Let it be Christmas!

My stockings are done and ready to be hung, so Christmas please come fast :D

I had 2 sweaters I absolutely loved, and couldn't bare to part with, but the just didn't fit me anymore.  So, I turned them into stockings for Ryan and I to use.  I think they both have great character and will be a great conversation piece for years to come.  So simple, easy and fun to do!

Sweaty Stuff!

For a while now, I have been wanting a good gym bag.  Tired of the boring ones, but too cheap to pay for a fancy one, just because it is pretty and brand name.  So....Why not attempt to make one?!  4 broken needles later, and more time logged at the machine than I can remember.  I bought the fabric at a sale in my shop, knowing I wanted it for something fun.  I am happy with my final product and can't wait to show it off at the gym Tuesday :D  I will admit, I wont be jumping at the chance to make another anytime soon.  So much work, loads of cutting but worth all of that fooling around!

Don't Step on the Flowers!

So, I started this project at 1:30 and I was done at 5pm (roughly).  The only thing that was left was to wash it and see what magic unfolds during that process!  I made an amazing floor mat with a process called Chenilling.  Essentially, I had to layer 3 goes of the print on top of each other.  I had to be sure the flowers were line up on top of each other, so that the image stays sharp in the final project.  It is then sew down in rows to a background and backing.  Everyone else in the course used panels, I didn't like any of the panels, so I picked a nice fabric!

 After that, you take this lovely little cutter meant for this, and slice your fabric!  Just don't cut the background our backing, it could ruin the whole thing :(  Slicing the thing up was rather easy and quick to do!  I threw on the binding and popped it in the wash.

Pre-wash!

 I ran it through the wash twice.  The second time with other item to help encourage fraying of the fabric.  The truth is, the more this gets washed, the better and softer it will get!  I think it is stunning!  I made my gaps big enough, so you see the flowers still, but see some background popping through too!  I can see me doing this process more :)  So simple, fun and interesting to see what happens.

close up

I Like To Espresso Myself!

I bought this fabric, because I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in the shop!  I knew it had to become something fun for my kitchen.  What is better than a retro fun apron?  Only a retro fun apron made with an awesome fabric, that's what!

Cozy with Lucy Love :)_

I told you I was being really productive! So this afternoon I made Cup Cozies!  I am tired of getting my black coffee and the cup being so hot!  I also feel environmentally irresponsible asking for it to be double cupped and wasting a second cup, for my hand comfort.  So, a cup cozy is my answer!

This fabric was something I picked up in the US 2 summers ago from a scrap bin.  I paid 25 cents for this piece and have made 4 cozies from it.  I thought it was such fun fabric and was waiting to make it into something equally fun.  I think this is just it :)  I also used some old buttons that come with clothes when you buy them...or I pulled them off clothes that I was turning into rags.

 I believe this will be a great way to use up some scraps of both fabric and batting....but I may need to start finding homes for them.....

I Have Points!

Mystery Quilt Class #2 Revealed!

Picking the fabric for these is always interesting. I called it "I have Points" because ladies were losing the points on their stars in the sewing process. I have mine! (Except for where the binding on the edge seems to have snipped them...oops) I was told fabric A (my yellow) will touch all other fabrics except E (tie dye). A is the background B, C and D will be main fabrics (pink, green and blue/pink). From that you need to pink your colors, and she gives a sample of the colors she used. I started my color choice by picking the pink/green batik that I had just picked up at a sale. I also had the green in my stash. From there we grabbed the others I needed to make this quilt work!

Now, just like picking the colors, the instructions are just a odd. You need to be able to keep the clues straight, in order to remember what you are doing :) So for instance, I had to cut A into 3.5 inch strips and sub-cut into other sizes. In later clues, you have to take 'clue 2 and place it to the left of clue 12 and sew together'. It is always interesting to see what comes of it and to see how everyone's can be so different all because of their color choices!

I really love this one, and I opted to put 'minky' on the back Minky is just a very soft fabric. My plan is to have this here for little ones when they visit as a comfort blanket, or for a play blanket for the super young ones :) I quilted it together via the 'free motion' technique on my own machine. The minky is a pain in the bum to do this with, as it likes to stick to the surface under the weight of your hands and the rest of the quilt. I think it was well worth the fight though! I also used a new type of thread, 'Invisiline'. That despite the color of the thread, or the color of the fabric, it blends in nicely and isn't that fishing line quality 'invisible' thread.

Oh Deer Me!

I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been super busy with the start of the school year.  I promise, I have been working on stuff, just not finishing any of it, oops!

This however I have finished :)  Everyone else in the class bought the kit.  I thought it was a little boring!  You know the old Christmas colors with the tacky poinsettia print and the likes.  Makes me think of K-mart Christmas! I thought I would go with the more cheerful jewel toned Christmas and see how it goes.  Well, this is what I ended up with.  I think it's pretty cool.  

Sorry for the photos all being on their side, I forgot to rotate them before uploading, oops.  I love holiday sewing :D

I Be Jammin'

Maybe not the type of Jammin' you were thinking of....but hey...it works!

This is for a contest that mom sent me.  I had to use the white for the background, and use the blueberry fabric with white background within the block.  You are allowed to make the block in any technique you like.  So I went with Applique, as it is something I am still learning.  Thought part of the jar lid, I did as paper piecing, to help give it a ruffled look, like that you would get putting fabric on a jar lid :)

I was at my shop, trying to find something that would work to make 'jam', and my instructor said she had just the thing in her stash at home.  Low and behold, the large blueberry, print, that works perfectly!  I kept the background of the tile as the simple white block, instead of trying to do something fancy and messing it up.  As I only had so much of their white fabric to work with from the kit.

Now this block is in the mail back to my mom, so she can submit it on my behalf.  The prize is winning 20 of the submitted blocks to make a quilt with.  Not sure what I would ever do with it, but being in Ontario, it could be fun to win a few pieces of 'home' made by locals :)

Stuffed!

Nothing super fabulous....unless you spend time on my couch!  The pillow on the Right was the original, made a year ago.  I picked up the fabric for the other 2 back in November while I was on sick leave.  I started them back in march and was at a stand still because I needed zippers.  While, there they are, looking pretty good.  Time to start breaking them in I think! :D

Monkey Around

So, I know I didn't sew this, but it still counts!  I used some awesome fabric, little canvas pieces that I picked up and some mod podge.  Spray glue, slap on fabric...podge...dry and...  Voila, amazing little decorations for a little girl that is tickled pink with monkeys :D

"Zen-Africa"

I was asked to make something as a donation item to raffle tickets off on.  I was told to keep the cost to a minimum, and trust me, things can get expensive in a hurry.  I thought this task over for a bit, and looked at what I already had.  I decided to take the 'Zen-Doodle' or 'Zen-Tangle' art form and apply it to my free motion quilting that I love so much.  

The outline I started with, and the picture I used to get as reference 

I free hand drew out the Giraffe first with a soap, and filled him in, than I made some parts bolder (around the Giraffe to make him stand out)  The only thing I bought was the backing for this and Aunt Liz helped to supply some of the thread, and some of it I had already.

I absolutely love this, and actually don't want to part with it!  Maybe I could win it back, haha :)

Final Project.....sorry the color is a little off :(

'Pieced'

I managed to make this whole project with scraps I had on hand, and getting some shared fabrics from a friend in my sewing class.  I call this item 'Pieced' for a few reasons.  I feel a little at peace having the pieces of this project together and not floating around my house.  This required a new technique called Paper Piecing and this is also earned it's name because it's a lot like life. 

Life a million things that happen, that make you frustrated, that don't work, and yet they do.  It's because one thing can make your life come to pieces (or so it seems), yet the great people of your life help you to hold it together like the threads here.  That we aren't sure why things happen, but it's another piece of our puzzle in life and it fits in or we try to hard to make it fit, that we manage to get that item to work.  To me, this project is ALL of those things in life, represented in fabric.

Front side

My husband looked at it, and said "in the top I see a sun, then the water, a boardwalk with a field and playground on the side of it.  It's a park on a nice day!".  I thought this was a great interpretation of my project too, that he pulled based on my colors and where I put them.  I thought it was fun and it inspired the machine quilting patterns that I used to finish it.  Regardless, this is a wall hanging that I will enjoy for many years :)

The backside of the paper piecing

Paper piecing required me to draw the pattern our on paper, but in the mirror of what I wanted it to be.  I then would sew the fabric onto the paper and remove the paper after.  It was rather interesting to work this way and see the project complete itself.

Once all the sections were made, I had to sew them all together onto the muslin that will act as my base.  Once I had everything where I wanted it, I had to add the pretty lines of fabric that divides each section from another.  That required me to cut my fabric on the bias (with the stretch) and pres it into a little fold of fabric that I could then sew into my project.

Yay the paper piecing is ready to go!

I decided to do the quilting on the fabric in invisible thread, only because I didn't want to take away from the fabric itself.  However, up close in person, you can see the pattern I sewed into each section is different, and represents what my husband thought each section was in relation to the park scene.  It certainly has added some great texture!  For the border, I decided to go with a plain brown and a fun metallic green thread to have some fun.  I tried out a sewing technique that is suppose to look like bamboo growing in nature. I think it is too fun and totally me!

ready to be cut and layered

I can't wait to get something that I can hang this up with, so I can enjoy this project :D  I absolutely love this and I think it carries so many meanings.  It tells a story for sure, but what do you see in it?

...So this is how it all started...

My First Quilt With Matching Pillows

...I was at Aunt Liz's, looking at patterns and was interested in starting a quilt.  A co-worker was kind enough to hook me up with some free patterns from the dear old friend, Internet.  I took that pattern to a shop with Aunt Liz, and picked out the above fabric.  I bought what the pattern said and was blown away at the cost.  Mostly because it was just the fabric to complete the top of a 'lap quilt' and it was suppose to be 'on sale'.  Regardless I was eager to try this out.


So I sat for hours, trying to master the rotary cutter, rulers, mats and figuring out this whole thing from vague instructions (at the time I didn't realize how horrible they were, until I was in the thick of it).  I had already decided when I picked out the fabric to complete this project for my Mom.  I had picked out the colors, keeping in mind something country, something spa and something not so crazy.  It took me long enough to complete this little lap thing, with way to much fabric left over.  Aunt Liz again helped me in the process of learning to sandwich the layers and quilt it together.  Nothing was square when I was done, and we were doing our best to make it work.  I had no idea about 'squaring up' before sewing each block together.  Clearly a very valuable lesson learned.

Mom's Christmas Pillows

So nearly a year later, I decided to use the lefty over fabric and create my mother some matching pillows, as you see above.  She was thrilled to get these, as she greatly loved the ones I had given her at Christmas.  The fabric I had also picked out at the same time I bought the quilt fabric, I guess I knew I was going to like doing this.  The reason for the pillows was because my mother ALWAYS had these thing pancakes she claims were pillows.  So I wanted there to be something nice the next time I visited, you know, pillows, not pancakes. (You make think I am exaggerating calling them pancakes, but they literally were only 1/2 inch thick!)  


So this was my FIRST EVER quilt and the start of all other things to come....the fabric stash, the upgrade in machine, numberous classes to learn and do more, time at Aunt Liz's and trying to share the quilting love with my loved ones.  The pillows, they were my 3rd through to 6th pillow, and I have yet to finish the other 2 that are here for me....one of these days....

'Sea Glass'

I saw this fabric and instantly thought of home and spending hours on the beach collecting beach glass with my mom.  I now find myself looking for beach glass anytime I am on a beach.  I have been able to bring her back sea glass from the Bahamas, I think she enjoyed that.

I couldn't decide what color I liked most, so one side is blue, the other side is green :)  These are what I call hot chocolate mats, or mats for tea and crumpets if you prefer.

'Around The Block'

Time to Square it up!

So the class was called 'Slideshow', but by the time I finished this quilt, I felt like I had been around the block a few times!  I started this quilt in Jan, the first class was suppose to start when I was making a 17hr road trip home for my Grampy's funeral.   So the quilt cutting was off to an emotional start and I had to do the cutting at home to be ready for the next quilt class.  This is a Queen Quilt, measuring roughly 102 inches wide.

The binding, in need of pressing

As I kept working on the quilt, it's story kept growing.  By about March Break, I had sections completed, but they had to be pressed and sewn together to make a completed top.  It was at this time that beer got spilled on the one corner of the quilt.  I have to admit, there was a lot of cutting, sewing and pressing involved in getting the top of this quilt completed!  So after getting that far, I decided I wanted a break from it before I would go quilt it together at my Aunt Liz's place.

The start of the pressed binding

Two weekends ago, I went Aunt Liz's place to get her help and learn how to use her long arm sewing machine.  The machine requires you to roll each layer up on a spool, and it took us 4 times to get the quilt top rolled correctly.  I guess if we had of watched the intructional video closer, we would have not made that error so many times.  So we are on a roll, I have quilted about a food of fabric together, only to notice something is wrong.  We are getting thread balling up on the back side, and it's just revealed itself to me.  We spent the rest of the afternoon picking out the stitches I just put in and gather up loose thread.

A look at the free motion pattern

Well, we started the process at 11am, now it's supper time and we can't solve the problem behind the thread balls.  So we give it a break, eat and go back at problem solving.  We have it working, it's now 8pm and I am on a roll free motion quilting this puppy together.  I completed the last stitch at roughly 1:30 am!  Bed time!  I must say though, Aunt Liz and I had a great time working on it, laughing our time away and chatting.  I am happy to spend that time with her, and in turn motivate her to complete some of hers she has sitting and waiting to be quilted.

A peek at the backing

I have now squared up the quilt, and put it's binding on it!  How sweet it is!  I did decided to try machine binding the quilt binding on this time.  It was a snap, and the quilt was ready about a week sooner than it would have been hand sewing it.  A week is likely pushing it, might have taken the rest of the summer, I mean, let's be honest!  It's big, and warm to have on your lap, so who wants to do that in the summer heat?!

This quilt is currenlty in the wash, remember the beer that is on it, eeeewww.  I look forward to having it on my bed tonight :)  My first queen quilt, my first free motion quilt, my first long arm quilt and my first machine binding quilt!  All of these firsts have certainly helped me to grow as a quilter!

Yay!  It's done!