Some Friday Finishes...

Christmas is a time where your work in progress list goes out the window and a bunch of new things get made instead.  A mad rush of Christmas makes.  I made a couple of pillows on the weekend.  Pillows go together quickly and I am quite pleased with the outcome.  I have this thing where I like the back of a pillow to be quite firm so I tend to look for home decor weight fabric or something like that for the pillow backs.  It doesn't always work that way but I prefer it for some reason.  I found something fun in my pile of non-quilting fabric and it was just the perfect back for these pillows.  It is a black and white tweed suit or coat weight fabric.  Envelope back.  Done like dinner.  I was going to do buttonholes but I interfaced the part of the pillow back that overlaps and the double thickness of the fabric made it quite thick and I was having to fiddle too much on the test buttonhole so I just went without.  They look just great without too and the envelope back closes nicely.  Phew!  I think that if I was in the mood, a bound buttonhole would have done the trick but I don't think I have done those since sewing class in high school!

Linking up with Amanda Jean for finish it up Friday!

I do know how to bake

I had the card ladies over for Whist the other night.  Husband made the meal but I made the dessert.  I have had to defend my ability to create things in the kitchen lately.  I don't get a lot of baking time but I do know how to do a few things.  I made an apple crisp to take to a friend's a week or so ago.  Everyone was enjoying it.  It was quite yummy.  Someone made the comment that my husband sure knows how to make an apple crisp.  I said, "Hey!  I made that."  He is a fabulous cook.  But I digress.  This is a Pear and Almond Tart.  I made it.

Enter the Smitten Kitchen.  If you do not know about the Smitten Kitchen, you need to check out her blog.  She has also just released her first book.  I found this recipe on her blog and I made it.  It had a lot of steps but I just had a feeling that it would be worth it.  The ladies were over.  We had dinner.  We played a few rounds of cards before dessert.  I took a serving of the tart down to Husband who was banished to the family room.  He took a bite and had a certain look in his eye.  I knew that look.  It meant, "Wow!  This is wonderful."  You know.  That look.  I ran back upstairs and served the tart to my card ladies.  One of my buddies took the first bite and groaned while rolling her eyes.  You know.  That sound, those eyes.

You have to try this.  It is worth it.  So good.  Pear and Almond Tart.  The Smitten Kitchen.  Heaven on a plate.

Linking up with Cindy at a Colorful Life for Random Thursday.

Work In Progress Wednesday....

Eeek!  This is the best work in progress!  My new wall of shelves in the sewing room are done and filled up! The only thing missing is the drawer handles which just arrived today.  That is why the drawers are all slightly open.  Oh, this just makes me so happy!  I have dedicated thread drawers and another drawer just for everything related to packaging, labelling and stuff.  Oh, bliss!  You will notice some fabric here but my stash is around the corner in its own space and away from direct sunlight.  Did you notice all my scrap boxes?

Okay, back to quilting.
1)  I have made no progress on my Another Star quilt and no progress on
2)  my Proverbial Sunshine quilt.  EEEK!  I have to get busy.
3)  I did make some pillows for Christmas gifts
4) And I made a little zippy pouch and a big one for a swap so I was sewing but on random fun stuff.

One more picture of my sewing space from the stairs... I have a lot of space.  Next up is a giant design wall. Husband has made design wall junior for me already which replaces the thumb tacked flannelette on the wall.  Design Wall senior will be a grand 96" by 96".  Squeal!  No more design bed or floor!!!!!

Linking up with Work in Progress Wednesday and the Needle and Thread Network!

Will you look at this?

I am putting myself through zipper boot camp.  The time has come for me to cowboy up and deal with some zippers.  How cute is the pouch?  It is tiny as you can see from the scale addition of the loonies and Mr. Stitch Ripper.  Check out the tiny cross hatch quilting too.  Just for fun.  A wee change purse I think.  

And the fabulous tutorial is here.    Erin Erickson is the lady behind the blog Dog Under My Desk.  She has some great tutorials and she is all about zippers, let me tell you.  

Here's the back.  Snazzy!

Sara at Sew Sweetness has lots to say about zippers too.  Check it out!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story!

Scrappy Swap Package Arrived!!!

Oh my goodness!!!!!  How pretty is this????  Eeek!  What a lovely pouch!  But wait... you have to see the inside!  It is pretty too.  And scrappy!

and the back is all texty goodness.  I am most happy!  Deanna aka.  Principiessa (in the flickr world) has been hard at work on this beauty.

Then came the scraps.  Mmm, yummy!  Do you see the lovely treasure sitting happily in the pile of scraps?  Deanna sent me this lovely Christmas ornament... hand painted in the Netherlands because she grew up in a very Dutch community.  Isn't it sweet?  My mother will be most jealous.  She loves Delft and blue and white!  Love it!  Thank you so much, Deanna!  Nothing like quilty mail to make your day!

You know what is really funny?  Deanna was my winner of the Anna Marie Horner bundle from the Canadian Blogathon.  Too funny!  We were destined to be scrappy partners!

Design Wall on a Sunday

I started making some pillow.  I cut a bunch of wee squares and made half square triangles.  I actually took the time to trim all the HSTs.  Seriously makes a huge difference.  These guys finished at 2.5" square after tirmming.  Then I threw the up on the wall until I had something that looked nice.  Sewed them together.  Not quite big enough so then I added another row all around a a bit of a border.  Sandwiched and ready for quilting.

I took the leftover squares and put together a plus pillow.   I added a wee border to it to bring it to the right size.  Sandwiched and ready for quilting.

These are destined for a Christmas gift so stop reading "you know who."  I don't think I am very good at keeping secrets.

And don't forget the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day is on December 3!!!!!!!!  I will have a giveaway for sure!!!!!

Linking up with Judy's Design Wall Monday.

Swap Pouch and it is done!

I had a goal that I would get this all ready to go today.  I signed up for the Modern Scrappy Bits Swap part 2.  I did a bit of lurking and thought I would make a zippy pouch for a "take on the go" sewing and stuff.  Or really for whatever my swap partner wishes to do with it.  I used a whack of sewing related scraps as you can see.  I am a bit zipper phobic but I put on my big girl pants and went for it.  I think I did okay.  At least I am smiling.  Then the scraps.  This was a lot of fun to put together and I hope they fit the bill!

Ready to go.  I even used a bit of fabric to make a wee Christmas card.  He he he!

Linking up with Amanda Jean at Finish it Up Friday!

Random Thursday

First of all... Happy Thanksgiving to all of our neighbours to the south.  I hope you are all having a lovely time with family.

And then I thought you should meet the wee mouse.  I knit this little fellow the other night.  I am not much of a knitter but I think this wee mouse is a cutie.

Look at how worn out my cutting mat is.  I have put a cutting mat on my Christmas list.  It is really uber scuzzy.

Did I mention that I broke my quarter inch foot?  Who does that?  Me, obviously.  I broke the little metal edge thingie right off of it.  That is what happens when you move your needle position and you forget when you change feet and you try to sew and then everything flies apart.  Yep.  It was not pretty.  No injuries.  Just the quarter inch foot.  Have you ever tried to piece blocks with a broken quarter inch foot?  It is like you are missing a finger.  That little thingie is really an important piece.

Linking up with Cindy for Random Thursday!

Work In Progress Wednesday!

1)  This is the most exciting work in progress.  Yep.  Another wall of shelves.  This one is directly behind my sewing table and will house all my sewing stuff.  You know.  Thread.  Buttons. Scrap boxes.   Stuff!  I even put a little framed sign that says Blueberry Patch on one of the shelves.  Husband says that I am staking my claim.  The drawers now have drawer faces and the primer is being applied as we speak.  Oh my goodness, I cannot wait!  I ordered some bin handles for the drawers last night!  

2)  I am still chugging away on the Another Star quilt.  It is has migrated to the design floor as it has outgrown the design bed.  I think I am almost there with only a few more blocks to make. 

3)  Proverbial Sunshine.  No progress.  The finished top needs a back and that just has not happened yet. 

4)  Modern Scrappy Bits Swap Part 2:  Partners have been assigned.  I have started pulling scraps but I have not decided what the handmade item will be.  I think I will take care of this on the weekend.  

5)  I have started some pillows too but I have absolutely no photos of those yet.  Oops!

Linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for Work In Progress Wednesday and the Needle and Thread Network.

If you haven't checked it out yet, the Canadian Quilters Connect Blogathon Canada is going on all week!

Sunday, November 18	Kick-off!	Michele	Quilting Gallery
Monday, November 19	BC	Felicity	Felicity Quilts
Monday, November 19	BC	Cathy	Blueberry Patch
Tuesday, November 20	NS	Jeanette	STAMP * STITCH * CREATE
Tuesday, November 20	NB	Holly	Through My Window
Wednesday, November 21	AB	Shena	Apple Pie Patchwork
Wednesday, November 21	SK	Patti	Retired to Quilt
Thursday, November 22	QC	Marika	Live, Laugh, Love... Sew
Thursday, November 22	MB	Heather	Church Avenue Quilts
Friday, November 23	YT	Vivian	Quilting Under the Midnight Sun
Friday, November 23	YT	Janet	Caribou Crossing Chronicles
Saturday, November 24	ON	Cathi	Quilt Obsession
Saturday, November 24	ON	Cara	Cara Quilts
Saturday, November 24	ON	Kaye	Miss Print

We have a winner!

 

Hi everyone!  Thank you so much for the great response to the Canadian Quilters Connect Blogathon, the brain child of Sew Sisters Quilt Shop.  I would like to welcome all the new followers who stopped to visit over the last day!  I encourage you to keep visiting as I do like to share the things I make.  There has been quite a bit of interest in the shelves my husband creates for me.  I suggested he do a tutorial for all the quilt husbands! 

It is too bad that there are still so many "no reply bloggers" out there.  I want you to know that I have taken the time to reply to all the people who have left comments except those who show up as "no reply" bloggers.  I try to find your email address but if you don't share it in your profile or in your comment, I cannot contact you!  So if you did not get a response from me, know that you are most likely a "no reply blogger." 

So without any further ado, the winner of this fabulous 6 metres of Anna Marie Horner, Innocent Crush is....  #139!!!!  and that is Deanna who lives in Alberta!  Congratulations Deanna!  I will send you an email!

Blogathon Canada!

Welcome to Blogathon Canada!  I am happy to welcome you to the Blueberry Patch. And a big thank you to Sew Sisters Quilt Shop for organizing all of this.  I been blogging for almost two years and have been enjoying quilting like crazy for about three years after a long, long break.  I am a self confessed fabric-aholic.  I live in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia and I do work full time as an elementary school principal.  I don't get much sewing done during the week but I make up for it on the weekends and during holidays!  My kids are all grown up.  I actually do live on a small blueberry farm next to the big woods in the country.  My husband is very supportive of my habit/hobby and just builds more shelves as I need them!  There are some shelves in progress as we speak!

the great wall of fabric!

If you have a look at around my blog, you will see that I have lots of quilt finishes under the tabs for both last year and this year.  I make mostly quilts.  Big ones, baby ones and throw quilts but I have been known to make other things too.  Pillows.  I make a lot of pillows.  I love scraps and love nothing better than to find a great bag of scraps at a quilt shop!  I have my scraps colour coded in shoe boxes.  I like to be organized.  

I am a happy member of the most fabulous Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild.  I currently have two quilts on the go.  My Proverbial Sunshine quilt and a quilt that so far is just called Another Star.  I tend to not have a lot of works in progress because I tend to work on something until it is finished and then start something else.  I have recently joined a few online/Flikr swaps and I have really enjoyed those.  I started off small with scrap swaps and things like that just to get my feet wet.  I have also joined my first online quilt bee.  We start in January and I am really looking forward to that!

My most recent finish was for the Scrappy Stash Quilt Along.  I used a lot of scraps but somehow those scrap boxes seem just as full!

Some of my favourite quilts are ones I have made from scraps and have stars!  Can you tell that I am not afraid of using colour?  Oh... I have made quilts with vintage sheets too.  And I do like visiting thrift stores.  I even found original Flea Market Fancy in thrift stores twice!!!!!!!  I almost fainted the first time.

I quilt all my quilts myself.  I have a Janome Memory Craft 7700.  I seriously love my sewing machine.  I use it a lot and I must confess that I actually broke my quarter inch foot the other day.  And a needle.  But that is another story!  

Favourite quilting tip:  Use good thread.  Hera markers are awesome.  Be careful with your rotary cutter.  I cut my finger badly this past summer.  Eek!

Favourite Quilting Book:  I have to say that as a go to book, Elizabeth Hartman's book The Practical Guide to Patchwork is fabulous.  Her blog is awesome too.  

Favourite Fabric?:  I cannot pick one.  I love Flea Market Fancy.  I love Martha Negley and Kaffe Fasset's in your face florals.  I am currently crushing on Violet Craft's Madrona Road.  I love that fabric line. I adore the whimsy of Heather Ross.  I rarely use a "fabric line" in a quilt as I tend to pick and chose what I like rather than stick with a line.  

Here is the fun part!  Thank you so  much for stopping by!  Sew Sisters is sponsoring a lovely giveaway in celebration of Blogathon Canada!  Can you see what is in the picture?  Squeal!  There are 6-1 metre cuts of Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush!!!!!!  That is 6 metres of fabric!  

How to win?  Just leave a comment!  How about you tell me what the weather is like where you are today?  If you are a follower, old or new, you get a second chance!  It is that easy.  

Please, please, please make sure that you are not a a no-reply blogger!    If you are, you will have to include your email address so I can chase you down if you win.  This giveaway will be open until tomorrow at 4 pm PST.  When I come home from school, I will randomly pick a winner!

 

Edited to say:  The contest is now closed!  thank you so much to everyone who has entered!

As part of the blogathon, I have a lovely list of other bloggers from BC!  Please take the time to stop over and visit them.  I have to say that we have a lot of talented quilty people out there in Beautiful BC!  And keep hopping this week because there are more giveaways each day!  Pop on over to Felicity's today too!

Crafting
Grace and Favour
Pins & Bobbins
Cynthia F
Chez Roo
Susan Being Snippy
Terry Aske Art Quilt Studio
Passion Quilting
lysaflower

Blogathon Canada!!!!

Sunday, November 18 Kick-off! Michele Quilting Gallery Monday, November 19 BC Felicity Felicity Quilts Monday, November 19 BC Cathy Blueberry Patch Tuesday, November 20 NS Jeanette STAMP * STITCH * CREATE Tuesday, November 20 NB Holly Through My Window Wednesday, November 21 AB Shena Apple Pie Patchwork Wednesday, November 21 SK Patti Retired to Quilt Thursday, November 22 QC Marika Live, Laugh, Love... Sew Thursday, November 22 MB Heather Church Avenue Quilts Friday, November 23 YT Vivian Quilting Under the Midnight Sun Friday, November 23 YT Janet Caribou Crossing Chronicles Saturday, November 24 ON Cathi Quilt Obsession Saturday, November 24 ON Cara Cara Quilts Saturday, November 24 ON Kaye Miss Print

Craft Sale Recap

I made this ornament this morning.  It is the length of my seam ripper.
It was relaxing to make and therapeutic after craft sale preparation sewing.
It might be the one I  swap at the next guild meeting.

Yesterday, I took part in my first ever craft sale.  Hmm.  I completely forgot to take any pictures of my set up but I did have a rather inspired display rack.  I re-purposed a very battered and rustic wooden step ladder to display table runners and hang bags from.  I think it looked perfectly awesome.  The craft sale was not a typical one where a swack of crafters rent tables and tons of people come but rather a small and more intimate sale in the home of one of my buddies.  There were 5 of us flogging our wares.  A fire was burning in the fireplace and it actually worked quite nicely.  We had very steady traffic despite being a bit of a distance out in the country.

I took a variety of stuff.  Bags, runners, pillows, covered journals, quilts and doll bedding.  I sold stuff.  Not as much as I would have liked but definitely enough to make it worth the time.  I would say that the price mark that people were comfy with was about $40.  So no quilts were sold and I was not surprised by that.  I was quite stressed about the whole thing and have been sewing like a crazy person in order to have enough inventory to make it look like I was taking the whole thing seriously.

I have read other bloggers' reviews of their craft sale experiences of late and I think mine are quite in line with what they experienced.  Mostly that would be that, yes, stuff sells but not as much as one would like.  I don't know that I am a craft sale kind of a person.  I certainly don't even like having a garage sale and much prefer getting rid of junk by taking it to the thrift store rather than hosting a garage sale. Will I do this again?  I really don't think so.  Do I want to start selling some quilts?  I think I might.  Do I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket?  Yep!  Will I spend it on fabric?  Without a doubt!

The best parts of the day had to be being able to visit with some really nice people and I did enjoy speaking to shoppers about my quilting and my process.  I also managed to knit 2 dishcloths while I was at it.  Someone asked how much my knitted dishcloths were and I did have to say that they are not for sale.  They are far too prized by the family and it takes me too long to knit them to make it viable to sell them.  Anyone wish to buy a $25 dishcloth?  I don't think so!!!!

Don't forget!  Blogathon Canada starts tomorrow right here!!!!!

It's in the mail...

My Scrappy Swap package is the mail!  Winging its way across the skies to my swap partner.  I hope she likes it!!!!  Truffle pigs and all!

And I have a sneak peak on my new wall of shelves.  I cannot believe how fabulous this will be.  There will be drawers as well.  Husband has measured my scrap boxes and other things and made the shelves to accommodate all my sewing junk.  He is amazing and I am spoiled.  The drawers are the right size for what I want to put in them.  Like thread.  Drawers for my thread.  Squeal!

Don't forget Blogathon Canada starts Monday!  Right here!  There will be an amazing giveaway!  Just saying!

A few pillows!

These are the pillows that were all in a stack. (I have this funny feeling... that sentence sounds like the start of a children's book!)  They are complete and all buttoned up.  I was planning to be somewhat less ambitious and then decided to do buttonholes after all.  I have to say that my sewing machine makes awesome buttonholes.  I barely have to think about it.  Maybe just wave a little bit of a magic wand and all of a sudden the buttonholes are finished.  I also have a ton of buttons so it all seemed like a good idea.  You will notice the buttons are mostly unmatched and I like that.

Before I tell you about each pillow, I want to let you know that there is some exciting news at the bottom of this post and you need to read all the way to the bottom!!!  I am such a tease!

Pillow number one is a wonky wonky little star pillow with a home decor weight back.  It measures 18" by 18" and I used scraps.

Pillow number two is another scrap pillow with a home decor weight back in a grey canvas-type fabric.  Leftover from the Amy Butler Messenger bag that I made for my daughter a couple of years ago and she now tells me needs replacing.  I was inspired by  the "paintbox" pillow that I saw here.  This one is a 20" by 20" pillow.  The buttons do match on this one.

Pillow number three uses some stuff from my stash and then some scraps from the guild de-stash.    The solid is actually some natural unbleached cotton that my mum gave me and I think she bought it about 30 or so years ago in Montreal when she was visiting me when I was a student at McGill.  Ya.  That was a long time ago.  Now it is a pillow.  I had fun with the quilting.  It was fun to make.  Slash a square of fabric.  Add a strip.  Cut it up again and add another until you think it is done.  Fun!  The back is a combination of the natural cotton and some blue stuff.

There you have it.  Pillows times 3.  One more piece of exciting news.  Blogathon Canada starts right here on Monday.  Carol at Sew Sisters Quilt Shop sent me a picture of the giveaway that will happen right here.  YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Linking up with Amanda Jean for Finish it up Friday !

Table runners... some thoughts

I whipped up this table runner on the weekend.  I used a mess of scraps and then quilted it densely.  I am not a table runner person but I could be converted because they are a lot of fun to make.  Clever son's lovely girlfriend may have even placed an order for one that might just land under the Christmas tree.  The fun thing about table runners is that there are really no rules.  You can do whatever you like.  I like to have a bit of fun on the back too.  Just in case the table runner owner gets bored with the front.  Or perhaps a blob of jam lands on the front a few minutes before your old aunty comes for tea.  You can just do a presto chango routine and no one would be the wiser.  Table runners.  I could be converted.

I made this one too from a bag of scraps that I picked up at a quilt shop.  This one is already sold.  I could not quite believe that but I sold it!  It is became a birthday gift for a friend's old aunty.  There is an old aunty theme emerging.  Not sure why.  Have a lovely day!