Snap

I am in love with Prairie points, and it is because of Jodi Nelson at Pleasant Home that I do! 

Praire points are a sweet way to use up little scraps of fabric.

This was what I worked on Sunday; and yes I should have been gardening but it rained pretty hard all afternoon - typical spring weather here.  So this is what I worked on instead. 

 I like having a bowl of vegies on the counter - rather than apples lately, I think it is because of the colors, Great, aren't they?  These fabrics are bits n' bobs from my sewing room; a nice blue piece of Moda Sanae and some colorful Anna Marie Horner for the prairie points!   

and they all go nicely with the IKEA snaps (or whatchma'callits) that we use to close up the potato chip bags.

HAPPY SEWING ALL !

Ode to Saturday & my quilty week

Another rainy Saturday morning; but I will take it.  A great chance to stay in and putter around the house.  But I must admit that the temperature outside has warmed up and although the back yard is very soggy I do have a bit of the 'gardening bug'.  I can see my herb garden come back to life along with many weeds that need to be pulled..... ah another weekend.

This week was another quilty week:

This bunting draped on our bookcase was designed by Cynthia Frenette, a member of our Modern Quilt Guild. Our guild will have a booth this March 23 - 24 for the Creative Stitches show at Tradex in Abbotsford. Love that font! These will decorate the booth. Plus we will be displaying many quilts, handing out buttons, business cards and keychains!  The show will be a wonderland for the modern sewist.  Come check it out!

Here are some of the lovely fabrics that showed up in my mailbox this week!  Do you notice a trend? Seasonal influences perhaps?  Dreaming of summer? Yes, yes, yes!  But I am in love with the line of fabric by Choe's Closet "Fruit Cocktail".  (bottom bolt)  very vintage vibe - the colors are lovely.

And I wanted to include a picture of my lovely magnets that I won as a doorprize at our Thursday night guild meeting.  These are handmade by another talented member of our Modern quilt guild, the fabulous Amy Dame.
Today, on this rainy Saturday I plan to work on 'rug mug' designs for an upcoming 'rug mug' swap with the Vancouver Modern quilt guild.  I have a few ideas.  One is based on this lovely photo:

I love scrappy quilts. I made a smaller version of this quilt last year and I have always wanted to make individual blocks.  Check out the link to Freida's Hive for the tutorial.  I love the block!
Other rug mug ideas.....

This lovely was featured on Pleasant Home.  Love whirligigs!

This beauty from Flossy Bossy (on Flickr)

Basically, any block from this fab book.  Every project is a 'keeper' in this one!  Really good.

Happy Sewing All !!

New drapes and cushion covers

A recent trip to IKEA with my daughter, Ms. Freshface, led me to these really cute draperies!  Love at first sight.  I bought three sets plus some really cute fabric to recover all the cushions in our livingroom.

This navy checkered fabric was a bargain! Sturdy cotton, 59 inches wide and on sale!

The window in our livingroom is really big so two set of panels sewn together give ample fullness. The fabric is a beautiful 56% linen / 44% cotton. 

One set in our study.

One and a half yards was enough fabric to cover 4 cushions plus some nice scraps!

Sewing Loot

Our Modern Quilt Guild met last Thursday; always inspiring.  Our meetings are scheduled to last two hours but I have noticed lately that slowly we seem to be reluctant to call it a night!
There is just so much information, inspiration, show n tells and 'buzz' to take in; sometimes two hours  just isn't enough time.
Besides it took me another hour or more once I got home .... wow. I had many quilts, colors swirling around in my mind.... I couldn't get to sleep right away.

So here it is Saturday morning, and I have laid out all my 'loot' from our guild meeting. My awesome doorprize from Happy Sew Lucky; my fat quarter swap (monthly event - so fun); my Meadowsweet fabrics from our dear Eryn Trent Fraser, plus custom designed fabric to make bunting for an upcoming Sewing show.

 Just in time for Valentine's Day.... beautiful bunting from Happy Sew Lucky.  This is getting sewn today!  And some really sweet Anne Taintor coasters (love Anne Taintor)

I brought a few spools of Aurafil thread that I purchased at the Bent Needle in Mission BC last weekend.  Aurafil thread is so lovely to sew with!  I am a true fan. Besides one of my resolutions for 2012 is to learn more about threads and needles... (really). 

 One of our members (Eryn) is a self proclaimed fabric hoarder, who occasionally 'purges' fabrics from her vast collection.  These are some of the lovelies that I have taken off her hands.  LOVE.

 And many members of our guild, belong to other guilds (myself included) and we do like to reach out to support each other.  This is my raffle ticket for the Langley Quilters' Guild.

Happy Sewing All.

Door prizes

It has been awhile since I placed an order of books to be shipped by mail.  I seem to be getting into the habit of reading online.  I said that I never would do it, but I find that I do, and all the time. But there is something satisfying about holding a book in my hands, especially a craft book!

The book "Pretty in Patchwork" was a door prize at our Modern Quilt Guild retreat which I did not win. But I was sure to include it in this order.

This is to come (in the mail!). Three of these books I have looked at front to back and they are 'keepers'.  The book by Elizabeth Hartman of www.ohfransson.com fame, I am sure will not disappoint.

January Joys - grateful for the time I've been given

It was a very snowy past week - so much snow in fact that the university where I work was closed for the week!

I made good use of the time - catching up on laundry, naps, reading and lots of sorting of fabrics and sewing.

I quilt, and have accumulated a large collection of quilt fabrics as well as scraps from past projects.  The pieces aren't small enough to throw away, so I keep them.

 

I love every bit of the fabric purchased and  like to use up every little bit! Hence I have at least a dozen large Ziploc bags filled with scraps of lovely colorful fabrics that I can't part with.

 I have always been fond of 'wonky stars' or maverick stars as I have seen them described. Quilt or table runner?  I haven't decided but I love these gentle little stars.

January Joy - a.k.a. Snow Day

A news broadcast this evening explained that this Monday is known as Blue Monday - the saddest day of the year - something to do with lack of sunshine, winter cold & other obvious winter realities.....  But today was a snow day... a big snow front moved into the valley and it snowed 40cm.  The university campus where I work was closed due to weather.  Awesome. I found it to be a refreshing, and unexpectedly pleasant surprise. 
Sooooo, this is what I worked on today!  I think I might be in love with wonky stars.

Countdown to Christmas - week three

Oh this month is progressing very quickly! I am crossing off events on my December calendar very quickly.... two guild December holiday celebrations - check.  Family Christmas Get-together dinner - check!  It seemed that I looked forward to these Christmas events for so long, and in a blink they have passed.  Tomorrow will be our departments' potluck luncheon & after that Christmas break is one week away.  I haven't wrapped any of my gifts nor have I completed my gift shopping!  Today I am home with a bit of flu/headache, etc.... Not being very productive today. Hence this post midweek!

On a bright note, I have begun my Christmas baking, and hub is my taste tester.   These lemon tarts, maybe a little tooooo tart, will be goodies for hub to eat.  Good, but perhaps a little less lemon zest next batch.   I have made butter tarts (& stashed them in the downstairs freezer) and up next are my whipped shortbread - always good.

 

Another bright note; look at this really sweet bag that Barb from our FVMQG made for me!  She embroidered my name on the handle - I love it.  Plus it is reversible too.  And look at the sweet piece of fabric she gave me!  Thirties inspired and turquoise - LOVE - LOVE 1930's fabrics and especially turquoise.  Thanks Barb, now I must think of something good to spring on you in the New Year!

Christmas is definitely in the air.   Merry Merry all !!

Countdown to Christmas - week one

This is the bunting that I have made for one of my quilt guild's Christmas meeting - it will decorate the gift table, and then become a door prize.  All my other Christmas buntings have been mailed out in brown envelopes to dear friends, along with all my Christmas cards.  This is worth making note - usually my cards are in the mail a week before Christmas.

I seriously have to step away from my sewing machine and get into the kitchen! I have some Christmas baking to do!  Perfect opportunity - hub is working tonight.  Merry merry all!

Potholder Swap with VMQG

This lovely Potholder swap that our Fraser Valley Modern Quilt guild is having with the Vancouver Modern guild has really added to the season's excitement.  I mailed out my potholders early this week and now I await my potholders by mail.

Good old fashioned parcels in the mail!  How sweet is that?

These are my potholders!  I finished them on the Remembrance Day long weekend - I let them sit on my table for weeks!

This was my inspiration!  This is a 4 inch double hourglass block....I have made so many of these blocks, all sizes.  I love them and plan to make a large vintage-vibe quilt.

I love the Michael Miller 'fifties kitchen" fabric on the back!

 Ooh, this is the last day of November but my Christmas spirit is in full swing.  I usually start to feel it's full effects when I need it most, like the week before December 25th. That is when I need that extra inspiration to get me through all my Christmas preparations.  It works for me every year.
But my Christmas spirit arrived the last week of November this year. I am glad.  I really want to savour this time - from the Christmas cards, the baking, the vintage craft markets, the get-togethers; and those wonderful long letters from dear friends.

the beginning of Christmas decorating...

 I have officially begun the Christmas season at our house!  Baking will commence Sunday afternoon. Beginning to put little things out here & there... so far only in the kitchen.... it usually starts this way each year.

 

 

This looks so much better, or my camera takes a better picture, in daylight.  but I love the colors, I think there should be a 'touch of blue' in every  project. Also I really love the Christmas Sheri Berry fabric....in 'salmon' but really it is a warm faded red with really cute little cookie cutters, rolling pins, snowmen & Santa!

The inspiration for the scrappy tree came from the newest online issue of " Inspired Ideas" 

Mod Mats

Before I jump into Christmas with both feet, I am still spending alot of time in my little sewing room.  The quilting fabric comes by mail each week and I am bravely cutting into it. If you do not hoard fabric, you will not know the significance of my bravery, but really.... it is soooo hard to cut up the beautiful Heather Bailey Pop Garden prints, or the lovely Moda American Jane 1930's vintage style fabrics.... but I do!  

I just order more to help with the little pain  of regret that I feel when I have used something all up.  I must try to think of quilting fabrics as a way of  'quilting my fabric & having it too' . 

Lately I have been sewing together bits & scraps of my fabrics to come up with what I call my Mod Mats.  They are fun - there are no rules or patterns, just pick colors from the big pile  and sew them together.  All good.

I have made several of these little Mod Mats, and I find that I love having them all around the house. They seems to elevate everyday items in a way that makes me smile.

This Flickr photo from the Pleasant Home Scrap group was my inspiration and 'jumping off point'. I loved the mod feel and the humbleness / simplicity of this project.

This was my version of the above project. Note the really cute  scraps of Heather Bailey & Sandi Henderson prints.  It cheered me up to use up every little bit!  This little project now sits on our kitchen island with our fruit bowl. It looks very lovely.