BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN (Sing It)!

For some reason (not sure why) I seem to lose my momentum for making quilts around this time of the year.  Maybe it's because of the craft fairs I did in November and the busyness of Christmas!  Anyway, I got this stack put together a few weeks ago...

 

 

I've been collecting Ann Kelle prints for a while.  (I think there are some others in there as well.) I added in a few coordinating polka dots and ginghams and started cutting....

 

 

Here are the finished blocks and trimmings

 

 

I never know what to do with these.  I don't like to throw them away but they're pretty tiny! Anyway, here's a peak at the finished top...

 

 

Yup...Another snowball quilt! This one is kind of an I-Spy. I made one of these last year for my shop and I loved it! I don't really enjoy the process of making these quilts, but I think it's what I needed to get going again - something I didn't really have to think about - just a little mindless sewing. I have a coordinating pink polka dot for the back. Looking forward to getting this one done! (For anyone who is interested, I cut my squares at 5" and the corner squares were cut at 2".)

 

Hmmmmm!

I found these at my LQS yesterday...

 

 

I couldn't resist them! Aren't they cute?  I've been wanting to get my hands on this line for a while.  I think the yardage comes out early next year!  My only problem is....what to do with 84 of these little 2 1/2 inch squares!  I'm not sure why I only bought two...I guess I'll just have to stare at them until something comes to mind.  Feel free to pass on any ideas!

 

ANOTHER FINISH!

After starting to quilt a little over five years ago, I soon became frustrated with the limited availability and variety of fabric locally.  I just couldn't seem to get the fabric to create the quilts I wanted to make.  Fortunately, I discovered Etsy and all the fabulous fabric available online!  Mendocino was (I think) the first fabric I bought online!  I quickly made a quilt from it (which I sold at a craft fair), but couldn't decide what to do with the rest.  It sat in my stash for years until I pulled it out a few weeks ago. I had pretty much decided to destash it in my shop but then decided I couldn't part with it and just to go ahead and make another quilt.  Anyway, here's what I came up with...

 

 

Making this quilt made me realize how much I love this fabric and I'm so glad I hung onto it!  Here's  the back...

 

 

I thought it would look cute with just one little fussy-cut block with the mermaid and the little girl swimming together!  This little quilt is going with me to the craft fair on Sunday. I kind of hope it doesn't sell!

I'm linking up again today to Amanda Jean!

 

A Year of Quilts!

It's been a little quiet on the blog lately.  I'm getting ready for the first of two Christmas (yes, Christmas) craft fairs.  I have 31 quilts for sale and hopefully most of them will go!  The first one is this weekend and the next one is three weeks later!  I'm in the process of labelling everything and getting it all packed up.  And, if anyone has ever wondered how I came up with the name for my shop, here's your answer...

 

 

I turned my back for three seconds...He just can't resist a pile of quilts!  Looks like some of these will need to be re-washed. Thanks, Stewart!  For those of you who are local, the craft fair is this Sunday (November 4) at St. Thomas Aquinas in North Van!  See you there!



FRIDAY FINISH!

What to do with a piece of fabric too cute to cut up...Make one of these...

 

 

A whole cloth baby quilt!  This print is so cute I just couldn't bear to cut into it! I also tried a new binding method...

 



 

This is the first time I have machine-stitched the binding.  I found quite a few tutorials with different methods but ended up using the one I found here. It was a bit fiddly but I like the fact that the stitching is so secure and the quilt can stand up to many washings!  I'll definitely be doing this again with this adorable fabric...

 

 

Another Alexander Henry print - Flea Market Friends!  Isn't it sweet.

This was purchased in Bellingham yesterday along with this...

 

 

I see a little pouch made from this!

 

I'm linking up (again) with Amanda Jean for Finish It Up Friday (wow, two weeks in a row)!

 

FRIDAY FINISH (FOR REAL THIS TIME)!

Just finished up this fun little quilt this afternoon (in time to link up with Friday Finish at Crazy Mom Quilts!

 

I love how quickly this came together with the giant blocks (see previous post)!  I was anxious to try a new FMQ pattern...

 

 

I'm calling this 'organic boxy stippling'.  It's certainly not perfect, but it was great to try something other than my usual meandering! You can see it a little better in this photo...

 

 

I used Kona chartreuse for the back hoping it would show the quilting (which might have been a mistake)! This is why I added 'organic' to 'boxy stippling' - in other words, less than perfect! Overall, I like the look of it and will definitely give it another try in the future!  The inspiration for this quilt came from here! All fabrics in this quilt were from my stash (except for the back)! I love making a quilt from what I already have on hand!  Perhaps I should try a girl's version. Hmmm!



JUST SOME STUFF I'M WORKING ON...

Here's a few projects in the works.

 

 

These blocks are HUGE!  They finish at 12 1/2 inches. They are the biggest blocks I have ever made!  What's nice though is that I only have to make 12 to get a nice-sized little baby quilt!  I've always thought I didn't like big blocks, but I'm loving these!

 

And, I can't wait to cut into these...

 

 

Chum Chum Bear! Isn't it cute...and so different from the blocks above! This is one of the things I love about quilting...all the variety of fabric to choose from!  It's never-ending! 

 

And, just to prove (again) that I actually do make quilts, here's a recent finish for my shop!

 

 

Not the best picture, but you get the idea!

Now, off to make some peanut butter cookies with a new recipe - perfect for the fall!

 

FINISH IT UP FRIDAY!

 

Well...almost! I finished up this little quilt this afternoon (except for the binding)!

 

 

I really like the way this turned out!  It was pretty quick to put together with a charm pack of Bungle Jungle and a few borders!

 

Also, check out this fabulous sewing machine...

 

 

This picture was taken in a museum in Icy Strait Point, a tiny little town in Alaska we visited on our recent cruise!  You can't tell from the picture, but this machine was HUGE, probably the biggest sewing machine I have ever seen! I assume it was an industrial machine in its day!

 

A LONG BREAK!

I knew it had been a while since I last posted but I didn't know it had been this long!  Not a lot of sewing around here lately. We had a hot spell and I couldn't face sitting at the sewing machine.  I did manage to get these made, though...



 

These are a custom order for my shop! These little patchwork quilts were done the "hard way" meaning no strip piecing. Each  2 1/2 inch square was cut (a total of 588) and painstakingly stitched together!  I do love patchwork quilts but I think it will be a while before I make another!

These took up a lot of my time and I'm looking forward to getting started on something new!

 

A QUICKIE!!!

Just a quick post..I finally had a chance to get some work done on these...

Aren't they cute!!! I found a great tutorial for these mini blocks here!  I made one block quite a few weeks ago and finally had a chance to get some more done!  Can't wait to get this top sewn together!  Do I dare attempt some hand quilting on this one?

Now, back to men's synchronized diving!  Oh yah!!!



Cooling Off!

We're home from our week away in Osoyoos!  I tried to post this picture while we were there but the Internet connection was sketchy and I wasn't having much luck!  Anyway, here it is...

This is Spotted Lake located just outside Osoyoos!  Fancy a dip!  No thanks!  It's actually a local attraction. We stopped on our way to Osoyoos so I could take some pictures of it!  We met some really nice people from Idaho who were also checking it out!  Let me tell you, it was HOT HOT HOT!!! The entire week was HOT HOT HOT - close to 100 degrees!  I took lots of projects with me but only managed to get the binding done on this quilt...



 

If memory serves, I photographed some quilts in the same tree last year!  I had two other quilts with me that I wanted to finish but it was just TOO HOT!!!

 

Here's a few pictures of some fabric I picked up during the week...

 

LOVE this...

So vintagey!!! Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but I couldn't resist it!





 

This one is for my Halloween quilt!

 

 

WE'RE HERE!!!

We're finally here - our annual trip to beautiful, sunny, warm Osoyoos!!! My fabulous new camera is up and running.  Here's one of the shots I took on the trip up...

This beautiful little church is near Hedley!  We pulled over to the side of the highway and I used my zoom lens to capture this image.  My mom loved seeing this church every year on the drive up and drive home!  This one's for you mom!

Resistance is Futile!

I caved...

When I first started quilting, I'm pretty sure Flea Market Fancy wasn't available, or at least only at astronomical prices on Ebay or Etsy!  I liked it and thought how great it would be to have a quilt made with it!  When I heard that it was being re-released I was pretty excited realizing I might actally be able to get some of this great fabric and make myself a quilt!  Well...my excitement waned a little. You know how it goes... forbidden fruit! In the end I gave in and decided to take the plunge!

I actually got this from a Canadian online shop - Mad About Patchwork. I figured it was time to spread the wealth in my own country.  My order was perfect and arrived pretty quick. In fact, I paid regular shipping and for some reason was upgraded to expedited at considerable cost to the seller!  I got the entire line in FQ plus some yardage to make a little baby quilt plus one for ME!!!!!  I'm looking at patterns but may just stay with simple patchwork. I can't wait to cut into this great fabric!

In other news, I've been working with this...

Isn't it pretty!  It's Bella Butterfly!  I ordered this quite a while ago and was waiting until I found the perfect pattern. The prints are so gorgeous and I didn't want to cut them into small pieces.  I found a great pattern I already had on hand.  Here it is all cut up...

I think this one is going to come together pretty quick!  I'll post a picture of the top when it's done!

Snowballs in June!!!

Not really!   I mean THIS kind of snowball...

I finished this little quilt last night and I LOVE it!!! I was worried it was too traditional (see previous post) but I really like it. I didn't enjoy sewing all those little squares onto the corners but I really like the look of this quilt!  I think I'll be making this one again. It's going into the shop!

Now, for something really out of my comfort zone...

I picked up a ton of these almost 10" squares at a pound sale at my LQS shop a few months ago.  Wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but the prints are so cute I couldn't resist ( I think they might be Lecien).  Anyway, I found a tutorial for these cute little 'mini' granny squares and made up a sample...

The blocks are supposed to finish at 6 1/2" but mine is actually closer to 6 1/8".  After seeing these blocks everywhere I'm glad I gave it a try - I think it's adorable. I spent about an hour this afternoon fussy cutting the centre squares.  I can't wait to see how this one turns out! It's so different from anything I've ever made.  I'm hoping to do a combination of machine quilting and hand quilting.  My last attempt at hand quilting was far from successful. My plan is to machine stitch in the ditch each block and then do some hand quilting in each little square. I'll keep you posted on this one! Wish me luck. 

Evolution of a Quilt!

This is why I love making quilts...

 I love turning this...

into this...

into these...

and finally, into this...

I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out.  I modified the blocks a little - they didn't have doors and I thought they looked a little too plain.  I'll definitely make these little houses again but I might try my hand at paper piecing them.

Here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on now...

I made these blocks ages ago.  I wasn't in love with them and put them away. I thought they were a little too traditional for me. In an effort to complete some half-finished projects I dug them out and decided that I really do like them.  Hopefully, I'll be able to show you the finished quilt soon!



A FEW FINISHES (AT LAST)!!!

Finally, here's a few finishes!



I finally got around to making this cute little quilt from the pieces of Children at Play I got at the pound sale from my LQS.  I added in some of my 'stash' fabrics (love using that stash) and bought some of the coordinating polka dots for the borders.  The back is also a coordinating print (little boys flying kites)!  I'm so glad I made a quilt from this fabric - I just loved it when it came out! It's listed in my shop!

Next...

This cute little quilt was made with a pattern I bought here!  I did modify the pattern a little as I didn't have a charm pack on hand that I thought would work. The best thing about this quilt...it's made entirely from fabric I had on hand.  I didn't buy anything!  The pattern was great and it came together really quick.  I've used a few of Kate's patterns previously and they're wonderful to work with!  Here's a photo of the back (which I think I love just as much)!



This little quilt is also listed in my shop!

Now, onto some more patchwork!

OOPS!

I didn't realize my last post was almost a month ago!  My sincere apologies to my readers (all three of you)!  Anyway...we finally got down to Portland last week. I managed to visit one (yes, only one) fabric shop, but came away with some gorgeous fabric...



Stewart just had to get in the pictures...



He looks a little drunk in this one!

This picture has nothing to do with quilting.  It just happened to be the largest strawberry I have ever seen - it was delicious, too!  The apple is for reference (sorry about the glare)! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the box - it was HUGE!

Here are a few pictures of my current WIPs...

This one is pinned and ready for quilting!

This one is in the lineup for some hand stitching!



WHO KNEW...

I never thought this would become my favourite part about quilting.  I love building fabric stacks! I picked up a few odd pieces of Children at Play in the boy colourway at a pound sale at my LQS.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them but I have always loved this fabric and have never bought any.  I didn't want to cut them up too small as the prints are so cute!  I decided to go with a simple patchwork quilt and rummaged through my recently organized stash!  I actually came up with what I think are quite a few coordinating prints!  I wanted to use the turquoise dots at the bottom for the backing but I don't have enough.  I should be able to put something together from what I have (I loved pieced backings)! I'll post a picture when I have the quilt top done!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!