Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday Stash...




I spent the last three days at the Creative Stitches Show in Abbotsford.  It was a wonderful but exhausting few days.  It started with hanging quilts for our guild's Modern Mini Challenge and also the big quilts.  We even knocked over a portable wall and sent quilts flying.  Our guild also gave several seminars including live quilting demos on the big stage.  Our lovely Lysa gave a fabulous talk on Modern Quilting while Cynthia, Vera and I made modern quilt blocks.  Vera was on her featherweight, I was on the cutting board and Cynthia on the iron.  We got pretty slick by the last demo let me tell ya!  And Lysa, was a star!

Anyway, it felt good to be home last evening after three days of quilty fun including some shopping.  The vendors were so busy!  I did manage to find some low volume stuff and some lovely greys, including a chunk of Alyssa Haight Carlton's modern solids.  That is the lovely grey solid that sort of looks like a cross weave.  Oh, my goodness is it ever lovely and they colours in the line are drool worthy.  Locally, they are available at the Needle and I in Burnaby.

I also picked up some linen and some trims... the linen dots and some of the trims were from Cathy at Steam Trunk Craft Works. The rest of the stuff came from A Threaded Needle.  They always have such cute linen prints for making Zakka stuff!  I picked up the wee charms there too.  Back to school tomorrow.  Apparently 59 instructional days left in the school year and they will just fly by!


Friday, March 28, 2014

Featured....

Amy, from Amy's Creative Side is featuring me on her blog today!  So exciting!  Amy is the host of the wonderful Blogger's Quilt Festival and has written so many books, including Modern Neutrals which I used for my Modern Metallic challenge in my last post.  If you are new to my blog and visiting, thanks for stopping by!

I am off to the Creative Stitches show in Abbotsford, BC for the next two days.  If you are in the area, stop by and say hi!  Our guild is featuring Modern Quilts!


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Modern Metallic Challenge


Name: Metallic Prism
Design: Amy Ellis Modern Neutrals
Size:  18"" by 45"
Fabric: Robert Kaufman Modern Metallics and Kona White
Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in grey
This is what I made for the Modern Metallic Challenge that is going on with Modern guilds in the Pacific Northwest.  It is a block from Amy Ellis's book Modern Neutrals.  I decided to make a table runner because I did not have a ton of the fabric and I think it made a really elegant table runner.  The block is called prism and it came together so nicely despite the plethora of bias edges.  I used Kona White along with the Robert Kaufman metallics.  It really is a lovely fabric.  I had four different colours and used the darkest and the lightest in the blocks, the darker grey on the binding and then the leftovers along with the tan on the back.  I super quilted it with really close matchstick quilting in Aurifil 50 wt in grey.  Oh my goodness did the quilting ever finish this nicely.  It just happens like that.  I had it all made and I thought ya, okay, but then when I finished the quilting I totally love it!  The texture the close quilting gave is just so zowie!




and the back

and the back close up... look at all that thread!  I used 5 bobbins.


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Taking care of business...


With spring break continuing into week 2, I was able to take care of some block business including the March Lucky Stars BOM.  This one went together easily and even though the text print is a one way print, I managed to get them all in going in a reasonable direction.  I was not thinking when I cut them out but it worked out well enough. Do you notice that one block looks much larger than all the rest?  I wonder about that.  I know there is one that is a bit smaller... that is the one on the top far right but the block beside it looks much larger.  Hmm.  That one will be destined for the quilt back!  20 blocks and counting.



Then I got busy with these Robert Kaufman metallics for the Pacific Northwest Mod Metallic challenge.  Do you think I can find a picture of my work in progress?  There is is.  This is a block from Amy Ellis's book Modern Neutrals called Prism.  


And I made 8 little darting birds for That Stash Bee! And wouldn't you know it that after I posted this picture and looked at it, there are two reversed squares in two of the blocks.  Darn.  Made two new blocks and sent those off too.

Linking up later with Lee for Work in Progress Wednesday.  You can get a lot done on spring break!

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Would you look at that?


Check out this fabulous sewing theme fabric. How cool are those wee sewing machines?  And look at the swirly hearts on them... it has to be a Cynthia Frenette touch and it is...available at Joanns.  So fun!  These two are happily living in my stash and waiting to become something stitchy.

I also picked up this orange Michael Miller from one of my quilty peeps, Jean.  Look at how nicely she packages her fabric.  I am still working on the gap that is orange in my stash and this print works quite nicely.


And now back to quilting... matchstick quilting to be precise.

Friday, March 21, 2014

iPad Mini cozy tutorial

         
 Cut fabric
Feature fabric front:  1 of 6.75” by 9.5”
Feature fabric front flap:  1 of 6.75” by 4”
Pocket back:  1 of 6.75” by 5.5”
Back:  1 of 6.75” by 9.5”
Pocket trim:  1 of 6.75” by 2”
Lining: 2 of 6.75” by 9.5”
Flap lining: 1 of 6.75 by 4”
Batting:  2 of 6.75 by 9.5”
And for flap 1 of 6.75” by 4”

All seams are ¼”  and you will need a decorative elastic hair tie for the button closure is desired and a button.

Quilt back to batting.  I did a close grid.


Make pocket.  Turn under bottom edge of pocket ¼” then ¼” again. Prepare binding from pocket trim.  Fold in half.  Press.  Open up and turn in both long edges to meet centre crease line.  Press and pin on raw top edge of pocket.  Stitch in place. Place on back measuring 2” from the bottom edge of back.  Pin in place and top stitch pocket to back along bottom edge.


Make flap.  Cut hair tie to desired length and place on centre of top flap raw edges to raw edges. 
Baste.  Sandwich with batting on the bottom, lining right side up and front flap wrong side up.  Stitch three edges.  Clip corners.  Trim batting close to seams.  Turn and press.


Baste flap to back centering the flap and leaving ¼” on either side.

Stitch bottom front to back.  Press and trim batting.


Stitch bottom lining.

Stitch lining to back flap.

Match lining seams and match front to back.

Sew, leaving a 3.5” opening on side seam of lining on one side for turning.  Make sure you pin the flap out of the way of your seams.


Turn and stitch opening closed.  Press your sweet iPad mini cozy and add a decorative button for a closure.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Random Thursday on the first day of Spring



Okay, now that is a pie.  Husband made this lemon meringue pie to celebrate Daughter's special someone's birthday.  Seriously yum.  Thank you, chickens.  Thank you, Husband.


Yesterday, my good friend Sue and I went on a little spring break jaunt down to Bellingham, Washington.  We stopped at a few thrifty places, a few fabric places and Home Depot.  Squeal!  I found the Stanley 3 in 1 toolbox to haul my featherweight and all my sewing junk to sew ins.  I copied Monica at Happy Zombie on this one.  Thank you, Monica for such a great find!  This makes me seriously delighted.  Daisy Marie will fit in the bottom with a cutting board and then the rest of my junk will fit in the other two compartments and it all fits together on wheels!  


A few weeks ago we had a big dump of snow.  Look at this wee snowman.  So cute.  Somebody took the time to make it on top of the garbage containers at Tim Hortons.  I had to to take a picture but I had to get out of the car and stand in the drive thru lane.  Husband was afraid I was going to get hit by a car.  I didn't.  Thank you random snowman maker.

And now I will go back to enjoying spring break.  Linking up with Cindy for Random Thursday!

Monday, March 17, 2014

A little something something...


Daughter and her special someone are here for a visit and we celebrated Grant's birthday.  He received a iPad mini and I was tasked with making him a cozy for it. I had stashed some Uptown Lush with just him in mind so armed with measurements, I created this little guy.  Squeal!  Love it!  It turned out just as I had hoped and the iPad mini fits in perfectly.  I put a pocket on the back for the power cord and lined the interior with a Joel Dewberry wood grain print.  So manly! I used a really lovely light green Aurifil for all the quilting and the top stitching.    Perfect!




Friday, March 14, 2014

Sweet and Simple Scrappy Swap!


Yesterday was our Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild meeting and there I was sitting waiting for the meeting to start when Cathy dropped this on my table.  OMG!!!!  Personal delivery of sweet and simple scrappy swap package.  We were asked to make a drawstring bag and then fill it with goodness.  My bag did not disappoint.  Check it out!


Fancy pins, fat quarters designed by the lovely Cynthia.  And a jar full of trims from Steam trunk Craft works.  Check out the jar lid... it is so you can put a roll of string and use the jar as a string dispenser.  COOL!


And a lovely wooden label inside the bag.  So I feel spoiled.  Thank you, Cathy!


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Yellow and gray with a little bit of navy

 Name:  For Baby Russell
Design:  4" squares
Size:  36" by 42"
Fabric: Stash fabricso Cricket's Salt Air, bound in Metro Living Dots from Robert Kaufman backed in stash flannelette 
Quilted: by me with Aurifil 50 wt in white


I finished this quilt on the weekend especially for a special new baby boy.  I hope to deliver it to him and his very special Mom over spring break.  His Mom was my secretary for many years and I am delighted to make a quilt for her first baby.  I asked about the colours and being ever so stylish, the Mom had set up the nursery in grayt and yellow but now that Russell was a boy, a touch of navy was being added.  Perfect!  So here is a wee plus quilt just for him.  I backed the quilt in a soft blue flannelette and bound it with some Kaufman Metro Living Dots.  All the fabrics used in the 4' squares were from the stash.  I like the contrast of the navy zig zags!

I quilted this one either side of each square in Aurifil 50 wt in white.  Just a simple straight line grid.  As I took the pictures, the wind was blowing just a bit and the quilt was waving nicely in the breeze.  Spring has sprung!


Monday, March 10, 2014

Triple Zip Throwdown!


During coffee with  several of the ladies from the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild last Saturday, there was a lot of chatter about zippy pouches.  And Darlene and I sort of talked about a Triple Zip challenge and yesterday I challenged her to a throwdown!  So funny!  I got right to it yesterday afternoon after posting the picture with my fabric choices and zippers on facebook. He he he!  Poor Darlene, she was innocently having a nice afternoon while I was sewing like a crazy woman.  About an hour later, I had a Triple Zip Pouch and it was ready  for a picture sitting in my Aurifil drawer!  And then today, what do we see on the Aurifil facebook page?  Debbie's Triple Zip Pouch with a link to her tutorial.  So everybody, get busy!

Do you notice how the top zipper is longer in the picture below?  Ya, had to fix that before I put it in the pouch.  I am off to check facebook to see how Darlene's pouch is coming along.


Sunday, March 9, 2014

Sunday Stash... vintage scraps


A week or so ago, my quilting buddy Cynthia found a source for vintage scraps.  She shared the source and I fell hard.  We both ordered some and mine arrived on Friday.  We ordered from A Piece of Cloth-textile merchants in Australia.  What a bunch of wonderful vintage scrap heaven!  My husband just does not get it.  He thinks I am quite off my rocker to have ordered what he calls "somebody's garbage!"  It am totally tickled with it and I can see using the scraps in all sorts of small projects like needlebooks and stuff.  The prints are just zowie and apparently are from the 1920s to the 1950s.  The scraps are a variety of sizes too from small 2" by 3" to larger chunks.

Yesterday I met up with some of the  fabulous ladies from the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild.  Darlene has organized a travelling Coffee Klatch each Saturday.  Yesterday it was in my neck of the woods.  It was so much fun to have a cup of coffee and a goodie in a cute little coffee shop and talk about all things quilty.  I think we were quite loud!

And my scrap basket is overflowing!!!  I had a busy weekend!  I even got some GARDENING done this morning!!!!  Spring break is a week away!



Wednesday, March 5, 2014

This Way and That

 Name:  This Way and That
Design:  Layout and setting triangles, mine
Size:  approx  26" by 26"
Fabric:  Kona Slate, Print from Comma and Sugar Pop, Kona Pomegranate, Anna Maria Horner and Art Gallery scraps
Binding: Kona Slate and Print from Sugar Pop line for Moda
Quilted: by me with Aurifil 40 wt in 5015, Aurifil 40 wt in 2605 and 2309


I had a lot of fun with this one.  It a mini and I will submit it for the Creative Stitches Modern Mini Challenge at Tradex in Abbotsford this month  I used the paper pieced block from Amy Ellis at Amy's Creative side and then placed the blocks on point.  What really made it for me was using the setting triangles in Kona Slate and in the Sugar Pop print in that lovely bright chartreuse. The binding echoed the setting triangles.

I used three different Aurifil threads in the quilting, a yellow-green 40 weight, 5015, a grey 50 wt, 2605 and a cream 50 wt, 2309.  The quilting was fun.  It is a combination of free motion and straight line quilting. This way and that.  I like it!

So what modern theme does this mini reflect?


Monday, March 3, 2014

Sweet and Simple Scrappy Swap


I got busy on Sunday and finished up the drawstring bag and made a needlebook to complete my package to send off to my partner in the Sweet and Simple Scrappy Swap.  We were to make a drawstring bag using Jeni's tutorial.  Then I pulled some scraps including a chunk of Union Jack fabric from Riley Blake, some buttons, baker's twine and some Aurifil.  Then I made a wee needlebook with a lovely scrap of Liberty.  I have so much fun making the little pages pretty. 

So there it is!  Already to pop in the mail!