pins & bobbins

Blocks, no quilts

2012-02-21T10:59:00.001-08:00

After the Made in Cherry Quilt along I'm feeling a little lost. I just don't know what to start on next. So, like a good quilter I've been playing, making blocks.

First I decided to jump on the x+ bandwagon. Who knew it created such tiny blocks? I guess I would have if I'd actually read Amy's post before just jumping in, cutting and sewing. They're cute, I'll keep making them out of my scraps, but I don't see a bed quilt emerging from these. (they're 7½" finished, by the way.)

Next was the granny square block. Jolene started these, Heather made me realize I couldn't not make some. I've made one. I'll make more.

Finally the retro flower block. I kept looking at the pattern and putting it off. I don't really like buying patterns. I can't be bothered reading instructions. So it seems kind of dumb to buy them. But this ones seemed original enough that it really would be pretty sh*tty of me to just draft it myself. I've made two blocks so far, one using the templates in the pattern, one using slightly larger ones. I just wanted to see how it would look bigger. Blame it on swoon, I want to make everything bigger now.

Oh, and I still haven't read the instructions. I'm sure they're good, I'd just rather be sewing.

xox
c

Dusty Hunting

2012-02-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

So the other day I went to visit a town even smaller than the one I live near and came across a little quilt shop. At first glance it was nothing great, but crouching down to the low shelves I came across some older stuff and got excited. They had almost all of Gypsy Caravan, and obviously the Amy Butler and Heather Bailey gems above.

I got a little carried away picking up prints I hadn't scored when they first came out, and now I'm feeling a little bit guilty. So I'm wondering, should I put some fqs up on etsy? Would they even sell? What do you think?

in a quandry,
c

Loulouthi Tiles

2012-02-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

Finally, a sunny day! It's been drizzly here for as long as I can remember, making it awfully hard to take any photos! But finally, finally I got to drag Miss Loulouthi out into the yard and shoot her!

I'd forgotten how much I loved all those gorgeous bright acid tones. Now I'm kind of sad she'll be living on the guest bed and not mine. Hopefully Anna Maria's next collection is just as gorgeous so I can make something for my own bed.

You can check out a close up of the quilting here and a post about sewing the top here.

xox,
c

I have conquered ties!

2012-02-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yes! After messing with 2 patterns, crawling around on the floor with a roll of unco-operative paper and a few scrapped attempt, I've created a decent tie. Come on, high fives!

I started with the 2 most popular free patterns out there, the one from the Purl Bee and the one from Puking Pastilles and kind of mashed them together. Both have great features but both have some issues. Purl's pattern style didn't work for me, plus it's a little short. With Puking Pastilles' pattern I couldn't get the pieces to fit together properly, they created a weird jog. But as I said both have great aspects to them, so here's my combo meal:

I decided to go with Purl's pattern, modifying it a bit. It's divided into 3 sections, the tie front, middle, and back. I knew from making this before that the tie ends up a little short so I added an extra 4" to the middle portion. This is really easy to do - the middle prints out in 2 pieces that need to be taped together. Just insert the extra length between these 2 pieces. The hubs is 5'11" and this worked out pretty well for him.
I also had problems with my first attempt at getting the grain line right. Their instructions are to fold the fabric on the bias then line the pattern piece up on the fold. I know it sounds easy but with pieces this long and a small cutting table I was all over the place. So I drew out the pattern full size and added the grain line. The easiest way to do this is to draw a line on a big piece of paper. Put the "place on fold" line of the pattern against the line you drew, then trace around it. Flip the pattern over along that center line and trace again. This results in pattern pieces with Ms at the ends, but the Purl post has a good visual on how to trim them. To mark the grain line, draw a line at a 45 degree angle to the center line. When you go to cut your pieces all you need to do is line a ruler up with either the selvedge or the squared off end of the fabric. Line the grain line marking on the pattern up with the ruler and your pattern pieces is good to go.

One of the things I really like about the Puking Pastilles pattern was the idea of machine stitching the lining. I thought their idea of lining the entire tie resulted in too much bulk, though, so I went with Purl's smaller lining pieces that just cover the ends of the tie.

Once the lining is flipped right side out, you really can't tell that it wasn't hand stitched.

To finish the tie I also found it easiest to use the instructions from Puking Pastilles. On one side of the tie, fold over a ¼" seam allowance. On the other fold the side in so that the ¼" seam allowance lines up with the center of the tie.

Fold the other side over so that the folded edge lines up with the center of the tie. Press well then hand sew the seam down. Yeah, I know. I tried to find a way not to hand sew this but unless you want a raw seam down the inside of the tie, there's no getting around it.

Hope that made even some sense!

Happy Friday
c

Work in Progress Wednesday - the one in which there is some actual progress

2012-02-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

I've actually finished my Loulouthi tiles quilt! A marathon 3 hours of tv watching/hand stitching binding and it's done. Oh, except for washing, which is very necessary as the damn thing is covered in dog hair.

I need to get a decent wide shot of it, I took a whole bunch of the quilting but didn't get one showing the whole thing! Hopefully tomorrow doesn't rain so I can take it outside for a photoshoot.

But who cares, look at that quilting! I'm so happy with how it turned out! It looks hard but it's just hooks that go together to look like feathers. Yup, this one makes me a proud mama.

not seeing much action:
hexie stars
yellow hexagons
hexie charm quilt
good folks voile crosses
double wedding ring

still in need of quilting:
swoon
Single girl
Prince Charming zig zag
made in cherry quilt along

xox
c

Hey there

2012-02-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

I'm madly sewing the binding on to my Loulouthi tiles quilt in order to have something to blog about! In the meantime, if you didn't see this weekend's SNL, you need to take a peek at this:

Rose star blocks

2012-02-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

I'm having so much fun piecing these, I thought I'd post some shots. There's nothing quite like hand sewing on cold dark nights.

Throw in bright colours and what's not to love? I almost wish I'd based mine on a larger hexagon, though. Some of those pieces are awfully small and keep getting lost in the folds of my lap quilt!

I've drafted a few sizes of the pattern using the instructions from Summerfete, but don't know how to upload them! I tried google docs, but they were automatically resized and I couldn't figure out how to print them to the correct size. Hmmm...

c

Friday Faves - 03.02.12

2012-02-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

image via poppyprint

I love this armrest pin cushion and organizer that Krista made from Amy's pattern. I tend to just jam my hand sewing needles into the arm of my chair, which means they often get jammed into my arm. I need to make one of these. Because...

I've started making English paper pieced rose star blocks in Summerfete's block party. I love these blocks, I love english paper piecing, I love watching movies and doing english paper piecing!

image via Dana at Made

And finally, this one's a little old, but did you know you can dye elastic? I want to try!

happy weekend,
c

Baptist fan - quilting the fans

2012-02-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

Stitching the curved arcs of a baptist fan aren't much harder than straight lines. It's really just echo quilting. To start, quilt one of the marked arcs. You can start at an edge or in the middle of the quilt, depending on your preference.

I forgot to take a photo while quilting this, so imagine that only the line the guard is resting on is quilted!

After your first arc is quilted you'll quilt a second line that echos it. If you're starting at an edge of the quilt, this second line will also start at the edge. If you're starting in the middle of the quilt and working out, this line will start on the marked arc in the same row and to the left of the one you're working on. Decide how far apart you want your quilting lines to be and set your walking foot guide to that distance. I set mine at 1" but if I were doing this on a big quilt I'd probably go for 1½" or 2".

Keep echoing each line in the fan until it can't fit anymore then move on to the next fan arc.

Quilting baptist fans this way leads to lots of starts and stops in the quilting. There are 3 ways of ending off your quilting lines, 2 of which I've pictured above (the 3rd is back sitching, which all of us know how to do).

On the top line I've slowly decreased my stitch length to zero in the last ¼" of quilting. I've done this on quilts before and it's held well over numerous washes. The downside with my machine, though, is lots of pushing of buttons to change the stitch size.

The bottom line I've opted to just stop my stitching and pull both tails up to the top of the quilt for tying. This is the method a lot of show quilters use because it's invisible. The downside though is tying all those knots!

If you want to attempt the tying method, you'll need to thread your ends into a hand sewing needle, then tie a knot in the thread.

Slip your needle into the knot and tighten it. This will make sure the knot is not right up against the last stitch so that it can be buried.

Insert the needle into the quilt top and batting, right at the end of the line of quilting. Poke the needle up again ½" to 1" away, pull the thread until the knot pops into the quilt, then snip the tails.

Keep quilting your fans across the quilt top until the whole top is done! Then check your quilt for stray threads before you take a photo! I chose to back stitch most of my quilting lines and this little place mat (about 11" by 16") took me half an hour to quilt. Space your lines farther than my 1" and use a bigger template and it should go faster.

If you want an even more detailed explanation of this technique, Krista from Poppyprint has a great tutorial up on flickr. Hers is for quilting concentric circles, but an arc is just part of a circle, right?
xox,
c

Baptist fans - part one, marking the fans

2012-02-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Whoops, well I guess I missed yesterday. I had a last minute opportunity to go visit another guild for an all day quilt in and I jumped at the opportunity. The dog was already at doggy daycare as her birthday gift (she turned 2 yesterday!), laundry was done, the freezer was full of leftovers, woohoo, sewing marathon! If anyone is ever on Vancouver Island in the Courtney/Comox/Cumberland area, I really suggest getting in touch with the Comox Valley Schoolhouse Quilters' Guild and going to one of their Thursday sew ins. It's a great bunch and we had so much fun!

Now on to the fans! This is such a great quilting pattern for anyone who is looking to stretch themselves a little and go beyond straight lines. It's not as scary as free motion quilting and it looks really cool! It does require a little setup, though, a template and some marking. Oh, and a free motion foot with a sewing guide.

To start we need to make our template. I'm using a side plate to make my template, but for a bed quilt I'd suggest something a lot bigger. You could use a compass to draw a big circle or check around the house to see what sort of big circles you have kicking around. A tray, garbage can lid, old record (not the husband's limited pressing orange vinyl, please), heck go big and use a hula hoop. You also need some cardboard. Lighter is easier to cut, but use what you have. I recycled a priority mail envelope.

Trace your circle onto the cardboard, cut it out, then fold it in half twice to create guide marks.

Darken the guidelines up a bit at the edges with a pen or pencil then punch a hole through the very center. You can use a hole punch or just the end of a pen like I did.

Now grab your favorite marking tool (I'm using a crayola wash-out felt pen, they take a little bit more work to get out than markers specifically for quilting, but they're cheap and show up really well). Line your template up so that two of the quadrant lines are aligned with about the ¼" seam allowances at the bottom left corner of your quilt top. Trace the arc onto your top.

You should end up with something like this.

Now move the template along, positioning it so that the whole in the center of the template is over the line you just drew and the right most quadrant line is lined up with the ¼" seam allowance. Trace the new arc.

Keep going along the bottom of the quilt until you've traced a whole line of arcs.

Now go back to your starting point to begin the second row of fans. Line the template up so the top quadrant mark is on the ¼" seam allowance, the right quadrant mark is lined up with an arc and the center hole is showing an arc line. Trace your arc.

For the next arc in the line, align the template so the left and right quadrant marks are touching arcs from the first row and the center hole is showing the spot where the arc you just drew touches the row below. Trace your arc. Repeat this across the width of your quilt top.

Keep marking rows of fans in this way until your whole top is marked.

Next post... quilting!

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - quilting ideas

2012-02-01T18:46:00.000-08:00

Baptist fan has got to be one of my favorite traditional quilting patterns. For a pattern that's been around for hundreds of years it's got a great modern vibe. It's really easy to stitch, a pinch to mark, and doesn't require any math - look at antique quilts using it and you'll see that the makers just let the design flow over the sides of the quilt rather than fit it perfectly. So, today the sketch, tomorrow I'll come back with a tutorial on how to easily tackle this design with your walking foot.

adios,
c

Breaking news: Amy Butler's gypsy caravan returns!

2012-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

gypsy caravan mosaic from fat quarter shop

So did you see that Gypsy Caravan is being re-released? It's not my favorite of Amy's back collections, but I do love some of the florals in it, so I'm psyched. One more reason to be excited for spring!

c

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - quilting ideas

2012-01-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

Most quilt patterns end with "quilt as desired". Helpful, right? Not so much! So this week I thought I'd share some ideas I've been playing with for quilting my top.

I love how graphic this is. Simple straight lines, bold quilting to match a bold pattern. And can you imagine it with some gorgeous hand quilting in between the lines of machine quilting, done in bright shades of perle cotton?

Something like this? Ok, now I'm re-thinking my whole plan to do fancy quilting!

c

Modern Mini Challenge

2012-01-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the Modern Mini Challenge over on Ellison Lane Quilts? There's going to be a blog hop, prizes, and lots of mini inspiration. I'm psyched! Even though I haven't made a lot of minis I love the idea. They're a great way to play with blocks, techniques or colour schemes you may not want to commit a whole big quilt to. I know for me embracing new colours via minis is going to be the big idea. I love Badskirt Amy's palette and I think a mini would be the perfect way to decide if it works for me.

And since no post is complete without a photo, here's my very un-modern mini. Those are half inch half square triangles!

c

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - Sewing the top!

2012-01-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

So, we're finally there, time to start sewing our quilt top together! Woot!

I started by laying all my pieces out on the bed again so I could make sure I was sewing the star points together correctly.

Then start one section at a time and sew the pieced star point segments to the background triangles, like you're making flying geese blocks. The triangles are cut a bit on the big side so I found it important to sew from the tip of the background triangle out.

Once all your star points are sewn to the background triangles, you'll want to trim the excess off the triangles. Measure 20½" from the edge of the star point section that will be sewn to the center, out to the long edge of the triangle. Do this across the whole section, then use your ruler to connect your marked lines, and trim.

Now take 2 of the star point sections that will be opposite each other on the quilt, either the top and bottom or left and right. Sew the 20½" squares on either end of the star point section.

I'm going to switch to diagrams now since I don't have enough floor space to lay out the pieces for the next steps!

layout courtesy of Jenelle from Echinops & Aster

Take your 2 star point sections without the added squares and sew them on to opposite sides of the quilt.

layout courtesy of Jenelle from Echinops & Aster

Then add your point plus square sections. And that means you're done!! Which calls for a gratuitous kitty shot!


Lucy( in front) and Tron enjoying the fire on the dog's bed

Hopefully it's a nice day tomorrow and I can get some shots of my finished top up! And next week I'll be posting some quilting ideas.

Don't forget to add your photos to the flickr group and ...

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - cutting the background pieces

2012-01-27T11:13:00.000-08:00

Cutting big chunks of fabric always scares me a little. I don't have rulers or matts big enough (or a big enough table for that matter) to easily rotary cut them, and working on the floor always involves realizing how dirty the house is, which then spirals into sweeping, mopping, exhaustion, and sitting in front of the tv eating nutella by the spoonful. So here's how I tackled the big pieces for this quilt, with no nutella involved! Although I don't mention it in the steps, I was constantly having to move my mat around under the fabric and move the fabric around on the table to get the best cutting angle.

For the 80 x 80 quit we need to cut 4 squares 20½" and one square 43". The 43" square will be cut on both diagonals to produce 4 triangles, so it's a good idea to prep your fabric with some starch so those bias edges don't stretch.

Let's start with the 20½" squares. Start with your fabric folded in half along it's length. Use your longest ruler (mine's 6" by 24") to trim the cut edge, making sure it's square with the fold. Now grab a pencil and mark lines about every 3" or so, 20½" from the cut line.

Now line your ruler up with the pencil markings and cut. You should now have a piece of fabric that looks like this:

Working at the selvedge edge, line your ruler up with one of the cut edges and trim off the selvedge.

Now get your pencil out again and from that new cut, measure towards the fold 20½". As we did earlier, make marks every few inches so that they'll be easy to connect. Then line your ruler up along the pencil marks and trim. You should now have two 20½" squares. Repeat the whole procedure to get the other two.

Our big 43" square is cut quite similarly. I'm going to switch to diagrams because I think they may be a bit easier to understand.

Start by trimming one end of the fabric so that it's square with the fold.

Now measure from that cut you just made and make a pencil mark at 24".

Slide the ruler along and make another mark 19" away from your 24" mark.

Now line your ruler up with the 19" mark, making sure it's square with the fold, and cut.

Take the ruler and make marks all along the selvedge edge, 20½" from the fold.

Line your ruler up along the marks you just made and trim off the selvedge edge. Open the fabric up along the fold and you have a 43" square.

The next part I found easiest to do on the floor, with a quilt under my 43" square to protect the carpet.

Fold the square on the diagonal, then press the crease. Repeat in the opposite direction.

After pressing, the diagonal creases should be nice and crisp. Use these as cutting guides. I found it easiest just to use my scissors and not bother with the rotary cutter. Crazy, right>

Alright, the dog needs walking. I'll be back later with sewing directions.

60" x 60"

From the background fabric cut:
Four 15½" squares for the corner squares.
One 33" square. Cut this on the diagonal twice to yield 4 triangles

90" x 90"

From the background fabric cut:

Four 22½" squares for the corner squares.

Two 37" squares. Cut these in half once each on the diagonal, yielding 2 triangles from each square.

Ties

2012-01-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

image from the purl bee

Does anyone have any hints for sewing ties? I made one once using the Purl Bee tutorial and it just didn't come out all that well. It looks like Jamie is perpetually caught in a wind storm when he wears it, the tie likes to curl off to one side. Did I stretch my bias? Should I avoid cutting on the bias at all? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Some more bee blocks!

2012-01-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

January and February of the Traveling Circles Bee. yes, Feb's is done. I think that means I'm officially ahead, at least in one aspect of my life! I'll take it, though.

January, wow, this was a cool challenge! Lizz asked for waves and for us to design our own blocks. I'm so glad I've been practicing my curved piecing because this could have ended up total crap. As it stands I'll give it a solid ok. Oh, and Lizz wanted them untrimmed, which is why the edges are so raggedy.

I'm really loving the whole improv curve thing. My sister asked me to make a quilt for her for some friends who are getting married and is pretty much letting me do what I want (as long as there's no mustard yellow involved!). I think it will have curves!

February. I think this is my favorite block pattern ever. Yes, ever. Though the stretchy can't help but be on the bias sides just make me itchy. Since I've done this block before I wasn't really expecting to learn anything new. But you know what, I did. And this is going to surprise some of you since it's basically something you'd never expect to hear from a modern fabric girl: batiks rock! I'd never worked with them before, I've batiked fabric myself but never sewn with the end product. And I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy any, aesthetically they're just not my thing. But the hand on these is amazing! They're crisp and really hold a pressing, lie flat like a dream, but aren't scratchy and needle really well. And I love how both sides of the fabric are slightly different but equally useable. I finally see why they're so popular!

Alrighty, next quilt along post tomorrow afternoon! See you then!

c

Plagiarism

2012-01-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

It's just come to my attention that my recent block tutorial, and even the name I chose for the block, is strikingly similar to one designed by Ali of asquaredw and published in Quilter's Home magazine. I honestly thought I'd come up with an original block variation and had no intention at all of plagiarizing. I've sent an apology to Ali and would also like to apologize to everyone who reads my blog. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes here, I'm just trying to share the fun I have with my quilting. I'm still deciding whether or not to remove my tutorial and will make that decision in the next day or so. C

Pick up Sticks block tutorial

2012-01-23T17:26:00.000-08:00

NOTE: It's just come to my attention that this block, and even the name I chose for it, is strikingly similar to one designed by Ali of asquaredw and published in Quilter's Home magazine. I honestly thought I'd come up with an original block variation and had no intention at all of plagiarizing. I've sent an apology to Ali and would also like to apologize to everyone who reads my blog. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes here, I'm just trying to share the fun I have with my quilting. I'm still deciding whether or not to remove my tutorial and will make that decision in the next day or so. C

I've had a few requests for a tutorial on my recent 4 by 5 bee blocks, and I figured what the heck! I based this block on one by Amandajean at Crazy Mom Quilts and I thought she had a tutorial up, but no such luck, so here we go...

Start with a square of fabric about an inch bigger than you want your finished block to be. I wanted a finished 12" block so I cut my square 13". We'll be trimming our blocks later so nothing needs to be precise at this point. I then cut 3 strips of freezer paper 1" wide by about 14" long. Again, the length doesn't need to be precise, it just needs to be bigger than the square.

The pieces of freezer paper will act as templates for the strips of scraps in the block. Take one of the pieces of freezer paper and iron one end of it to a scrap. Now fold the freezer paper back on itself, exposing about 1/4" of fabric. Using the folded edge of the freezer paper as a sewing guide, add a second piece of fabric. Iron the second piece of fabric down then continue adding scraps in this manner until all 3 of your freezer paper pieces are covered. At this point I like to remove the freezer paper then iron it back down since it sometimes gets distorted with all that stitching.

Now trim your strips so they are 1 1/2" wide, using the edge of the freezer paper as a guide.

Ok, time to start inserting those strips! Make a random, angled cut in the fabric square.

And sew in your first strip! Use the edge of the freezer paper as a guide and don't worry if your square isn't perfect after inserting the first strip - remember, we're trimming!

Repeat for the second strip. Now flip the block over and pull off the freezer paper pieces. If you're making lots of blocks, save them and reuse them.

Now it's time to tackle the cross strip. Make a cut that goes through the 2 inserted pieces. Sew one edge of your 3rd strip to one side of the cut.

This is the hardest part, sewing the second seam so that it looks like the inserted strips are interwoven. I like to put my thumb nail along the 1/4" seam allowance where the stitching crosses, then flip over the fabric so I can judge if my placement is good. Because I can't take photos with one hand, I've used a pin in the photos above to show this step. Keep moving the pieces around and checking until you get a good match, then hold it or pin it in place. Then sew!

Your block is finished! Or almost, it just needs a good trim!

Add some quilting, and voila. xox,c

Friday Faves - 20.01.12

2012-01-20T13:27:00.000-08:00

I keep finding cool quilty things online that I think I'd like to post about on the blog. But they're never quite enough for a full post. So, I've decided to just compile them into a weekly Friday Faves column.

Here we go!

Now there's another reason to love Spoonflower! They've teamed up with Robert Kaufman and will be using Kona cotton as their new quilting weight base cloth starting January 23rd. Yay!

Amazon.com has a sneak peek up of Tula Pink's forthcoming book, Quilts from the House of Tula Pink. I love the cover quilt and I know I want to make the houndstooth pattern, too.

Denyse Schmidt has two new quilt patterns available to showcase the soon to be reprinted (woot!) Flea Market Fancy, Flower Chain and Point Me.

happy weekend,
c

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - sewing the central star

2012-01-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Yay, today we do some sewing!! Let's start with that block of 100 squares that make up the center of the star.

Yesterday when I laid my quilt out I broke the center down into 4 blocks of 25 squares each. I find it so much easier working in smaller sections like this, and not just because my sewing table is an Ikea tv tray! It's just easier to keep track of 25 squares of fabric rather than 100!

Here's my first section. I started sewing at the top of the pile and sewed the cream and red floral to the raindrop fabric (1). Then I sewed the fabric with the pink cricket cage to the white and black print (2), sewing them all in a chain until I ended at (5). Then I started back at the top again, sewing the fabric with the old fashioned lock onto the cream and red floral (1). Chaining my pieces together like this means that I end up with a piece that looks like this:

Half the seams are sewn and everything is held together. I don't have to worry about mixing up my rows! Now I can press my seams.

I like to press my seams in opposite directions. This way the seam allowances butt up together and make for really tight matches.

Here you can see how in alternating columns I've pressed the seams in opposite directions. And, yeah, I made a few squares out of smaller pieces - I ran out of light print scraps large enough to cut 4½" squares.

Now you just need to sew all the columns together and press (these seams can all be pressed in the same direction). Yay, one quadrant down, 3 to go!

~~Lather~~ Sew, ~~rinse~~ press, repeat!

Our 4 quadrants are sewn, now we just need to join them together.

That was fast! Ok, one more seam!

Woot!!! And now I need a cup of tea...

That's better. Ok, let's tackle those star points.

I found that for the star points it was easiest to lay the pieces out on the floor or table next to me. Then I stitched them up just like the center quadrants, chain piecing everything together. Again, I pressed my seams so they went in opposite directions to make butting them easier.

Then I stitched everything together and popped the label back on the point. 7 more to go! Don't sew your star points to the center, just make sure you're still happy with their positioning and put them away until next week.

And that's it for this week! Next week we'll be cutting our background fabric and piecing everything together.

happy stitching,
c

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - laying out your pieces

2012-01-19T16:59:00.000-08:00

I was going to do one mega post tomorrow about laying out the pieces for the star and stitching them up but realized it would be too long. So this afternoon's post is just laying them out, and tomorrow we'll sew.

Start by laying out the squares for the center of your star. You'll create a grid of 100 squares, 10 by 10. I don't have a design wall so I laid mine out on the bed, but if you have a design wall you should really use it as it will make this part so much easier. Oh, and a dog is not mandatory, but they do make things more interesting.

Add your star point squares to the center block. You may have to shuffle things around to get the balance right. You should also add your triangles at this point.

*Most people will want to lay their fabrics out right side up. A lot of mine are wrong side up because I will be using them that way to get a softer look *

Divide the star center block into 4 smaller blocks of 5 by 5 squares for easier sewing. If you are arranging your star on your design wall, you can skip the following steps and just pull pieces off the design wall as you go. If like me you can't keep your squares where you laid them out, this is the method I use for keeping track of everything:

Condense the block into columns. I like to sew the columns first, so in each row I stack up from the last column on the bottom of each pile to the first on the top.

Then I condense my rows, again with the first one on top. I also add a tag saying which quadrant these squares are for. I labelled all of mine on the top left square of each block for consistency.

Now the points. Again, don't forget to add a label!

I hope this makes sense! You don't have to do it this way, this just helped me to keep myself a bit more organized with all those pieces.

Ok, tomorrow sewing!

C

Out takes

2012-01-19T15:23:00.000-08:00

I can't seem to pull out the camera without an animal leaping in to shot, so I thought I'd share some of their recent activity...

Bea decided right after this that playing keep away with a quilt rocks

Lucy "helping"


stealth Tron

xox,
Lucy, Tron, and Beatrice

The late baby quilt

2012-01-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

Oh, man, I keep trying to come up with a funny post title and this one just makes it sound like the baby is dead! Anyhoo...

My cousin and his girlfriend had a baby. The baby was about a week late, the quilt is about a month late. What are you going to do, right?

So, Leo, I hope you're not reading this. But since you're all of about 2 weeks old, I doubt you're online yet. Your quilt will be in the mail soon.

I had so much fun quilting this! I'm not really sure what the pattern is called, shells, headbands? Anyway, those combined with some swirls and pebbles.

I also added one big swirl that I accented with pebbles. I also quilted in "eat sleep play" in block letters but couldn't get a decent photo of it.

And there's the back. I had to laugh when I realized the sock monkeys were wearing toques. Pretty appropriate since I took the photos out in the snow/hail. Which just keeps falling! It's a winter wonderland out there! I need to take some photos of my hope valley quilt today, so more snowy shots. Yay!

xox,
c

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - let's get cutting!

2012-01-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

Today's the big day! Are your fabric stacks ready? New blade in the cutter? The perfect playlist on your ipod? Alright then, let's cut!!!

These instructions are for the 80" quilt. I'll post at the end with the dimensions for the alternate sizes.

If you're working from yardage:

From each of the fabrics for the star cut:
3 strips 4½" by the width of the fabric. Cross cut these into 4 ½" squares.
1 strip 4 7/8" by the width of the fabric. Cross cut these into 4 7/8" squares. Select 20 of these squares and cut on the diagonal to yield 40 triangles.

A few tips:
Because we'll be working with bias edges with our triangles, it's a great idea to pull out your spray starch and give your fabric a nice going over with it. My recipe is here if you want to give it a try.

I often find that I goof up when cutting the same size square over and over. So I've put some painters tape on my ruler near the 4½" mark. This is really helping me hit the same guide everytime. And since I used painters tape it won't leave any residue. If you have a stash of it, washi tape is great for this, too.

If you're working from scraps:

For the star squares you'll need to cut 180 4½" squares.
For the star triangles you'll need to cut 20 4 7/8" squares, then cut them on the diagonal to yield 40 triangles.

I'm using mostly scraps, so on my ruler I've used tape to mark off my 4½" square. It makes it so easy to tell if a scrap is big enough.

Ok, that's it for this week. Cut cut cut! Next Friday we'll start sewing our star together! And we'll be cutting our background fabric a bit later. This way it doesn't have a chance to fray as we work on the star, and it gives everyone (ok, me) a little time to finalize their fabric choice.

the stack I'm working from, I'm going for a monotone kind of thing

60" x 60"

From each of the fabrics for the star cut:
2 strips 3½" by the width of the fabric. Cross cut these into 3½" squares.
1 strip 3 7/8" by the width of the fabric. From these strips cut 20 3 7/8" squares. Cut the squares on the diagonal to yield 40 triangles. Trim the remaining strips to 3½" width. Cut these into 3½" squares.

If you're working from scraps:

For the star squares you'll need to cut 180 3½" squares.

For the star triangles you'll need to cut 20 3 7/8" squares, then cut them on the diagonal to yield 40 triangles.

90" x 90"

Cut in the same way as the 80" quilt, but for the squares cut 5" strips and the triangles 5 3/8" strips.

I can't to see how everyone's doing, so don't forget about the flickr group, and if you blog about the quilt along, link up here too!

happy cutting,
c

Bee blocks!

2012-01-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Oh, man I'm cutting it tight on these! Blocks for the 4 x 5 bee are due on the 15th, the dresden for my travelling circles bee is flat out late, and Canada Post bumps it's rates this Monday. So, this afternoon I sewed myself a bunch of bee blocks! For the 4 x 5 bee all the blocks are supposed to be the same, just in different colours. I hope everyone's ok with the fact that mine are all the same... but different!

Chelsea

My blogger's choice bundle

2012-01-09T11:16:00.000-08:00

I'm sure by now everyone has heard about the blogger's choice fat quarter bundle challenge over on Quokka Quilts. If you haven't, the jist of it is, put together a bundle, link up by the 15th, then cross your fingers. The winner will get ½ a yard of each of their picks courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop. Woot!

So, here's my bundle, pretty far outside of my usual comfort zone, but who am I kidding, there's still pink in there!

The fabrics are:

top row:riley blake sea breeze solid, riley blake pewter solid, free spirit designer solids chartreuse, domestic bliss primary window seat

2nd row: storey boek coral cobblestone stripe, fairy tale friends yellow pin dot, echino-nico black car checks, impressions green plaid

3rd row: echo gray aneta, bespoken citrus stitchery, primativa charcoal falling leaves, taza yellow tarika

final row: heirloom jade marbled stripe, palladium yellow whiston dot, robot factory orange robot connections, get together sea bears in line

I'm not sure what I'd make with these, but I do love the combo. And speaking of that, here's a few combos others have put together that I think are pretty awesome, too.

clockwise from top left: Echinops & Aster, Finding Fifth, Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle, Where the Orchids Grow

happy monday,
c

Made in Cherry quilt along - soon!

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

Are you getting excited? I am. Admittedly my fabric hasn't arrived yet, but I'm still stoked. I'll be posting the first "real" post on the 13th, so there's still time to get your fabric ready. And yup, that's friday the 13th!

For now I wanted to share a gorgeous mock up done by Jenelle from Echinops and Aster. If you haven't picked up any echo (like me), I'm pretty sure this will sway you to buy some.

Jenelle's amazing mock up, I can't wait to see this as it comes together

I've also set up a flickr group for the quilt along, thanks Shanna for reminding me!

happy new year,
c

My first finish!

2011-12-30T14:39:00.001-08:00

Here it is, the first quilt I’ve finished on my longarm! She’s the top I made in PS I Quilt’s postage stamp quilt along, way back in February. The stats are pretty funny on this one. I sewed the whole thing up over the course of one weekend. Then it sat. And sat and sat.

Then she was quilted in about 5 hours. Not bad for a 60” x 80”, pretty detailed quilting, too. It’s based on a tutorial by Judi of Greenfairy Quilts, one of my quilting idols.

And then the binding took over a week! Ok, probably only about 10 hours total, but throw in Christmas and a brutal cough and it took a week.

Now she’s in the wash recuperating from being dragged around the yard attempting to take photos in a wind storm. Those folds when I was shooting the front and back? Not for effect, the wind just wouldn’t let her lay flat!

xox,

PS:
Thanks so much Holly for the great idea of posting a video on how a longarm machine is used. I’m so going to get on that in the new year!

And I'm backish

2011-12-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the absence. We were hit by the flu and just rolling over in bed was quite the effort for a while there. I did manage to quilt my first real top on the beast last Friday, but I haven't worked up the energy for photos yet.

Not my quilt! Made by Elizabeth Hartman (Oh, Fransson) and crushed on by me

Have you seen this stunner by Oh, Fransson? I love, love the idea, and think I might steal it for my blocks for this round of the 4 x 5 bee. Which are due to be sent out mid January. Eep! Yeah, I've got to get my hussle on!

6 gird vs 4 grid

So, what do you think, 12" square based on a 4 grid or 6 grid? I love the look of the 6 grid but I think making 5 of them might just kill me.

If I don't manage to post before then, merry xmas, yo.

xox,
c

The Beast is here!

2011-12-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

She arrived Thursday, was assembled Friday and Monday and now she's purring like a kitten. And who is this beast?

My new Millenium!!! Yup, I took the crazy plunge, bought her, assembled her, and now she's mine. I never thought years of assembling Ikea furniture would pay off, but this baby required all my Ikea allen key skills!

I've been playing away, just using a couple of layers of cheap fabric for now. Hopefully by next week I'll be proficient enough to tackle an actual quilt. Nothing fancy, just stippling. For now I need to work on not getting bigger and bigger as I go, and keeping track of where the needle is!

xox,
c

Made in Cherry Quilt Along - fabric choices

2011-12-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! Wow, I can't believe I took a whole week off. I was just not inspired at all. I don't even think I did any sewing all week! But, inspiration has struck again, and, get this, in the form of (screaming fangirl moment here) an email from Sarah Fielke herself! So cool, right? Sarah mentioned the quilt along on her blog and emailed me to let me know that she has kits available for the Made in Cherry pattern and that the fabric is starting to be available in store. So, if you're struggling with your fabric choices or someone in your life is struggling to figure out what to get you for christmas, Sarah may have the answer. Each kit comes with enough fabric for the quilt top plus an awesome stripe for the binding. And there's four colourways!

Starting at the top left and going clockwise, the colourways are: Watermelon, Blue Vanilla, Polar Purple Shiver, and Cherry. I'm loving watermelon.

If you haven't seen Sarah's line St Ives, check it out here. The fabrics are conveniently grouped into their colorways so you can see which fabrics come with each kit. Those ruffles are one of the coolest ideas I've seen in fabric in ages. And if you're in Australia, Sarah's fabric is available at The Cottage Quiltworks, Quilt Fabric Delights, and Patchwork Orange.

rock on,
c

Made in Cherry quilt along–alternate sizes

2011-11-26T16:52:00.001-08:00

So a while back I mentioned that I’d be posting yardages for alternate sizes of the quilt along. In case anyone is looking to take advantage of post thanksgiving sales, here we go:

Smaller version
This will make a 60” x 60” finished quilt and uses 3½” cut squares.
For the squares you will need exactly 11” of 8 different fabrics (11” x wof that is). If you’re shopping for fabrics rather than pulling from your stash, you’ll probably have to buy ½ yard of each.
For the background fabric you’ll need two yards.

Larger version
This will make a 90” x 90” finished quilt and uses 5” cut squares.
For the squares you will need exactly 21” of 8 different fabrics (21” x wof that is). If you’re shopping for fabrics, you’ll need to buy ¾ yard of each.
For the background fabric you’ll need 3½ yards.

This version can also be made from precut charm squares, in which case you will need 220 squares, about 5¼ packs (based on packs of 42 squares each).

Made in Cherry quilt along - layout fun

2011-11-25T14:11:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd share this little Made in Cherry layout page with everyone. You can either print it out and get out the crayons or import it into your favorite graphics program and play there. Either way it may be helpful figuring out your color scheme.

happy weekend,
c
111 (apparently that's how Tron signs his name)

At the table

2011-11-24T11:59:00.001-08:00

Hey, happy thanksgiving US! We don’t seem to go as nutso about thanksgiving north of the border, or maybe that’s just my family. And now that I’ve managed to convince everyone to come to mine for the holiday it’s become even less traditional. We had a potato and roasted tomato tarte tatin instead of turkey and a pine nut and rosemary tart (kind of like pecan pie) for dessert. No pumpkin! After making hundreds of pumpkin pies over the years working as a pastry chef I just can’t do it anymore. I did incorporate a little pumpkin into our feast though, making pumpkin pancakes for breakfast. And just in case you have some extra pumpkin kicking around, I thought I’d share the recipe…

Pumpkin pancakes

makes enough for 4 people

1¾ cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
¾ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cinnamon
pinch cloves
¼ tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup pumpkin purée
1 egg yolk
1 egg white
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp melted butter

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and spices. In another dish whisk together the buttermilk, pumpkin purée, and egg yolk. Stir into the dry ingredients. Whip the egg white until it’s foamy then add the sugar. Whip until firm peaks form. Mix the melted butter into the batter then fold in the egg whites.

Cook the pancakes on buttered frying pans, using about 1/4 cup batter per pancake.

These freeze really well and reheat in the toaster, so I always make a double batch!

I’m linking this up over at A Quilter’s Table. Debbie used to be a pastry chef, too, so if you’re looking for a pumpkin pie recipe, try hers. I bet it’s good!

c

Bee blocks, the blurgh, ack edition

2011-11-23T11:09:00.001-08:00

Oh,man, this one sucks the big one. I don’t know why I even attempted it today. Yesterday I had dental surgery (nothing huge, the crown had popped off my implant, but it did involve an hour of prodding at and eventually cutting my gums) so today I’m not feeling all that great. Add to that lots of curves, a pattern I’ve never attempted and fabric I’m not too happy with (this is the one where the fabric was missing from the package. I tried but really don’t have anything close to the sent fabric). So, the blurgh, ack orange peel. Ugh.

But I think it’s good to show the things you fail at as well as the things that go right. So lets revel in those unmatched points, puckers and waving edges. Honesty feels good. Ok, no, honesty sucks some times, but whatever. Happy hump day, yo!

xox,

Made in Cherry quilt along – fabric schemes

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you taken a look at the latest Fat Quarterly? There’s a great article on spring 2012 colour schemes with contributors interpreting them in quilting projects. I always find it interesting to see where we’re going in design and fashion, though I’ve got to say, spring is looking a little blah. Or maybe sophisticated. Where are the clear yellows, oranges, pinks, and aquas? Spring seems to consist mostly of dusty, subtle color choices, beautiful but I guess just not me.

I was drawn to the “resilience” palette, though. Funky shades of pea soup and salmon with a bunch of neutrals thrown in for fun. But for a quilt? So for my first Made in Cherry fabric scheme post, Made of Resilience!

I’ve pulled my swatches from multiple lines, but one source – Pink Castle Fabrics. There are so many fabric choices out there, limiting myself to one store made things a little easier. Oh, and I’d love to see some Lotta Jansdotter fabrics added to this when they come out! I’m so in love with that line, even if I can’t quite see how to incorporate it into my life.

The fabrics are:

For the background I wanted something that would really anchor all the colours – essex linen in putty. Sweet, muddy goodness!

And that’s how it all looks together! Pretty good, right? And definitely husband friendly.

happy stitching,

November bees

2011-11-21T13:52:00.001-08:00

Thank goodness for bee blocks. I'm feeling a bit of the early winter blahs and just not sewing much. So, thank goodness for bees, they force me to do something! And on that note, November's block for the fat stash bee. Love the monkey!

I think I'll tackle my travelling circles bee this afternoon, too. Unfortunately the package arrived with the fabric removed so I'm really winging it on this one.

c

Let's take better pictures: finding your light

2011-11-15T14:26:00.001-08:00

Hey! Welcome to the first post of the series "lets take better pictures"! I'm going to preface this by saying I know nothing about photography. I've tried reading books and manuals, but they just confuse me. That being said, there is going to be homework, and at some point that homework is going to include reading your manual. Yup.

But today we're starting easy with baby steps, or, finding your light. Most posts and books I've read concentrate on how to minimize too much light. If that's your problem.. I'm not going to say what I want to say. Let's just say that I'm jealous! I live in a part of the world where there's not a ton of light. Ever watched X Files or The Killing, or anything else shot in Seattle or Vancouver? You can probably picture it. Low levels of grey blue light. Perfect for the spawning of underground music scenes and mushrooms, not so great for photos.

a nice sunny day in this neck of the woods

How do you shoot in that kind of light? Well, that's where our first homework comes in! Grab your camera and walk around your home, check out all the areas with windows and take some photos. It's a good idea to do this around the time of day when you would be taking project photos. Turn off the lights in the room so you're only getting natural light in your photos. Oh, and big, big rule here:

Don't take photos at night! They'll just look like crap (unless you have a whole lighting rig, in which case, dude, why are you reading this?).

Don't worry about tidying up, I'm not going to make you post these. But throw them up on your computer and have a good look at them. What you want is an area that has fairly even, undirectional light. If you're outdoorsy, pull out your compass - a room with a big north facing window is often best.

Ok, let's look at my shots to get an idea of what we're looking for:

The bedroom. We're facing east south east here. The light is great for a bedroom but not so good for photos. See that flare on the window frame? Because of the direction we're facing light shines directly in through the window, and on good days, gives us some great sunbeams. The cats love it but it's not so good for photos. Things look washed out when they're in the direct sun, too dark out of it. The contrast is just too hard on the camera and beyond my photoshop fix it skills.

The bathroom, facing SSW. Talk about flare! This is the brightest room in the house and the one I would use if I wanted to use all the tips on other blogs about mitigating light. But you know, it's really hard to work around a tub and toilet!

The kitchen, facing WNW. This is the ideal spot to shoot in our house. There's lots of windows but because of the way the house is situated there are never any sunbeams, just even diffuse light. And with all those windows it's fairly bright even on a rainy overcast day. It is the kitchen table, though, so it's normally covered in stuff. And now I'm getting hungry from staring at the fruit bowl.

The tv room, or sitting room as we so pretentiously call it. Too much Downton Abbey maybe? It's right above the kitchen, has a smaller window, but still gets respectable light levels because the trees are thinner higher up. This is also right next to my sewing room, so it's way more convenient. So this is my winner! Man do I ever hate that carpet, though!

So go, take some photos, explore your light. Figure out what room in your house has the perfect balance of space, light, and lack of clutter for you to take better pictures. Oh, and if you want one more piece of homework, go read this article. It will change your life. Um, or at least help with the photo part of it.

xox,
c

Frame block tutorial

2011-11-14T16:08:00.001-08:00

Remember this bunny block? Well, I thought I'd share a tutorial on how I made it! The one I've made for the tutorial is a little different, switching in more of the background fabric where I've used that aqua print in the bunny block. Both styles give a great frame effect, one just looks like a floating frame, the other like there's a matt in the frame. Either one would make a cute cushion, especially if it frames a favorite fabric or an initial embroidery. Just saying.

First, cut your fabric.

For a 12" finished block you'll need...

center print:

one piece 5½" x 5½"

matt or background fabric:

two pieces 5½" x 1"
two pieces 6½" x 1"

frame fabric:

two pieces 6½" x 1½"
two pieces 10½" x 1½"
four pieces 1½" x 1½"

background fabric:

four pieces 6½" x 1½"
four pieces 1½" x 1½"
two pieces 10½" x 1½"
two pieces 12½" x 1½"

1. Sew the 1" wide strips to the center square, pressing seams out.

2. Add the two 6½" x 1½" frame pieces on two parallel sides of the block. Press the seams out.

3. Add the two 6½" x 1½" background pieces to the same sides, pressing out.

4. Add the two 10½" x 1½" frame pieces, pressing out.

5. Sew a 1½" x 1½" frame piece to either end of the two remaining 6½" x 1½" background pieces.

6. Add the 1½" x 1½" background pieces.

7. Sew these strip sets to the block along the long frame pieces. Press toward the frame.

Sew the remaining background pieces to the block! We're done! Hope you like the block, I'd love to see it if you make any.

xox,
c

ps: thanks so much for all the lovely comments lately! I was a way over the weekend and unexpectedly without internet access so I'm slowly getting back to everyone.

Work in process Wednesday

2011-11-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Congratulations Lee on a whole year of WIPW posts!! I wish I'd started linking up from the beginning, hell I still have stuff in process that I started before she started WIPW!

This week there's not too much going on. Some churn dash blocks, a half started tutorial, a wedding ring quilt abandoned on a shelf. Le suck.

Oh, and this big pile of tops waiting to be quilted!

much loves,
c

For Andrew

2011-11-07T16:13:00.000-08:00

My cousin Andrew and his girlfriend (mental note, find out what her name is!) are having a baby this winter. A first grandkid for my aunt and uncle, a first great grand for my grandmother - and Andrew is the baby of all of us cousins! So, of course, a quilt.

I wanted to get this made up before the baby comes, which should be around Christmas. For entirely selfish reasons, I'll admit. I have to be in Vancouver on the 10th and can hand deliver it rather than paying for postage. Do you know how much I hate paying shipping? Lots!! Anyway, I don't know what type of baby they're having. Yes, I know it's going to be human, but other than that, not so much.

So last night as I was finishing up the top I asked my husband if he thought this quilt would still be ok for a baby boy what with the pink. Because I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. So he looks at me and says: "are we having a baby?" I wanted to say yes and watch him poop his pants, but no, I told him the truth. Really, what kind of freak does he think he married that I would tell him we were having a kid by asking him if a quilt has too much pink? Have my mood swings been that bad?? Silly hubbers!

xox,
c

More embroider bee

2011-11-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Bad chelsea, bad, bad chelsea. I realized two of my embroider bee blocks went out without posts. One without photos even! The shame!

Anyway, here's my little bunny block. I love this one. Uber cute. And I like the frame I made for him so much this weekend I'll do up a little tutorial. I think. We'll see. There's two other projects I need to work on - a baby quilt for my cousin and some churn dash blocks I'm making for me. But fingers crossed monday = tutorial.

have a great one,
c

Made in Cherry quilt along

2011-11-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

Anyone up for a quilt along? As soon as I saw market shots of Sarah Fielke's Made in Cherry pattern, I was!

Sarah Fielke's Made in Cherry from the Lecien website

This is an easy peasy quilt that should go together really quickly. Sarah's pattern has great instructions and I'll do a condensed version here every week for the quilt along - starting mid January. Sound good? Then join me! Come on, you know you want to!!

Since most of us are putting together lists this time of year, here's the yardage requirements for this 80" by 80" quilt:

20" of 8 different fabrics (that's just over 1/2 yard each)*
2 1/2 yards of background fabric

* OR 220 charm squares (if your charm packs have the standard 42 per pack, you'll need 5 packs plus 10 charms cut from your stash - or 6 packs)

And if the size is scaring you, I'll be posting alternate instructions for a scaled down 60" by 60" top, perfect for snuggling.

xox,
c

Fresh sewing day

2011-11-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Another new linky for me! I have so many ideas for things I want to do with this blog and I keep going back and forth with start them now and they'll generate readers vs get more readers then start them. I really, really want to do a quilt along, probably starting in January because I know everyone is heading into over committed season. So, in a flagrant bid to get more readers, I'm linking up on the lovely Lily's Quilts today!

Ok, onward from the above blathering. What have I done with my month? Well, some embroidering, lots of play with new blocks, wedding ring progress, I've finished my swoon top, and I've ordered a longarm. Fun!

adios yo,
c

Pay it forward

2011-11-01T09:25:00.000-07:00

A while back I read about the pay it forward idea on Kirsten's blog and decided that it's something I needed to jump on. So...

I will send a hand crafted item to the first 3 people who comment on this post.

If you sign up to receive an item, you have to have a blog and agree to post a pay it forward on your blog, too.

I have a year to get your goodies in the mail, and like a ninja, you won't see it coming!

So, want to play?

Oh, yeah

2011-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

I'm wrestling with a massive headache today but I still managed a little sewing and a silly photoshoot.

I kind of love the chair in this photo. Because I love those chairs and because I just think it's too funny that I have to pull a chair out from the kitchen to use the clothesline. Oh, and if you peek behind the quilt top (so, yes, it's a finished top, not a real finish) you can see the forest our house is plonked in.

happy hallowe'en
c

No sewing for you

2011-10-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

That seems to be today's motto. I kept trying, stuff kept intervening. But...

Yesterday I sewed 2 more swoon blocks and cut a third, which, when that third one is sewn, will mean they are all done! And I also decided that I'm not going to make this into a king (I was planning on wider sashing and a border, not extra blocks. I'm not that crazy), it's going to be a queen and live on the spare bed. Or get dragged around from couch to couch. So there.

Oh, and that Aneela Hoey dog fabric? I loved it so much I bought a whole shwack with the intention of making a skirt. Ok, of losing 20 then making a skirt. Now I could just make a belt, not one of those skirts your dad would call a belt, an actual belt. I hope her new fox print comes in grey. Maybe that will be my skirt.

Have a lovely weekend all,
c

Work in progress Wednesday

2011-10-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

It`s gotten to the point here on the west coast where it`s almost impossible to take a photo. Noon is just as grey as 4 pm and there`s a constant drizzle outside. Perfect sewing weather I`ll admit, but not great for the snaps. But it's Wednesday, so I'm fighting the grey and linking up over at Freshly Pieced.

The 2x wedding ring is progressing. I`m glad I`m just making this throw sized! Ten of sixteen rings are sewn and attached. Pretty good I`d say!

I've started on a couple new things this week. The first is my trial block for my bee month over at the travelling circles bee. I fell in love with this block and basically copied it. Yup, out and out plagiarism, but I don't care, I love it. And her tutorial is great, it's my favorite way of foundation piecing.

My other new start is a Texas Star following this tutorial on Blue Elephant Stitches. I'm so happy that Jolene posted this, I love the quilt she made using this block and the block itself is awesome. I think I'm going to draft this up to a 16" block then attempt a quilt using them. I'm even going to steal her colour palette!

not seeing much action:
swoon
yellow hexagons
hexie charm quilt
good folks voile crosses

still in need of quilting:
Loulouthi tiles
Single girl
Prince Charming zig zag
postage stamp quit along

xox
c

My new secret weapon

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Any guesses? Yup, it's the tape. Double sided tape to be exact. Most of my rulers are the old school kind, without non-slip backs. I've looked into getting the new ones, but they're pricey and my old ones still work. So, a few strips of double sided tape and those buggers aren't slipping anymore while I cut. And it's perfect for my 2x wedding ring templates, even better than the felt stickers I have on some of them. Oh, and the tape, easier to find than new rulers or fancy grip stickers!

just call me Macgyver,
c

Better late than never

2011-10-24T14:45:00.000-07:00

I have so many things I want to write about today that I just can't settle on one! So, a little late is better than never news instead.


image from Sew Mama Sew. Loulouthi Crosses by Fresh Lemons, mine, Live Love Quilt's Loulouthi quilt, loulouthi wip by S.O.T.A.K. Handmade

Do you read Sew Mama Sew's blog? If you don't, you should, it's awesome! And not just because one of my quilts was featured in one of their posts. Ok, not featured, but there is a photo! Under Fall Sewing Trends, there's my Loulouthi quilt, all shiny and begging to be finished. So better late than never meets better something than nothing. Hmm, sounds like most of my academic career.

Speaking of AMH, anyone know if she has a new collection coming out at this quilt market? I so need some new AMH. And the new Tula!!

ciao yo,
c

Work in progress Wednesday

2011-10-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up again, I'm going to try to do this every week. It's nice to have some structure, right?

Another embroider bee block. Yay! I feel pretty accomplished getting these done. Two more to do, though.

I've made a bit more progress on the 2x wedding ring and swoon.

no progress:
yellow hexagons
good folks voile crosses (I need a design wall!)

waiting to be quilted:
Loulouthi tiles
Single girl
Prince Charming zig zag
Checkerboard quit along

and that's about it!
c

A thought...

2011-10-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Would anyone be interested in a series on photographing quilts, and just photography in general? Not taught by me, that's for sure! I'm shocked my photos even make it to the blog. I'm currently using a cheap point and shoot, editing on picasa, using a netbook with an iffy screen. No, what I was thinking was interviewing some bloggers with great photo skills about what they use, how they got so good, and any tricks they can teach us less gifted shooters. What do you think? Any particular questions you would ask? Or bloggers you would ask them of?

c

Fun with Floss

2011-10-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my first meeting of the Parksville quilt guild. I haven't been to a guild meeting in over a decade, so it was really nice to be welcomed so warmly by everyone there. I found a fellow orange lover, named Philippa like my sister! I can't wait to bring some show and tell next month. This is a pretty traditional/art quilt mix, so it will be fun to throw in some modern.

free pattern from Andrea Zuill

Anyway, the program was all about paper piecing, and I really wanted to jump up and say "I know a better way!!" Oh, yeah, that would have made me friends. But really, I do know a better way and I was going to blog about it today, but got distracted by other things. Tomorrow.

So, today, my first finished block for my embroider bee. Yay! The bee is modern but my hive mate asked for batiks in purple and aqua. I sure hope she's ok with the mix I used. If it weren't for the rainbow charm swap I did over at From the Blue Chair, there wouldn't be any purple in this thing! Um, and as much as I love this, I'm so not doing 1" squares again.

image blatantly grabbed from Lizzy House's shop

In other news, without any fanfare, Miss Lizzy House has put her Outfox the Fox! pattern up in her shop. Good thing I've been checking it compulsively! I don't buy a lot of patterns, I can draft blocks myself pretty well. Occasionally though, there's a pattern for a quilt I really like, I know I can draft it, but I buy it anyway. This is one of those. I guess it's just a way of saying thanks, I like your work to the author. So, come on pattern, come on foxy fabrics, I want to start on this one!

ciao bellas,
c

ps: ever wonder why I just sign of "c"? I pretty much misspell my name every time I type it, and c is harder to misspell.

Weekend Sewing

2011-10-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

This was such a great weekend of hanging around the house, getting lots done. We did some gardening, resulting in what I like to call the Christmas Massacre. Jamie and I pulled out about 100 evergreen saplings, all in a strip measuring about 1' by 5". I'm not a big fan of pulling out trees, but these were all really close to the house and so crowded that none of them were ever going to make it. I was filthy and sore, but it smelled like Christmas!

So, some work happened on the 2x wedding ring. I'm shocked how much I'm loving working on this. I'm sick of the palette, but it's such a challenging/rewarding pattern that comes together really quickly, so the reward is pretty great on this one.

And another Swoon block! I think I've picked the fabrics for all of these, but I have some yardage from Ruby coming from Pink Castle Fabrics so that may change things a bit. I'm really hoping I can get all the blocks done by the end of the month. We'll see.

And I'm making headway on my embroidery bee blocks. These have to be done by the end of the month! Stitch, stitch, stitch!

adios yo,
c

Finish it up Friday

2011-10-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the linky party over on Crazy Mom Quilts? It's finish it up Friday, and as the name suggests, every Friday Amanda Jean will post about a finished project and have others link up. So, in order not to be late to the party (damn you stupid blonde bimbo from Atlanta, now your horrid song is in my head) I went and finished something.

Ok, yeah, it's the size of a potholder. But it's done. Yup, give me something 8 1/2" square and I can finish it in about a year. Whatevs.

This is basically just some freemotion practice that I decided would look pretty decent on the wall of my new sewing room. Which segues nicely into ...

My new sewing room!! I had been sewing in the garage since we moved in (so, a month or so) but I decided the garage wasn't big enough and moved to a smaller room upstairs. I'll explain that later. But for now, sewing room. More stuff needs to be moved in and I need a few things on the walls. Oh, and I need to buy a sewing table (husband took my old one for his record player). But the lack of a sewing table is more than made up for by something I bet no one else has in their sewing room...

Yup, a toilet a sink. Boo-yah! All I need is a kettle and a beer fridge and I never need to leave the room!!

I don't know what the hell the previous owners were thinking renovating half of a bedroom into a half assed bathroom. Best part, the electrical outlet is in the area plumbed for a shower. Have I mentioned that I live in an area where building codes didn't apply until this September? Yeah, there's some dodge stuff going on around here.

If you've gotten this far and if you were reading closely, you'll realize I said something dumb about the garage being too small as a sewing room. Well, that's because, I did it, I ordered my longarm! Woot! She'll be coming around the beginning of December and I am so psyched!

xox,
c

Work in Progress Wednesday

2011-10-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Not much of a week for getting sewing done, sorry. Between hosting thanksgiving on Sunday and the bracketing days of marathon cooking and bloated lying down and moaning, yup, I just didn't sew. Much. So...

One more swoon block. Whoa, that's a loud fabric combo. Oh, well. Each quilt needs one questionable block, right?

And a block for the travelling circles bee. This one is heading to Australia! And the package arrived here with chocolate! Yay! So much better than the giant dead spiders my Aussie friend's sister used to send her in care packages. Never share your phobias with your sister!

love and tofurkey (which we didn't have. i'm veggie but not crazy)
Chelsea

Are you there Shar? It's me, Chelsea.

2011-10-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

If you were quilting in the 90s, you probably saw at least one episode of Quilting with Shar. I don't know if it was the nasal voice or the constant pimping, but I bought one of her template sets way back when. The 2x wedding ring, in fact, and I'm finally doing some stitching on that beast. As much as Shar drove me crazy, the templates are pretty good. But the instructions? A wonderful combination of confusing, bitchy, and insufficient. Yay! Good thing there are some decent instructions out there, like these from Kaelin. Oh, yeah, what I meant to say is: look, I've made some progress on the 2x wedding.

Ok, enough griping.

I got an awesome block in the mail today. Thanks Stitch n' Bits!

Happy thanksgiving, eh!
C

Work in Progress

2011-10-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've been in love with Lee's Work in Progress Wednesdays for a while now but have never got off my butt to add to it. So, today, finally, my WIP Wednesday:

New projects:

Swoon!
I'm in love, complete and utter love with these blocks. Ok, I hate HSTs (and all of you Canadians who're dealing with the HST tax know this has a double hate on). But, these are gorgeous. And even though it's almost a cliche now, I've gone with an aqua grey and red palette. Because it's pretty, dammit.

Double Wedding Ring
I started this in the 90s, people. The 90s!!!!! Yes, I was 2. I got it cut, then got on with life. Apparently I needed some 30s in my life again, because I dug it out the other day. It's all cut, just (just!) needs sewing. I think the fabric is all Marcus Brothers, and boy did they use some sizing back then, because these stink!

Still Needing Quilting:
single girl
loulouthi tiles
prince charming zig zag

xox,
c

A Sally Field Moment

2011-10-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the hubs and I went to the big city to do some of the grocery shopping you just can't accomplish in the deep woods. And while he was in a record store (yup, the kind with vinyl!) I was cribbing wifi from the hotel across the street (thank you Quality Inn Victoria!). And I noticed in my inbox that I'd won a blogging award! I'm happy every time I notice that someone other than me has read my blog, so this was huge. Thank you Staci from the Confused Quilter for the award! You rock!

Like a lot of the "awards" emails you might get, this one does have a few stipulations. None of them involve transferring money, handing over bank passwords, or naked photos, so I think we're good. What do they ask? Just a bit of fun...

7 things people may not know about me:

I'm not a natural redhead. The curls are real though.
In university I only ever wore purple socks. Now I can't stand the colour, but I'm trying.
I make up stupid songs about my pets and sing them to them.
I had a huge crush on Axl from G n' R when I was in high school.
I hate sci fi. It makes no sense, defies logic and physics and just generally sucks. Exceptions include the Alien and Predator franchises and Neal Stephenson, though I don't really think his books are sci fi anyway, but some claim they are.
I swear way too much.
I'm fluent in French as long as the conversations are about pastries or chocolate.

In order to spread the fun and the pain (that list above was hard to come up with!), I'm passing the award along to the following blogs:

If you're reading my blog, thank you! I really do appreciate it. I live out of the bush and don't know anyone here, so it's nice to think I'm reaching someone, somewhere. Ooh, that was maudlin.

Rock on,
C

So it's October now?

2011-10-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I seriously don't know how that happened. In fact, I don't know what happened to this entire week. Everything I did took 2 or 3 times longer than I thought it would. And not a single blog post. Crazy!

Beatrice and her quilt!

Speaking of crazy, I did 2 really crazy things this week. One, I made a quilt for the dog. Two, I started running again.

Yeah, the dog quilt. She likes to sleep on the landing of our stairs and since I'm not used to carpet, I've been shocked by how filthy the carpet gets. We put a chunk of burlap on the landing, but that was hideous, so the other choices were vacuum often (hell no) or wash the dog often (f no). So, a quilt. I don't think she likes it, though. She hasn't slept on the landing since I made it!

What else did I get up to? Bee blocks, that's what. The last of my 3 x 6 and 4 x 5 blocks are out the door.

As well as September's Travelling Circle's block and October's Fat Stash block.

And, I almost forgot, I made my single girl test block into a pillow for our bed. Huh, I guess I actually did do some stuff this week!

Lucy, staring in awe and admiration at my handiwork

Wooot!I also started on a swoon quilt, but no photos yet. I'll post those next week.

xoxC

September fat stash block

2011-09-22T14:31:00.000-07:00

Bee's are great. Not only do they provide honey and polinate all sorts of good stuff, they stretch our quilty skills. This month's block reallllly stretched my skills. Not the block so much, it was fun. Awesome in fact. Not I've got to make a quilt out of this awesome, but, yay, I get to try out a tute I've been staring at for ages awesome. The stretch? The fabric Joelle provided for the center of the hexing around the block scared the crap out of me! I had nothing that went with it, no car, and no chance of picking up any coordinating fabric. So Joelle, I hope you're ok with this block. Feel free to use it on the back of your quilt if you hate it!

In cheerier news, did you hear that Ben and Jerry's now has Schweddy Balls' flavoured ice cream? This better not be some US only thing, because I want some! I just love a Schweddy Ball.

xox,
C

Do you wear heels while quilting?

2011-09-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I don't normally either. But I felt like it today. And I love the photos people take of quilts or blocks with their feet in the frame. But I'm kind of freaked out by toes. So, heels. Ooh, la la!

In other news, look at that baby grow! These is my hexie charm quilt, and she's a beaut! She's kind of on hiatus right now because I'm out of fabric. Not out, out, but I've used a bit of everything I own in her and don't want to duplicate. Sure I have some old stuff from my 90s brown period, but that stuff, well, that's best kept in boxes.

Anyway, a few more gratuitous shots before I go sweep the kitchen. In heels. So Betty Draper, I can feel the angst already.

kisses,
C

Little hexies all in a row... tutorial

2011-09-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

I just love the block I came up with for the 3 x 6 bee, so I decided to write it up as a tutorial. I hope you love it as much as I do!

This pattern is for a 12" finished block, and is a great way to use up some scraps. So what exactly do you need?

a piece of background fabric 12 1/2" by 12 1/2"
fabric scraps
a hexagon template with 1 1/4" sides (incompetech is a great place to make your hexie)
scissors
a pencil
fusible web

First, choose your palette and fabrics. For this block I needed fabrics in aqua, yellow, and chartreuse. If you want to make each hexie from a separate fabric you'll need to pick 11 prints/solids.

Using your template, trace 9 full hexies and 2 half hexies on the paper side of your fusible web. I like to use a mechanical pencil as it gives a really tight line. Cut out your hexies and half hexies!

Set your iron to a medium setting, somewhere around silk, or follow the instructions on your web for the suggested setting. Place your first hexie web side down on the back side of your first fabric, making sure there's enough room all round for 1/4" seem allowances. Press your hexie, bonding it to the fabric. Cut out leaving a 1/4" seem allowance. Repeat with the remaining hexies and halves.

Press the seam allowances of the hexie in over the paper,just as if you were basting them down for English paper piecing. With the half hexies only press the short sides, the long side will be left as is and become part of the seam allowance of the block. It's a good idea to press all your pieces then move on so that you will be working with cool hexies for the next step.

Now you're going to open up those pressed seam allowances and take out the paper backing. Try to keep the folds you've put in as sharp as possible!

Use the very tip and edge of your iron to gently press the seam allowance to the fusible web. If it doesn't want to stick your iron may be too hot and the web melting too much. Let the piece cool a few seconds then finger press.

Once all your hexies are prepped, it's time to start positioning them.

To make sure your hexies really are all in a row, grab a ruler and line one edge of your background fabric up under the 2 1/4" mark. Place your first hexie with one point on the edge of the ruler, right at the half way mark (if your ruler is lined up with the edge of your fabric this should be 6 1/4").

Next, place your 2 outer hexies, once again lining them up with one point touching the ruler. Position them so that the side closest to the edge is a bit more than 1/4" in from the edge. 3/8" is perfect.

Now add two more hexies into the gaps.

Next, fill in the second row of hexies, using the spacing between the ones in the first row as a guide. Gently press the hexies in place once you're happy with their positioning.

Applique using your favourite technique (I used my machine's blanket stitch).

Done!

Whew, I think we all need a drink after that! Grapefruit gimlet anyone?

Cheers,
Chelsea

I'm back , now with bees

2011-09-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

my 4 by 5 bee blocks!

Oh, man, did that move take it out of me! We finally got into our new house on the 3rd of September, and since then I've been working like a crazy woman trying to get things habitable (with the occasional time out to bake cookies and sew). I'm thinking I may have overcommited myself a tad in terms of bees..... fat stash, 3 x 6, 4 x 5, travelling circles, embroidery. Gulp. Anyway, I made a little headway while I was staying in Victoria, but with a sewing space that was literally a side table, it wasn't as much as I'd like.

first of my 3 by 6 bee blocks

The good news, though? All my 4 x 5s are done. So put a ~~line~~ through that one on the list! And I started my 3 x 6 blocks yesterday and have 2 done! Woot! Hopefully I'll get a bunch of these mofos in the mail this weekend.

kisses,

C

July bee block

2011-07-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I got this done! I guess I just needed a break from packing and move craziness. Craziness such as the seller calling me to complain about his wife being a psycho and calling the cops on him so he couldn't move his stuff out of the house. Eeek! I just want to imagine that no one lived in the house before us, so please mister, don't call me.

Anyway, Sharon's fabric arrived today and I finished her block today as well. Yeah, I'm shocked, too. And it was fun even though the theme of a manly cowboyish block scared the pants off me. But I pulled on my sewing pants and got on with it.

I also figured after talking with Mr Psycho, who informed me he owned guns, by the way (not very common among the urban Canadians I'm used to), that I needed some retail therapy. And not just contact lens solution and coffee beans from costco. Real retail therapy. Quilt store variety. As I mentioned before my LQS is pretty country, but I did manage to get some Sugarpop and Central Park. And some Aurifil, my fave thread ever. My partners in the four by five have requested aqua, apple green, and iris. A little hard to come by when your LQS skews country, so I'm hoping these additions to my stash will help.

This will probably be the last post for a while. We move out on the 28th, then I'll be bunking at my parents for a month. Hopefully I'll get some sewing done while I'm there and can post a bit!

Cheers,
C

4 by 5 bee

2011-07-09T17:07:00.000-07:00

I'm doing the 4 X 5 bee over on flickr and am kind of at a loss for what my block should be. I have a ton of time since these don't need to hit the mail until October, but I want to get started on them so I have a project when I'm homeless, staying at my folks.

So, what do you think of this block?

from Q is for Quilter on flickr

Will it look more modern with a different colour scheme? Or is it just too 30s??

love ya,
C

My lucky day part the first

2011-07-09T17:02:00.000-07:00

I know, this should be part two, but I blogged about them in the wrong order. As long as I know what I'm talking about it's all good, right?

hexagons from a pillow made by Kati of from the blue chair

I won a bundle of 45 hexagons from Kati at from the blue chair. She was given an Accuquilt Go! Baby along with the hexagon die and has created a gorgeous Joel Dewberry pillow with it as well as one insanely gorgeous hexie quilt. To spread the love a bit she offered a hexie charm giveaway, and that's how I came to be expecting some love in the mail. And to spread the love even more she's giving away one of those Accuquilt gos, so go check her out. And don't worry, I'm not entering. At this point, even if it comes in it's own box, I don't want to pack it.

Kati's bed. Is it creepy posting a shot of someone else's bed? I love the JB strip quilt

I'm so psyched about those hexagons! I don't know if I'm going to make a pillow like Kati's (above) or use them for my hexie charm quilt, which has kind of stalled out since I'm out of fabric. Or more accurately have cut charms from all of my stash. I still have fabric! The pillow may be winning out, just because we're thinking about putting a bid on a house that would require a new couch. And they need pillow! Either way, after a long and boring postal lockout it will be great to get something fun in the mail!

hexagons from a pillow made by Kati of from the blue chair

xox,
c

PS: All of the photos in this post belong to Kati from from the blue chair. Thanks Kati!

My lucky day!

2011-07-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

Have you been following the Block Party blog tour? Well I have, and, I won a copy! And that's not the only thing I won today! (More about the 2nd later, and yes, I will be buying a lottery ticket today.) I have been obsessing over this book since the first time I saw hints of it and am so stoked to be getting a copy!

I think the first project I'll tackle is this quilt:

Made using this colourway:

BUT I have a problem. I didn't read the rules on the Connecting Threads blog when I entered and their giveaway was for Americans only. So..... anyone from the US want to help a girl out? I'd love to find a volunteer, someone that could have the book shipped to them then I'd paypal them the money to ship it to me. You could even keep it for a few weeks to read it yourself. Any volunteers???

Oh, and I just remembered something else that was really lucky about today. I was out for a hike with the dog when I thought we stumbled across a grizzly! Turned out it was a cow, which should have been a dead giveaway since it was with about 12 other cows. So, Bea and I, and those cows, are awfully lucky it wasn't a bear!

xox,
C

Another done - Loulouthi tiles!

2011-06-29T15:59:00.000-07:00

I probably squealed when I saw Anna Maria Horner's latest line, Loulouthi. And immediately ordered a fat quarter set from Brenda at Pink Castle Fabrics. I had a few ideas for these huge prints but wasn't quite happy with any of them until I came across Stitched in Color's Loulouthi Tiles pattern.

Just what I needed! Simple, stunning, and fast. Seriously, if you don't have any demanding kids/husband/pets around, you could buy your fabric in the morning and have the top done by bedtime. Mine was pieced over 2 days, with breaks for hiking, visits to the beach, wrangling with the realtor, and the occasional shower. Ummm, and a lot of internet. Probably 6 solid hours of sewing, maybe 5.

I switched Rachel's pattern up a bit, adding a column and a row to make a queen size top. I also had to decrease the block size by 1" for everything but the sashing since I had fat quarters and could squeeze 10 1/2" squares out of them but there was no way I was getting 11 1/2" squares. I also added a few smaller blocks, subdividing my 10" squares down into four 4 1/2" squares. And rather than a straight white border I cut my border across the width of the fabric and joined the pieces with random width scraps of Loulouthi.

Rachel provides a great layout diagram for the 3 different sizes on her blog, and while some might say it's overkill, I made up a sheet for myself for my layout. I actually really recommend it. While the pattern is easy it can be difficult to remember exactly where each bit goes and drawing it out yourself really nails it into your brain.

So that's it, one more top done. I need more fabric!!

I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging in the next little while. We've sold our house, or almost, and the possession date is very, very soon (the 15th!). So I'm going to be doing lots of packing and not much sewing. And then moving in with my parents while we look for a new home! Eeep! Wish me luck!

xox,

Prince Charming top done!

2011-06-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yay, another top done! I was so excited about this line I wanted to jump on a project with it right away. I forced myself to finish a few other things first, but I've been sewing away on this exclusively the past few days and I'm so happy it's done. I'm still completely obsessed with Prince Charming and can't wait to plan my next project with it!

I don't have a sewing room right now so I thought everyone would get a laugh out of my spralled all over the living room/dining room shot. Cutting takes case in the kitchen, of course!

And because of my extraordinary math and drafting skills, I'd planned this quilt to have an extra 5 rows of zigs, which would have brought it to 136" long! They'll be incorporated into the back instead, which should result in a pretty awesome back! But that's tomorrow's project.

ribbit,

Define white

2011-06-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

I generally order my fabric online, both for price and selection issues. When I ordered the fabric for my Tula Pink Prince Charming quilt I had a bit of a brain spasm and didn't order anywhere near enough white cotton. With the postal workers locked out and no other projects on the go (ok, I've started the Loulouthi tiles, but that needs white, too), I knew I had to go local. So the other day I ventured out to my LQS with a sample of the white I'd ordered and had started using. Now I've got to admit my LQS is pretty good. Katja, the owner, is really supportive of the local quilters, and has a lot in stock, including my beloved aurifil thread. But the stock is a lot more country than I prefer, with an emphasis on Moda's more traditional lines.

At this point you're probably thinking, blargh, blargh, blargh, get to the point already. Ok, the point I'm here to make is that white is not always white! That Freespirit designer solids white sample that I brought in was dayglo, shiny bright compared to the whites they had! The closest we could find was a Moda, but it's still pretty cream toned in comparison. Don't believe me? Here's a bunch of photos showing the Freespirit white, Kona snow (which is almost a dead match, maybe a touch bluer) and the Moda white. Moral of the story: buy enough white so you don't have to try to match it!

keep your whites white and your brights bright,
C

An admission and a cake

2011-06-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

a wedding cake I made based on an Amy Butler fabric

I can do a lot of things. I can make a wedding cake from scratch. I can make a quilt. I can do minor surgery on myself (but won't again, ouch!).

I can't for the life of me coil a stinking electric chord. F.

xox,
C

Hope Valley top done!

2011-06-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

Boo yeah! I am so happy to have this finished! I really love the whole design process, the cutting of the fabric, the completion of the first blocks. I don't so much love finishing things. And, yeah, I know it's not finished until it's quilted, but for me, getting to a finished top is pretty impressive. So, without further ado, some Hope Valley porn.

And because it's not a quilt shot, without a cat, here's Tron looking sassy. Rowwr!

I've entered this top in Clover & Violet's Stash Project of the Month. If you buy the fabric for one project then abandon that one and start something new months later, it's stash, right? Right!

rock on,
C

May bee block

2011-06-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Oh, I am so behind on this! I just could not come up with an idea, and I'm still not that happy with what I produced. I guess I'm just not as good at thinking creatively as I thought I was. Boo.

Anyway, the challenge was to use the large plaid print for a picnic themed block. Does mine fit the bill? I hope so! Originally I'd thought to add an applique ant but couldn't find any black solid other than a nasty poly. So no ants at this picnic, sorry! As soon as the postal strike is over, I'll get this in the mail, though.

As far as the block design goes, this was the first time in years that I'd done something with half square triangles and I tried the sew big and trim down technique for the first time. Man do I hate that technique! All the stupid trimming. Blah! So not for me. Props to everyone out there who does lots of hst work. Yup, I'm talking to you Rita and Jeni!

And just because, here's a shot of the cedar waxwings wreaking havoc in our cherry tree. I don't mind so much that they eat the fruit, but the little buggers are loud and don't stop squawking until about 11!

ciao bellas,
C

Go Canucks go!

2011-06-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Because I'm sick and tired of hockey and if you don't win this one we're going to game 7 and that means more hockey. Please, win already.

In quilty news...

Progress occurs on my Hope Valley quilt. It's going to be big, big, big. King sized in fact. Hopefully the top will be done by the end of the week. I just have to keep taking the dog out on massive 2 hour hikes to keep her tired and quiet!

In other news, I have a massive bruise on my butt and keep trying to take photos that don't involve too much crack. It's just not happening, though! But at 38 I've finally learned the lesson that polished wood stairs and socks are not a good match. I fell on Thursday and still can't sleep on my back! If it were anyone else I'd be, aww, you poor thing. But since it's me, I'm all, dude, I have the hugest bruise on my ass!! Yup, I'm officially a moron.

keep safe, yo,

C

52 weeks, 52 lists

2011-06-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today I will...

June bee blocks

2011-06-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, I feel awful about this. I just finished my June bee block and I haven't done my May one yet. I was just so inspired by this one but can't come up with anything for the May block. So bad, I know. Anyway, June's was inspired by this post on Comfort Stitching and was a blast. Yay!

adios yo,
C

Dog days

2011-06-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

I've never quite understood the phrase the dog days of summer. But I guess if it means those days that are so hot the dog spends the entire day panting behind the couch, we're there. Although she did take enough time out from being prostrate to destroy a spool of thread. So maybe it's not as hot as I thought.

I've finished the blocks for my Hope Valley quilt but just can't bring myself to start cutting and sewing the sashing. So I've started something new. Of course.

A zig zag quilt using Prince Charming. Something cool and refreshing in shades of olive, honey, aqua, and navy. With raindrops. Joy!


I think I need a dress in this print

adios yo,
C

On grease and lint

2011-06-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm a little behind on my blog reading. Last night I spotted a post over on I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts on maintaining and oiling your sewing machine. Now, I thought I was pretty good about maintaining my machine. I clean out the lint after every bobbin. I dust the whole thing every once in a while. But I've never had it serviced and I've never oiled it. Have I mentioned this thing is about 15 years old? I don't know if that's testament to Berninas or what, but my machine is still happy, still going strong, and now, oiled. If you're in the same boat, check out Ryan's post and the awesome video he's linked to.

ciao bellas,
C

Hope Valley

2011-06-02T11:08:00.000-07:00

I find when I'm really stressed that I have to start new projects. Kinda crazy, but that's how I roll. So with the house sale dragging on and the husband moved out I've started a new quilt. Yup, the 6 or so on the go aren't enough.

Handkerchief Corners by philistine made

After ignoring Hope Valley for ages I finally decided about 2 months that I desperately needed some and ordered a fat quarter bundle. The initial plan was to make the quilt above.

Fruit Salad from 107 Quilts

But then I saw this one and everything changed.

I'm making big blocks, 22" across, then cutting them down. The plan is for 16 of the big blocks, resulting in 64 10" blocks after the trim. I'm a little over half done, and getting a little panicked about fabric. I have strips on the coffee table, on the couch, in the fruit bowl. I'm pretty sure I have enough! No tv tonight, I want these beasties finished.

And speaking of beasties, Miss Beatrice decided to try on a my underwear yesterday. Tres chic, yes?

smooches,
C

Winner... And not in a Charlie kind of way

2011-05-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who entered, it was so cool to hear from all of you! I've got a huge list of new blogs to check out and hopefully some new readers and friends. Seriously I know no one other than our realtor where we're moving. I need friends and I'm not so proud that I won't beg or bribe!

Anyway, the winner is #52, Jamie. And I checked, not my husband Jamie. So Jamie, again, not husband, I've emailed you. To Jamie husband, yeah, I'll start dinner in a bit.

So did you win anything in this round of the SMS giveaways? I didn't. Or at least don't think I did. Don't forget to check those spam folders just in case! I was thinking it might be cool to set up a little swap just for peeps who didn't win anything. Let me know what you think and maybe we can set something up.

Much love,
C

Sew Mama Sew giveaway day

2011-05-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Monday is Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day and I'm excited to be participating. I've got a bundle of vintage Amy Butler fat quarters up for grabs. I'll post a photo in the morning as I've got a bit of a dodgy tummy right now and barely any light.

To enter, just leave a comment. No skill testing questions required, though I'd love it if you'd leave a link to one of your favourite blogs. It's always great to find new ones! The draw is open to anyone, anywhere. I'll draw the winner on the 26th, capping entries at noon pacific. Good luck!

C

Checking in

2011-05-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I have one post for the entire month! Our house is on the market and between the stress of lots of viewings but no offers and having to keep our place spic and span for all those viewings, I haven't been doing much sewing. But I've got a few things on the go, and I thought you might like to know where they're at.

My bundle of Denyse Schmidt's Picnic and Fairgrounds arrived and I think I cut into it that same day. I'm going to be writing this quilt up as a pattern, so this is just a sneak peek.

I've cut all my yellows for my big hexagon quilt. And started sewing them, which is no fun. Lots of set in seams!

And finally I've been doing lots of hand stitching of hexies.

I'm making a throw, or at least that's the plan. No idea yet on the size, I'll probably just keep going until I get fed up. For now, I'm sewing the hexies into flowers, which I'll sew together once I have more assembled.

Snip, snip, stitch, stitch.

C

Loulouthi giveaway

2011-05-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

I think I've got a bit of carpal tunnel going on from obsessively reading twitter during quiltmarket. Or should I say #quiltmarket. For me one of the big winners coming out of it was Anna Maria's Loulouthi. And not just because I have a cat named Lulu. This line is a ridiculously gorgeous explosion of colour and pattern. And florals. Big, lush, florals! It reminds me a lot of early prints, really early prints. Stuff from the late 1700s early 1800s with their slightly wacky colour schemes and bold patterns. But updated. Anyway, it's love.

So Brenda from Just A Bit Frayed and Pink Castle Fabrics is giving away a bundle of five half yard pieces, and I'm going to win, I tell you! At least I hope I'm going to! And what would I pick if I did? It's hard, right? Well, I've narrowed it to these 5:

But I'm still going to be ordering at least a fat quarter bundle and a bit of yardage of that stellar stylized floral. I'm thinking of using them for a version of this:

borrowed from Pat Sloan's blog

Want to enter yourself? Just click on the badge below to head on over to Brenda's blog:

ciao,

C

We have a winner!

2011-04-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who entered! The winner as drawn by random.org is:

Bunny who said "How about a postage stamp quilt with graduated colour?"

It's been wonderful hearing from so many people and getting so many cool quilt suggestions. I've loved looking at all the links and have added so many quilts to my must make list as a result. You guys rock!

xox,
C

Come on prince!

2011-04-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I'm excited about this fabric line??? Yeah, I'm excited! This is what I'm thinking so far:

The tunic pattern is from Sew Liberated and looks so easy. Happy Find added a great ruffle in a tutorial here. And AMH's study hall skirt looks like the perfect way to rock 2 of the prints at once.

I know I'll make at least one quilt with these gorgeous prints, and one of them is going to be a stacked books style. This one I nabbed from ellesquare's fab flickr photo stream.

air kisses,

C

Oh, Tula

2011-04-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

How could you? The new line is just too gorgeous. I want it all, and it's just not fair! If you haven't checked out Tula Pink's facebook or blog lately, her new fabric line is Prince Charming and it is awesomepants. Seriously. I think I'm going to need to knock over an atm.

Prince Charming Coral Scheme from Tula Pink originally uploaded to facebook by Tula Pink

Coral. You don't know this but I have a coral problem. I probably own at least 15 coral blushes, the same for gloss and lipstick. And it's hard to find a good coral print. I will be hoarding these.

Prince Charming Honey Scheme from Tula Pink originally uploaded to facebook by Tula Pink

Honey. Oh, baby! That floral on the white background with the silhouettes of dragonflies? I want to cry.

Prince Charming Indigo scheme from Tula Pink. Originally uploaded to facebook by Tula Pink.

Indigo. I think I like the raindrops in this version the best. And that honeycomb!

Prince Charming Olive scheme by Tula Pink. Originally uploaded to facebook by Tula Pink.

Olive. This one might be my favorite colour scheme. Or not. I doubt I'll actually be able to make up my mind with this one.

Prince Charming voiles by Tula Pink. Originally uploaded to facebook by Tula Pink

Voiles. Sigh. I love voiles! I was scared at first but AMH converted me. I think I need blouses in all of these.

Prince Charming laminates by Tula Pink. Originally uploaded to facebook by Tula Pink.

Laminates. I might just be crazy enough to attempt a raincoat.

If you just count the quilting weights, that's 30 different fabrics! Wow, I think someone deserves a week at the beach or at least a stiff drink and a foot rub.

Air kisses,
C

Impulse shopping and a giveaway!

2011-04-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of local quilt shops but neither have a good selection of modern prints or solids. So most of my shopping is done online and I'll admit I don't have the most restraint when it comes to shopping online. Which brings me to today's dilemma. I bought this beautiful bundle of kona greens, but green really isn't my thing. Decor wise I love blues with pops of pink and orange for contrast. The rest of my fabric stash falls firmly in the pink/orange/yellow range. Greens? What was I thinking?

What also arrived in the mail was my Spoonflower Heather Ross fabric. I wasn't too sure about the grasshopper print when I ordered it, but now I love it and wish I'd bought more. And the little girl with her horseys is HR perfection. And this brings us to the giveaway. Yup, a fat quarter of each.

How do you enter? The first part of my post should be a strong hint. All you need to do is leave me a suggestion of what to make with those greens. And for a second chance to win, follow me and let me know about it. Easy peasey.


clockwise from top left: The Poseidon Quilt from Red Pepper Quilts, Sherbet Dreams from Kate Conklin Designs, Something I've come up with, Ice Cream for All #2 from Helen Richards Quilts

These are a few of the designs I'm considering for those greens, but I'm open to any and all inspiration. And because I'm a meany, if you don't suggest something in your comment, you're out of the running. Yup, I'm just like that.

salut,
C

ps wow, can't believe I forgot to mention that I'll draw a name Sunday morning.

Victoria

2011-04-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

The original plan was to visit my parents and grandmother here in Victoria for a few days. Jamie had a conference, I'm unemployed, it's perfect timing. I'd go for long walks with the dog and put together a blog post about the quilt scene.

Apparently Beatrice (the dog) had other plans,though. Saturday morning we rushed her to the vet. She had been vomiting since 6 am and since she'd only been home two weeks from having 2 gastro surgeries after a swallowed piece of tennis ball, we were worried. And when it went from just vomit to vomiting blood then blood diarrhea we were even more worried. I spent an agonizing 4 days while Bea was in intensive care at the animal hospital, wracked with a bacterial infection. She's better, or at least on the mend enough to come home now, and playing up every minute of it. I'm adjusting to having 8 alarms on my iPod for her various meds and she's adjusting to a muzzle so she doesn't eat any rotting garbage on walks. Ugh. So nothing quilty to post, but I do have some fun instagram shots of our trip.

Denyse Schmidt at Jo-ann's

2011-04-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

from Westwood Acres on etsy

Have you heard? Denyse Schmidt has a new line of fabric exclusively at Jo-ann Fabrics. Since we don't have Jo-ann's in Canada, or at least in my corner of it (not sure about the rest of the country) I jumped on the chance to buy a bundle on etsy. I think etsy, ebay, and flickr are going to be hopping with these prints and I can't wait to get my hands on mine. Woot!

adios,yo,
C

Spoonflower love

2011-04-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm in Victoria visiting my parents for a few days and while I'm busily taking photos and enjoying the fact that it is truly spring here on Vancouver Island. The birds are singing, the magnolias and daffs are blooming, and it's warm and sunny. Thank you BCLA (some sort of library association) for making us come down!

In the mean time I thought I'd show some of the fabrics I'm drooling over on Spoonflower.

To start, fabric by June Jewell. I'm completely in love with her botanicals, but she does some pretty amazing other stuff, too. She has a gorgeous calender print and a ridiculously awesome converse design. Go, look, buy!

adios,yo

Modern Relief Japan

2011-04-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

Modern Relief Japan kicks off today and there are some amazing quilts involved. Modern Relief Japan is a group of quilters who came together via flickr over their grief for the devastation facing the Japanese people with the recent earthquakes, tsunami and nuclear disaster. Being quilters we decided the most appropriate thing to do would be to quilt. And not just quilt, sell tickets for the quilts made! So please, head over to Modern Relief Japan to get all the information, buy a raffle ticket (or tickets!), and see some of the gorgeous quilts on offer. Each Monday between today and May 16th a new batch of quilts will be profiled, so check back each week to see all the amazing work!

And how's my quilt for Modern Relief Japan going? Not too bad. I was hoping to get it pinned today but with plumbing issues, the husband at home and a dog who needed a tummy tuck (ok, her staples removed, but close enough), I just didn't get the time.

cheers,
C

More clues

2011-04-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

Have you figured it out yet?

How about now? It's the Picture Day pattern by Elizabeth Hartman. And while this is the back to her quilt, I love the idea so much I made it the front. If you haven't used one of Elizabeth's patterns before, I highly recommend them. I don't normally buy patterns because I can generally work out block piecing on my own. But this pattern is so well written and photographed that it was well worth the $8. And for that you get 2 designs and 2 variations, so really 4 patterns all together. Not bad at all!

Now I just need to finish sewing!

C

Progress on my quilt for Japan

2011-04-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

That stack from yesterday has been cut, sorted and sewn. Want to see the progress?

Can you guess where it's going? Tomorrow's post should make it much more obvious.

happy sewing,
C

New project

2011-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I pulled that pretty stack of prints as the jumping off point for my quilt for Modern Relief Japan. I did a little cutting and today I'll start the stitching and hopefully come Monday the quilting will start. Yay!

ciao,
Chelsea

April's bee block

2011-03-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hello! I can't believe March is almost over. I feel like I'm in a weird holding pattern. Waiting to move, waiting for the house to sell, trying not to make any messes. Yikes. At least the dog is back home. Beatrice got a chunk of tennis ball stuck in her intestine and had to have 2 surgeries, the second because the first didn't shut properly and she was leaking stomach contents into her abdomen. Yuck. Very unhappy dog. But she's doing well now and we're doing our best to keep her quiet, which is not the easiest with a young Chesie.

So not much of the quilt variety going on, but I did finish up my April bee block. I'm going to hang on to it for a few days before mailing it out because I'm a little unsure about the last round. I like the symmetry of the block with the centre and outer ring the same, but the outer ring might just be too wide. So it might get tweaked.

I made the treck out to Pritchard, a small town about 45 minutes away today and Di-versity Quilting Supplies. It's a tiny little shop with a really interesting mix, lots of batiks, repros, Kaffes, and a smattering of modern prints. I picked up a big stack of old Amy Butlers and two yards each of Wishing Flowers in grey and blue. I've been looking for this fabric forever and can't believe I got my hands on it! It's kind of painful paying Canadian prices for this, but that print is so yummy. They had almost full bolts of each it was hard not to buy more. No purple, though.

Fat stash bee March

2011-03-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in a flickr bee, the fat stash bee, and this month we made house blocks for Rebecca.

Rebecca sent out a fat quarter of the rusty circle print to everyone and we had free rein to make a house or farm block for her. Kind of ironic since we're in the midst of selling our house and looking for another one, so all I seem to do is look at and think about houses all day.

I haven't made any pictoral blocks before so this was a stretch for me. I do have a ton of experience drafting patterns so that was the easy bit. And Rebecca said we could go wonky so I wasn't too worried about having to colour in the lines. I hope you like it Rebecca!

ciao,
C

Vintage flower garden

2011-03-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there! Sorry I haven't been around much. I've been feeling a little blah about starting anything new after finishing my single girl top. And the husband just got a new job. In a new town. So we're moving. I'm super excited, but this will be the 3rd move in 3 years. And I'll miss our beautiful house, which looks extra nice right now because we've been tidying and styling for the listing photos.

I'm also going through all my books, my fabric, my old projects, trying to purge. It's hard, especially with the old quilt tops that I'm no longer in love with but that will make great practice pieces once I get my longarm. It will be pricey to move them, cheaper to just buy cheap sheets or poly to practice on, but, justifying here, doesn't it make more sense to practice on actual quilts, which is what I'll be quilting.

Anyway. I wanted to show an incomplete top I won't be getting rid of. My mum started this before I was born! It's full of beautiful Liberty and Laura Ashley fabrics, and lots of memories. I've added a few flowers, some I wish I could remove, and started sewing them together in high school. Maybe I'll finish it some day!

To all you modern selvedge users, check out my mum. She was using selvedge in the early 70s! Yup, I'm that old!

And personally I love her hexie technique. No basting, just tape the edges down. I wonder which is better environment wise, tape or thread? But at leas the papers are all recycled - those are the flash cards I learned to read and do my sums with! Almost as much as an heirloom as the quilt I'd say.

Rock on rock soldiers,
C