Carolyn and Me

farmer's wife sampler quilt

2012-02-06T22:16:00.004-05:00

I did it: I joined the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt Quilt Along. And it's so. Much. Fun. Last year, Amanda and Angela started a quilt along for Laurie Hird's sampler quilt. I hemmed and hawed and enjoyed the flickr group, wishing for a bit more time to sew so I could join in.

When Karyn started talking about getting a Toronto group going, I couldn't resist the urge to join the quilt along any further. Along with several friends, we've started a real-life support group and, so far, it's been a blast.

The only downside of the Farmer's Wife quilt along? It's too much fun, really: I can't get anything else done.

I've abandoned all other sewing projects to spend time picking out fabrics, cutting tiny pieces, sewing them together in adorable little blocks. I haven't written a blog post in forever because every bit of spare time (rare these days) is spent with my scrap bin and Farmer's Wife book. This is supposed to be a year-long project (and, truthfully, at the pace I finish it probably will be), but I can't imagine not wanting to work on these blocks over the next few months.

I've been following Amanda's lead and using only fabric scraps for my blocks. It has been a great way to get my overflowing bin under control, plus it's giving me the opportunity to try new colour palettes in every block. The end quilt will be scrappy and very colourful and unlike any quilt I've made before. I'm pretty excited about it, and can't wait to see how it turns out.

cog & wheel top: finally finished!

2011-11-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

Finally, I can say I finished my Cog & Wheel quilt top. It took me an awful long time--actually, an embarrassingly long time--but I enjoyed myself along the way. This quilt has some of my favourite fabrics in it (mermaids! circuses! Heather Ross roses!), which made it even more special to sew.

It's the first queen size quilt I've finished, and it's destined for my bed once quilted. I'm sending this one off to the lovely and talented Lindsey for quilting. Let's just hope that it doesn't take me as long to bind it as it did to sew the top ...

P.S. Taking pictures of queen size quilts is really hard!

wedding quilt

2011-11-06T18:43:00.001-05:00

In early September, a friend of mine was married. Perhaps people will eventually tire of receiving quilts from me, but I hope not. I have it on good authority that this particular friend was not going to be disappointed with a handmade wedding gift.

The colour palette is outside of anything I've done before, but I knew that I wanted to give a quilt that incorporated the wedding theme of simple black and white. To avoid a checkerboard look, and, again, to symbolize the blending of two, I was liberal with my use of grey. It worked out well, since my stash of fabrics is low on black fabrics, but loaded with greys of all sorts!

Instead of machine quilting, I tied this quilt. I love the look of it, and for a wedding gift I liked the symbolism of binding the layers together with ties. I read somewhere that people think tied quilts are old fashioned. Maybe, but there's a sweetness to them that I adore. Next time I hand tie a quilt, I'm going to try with wool.

This is the second quilt I've made from simple squares, and I'm working on a third. I love the classic look of it, and it's perfect for showing off favourite prints. And it's quick, because, let's be honest, in today's world, we don't always have as much time for sewing as we like. It doesn't make it any less special, just more practical for what is for me one of the busiest work periods.

I liked working outside of my comfort zone for this one, and it's got me thinking about more quilts with dark colours and neutrals. Perhaps something like this or like this or even this?

new beginnings

2011-10-26T21:53:00.000-04:00

So, it's been a while since I've visited, hasn't it? It wasn't intentional: sometimes, life just gets in the way. I've been busy with family, with friends, with work, with crafting. For a while, it was exactly what I needed.

But here I am, even if I don't know where to start. I hope you'll forgive one more mushy feel-good post before I give you a real project (they're coming!).

During my blog break, I finished two (!) quilts; I spent an amazing weekend away sewing with four amazing women; I turned 30. I went to the inaugural Sewing Summit with Karyn, one of my favorite people, and met more amazing women (like Amanda J, Amanda H, Jeni, Deirdre, Angela, Jessica, Kait, and Lindsey). I made new friends. I got to hang out with Lizzy twice, and once with her equally amazing sister, Melissa. Lizzy is another of my favorite people, and I've decided officially that we need to live much, much closer together than we currently do. I made not one, but two improv mini-quilts.

Mostly, though, I've been thinking. About inspiration, about possibilities, about the people I'm so grateful to have in my life, many of them because of quilting. Reminding myself about what's important, and who I want to be, where I want to go, forgiving myself for things that were never really a problem in the first place (yes, being analytical can make me a better quilter, and yes, it is sometimes good to let go of reason).

When Lizzy was in Toronto in August, she said something that was profound to me, even if I instantly knew it to be true: people create things that look like them. I started seeing it everywhere. My quilts, my garments, indeed, all of my craft projects looked like me: pink, soft, and, mostly, orderly. It's a comforting thought, isn't it, that we really are a part of everything we create? The more I sew, the more intrigued I am about how craft shapes who we are, and vice versa. For me, it's meant an interesting collision of my worlds--quilting, politics, and family--without really knowing where those things will take me.

It doesn't matter, though, because I'm feeling inspired to branch out and put a little bit more of me into the world, one day at a time. Especially if it means more improv patchwork and mini-quilts.

Wiksten Tank Top

2011-08-25T19:55:00.000-04:00

Way back at the start of summer, I managed to find some time to make this adorable tank top in a fabric from Alexander Henry. It's since become my summer staple, and I'm wearing it with jeans, shorts, and skirts.

My friend Carolanne recommended I try the tank top pattern from Wiksten long ago, but since the pattern is only made in limited quantities I had to wait until this past May to order a copy for my very own. The wait was most certainly worth it.

The pattern comes together quickly and easily, and the finish is completely professional. I lack a serger at home, and I dislike zigzagging fabric edges immensely, so the added instructions on doing french seams was a wonderful treat. (I've made clothing with french seams before, but always seem to forget about them when it comes time to actually sew anything!).

I'll be making more of these for fall and winter; they're perfect under cardigans and blazers. Perhaps I'll even try a silk version for dressier occasions .... ?!

thank you

2011-08-10T21:49:00.000-04:00

What a lovely, surprising response to my last post. Emails, post comments, phone calls, and random hugs from people I had no idea read this wee blog reminded me that so many have and are experiencing the same things as me. We're never alone, though we sometimes might feel we are. Please know that your kind thoughts are returned ten-fold.

And thank you.

a special kind of quilt

2011-07-18T22:48:00.001-04:00

Sometimes the universe has plans for us that aren't at all fair. One day, it seems, you wake up to find that nothing is going your way. So what's a girl to do?

Sew.

The last few weeks have been rough. My cousin passed away rather suddenly and without warning. Gordon was diagnosed with epilepsy after suffering two seizures. Someone I love very much, my step-mom, was diagnosed with cancer. I made a choice long ago to live in Toronto, more than 2,000 km away from family. Being so far away can be difficult at the best of times, but when the people you love aren't well, it's much, much worse.

We all sew for our own reasons. Some people are just too talented not to sew. Some people do it for the community. Some people sew because they've always done. Some people simply love all of the gorgeous fabric that can be found, and can't justify having it unless they sew. All perfectly wonderful reasons to be a sewist.

I sew because it keeps me healthy. Because it helps me say what I sometimes can't. Because making things inevitably leaves a bit of me behind, a physical reminder of me when I can't be there. Because the friends I've made inspire and amaze me every day. Because it carves out time to spend on me in a world that demands so much. Because it can help turn grief, anxiety, and worry into something special and beautiful and happy.

I started a quilt for my step-mom last week, a very special Dresden Plate in her favourite colour. Each blade I cut, every stitch, I'm thinking of her, of her recovery. I know that she'll enjoy this quilt for years to come, and I hope that every time she sees it, she knows I'm there with her, even when I'm 2000 km away.

Summer Fun with Gordon

2011-07-09T10:02:00.000-04:00

It takes only 5 minutes with Gordon to know that he's a tad lazy. Or really lazy. When it comes to water sports, though, Gordon is a different dog.

scrappy string quilt

2011-06-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

Hey, look! I finally finished a quilt, and it feels pretty good. This pretty blue and green quilt will be sent to my mom soon. I started it ages ago, and I'd hoped it would be done in time for Christmas. Sorry, mom!

For the first time, I did free-motion quilting. I'm sure I broke all sorts of quilting rules in the process, but it was a great learning experience and a lot of fun. There will be more free-motion quilting in my future.

button calendar

2011-06-13T20:31:00.000-04:00

I've been taking time to finish up some projects before starting others. Let me tell you: resisting the urge to start something is not my strong suit. On Sunday, all I could think about was making a quilt of sawtooth stars. Still, it's been satisfying to cross things off of my to-do list.

First up, a button calendar made from a pattern in Rashida Coleman-Hale's I Love Patchwork. The calendar is for a friend of mine. I'm not sure it won't be too long before I make one for me (and my sister. and my mom. and anyone else looking for an adorable calendar.).

Nearly half done, I realized that I'd actually made mine closer to the book version than I intended. I guess I couldn't help but love the yellow + natural colour combination Rashida uses in her own calendar. Truly, it's one of my favourites combos (yellow + anything is tops in my books).

I made only one small adjustment: instead of a using a grommet, I used ribbon to make two hangers at the top. Grommets scare me a little, and using the ribbons felt like my friend might be able to hang it a little easier. Because I couldn't find linen twill tape, I used scraps of fabric fused to canvas; to keep them from fraying, I trimmed around the edges with pinking shears. To keep extra buttons and months from getting lost when they aren't being used, I made a cute zippered pouch to match.

right now

2011-06-05T20:13:00.000-04:00

After a post-free 4 weeks, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the things I could tell you about: the many, many projects I've started, my trip to London (eee!). Instead, I think my first post back after an unintended break should be a list of what I'm working on right now. Maybe this post will also help me finish them soon-ish? I promise I'll write more on each of these soon (and my trip to London).

Building an embroidery growth chart from this tutorial for Isabella (and maybe a second for another adorable baby I know!)
Hand stitching the binding the scrappy string quilt I made in December (it's coming, mom!)
Finishing up the button calender from Rashida Coleman-Hale's super amazing book, I Heart Patchwork. By the way, if you don't own it yet, go get it! It's filled with beautiful, original (and truly useful!) projects.
Houses! I've been working away on finishing up my paper-pieced houses from this incredible class at the workroom. Once again, the amazing Johanna has outdone herself with this adorable design.
My new spring dress, made from Heather Moore's organic fabric line with Cloud 9 fabrics. My invisible zipper foot just came in, and I'm soclose to finishing it! (I'm deeply suspicious, though, that I made it three sizes too big. Details, details.)
Slowly piecing my Flock of Triangles quilt. I'm making it with lots of solid fabrics, something totally outside of my comfort zone.

There are, of course, a million other things on the go, but I'm not quite ready to admit just how many projects I have on the go publicly. And I have some Liberty fabric that I'm eager to turn into dresses and tops from my trip to London, so I want to scratch some of this on my to-do list. With the summer weather on its way, I better get sewing!

spring scarf

2011-04-27T19:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a quick project is just the ticket, like my new spring scarf made from Heather Ross' Far Far Away double gauze, and Anna Maria Horner's pastry line voile. Simple and sweet, it's light enough to wear in warmer temperatures. It's soft, too, so you'll probably see me about town wearing it, even when it's too hot.

My scarf is 13" x 70", so it's big enough to wrap around my neck twice. Not normally my style, I made this a circle scarf after seeing so many cute ones around. You can find some good tutorials online if you're interested in making one, including one by Anna Maria Horner herself; you can find her version here.

Gordon likes the scarf, too.

weekender bag

2011-04-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

I've contemplated making Amy Butler's Weekender pattern for a looooong time. When I started sewing (again) a couple of years ago, I made it a goal to eventually make myself a Weekender.

If you've ever met me, you know I don't go into things halfway: any task I undertake (or might!) is researched and studied to no end. It was no different with the Weekender, even when I knew that Amanda would be working on one at same time (it was like a mini Weekender support group!). Every blog I read, every post about making the bag talked about how hard the bag was to make. What did I get myself into?

I had reason to be nervous when I started the bag: I'd never made piping before, and I'm not sure I've made anything so structured. My experience working with Timtex is also limited. But the bag, truthfully, wasn't actually that difficult to make. More than anything, I found that there were a lot of steps--each piece requires a lot of basting--and that the actual sewing required patience. Believe it or not, I'd actually like to make another Weekender soon!

There's not much I would change about the pattern, except maybe the number of layers of Timtex in the bottom panel: the pattern calls for three, but I think that 2 would probably suffice. It certainly would have made sewing the bottom much easier, and it was really only that part of the bag I had real difficulty with. Also, when the pattern calls for the use of heavy duty needles, they really mean it. I broke four (4!) needles before I finally broke down and bought some meant for heavy duty use. Finally, I bent a lot of pins, so use binder clips to hold together all of those layers! (Amy Butler suggests that, too. As you can see, I'm a stubborn sewer sometimes.)

I used an Anna Maria Horner print in a home dec weight cotton for the exterior, and the Later Alligator print from the Tammis O'Keefe tribute line for the lining. For the piping, I used My Folklore. I'm really, really pleased with how my Weekender turned out, and I've been encouraging everyone I know to make their own. I promise you'll love it!

the makerie

2011-04-13T21:38:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while, something happens to you that can only be described as magic. Yes, yes. It might seem strange to describe a crafty weekend in Boulder as 'magic', but it really, really was.

A couple of months ago, Karyn sent me an email about The Makerie. It seemed like the perfect getaway. Beautiful setting? Check. Crafty peeps? Check. Holy moly: there was even shoe making. We were lucky enough to find out that there was still space and promptly booked our tickets.

We took two classes, one for each day of the retreat. First up was shoe making with Jessica Hernandez. Jessican owns Joyfolie, and her shoes are utterly gorgeous--both the ones for women and children. Learning to make cute ballet flats from Jessica was lovely, and I can't wait to make more. Jessica was so open about owning a creative business and the things that she's learned, it was a sweet, refreshing touch. Such a fun class with a wonderful teacher and amazing people!

On Saturday, we took block printing with Lizzy House. I'll admit that before meeting Lizzy, I was feeling a bit intimidated: I mean, we're talking about Lizzy House. She designed Castle Peeps, people, and is a brilliant artist. What an amazing thing to learn that she's down-to-earth, sweet, and kind. Also, she has 8 million ideas and things to do in her head while at the same time being super focused. I'm so glad I learned to make block prints from Lizzy; I felt less terrified immediately. For someone who isn't an artist, can't draw, and is only marginally creative, I'm feeling pretty good about my print!

But what made the weekend so amazing was how I felt while there, and how I still feel. More than ever before, I felt connected to a community of truly brilliant people, to my friends, to my family, to myself. I thought frequently of my grandmother, a talented woman that I've only recently come to realize was an artist, too. I wondered if she were still here if we would have gone together, or spent afternoons sewing and stitching and chatting the way I sometimes imagine we are when I'm in my sewing room. I wondered if my brother feels the way I did when carving my block print when he's drawing or painting or making music. I spent time hoping I could pass these skills to my niece, or maybe even my own children one day. I loved just being there, with my friend Karyn (who was the best retreat companion ever!), and my new friends Lizzy, Anne, the ladies from Fancy Tiger Craft, Ali, and all of the other wonderful women I met. It was a perfectly mushy weekend that I wouldn't have any other way.

So now I'm totally addicted to retreats, especially The Makerie. As Lizzy would say, it was the bomb dot com. Naturally, Karyn and I are already hatching plans to attend more.

Cog & Wheel Redux

2011-03-21T18:33:00.000-04:00

Don't you love when you come back to a project months later, only to discover that you are even more excited about it now that you were initially? I recently went back to work on my Cog & Wheel quilt, after letting it sit for longer than I thought (really, last summer?!), and I'm so glad I did.

I'm not sure why I left it alone for so long. It easily might have been the fact that I needed to cut out nearly all of the background pieces by hand. It probably was the universe, then, telling me not to walk away from projects for such a long time when I came thisclose to running out my background fabric. Finally, my overflowing stash came to the rescue!

Anyway, I'm making progress on my Cog & Wheel again, but this time, I'm being more realistic about what I can finish each week. I only have to set my circles into the background pieces and then sew those together, but those curves can be a bit tricky--although not as hard as you might think. I'm still unsure as to how I'm going to quilt it, too, so I don't think there's any need to rush to the finish line.

In other news, it must officially be time for summer, as we cracked open the last precious jar of salsa I canned last fall.

sampler 2: quilt top

2011-03-13T18:39:00.000-04:00

After ten Thursday nights at the workroom, I've finally finished my Sampler 2 quilt top. Sampler quilts are always a bit of a surprise to me: I'm never really sure what they'll look like when they're done. When I started my sampler, I imagined something made of lots of earthy browns with hits of pink, yellow, and blue. In the end, I have a very blue quilt. I still love it, though, and it's part of the wonder of sampler quilts.

But my quilt isn't done yet. I still have to baste and quilt this top, and I'm not sure what to use as my backing. In fact, I'm not even sure how I'm going to quilt it! Any suggestions?

More than that, I don't know what to do with my Thursday nights. The class was such a fun, weekly ritual that I don't really want to give it up!

home

2011-03-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

tweet, tweet

2011-03-02T08:45:00.000-05:00

I joined Twitter! It was a move that surprised friends and family: I'm a very shy person, and Twitter is certainly not for the faint of heart.

But it's fun. As I learn the etiquette of Twitter, I feel like I'm making new friends and stretching my comfort zone at the same time. You can follow me here.

Even Gordon likes Twitter so far. He's getting lots of love in the Twitter-verse, just like virtual belly-rubs!

on the go bag: handmade beginnings

2011-02-20T14:39:00.000-05:00

I recently learned something about making bags. First, they can be a lot of fun, and very satisfying. Two, they are exceptionally hard to photograph.

Way back, I used to be a Brownie, and it's there that I met Robyn. Since we went to different schools, we drifted apart as kids. It was nice, then, when we reconnected in the most surprising of ways: she's married to my brother-in-law's best friend. I love when that happens.

She's expecting her second child soon; tired of looking for a diaper bag and knowing that I made one for my brother-in-law, she asked if I would be interested in making something for her. Even more fun--but infinitely more stressful--was the news that I would have complete creative freedom to do what I wanted. Her only hint? Her favourite colours are purple and green.

I decided on the On the Go Bag from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings pretty quickly. One thing that I hear from all of my mom friends is that they wish they had a bag that would graduate to toddlerhood with their child, and that it would be great if they could continue to use it for themselves after that even.

It was the fabric choice I was more worried about. Fabric and pattern can be a personal thing, so what if I chose wrong? But when I found a Momo print in red, purple and green, I knew it would be perfect.

I made the bag almost exactly as it is in the book, except for a few interior pockets, and a detachable, adjustable strap. The adjustable strap will allow Robyn to wear the bag across her body when trying to juggle a newborn and a toddler, and it was an easy addition to the bag. For the interfacing, I used canvas instead of fusible fleece. The matching changing pad was made of the same purple fabric used for the accents and the lining on one side, and the other bits of Hope Valley and Far Far Away 2.

As with all of Anna Maria's patterns, this one was easy to follow, and the final bag was so cute (and big!) I'm thinking of making one for myself to tote around sewing projects.

shameless promotion

2011-02-18T08:47:00.000-05:00

Time for a little music break, brought to you by my amazing brother.

Patrick is infinitely cooler than I am. He raps. He teaches kids. He draws comic books and other incredible things. He knows how to cook delicious food without using a recipe. He has a Twitter account.

But I'm okay with it. I'm lucky enough to say he's my brother, and that's enough for me any day.

quilt sampler 2

2011-02-15T18:09:00.001-05:00

Just after the holidays, I started the Quilt Sampler 2 class at the workroom. Let me tell you: this one is so. much. harder. than I thought it would be. But it's also so much fun, and I'm learning a lot.

This quilt sampler has a bit of everything. Stars! Flowers! Applique! Y-seam! Fussy cutting! Flying geese! We're 6 weeks in, and I don't want the class to end. Johanna is a great teacher, and I'd be happy to be able to absorb just a fraction of her quilting knowledge.

In quilt sampler 2, we're learning new techniques through the making of traditional blocks like baskets, maple stars, and the Carolina lily. I'm really loving how everyone's blocks are turning out: it's incredible to see the way fabric choices can make a block modern, retro, whimsical, or quirky. It's true that quilting is really a form of self expression, and I can see everyone's personality coming through in their creations.

I found it tough to choose a colour palette for this quilt, and some time after my sawtooth star blocks, I nearly started over. Only my hectic work schedule and the thought of falling too far behind in my class kept me from changing direction mid-quilt, and now I'm so glad I stuck with it.

Right now, I'm working on my railroad crossing block. It's not quite as difficult as the Carolina lily, but it's not been without it's challenges. But, the main pieces are together, and I'm just trying to decide on the last couple of fabrics for the final block.

finally finished!

2011-02-14T20:08:00.000-05:00

My HST quilt is finished, and, in a first for me, it's done on time. Baby M. will be here any time now, which means I can officially say that the quilt was done before she arrived.

Both for time's sake and because I like soft, snuggly quilts, I kept the quilting simple for this, stitching a quarter inch outside of the seams through the white triangles, highlighting the coloured blocks.

I bound the quilt in a deep pink, tiny floral print. It's just so pretty, and it complements the colours of the quilt perfectly. (Note to self: get more of that pink floral fabric!)

All that's needed is a sweet little label, and I'll add that after she's born so I can include her name. I can't wait to give the quilt to my friends, too, as they've waited so patiently as I finished the quilt.

hoop travel bag

2011-02-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery? They're a still-new company making the most adorable cross stitch and sewing patterns. In December, they got me hooked on mug rugs. Amanda of Ms McPorkchop Quilts is one-half of the duo responsible for The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, and her work is nothing short of inspiring. When I saw that they had posted a pattern for a hoop travel bag, I knew that I'd be making a million of these.

I was right.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about patterns from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery is how clear they are. This pattern, written by Amanda, is easy to follow with lots of pictures and step-by-step instructions. But, as great as the instructions are, my favourite part of this pattern is how encouraging Amanda is all the way through. I've never met her, but I'd be willing to bet that if she wasn't doing amazing crafty things she'd make a great teacher.

I quickly whipped up a hoop travel bag of my own. Feeling inspired to try something new, I gave free-motion quilting a try. I've never done any free-motion quilting before this, and there are parts of my quilting where that certainly shows. As I sat in my sewing room moaning about how hard it was and how terrible my quilting looked--the curves are sometimes pointy; the loops are sometimes bumpy--Peter gently reminded me that everyone starts somewhere. He's right, of course, and when I remember that I'm not so disappointed with my stitches.

How much do I love this pattern? So much that right after I finished my first one, I made a second for my sister. I know that I'll make more, too, for my English paper piecing, and multiple embroidery projects. You could use this bag for just about anything, I think: knitting projects, or just to have something pretty to carry whatever you wanted.

hand quilted pillow: done!

2011-02-05T14:53:00.001-05:00

Hand quilting is awesome. It really is. I can say that I'm officially hooked; I might even be working on a quilter's callous.

In November, I took the Whole Cloth Quilt class with Carolanne at the workroom. It was an amazing experience. Carolanne was a patient and encouraging teacher, and the afternoons were filled with fun conversation.

With the help of Carolanne, I decided to make a pillow for my whole cloth quilt, using a round stencil with oak leaves and acorns. Something that inspired by Fall seemed to go perfectly with the roses from Heather Ross' Far Far Away 2. The hand quilting was done in a variegated embroidery thread from Valdani. For the back of of the quilt, I used two Rapunzel prints from the same collection and covered buttons made with various scraps.

With the exception of my Avalon quilt, I had no previous experience with hand quilting, so I decided to keep my project small, and I'm so glad that I did. I've only just finished it, but I can proudly say that my first hand quilting project is done.

Perhaps it's the cold weather, but I can't wait to do more. In fact, I've been making some good progress on my Avalon, and I'm already planning on more hand quilting projects.

new tricks

2011-01-25T19:02:00.000-05:00

Oh, dear. January has turned into such a busy month when it was supposed to be a relaxing start to 2011. How does that happen?

I'm not entirely sad about it, though. January has already been filled with lots of craft time; the best part is I'm sewing and quilting without deadline. Mostly.

When university friends of mine asked if I could make them a quilt for their soon-to-be-born first child, I jumped at the chance. I'm always happy to make quilts, and it's only better when I'm actually making them for a reason.

So over Christmas break, I finally sewed together the quilt top of my 'purple' quilt. Setting the blocks on the diagonal gives this quilt a look I really love, but it really, really requires concentration.

Forgive the not-so-great picture, but this is what happens when you try to sew everything together long after you should have stopped sewing. Oops! More than once, I had to pull out my seam ripper for this project.

The quilt is much bigger than a baby quilt typically is, as my friends wanted their little girl to be able to use it for years to come. It took some time with Johanna to sort out the measurements of my setting triangles, and I learned some new tricks (thanks, friend!). I'm so, so happy with this quilt, and I can see myself making many more. Who knew half-square triangles could be so fun?

I'm determined to see this quilt finished by the time Baby M. comes along in just a few weeks, and I think it can be done. I'm keeping the quilting clean and simple so the focus is on the colourful fabrics. For the binding, I'm thinking of using the Library Stripe fabric in the cranberry colourway from Greenfield Hill (a collection I adore by the way; every time I look at it, I love it more and more). What do you think?

salted caramels

2011-01-03T13:38:00.002-05:00

As the holiday crafting days got shorter and fewer, I found myself still looking for something to make for friends. At the 11th hour, I stumbled across a recipe for salted caramels.

Making caramels was so much easier than I anticipated, although they do take some time. I used a recipe from Epicurious with very few changes.

Fleur De Sel Caramels

1 cup whipping cream

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 teaspoon fleur de sel (or other type of fancy salt)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

Combine the first three ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil; set these aside. In a large pot, add the sugar, corn syrup and water; stir until the sugar fully dissolves. Bring this mixture to a boil, swirling the pot (not stirring). While the mixture is boiling, you'll notice the sugar mixture start to change in colour; keep swirling the pot until the mixture is a light caramel brown. It took about 20-25 minutes to reach this point for me.

Now it's time to add your whipping cream mixture. Be careful! Add it slowly, because when you mix the syrup and milk together, they'll bubble up and spit at you. Just take your time, and you should be fine. Once they're fully mixed, simmer on low until the temperature reaches 248 degrees farhenheit. Remember to stir the caramel often so it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pot! When you've reached the right temperature, pour the mixture into an 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper.

I wasn't clear when I needed to put the candy thermometer in the pot, so I just clipped it to the side of the pot when I started making the sugar mixture. It seemed to work out fine. I also tripled the recipe without any problem.

These caramels are soft and perfectly chewy, but don't stick to your teeth like store bought caramels. The most difficult thing about making the caramels was trying not to eat them when I was wrapping them! I can't wait to make more soon, adding other flavours like vanilla and chocolate. Yum!

Project 365

2011-01-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! It's hard to believe that another year has gone by, and that 2011 is here.

The start of a new year is always such an exciting time full of promise and new opportunities. But, although I adore this time of year, I'm not one for making a ton of resolutions, and I learned long ago that making resolutions you are actually interested in keeping goes far to actually seeing them through. Sure, I could say I'm going to go to the gym three times a week, but I'm not really going to do it.

Last June, I bought myself my first DSLR camera, the Nikon D90. I love my camera, and I've slowly been getting to know it after using a point and shoot all my life. Having never taken any sort of class or ever used an SLR in any form has meant that taking photographs with the D90 can be a bit daunting, but also so very exciting.

One of the things I'd like to do in 2011 is improve my photography skills--take some classes; learn new techniques; take more pictures in full manual mode (!)--so I'm joining Project 365. It seems fitting that my first photo should be of my favourite subject, Gordon.

I'll post some of my photos on my blog, and be sure to visit me at Flickr to see the latest photos from my 365 project. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'll make it all the way through with no cheating!

scenes from december

2010-12-30T14:22:00.000-05:00

the stockings were hung by the chimney with care

2010-12-18T13:37:00.000-05:00

Christmas is always a special time of year: a time when we can remind ourselves to slow down and enjoy friends and family; to think about the things that matter; to give a little bit extra to the people we love the most, and to those who need care and compassion.

But this year is extra special for my family. It's Isabella's first Christmas. Isabella, my perfect niece, is growing fast. She's so much fun, and it's really incredible to watch her--even from afar--discover the world around her. Already you can tell that she's tenacious and determined to be tops.

Without a doubt, Isabella is a spoiled little girl. The first grandchild in both mine and my brother-in-law's family, she's got more than she'll ever need. So what could I get for her that would be just from me?

A stocking. One I made, that, hopefully, she'll cherish year after year when Santa comes to deliver presents. I knew I wanted to make something timeless and classic; I knew I wanted it to be sweet and girly, like her. And it needed to be special.

I started with a sweet print from Bunny Hill Designs for the lining. It's not Christmas-y in the least, but by pairing it with red wool and white flannel, it started to feel like a holiday stocking.

Tracing my own stocking, I made a pattern for Isabella's. Sewing the stocking came together quickly, but I was stuck on how to embellish it. And then it came to me.

My maternal grandmother was an expert craftsperson. When she wasn't sewing, she was knitting, crocheting, painting, doing embroidery, cross-stitch, weaving ... the list could go on forever. Last year, my dad gave my sister and I a number of pieces she'd made, including some crocheted lace doilies. They look like snowflakes, no?

It seems so perfect that grandma's handiwork should be passed to her first great-grandchild on her first Christmas. And while Isabella is still too young to feel connected to something like a stocking, I'm sure grandma would approve.

december

2010-12-13T20:48:00.000-05:00

Today I looked at my calendar and had a small panic attack. When did the beginning of December come and go? How is it possible that Christmas is just around the corner? Eep!

Holiday crafting is going slowly. Very slowly. Every year, I promise myself I'll start sooner in the year -- September, even! -- and then I start a million other things between then and December 4th, leaving me behind, just like always.

But, still, my sewing is coming along, and there's nothing better than giving a handmade gift.

changing direction

2010-11-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

My purple quilt has turned into something much, much different than I had originally planned.

I added some greens, pinks, and bits of orange to my purple and gold fabrics for something much more colourful and fun. But my new fabrics left me re-evaluating what I had envisioned for the quilt.

I carry my Moleskin notebook every where. I'm a terrible artist, but my drawings are usually all that I need to remember what I thought up; I also use it to catalogue colour combinations I love for later.

Inspired by this quilt by Red Pepper Quilts, I switched gears and starting pulling new fabrics from my stash to add to my pile. Even though I adore the look of fresh, colourful quilts, I've been hesitant to try one myself, instead opting for palettes with two or three dominant colours. I can't wait to get started, and I've even purchased a new tool to help mark and make all of the half-square triangles I'll need for this quilt.

Now, if only I could get this organized (and motivated) when it comes to holiday crafting, I'd be all set.

working with purple

2010-11-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

There are certain colours that I'm drawn to: yellow, grey, pear (chartreuse?), pink, and navy. I don't really care if it's true or not: for me, these are neutrals and I think they've made their way into nearly every quilt I've made.

But there are other colours I barely glance at, unless in very specific tones: purple, blue, brown. I can't recall a single time I've sewn with black fabric. It's not because I don't like them. I just don't know what to do with them.

Imagine my surprise when not one request for something purple came my way, but two. It seems that nearly everyone I know is having a baby, and these days, I find myself making baby things galore--mostly in purple.

While I found a great fabric for the bag quickly--a Freebird print by MoMo-- finding suitable quilt fabrics was more difficult. I finally settled on a stack of purple fabrics accented by, what else, shades of butter, gold and pale pink. But now I'm at a loss about what to do with them!

I'm trying to decide between the Fenced In quilt from Elizabeth Fransson's new book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork, and the Flock of Triangles quilt from Denyse Schmidt. I've been traveling around with my stack of fabric waiting for just the right inspiration (seriously!), but I'm finding it tough.

What do you think? Flock of Triangles? Fenced In? Something entirely different? Help me make my purple quilt!

autumn stitching

2010-11-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

This is my favourite pair of shoes. Er, rather, they were my favourite shoes: a super cute, vintage-inspired pair of comfortable heels. Gordon, it seems is a tad upset with me these days.

These shoes--more accurately, the non-state of these shoes--are an apt analogy to the state of my crafting these days. Even as the weather gets colder and the days get better for sewing, I'm having difficulty finding some quality time with my machine.

To help remedy my meager crafting time, I started a new class at the workroom, this time on whole cloth quilts.

Inspired by the cooler weather and grand oak trees, I chose a stencil pattern that reminded me autumn. For my fabric, I picked one my all-time favourites, a print from Heather Ross' Far Far Away 2.

I'm keeping this project small--just a pillow cover--but the portability of this project makes me believe it will help end my quilting drought.

i heart

2010-10-25T19:12:00.000-04:00

Look what arrived in the mail for me today from my super amazing sister. Can you believe that she taught herself to knit less than a year ago? I'm in awe.

These cup cozies are the prettiest shades of brown, taupe, pink, and green. I can't wait to put them to use: in fact, I'm going to warm up some apple cider so I can cuddle up with these lovelies right now.

Thanks, Carolyn. You're the bestest!

Sneak Peak: A Basted Quilt

2010-10-19T19:04:00.000-04:00

For the first time in a while, I've managed to finish a quilt top and baste it, too! This one is backed in snuggly flannel from Anna Maria Horner's Folksy Flannels collection. I used Arctic Bamboo batting; I've used it in quilts before, and it's lovely to work with.

Sneak peaks only of the quilt for now, but more to come soon.

Oliver + S: Birthday Party Dress

2010-10-17T20:15:00.000-04:00

When my sister was here in September with my niece and my brother-in-law, I learned a few valuable sewing lessons. First, when altering a pattern, always note somewhere what those changes are. Second, those little notches and marks on pattern pieces are there for a reason. Third, sewing with Isabella, while super fun and mega adorable, is completely, totally distracting. Mistakes will be made.

Back up a couple of months: my sister asked if I would make Isabella a dress for her baptism. Eeek! It's been a high pressure gig to be sure; I knew my sister and brother-in-law didn't necessarily want an elaborate Christening gown, but in some ways that made the situation a wee bit scarier. I should know how to make a dress, right? I mean, I make them all the time.

Carolyn picked out a cream coloured cotton with small purple dots for the dress, and I suggested the Birthday Party Dress pattern from Oliver + S. The dress closes in the back with buttons, and for the buttonholes I chose a variegated purple/grey thread.

As with other Oliver + S patterns, the directions were clear and well-illustrated, and the resulting dress is so cute. But, because I wasn't paying nearly enough attention and employed every bad sewing habit there is, this dress was taken apart and re-sewn entirely at least six times. Now that it's finished, I'll freely admit that I've never been more frustrated making anything than I've been making this dress.

There are still a whole lot of imperfections, but somehow, I don't think Isabella--or Carolyn--will mind that much.

Blossom Quilt Part 2

2010-10-11T17:42:00.000-04:00

I recognize that some time soon I have to stop compulsively making quilt tops long enough to baste and and finish some actual quilts, but these days I just don't really feel like it. So for now, I'll keep making quilt tops and deal with the aftermath later.

Blossom Quilt

2010-10-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

Sewing progress of all sorts has been slow these days. September brings it's own rush of activity as I hurry to get all of those things done that I thought I would do in the summer. So I'm especially happy that I'm thisclose to finishing my Blossom quilt top.

This quilt pattern has those lovely large pieces and big blocks I adore so much.

All that's left to finish is the border, but I'm not yet sure if I'll add it. I do love the quilt top as is; on the other hand, I'm not one to say no to another print and it would probably be silly not to add the border when I've already picked out a fabric (a print from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley).

I'm eager to get my new quilt finished; the days are getting cooler and shorter and I'll need something warm to cuddle under soon.

Simplicity 2472: Rural Jardin Woven

2010-09-22T22:57:00.000-04:00

Things that I'm behind on include: blogging; sewing projects; quilting projects; cleaning the house; everything work; uploading photos to flickr; downloading photos from my camera. But in between not getting things done, I've managed to complete a couple of quick projects.

Early in the summer, I picked up some lovely French General woven cotton in a large, light blue gingham. It seemed perfect for a summer dress, but ... well, see above. Since the weather has cooled, I've had to adjust my original plan to make the dress more suitable for fall. In the end, I went with a simple shift-type dress with wide, elbow-length sleeves.

I'll be honest: I wasn't sure I liked this dress at first. But it's grown on me and looks equally cute with a cardigan or a belt (or both!). I added trim to the neckline this time, which I adore.

The verdict? More shift dresses + trim are in my future.

it's here

2010-09-17T08:23:00.000-04:00

It's official: autumn is here. It's my favourite season, when red and orange and yellow reign supreme, and pumpkin and cinnamon go with everything.

Fall also means perfect quilting weather, and sewing new fall dresses. I can't wait.

Simplicity 2350: Liberty Dress!

2010-09-06T18:02:00.000-04:00

I'll admit to being completely, totally intimidated by the idea of cutting into my Liberty of London fabric. Last spring I bought a couple of yards from the workroom, and it's still sitting on a shelf in my sewing room. It's not that it isn't lovely--it really, really is--but I was just so worried about making a mess of anything I tried to create with it.

Fast forward to last week, when the workroom got more Liberty fabric in stock. I knew that the prints I adored the most would go quickly (they did) so I hurried to get some. Seeing as pretty fabric really should not be stuck on a shelf, I was determined to make a dress, and quickly.

Enter Simplicity 2360.

I realise that I make a lot of dresses with this shape: cap sleeves, billowy top, and sweet, knee-length skirt with a cinched waist. But since it's become obvious I really, really love this silhouette, it only made sense that I should make something similar out of my Ebs print.

It didn't take long to understand why everyone loves this fabric so much: in addition to the incredible patterns and it's beautiful, silky texture, Liberty fabric is a dream to sew and feels wonderful next to your skin.

The pattern itself was nearly perfect. Princess seams give the top a bit more shape than my usual patterns, and the cut of the skirt is lovely. I probably could have used a size smaller, and I certainly should have cut lessened the length of the elastic for the waist by a couple of inches. In the end, though, I'm quite pleased with my new dress!

Our local forecast tells me that summer isn't quite finished in Toronto, but this dress will transition into fall (my favourite season!) just fine with grey tights and a navy cardigan. And now, I've got two more Liberty dresses to make ...

a matter of time

2010-09-05T15:58:00.001-04:00

I should have known it wouldn't take long to start new projects, despite my pledge to whittle my WIPs down to just a few.

First up, this lovely Blossom quilt from Fig Tree Quilts in my latest colour obsession, gold + pink + soft grey. The pattern recommends using two layer cakes, but instead I've used regular yardage. My calculations were mostly correct, but I'm a bit short on my background fabric. Oops!

Also on the go, a new dress using Liberty fabric, and a couple of surprises I can't share just quite yet (but soon!). Yay!

hand quilting

2010-08-29T20:04:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Suzanne at today's Quilt Sunday, I decided to finally put the hand-quilting needles and frame sitting in my sewing room to work.

Let me tell you: hand quilting is sorta hard. Not to long ago I watched Johanna as she hand-quilted a table runner; at the time, I thought (and probably said) that seems so easy! Ha.

But it's fun, which is really what matters. My first stitches aren't that great: no two are the same length, and I can only get 2 or 3 stitches loaded up on my needle at once. Overall though, maybe not so bad for a first attempt?

buzz saw quilt: complete!

2010-08-28T18:29:00.000-04:00

Yay! My buzz saw quilt is finally finished.

I've been trying to finish up a few projects before starting anything new: my wip pile was getting a tad ridiculous. I have a stack of Far Far Away 2 waiting to be turned into a quilt; cutting into that heavenly fabric will be my eventual reward for adding things to my complete pile.

I'm still working away on my zig zag quilt top (almost there!), and I'm close enough that I need to pick out my backing fabric. Tomorrow at the workroom's Quilt Sunday I'll finally start quilting my second Avalon quilt.

Then again, I'm terribly jealous of the beautiful Amish Bars quilts made this past week at the workroom's day camp. It wouldn't take long to make a lovely new quilt top using such a simple pattern ...

progress report: zig zag quilt

2010-08-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

I wish I could say I've been delinquent blog poster because I've been too busy sewing up a storm. Alas, I can not. These past few weeks I've been distracted by work and long days that leave me exhausted. But I'm lucky enough to have a job I enjoy and work with people I adore, and in between catch-up naps and couch surfing, I've been able to sneak some sewing in here and there. I've even made some progress on my zig zag quilt. It turns out that I'm even enjoying the (unintended) leisurely pace.

So, progress is being made slowly but surely. I've got some rows stitched together, even (no photos yet), and maybe by the weekend I'll have a quilt ready to baste. Maybe, but no promises.

22 days

2010-08-18T18:51:00.000-04:00

This is my coffee mug. My sister has the same one; we bought them together. It is, perhaps, a tad juvenile, but I still love it (it makes much more sense as a mug for my sister, who is a primary school teacher). Every morning as I drink from this mug, I pretend like Carolyn and I are enjoying our morning coffee together, chatting about the day to come and other things only sisters can enjoy talking about, just like we would every day if we were neighbours.

But in 22 days, I won't have to pretend. My sister will be in Toronto with Isabella and Jeremy, and I'll be on holiday. Carolyn and I will spend some afternoons sewing and quilting while Peter and Jeremy watch baseball. We'll take Isabella to the zoo. I'll get to share a birthday dinner with my brother-in-law (his birthday is just the day before mine!). All of us will visit Niagara Falls.

22 days.

stitchettes

2010-08-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

For me, a day just isn't quite complete if I haven't done at least something a wee bit crafty, which helps explain why I have so many WIPs on the go. Some days it's tougher than others to find a way to make that happen: long days at the office and time away from home mean that sewing and quilting get a bit harder to do each day.

But recently, I've really been loving cross-stitch. In the summer when hand stitching quilt binding is just too hot, cross-stitch has become my answer: it's perfectly portable, and finishing even a few stitches in bed each night means that I don't go a single day without making something. Even better, all of those little x's mean that I don't have to think about even stitches or perfectly formed loops like I do with embroidery.

When looking for some cute cross-stitch patterns, I came across these stitchettes from Wee Wonderfuls. Cute, yes? I immediately knew they'd make a perfect addition to my kitchen.

I couldn't help but start with 'wool' and 'eggs' since they remind me most of my sister and me.

While my stitchettes aren't quite finished, I already love them. Is it wrong that I'm already eyeing these super heroes?

'J' Cardigan: Happy Homemade Volume 1

2010-08-03T19:52:00.000-04:00

I've had Happy Homemade Volume 1 sitting on my shelf for a while now; I take it down often and flip immediately to the cardigan. It looked to me the perfect project: quick, simple, and entirely practical for so many occasions.

The key was finding a fabric that would drape as nicely as the cardigan in the book. I knew that I wanted something that would breath in the summer, but that I could layer over long-sleeve shirts and button-downs in the winter.

When I saw the Nani Iro linen/cotton blend, I knew that it would be perfect. I tried to use it once before, but I was new to reading Japanese patterns and because the width of this fabric is so much less than a normal bolt, I was left at least a half-metre short. So when Karyn got some more of it at the workroom, I rushed down to pick up my three metres (it goes quickly!)

And look! My cardigan is finally done!

The linen/cotton fabric was lovely to sew with, although it does have an tendency to unravel on the edges quite easily. It has a looser weave than most fabrics I've worked with, which is perfect for keeping my fair skin covered in the Toronto heat, but will work just as nicely for fall and winter layering: just what I wanted.

I love this cardigan so much I'm already planning to make one or two more. I have a couple of fall weddings, and I think this would be pretty in a dressier fabric with a ribbon sash or lace trim.

The best part? This time I over estimated my fabric purchase, and I have a serious bit of fabric left over. Now if I could just figure out what to do with it ...

embroidery + linen

2010-08-02T07:58:00.001-04:00

Long weekends are good for all kinds of things, but especially good for catching up on crafty projects. My sister and her family will be here in September and the sewing ... ahem, the spare room is looking a bit cluttered with half-finished projects.

Inspired by Karyn's finishing list, I set about making my own. After jotting down all of my unfinished projects--it's a very long list!--I started chipping away at it by finishing some linen towels that have been nearly done for some months now. It's slightly embarrassing, but I have an excuse: I don't like hemming things, and since these these are really just about hemming, well, you get it.

There is nothing lovelier in the kitchen that soft, weighty linen towels, especially when they're hand-embroidered. My grandmother used to collect linen towels on her travels, and we still use them up at the family cottage. Linen only gets better as it ages.

This set of towels is on it's way to my sister (surprise, Carolyn!), where they'll help to clean up baby messes in the kitchen.

auditions

2010-07-18T17:58:00.000-04:00

Yippee! My Cog + Wheel quilt is starting to come together. My friend and quilt teacher extrodinaire Johanna recommended auditioning our fabric pieces once they were cut. She's always full of good advice, and this was no exception: I've already done some piece swapping.

Cutting has taken me much longer than I expected: all of those curves means lots of hand cutting. But I'm okay with that: I'm loving spending time with these fabrics.

Back soon with more progress!

officially addicted

2010-07-12T19:20:00.000-04:00

Any one who knows me know that when I love something, I love it. It took approximately a month and half after I learned to quilt to turn our spare room into a full-fledged sewing room (complete with a serious stash of fabric and sewing supplies), 30 minutes to turn into a complete shutterbug after getting my new camera (a Nikon D90!), and one canning session to turn into Martha Stewart.

Since I enjoyed the process of my initial, failed attempt at jam so much, I knew it wouldn't be long before I tried canning something again.

Last weekend, I scored the last basket of sour cherries at the Brickworks Farmers' Market (I'm sorry, but I can't remember the name of the farm; Bizjak, maybe?). I promptly made jam. And it's delicious.

Cherries are my absolute favourite fruit, and I only ever eat them when they are in season from local farmers. This year, I'll be able to enjoy them year round.

Not impressed? I've also made spicy pickled carrots, pickled beans, and a batch of apricot jam. Yum.

Don't worry. I do plan on sharing, but at the rate we're enjoying them, my little jars of summer will be gone by fall.

too hot? make a dress!

2010-07-11T20:06:00.000-04:00

The weather in Toronto has been hot. Like, really, really hot. I've been spending much of my time moving from air-conditioned office to air-conditioned apartment, but there are occasional spurts of being outside-ness.

I've been hanging on to some lovely French General fabric for a couple of months, a pretty blue patterned with white flowers with red centres. I knew when I bought it that it would eventually become the perfect summer dress. But what would it look like? I finally found my inspiration in Chic & Simple Sewing by Christine Haynes.

I'll be honest, this book has been on my shelf for some time without being used once. While the idea behind many of the projects included appeal to me--no zippers! no buttons!--there's something about the execution of the clothes didn't quite grab me the way so many other books do (Twinkle Sews, anyone?). It's not that I dislike the book, it's just that I always found something I wanted to make more.

When I needed a new, mega-hot weather dress, I pulled Chic and Simple Sewing off the shelf. Surely there was something in it for summer that would be perfect for my new summer frock?

There was.

I'm not usually a strapless dress sort of girl, but have I mentioned it's been mega-hot in Toronto? I need something that means wearing as little as possible while keeping me covered and appropriate.

In the end, I think this dress will become my uniform for Summer 2010.

The dress is cute, comfortable, and, best of call, came together in no time (just an hour!). Christine Haynes promises easy sewing, and on that she certainly delivers.

Hmm. Perhaps I gave up too soon Chic and Simple Sewing? I see more summer dresses in my future, very soon.

giraffes and kangaroos

2010-07-09T21:01:00.000-04:00

I've been busy lately. You see, dear friends of mine are expecting their first child this fall and they asked me if I might help to pull together the baby's room. What started as the crib blanket turned into the crib blanket + bumper + bed skirt + window valence.

I felt completely honoured. I mean, the baby's room is such an important thing, and here I was, not even a professional. Or family. So while I had made the bedding for little Isabella, I was still feeling a tad nervous.

We started by picking out a fabric. My friend found a super adorable option, complete with kangaroos (and joeys!) giraffes, and elephants. They wanted something simple for the crib blanket, so we made a simple window quilt using Kona Snow cotton and Playday by SEI.

The bumper pad is made of lovely little birds from the same Playday line, and the bed skirt is a heavy striped cotton. Together, I think the room is perfect, but I am clearly biased. I hope my friends feel the same way.

It's not often I look at my own work impressed, but there are occasional flashes where it's hard to believe that I was able to make something delightfully cute and so totally functional. Amazing.

What's more amazing is that soon there will be a baby boy cuddled in his blankie, and I'll forever be a part of his life, however small my part may be.

Cog & Wheel

2010-07-07T21:50:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I'll start another quilt, the Cog & Wheel quilt by Denyse Schmidt. I picked up the pattern a while ago, but put it aside until I had a bit more time. When I found out that it would be a class at the workroom, it seemed the perfect time to pull the pattern off the shelf.

I've talked about how difficult deciding on a colour palette can be for me. For the Cog & Wheel quilt, I went through no less than four different colour combinations. It's. Just. So. Hard.

In the end, I looked to the fabulous Heather Ross for inspiration. Her most recent line, Far Far Away 2, is nothing less than amazing, and her dusk roses is one of my favourite fabrics. It's a lovely charcoal with gold, orange, and teal roses.

I've decided to echo the same for my own version of the quilt. I wasn't so sure at first, but part of my indecision is that this will become a bed-sized quilt for our bedroom. The colours are growing on me, though, which is a good thing when class starts tomorrow!

I am excited to get started. The pattern itself is lovely, and has all of the things that I love in quilts: pieces big enough to showcase fabric prints, a great vintage feel, and clean, simple lines. This will be my first attempt at a commercial pattern. I suspect it's deceptively more difficult than it looks: all of the pieces are just curved enough to make the quilt full of curved seams.

But I'll keep you posted on how it comes along. I have four weeks to finish a queen-size quilt top, so I foresee some late nights in my future.

happy feet

2010-07-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

If you're anything like me, you have a hard time finding a bath mat that you actually like. Sure, there are plenty of them out there, but I always end of choosing one out of necessity. Adding to my frustration is the fact that our bathroom is what you might call tiny. In other words, something that should be so simple is very frustrating.

The only thing to do was to make my own. Since I was making my new mat, it was pretty obvious that it would be patchwork.

Because my new bath mat was a bit of an experiment, I dug into my box o'scraps and pulled out some of my old favourites (see: Heather Ross mermaids).

I also decided that for the back of the mat I'd use an old towel no longer suitable for company (Gordon likes to chew them) but was in otherwise good shape. I stitched together my fabric pieces without a plan; in the end, there are parts of my little patchwork mat where that shows. When cutting out my back piece, I wanted to keep the decorative woven strip, which, unfortunately, left one side of my mat a tad wavy.

Mostly, though, I'm pretty in love with it; what a brilliant start to the day, with patchwork under my toes.

things to do at home (or, a small staycation)

2010-06-28T12:00:00.011-04:00

Tour Toronto like a visitor. I love this city.

Visit the ballet. Beautiful. Also, why does it look so easy when they do it? (After effect: think momentarily of joining dance lessons before realising what you're thinking. Ha!)

Get a massage. Heavenly.

Cuddle with Gordon. (Yay!)

Make jam.

Sew some pillows. And a new bath mat.

To quote Dorothy, 'there's no place like home.'

Jammin'

2010-06-27T20:47:00.000-04:00

Remember this? It surprised me even that I found time so soon to follow through on my pledge to preserve some summer freshness all year long.

Today, I made jam.

Well, I made strawberry vanilla sauce. But I'm sure it's just as delicious as the jam would have been had it jelled.

I used my friend Jodi's recipe, and, being the overachiever I am, thought that I'd try to leave out the pectin as many do these days. And therein lies my mistake; for my first experience in canning, having a little help from commercial pectin certainly wouldn't have hurt.

I can say without hesitation that these ten little jars of strawberry sauce/runny jam have got me hooked. Despite so much going on (bubbling berries and sugar! sterilizing jars!), the process of turning fruit into preserves, it turns out, is good for the soul. Slicing, measuring, stirring, pouring: such simple things turn into something amazing and made by me. There's a real sense of pride in that.

I wish I played guitar

2010-06-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while, a song comes along that is so good I wish I wrote it (even though I'm not a musician). I've been playing Tift Merritt's Mixtape over and over and over again. So good.

a mini-tower + the importance of pressing

2010-06-08T20:49:00.000-04:00

I expected my 225 half-square triangles for this quilt to look a little more impressive, but my mini-tower of quilt blocks isn't bad.

It is proof that progress is being made on my zig zag quilt, if slowly. My next step is finger pressing, which, I will fully admit, is the part of the quilt-making process that I'm least patient with. I am guilty of, as my friend Johanna puts it, 'mashing' my quilt blocks with an iron. Sorry, Johanna.

But I'm committed this time to pressing my quilt blocks properly (finger pressing + light pressing with an iron), I swear. I learned my lesson when putting together my buzzsaw quilt blocks; it's amazing how much of a difference pressing your blocks properly (i.e., with patience) can make when it comes time to fit all of those lovely blocks together.

And now, I'm off to finger press some zig zag blocks (while watching Glee!).

The Process Pledge

2010-06-06T20:37:00.000-04:00

Over the last few weeks, I kept noticing this badge pop up on blogs:

I was officially intrigued. I mean, so much of what I'm doing is in process, and it feels like projects so rarely gets finished (they do, but the finished to unfinished ratio is something I'm not quite willing to admit to just yet). Perhaps this pledge was for me?

Since I began this blog, there have been times when I'm totally unsure what to write about. I mean, do people really want to see my unfinished quilts? Honestly? But the idea is refreshing: as someone still new to quilting, I appreciate anything that can help me understand a little more about what quilting is and means to other people. And each time I write about my own quilts, I learn a little bit more about myself.

It turns out a lot of other people feel that way, too, so Rossie of Fresh Modern Quilts started the process pledge.

So here it is, officially. I'm taking the plunge.

I, Katherine, pledge to talk more about my processes, even when I can’t quite put them in the in words or be sure I’m being totally clear. I’m going to put my thinking and my gut feelings out there.

Built by Wendy Dirndl Dress

2010-06-06T08:18:00.000-04:00

Not long ago, I picked up Wendy Mullin's new book, Built By Wendy Dresses. I could hardly resist after flipping through it: so. many. cute. dresses. I live in them through the summer, and it's already been a scorching month here in Toronto.

At the same time, I picked up some of this fabric from the workroom:

Perfect for a dress, non? I chose the 'dirndl' dress and set about cutting my pieces.

I've not made any patterns from any of the other books in the Sew U series; instructions were clear and well-illustrated, although the pattern did require some alterations. The front darts were a bit off when sewn, and the waist seemed a bit high on the dress. I also cut the skirt fuller so I'd have more gathering. But because I loved the basic pattern so much, I didn't make any of Wendy's suggested alterations--although I will, very soon. The best part? The dress came together so quickly; in just a few hours, I had a brand new frock.

I think this might just be my new favourite dress. Billowy cotton skirt? Check. Demure top? Yep. Unexpected pattern? Absolutely. In other words, perfect for me.

I heart rhubarb

2010-06-04T18:12:00.001-04:00

I love rhubarb, I really do. Growing up, my grandmother had a huge patch of the most wonderful rhubarb, much more than she would ever use. Each year, she would make rhubarb crisps and cakes; if my sister and I were lucky enough to be there when she was cutting the rhubarb up, we were rewarded with our very own stalks and a bowl of sugar for dipping. The combination of tart + sweet was perfect and delicious.

At the first Evergreen Brick Works Farmers' Market of the season, I snagged a few bunches of rhubarb with the intention of making muffins. (By the way, if you're from Toronto and haven't been to the Brick Works, go now! It's an amazing spot, and the market is fabulous.)

I wasted very little time in making muffins. The recipe is quick and easy. Quite frankly, I forgot an ingredient (the vanilla) and they were still delicious.

I'll apologize in advance: this recipe has come from my mother, and I'm sure at one time or another, it came from someone, somewhere, and maybe even out of a book, but the original source is long gone.

Rhubarb Muffins

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups rhubarb, cut into half-inch pieces

Mix all of your ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture to a lined muffin pan (if you'd prefer a rhubarb cake, use a 9 x 12 baking pan). The recipe calls for the batter to be topped with a mixture of 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, but I usually reserve some of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture and add it after the muffins/cake comes out of the oven. Cook at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 20 (ish) minutes for muffins, or 40-50 minutes for the cake version.

Enjoy!

A Summer Pledge

2010-05-26T16:40:00.000-04:00

Every year, I eagerly await the return of fresh fruit and veggies at the market. You see, we try our best to eat locally, but through the winter months it's not always easy. I'm tired of cabbage. And potatoes and carrots and squash. Did I mention cabbage? So while I'd often rather have cooler weather, summer means delicious, off-the-plant tomatoes, freshly shelled peas, and red, red watermelon. Yum! Since moving to Toronto, I've even had my own little balcony garden, growing herbs, lettuce, and hot peppers.

But this year, inspired by my friend Jodi, I'm hoping to teach myself how to can and preserve my way to year-round summer goodness. Each summer, Jodi turns out jellies, jams, canned veggies, and other preserves that make me envious for her cupboards through the winter. Sure, our storage space is limited (and filled with fabric) but I'm determined to find even one shelf for homemade pickles this year. Hmm ... maybe I'll start with these garlic dill pickles from Food in Jars (found through Jodi!).

P.S. I know there haven't been very many crafty projects on this blog recently, but I swear they're in the works. Back soon with a new dress and more quilt-y projects. I promise!

Super Gordon!

2010-05-25T20:21:00.000-04:00

Gordon's a star patient down at the Animal Rehabilitation Centre!

What's old is new again

2010-05-14T16:43:00.000-04:00

How amazing are these?

When I was home, my dad dug out these old SLR cameras. Not long ago I mentioned that I was keen to learn more about photography: as it turns out, the interest runs in my family. After a small adventure with airport security, I came home with my dad's old Nikon and my Uncle Mervyn's vintage Minolta. They need a bit of TLC, but I can't wait to buy some film (!) and see what sorts of pictures I can capture with my new old cameras.

8 Days a Week

2010-05-13T20:03:00.000-04:00

I've been missing from my blog lately. I'm sorry, but you see I've been a little distracted.

There's nothing to say really, except that Isabella is absolutely perfect. It's difficult to put into words how much I already love her; she's such a tiny (growing!) bundle of pure happiness, and everything she does seems amazing. What an incredible week I've just had, cuddling with Isabella while lounging with my sister and brother-in-law in small-town Manitoba. Sigh.

Also, how cool will Isabella be?

Maybe she's got a bit of me in her, too.

Oliver + S Puppet Show Dress

2010-05-02T18:35:00.000-04:00

I learned some things this weekend:

1. Making tiny dresses is actually not easy like I thought it would be. Quite the opposite, in fact.

2. Tiny dresses for little girls named Isabella are adorable. Like, really adorable.

3. Hand stitching small garments is so much easier than using a regular sewing machine. They should make wee little sewing machines for children's things. Seriously.

I made a few adjustments to the Oliver + S Puppet Show Dress (which can also be made as a tunic and shorts); first, I used snaps in the back instead of buttons. Because I'm making the dress for a newborn, I didn't want to put anything on the back that would hurt Isabella.

Also, the pattern instructs you to sew the side seams and set the sleeves in. I wish I could tell you that I had the foresight to see that this would be problematic; alas, I didn't. I followed the pattern directions exactly as described without thinking about how tiny this dress really was. After attempting one sleeve, I tore it out, along with the side seams, and sewed the sleeve in first, stitching the side and underarm sleeves as one continuous seam. It worked much better doing it that way; I'm sure that if one was sewing the dress for a larger girl, the pattern directions would work just fine.

Lastly, I did a simple double-fold hem instead of a hem-facing as the pattern instructed. It worked just as well.

The pattern was easy to follow, with simple,clear instructions and helpful diagrams. Oliver + S has a handy difficulty rating (this pattern is three scissors out of four), which is particularly helpful for beginner sewers. And the dress is super cute: I'm in love with the tiny collar especially.

Sadly, I found out that this pattern is now out of print, although there are still some places that will have stock left (I got mine at the workroom). There is no shortage of adorable patterns from Oliver + S, though, and I'm looking forward to making more!

It's a Girl!

2010-04-29T21:04:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday, my sister gave birth to a little girl! Eek! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for Carolyn and Jeremy. I'm looking a bit silly these days with this giddy look on my face.

They've named their new baby Isabella, a lovely, elegant name. I have yet to meet her--my family is in Manitoba--but I've seen pictures and Isabella is tiny and perfect and beautiful. It's been the slowest two days of my life, waiting to hold my niece for the first time, see her tiny little toes, hear her wee cry. I'll be home soon.

In the meantime, I'm dreaming of all the pretty little things I'll get to make for Isabella. Perhaps I'll start with this cute pattern from Oliver + S, maybe in this fabric? Or this dress in this fabric? Oliver + S has the most adorable patterns in the cutest packaging; the problem really is deciding which one to make first.

Hmm ... I'm starting to realise that the best way to outfit one's brand new niece is just to make all of the sweet dresses I want. I mean, I'm supposed to spoil her, right?

My Heart Goes Pitter Patter

2010-04-26T19:34:00.001-04:00

This is Gordon and I after a hard day's work. Well, I worked.

I'm not entirely sure why, but Gordon has always liked to nap like this on the couch. His face makes my heart melt.

Gordon's had a rough month. I wrote about his impending surgery here. It turns out Gordon's knee was perfectly fine, but he is suffering from hip dysplasia on his right side. He might eventually need surgery for that, but it's looking more and more like he'll be able to lead a perfectly normal doggy life without any sort of hip replacement. Yay!

He's been on strict rest for a couple of weeks, though, and he's got another week or two to go before he can even walk anywhere. All of this has meant lots of extra cuddles for me, so I'm not terribly broken up about the love and affection part of this ordeal.

I'm in love

2010-04-19T19:57:00.000-04:00

Sewing with my grandmother was always a happy thing, so when I was looking to start a new hobby a little over a year ago, it made sense to return to making things with fabric and thread. I took a class and bought myself a basic Janome. We've bonded, my reliable little machine and I. She's been wonderful, if a bit overworked. Here she is working away on my buzzsaw quilt.

(Please forgive the messy workspace. I'm not the tidiest quilter you'll ever meet.)

But lately my mind has been wandering:

I adore this machine. I've had the opportunity to use one on a few occasions, and she sews like a dream. There are more fancy things on this sewing machine than I probably know what to do with, but I don't care. I freely admit to being won over by bells and whistles in this case, even if it is slightly shallow.

So what's a girl to do? I've been setting aside some extra funds for a while; it might even be time for a fabric diet (it's unlikely that I could stick to it). I do love my sewing time, after all ...

I'm sure Janome understands, and I would make sure she went to a good home. Really.

Dress 'S'

2010-04-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

It's been so sunshine-y lately that I decided to take a break from quilting and make a new summer dress; it's been a while since I made any clothing, and sometimes the instant gratification of something new to wear is just the thing a girl needs.

I've had this lovely Nani Iro double gauze on my shelf for months. It's so pretty and lovely to touch I was afraid to make anything from it.

For those of you who don't live in Toronto, it gets very, very, very hot here in the summer. And oh so humid. This double-gauze struck me as totally perfect to turn into a summer dress: breath-y and airy and fresh. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to work with, too, since it unravels quite easily.

It took me a while to figure out what pattern to use, but I finally settled on Dress 'S' from Stylish Dress Book 2. I've seen it done up a few times on blogs and in person (see Karyn's lovely versions here and here) and it seemed perfect for my Nani Iro.

I can't quite figure out why the ladies in Japanese dress books always look so stylish: often when I'm done my dress and try it on, I look a bit like I'm wearing pyjamas. I followed Karyn's lead and added a row of shirring to the waist. I like the definition it adds to the dress, plus I'll still be able to wear it with a skinny belt.

(By the way, I swear that hem is even. I tried and tried to adjust it for my photo shoot, but it wouldn't cooperate.)

My new dress took only a few hours to finish up. The patterns in Japanese dress books sometimes require some small adjustments, but once you get the hang of them they're actually quite easy to pull together. Now I just need the weather to cooperate so I can wear my new dress. Yipee!

Another day, another quilt

2010-04-17T18:46:00.001-04:00

I have a small problem. No, not a fabric problem--although I have one of those, too. You see, I'm unable to work on only one project at a time. I admire those people who can work from start to finish on a single project, but I've just never been able to do that.

Today, after basting my buzzsaw quilt, I realised that I was working on five quilts. Just five. Gasp! Clearly it's time to start another quilt.

So I picked up a stack of lovely fabric from the workroom with the intent of starting up a zigzag quilt. I've been seeing them quite a bit lately, and I think they make the perfect outdoor blanket. As it warms up and everything turns green, my mind wanders to weekend afternoons in High Park, relaxing with some hand stitching. And, obviously, Peter and I will need somewhere to sit while Gordon paddles around the pond.

Hmm. I better get started on cutting my sqaures ...

So Close ...

2010-04-14T18:35:00.000-04:00

So here it is, my finished buzz saw quilt top. I have to admit, I think it's pretty great. This quilt has challenged me in the best kind of way: it might not be the flatest/most perfect quilt top (there was some fudging of rules along the way) I've ever made, but it makes me happy and that's what this is all about.

I'm equally excited about the quilt back, which will incorporate some of this oh-so-pretty French General Rural Jardin jelly roll.

We'll baste our quilts this Saturday and get started on the actual quilting. Can't wait!

Best. Shoes. Ever.

2010-04-08T19:04:00.000-04:00

Heather Ross + Keds = Awesomeness. Need I say more?

Quilting + Gordon + Sunshine = A Perfect Weekend

2010-04-05T21:35:00.001-04:00

I could probably write a song about my love of all things Gordon and sewing (à la Mary Poppins, of course), so getting to spend lots of time with both this past weekend was glorious, especially with the sun so sunshine-y and warm. I'm lucky enough to have a wonderfully bright sewing space, so even while I was indoors I was able to enjoy the lovely weather although Gordon and I did venture outside to do some cutting for my latest project.

On Saturday I started another quilting class with Johanna at the workroom, this time for a buzz saw quilt. I'm having such fun crafting these blocks; who knew that using rotary cutters could be this enjoyable? And I'm so pleased with the way my colour palette of pink and beige is coming together.

Being an editor by profession, I appreciate the preciseness of patchwork. Each cut exact; each seam 1/4-inch. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a total nerd, one that likes rules and knowing what's next. Those things exist in quilting, too, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise to anyone that I fell in love so quickly when I started about a year ago.

But as much fun as I'm having making these buzz saw blocks, they've reminded me that there are a few things that I'm less than fond of when it comes to sewing For instance, I hate ripping out seams, and I've already had to unpick quite a few for this quilt. See? Being precise is key, and when you aren't you just create more problems for yourself. Those pretty blocks above? All of the seams are off just enough that they're significantly smaller than my others. (I think. I've measured and measured: I'm reasonably sure that the other blocks are correct and these are the offending blocks. Plus, there are more of the others.)

Also, despite my father's sage advice that one should always measure twice and cut once, on one block I did quite the opposite and now have one 'blade' somewhat slimmer than the others. Oops.

Despite the seam ripping and the cutting mishap, I'm still loving my buzz saw quilt. It's always exciting to see the way the colours and prints come together, and this quilt is no exception.

Now, I should be getting back to those seams ...

Baby Gordon

2010-03-31T20:32:00.000-04:00

Gordon is such a happy boy. Nothing fazes him, and his smile is infectious. It's fun to watch people react when walking by on the street: he makes eye contact with anyone who looks his way, and somehow manages to get them to actually say hello to him. Gordon has a way of making bad days virtually disappear.

Peter and I had no idea that, when we brought Gordon home, we were really bringing home our first child. Yes, he's hairy and eats anything, but he's still our fur baby. So it's been hard to swallow the news that Gordon needs surgery.

A few weeks ago, he hurt his leg at the park. A feat, really, when one is as laid-back as Gordon. As it turns out, he actually tore his cruciate ligament, an injury that won't heal on its own. And in true Gordon fashion, through countless needles, x-rays, bloodwork, and examinations where people pulled at his leg, he's remained pretty happy-go-lucky. He even took the vet's bribes of cookies and pets. What a trooper, eh?

Gordon's surgery is this coming Tuesday, so if you can keep our lovable boy in your thoughts. I'm sure he'll be swimming and wrestling with friends sooner than we think; in the meantime, if you see Gordon please make sure to tell him how handsome he is. We haven't told him that they'll be shaving his leg yet ...

Fabric Presents

2010-03-30T19:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I don't exactly mean a present. More like a parcel. That I ordered. But it's so wonderful to come home to parcels, particularly when you know that inside that brown envelope is pretty, pretty fabric that it's almost like a present. And not just any pretty fabric, but stacks of the lovely Square Dance prints on cotton dobby dot from Anna Maria Horner. It's a vintage-y floral print arranged in 'panels' in the sweetest colours.

The fabric is so soft it feels almost like silk. I plan on using all four colours in a lovely summer-weight quilt ... I mean, why not add another project to the list?

More Quilts!

2010-03-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

Because I have no will-power whatsoever (another project? sure!) I signed up for another quilting class at the workroom. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'll get to spend Saturdays making lovely things with Johanna, Karyn, Rosalyn, and other delightfully crafty people.

Choosing colours for a new quilt is hard. Really. Really. Hard. Many others have said the same thing, people who are much better at this stuff than me. I'm not the most decisive person in the world, and making a choice on just a few colours is impossible. I regularly turn to my trusty friend Martha Stewart for help in this department.

I should preface my next sentence by saying I'm not getting married any time soon. Honestly, I'm not. But I adore Martha Stewart's Weddings. I can't help it, even after more than one person has looked at my ringless finger and asked me who was getting married while I was browsing through the magazine. Sigh. Can't I just enjoy it because it's pretty?

Martha always has the best colour combinations, and ones that I wouldn't necessarily think of. I knew she was a genius when she made beige look chic and hip (note: apology to all of those who have always loved beige, and didn't have to have Martha Stewart point out to them that it was really delightful). To be fair, she did actually refer to it as 'wheat'.

Because of the sharp lines of the quilt, I knew that I wanted colours that were a bit more feminine to soften it up. I've decided on a palette of rich pinks and beige, a combination that I fell in love with instantly; I was waiting for the right project, and I think this is it.

I can't wait to get started!

Life's a Beach

2010-03-19T20:56:00.000-04:00

There are few things in life that Gordon loves more than swimming. Every spring when the weather warms up and we make our first trip to Cherry Beach, he goes bananas. As in, he totally, completely loses his mind. Gordon is just so ridiculously happy in the water.

And there's something about watching him paddle around that makes everything feel as though it's exactly as it should be.

Yippee!

2010-03-16T18:23:00.001-04:00

It's always a good day to come home to lovely packages, especially when those packages contain Japanese dress books. Yay!

I ordered two books, but this one, called Dress Made of my Favorite Cloth, is my new new best friend. I want to make everything in it! Full of lovely dresses, coats, and even a couple of vests, I can see that this book will soon be well worn.

Eek! So pretty.

I ordered a copy of Stylish Dress Book 3 too. Also so pretty!

Suddenly my Tuesday feels like a Friday.

A Quilter's Confession

2010-03-15T20:36:00.000-04:00

I have a confession: I cut these bits of fabric months ago. Honestly: months. I'm not sure what got into me, but I suddenly decided I needed to make a queen size quilt, and it needed to be made of lots of little pieces. I bought the workroom out of what felt like bolts of fabric when in the early stages. And, when it was done, the quilt needed to look like this (only queen size):

(Please forgive the blurry photo. My point-and-shoot camera isn't as point-and-shoot these days. Also, someone pointed out that blurry not-so-good photos are better than super-great scans of pages because it's less like stealing. Being in the publishing business, I can see that is a good thing.)

Another lovely ditty from Material Obsession, this one is called Smuggling Letters. I chose a range of subtle blue, orange, and brown fabrics I love (including a lot from Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley) but I just can't get my butt in gear to start piecing. Instead, all of those lovely bits of fabric sit in ziploc bags. Shameful, eh?

So, I'm hoping that my online confession shames me into starting this silly thing. I have no doubt that the finished project will be lovely, even just for the combination of fabrics.

Help me, will you? Pester me, bother me, ask me how the quilt is coming so that I have to do something about this.

Sigh. I should have called my blog something like 'The Procrastinator's Life'.

Meet Fred

2010-03-15T19:18:00.001-04:00

This is Fred. He's (obviously) an elephant.

Fred is settling in to his new home in Russell, Manitoba, although I have to admit he was almost too cute to send away. He was made with a home dec-weight cotton from Echino using a pattern from Joelle Hoverson's Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. So delightful!

A Weekend Quilt

2010-03-14T20:59:00.000-04:00

I am totally enamored with large block-y quilts. You see, I've discovered something about myself in the year since I've been quilting: as much as I love new, fresh, and unusual colour combinations (and I love them), I'm a sucker for pattern. And there's just something about showing them off in giant patches in quilts that I'm stuck on these days.

Don't get me wrong, I love me some fussy cutting and working with teeny pieces of fabric to make beautiful quilt blocks. For a while, I saw this as the only type of real patchwork. Maybe it is, but with so many lovely fabrics out there, why not show them off in a spectacular way? And why not just choose a few different fabrics to showcase?

I was first inspired by the Avalon Quilt in Material Obsession (note: if you don't own this book, go get it. Seriously. You won't regret it). How pretty and fresh!

So when I went to put together an all-purpose quilt for my soon-to-be-born niece or nephew, I wanted to incorporate the same sort of graphic, bold use of colour and pattern. To achieve the look I wanted, I started cutting fabric randomly before piecing it together. Of course, there is a real upside to these sorts of quilts that mustn't be ignored: they are assembled very quickly, and in a weekend I have an almost-finished baby quilt. Really, really perfect for a procrastinator like me.

Street Cred

2010-03-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

I love my brother, the giant man-boy.

I'm so proud. Patrick's always done what he loved and what mattered, even though it's not been the easiest choice. I learn so much from him every day. Also, he makes some pretty damn good music about some pretty important stuff.

I love my brother.

Yellow

2010-03-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

There is something about this sparkly pot of pins that makes me so happy. It reminds me of dandelions. Yes, I know they're weeds, but show me a prettier shade of yellow. Besides, who decided they were weeds? We should change that.

Also filed under the happy category is this:

Gnomes from Heather Ross!

Double the Heather Ross goodness with Far Far Away 2

Learning Your Limits

2010-03-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure when it happened. You know what I mean: the day you start to see things and after a quick once over say, 'I can make that'. Then a split second later, 'Umm, what? Did I say something?' But it's too late: you've committed yourself to doing something that you aren't really sure you're capable of. Oh, well.

When talking about the nursery, my sister asked if I could make some cushion covers for the rocking chair. No problem! Right? Too late I realised I'd never actually sewn a cube. Also, I hate zippers.

Hmm. That wasn't so bad. Maybe this is actually doable ...

Well, it's looking sort of like a box cushion cover. Maybe.

A-ha! Success. In the end, it turned out just fine. (I think. They have yet to be put on the actual cushions.) So fine, in fact, that I made two.

Take that, limitations.

Simply, family

2010-02-21T21:27:00.001-05:00

I love old family photos, don't you? You could tell the history of the world, I think, simply by looking at family photos (or portraits). There are, for instance, a million pictures of my brother, sister, and me when we were kids, all lined up like we are in the picture above. Usually, I'm making some sort of sour face, my sister isn't paying attention, and my brother looks like he's up to something. I'll let you make your own inferences.

I love that family photos can remind you of all of the good things you've had in your life. The photos of me, Carolyn, and Patrick remind me that I am incredibly lucky to have a family that loves and supports me. (Also, they like when I make them stuff, or at least they tell me they do. Since I like crafting things, it makes for a good arrangement.) Growing up, I was mortified when my dad made me pose for pictures in public--my first day as a crossing guard in grade 5, in front of the busiest building at my university during Frosh Week--but looking back, I can appreciate it was his way of recording the moments I made him proud.

Mostly, though, I love that they're a way of remembering things you might have otherwise forgot.

Like how, no matter how sophisticated and worldly my grandmother was, she was always ready with love and hugs for her grandchildren.

And how, even when we were young, my brother and sister were my best friends.

And how much I hated these terrible polyester outfits. Stir-up pants? Pink Fleece? Elastic ties? Sure, we might have looked cute, but I was left traumatized. Poor Carolyn had to wear these outfits twice as long: sometimes, it's good to be the older sister.

The Best Kind of Day

2010-02-21T20:49:00.001-05:00

The best kinds of days are eminently lazy, filled with crafty goodness (at a leisurely pace, of course). Hot chocolate, books, and any sort of cuddling are also involved.

After our morning walk, Gordon got about the next part of his day: napping.

(Yes, he does run the household. Why do you ask?)

Anyway, that left me lots of time to get to crafting. I promised myself that I wouldn't take on any more projects/classes/projects/projects until I had finished up some of the many sitting unfinished in the spare room. No sooner had I said that did a class calendar for the workroom land in my inbox. I mean, new quilting classes! How could I resist?

To ease my guilt, I set about sewing madly this weekend, finishing (finally) an obi belt for one of my very good friends, the binding on the crib blanket for my sister, a new diaper bag + quilted changing pad for my brother in law, and a bird mobile for the nursery. Carolyn has also asked me to make some cushion covers for her rocking chair; I've never done made box cushion covers before, so after cutting out the necessary pieces, I made the wise choice to wait before starting. Even though I was on a crafty roll, I feared eye fatigue would set in and I would end up ripping more than I was stitching.

Now to get started on the 40 other unfinished projects ...

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm not usually a Valentine's Day kind of gal, but this year I'm feeling a bit lovey-dove--mushy enough to make a card, even.

It Doesn't Get Better Than This

2010-02-04T19:26:00.001-05:00

Oh my. It doesn't take long to fall behind on blogging. Mere weeks after starting my blog, and I'm already a million posts behind. No matter. I feel better now that we've talked about this, so let's move on to the good stuff.

My sister is having a baby. Crazy, eh? I'm going to be an aunt: that might be crazier. I'm brushing up on my bad manners so that I can pass them on to my new niece or nephew ...

(Carolyn, you can thank me later.)

Adding a little one to the family has meant lots of fun sewing I couldn't otherwise have gotten away with, lest I start to worry Peter. I'm glad that my sister and brother-in-law have indulged me and my sewing habits, because it's meant I've done been able to make the most rewarding thing yet: the baby's crib set. At Christmas, I packed up my sewing machine and spent the most wonderful week with my sister, sewing, cooking, laughing and reminiscing. At the end of it, we had an (almost) finished set for the baby.

I love living in Toronto. I really do. But there are times when it's harder than others, and knowing that I'm so far away when my baby sister is having her own baby ... well, I don't think I have to explain it much more than that. Imagine, then, how warm and fuzzy I feel, knowing that the wee little one will by snuggling in their crib in a set that I helped to make. I know it's totally cheating, but it feels a bit like, when my sister and brother-in-law are tucking in their newborn, I'll be there too.

Japanese Dress Books

2010-01-27T20:17:00.001-05:00

Since starting to sew about a year ago, I've admired Japanese Dress Books for their simple, pretty aesthetic. My interest was piqued after seeing some finished projects made from patterns in these lovely books, so I bought myself a couple.

For a long time, I was intimidated. Written entirely in Japanese, I couldn't possibly see how anything I might make from these books would turn out the way it was supposed to. So, I would pull the books, flip through them, bookmark projects ... and then put them back on the shelf.

And then, one day in my post-Christmas, pre-week long work excursion madness, I pulled Stylish Dress Book off the shelf, and with the help of label-free started tracing out my pattern.

Working with Japanese dress books is shockingly easy. The diagrams are super clear, and working through them was a snap. My tunic isn't perfect, but I'm pleased with it as a first attempt at working from a foreign-language pattern. I particularly like the mis-matched buttons, some of which came from my grandmother's collection.

Now, if I could just get my sizing right ...

Flannel + Lace = Cozy Goodness

2010-01-27T19:38:00.001-05:00

I confess: I love pyjamas. If it was acceptable to wear them everywhere, I absolutely would without a second thought. (A quick side-note: if you're one of those people who insists on wearing pyjamas to the grocery store, stop. I'm telling you as a friend. Really.)

Anyway, when Anna Maria Horner's Folksy Flannel collection landed at my favourite crafty shop, the workroom, I knew that I had to make something. My first instinct was, of course, pj's. But wait! What if there was something made of flannel I could wear to the grocery store? What if it had ... lace?

I decided on a new scarf. It came together surprisingly well (no seam ripper required) and I think it showcases the pretty prints nicely. In fact, I liked my new scarf so much I made my sister one, too. Scarves are so much better extra long, and my new Folksy Flannel scarf is no exception.

My new scarf is so delightfully cozy and warm, like a mug of hot chocolate after making snowmen. And perfectly appropriate for strolling in public.

And if I close my eyes, it's just like wearing pyjamas.

It's a Dog's Life

2010-01-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

This is Gordon. He likes to sleep. A lot.

That's all.

A New Year

2010-01-06T21:35:00.000-05:00

What does one write about on a blog? I've struggled with this for a week now since making the decision to embark on this journey. After much consideration, I thought I would start with a posting about my most imperfect, sad (?) looking project thus far. You see, I'm a perfectionist, both at heart and by trade. So, when I one day decided to try my hand at free-style embroidery (on a train, no less) ... well, you can see the results for yourself.

But, you know what? I think I love it. Sure, everything is out of proportion and the flowers don't really look like flowers. There are worse things. Right? Anyway, I think I love it, because to me it's the start of loving my imperfect, perfect life. Maybe that's what this blog will be about. That, and all sorts of crafty fun. (Does it count if I point out the project above is still unfinished? Hmm. I see what you're saying: it isn't very un-perfectionist of me, is it?)

Because it's a new year, I thought I might start with new year's resolutions. My sister suggested I make it a resolution to post here once a week. It's a good one, so I'll start there. Also:

*Don't worry so much. About anything. But especially small things that I can't control, and probably don't matter anyway.

*Be nicer to everyone. Including myself.

*Be better at staying in touch. Boy, am I bad at this. Really, really bad. 2010 will be better.

*Don't use this blog to rant about politics. I'll try my best, but I'm not making any promises on this one.

Do you have any new year's resolutions?