Schnibble Along Finish.

 July's Schnibbles, Joy Luck, can be found here

  I've finished the mini X-Rated and have to say I'm not in love. My idea for quilting didn't turn out so well, but, it's another thing I wanted to finish and I did.
I'm happy I finished it, even if the quilt itself may end up in Little Bit's toy box.
I'd taught her Xs and Os so we free motion quilted "O"s over the Xs.

Being as brilliant as I have been lately,, I forgot about the entry form so this one is going to be a just because and not entered into the Schnibbles Times Two Contest.
However, that's ok too because one of my goals for the Charming Girls Quilt Club was to have more fun and sewing is fun for me, even when it doesn't turn out as I hope.

The larger version is mailed off to the long armer so hopefully she will be better inspired then I was.

Let's Celebrate!!

 You may or may not know that I have fibromylagia, and a few other fun chronic things, which seriously interfere with my life in general but are not life threatening in anyway. In the last few months I've developed some neurological symptoms, numbness, balance issue etc. Anyway this leads to a concern about MS.

I've finally got the results from the MRI and it's 95% certain I do not have MS. Which is good. Very good.

So I'm celebrating with all of you!

And since in reply to my last post many of us decided that our over flowing, ever expanding collection of fabric is in at least partly Moda's fault for putting out so many gorgeous lines I'm going to show them and give some of mine away!

Yes, that will teach them.

I'm giving away two of the Moda Candy Bars...these have 40 5x2.5" pieces. One is Fandango and the other Luna Notte.

Just leave a comment about which you'd like. To get a second entry leave me a comment about some good news you've received lately! I'll draw Aug 3rd, which is the day after the holiday here.

A note about style

  I don't really have a "style". I like all sorts of colours, patterns, scale, and size.
It's the same with music, I like a lot of genres.

That is not to say I don't have things I don't like, but even most of those 90% I can appreciate, I just wouldn't want living in my house.

Random Moda fabric picture because what's a post without a picture?

 When it comes to fabrics I like different styles there too. I like the deep clear colours, bolds, pastels, muted, soft, shabby chic, batiks, and whatever you'd call Basic Grey. I love Fig Tree, Sweetwater and French General, Mark Lipinski, Lila Tueller, My Sister and Me, American Jane....ok I thought I'd find an end to the list before now so I'll just stop now.

So what about you? Do you have a style? Or are you as eclectic as me? If you are , how do you decide what to buy?

Oh and the top is done for the 3 quilt out of all that Prayer Flag. I should have it quilted ad ready for a tutorial Monday!

And the winner is....

 Before I tell you who won the layer cake I wanted to say thank you to everyone for your awesome comments! Hopefully they were sincere! lol

According to random number generator  the lucky person winning Lollipop Layer cake is.... # 23! Who is number 23? If my counting is correct the winner is traceyjay!

Congrats Tracey! Send me an e-mail with your address and I will send out the layer cake!



I'll be posting the final pattern using the fabrics from Film Strip over on Burgundy Buttons soon! It's almost finished and then I just have to quilt it. Every bit of fabric is used up if you follow the patterns you will get 3 quilts from the one buy! Ok maybe you have to add just a little more black yardage for this last one but that is it! And two of the three patterns, mine, are free! So if you like, there is a kit for Film Strip over at BB, just add an extra 1 yd of black and you'll be golden to make all 3 quilts, Film Strip, Miss Rosie's Joy Lick Schnibbles, and my new one, Pieces of a Prayer.

Friday Night Sew-In Results and need a little help

Lollipop Layer Cake Giveaway can be found here, hurry it ends Monday!

  I actually got a ton done last night!

I made two of these,

I'm going to have them on either end, and in the middle I'm going to have some plain fabric with applique words on it.  I just haven't figured out what those words are going to be... Love, Laugh, Live? Life is What You Make It? (maybe a bit too long) Live Life?

 What motivational phrase would you add?

  I also got 100 of these made, and another 100 of these.

Oh the pictures are a bit blurry? Hmm....must have something to do with Bake Shop...funny how those pictures always blur before they can be put up in a full tutorial.

So I'm going with last night was a success!

Friday Night Sew-In

You can sign up here. I've got my Make Life stuff set out and am going to do some sewing! This fabric has been screaming at me to be used so I've got the tumblers cut and am going to just let this one evolve as it will.

A new address and Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along

Giveaway can be found here.

My blog is moving to www.caraquilts.com, make sure only one s in the name. You can still reach me through blogger, so if you're following me nothing should change, but you may notice the address is different. It's ok I promise. :)

I have finally finished blocks 10 and 11 for the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along, try remembering that let along saying three times fast.
I didn't want to go into the last block with more to do, well I guess I still have to come up with one to replace the one I didn't like so much that I didn't do it.

I'm almost ready to share what I've come up with for the remaining layer cake squares from Film Strip. I love how I've gotten three quilts out of the one buy. Nothing makes me happier than stretching a dollar or in this case, fabric. Don't forget that Leah is offering a kit if you'd like.

As promised and July's Schnibbles and a kit

Giveaway for the Lollipop Layer Cake can be found here.

Leah over at Burgundy Buttons has put together kit for Film Strip! You can find it here.

I used the left over jelly roll strips from Film Strip and made a modified version of Joy Luck, measuring about 40x46. This would have worked out much better if I had a) read all directions first and b) had not been both tired and arguing with Little Bit when trying to do the math to enlarge.

  If you're just doing the pattern as is you easily have enough fabric to make the top. And as you can see you do have enough to enlarge it a bit too. Just a note, read the stitching directions for the border, not the cutting directions. Yes there is a difference because the cutting is from charms.

So two quilts, one fabric buy.
Well it's going to be three...yes I will make another top out of the remaining layercake squares and the left over scraps of the black jelly roll, and assuming it works as I've figured it I'll share the pattern here later this week.

Stay tuned!

101 Followers Giveaway! And another Bake Shop tutorial!

Giveaway is now closed.

I've hit 101 followers, 100 and 101 being about the same time, so decided to have a giveaway to celebrate!
 And another of my Bake Shop tutorials went up on the website today, check it out here.

So I decided to combine the two. I'd appreciate it if you'd leave a comment over on Bake Shop about the quilt there. Leave one here telling me you did so here, or anything else. Got it? Bake Shop comment about the quilt, comment here telling me you did so. That's it.

Oh the prize? Of course you want to know about that. Let's see here...how about a layer cake of Lollipop?


Giveaway will end on July 26th, sometime...lol I know better than to try and guess a time I will be able to draw.

 Tomorrow I'll show you what I did with the leftover jelly roll strips from Film Strip. Prefect if you haven't done this month's Year of Schnibbles.

NOTE If you can't see the follow button, try going to the new blog address www.caraquilts.com!

Charming Girls and Guys Club

 Goals for July//August.

  1. Finish Bake Shop projects, I have one that needs to be finished quilted and another that is only about 1/4 of the way done.

  2. Make my dad's Birthday present using these.

  3. Block 8 of Le Jardin when it arrives. And Block 7 if I can find out what happened to it.

  4. July and August's Schnibbles



   As to the topic of Self Care, this is something I've been terrible about like most moms but have been working on. I'm going to try to have some more fun in every aspect of my life. I know I won't change a lot but finding fun in what I do everyday is something I think will make every day better for everyone in my family.

Book Review and Giveaway

Update! The winner of my copy of the book is Nancy! I've sent you an e-mail.

I was contacted a while ago about reviewing a book, which was supposed to have some sewing/quilting. I received Whiter Than Snow, by Sandra Dallas and read it pretty much straight through.

The inside jacket's blurb is  

  On a spring afternoon in 1920, Swandyke-a small town new Colorado's Tenmile Range- is changed forever. Just moments after four o'clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high about the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky sleep, enveloping everything in its path.
  Meet the residents....
Fate, chance and perhaps divine providence all collide in the everyday lives of these people. And ultimately, no one is without sin, no one's soul is whiter than snow, and no one is without the need for forgiveness.
A quintessential American voice and writer of exquisite historical detail, Sandra Dallas illuminates the resilience of the human spirit in her newest novel. 

  The first half of the book has a chapter with a back story, how-they-got-here kind of thing. The second half deals with a mining town in Colorado and a winter time tragedy and how the town comes together, and briefly touches on each of the characters resolution. The whole book is essentially seeing how the lives of these very different people intersect at one time and place.

Not telling you a lot? I know but I don't want to spoil it if you decide to read the book.

I will tell you it is a meandering book, its a slow story but very well written. Your heart will break, and the book won't leave you with a happy feel. Well, maybe it will but I didn't put it down feeling happy, but I then I get into a well written book, regardless if I want to.

Now one of the problems I have with this story is that the jacket cover does not really give you enough information about the actual story, and if you've lost a child, as I have, this will be a heart wrenching read, and you are not given any warning of that until you start to read. Though having just look it up on Amazon  it does tell you more of the actual story line there.

My second issue, was when I was offered this book much was said about quilting, and the author's ability to give a lot to a character with the way she sewed/quilted. There are maybe half a dozen references to it in the entire novel, none of which are particularly telling or important in anyway. So again I don't feel like I had to read this novel, nor is it going to be of any additional interest to quilters than anyone else. Her other works apparently have more quilting in them but this one really didn't have more than a few mentions, The Persian Pickle Club  has much more.

 Having said that I know there are many out there who would enjoy Whiter Than Snow, but I've had enough real tragedy in my life that I don't feel I got anything from reading the book except a few hours of interest and some more heartache.

One word of praise is for the depiction of a variety of reactions to grief. I thought it to be realistic and individual, which is the way of it in life.

So there's my review, it was a good book, well written and emotional engaging but not of any special interest to quilters, and not for those who feel there is enough in real life to cry about that we don't need it from a story.
I'd like to read more of her work. It was really well written, and I could see how I'd enjoy some of the other books...just not more children dying.
 I had read an excerpt of another book with awesome quilting, which really did add to the characters etc. So I'm going to keep an eye out at the library or if I get to a book store.

I'm giving away my copy so if you'd like it just leave me a comment telling me so and I'll draw, say Monday.

Little Things

There's an awesome giveaway over at Quilt Nook. with the other Cara.

I'm also changing my e-mail address as it's getting very messy with blog comments, etc plus all the normal e-mail. So from now on if you comment you'll be getting a reply from caraquilts at gmail.com, so if you have filters on your inbox you may have to change the settings.

Again there are people with no-reply. Which is fine, but it means I can't tell you how awesome you are for commenting, or answer questions. Check here if you don't know how to change the settings.

Heavy on Charm I just wanted to let you know how excited I am you're making Prairie Christmas! Send a picture when you're done! Or add it to Bake Shop's Flickr page.

I'm currently reading a novel- "Whiter than Snow" by Sandra Dallas- that was sent to me for review. I will be giving away my copy after I have finished so look out for that.

I received my prize for last months Friday Night Sew-In. Thanks Bobbi and Heidi for doing this every month! It really help me get some things done, especially those I-don't-want-to parts of projects.

More Blush! Just what I needed!

I have to confess that all this good luck lately has me a bit spooked. I've had some absolutely atrocious luck for most of my life, the kind where you beg for no luck because you'd be better off. So I think maybe it's making me nervous, sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop kind of thing. Or maybe my life has finally turned around for good. That would be nice. Which means the MRI on Friday will show nothing, or may be something would be better...I don't know. I think I'm rambling....off to play with Little Bit.

Little Bit's Quilt

I finally finished Little Bit's quilt for her twin bed. She'd long out grown her baby quilts, and for a long while liked multiple small quilts/blankets to one larger one. She's finally out grown that and was getting jealous of all the baby quilts I've made recently so I decided it was time for her to have her own.
 We picked out the fabrics online, ok I showed her some and she choose Eden. I used the large version of my Whimsy Square pattern and here it is!

.

 

I tried to catch her face when she saw her quilt...it's not great but you can see she is surprised!

I think I have to make her curtains to go with this. I did make two pillowcases out of the pink that my MIL had bought to go for the backing when she was here, but I ended up using Cuddilicous instead. I should have about 4 yards left, which I would think would make a curtain to go over those ugly vertical blind the apartment came with.
They've never bothered me until I was looking at this picture. So yup new curtains for Little Bit will be in the works.

Schnibble Along Week 3

 I do love this pattern. It went together like a breeze. And I really like using something other than white or black for a background fabric. I had admire Kim's quilts when she uses other colours for backgrounds so thought I'd give it a go and man does it work!
I just took out the teal and greens from the packs and used some teal yardage for the background and voila! Lovely.

Next, the quilting!
I like doing these quilt alongs, I think it keeps me motivated, and really helps with time management, which I'm normally pretty bad at, or was, I am getting better.

Summer Semi Vacation

 So I've come to the decision that I'm going to take it easy for the summer, which mean I won't be posting as often. I'm not going to say I won't because that is as unlikely as me not sewing for the summer. But I'm not going to worry if I haven't posted in a week.
Little Bit is a very active girl so we'll be out and about more enjoying the summer, which we really didn't have last year.

 This week I've quilted, and am half way done binding, Little Bit's quilt. Finally. I've let this go too long but it will be done when she is home from bio dad. I'll show you a picture once she's seen it all finished.

I also received this beautiful layer cake of Lollipop this week. The colours are amazing, but the prints themselves seem to be jumbled to me. 

I've also finished a project for Bake Shop, but this one won't be up until probably September. Here's a sneak peak.

It's the back and is Moda Snuggles...which is amazingly awesome stuff. It's super soft, but not crazy stretchy. I free motion quilted it with zero problems. I'm trying to get this one kited by one of the online stores and will keep you updated.

I have another project that, assuming I get it quilted and bound, will be up next Friday.

 I took a frame quilting course yesterday and will take part two on Friday. I think this will really help my productivity because I can just rent the frame at the shop to finish my larger quilts and not nearly kill myself and my machine in the process. The only bummer is I have to buy the batting from the shop, but it's reasonably priced so my only concern is about black batting, which I didn't notice they sold.

 So until, well tomorrow for Schnibbles Along, and then until I have something to show and the time to write about it!

Schnibble Along Week 2

X-Rated doesn't actually have blocks so the whole center part is done and just needs the borders put on next week.

I also finished block 7 for the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with this quilt but I figure I'll finish the blocks and then see, but I'm thinking sashed, on point. It should give the impression of the blocks floating, which would help deal with the background/sashing being the same fabric. I think that was a mistake but, oh well, we'll work with it and see.

Another Day

So thank you all for your helpful comments, which despite Shane's (DH) smart ass remark did help. I had cleaned out the bobbin area but I hadn't thought to try cleaning/oiling the upper part. For whatever reason it seems to have helped. She's still going to go in on Monday for a tune-up/general cleaning and see if anything pops up.
 I found a hilarious song that summed up how I felt today.

Yes, most of my life has some song to go with it.

I got my Schnibble Along cut out. I am going with Essence and if it isn't current enough, oh well.I'll have a nice Autumn quilt, or little baby quilt on the ready.

Next up is to get it put together! I think I'll trust my machine to straight stitch right now but I don't think I'm going to free motion until it gets checked out even though she's sounding pretty much normal. I've also slowed down the speed because I admit to having a lead foot. Guess it's a good thing I'm not driving much right now lol.

And honey since you're reading my blog now could you take out the trash? Thanks!

What's the worse thing to happen to a quilter??

 Ok, no all quilt stores did not go poof, nor did fabric become illegal but my sewing machine has become very, very sick. She's making awful noises, and really isn't able to work at all. And the dealer she's from wasn't answering the phone, so I won't even be able to get her seen until Monday. MONDAY.

 Now this may not seem to bad to some, but I sew every day. And I have two quilts needing to be quilted, on of which was about 1/2 done. And the other is due to be up on Bake Shop in 2 weeks.
And really quilting is the only thing that keeps me calm, and Little Bit is gone for almost two weeks...so this is not a good thing at all.
 I'm off to bind a quilt, and maybe cut out a few more...maybe then I won't feel so deprived.

I confess to you....

I confess I've not been a very good blogger lately. I have two reasons for this. One is I'm working on things I can't show you yet, and two I'm having trouble with my fingers being very sore/stiff, making typing difficult, not to mention the fact that half the time the things I think I'm typing aren't what are showing up on the screen. I am reading blogs but not commenting as much for the same reason.

But since I've reached the basting stage for several projects you know I'm going to start something new instead of getting them together so I promise to have more to show you soon. ;)

I cut into 3 of my Make Life charm packs and they are now tumblers. I'm thinking I'm going to do the entire quilt in tumblers and the add applique, instead of trying to figure out a medallion for the center of the quilt. But since I still am not 100% I left 3 charm packs uncut...I have a lot of this line, and I want even more of Sweetwater's next line Pure. It is so gorgeous I can't describe it, the colours are beautiful and soothing....yes one of the projects I'm working on is with Pure and trust me you will love it!

Happy Canada Day!

To all my fellow Canadians Happy Canada Day!
Here's a little quiz from my local paper, which is atrocious most days but hey it's always fun to test a little knowledge. Instead of being random trivia this is similar to part of the citizenship test. I assume the answers will be posted tomorrow, not that it matters.

I didn't get my Red and White Roundabout quilted for today like I'd hoped, nor have I got that Flag quilt even started but I will by next year. I've already got it planned out.

Isn't this picture awesome?? I found it at CBC's website.