Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sunday Stash #4

This is an older photo of some of my stash. I went through a black & white & grey phase last summer. I had big ambitions to do a Denyse Schmidt "Single Girl" quilt using this palette. I'd still like to, as well. Once I can wrap my head around cutting out all those templates and squares.



The fabrics are a mix of Anna Griffin, unknowns and a Heather Ross print. I do love Heather Ross! I love her sense of whimsy that comes through in all her designs.

-k

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

String Quilt for my Dad

This is the first (and only) string quilt I've made. But I'm looking forward to making many more! Especially after being inspired by Penny at sewtakeahike. Love, love, LOVE her gorgeous rainbow-hued "With a Little Help From My Friends" scrappy string quilt!

The fabric in this quilt is predominantly Amy Butler Midwestern Mod range with an Anna Griffin and a couple of unknown others thrown in. The backing is also from Amy Butler 's Midwestern Mod collection.


I made it for my father for Christmas last year, mostly as a Christmas gift but also as a HUGE thank you for the awesome Pfaff sewing machine he and my mom bought me the year before.

After making this quilt, my eye grew very tired of muted shades and now I am addicted to working with brighter colours against a white background.



-k

Monday, November 16, 2009

Sunday Stash #3

Ooops. I'm a day late but thought I'd post anyway...

I went through a pink phase a while ago and pulled these fabrics from my stash. It'll be a while before I'm back into quilting with pink but still, I find these really pretty to look at.

I've been steadily building up my stash over the last year or so (read: let my addiction run out of control), and started to collect conversation fabric. No idea what I'll do with the cupcake print but it might be fun to see a square of it in an "I Spy" quilt.

-k

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Christmas Gift Tutorial Swap: Reversible Apron

This is the Cottage Chic Cooking Apron tutorial I made for the Christmas Gift Tutorial Swap. I waited on posting a photo until after my swap partner, BJ Mama received it in the mail. I didn't want to spoil the surprise!



The reversible apron tutorial came from the amazingly talented Kathleen Doughtery at Grosgrain Fabulous. I am not half the seamstress she is, in fact I am quite a newbie. She suggests two hours to make this apron. For me? I needed, oh, twelve! Granted, that wasn't in one sitting and I also put it down to the fact this was the first time in my life I've ever sewn an apron, let alone reversible with a ruffle.



All in all, the tutorial is really easy and the instructions are clear, easy to follow too। When I made a second apron, it only took me four hours, so I'm guessing the more familiar I become with the pattern, and more importantly, the techniques, the faster everything will come together (within reason। If you can knock this off in thirty minutes, you are super-human).

Things that I changed on my second apron: I made the apron ties longer, the ruffle wider, and I cut the apron front & back in a bigger, more rounded "U" shape.



While the pattern doesn't stipulate using fat quarters, I found that you can easily use fat quarters and fudge the width by making your ruffle bigger (a look I like anyway).

I will definitely make a few more of these for Christmas gifts!

-k

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Sunday Stash #2

I'm playing around with the idea of using these fabrics to make some more potholders and coordinating tea towels for Christmas gifts.

I'm in love with fresh lemon and zesty orange right now, punctuated with hits of bright turquoise, cool greys and sharp brown.

Last week I was all about soft orange, gentle green and baby blue. Funny how the eye needs change!

- k

Friday, November 6, 2009

Christmas Coffee Cup Cozy



When Starbucks rolls out its iconic red Holiday cup, you know the season is upon you.

But who wants to be like everyone else, running around with the same cup (or cup sleeve)? Not me. So I whipped up this baby the other night when my friend N came over for a potluck dinner (she made the best homemade pizza) and some crafting.









Bonus - I get to save a few more paper cup sleeves over the holiday
season.

-k

Monday, November 2, 2009

Block Party Quilt-A-Long!!!!!

Trust me, you do NOT want to miss out on this! Block Party is having a quilt-a-long and you know how I was just writing in my last entry about blogs that have inspired me and my quilting over the last year? Well this is one of them.

Block Party started as a virtual quilting bee for twelve women spread out over the U.S. and let me tell you, all twelve women are gifted with great eyes for colour and style.

They're having a give-away too, so if you leave a comment on their blog, sign up, and blog about it, you get a chance to win some fabric that will make your heart skip a beat.

-k

Mom's Apricot Fence Rail

I started quilting three years ago. Well, that's when I first learned how to do a nine-patch and since then I've progressed quite a bit both in terms of my skill level and my taste. I do love the traditional patterns but over the last year I've really started to gravitate more towards modern quilting. I think it's the wonderful influence of all the blogs I read!! My eyes have been opened to a whole new way of looking at quilting.


In anycase, my mom is a more traditional gal, and after she and my father came together (they're divorced) to buy me a Pfaff ClassicStyle Quilt sewing machine three years ago, I knew the first quilt I wanted to sew would be for her as thanks for the amazing sewing machine (dad, poor dad, was 2nd on the list).

I did a little photo shoot when I was at her place over Thanksgiving, and here is her quilt.

The only problem? It still doesn't have a name! I feel so bad about it being nameless. It's almost as bad as a quilt being homeless.

Any and all suggestions welcome!

- k

New Year Challenge

Do you have a stack of UFOs? Would you love to end the year with a clean crafty-quilty slate?

I don't know about you, but I work best with deadlines and with only TWO months left in 2009, Jacquie's challenge is just the thing to help me get my butt in gear. My Capricorn nature seems to thrive on having a goal in my crosshairs, a mountain to climb, or in this case a few UFOs that I would love to finish up by the end of the year.

In typical fashion, I may have bitten off more than I can chew because I also made a personal vow to give handmade gifts this year (of course, they don't necessarily have to be made by *me*), and I am also moving at the end of November (yikes! And I haven't started packing).

As they say, "Aim for the stars and maybe you'll reach the sky."

-k

Sunday Stash #1

Okay, so I'm a little late posting but here is some adorable fabric I bought this weekend. Well, I think it's pretty darn sweet.

I am in love with the David Walker "Oh Boy!" print! I'm going to make a baby quilt from this using the Cowboy baby pattern in Material Obsession. I love the cowboy prints used in the book but I'm going to a baby shower at the end of the month and I suspect my friend will like the zoo theme better (cowboy might be too edgy for her), plus ... this is what they had in stock at my LQS.




And here it is up close... Aren't those animals cute?! I could stare at the print for hours. I know. I have a problem. I wish I could get paid for staring at fabric and admiring it.

In any case... usually I get scared about cutting into my fabric as if somehow the act of slicing it up takes away some of its magic. But in this instance, I'm looking forward to it! Cannot wait to get cracking on this baby quilt.

- k