parchment paper! It's wider than normal paper or any of the other food papers and wraps that come in rolls. At about 15" wide, it's wide enough to trace almost any pattern piece I could need. It's semi transparent so it's easy to use for tracing, thicker than tissue paper so it's more durable, but not so thick as regular paper , making it more flexible.

I was so stoked when I thought of this that I had to fight the urge to run out and get some parchment paper right then. Instead I stayed home and finished a big project I really needed to get done. (More on that later.)

I bought some parchment paper and a set of coloured double tipped permanent markers on my way to work tomorrow and did some pattern tracing while the kids slept.

My biggest problem (possibly bigger than the paper issue) is my need to have ALL the sizes traced. If I've made a pattern once I feel the need to make sure I have all possible sizes traced so I can just get to the sewing the next time I want to make it.

Enter Handmade Beginnings.

There are no fewer than 5 patterns in that book that both require the pattern to be traced AND I find to be amazing and indispensable. The Quick Change Trousers, Cute as a Button Booties, Sleep Sack, Baby in the Hood Jacket and Picture Perfect Dress are all fabulous, relatively easy patterns that are great for baby showers and gifts for friends with new babies.

I am currently in the middle of making not one but 2 Baby in the Hood Jackets and I can tell you I will be making plenty more. My only sadness comes from the fact that the sizes only go up to 24 months, otherwise I would be making them for the twins as well.

All this to say, I have finished tracing all the sizes for 3.5 of the previously mentioned patterns and I've used a whole 33' roll of parchment paper. Good thing it's cheap! I think I may need an intervention soon, because after the patterns from Handmade Beginnings I'll be moving onto my 2 favourites from Style Stitches and then the Ice Cream Dress by Oliver + S.

Somebody stop me.

plain spoken III - top complete!

2011-04-21T10:38:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it! Yesterday I finally finished the quilt top for Plain Spoken III. You know, the on that was a pile of fabric sitting on my desk in November and is going to become a wedding quilt for our friends who were married in October? Haha, clearly it was never going to be done on time.

As of this week, I was still super stumped on how I was possibly going to quilt this beast. It currently sits about about 119" by 117" which is probably unreasonably large. But on Tuesday my dear, sweet, intelligent husband suggested a brilliant idea! I'm not going to share it just yet. I want to make sure it works first. Fingers crossed for me!

When the top was finished it was too big to hold up outside and no one was around to hold it for me anyways, so I decided to set it up on our bed and snap a couple of shots. You can see just how big it is. It hangs quite close to the ground on either side and it is so long that it is pulled all the way to the headboard and tucked around the mattress AND box spring with about 6 inches underneath at the foot board. It's true that I have it on a queen sized bed, but still. I am hoping that quilting and washing will reduce it's size by about 4-5 inches each in width and length.

I've decided to quilt it the exact same way as Plain Spoken II. I'll quilt straight(ish) lines about 1/4 inch apart, across the width of the quilt. And I've decided to be really daring and quilt it in medium gray! I keep trying to remind myself what Clinton & Stacy always say "neutrals go with neutrals" and stop freaking out about quilting a brown and beige quilt with gray. Again, this was dear, sweet hubby's idea. And when I checked with my ultra stylish brother, he agreed that no shade of blue or brown would be quite right and would make it seem too matchy. I like the idea of it feeling a bit more eclectic, so I'm just going to go for it!

The goal for today is to iron all the layers, baste it and start the quilting. Of course to do that, I have to move my dining room table into the living room, wash the floors and wrestled 120 square inches of batting, backing and quilt top over my ironing board. Hmm...maybe I'll just iron on the kitchen floor...

Wish me luck!

time off plans

2011-04-19T12:51:00.003-06:00

I have almost 2 full weeks off starting today (what can I say? my job rocks!) I have decided that I had better use this unexpected gift wisely and try to be productive. So, here (in order to keep me accountable) is a list of the goals I hope to accomplish by the end of the month:

1. Finish the Plain Spoken III top, wash the backing and baste the quilt.
2. Finish cutting all the pieces for my Single Girl quilt. Piece all the rings.
3. Find a great deal and order 25 yards of Kona Snow for my Single Girl quilt.
4. Make a throw pillow to match the Single Girl quilt.
5. Do some spring cleaning and organizing. Mainly in my sewing area and the storage closests in the house.
6. Put away (most) of the winter stuff.
7. Make all of the Craft it Forward gifts that I owe people. (More on that later.)
8. Organize more Crafternoons with Esther (I'll call you Esther!)
9. Do LOTS of blogging!
10. Go to the gym everyday but Sunday.

There is also a distinct possibility that I could end up with a paid sewing job for some curtains that need to be altered. They are massive and heavy and would require me to bring my machine to them, so if I do end up getting that little job I will have to put aside 2 days to go and get that done.

So there we go. 10, maybe 11 things that I would like to get done by the end of my "vacation" time. The gym thing would be really nice to accomplish since I have been super lazy recently. I wanted to start running outside a few weeks ago, but the weather in Calgary has been uncooperative as per usual. I think it would help my energy levels and overall happiness to be doing something active each day.

To help me keep organized, I've started using Teux Deux. Have you heard of it? Not only does the name make me laugh, but it is super easy to use and also quite nice to look at. Check it out. Of course the downside is that when you can keep track of your to do's on a daily basis it's easy to see how little you got done the day before if you were being lazy. Oh well.

get jealous

2011-04-18T09:42:00.000-06:00

Yeah, get prepared to be insanely jealous!

If you aren't familiar with Katy of i'm a ginger monkey, you should definitely check her out. She does amazing work, and was most recently one of the hosts of the Single Girl Support Group.

She just hosted a giveaway for a GORGEOUS pillow made from the Single Girl pattern and a pile of really beautiful Liberty of London prints and GUESS WHAT??

I won!

I'm so over the top about this. In the 3 years I have been reading sewing blogs and entering giveaways I have only won one other giveaway, and thanks to the ever incompetent Canada Post, my prize never arrived. I'm sure it's sitting in limbo somewhere in a big warehouse in Ottawa or something like that.

Anyways, here it is:

Photo by: imagingermonkey

Seriously. I can't wait for it to get here. I'm sure it doesn't match anything in my house, but I think it will be my special pillow I carry around with me wherever I go.

Go ahead, get your jealousy on. :)

cosmo bag - complete!

2011-04-16T05:27:00.000-06:00

I did it. I made a huge bag from a pattern and I didn't screw it up! I got Style Stitches by Amy Butler out of the library last week and decided to make the Cosmo Bag. Not only is it the first bag in the book, but it might be the cutest one too!

The bag is a present for a friend who is super funky and stylish, so I sure hope it lives up to her style!

I used a cotton blend home decor weight fabric from ikea for the main body with a dark wash denim for the straps and exterior detail. For the lining I chose Kona cotton in Cerise. Overall, even though the pattern is super labor intensive, I really enjoyed making the bag. Other than one or two steps, most of it is really straight forward. I specifically love the pleating and the giant button covered in coordinating fabric.

I will say this for the pattern: it could have used a few more diagrams or photos. There are not enough. At a few points I was thoroughly confused and had to re-read the step several times. I was really glad to have found a few different sew alongs online that had extra pictures and explanations.

It was a real bonehead move for me to use denim for the straps and exterior detail. It was already really thick and then I added interfacing, and since the seams are all supposed to be ironed to the side, in some cases there were as many as 6 layers of interfaced denim at one seam. I re-sewed the top stitching around the edges of the handles 5 different times.

I added a little label on the inside of the bag to give it a little something special. I didn't really want to add a Superlative Sewing label so I made a cute little squiggle with a custom stitch on my machine.

I did make one change to the pattern. Instead of 2 floppy slip pockets on each side, I made 3 on one side and a zipper pocket on the other.

Now here's the crazy part: This bag took me over 12 hours to make! I'm really hoping that was mostly because I hadn't made it before and because of all the re-sewing of the top stitching because I want one for myself! Happy Birthday Mel!

dqs10 - received!

2011-04-15T06:22:00.000-06:00

I finally got my doll quilt from round 10 of the Doll Quilt Swap! It arrived in my mailbox on Monday, all the way from Canberra, Australia! The lovely Leah of PuggleLogic made me this beautiful abstract quilt entitled "Birch in Winter".

With the quilt came a sweet little card and a Cherry Ripe chocolate bar. At least I think it's chocolate. I've never heard of it, but I'm excited to try it!

My photos definitely don't do this little quilt justice. The quilting is phenomenal! I don't know where Leah learned to quilt like that, but I am seriously jealous of her skills.

Thanks again Leah, I was super happy to get your quiltjavascript:void(0) in my mailbox!

rant

2011-04-14T17:24:00.000-06:00

I've had a few things rolling around in my head for a few days and I finally decided to put there down somewhere so I can stop thinking about them. Here goes:

1. Almost everyone I know, myself included, has opinions about raising and interacting with children. Since I don't yet have kids of my own, in many ways I don't feel qualified to have opinions. However, I work as a nanny to 3 fabulous kids and have for a couple of years now, and it has provided ne an opportunity to sort out some of my personal opinions and ideas about raising children. Don't worry, I'm not going to share them with you here. I believe that everyone has the right to raise their children in whatever way they feel is right and best for them and I try very hard not to offer advice unless specifically asked. But I'll admit, I have criticized (either in my head or to a family member or friend) some odd parenting choices I've seen from time to time.

The reason I have been thinking about this is becuase of something that happened last Friday. I took one of the kids to a fun morning play group with songs, art and activities. He is normally a very happy and out going little guy but was obviously feeling a little off his game that day. It was a full hour of mini meltdowns and temper tantrums, and if I was feeling bold enough, I should have just taken him home early. That probably would have been the best solution. Not because I felt he needed to be punished, but because he wasn't happy and I wasn't happy and it was stressing us both out. Oh well, hindsight, right?

After the free play portion of the morning, we moved on to art and the meltdown ramped up even more. I did what I could to move him on to doing something he enjoys and try to redirect, and when that didn't work I calmly said "no more" and let him sit where he was and work it out. The idea was that he usual calms down quite quickly and comes back to where the fun is. He had been sitting on the floor crying for no more than 15 seconds when a mother fom the class came up and gave me a faux sympathetic look and said in a very syrupy voice "would you mind if I try holding him?" I was so surprised by this that without thinking I agreed. It was only once she had picked him up that I realized how pissed I was. She proceeded to bounce and snuggle and coo at him like he was an infant and say things to me like "oooh, he's a sensitive little guy isn't he?". After a minute of this, he was more upset than he had been and I regained my presence of mind enough to take him back.

Here's my question: why was this woman thinking it was her place to step in? He wasn't in any pain or being neglected, he was a toddler having a temper tantrum. And why, when she offered "help" did she thinking it was appropriate to do so in such an obnoxious and condescending way?
I am young, yes. Not necessarily too young to have a child of my own, but young. And I look younger than I am. I frequently get mistaken for a high schooler, and I frequently get mistaken for a mother when I am out with the kids I nanny. But still, why would you offer unsolicited parenting advice to a stranger or offer to hold them with the not so subtle underone of "I can do it better than you."

I recently read a serious of posts entitled Momness by Kacy of Every Day I Write the Book, about this subject and I have to agree. Unless you know soneone and their kid(s) personally, butt out. And even if you do know them, tread lightly and respectfully and offer something constrctive instead of just plain critical. Otherwise you may get punched in the face. Because that is what I felt like doing.

Moving on.

2. A sure sign of spring in our community is a sudden and steep increase in the number of people knocking on our door. I don't know what it is about our particular part of town, but I have never had so many unwelcome visitors to our front porch.

To name a few: ADT, the Jehovas Witnesses, the Mormons, municipal political candidates, the scouts, the yellow pages, the Calgary Herlald, the Calgary Sun, it goes on.

Last weekend we had the Scouts AND the Jehovah's Witnesses (twice) over two days. I was irritated by the scouts because they were doing a bottle drive to raise money for their troop and had posted big billboards asking people who wanted to donate to put them on their porch, clearly labeled, by a certain time on a certain day. We don't give money to the Scouts. We don't want to give our bottles to the Scouts. So we didn't put any bottles out. And guess what? They came knocking anyway. I was polite and friendly to the boy that came to the door, because he was a kid, but I was irritated that a leader was sending their kids around to ask.

Not 5 minutes after I sent the Scout away, a pair of men dressed in suits and carrying little pamphlets on Jesus came knocking. I opened the door and greeted them and they immediately started in on their speech. I quickly interrupted them and said as politely as possibly, "I'm sorry but we have a sign on our door that clearly states 'No Solicitors". We are not interested." Big shocker, they started telling me they weren't soliciting but merely telling me about Jesus. I call that soliciting religious information. I wasn't so polite after that. I told them I consider them solicitors and they are not exempt from the sign, and to please leave immediately and by the way, don't come back.

Call me mean or cranky, but if I want information on your religious organization or political campaign, or a vacuum, or alarm system or ANYTHING ELSE, I will come find you. Please do no knock on my door at 9am on a Saturday morning and bother me with it. I will shut the door in your face.

The Jehovah's Witness's came back the next morning and then I was really pissed. I pointed to the sign, said "What does it say???" And again, they told me they weren't soliciting. Seriously. I told them what I told their friends yesterday and to get lost.

Needless to say, I will be our replacing the sign with something bigger and more menacing. How does this sound:

PLEASE NO:
Solicitors, Peddlers, Sales People, Religious/Spiritual Organizations, Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Canvassers, Free Trial Offers, Energy Companies, Flyers, Phone Books, Yellow Pages or Home Security Companies

If you think you might be exempt from that list, you are NOT. Do not ring the bell, knock on the door or leave anything behind. We don't want it. If you ignore this we will call your company or organization and complain, and we will call the city and complain about you and your company.

Neighbours, Friends, Family and Newspapers always welcome!

Haha, do I sound like enough of a grump yet?? Obviously I won't put all that on a sign, but people interrupting my personal time make me cranky...so maybe I will!

a random finish

2011-04-07T09:00:00.000-06:00

A WHILE back, (like...November?) I made a set of 10 colourful over sized bibs as a custom order. I was asked to make them for a child of an acquaintance of a friend. You follow? Anyways, the girl who got them is around 10 years old and has severe cerebral palsy which means (among other things)that she has no control over her saliva. This results in excessive drooling which means this poor girl has to have her clothes changed about 4 times a day, just to keep her from being soaking wet. The family has tried towels and bibs to help, but nothing seemed to work.

I came up with a plan to make a bib big enough to fit me that had a fun cotton on the top followed by 2 absorbent layers (1 cotton, 1 cotton batting) and backed with a plastic layer to prevent it from soaking through. I had a pile of fun fabrics sitting around in my stash that I had yet to find a use for and I thought that since they were going to become a part of her wardrobe, they should be more fun than just whatever I had lying around. For the backing, I purchased an eco-friendly white shower curtain liner and cut it to pieces. It was a bit difficult to sew with but did the trick.

I picked out some cool stuff and added a second pattern to each bib for the strings. I used 1"bias binding to make the strings and it seemed to work pretty well.

Here they are on their way to their new home. I didn't deliver them in person, but rather let my friend take them over and I haven't heard whether they work well, but I sure hope they do! In any case, they were super fun to make and it was really good to actually put some of my stash to good use.

hubby turns 30

2011-04-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

Well, it happened. Joel turned 30! We had a great time celebrating this weekend and I thought I would share some pictures with you.

On Friday night we went out for dinner to Charcut. Yum! They are a fairly new roast house type restaurant located in a new boutique hotel downtown called Hotel Le Germain. Decor was a great mix of modern and rustic, with lots of leather and wood and glass everywhere.

We ordered a wide variety of things off their ever changing menu. There were warm soft pretzels with homemade mustard, shaved lamb with grated gruyere, pickled heirloom carrots, cucumbers and beets, roasted chicken and charred vegetables, prawn fetuccini and duck fat fried poutine with truffle gravy. Needless to say, by the time we were done with all that we had no room left for dessert, despite the fact that a friend of ours there is one of the dessert chefs and has an original recipe on the menu.

Saturday was the main event and Joel's actual birthday. I got up and went to the grocery store despite the 10cm of snow on the ground that had fallen the night before, and bought some fresh french bread and lots of fresh fruit. We had a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and fruit and then I spent the rest of the day getting ready for the party.

We decided to host a Gentleman's Evening which if you think too hard sounds a bit like strippers and beer, but trust me, was waaaay better than that! 20 of us gathered at our house, decked out in our finest. The boys played in a poker tournament while the girls provided wait service for the evening. Thank goodness I have girlfriends who are willing to regress a little and spend the evening serving the men while they smoke cigars, drink scotch and play cards! It all felt a little Mad Men.

There was for food than 50 people could have eaten, and a VERY well stocked bar. Joel and I worked together to come up with a drinks menu for the guys to order from, including some signature highballs and martinis.

Since we had to split the group into two to play poker, after both tables had dwindled to 4 people we took a bit of a break. The guys (and Mel!) stepped outside to smoke their cigars, which were Cuban because well, we can have those in Canada. After that we cut the cake (complete with 30 candles) and enjoyed a few pieces. The cake came from Marble Slab Creamery and was beyond delicious! Chocolate Amaretto with Skor, Krispy Krunch, Reese's Pieces and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups mixed in. SO decadent!

We had a blast! And as far as I can tell, so did everyone else. No less than 4 guys at the party said they wanted to repeat the event at their own birthday. Even all the hard working ladies said they had a great time, and it was fun to watch the men "get manly" for the night.

Of course there had to be some birthday kisses too!

I do wish I had been able to snap some pictures before the party instead of after. When it was all set up, the place looked fantastic. Call me crazy, but I ended up disassembling our 110" long sofa with two chaises and moving all the parts to different places in the house all to make room for the second poker table. I hung paper pennants (made for his party last year) in different directions all across the kitchen, living room and dining room.

I also added a Happy Birthday pennant banner on the short wall by the front door.

Like I said above, we made up some drinks menus that we printed back to back and cut in half to make them long and skinny. We hung a full page version with extra info on the cabinet door above the bar counter.

I was so happy to be able to give Joel such a fun party. 30 is definitely a milestone and everyone should get to ring it in with a bang!

There is actually going to be one more part of his party which will come in a month or two. We are planning a white water rafting trip with about a dozen on our friends. We just need to find a date that works for everyone and book it! I have to say, I'm looking forward to that part a lot less than I was looking forward to the party.

365 March

2011-04-04T12:56:00.000-06:00

1. 365.67, 2. 365.68, 3. 365.69, 4. 365.70, 5. 365.71, 6. 365.72, 7. 365.73, 8. 365.74, 9. 365.74, 10. 365.75, 11. 365.76, 12. 365.77, 13. 365.78, 14. 365.79, 15. 365.80, 16. 365.81, 17. 365.82, 18. 365.83, 19. 365.84, 20. 365.85, 21. 365.86, 22. 365.87, 23. 365.88, 24. 365.89, 25. 365.90, 26. 365.91, 27. 365.92, 28. 365.93, 29. 365.94, 30. 365.95, 31. 365.96

DQS10 - complete!

2011-03-25T21:45:00.000-06:00

It's done! And a week ahead of time, no less. A freaking miracle by my standards!

It took me weeks of doodling and waffling on all sorts of ideas, but about 2 weeks ago I finally decided on a plan and got to work. I was feeling pretty intimidated considering my swap partner said she likes more traditional patchwork and I don't usually work in that style.

I feel like it turned out pretty well!

There are definitely some wonky bits and some cut off points, but I did the best I could and I am happy with how it turned out. Of course, once I was done all the blocks, I looked up a tutorial today and found out it would have been way easier to assemble them as 4 patches instead of in rows like I was building a log cabin. Oh well, live and learn. Next time I will try it the other way.

The back is pretty simple. I added a pieced in label and since my partner won't get it for another week or so, I have covered her name to keep it a surprise. I also added a little hanging sleeve which is a first for me. I don't know why I had never done that before.

I also made a fun little reversible mug rug to go along with it. I hadn't made one yet and since they are very "of the moment" I thought it would be fun to add. I guess if I had to pick, technically this would be the front. Originally I was going to quilt it in concentric organic circles, but I got about 4 circles in and hated it, so I changed to straight lines.

And here is the back. Totally improv, and I think I might like it more than the front.

I also included a little hand written letter and a bundle of some favourite scraps. I wanted to send more, but shipping internationally from Canada costs an arm and a leg, so I had to try and keep the weight down. I actually really wanted to add this neat Kath Kidston book I have, but clearly that would have added too much weight.

I'm super glad to have been able to participate in this round of the Doll Quilt Swap, and will definitely sign up for the next round! Now I just have to post this little package tomorrow and sit back and wait for my little quilty to arrive.

a long week

2011-03-24T22:42:00.000-06:00

One of the downsides to my super awesome job (feel free to want to set me on fire after I finish this sentence) is that when I work several full days in a row it feels like the longest week of my life.

This week has felt extra long. Of course, that is not to say that I didn't enjoy my days with the kids, I really and truly did, but I just feel exhausted. Here's the kicker: I only worked 3 full days this week. (I should say that a full day for me is usally 9-10 hours instead of the usual 8.) Oh geez, as I write this I realize what a complainer I sound like.

I tend to get kind of whiny and emotional around the time change every year. I don't sleep well, I just feel lazy and un-motivated. It's not a good scene.

The point of all this complaining is this: when I get like this, it's good for me to sit down and think of all the things I have to be proud of or thankful for. So instead of 10 on Tuesday, here is 10 on Thursday.

1. I have an awesome job that means I get paid to play with some of the cutest kids you'll ever meet. It also means I work for people who are kind, generous and great parents who treat me very well. Lucky.

2. I am married to a sweet and hardworking man. He fills my life with laughter (especially when I really need it) supports me in all my endeavors and works his hiney off at school and his internship so he can get a job that will (later in life) support our family.

3. I have the cutest cats in the world! Seriously, at least a couple of times a week, Joel and I marvel at how good it is to have them in our lives. We both had pets throughout our childhood and had to wait 5 and 11 years respectively before getting our own pets, and we couldn't be happier. They are sweet little monkeys who follow us around the house and make us laugh constantly.

4. I live in a great house in a great city in a great country. We are heading into our third year in this house (amazing since I moved 8 times in the 5 years previous) and it feels like home. We may only rent but it makes such a difference to live in a place that I feel comfortable in, and that allows us to live a lifestyle that we love. It has enough space for me to have a dedicated sewing area and 3 extra rooms which we fill with guests and roommates. Also, despite the current silliness going on with the Canadian government (seriously, silly) I love being Canadian. I am happy to say I live in a country of such beauty and vast wilderness, where people from every culture and religion are accepted with open arms and I can live peacefully and safely.

5. I have great friends. I won't bore you with the names of all the people you don't know that I love but I count myself lucky to be friends with such a long list of truly high quality people. A special shout out to my long time dear special friend Krissy. Oh, and also, Candace-bo-bandace who I love spending Sundays with. You two make my heart happy.

6. This week I did some major sewing for once. What's up Doll Quilt Swap! I am so happy to have been chosen to participate, and while I was really stumped for quite some time, I am now finished except for binding. I spent many hours making tiny HST's and while they aren't quite perfect, I am really happy with the result. More on that later.

7. I was super productive in other ways this week too! I cleaned the WHOLE house on Monday. (A really amazing feat for me) and then made sure it was tidied up again on Wednesday. I made dinner TWICE this week which if you know me means that hell might possibly have frozen over. I did a ton of laundry and...yup, that's it. Haha, but seriously, that's a whole lot of domestic goddessness for me to accomplish in one week. And guess what?? I plan on continuing tomorrow!

8. I got back into reading this week! I guess technically I got back into it while in Mexico. I read Jodie Picoult's House Rules, which I do not recommend. I enjoyed it until the very end when I literally though "Really? I wasted over 500 pages just for that weak ending??" This is all beside the point. I started reading The Poisonwood Bible this past week and so far so good. I've had it for a while, but finally picked it up on the recommendation of the aforementioned Krissy. She says it is her favourite book in the entire world and so for her I am giving it a read. And Krissy I promise we will chat about it when I am done. Or maybe I will write you a letter?

9. I got some really positive feedback from one of my families this week. I talked with J's mom today when she got home and I have to say it feels good to know that I am liked and that I am doing a good job. I try to tell them, but I hope they know, I love my job and I love their J. It truly makes my life good to work with them and I look forward to lots more time spent with them.

10. I have a quiet night to myself tonight. Hubby is off playing poker with the boys tonight. Just me and the cats and our roommate having a quiet night to himself elsewhere in the house. This ia a pretty rare thing, and I don't usually look forward to it. Joel and I talk about this sometimes, how we feel like we spend much less time away from each other than many of the other married couples we know. Not that they spend too little, or we spend too much, it's just different. We are best friends and homebodies and love to spend evenings in, eating dinner together and maybe watching our current favourite tv show or working side by side on various projects. But tonight it's just me. I've got a stack of books from my trip to the library today, a cup of tea and a cup of chocolate milk, How I Met Your Mother is queued on the tv and I am in our warm on toasty bed. Life is good.

Wow, writing that out makes me feel good. Oh, and one more thing: as depressing as it was to have to switch back to waking up in the dark, since we are so far north, I have to tell you, we gain almost 4 minutes of daylight each day! Yes!

Thanks for reading through my very long list of ramblings. I'll get back to quilting and sewing related things in the next couple days once my DQS10 package is shipped off.

tropical breezes

2011-03-20T12:00:00.000-06:00

So, as I posted about several times, dear hubby and I went on vacation to Mexico. It was AWESOME!

Our first tropical vacation together, and our first trip that was just for us. Each time we have gone away (other than our honeymoon) we have to gone to visit friends or family. All of those trips were great and it was wonderful treat to visit with people we love, but there is something so great about getting to be with just each other.

We flew out on a VERY cold morning. -37 degrees celsius (-34 F?) is more than enough motivation to go somewhere warm.

The resort we stayed at was amazing. For those of you looking for a great place to stay, check out the Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun. Seriously.

We went for a VERY long walk down the beach to Playa del Carmen one day.

We saw amazing birds and iguanas all week. Checked out Coco Bongo and it is exactly as crazy as it's name sounds. You should check it out too. But be prepared, we were up until 5am. Yikes!

The food was awesome, the staff were great and super friendly, and lets be honest, who needs the cold? I wish I was still there.

It was a wonderful and much needed break from reality and responsibility, and it was so great to spend a week with Joel.

Sigh.

Maybe next year when Joel is done school we can go to somewhere warm again!

365 February

2011-03-19T19:13:00.000-06:00

1. 365.39, 2. 365.40, 3. 365.40, 4. 365.41, 5. 365.42, 6. 365.43, 7. 365.44, 8. 365.45, 9. 365.46, 10. 365.47, 11. 365.48, 12. 365.49, 13. 365.50, 14. 365.51, 15. 365.52, 16. 365.53, 17. 365.54, 18. 365.55, 19. 365.56, 20. 365.57, 21. 365.58, 22. 365.59, 23. 365.60, 24. 365.61, 25. 365.62, 26. 365.63, 27. 365.64, 28. 365.65

the family quilt - finished!

2011-03-16T20:44:00.000-06:00

Let me tell you a story about a very special quilt. From the beginning I loved the idea but wasn't sure I would love the process. In fact I was pretty much dreading it. The quilt was commissioned by my mother for my Grandma and Grandpa (affectionately known as Nini & Papa). She asked me to include a selection of family photos and to make it in a style that would suit Nini & Papa's condo.

Eek.

After weeks and weeks and months of procrastination and frittering away time, I finally came up with a plan that I felt would create a balanced quilt in a traditional style. Originally I was going to see if I could find some Bonnie & Camille fabric but that was a no go locally and I didn't have time to find it online, I found something else.

I pulled a collection of fabrics in pinks, creams and browns.

I started cutting and piecing and it was all coming together well. Until I realized that when you use iron-on transfer paper, you shouldn't iron the pictures. I had to re-stick the paper backing on the pictures and try to iron around them all to keep them intact.

Anyways, after it was all said and done I was pretty happy with it. I only quilted in the ditch to keep it simple, and used the backing wrapped around the front to bind it.

The best part about this whole project was seeing the pictures from when my grandparents opened it.

Here they are, as recorded by my step-dad:

Aren't they so cute??

My Nini is so beautiful! Apparently she was so touched by the quilt that after all the kerfuffle she sat down and had a good happy cry.

After they opened the quilt we all hopped on Skype for a while to chat. On the computer screen you can see Joel and I sitting in his office and I wrapped in one of my great-grandmother's quilts.

It was a great experience making something so personal for people I love so much. So much of my childhood is filled with memories of my grandparents. They were (and are!) so good to us. We spent weeks during the summer at their cottage, lots of Sunday night dinners at their house, playing pranks with my Papa, going to see movies where my Nini would pack little goody bags of treats to sneak in. They are great.

Apparently the quilt is hanging on the wall in their bedroom where they can look at it often. That makes me smile.

hush hush

2011-02-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a new project, and it's very hush hush. Not actually top secret, but the receiver may or may not read the blog/cruise my Flickr site so I have to be careful of what I post.

Here's two clues:

It's a quilt. It's totally outside of my normal style.

Lots of traditional fabrics with flowers and plaid, and pink. And photos. 13 photos to be exact.

Here's a few things I've learned so far:

1. I suck at math. Big shocker. I learn this every time I try to do something that needs precise measurements.

2. Working with photos is HARD! First off, laying them out in a way that seems pleasing is balanced is difficult. I found that making them roughly the same size regardless of shape or orientation helped, so did making them all sepia tone. What I learned the hard way is that when you use iron on transfer paper, you shouldn't peel it off before you start cutting and sewing because if you iron the pictures THEY MELT!

Anyways, this project is due to be in the mail on Monday which means I will spend my weekend in a sewing frenzy. Minus Saturday afternoon which will be spent with our lovely friends, but I will bring it with me to work on Saturday night so I can sew when the baby sleeps. Oh yes, and Sunday evening I will be celebrating Valentines with my lovely hubby who is making me heart shaped spaghetti (joke between us) and then taking me out to see Black Swan. So yes. Lots of sewing in a short amount of time.

Wish me luck!

365 january

2011-02-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

1. 365.8, 2. 365.9, 3. 365.10, 4. 365.11, 5. 365.12, 6. 365.13, 7. 365.14, 8. 365.15, 9. 365.16, 10. 365.17, 11. 365.18, 12. 365.19, 13. 365.20, 14. 365.21, 15. 365.22, 16. 365.23, 17. 365.24, 18. 365.25, 19. 365.26, 20. 365.27, 21. 365.28, 22. 365.29, 23. 365.30, 24. 365.31, 25. 365.32, 26. 365.33, 27. 365.34, 28. 365.35, 29. 365.36, 30. 365.37, 31. 365.38

33 days

2011-01-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Until my dear hubby and I escape cold and miserable Calgary for our first ever tropical vacation together!

We have chosen to spend 8 nights and 9 days at the beautiful Secrets Capri Riviera just north of Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya.

Photo Credit: Corey Schubert Photography

To say that I am excited would be an understatement. One of the reasons we picked this resort is the "Unlimited Luxury" all inclusive plans they offer. No wrist bands, premium drinks, beach front wait service, and land sports such as tennis and golf are included. There's 6 restaurants and 5 bars, no reservations required and the resort it's self is on the small side of medium. Only 290 rooms!

I have been to Playa del Carmen once before, for work. It was....exhausting. I went with the first family I nannied with and it was a very long 8 days of not much sleep, over heating and just generally not a lot of fun, even if I was with one of the coolest 2 year olds I know. So needless to say, I am looking forward to an adult trip at an adults only resort where we can come and go as we please, eat delicious food we didn't have to drink and do all the exploring or lazing around we want!

P.S. I just found out that there is something called Tequila Bingo there...oh dear, we may just have to play a game or two!

random

2011-01-27T12:00:00.002-07:00

I got new glasses today!

Clearlycontacts.ca was having a crazy $38 end of season clearance sale, so I picked up this crazy pair of Elvis Costello style, nerd-a-licious glasses for a mere $50.04 including shipping. Now that is an absolute miracle because my Rx is ridiculously strong and my last pair of glasses retailed for almost $800 (don't worry I didn't pay that price!)

They are so over the top different from my nearly invisible glasses I've had for the last 4 years, but I think I am embracing the the dorky statement they make. Now if only I could get the sick feeling out of my stomach from trying to get used to the new Rx.

**

In case I haven't mentioned it enough, my job is awesome!

The twins have finally stopped the screaming and crying every time I come over (they hate when their parents leave)and they are cuter than ever. They are talking more and more all the time and even call me by my name now! Yay! Also, they love it when I bring my camera. They get me to take a zillion pictures of all their toys and show them over and over again!

Last week we all put our aprons on and tried making fruit smoothies together. I put all the ingredients in little ramekins and had them take turns dumping them in. Unfortunately I forgot to prepare them for how loud the blender is when it crushes ice and I nearly scared them right off the chair and onto the floor!

They LOVED the smoothies! It is so much fun hanging out with them.

At the other house, J and I did a little art project last week. Being 16 months, I thought it was time for a little finger painting fun! Of course, I didn't remember that he puts his hands in his mouth all the time because well, he's 16 months old! So finger painting quickly turned into tongue painting and crying. Oops. Don't worry it's no toxic! He made an adorable painting though and it made me laugh. Is that mean?

***

Joel and I were given a very generous amount of money from friends and family for Christmas and decided we are going to use it to go on a much needed vacation in March. We've narrowed it down to 2 possible weeks, and Mexico, and hopefully will actually book something tomorrow. I'm beyond excited! Not only do we get to have some time off together, but I get to go back to Mexico and RELAX instead of work 14 hours a day like I did in December of 2009. I'll keep you posted on where we choose.

***

365 is going well. I'm still having fun taking my camera out every day. I've missed one day and taken a couple of crappy end of day nothing to shoot pictures, but overall I'm having a lot of fun. Once we get to February 1st I'll put up the January mosaic, but you can check the set out anytime here.

***

Okay, done with the random. Have a fabulous week!

2011 sewing goals update

2011-01-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sewing Goals 2011 is going nicely. It turns out that putting my to-do list "out there" for all to see has given me some much needed motivation! Here's the update:

1. ~~Finish Baby J's Christmas Present~~.

Done!

In a fit of madness just a couple weeks before Christmas, I decided to make J a set of felt letters. Little did I know how much work would go into them! Approximately 35 hours of hand sewing later and they were done. I'm very happy with them, but I won't ever do it again. And I wish I had been able to find wool felt instead of the not so nice acrylic stuff.

I had a cute little hat box (tea cup box) lying around so I drew some cute letters on it and voila! Christmas Present done just 2 weeks late.

2. Finish Plain Spoken III

The quilt is coming along. I finished the third panel and am currently laying out the 4th. The plan is to spend my (unexpected!) day off tomorrow finishing the quilt top. Still no solution for quilting. I'm now considering the hand quilting option...I made a call to the LQS and they won't teach people or rent time on their machines. I'll keep thinking on that one.

4. Finish the Single Girl Quilt for dear patient hubby

Who knew that my lucky stars would align so nicely? I was feeling so motivated by finishing the 3rd panel of the Plain Spoken III quilt that I thought I would take my KJR fabric to work with me and do some cutting during naptime. THAT MORNING I checked my Google Reader and low and behold 3 wonderful bloggy women have put together the Single Girl Quilt Along and Support Group. Incredible!

Megan, Katy and Nova are working together to share tips, tricks and motivation for a group of us who have decided to get serious and finish an item made from the Single Girl Quilt pattern. Most of us have had it sitting for a significant amount of time.

The quilt along posts start on February 14 and they wrap up on March 28, so I guess if I keep on schedule I could have the quilt done in time for Joel's birthday on April 2nd! I figure if not, I'll put it away and give it to him for our anniversary, but that's in September and I don't know if I can wait that long!

Either way, I am feeling reinvigorated about this quilt. My plan is to have all the ring pieces cut by February 14th, that way I can piece the rings and all that and not have to worry about rushing to cut them all in a week.

That's all for now. I'm thinking of writing a random post about random stuff. That will come later.

2011 sewing goals....so far

2011-01-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

We are now mid-way through January, and I have lots of thoughts and lists swirling through my head so I thought I had better get them down before my head explodes or I forget everything!

Without further ado I give you "Jessy's List of Sewing Goals 2011"

1. Finish Baby J's CHRISTMAS PRESENT!
(Oops, this one went unattended for too long. Pics to come later today or tomorrow when it is finished.)

2. Finish Plain Spoken III

(I am still at a loss for how to quilt this as it most definitely won't fit in my machine and I most definitely NOT paying to have it quilted and I most definitely do not have a friend with or a budget for a long arm. Suggestions of any kind welcome.)

3. Create a Memory Quilt for my Nini (To be named "The Family Day Quilt" I think)
(My Nini has Alzheimer's and it has been suggested that a warm, cozy quilt covered in pictures of her family would be something to not only cheer her up, but keep her warm. The name comes from the fact that it will be given to her on "Family Day" which is a stat holiday in both my Province - Alberta - and my grandparent's province - Ontario.)

4. Finish the Single Girl Quilt for dear patient hubby

(This one also won't fit in my sewing machine, but since I intend for it to be an heirloom one day I am seriously contempltating hand quilting because well, refer to number 2.)

5. Craft it Forward
(Last year I participated in this little Facebook meme but never sent anything to anyone who responded. Oops. So, this year that will change. I already know what 2 of the 4 projects will be and am thinking about the other two.)

6. The Birdie Sling

Photo by The Workroom

(At least one!! I have had this pattern sitting on my shelf since Christmas of 2008 and it has yet to be made. I need a new giant bag and this one is perfect.)

7. Oh Fransson's weighted Pincushion Organizer

Photo by homemadestuff

I want to make at least one of these. I definitely need one to keep me from dropping my pins, scraps and threads all over the floor but I have a couple friends in mind that might really like one as well.

8. The Don't Look Now Oh Christmas Tree Quilt

Photo by Don't Look Now

(I have had this one my Christmas to-do list for a looooong time now, and hopefully this will be my year!)

9. The Twiddletails Geese in the Forest Quilt

Photo by Seaside Stitches

(Originally designed as a Christmas quilt, I think I will end up making this in colours to go with our house year round instead. Especially if I make the Oh Christmas Tree Quilt.)

10. The Oliver & S Ice Cream Dress

(My friend Laura also bought this pattern without knowing I had it when she went on a trip to The Workroom this Christmas. I'm hoping we can work on this side by side!)

Okay, I think 10 is enough goals, don't you? Especially since most of them are either large projects or involve multipes of the same item.

Am I crazy? I hope not!

What are your sewing/quilting/crafting goals for 2011?

DQS10

2011-01-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

I. Can't. Believe it!

I GOT IN!

After trying to get in last round but not getting picked in the lottery, I am so excited to be participating in a swap with such stellar quilters! I'm feeling a tad intimidated, but I have lots of time to try a few things before I have to settle and finish.

In an effort to help my partner out I created an inspiration mosaic because well, I have like 20 pages of favourites and that is just a lot to go through. Here is my top 25 I came up with:

I am so looking forward to creating something unique for my partner and I sure hope that he/she loves it! And of course, I can't wait to see what wonderful little quilty I get in return.

I will try to add progress/updates and photos as often as possible during the process.

giveaway alert!

2011-01-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't come across her yet, I wanted to let you know about the fabulous Angela of Fussy Cut. You may know her as Raggedy Owl.

Just recently, Angela switched her blog over to her new site (which looks super cute!) and as a nice little reward to all her followers who made the move with her, she is hosting one HOT giveaway!

She is graciously giving away 7 fat eights of the coveted Heather Ross Lightning Bugs and Other Mysteries!! Included is 2 colours of the gnomes, some happy vans, Matrioshka dolls, and even some goldfish!

To enter, all you have to do is become a follower of her blog (and I highly recomend that you do!) and leave her a comment letting her know.

If you would like an extra chance, go ahead and post on your blog about it. See, like I did! I am seriously crushing on this little stack and hope I am lucky enough to win!

So head on over to Angela's new site and check it out!

365

2011-01-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

As mentioned previously, I got a new camera for Christmas this year. It is a fair bit more advanced than my last camera, and I think it will encourage me to learn and use more features. Becuase I got this snazzy new camera, I decided to participate in Project 365.

There are a few key reasons I decided to try this project:

I want to learn to really use my camera.
I want to learn to appreciate and capture beauty and fun and things to be thankful for.
I want to challenge myself.
I want to be deliberate about being even just a tiny bit creative every day.
I want to capture life.

So, even though January 1st probably would have been a smarter date to start on, I couldn't help myself and started on December 25th.

Here's my first month:

1. 365.1, 2. 365.2, 3. 365.3, 4. 365.4, 5. 365.5, 6. 365.6, 7. 365.7

In case you are interested, you can check out the set as it builds, here.

2010

2011-01-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Because I think it's a good thing to reflect, here is my last sewing year in review.

1. Vintage Quilt Reborn, 2. Plain Spoken front, 3. Many Patches Quilt, 4. Criss Cross Quilt, 5. Pink Patchwork - Top Done!, 6. Plain Spoken II, 7. The Argyle Quilt of Doom - Finished!, 8. Sea of Blue, 9. Plain Spoken III - Progress

I completed 7 quilts and started 3. (Only 2 of those 3 are pictures, oh well.) Of those 7 completed quilts, 6 have gone to live with someone else. And of those 3 started, 1 will go to live with someone else.

I've been very happy with the evolution of my quilting skills. I have LOTS left to learn, and I highly doubt I will ever be done learning or think of myself as an expert, but I can see an improvement from the first quilt of 2010 to the last.

1. Coasters Galore!, 2. Bibs, 3. STUD June '10 - Sent, 4. STUD May '10 - Sent, 5. Mod Napkins, 6. The Buttercup Bag 2, 7. Neptune Scarf, 8. Girl Banner, 9. Boy Banner, 10. A Monster & 2 Bibs, 11. Baby J TShirts, 12. STUD July/August '10 Landscapes - Sent, 13. STUD October/November '10 Fussy Cut - Sent, 14. Garters, 15. Hope Valley Table Runner & Napkins, 16. Toddler Apron, 17. Toddler Apron, 18. Giveaway Day Prize, 19. Buttercup Bag 4, 20. STUD July/August '10 Anything Goes - Sent

In other sewing, I completed: 44 coasters, 10 bibs (more on that later), 4 mini quilts for swaps, 22 napkins, 4 buttercup bags (only 3 shown), a scarf, 2 birthday banners, 2 more bibs and a monster, 4 baby tshirts (only 2 shown), 2 garters, 2 toddler aprons, a table runner, 30 christmas ornaments, 2 bowties and a pocket square.

Phew.

In a list it seems like a lot, but actually, I feel like I didn't accomplish as much as I could have. The year has been interesting. More free time than ever, but oddly exhausting. I can't quite describe how tiring it is to have 3 different roommates, plus random passers through, support my husband as he works his way (more than full time!) through the last part of his masters degree, and just generally live life in a good but stressful state.

I don't want any of the above to sound like a complaint. Truly, this year has been one of the best of my life. I met a family that I adore working for, I got to continue working with the other family I love, I've made new friends and reconnected with old, I saw family, I saw dear friends get married, I got the time and space to be creative and I even did a little running. I feel pretty lucky.

Next year, I look forward to doing more sewing. I have a few big projects on my list that I would like to finish (including TWO king sized quilts) but I would also like to spend more time just playing. I feel intimidated by improvisation, and also traditional quilting and I would like to try a little bit of both. Perhaps an improve quilt and a pickledish quilt are in my future.

I would like to take this chance to say thank you, to each person that stops by. It means a lot that you read, and take the time to comment and encourage. Thank you. It feels good to share and know that people are actually reading. Happy New Year!

roast beast solstice

2010-12-30T12:00:00.001-07:00

This year my husband and I decided to host a roast beast dinner, a la Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The Christmas season gets to be so busy and we thought it would be fun to take the time to eat, drink and be merry with a bunch of our friends. It also happened to fall on solstice, which as most of you know, also included a really cool lunar eclipse. So we had a double celebration. Food, friends, Christmas and days getting longer.

About a week before the occasion, I got a little creative and decided that we needed some pretty napkins and such to set the mood. I had been hoarding my collection of Hope Valley fabrics, thinking I would turn it into a quilt. But after 8 months, I hadn't even cut into the stack and had rethought the quilt as perhaps a bit girly for my husband.

Inspiration! Purl Soho put up a linen thanksgiving napkin tutorial a while back and I loved it! Of course, I never got around to making any. Then I saw that I had a stack of Hope Valley, and about 10 billion yards of Kona Snow and I knew what to do.

I started cutting, ironing, ironing, ironing, ironing (seriously, there is a lot of ironing involved) and stitching. FOURTEEN napkins later, I have a gorgeous set! I loved the tutorial, it was easy to follow, but my only caution is this: it's a LOT of freaking yardage. Each napkin needs a 1/2 yard total. So seriously, I used up 7 yards of fabric for my set.

After the napkins were done I had a pile of pretty scraps, so I thought, "why not make a table runner to match?". Voila. Done.

I am in love. At first, I thought I might be a little crazy for using so much white in napkins, but a little Shout before the wash, and they are perfect and spotless and pretty all over again.

As for the event, it was super fun. I forgot to take photos, and so did my other picture taking friend for the most part. Alexandra did manage to snap one or two, which I have since stolen from her Facebook (thanks Alex!)

Thank you to all of our friends who came to eat and brought all sorts of yummy food and drink. We will surely be doing this again next year.

happiness and cheer

2010-12-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

This Christmas was a good one. The only downside was I was missing my family. Unlike last year, where we hosted 10 people (I guess we only hosted 8, since we were the other 2) we had just 3 other people this time around. Quiet, but fun.

My husband and I had decided ahead of time that we wouldn't be giving each other gifts this year. Partially that was a financial decision, since we are trying to be as frugal as possible while he finishes school, but mostly it was a "why pay ridiculous prices to get each other something when we could go shopping during boxing week" decision.

As it turned out, we have some extremely generous family members and employers. Our grandparents and aunt and uncle sent some money our way, and I was completely overwhelmed by an extremely generous bonus from each of the families that I work for. We decided that with all that money, we would go on vacation. We aren't sure where or when yet, or whether we even have enough but we are sure going to try! It looks like maybe Mexico or the Dominican for a week in March, which will be perfect because frankly, the thaw doesn't even start in Calgary until May most years.

Here are some highlights from Christmas:

A new camera! How lucky am I? I have been wanting to move a step up from the Kodak camera Joel and I have been using since our honeymoon. It's a good little camera, but limited. My step-dad is a camera nut and replaces his regularly. Lucky for all us kids, he is super kind and hands all his cameras down to us. It had been a while since I had received one, so he sent me the Canon sx10is for Christmas! It has been super fun learning to use it (I still have a lot to learn) and even inspired me to try out the 365 photo project. Check out the Flickr stream for that.

Moccasins! My parents love handmade and local items, and picked up a pair of moccasins for Joel, my brother and I. They are deliciously soft and comfy and I wish I could wear them absolutely everywhere.

Also in the footwear category:

New slouchy boots! Not Uggs, which is perfectly fine with me since Uggs are SO slippery, I almost die every time I put them on. These are cozy knitted sketchers with a real tread on them. I really needed some new boots and these are perfect. Not actually a Christmas gift, but my mom sent them out with the Christmas box.

A $200 gift card to either of the two biggest malls in the city. Seriously. Part of the bonus I got from one of my families, they specified that I should treat myself to something out of the ordinary for me like a BCBG dress or a new purse. Excited!

Apples to Apples. Have you played this?? So fun, I can't even describe. Perfect with older kids, or friends and coincidentally, (if you are so inclined) the more you drink, the more fun it is. We played this on Christmas day for almost 3 hours.

Finally, not in the material objects category, but a gift non-the-less, spending time with my hubby. He finished up all of his course work and internship hours by the 23rd, and it's been pure relaxation since then. He has until the 3rd to continue relaxing, but then it's back to hard work and long days for him!

It was also super fun spending time with my brother. As we've gotten older we've spent less time together even though we live in the same city. We both have strong (and very similar) personalities so it's easy for us to get on each other's nerves quickly. But this was almost 3 days of fun. I'm glad we can have Christmas together.

For christmas my brother gave me two things: Glee Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack (random but cool!) and a shopping trip with him. He is a super geeky cool dresser with a bit of an Elvis Costello flair and it is really fun to shop with him. We went to Chinook Centre on the 27th to check out the new wing with all the awesome American additions such as Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Fossil. I picked up a pair of skinny jeans, a belt and a cozy sweater from American Eagle, and another pair of jeans from Urban Outfitters, which I have now decided to exchange for a sweater. Oh well, a good excuse to go back to such a cool store. Here's my weird self portrait of the outfit I'm keeping:

I did some sewing for presents. Actually quite a bit of sewing, and the last of it is sitting downstairs waiting to be finished. I'll post about all the handmade gifts when the last one is done.

Also, look forward to a year in review post. :)

I hope each and every one of you had a fantastic Christmas (if that's what you celebrate) and got to enjoy some rest and relaxation.

it's beginning to look a lot like

2010-12-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Christmas!

Actually, for the most part, it looks a bit more like winter in our house. My husband and I have an ongoing disagreement about how the Christmas tree should be decorated. Not an actual fight or a serious cause of tension, but we just seem to have very different ideas on the subject. So, the plan is that we switch years. Every other year I get to choose how the tree is decorated. Actually, last year we got a second tree, so we switch trees each year now. This year is Joel's turn to decorate our big tree upstairs. And now how much I whined, he insisted on making it a blue tree. I complained that since the tree was pre-lit with soft white lights that blue wouldn't look good, but then 3 of the 7 strands in the tree went out and so I pulled them all off and made it a regular fake tree. (Oh yes, and got a huge rash on my arms and hands from it!)

After all my complaining, the tree is spectacular! So spectacular in fact that I have publicly admitted it! And asked him to take over the primary tree decorating from now on. Who knew?

We do have our second tree set up downstairs and it's a more traditional tree filled with all of our random, special and miscellaneous ornaments.

Some other hints of the holiday season have been popping up around our house too. Check out our cool advent calendar!

Plus our neat little (HUGE) nutcracker.

And the other day I got bored during a half day off work and made these cool paper wreaths!

I really want to get around to making a Christmas quilt one of these days. I have pulled some non-holiday themed fabrics in red and white, plus a couple of holiday pieces and I'm hoping to get working on it soon. But here's my dilemma with Christmas quilts. It would kill me to work so hard and have to put it away for 10 months a year! Is it wrong to keep a Christmas quilt out all year round?

Also, sorry for being so absent these last few weeks (months?) It's been busy, I've been feeling a tad uninspired. But I have been getting lots of work done, so hopefully more posts on that later. Thanks for being patient and sticking around!

P.S. Sorry for the photo quality. Low light and all that.

sunday stash #8

2010-11-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Snip Snip by Momo. I found a remnent of this at Bolt in Portland and had to snap it up!

sunday stash #7

2010-11-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

K. Fasset Shot Cottons

sunday stash #6

2010-11-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Positively Pink Prints

what i did on my summer vacation: part three

2010-11-08T10:27:00.001-07:00

Okay, it's a little late to be posting this, but the final installment of what I did on my summer vacation may be my most favourite part: Seattle!

On our last day of vacation we ventured to Seattle. Both Portland and Seattle are on my list of American cities to visit. (Also included: New York, San Francisco, San Diego, LA, Chicago, etc.) Obviously, one of the major pulls in Seattle is Pike Place, but I also really wanted to see the Troll. Don't ask me why, I just think it's awesome. Since we only had one day, we didn't get to see near enough, but I was glad to be able to go. We left for Seattle at 5:30am in order to beat the rush hour traffic and arrived just before 7:30. We found some parking by the pier, and some breakfast at a really cool Sourdough Bakery.

We walked through Pike Place for a couple of hours. Sampled fresh fruit and smoked salmon, watched the fish mongers toss around trout and sniffed all the spices. I was particularly in love with the flowers. I couldn't believe the piles and piles of beautiful fresh local flowers for DIRT CHEAP.

Things that you would never be able to find in Calgary, like piles of Dahlias, and if you could find them, they would be $60 a bunch, no $10.

I tasted a nectarine as big as my head.

Obviously, they discourage public displays of affection with the fruit.

We checked out the Starbucks flagship, which was really crowded and couldn't resist buying a set of mugs with the original logo on them.

We went to the gum wall. Gross.

Seriously.

Took a cliche picture or two:

And then we headed off to the Troll.

How cool is that?

At the end of the day (read: 4pm) we were exhausted! Besides all the landmarks, we also visited a really old part of town which I know can't remember what it is called and walked around on crazy cobbled streets. We watched a glass blower for a while, at lunch in a really delicious but really sketchy, dirty Italian restaurant with the worlds tiniest bathroom/furnace room, and took a thousand more pictures.

We left Seattle around 4pm and got stuck in rush hour. What were we thinking? It took almost 3 hours just to get past Tacoma! When we finally got home we were pooped! We had just enough energy to pack some food and our stuff up, load the car and collapse into bed before our early morning departure back to Calgary.

Once again, a BIG thanks to Krissy and Lucas for hosting us. Other than some short trips to visit family, this is our first actual vacation since our honeymoon more than 3 years ago, and it may be our last for a while since Joel is still in school. I would say the vacation was a huge success and on top of getting to mark two cities off my list, it was so good to see Krissy and her husband.

sunday stash #5

2010-11-07T09:00:00.002-07:00

Cosmo Cricket - Early Bird

milestones

2010-11-06T16:02:00.000-06:00

I'm sure that many of you can relate to this:

As a blogger, I put my work "out there" as a record for myself, but it feels nice to think that there might be other people reading and enjoying what I made and write about.

Recently, I added a bunch of my Flickr photos to different groups, and was surprised to see how much action those photos get now! I always find it interesting to see which photos people fave, because it's not always my favourite projects that people love.

The point being, it feels really good to know that the things I put so much love and work into are being appreciated. Call me an ego-maniac - I don't care!

It's also been neat to see the number of subscribers grow from my husband and friend Candace to 19 people now! I also discovered that Google Reader keeps track of the number of people who subscribe to my RSS feed, and that number is a whopping (at least whopping to me) 33! It's pretty cool to have officially surpassed 50 readers.

Another milestone I am going to reach soon is 100 posts. I thought about counting years instead of posts, but since I took such a huge hiatus while trying to figure out if I really wanted to blog, I won't. Including this post, and several scheduled posts that will be coming out in the next few weeks, I am up to 85.

All this to say, I think it's almost time for a giveaway! I think what I will do is schedule the giveaway for the 100th post. The reason I am announcing this now (15 posts ahead of time) is to get some input from my readers. What would you like to win?

Here are your options:
A buttercup bag
Children's apron(s)
A mini quilt/mug rug
Or something else (you name it!)

The most popular idea named in the comments will be what I give away. No comments means I choose, and well, it will just end up being whatever I feel like making at that moment. :)

So, PLEASE, if you don't normally comment, but you do read, let me know!

And now, because I want to add a picture, look at this cuteness:

More on the pile of fabric later. It's (somewhat) quickly becoming a new quilt.

blogger's quilt festival - fall 2010

2010-11-02T09:44:00.001-06:00

I decided to take the plunge and enter the Blogger's Quilt Festival, hosted by Amy's Creative Side. I missed it last year because, well, I forgot! Oops!

In trying to decide which quilt to write about, I really only considered which was my favourite. So far, it's probably a tie between The Wonky Baby Girl Quilt, The Sea of Blue Quilt, or the Plain Spoken II Quilt. Since I couldn't decide between them, and I haven't finished either of the 3 quilts I have on the go that might take top place, I decided to write about the quilt that I have learned the most from.

So, for the second time in just a month, let me write a bit about the Argyle Quilt of Doom. This time, instead of ranting or complaining, I will really explain the process and reason behind the quilt.

I guess this quilt actually started before I knew it. When my husband and I were married for barely six months, we had an opportunity to move out of our teeny tiny basement suite (a 500 square foot bachelor with no bathroom door, I kid you not!) and move into a bigger space with a roommate. The roommate would be Troy, a friend of Joel's from university. Though our time at University overlapped, I had not really spent any time with Troy, even though he was in our wedding. But Joel and him were good friends and he seemed like a really great guy so I was excited for the opportunity. Joel and I love hosting people in our house and generally living in community. I think it keeps us grounded and also helps us avoid becoming a little independent bubble couple.

Living with Troy turned out to be great! I quickly got to know him and appreciate living with a roommate. Troy became (even more) special to us over the almost 2 years that he lived with us. He witnessed the birth of my quilting obsession, and was always willing to offer an opinion on design, colour, layout, anything I asked.

At some point while he was living with us, I asked him what kind of quilt he would like (since obviously, everyone I know needs a quilt) and said he would really like an argyle quilt. I really wasn't sure how to do that, and had other projects on the go, so it got moved to the back burner.

And then, Troy met Amanda. And Amanda is perfect for Troy. We knew as soon as we met her that they would end up "happily ever after."

Photo by Vivid Photography in Nanaimo, B.C.

So, when the date was set, I knew I had to make the quilt. Even with all the struggles I had, I am really glad that I made it, and that it has found a home in the Dunham house.

I learned a lot through making this quilt. I learned that they way I made the quilt is probably not the easiest way I could have done it. I learned not to rely on Fabricland to stock anything. Even basic stuff. I learned how hard it is to quilt something that large on a machine with a relatively small throat. I learned what a great resource Ikea linens are. (Especially when they are on sale!) I learned that it's okay for things to be imperfect and I need to pick my battles when it comes to fixing mistakes. And finally, I learned that even though it is better to be late than never - it stresses me out to give a wedding gift months after the fact.

I love this quilt. But I don't plan on ever referring to it as anything but "The Argyle Quilt of Doom" because that's what it felt like to make. And unlike childbirth (not that I actually know this from experience) I haven't forgotten the pain of making it.

the wedding

2010-11-02T08:46:00.000-06:00

The wedding was fantastic! It really is wonderful to get to share such a special moment with wonderful friends and to celebrate their fantastic love. Breanne looked absolutely gorgeous in her beautiful and simple flowing dress (and look! There's my veil!) Jeremy was teary eyed before she even came down the aisle. The wedding with full of personal touches that made it very them. I am glad to say I was there when they became Mr. & Mrs. Heide!

sunday stash #4

2010-10-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

Cotton Linen/Japanese Prints

something blue

2010-10-29T11:43:00.000-06:00

Photo by Jeremy's Dad. (He was hiding in the bushes!)

Some dear friends of ours are getting married tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited! Jeremy and Breanne are a long time love story and are one of those couples you meet and it makes you sure there is only one true love in love.

We are so excited to attend and be able to celebrate with our friends and I was even more excited at the prospect of being able to contribute to the wedding!

A few months ago, Breanne asked if I would make a set of garters for her because she couldn't find the right thing. Of course I said yes (even though I had never made them before and had absolutely no idea what I was doing!)

Breanne wanted blue because Jeremy loves blue. Could you tell by the photo above? So, after some Google searching, a couple of trials and errors, I finally came up with a cute set that I am happy with and Breanne likes.

They are a simple white cotton with blue satin ribbon stitched on, encasing a 3/4" wide no flip elastic. Overall, not actually that hard to make. I made her one that is slightly bigger for her to keep and one that is slightly smaller for her to toss at the reception.

I woke up this morning knowing I had to run over and deliver them (easy, since she lives only a few blocks down the road!) and saw I had a Facebook message from here. "HELP! My veil never showed up from Etsy!" Oh dear. Obviously, that is not the kind of thing a bride wants to be dealing with the day before her wedding. As luck would have it, Facebook had popped up with a suggestion to peruse my wedding album and she saw my veil and realized it was basically the same one she had ordered.

So, off I went this morning, with my veil and her garters in hand. Not exactly saving the day, but glad I could help. Of course, we will all cross our fingers that her veil actually shows up today! Unlike the States, our postal system doesn't work. At all. And especially not on Saturdays, so if it's a no show today, it's a no show at all.

And just because I'm feeling nostalgic, here's a pic from our wedding. :)

Photo by Brooks Reynolds

sunday stash #3

2010-10-24T09:00:00.001-06:00

Dots.

sea of blue - complete!

2010-10-22T21:25:00.000-06:00

It's finished! I can't believe I did it. And on time! And I got my house clean too! Woooohoooo!

I last left you with a half finished design on the wall and piles everywhere. So here's how it all went down.

After I wrote that post, I had some lunch and raced off to the dealership to get the car serviced. After waiting TWO AND A HALF HOURS for something that was supposed to take one and a half hours to be completed, I was out of there. I ran home, and Mike (our new, wonderful roommate) and I cleaned the house and welcomed out guest for the night. I did a little bit more trimming of squares and then ran out again to go pick up my husband. (Oh the joys of sharing a car.)

I went to bed at 10 that night because I was exhausted, and woke up at 7am the next morning to keep working. (Obviously I was bent on keeping my proposed deadline because not much can get me out of bed for 9am.) Luckily, I had managed to finish my trimming and put up a preliminary design before bed the night before.

I made some slight adjustments to the design and then I got cracking on the sewing. I worked like crazy from 8am to 4:30 pm with a break only for lunch. In all that time I managed to piece the top and back, quilt and attach the binding. I took the quilt with me to work to bind (and to show it to my boss who is the one who ordered the commission) and got a little bit done.

This morning I realized I had missed one line of quilting so I unattached the binding in 2 spots, quilted, and reattched the binding with a little tag and finished hand finishing the binding. The it was off to the washer, dryer and the yard to be photographed!

So, without further ado, I give you "Sea of Blue".

I am in love! I know I keep saying I love quilts (even if I hate them in the beginning) but this one I have loved from start to finish. I wasn't feeling super inspired to begin with, but after I started pulling all the delicious blue fabrics from my stash I started drooling. The colours are so rich and this is a palette I haven't worked with yet.

The back was an adventure for me. I have been sticking to solid backs mostly, but I decided to try something a little different. I had some half square triangles left over and some bigger chunks of some other fabrics, so why not?

Over the fence, as usual. Finished size is 50"x50", bound mostly in some of the deep teal with a couple little bits added in.

And there it is, all folded and ready to go. I added a little tag to it, with my info on the front and washing instructions on the back.

***

Now, onto the next challenge. I am going to try and make a set of wedding garters for a friend. Her wedding is next weekend, but the lingerie shower is tomorrow. (Sexy lingerie already purchased!) And I want to include the garters she asked me to make in the bag. Here goes nothing!

in progress (or, how I neglect everything else in life when a quilt needs to get done)

2010-10-20T12:34:00.000-06:00

I've started a new project. Unfortunately, I didn't leave myself much of a bumper with this one, so I will lucky to be able to get it done on time let alone snuggle it and stare at it for 2 days before it's delivered. What is this project, you may ask?

It started as this:

A pile of 120 6" sqaures cut from 14 different blue fabrics.

Then it turned into this:

A pile of 120 pairs of half square triangles waiting to be trimmed down to 5.5" (my least favourite part of HSTs.)

Now it is this:

Slowly going up on my impromptu design wall. (Two pieces of left over batting tacked to the only remaining wall space in my basement.

Of course when I have a turn around time as short as this one (4 days) not much else gets done around here. Which is a real shame because our house has resembled the streets of Calcutta for about 2 weeks now. And we have a visitor coming tonight. And I have other things to do like work and take the car in for service. And eat and sleep.

So, this is what I'm neglecting:

Both folded and unfolded laundry including the nice clothes my husband needs for his internship.

An over flowing pile of fabric, batting scraps and other junk all over the floor. Also included is a thick layer of dust on EVERYTHING.

And of course the ever-present piles of bits and pieces, fabric and electronics littering my sewing area. A real bonus to not taking care of this mess is that the cats run off with pins, pens and parts of my sewing machine whenever I'm not looking.

Oh yes, and all of that is just in the basement. There's a whole other floor of disaster to be dealt with! Yikes!

Sigh. I'd ask you to feel sorry for me but let's be honest. I brought this on myself. Haha, and I really don't feel that bad about it (as is demonstrated by writing this post instead of dealing with the mess creeping into every corner of my house).

Now, off to refuel my tummy, refuel my car, take it for service and then come home, run around like crazy and make the place look presentable for our guest. Once that's done, the goal is to the have the top and back pieces, and the quilt basted and ready for quilting tomorrow morning.

Updates soon.

sunday stash #2

2010-10-17T09:00:00.002-06:00

The entire Hope Valley collection by Denyse Schmidt. Purchases online from Purl Soho.

mini quilts - july/august

2010-10-15T11:35:00.000-06:00

I posted previously about the amazing mini quilt I received from CASharp via the monthly (now bi-monthly) swap I participate in via Flickr.

Here's a quick recap:

UH-Mazing! Right?

This is what I finished for her:

This was my first experiment with half-square triangles, and even though they were a TON of work, I am in love! So much fun, AND as an added bonus, the entire quilt was made from scraps. Yay!

After I had finished piecing the zig-zags, I felt like it needed something extra special, so I added the embroidery.

I actually had a really good time doing up the embroidery part. It was really fun to watch it come together.

Since the swap is now bi-monthly, I signed up for both the anything goes swap and the themed swap. For the themed swap, I was so lucky to get paired with my dear friend Krissy. She is relatively new to quilting, like me and not only did we get to swap, but we got the opportunity to work on ours together (IN PERSON!) Okay, that may not seem like a big deal, but I have known Krissy since grade 5, and after many years of tumultuous friendship, we went to different Universities and have not seen much of each other since then. And when I say tumultuous, what I mean is, I spent years being a jerk and picking on Krissy and she spent years putting up with it and loving me anyways. (Thanks Kris!)

Well, as previously mentioned, we got a chance to go on vacation this summer, for the first time since our honeymoon 3 years ago. We chose to go to Portland to visit Krissy and it was awesome! We spent a total of about 2 hours in the entire week sewing, but oh well.

Anyways, here is what I sent to her:

The theme was landscapes, and I wanted to send her an aerial landscape to represent the amount of time she's spent flying and driving across Canada and the States in the last few years.

This is what I got in return:

Again, UH-Mazing!! I love the different fabrics she chose and the amazing job she did on the trees and the mountain. I *think* it's Mt. Hood...Right Krissy? Please comment and remind me!
Anyways, I'm in love and now it's on my wall with it's quilty friends.

So thank you to CASharp and Krissy for such a great swap experience and for sending me such beautiful minis, they are fantastic!

plain spoken II - finished!

2010-10-14T22:48:00.000-06:00

I am happy to announce that the Plain Spoken quilt top has finally become a quilt!

I am in love. I actually quite enjoyed making this the second time around. I posted previously about how reading the instructions really helps you get things right (duh!) and everything went so well with this one.

I used the same colours as the previous quilt top because I had so much fabric from that one left over. The backing is the same fabric as the other one as well, only it's in a pale grey which I think ended up working better than the brown. Less contrast.

From a distance, the pattern almost fades away.

The thing that sets this quilt top apart from the other, and also makes it one of my favourites to date is the quilting. I tried something new and adventurous for this one. Straight line quilting! (okay, not so new...) I had done straight line quilting before, but sparsely and intersecting. With this quilt, I did organic (read: not always straight) lines approximately 1/4" apart, across the whole top. Oh man, do I love it! It adds so much texture and yumminess to it I couldn't stop touching.

As previously mentioned, this quilt is a present for my husband's cousin Tara and her (soon-to-be) husband Stephen. They are getting married in Ottawa on October 30, and unfortunately Joel and I aren't able to make it. It was such a bummer when we figured out we couldn't go, but we wanted to send them a special gift, so voila - Plain Spoken II.

baby shirts

2010-10-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

Who knew a one year old's birthday party could be so exhausting?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to J's birthday party. I have been his nanny two thirds of his little life, and it has been so much fun!

For his birthday I decided to make him some custom t-shirts. I knew he would be getting plenty of toys and books from his family and friends so I figured clothes was a good direction to head in.

I headed over to Old Navy and bought two soft cotton long sleeve t-shirts for only $12 and then picked up some Lite Steam a Seam 2. After that, I was rockin' and rollin'!

The first one is based on the skyscape t-shirt that Rae made for her son, over on Made by Rae. I was pretty in love with the lion shirt too!

The second shirt was a bit harder to decide on. Originally, I was going to make him a tree frog shirt, but decided the red and green combo felt a bit Christmasy. Instead I went with a giraffe silhouette, and I am really happy with it!

I LOVE these little shirts! Too many pre-made clothes out there are either too cutesy or plastered in stupid catch phrases. They were so easy to make, that they may become part of my go to list for baby and kid presents.

sunday stash #1

2010-10-10T16:32:00.000-06:00

Because I never actually posted a Sunday Stash after I said I would: here it is.

This is the majority of my stash. It fits (sort of) into 1 19L tote. I have scraps sorted by colour and a pile of yardage of about 8 different prints, but really, this is what I do most of my sewing from. Hopefully over the next few weeks, you will stop by for some pictures of my favourites.

the argyle quilt of doom: complete

2010-10-09T11:28:00.001-06:00

It's FINALLY finished! Oh happy day! Actually I guess that happy day was last Tuesday, but oh well. I am happy to report that my argyle quilt is finally finished and happily living with it's new owners.

This one was a stretch for the little throat of my machine. It's final size was 70" by 90" and even with free motioning it was a challenge to get to every last bit of it.

Even though 70" by 90" is a bit of an odd size in terms of fitting it on a bed, I did manage to make it work on the double bed in the downstairs guest room.

So that officially makes it the biggest quilt I've made to date.

I don't know what else to say about this beast. I posted before how challenging I found it to piece, and the special people it's for. I guess all I can say is, I ended up loving it, and I hope they do too. Bye bye quilt!

Oh yes, one more thing. Trying to take a picture of this thing when my husband is in a silly mood - bad idea! He pranced around the backyard with our kind (new) roommate Mike, making it hard to get a straight shot. Oh well, I ended up with this cute one!

favourites: orange

2010-09-14T10:00:00.000-06:00

1. DSC_3171, 2. Frickblock #1, 3. Violet's string quilt - top finished!, 4. {Modern 12} Bee - String Blocks for Samilou1, 5. Orange and Yellow Zig Zag Quilt, 6. 3x6 Mini Bee Block from Tasha!, 7. dqs8, 8. Groovy Orange Garden #2, 9. florida citrus

giveaway alert!

2010-09-13T11:11:00.000-06:00

In keeping with my promise to share really neat giveaway alerts with you, here is another one:

I think we all know Rashida Coleman-Hale of I Heart Linen, right? Well, she has graciously offered up a fantastic prize on Petite Purls. Seriously, SO good (it includes a copy of her book)! So go check it out and win yourself something nice!

a sneak peak

2010-09-13T10:13:00.000-06:00

Life has been busy here. Even though this is my husbands second year back at school, I really felt the rush and business of "back to school" season this time around.

Maybe it's because we said goodbye to his little brother as he went back to University in Ontario, or because we gained a brand new roommate (who is totally awesome!)or because there were so many preparations and so much cleaning, shopping and organizing that goes along with those things.

Joel started an internship at the Calgary Counseling Centre last week. He is officially more than 1/2 way done his Masters in Counseling Psychology and this internship is not only a great learning experience but a really neat opportunity for him. But, working at the CCC 3 days a week and taking FOUR masters level courses tends to leave one a little busy.

After a super relaxing summer of not much work, I am back full-time and loving it. I never get tired of hanging out with the great kids I nanny. This morning I got an unexpected phone call giving me an extra 2 hours until work, so I thought it was high time I churned out a blog post.

I have been sewing like crazy. Crunch time is on because I have a LOT of projects due in the next month or so. I finally finished my mini quilt swap for July/August in the theme of landscapes. I can't show anything but a sneak peak right now as the swap partner in question is the dear friend we just visited in Portland and she reads this blog. SO, you will have to wait until she gets it to see the full mini. Let's just say, I am extremely happy with how it turned out.

So you don't think I am boring and have nothing, here are some posts to look forward to. Two new quilts (or old, since I guess you've already seen the tops) to be finished by the end of the week. A new baby quilt commission, 2 new mini quilts for swap, the rest of what I did on my summer vacation, wedding gifts, a single girl quilt update and more! yay! Please don't leave me. :)

what i did on my summer vacation: part two

2010-09-04T21:05:00.001-06:00

Powell's!

(Borrowed from Peyri's Photostream)

What can I say about this place? It's fantastic! I didn't actually spend a whole lot of time there but I loved what I saw. 5 stories filled to the bring with new and old books and all sorts of fun bits and pieces. A true book lovers paradise.

The reason I didn't spend much time there was because we took our sweet time checking out Bolt.

(Borrowed from john.murden's Photostream)

What a cool store! Easily my favourite fabric store outside of Canada. Cute, chock full of great fabric and patterns and super nice helpful staff. I found myself a delicious pile of fabric (after more than an hour of circling the store over and over again).

In that pile there is some stuff I don't recognize, but there are some serious treats there too. Some Far Far Away II, some Momo, some Echino. And all at wonderful, reasonable American prices!

I also picked up a pattern:

I LOVE this pattern! My problem is I don't have anyone to make it for. I guess I could make it for cute little Miss A, but I thought it wouldn't be fair if C didn't get something too. Unfortunately, there haven't been any totally awesome boys patterns that have caught my eye. I'll have to keep thinking on that one.

One of the things I had planned on doing was quilting with Krissy. We managed to pull each other's names in the August swap for Swap Till You Drop and had planned on finishing our quilts together and exchanging. Unfortunately (fortunately?), we did SO much adventuring while we were there we didn't really get more than an hour or so in. Oh well!

Krissy's mini is getting finished as I type (or well, not as I TYPE per-say because clearly I don't have more than 2 hands, but you know what I mean) and the plan is to send it out on Tuesday. More on that when it's done.

what i did on my summer vacation: part one

2010-08-30T14:25:00.000-06:00

Last week Joel and I embarked on an adventure. Our first real vacation since our honeymoon! Sure we had been away here and there but it was either for one night somewhere close, or we had traveled for the purpose of visiting family which is fun, but not so much true vacation.

For our vacation we chose to go to Portland! Neither of us had even been there and were lucky enough to have some friends who live there and were willing to put us up and act as tour guides. Krissy (a loooooong time friend) & Lucas were so gracious during our stay!

So, early (like, 3am early) we piled into the car and started the 15 hour drive from Calgary to Portland. Over the years, my husband and I have been on more than a few road trips, and as time goes by I am liking them more and more. Our car however, must hate them. (108,000km in just over 3 years is a bit much)

We arrived around dinner time on Sunday (totally exhausted!) and settled into our friends small but very cute apartment. Gary, their giant cat greeted us kindly by running circles all around our stuff. We were all exhausted and Krissy & Lucas both had to work early the next morning, so I'm pretty sure we were all asleep very early.

The next day, the adventuring began! We went to Multnomah Falls because really, who wouldn't want to.

It was the hottest day of the week and sweated our ways to the top of the falls, but it was SO worth it. The view was spectacular and there was a lovely cold creek at the top to dip our feet in and cool off.

The next day we went to the Oregon coast. I can now proudly say my feet have been in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. A couple of the neat things we saw while there:

The wreck of the Peter Iredale.

This ship wrecked in 1906 and after hopes that it would refloat were dashed, it was left there to slowly wash away.

Fort Stevens:

(borrowed from Ken Campbell Photographix's Photostream)

The only place in the continental US to be fired upon since the Civil War. Fired on by a Japanese U-Boat during world war II, the fort (for some unknown reason) never returned fire. One word to describe the feel of this place: creepy.

We went to Seaside and had yummy seafood because it's not so yummy when it's imported all the way to Calgary. We tried some salt water taffy, had some ice cream, hit an outlet mall and headed home.

Other things we did while in Portland: went to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (awesome!) and checked out Powell's and Bolt. More on those two places in the next installment.

aprons for twins

2010-08-28T09:00:00.001-06:00

As you must know by now, I am a nanny. I've mentioned before how lucky I feel to have such a great job and how much I love the little ones I work with.

Well, the twins turned 2 last week! What a great age! I have been spending 2 or 3 days a week with A & C for almost a year and it has been an adventure every step of the way. So of course, as their birthday neared, I was racking my brain for what to make them. They have lots of books, toys and stuffed animals so I wanted to cross those things off the list. I thought about a couple of ideas for dress up clothes (ballet skirt, crown, super hero cape, etc) but none seemed quite right.

Finally, it hit me! Aprons! What 2 year old isn't getting messy with markers, paint, food or something else all the time? Aprons would be a great solution for keeping clothes clean but also inspiring little helpers in the kitchen.

I did a little searching online to find out sizing for the average 2 year old, looked at some pictures of kid aprons, made a couple drawings and BAM! I was on my way! I made my own template because none of the tutorials or free patterns I had found seemed quite adjustable enough or were too big or I just didn't love the design.

A's is made from Amy Butler's Fresh Poppies in Fuschia from the Midwest Modern line and a coordinating green solid.

C's is made from MoMo's Bouncing Balls in Ivory from the Freebird collection and hte same coordinating green solid as A's.

Both aprons used a fat quarter of each fabric plus 2 selvedge to selvedge strips of the backing fabric for bias tape. As per usual, I made my own instead of buying some.

I have to say, I am pretty darn proud of these aprons. They are perfect. perfect size, perfectly adjustable (I figure they will fit until 4, maybe even longer) and perfectly sewn. Not a missed stitch or crooked seam is to be found on these babies and that's a pretty big win for me!

After the kids opened their presents, they wanted to wear them all day. So a bit later we all donned an apron (me in their dad's Guinness apron) washed our hands and set to baking cookies! This was their first experience baking and it was an instant hit. It was messy and crazy and so much fun - with the hardest part being trying to keep them from eating the raw dough.

Here they are enjoying some flour and raisins on the floor while I got the cookies ready for the oven. Aren't they SO cute??

The cookies turned out great and the kids have been asking for them non stop since then. For those that are interested, here is the recipe (which by the way is the best oatmeal raisin recipe I've tried!)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups butter

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups oats
1 cup raisins

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients, leaving oats and raisins aside. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Add in oats and raisins. Drop by rounded spoonful approximately 2" apart. Bake for 8-9 minutes for chewy cookies.

I've been considering writing a tutorial/patter for the apron, but I wanted to gauge interest before I went to the trouble. Would any of you be interested in said pattern/tutorial (for free)? If so, please let me know and I will post one in the coming weeks with a giveaway attached to it!

giveaway alert!

2010-08-26T13:00:00.000-06:00

In case you haven't heard: Darci of Stitches and Scissors is having a giveaway! This extremely talented and creative blogger is celebrating two great things - her 10 year anniversary (yay for them!) and the grand opening of her new Etsy shop.

The winner of the giveaway will win something handmade especially for them from a selection of fabrics. What a great prize!

So head on over, say hello, give her a nice warm internet hug and try to win yourself something!

P.S. I think I may start posting about other people's giveaways as a regular thing. Isn't it nice to hear about other giveaways and discover new blogs? Is that something you guys would be interested in? Let me know!

plain spoken II

2010-08-15T20:38:00.000-06:00

Another finish! I think I had mentioned in the post about the first plain spoken quilt that I had cut enough pieces for a second. Well, those pieces were set aside for someone and then they got something else and so the pieces stayed aside for a while. Since May.

I had been dreading plain spoken II since I first conceived of it. Mainly because I didn't love making the first one and had troubles matching seams. As it turns out, following the directions makes a big difference! (Why have I not learned this lesson yet??)

Going from memory (because I don't own The Modern Quilt Workshop and have to try and get it from the library when I need it but didn't want to go hunt it down). I realized that my biggest mistake the first time around was the way I laid it out. Rather than pair randomly and then layout the pairs in a suitable combination, I had laid out each individual piece until I liked the overall design and then tried to painstakingly piece them together.

This time around I paired then laid out then pieced and it was wonderful. This is my reason I came up with: because my cutting wasn't exactly superb, when I tried to piece one after another it started to get a little crooked and I didn't notice until it came to matching seams between rows. Doh!

I think I may actually love this pattern now! (That is a darn good thing too because I now have a king sized version to make!! More on that later.) This quilt top is officially the most "perfect" top I have made to date. All the seams match up, the lines are straight and the top is square! I feel a little silly saying this now after 2 years of quilting, but it has definitely been a learning process and I think repeating the same pattern has helped me trouble shoot some things.

Like in my pink patchwork quilt I stuck with ironing seams in opposite directions and it really really helps in matching seams from row to row.

The final top measure a little less than 50 x 70 which is because I chose to make a more square quilt than the recommended size in the book. Now I just need to figure out how to quilt it. I am stuck between straight line quilting close together (think less than .50 inch) or the recommended meandering type of free motion. Any votes?

As a final note: this is what happens when you try to photograph in the wind. It's ALWAYS windy in Calgary, so this is becoming an issue. Oh well, it makes for a fun outtake!

favourites: quilt blocks

2010-08-09T09:00:00.001-06:00

1. SNTMVQB block for myself, 2. Sew New to Me Virtual Quilting Bee, 3. 184.12 blocks, 4. SNTMVQB Block from Heather, 5. RBQB: Marissa 1, 6. 186.day off productivity, 7. Florida Star for Sara, 8. Starz -- in progress, 9. Hand piecing - fussy cutting

mini quilt wip: i dream in waves of green and blue

2010-08-08T16:52:00.000-06:00

The swap group I belong to on Flickr (Swap Till You Drop) has switched to a bi-monthly swap schedule as opposed to the previous every month schedule. I decided that since I have 2 whole months to do the mini I would sign up for both categories!

I hadn't yet given much thought to what I would make for the Anything Goes category, but last week I recieved this:

Is that not absolutely amazing? CASharp, my partner for the Anything Goes category is clearly a pro. Not only is the pattern cute and bright but it is full of extra bits and pieces that you have to look closely to appreciate. How about the fact that it's all hand quilted? How about the perfectly mitered corners or the little buttons? How about the millions of tiny bits of embroidery including what I can only estimate to be more than 100 french knots?

The back is just as cute:

Oh yes, and there was a pile of goodies included in the package. Thread, and a magazine and fat quarters - she is just too generous!!

Obviously this fantastic partner is in store for more than just an ordinary old mini quilt. I try to make something unique and special and well crafted for everyone I swap with, but sometimes even with all my effort I'm not necessarily happy with the end result. (See Favourite Things mini.)

I decided that since I have always wanted to play with half square triangles and zig zags in particular that I should try it out on CASharp. I immediately went to my favourite scrap bin - the blue and green one! Out came a pile of bits and pieces from such wonderful designers as Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry and Joelle Hoverson, and I couldn't be stopped. This is one of those magical projects (like the Wonky Baby Girl quilt) that even though it is labor intensive, the sheer beauty of the fabrics compels you to keep on going.

Boy did I get a lesson in how time consuming half square triangles are! I started with squares 2.5" square, sewed them together using this technique (oh and finally tried chain piecing - what was I thinking sewing piles of pieces any other way??). I then ironed them all with the seams to the dark side, trimmed them all down to 2" square and then started the lay out.

This is what I came up with:

I am absolutely tickled by this! I couldn't be happier with the calm yet funky feel. Mixed into all the pure white is a bit of Kona snow just for kicks.

As of now, the mini is quilted, bound and almost done. I felt like it needed a little something special before it's sent on it's way, so I'm working on that still.

Pictures of the finished product to come, I promise.

mini quilt: favourite things

2010-07-29T09:00:00.002-06:00

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with string. These are a few of my favourite things!"

I have officially finished my second mini quilt! This one was for the month of June in the STUD (Swap Till You Drop) mini quilt swap group. I was lucky to be partnered up with sweetteamom. Our theme for the month was "Movies."

Initially, I was really excited about the theme and thought it would be easy coming up with a concept. Movies are an endless source of inspiration, right? The idea was to send your partner your favourite movie as inspiration for the mini they were to make you. Neither my partner or I could decided on just one movie as inspiration (the first of many problems) so we each sent a list of 5 movies (and a tv show!) for each other to choose from. I sent: Up, Toy Story, Garden State, Willy Wonka (the original), The Office and The Big Bang Theory. Sweetteamom sent: Willy Wonka (the new one), Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean, Psych, Breakfast at Tiffany.

Her list is pretty great! Originally I had thought about doing the iconic picture of Audrey Hepburn from the Breakfast at Tiffany poster. Then I thought about the opening scene from Sound of Music. When both of those concepts failed, I turned to "Favourite Things." (As it turns out, my partner was having some trouble coming up with a working concept as well so we agreed to extend our June 30 deadline and try again.)

I`m not really sure how "Favourite Things" slipped my mind to begin with. Who hasn't had that song stuck in their head before? (Before I go any further I should make the shocking confession that ... wait for it ... I have never actually seen The Sound of Music. I know!! I'll have to remedy that soon.)

After many hours spent cruising Flickr for inspiration, I decided that rather than a whole lot of applique (which I am currently boycotting because I want to by some Lite Steam a Seam 2 but refuse to pay the marked up prices of The Store That Shall Not Be Named) I would try my hand at foundation piecing. I figured I could try it out in preparation for (hopefully) someday making the Geese in the Forest quilt by Twiddletails, and if it turns out I hated it then it would only have to be for this quilt.

It took me days to either track down or create the patterns for the first five items in the Favourite Things song. It was painful. But it's done, and I'm happy. Other than the foundation piecing (which I may just be crazy enough to try again, and only because Twiddletails makes it look easy) I got a chance to try some embroidery. My favourite bit is the phrase "these are a few of my favourite things". I grabbed a couple of fonts off Word and traced the words onto the fabric before embroidering so it would be perfect.

I sure hope sweetteamom likes it!

favourites: blue

2010-07-28T09:00:00.001-06:00

1. If it's a boy quilt - front, 2. it's been a while..., 3. 3 - nursery 2, 4. square dance, 5. pattern2c, 6. small squares quilt, 7. winter palette., 8. Doll Quilt Swap 9, 9. Little squares WIP

a quilt top and a salad

2010-07-27T20:30:00.000-06:00

It's finished! I sat down and worked on this for a few hours this morning and it's finished. I love it. There are a few wonky bits where the seams don't quite line up, but after ironing the seams to the sides it worked a lot better. I came to the conclusion that my cutting was to blame mostly. I cut all of those pieces in one night and clearly didn't pay much attention to how accurate it was.

The finished top is 65" by 45". Not quite as big as I had hoped, but then I didn't do any actual calculations before sewing. My question is, do I want to add a border? I took a (terrible) picture of the quilt laid out on a big piece of off-white fabric and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Maybe in chocolate brown? Or do I just leave it alone and let it be a bit smaller than I wanted.

And of course the other question: what do I back it with? I've got some Amy Butler Midwest Modern honeycomb in linen that could work, but it's perhaps a bit washed out.

I've been thinking about another Amy Butler print - Lacework in Olive which is from the Lotus collection. This fabric actually shows up in the quilt top which is why I think it would be great, plus the repeat is quite large. Unfortunately, there are no squares left over from the top that I could piece into the back or I would.

What do you guys think? Should I go with one of those or should I find a solid?

In other (random) news: this was my delicious lunch.

A citrus salad - yum! A homemade citrus vinaigrette dressing with sliced strawberries and oranges on top. So light and delicious and perfect for summer.

the random object: voodoo fred

2010-07-27T09:00:00.001-06:00

Meet Fred. He is a voodoo doll toothpick holder and I have never seen a more hilarious object.

Fred came a friend as a wedding present. (He originally came with a really cool suspended picture frame which I broke almost immediately - oops!) I think everyone has a story about getting a gift from someone who decided to go "off registry" (for whatever reason) and it was that weird serving tray or table cloth or obvious re-gift (really, if you're going to do it you should make sure to take the CARD out of the box top before passing it on, yikes!) But every once in a while you get that amazing gift that is so original and so thoughtful it makes everything off the list you personally put together seem boring and a little pedestrian.

Fred is that gift. He and a really cool set of handmade serving dishes from Portugal definitely sit at the top of the best gifts list.

Unfortunately, when I was taking the picture I didn't have any toothpicks to demonstrate his incredibly toothpick holding abilities, but I think you get the idea. Favourite bits: his slightly tilted head and the hole between his eyes.

Oh and before anyone goes reading too much into his name (he shares it with my dad) I DID NOT NAME HIM! It says it on his back. :)

P.S. Thanks Rachel for the utterly original, fabulously thoughtful wedding gift!

single girl

2010-07-26T15:39:00.003-06:00

I've started a new project. Or rather, I'm finally getting around to a project I have had all the supplies for for 18 months.

This project is particularly special, important and time consuming.

For starters, it the famed "Single Girl" pattern by Denyse Schmidt. How can you go wrong? That woman is inspirational and I love just about every pattern and piece of fabric she has ever made. It is a dream of mine to one day own one of her beautiful collection quilts and to attend a class at her studio in Connecticut. (If there are any generous and wealthy sewers out there who want to help me achieve those dreams let me know.)

I decided to do something I wouldn't normally do and use the recommended fabrics. Actually, I wouldn't normally even use a pattern but I couldn't resist both the wit of the title and the fun design.

The suggested fabrics (Katie Jump Rope) are colourful, fun and a little retro and I love them all. So, I am henceforth attempting to recreate the exact project on the cover. IN KING SIZE! Am I insane? I think I might be. I did some quick calculations and figured out that a king sized quilt will include exactly 804 pieces to be cut and painstakingly, precisely pieced before being quilted. Yikes!

But wait, there is a good reason for me to be so insane as to attempt this. Joel. I love that man and it's going to be a gift for him. He is the one who found the pattern at The Workroom, and he is the one who loved the colours on the cover just as much as I do, and he is the one who suggested it would be the perfect quilt for our bed. He is the one who spent weeks tracking down every last piece of fabric I would need to make it after I found out it was out of print.

So far, Joel has put more effort into this thing that I have, and it's supposed to be his gift! Look out for regular updates on this monolith of project and for pleas for motivational comments!

pink patchwork perfection

2010-07-26T15:04:00.002-06:00

I've gone back to an old project. This one has been in the works for at least 6-8 months, I can't quite remember. I wouldn't normally describe myself as a "pink" person, but it seems that this quilt and the first one I completed for myself would say different.

I love this quilt for a number of reasons. It's comprised of fabrics purchased mainly at The Workroom which if you ever have the chance you should definitely visit. My husband and I drove to Ontario for 3 weeks during the Christmas season of 2008, and while we were there took a little trip into Toronto. I love Toronto and have decided that I could live there (because I am a lover of metropolis') but Joel has lived there before and isn't so thrilled with it even though like me he loves urban centers. Other than the giant soaker in my UGG boots and the trudging through 13 blocks of melting snow, it was a perfect day. We went to the Hockey Hall of Fame (because how can you possibly resist it!) and then took a trip to the Workroom where I had a large budget to stock up on fabric with.

Even better than ordering online is the experience of actually handling the fabric before you buy it and I rarely do that because of prices here in Calgary.

So, not only was the experience of buying the fabric great, but the quilt is full of really great fabrics from now out of print collections: (Katie Jump Rope, Mendocino, Cake Rock Beach, Country Fair, etc.) are you jealous yet?

So there is a reason that I think of it as perfectly pink.

Originally, I was apparently trying to make more work for myself by ironing all my seams open. But after an extremely helpful meeting with the Calgary Modern Quilt Guild I was advised to start ironing the seams to the right and left alternating by row. (Which, yes, I have seen a dozen times before and for some reason never did it). Since changing to ironing my seams to the side the whole quilt has been moving along much quicker. The seams are lining up more easily and I don't want to scream and throw it in a drawer anymore.

So now, this is where I am. I have finished piecing all the squares into rows (22 in total) and have moved on to sewing the rows together. I start in pairs and then sew the pairs together and so on and sew forth. Har har, I am a punny woman.

I don't know if I could love it any more! I figure I'll knock off the rest of the top tomorrow and then I will move onto worrying about the rest of the quilt which includes finding a great backing fabric and ordering more batting.

Right now I am contemplating Connecting Threads for thread and batting because the prices seem great and the shipping is dirt cheap. Has anybody used this? Do you have another recommendation for cheap (100% cotton, 120" wide) batting? One thing I don't love about Connecting Threads is the arbitrary 7% charge added to all Canadian orders to cover who knows what. I live in a Province without sales tax (how did I ever live anywhere else and thank goodness we don't have the dreaded HST here!) so it irks me a bit when an extra whatever percent is added to my order. I don't know, can I do better? Suggestions and links greatly appreciated!!

favourites: yellow

2010-07-17T13:58:00.001-06:00

1. Seven Stars, 2. Zig zag quilt finished front 92/365, 3. quilt top, 4. yellow blanket, 5. Yellow Inspiration, 6. summer blocks, 7. Sunshine Squares, 8. shut it i love it, 9. Untitled

peony obsession

2010-07-11T22:52:00.000-06:00

I've been obsessing over flowers recently. Peonies to be exact. I love having fresh flowers around but there are a few things that usually stop that from happening: money and allergies. Obviously, fresh flowers are expensive so they generally don't appear unless Joel surprises me with them. But Joel is the one with the allergies. Bad ones. Face exploding bad.

On my birthday, my dad sent me a gorgeous arrangement of pink everything. Roses, lilies, gerbera dasies, carnations, it was gorgeous!

Unfortunately it was stinkin' hot in the house (we were avoiding the a/c as long as possible) and so they didn't last as long as they should of had I managed to move them downstairs to the cool basement.

Before that I had some fresh lilacs cut form the front garden (sorry no pics). And so now I am hooked.

When we moved into this house I was pleasantly surprised to find that someone had planted an amazing garden in the back. There are chives, blue fescue, day lillies and best of all - Peonies! With very little help from me, and lots of help from my mom (who just finished a great week long visit) the garden is looking great. But, the peony bush is huge and definitely needs to be staked. Since I'm not planning on staking it, I am cutting the blossoms when they get too big and start to touch the ground.

So now I feel like Martha Stewart with pretty vases of peonies around the house. This one lives on the dining room table.

And this one was living on the coffee table in the living room:

But then we had friends over last night and Bre loved them so they went home with her. There are plenty more where those came from, so I'll have to find more loving homes.

Of course, one downfall to growing peonies is all the damn ants! We already have an ant problem and I'm pretty sure the peonies are making it worse, but they are so pretty. Since I cut the blossoms in the rain, I thought I would avoid the all the ants in them, but after arranging them I found (no kidding) almost 30 freakin' ants all over my house! We are past that point now, but man that was a pain.

All this to say, I'm feeling a little more inspired recently. We had almost a full month of visitors at the house and I was feeling a bit run off my feet. Not much was happening in the creative department (aside from my mom's visit which I will get to in another post) but now it's getting better again. I've got a little something in the works for a mini quilt swap that I'm excited about and then maybe some selfish sewing.

happy birthday to me

2010-06-27T12:50:00.001-06:00

24 years ago today (at 3:13 MST) I was born. Today I am celebrating with my wonderful hubby and so far it's great!

In celebration, I'll be hosting a giveaway later this week. Look forward to that!

entertainment

2010-06-25T07:00:00.001-06:00

A few things are keeping me entertained recently. I've succumbed to the oh-so-dramatic Grey's Anatomy. Yes. THAT show. Go ahead and laugh. Okay stop now.

My dear husband likes to find shows for me to watch. Since I hate watching live television (because really, when did there get to be 4 minutes of commercials for ever 10 minutes of show??) Joel and I tend to watch new (or new to us) shows on our PVR or online. It's fantastic. You can get through a 1 hour show in just 40-something minutes!

It took us just 3.5 weeeks to get through the entire series. Yes, I need a life. I really can't tell you how thankful I am for all of the quality time I get with my husband, even if he is sitting through hours of Grey's with me. It used to be that we both worked and volunteered so much, that we would get an hour before bed each night and maybe a few hours on the weekends. It has been like a wonderful vacation to have him home so much since our job changes.

Previously, Joel and I both worked for a large multi-site church in town and for various reasons have left both our jobs and the church. It was very hard to move on from the people we had grown to love and respect in our jobs and our church life, but it needed to happen. While we worked there he was working up to 60+ hours a week running the buildings for rentals, and I was working a normal 40 hour week in the office, but we both added at least 5 more hours of volunteering on top of that. It got to the point where we didn't get much time together, and when we did we were so tired, sometimes it was hard to have a conversation. So when we couldn't muster anymore energy, we shared tv shows and movies. It's a special thing we do, and it may seem brain melting or mundane to some, but I love it.

Needless to say, I am now addicted to Grey's and can't stop watching.

Another new show we've been watching:

I'm not even really into the whole vampire thing, but I like this show, even though it is sometimes (okay, most of the time) extremely over acted and a little cheesey.

I've also been re-watching The Office. How can you go wrong with that genius? And before you think that I am a couch potato who does nothing but watch tv, I mostly watch while doing other things , (laundry, sewing, eating lunch, etc) or late at night once we are in bed.

The other thing that keeps me entertained is my brother-in-law. Joel's youngest brother Jamie has been staying with us since the end of April and needless to say it is an adventure having and 18 year old boy living with us. He is here for the summer to work and save money so he can go back to university in September.

Here's a few of the highlights:

1. Getting woken up at 4am because Jamie is sure there is someone trying to come through his window. Apparently he was sleeping naked (ew, TMI?) when the blinds blew off the edge of the window sill because of some wind coming through the open window. Panicking he first got ready to grab the guy and "pull him to beat him senseless" but then ran upstairs to grab Joel (and a knife!) and run around the side of the house. There was no one there. Oh, and Jamie was somehow wearing Joel's clothes, which I guess is better than nothing!

2. His 7 word vocabulary: "geez, JO-EL, stop, shut up, ugh, NO, what"

3. Hearing stories about his university parties where he drinks liquor from a vase and mixes white wine with sprite. Yuck.

It's an endless parade of silly at the house recently and I love it.

teeny tiny baby gifts

2010-06-24T21:00:00.001-06:00

A friend of ours recently had her 4th baby! Little Nathan Victor arrived just a few weeks ago and we couldn't be happier for him or his parents and siblings. Too celebrate the little ones arrival, a friend threw them a "Sprinkle Shower". The idea was that since he is number 4, they already have a lot of the essentials, so guests were to bring little things to sprinkle the new mom and baby with.

I agonized over what to give. Usually I would make a baby quilt, but I didn't because a) I am severely lacking in boy friendly fabrics and b) I doubt that a quilt can be considered a sprinkle, even if I really want it to be.

In the end, I made the little man 2 bibs and a monster.

I picked out a solid chocolate brown, some Alexander Henry Teeny Tiny Zoo in pool, and some Cake Rock Beach Eclipse in Water and whipped up two little bibs using a combination of the Nested Basic Bib template and the Quilted Patchwork Bib tutorial on Sew She Sews. They were fun and really easy to make and so I am sure they will become a go-to gift for baby showers. I also made a little RevoluzZa monster with her tutorial and pattern. I only made a slight alteration to the mouth since I didn't want to make the embroidered one from the instructions.

All three resources provided really easy to follow instructions, so the only error I made was to sew the monster together with a wrong and a right side facing together instead of the right sides together. Due entirely to make lack of attention.

We dropped the gifts off on our way downtown since I was unable to actually attend the Sprinkle Shower. I got to meet tiny perfect Nathan and spend a little time with his mom and siblings. It was great fun, and so nice to hold such a new baby. I am glad that Nathan's mom enjoyed the gifts and am anxiously awaiting the pictures of him with the bibs and monster.

the random object: wedding rings

2010-06-24T14:02:00.002-06:00

My wedding rings. Before I tell you about them, let me tell you how this picture came about. One of the two families I work for has an adorable set of twins. Occasionally I will go over in the evening, put them to bed and then have several hours to myself before their parents get home. Most often I will read or watch tv or hand sew, but recently I have started taking my computer. I spend time blogging (like now)or getting sucked into Flickr and Facebook, or I bring tv episodes or movies to watch.

A couple of days ago, I brought my camera with the intention of taking some pics of my wedding rings for this post. I was out in the backyard in the last of the late afternoon sun, my rings on the railing, practicing my macro skills. After about 10 photos, I took a step back to look at the composition and fell down the deck stairs! Ouch! Although it was only 3 steps, it was really quite a spectacular fall! I didn't injure anything but was definitely sore after that! As my old joke goes "Grace is my middle name!"

Okay, back to the random object. I decided to start with this because I forgot to take some pics of the things that inspired this meme. (And of course they may be my most important random object.)

For some reason, for a long time, I had an irrational fear that I would never get married or have kids or be loved. Probably because as a teenager I dated a guy for a few years and in my naive teenagery ways thought that we would be high school sweethearts and blah blah, and obviously, most of the time that is not the way it happens.

I'll save the story of how we met and married for another day, (perhaps our 3rd wedding anniversary coming up in September?) Today instead I will tell you about how he picked the rings and proposed.

Joel knows that I am a picky person when it comes to well, everything. When we started talking about getting married, he asked me if I wanted to go ring shopping with him or have him pick the ring himself. Something girly and old fashioned inside me said I should send him on his own (or perhaps with the help of a friend, but I had never so much as been in a ring store before so I was curious and really wanted to go with him.

The actual shopping part wasn't really anything special which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. We stopped on a whim on the way to doing something else and wandered quickly through the store. We went to Spence Diamonds mostly because we had heard all sorts of ads for their better prices and open showcases. (Who said radio advertising wasn't effective?) I was so sure was looking for something simple and classic that I didn't even go over near the modern stuff. I knew I wanted a solitaire and most likely in a classic tiffany style setting.

As soon as I tried one on, I knew it wasn't right. So we kept looking. We looked at 3 stone rings, engagement bands, super sculptural stuff, nothing was right. And then Joel saw it. THE ring, and he made me try it on even though I was skeptical. I fell in love with it as soon as it was on my finger. (Even though the floor model was about 5 sizes too big.) I loved the squareness of the band, the little frame of metal around the diamond and I love that it had an equally modern wedding band that fit right under the engagement setting. Perfection.

So we got someone to right it down and we left, we didn't even buy it right there. That came a little bit later when we went back and picked out a diamond together.

(photo by Brooks Ryenolds)

Joel proposed to me on a bridge overlooking the lagoon in Bowness Park. The picture above was taken a year after our wedding, at my friend Amanda's wedding (I'm right of centre.) We had gone to Bowness park on our first date, and Joel brought me back there to ask me to marry him. We had had a delicious dinner at Mongoli Grill, and were going back to his house to watch a movie when he made an excuse to stop at the park. Just like shopping for rings, and like most of the other important events in our relationship, it wasn't anything huge and special, it was just us, being ourselves, and I loved it. We wandered through the park on our way to the bridge, holding hands, joking and smiling. When we got to the bridge it was peaceful, not another soul in sight. And then he started saying mushy things (which of course I can't remember now.) He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife and I jumped up and down and cried "Of course!"

The first thing I did was take of my other ring (another random object for another day) and let him put my shiny new diamond ring on my finger.

I found out after that, that many people knew that we were getting engaged that night, including a friend who lived just a few blocks away and had agreed to take photos after he proposed. So off we went.

I could barely hold my hand still long enough to take this photo. We called my our parents and friends and generally just floated around.

And now this photo hangs in our room more than 3 years later. The rings are well worn and loved and are certainly not as blindingly bright as they used to be, but I like it that way. They almost never come off, and I still haven't tired of staring at them as they sparkle in the sun.

For those who are interested, these are the specs: Engagement ring is platinum, size 3.25, .75 ct Princess cut IF, F colour conflict free diamond in a bezel setting. Wedding band is platinum, size 3.25 with 8 princess cut diamonds in a channel setting.

meme me

2010-06-23T21:21:00.002-06:00

I've decided to start participating in a couple of memes for two reasons.

1. I need a couple of things to encourage me to continue writing on a regular basis. I go through periods where it's difficult for me to pluck creativity out of the air and I feel like picking a few memes can help me to find some inspiration.

2. I like to write because it helps me to remember and appreciate. Looking through photos and writing about experiences keeps things fresh in my mind and often makes me laugh.

So, starting this week I will be introducing two memes to superlative sewing. Sunday Stash and The Random Object. Sunday Stash is probably well known to most quilting blog readers, but The Random Object is one I've made up for myself. I was cleaning the kitchen a couple of days ago and came across a couple of random objects that are special to me and come with interesting stories.

I'm hoping you enjoy them and would appreciate any feedback you'd be willing to give as well as ideas for random objects or even other memes you might enjoy.

For now, another picture from a trip to Banff. Love the hat!

adventuring

2010-06-22T17:04:00.000-06:00

Today we went here:

(The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel)

and here:

(The Fairmont Hot Springs Upper Pool - borrowed from wakarimasen82's photostream)

We soaked and relaxed and then wandered downtown.

(On Banff Avenue)

We posed and then we went to eat.

(Wild Bill's Legendary Saloon)

And Joel made faces.

All in all it was a pretty great morning. I'm glad I have a husband to wander with, and some out of province visitors to force us to visit such great destinations.

the criss cross quilt

2010-06-21T16:07:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I posted about a new project. Well, it's done!

Introducing the Criss Cross Quilt.

From the get-go, this project has been a challenge. Generally speaking, to start a project I need a big dose of inspiration. Sometimes that comes from cruising Flickr, sometimes from a stack of fabrics, or an outfit a friend is wearing, sometimes from a book. Since I knew I wanted this to be a more traditional quilt, I had originally chosen a sawtooth star block. The inspiration came from the book Quilting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time. I think I have mentioned this book before, but I'll say it again - I love it! There is a quilt in the book that is monochromatic sawtooth stars and it is so beautiful. My idea was to go out and get a bunch of different fabrics in red, gold and off white type colours and to piece many, many sawtooth stars out of them to create an eclectic but somewhat traditional quilt top. I didn't think I had time to order online, and I didn't have the money to pay what my LQS was charging and so I went to the dreaded Fabricland in search of fabric. Thus the end of all my inspiration. After a frustrating hour wandering around the store and finding literally NO red fabric, I gave up. All while uttering quiet profanities. Oops.

I decided to focus on solids. I had seen a beautiful quilt on Flickr by cauchy09 and used that as my inspiration for this quilt. She mentioned that the pattern came from a book called Quilting Pieces of the Past (Better Homes & Gardens) but not being able to find it at the library, and not wanting to purchase the whole book, I decided to just figure out the pattern myself. I stuck to the red and white of the original quilt because it's beautiful and it was a set of colours I knew Grandma B would like. I found an AMAZING deal of some Kona cotton at Blueberry Buckle Quilt Shop and ordered up 7 yards of it in Chinese Red and Snow.

I had mentioned in the previous post about using Oh Fransson's postage stamp piecing method and how well it had worked. It did actually work very well, except that I forgot to account for seam allowances on my first block and it went to waste. Then of the subsequent 9 blocks I was a little sloppy in some places and ended up running into issues with squaring the blocks.

In the end, it got done. I did come to like it more than I thought I would, especially after quilting it was my standard stippling. I spent several hours at work binding and a few more at home in bed binding and it got finished last night. I have to say, if I'm proud of anything on this quilt it's the corners. For the first time, all of my binding corners are perfect. And I mean, PERFECT. They are perfectly shaped and even on all four corners and that is a big accomplishment for me.

The back is solid red with a whole lot of bright white stitching showing. I think it's a neat effect.

The label of course. I don't really use cowtown baby as a label anymore, usually just an s for superlative, but I thought I'd throw on this one because that is the label that Grandma B and my mother-in-law know.

And the ubiquitous folded with binding out picture. I love it.

This morning it got sent off in the mail all wrapped up pretty. I paid a whopping $36.00 CAD to ship it which if you ask me is a bit unreasonable for shipping withing Canada, but I wanted to make sure it got there on time and that it was insured in case it goes missing. (Which by the way is highly likely, stupid Canada Post).

I've got a couple of things in the works for more posts soon, and a giveaway coming up at the end of the week in honor of my birthday, so stay tuned!

been away for a while now...

2010-06-19T09:56:00.001-06:00

But I hope to be back soon. I'm working an abnormal amount of hours this week, plus scrambling to finish a couple of projects with deadlines looming too close. Lots of pictures and stories to come I promise! Thanks for your patience!

For now, some kitty love:

favourites

2010-06-08T14:13:00.002-06:00

1. Untitled, 2. 115.365 Sampler Stitchery, 3. Fruity geometric embroidery, 4. "StarStruck", 5. doll quilt - log cabin/courthouse steps variation - top, 6. echino bag 1, 7. Quiltlet #7, 8. felt fishy mobile, 9. Squares quilt