Simple sewing

So I went to my little quilting pantry, one of those cheap little things from Canadian Tire, and found an old kit. It's Bob the Builder with about 6 quarter yard cuts. The problem? I couldn't remember which pattern was supposed to go with, so I looked through all the patterns in one of my binders and decided it had to be either Can't Cut it or 5 and Dime. I decided to go with the Can't Cut it. And made oopsies with the cutting so it kind of came out funky, especially with me muddling up the block direction and not noticing. But hey it's a quick quilt, going to my little nephew down in NC. I got the whole top done in a few hours.


I'll eventually get the more elaborate quilt made for him, but every time I touch it I seem to mess it up more. This is the EQ5 mock up of the quilt. I had EQ6 but have lost the upgrade cd so when I got my new laptop I was back to 5.

DH is coming down with something, he thinks allergies, and Little Bit has been with Grandma most of the weekend so it has been pretty quite around here. I really have to get working on Lillebet but that probably won't happen this week. I need to do the cutting on Little Bit's Halloween costume, which hopefully I'll be able to get done. Mom has said she'd help if I can't get it done, I still tire easily. She is going to be a pink Belle, melding her favorite dress with her other favorite princess Aurora.

Sew much to see

Ok it's a bad pun but hey...So I've been checking out the HUNDREDS of quilts in the online quilt festival being hosted by Amy at Park City Girl. I have visited over 600 blogs, yes I said 600, and none of those today so there are probably more. It has been a lot of fun, but it has meant very little sewing has been going on, well until tonight.

Over the last few days I have been playing with some squares from Metro Blue, a line from a few years ago. I had gotten them out to make a purse, but well, they had other ideas. They decided they wanted to be pinwheels, but not just any pin wheels, ones made according to this different method. Well. When fabric insists, it insists. So I made all of these.


But what to do with them? Nothing seemed quite right, and I didn't want to make more. The method wastes fabric, and the seams were so bulking I had to press them open, which I don't like doing, and being a klutz burned myself a few times.

So they sat. I stared. Nothing. Then, just as I was about to start another project (all the while ignoring Lillebet) it came to me. Yes singing angels and all lol. I even had left over fabric from the first time I attempted a purse with this line, and I say attempted because while it was fully functional and got compliments, it really didn't turn out as I wanted, so will never be photographed and shown here.

Hmm...getting there but not quite. I discussed this with DH, who is actually pretty decent at seeing and giving advice on design or colour, wanted or not lol.
And here is what I finally came up with.
I think it turned out nicely...the only thing...I'm thinking it could be a little bigger, it's currently 24" square. What do you think of flying geese, with the geese being made up of the fabric line, and the wings being white?
I'm going to bind it in the other strip fabric from the line, so it will get a little bit more scrappy from that.
I can't decide and since my Schnibble pattern and fabric are still not here I'm at loose ends right now. I'm wondering if it's going to get here in time for me to finish it for the 31st. Oh well, hazards of online shopping cross border.

Be sure to check out Emma's giveaway and her Etsy shop. Some beautiful little quilts. She is giving away a kit for the quilt below.

Happy Thanksgiving

A big Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians!
And Happy Columbus Day to DH's fellow Americans.

I could go into a things I'm thankful for but somehow that seems to be leading to a political rant today so we'll settle for just being thankful for my little girl, DH, and my two precious puppies. Well and the beautiful colours outside this time of year, they really give me a boost.
There is much better colours but being unable to go for walks through the woods right now this is the best I can get from my window, apparently all the trees around my place are going to be late turners this year.

Quilt Festival

Welcome all Quilt Festival participants! I hope you are enjoying checking out everyones quilts as much as I am.

This is my first Quilt Festival so picking which quilt to show took some doing but I decided to show my most recent complete quilt. I made this for my hubby for his 31st birthday. One of the reasons it is my favorite is I was able to keep it completely secret from him. Now I don't lie well, in fact I'm a horrible liar, which was nearly the undoing to the surprise. When quilting this I left the pins out and hubby asked about them, all 400 something of them. My reply? I like pins. Seriously. That is what I said. Luckily something distracted him before he could interrogate me about it.
Another reason is this was a Patchwork Party kit and I really like doing things that can feel somewhat community based. So it was fun. I also loved this fabric line, Prairie Paisley by Minnick and Simpson.
Everything about this quilt worked for my husband. He's an American, from NC, and is proud of his Southern roots so both the overall design and the colours really worked for paying tribute to his home. I know it is at times hard for him living here in Canada, which in some ways is so different.

My photography skills leave something to be desired but here is DH's quilt.



I changed what was supposed to be star flowers into just stars, and made thirteen of them, to represent the thirteen states in both the Confederacy and the original 13 Colonies. Soldier's Walk is represented and the colours are pure Americana.

Click on the button below and go check out the AMAZING quilts of so many super talented others. I know I'll be up late looking around at all the GORGEOUS eye candy.




These two quilts were made from the scraps of the bigger quilt. One is Bennington, a Schnibbles pattern, by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co., and the smaller one on my door is of my own design, again from the scraps. I really like making a mini quilt from the scraps of any quilt, but especially one that gets given away, as a momento of the whole journey I take with every quilt.

More Sashing Lillebet

First you might want to head over to Lila Tueller's blog to enter into her contest for a great pre-release giveaway. I think Little Bit might like something done in that line. Very girly, springy. Yes I make up words. Constantly.

Now onto Lillebet...ok seriously I don't know if it's too much sashing, or too much pain meds, but every time I talk about this project it sounds like it could be dirty.
Anyhoo, I got a few more blocks sashed and the rest of the sashing made up. A few more days should see that part done, and then I will get around to the applique, which is all made up and waiting to be sewn. About half the flowers have the inner parts sewn, and are waiting to be put to background, the other half still need to be sewn to each other first.




Only four blocks have sashing on all four sides, the others only have it on three sides.

I'm looking forward to getting this one done. Though DH says he likes it, which is odd, but hey maybe I'll get it on our bed in the spring.

I ordered my next Year of Schnibbles pattern and fabric from a different online store, I'll tell you which when I have an opinion on it. I think I'm going to do it in the new must have fabric for everyone, Rouenneries by French General. The store called to say the yardage wasn't in yet but should be any day so I told them to wait the whole order on it, hopefully not a mistake. I also ordered the Tuffets pattern, mini pin cushions, and a pound of crushed walnut shells so I'm hoping to make up some cute pincushions and get some better pictures of my pin toppers.
I've got about 12 listings on Etsy right now, but I know I need better photos and styling before I'll actually sell many.

I think I've been overdoing it the last few days, I've been so much more tired and sore. I went out a lot on Tuesday and some yesterday. It's frustrating how tired just showering makes me still, it's been 2 1/2 weeks, but I'm still sore enough to keep me from doing more than I should.

I'm off for a little rest and then hopefully I'll get another block sashed tonight between dinner, and getting Little Bit to tutoring.

Sashing Lillebet

That sounds almost dirty doesn't it? LOL
Nothing horribly exciting happening here. I've been working on the immense amount of sashing for Lillebet's Garden. Lots and lots of triangles. Not much fun. But some progress so I'll share. You can pretend you haven't seen the blocks before. Seeing as I hadn't seen some of them in over a year we'll pretend their new.


At this point only determination to finish this quilt is going to get it done. I still dislike most of the fabrics (this was a BOM), though the instructions have been good, aside from the occassional difficulty finding the real number of things, sorry but eleventy million isn't very helpful, especially when cranky about doing sashing anyways. Though props to the designer, Beth Ferrier, for not doing long skinny strips, I hate them and they never turn out well for me. Her "Sneaky Piecing Tricks" are also great, some are very basic but some are real time savers. And to be fair, she did say to do the sashing before the blocks, but yeah like that was going to happen.
Lord I'm a procrastinator, I'm sitting writing this instead of breaking up the chain stitching for the last sections of sashing.
Nicole wrote about not being a finisher, and it got me thinking about me, and why I don't finish things. Most things fall into one of two categories as to why they didn't get finished.
Group 1 is because I lost passion for it. I'm an incredibly passionate person, but that passion doesn't always last. You know the saying about fires burning brightest, burn out fastest? Yeah that's me. And if there isn't anyone around me to build that passion well things fizzle out.
Group 2 is another rather unfortuante personality thing. I fear failure. And I don't mean a little. I'm terrified of it. I always have been. Mostly goes to never having measured to be worth anything within my immediate family. I apparently would rather not finish, or not really try, rather than risk failing.

So since I've been trying so hard not to live in fear in every aspect of my life, I have determined that certain things are going to get finished, and if they are finished they are not failures. They may not be perfection, but not finished is a bigger failure than missing points. So asides from this one, assuming I still actually like the project and fabrics, I'm going to finish things. I've decided not to make this retroactive because well, there are reasons for some of the UFOs, and if I like them I'll finish them, if not I won't.

The hysterectomy was to try and get some of my life back from the whirlpool of pain I live in, and it's going to be a new start in how I do things. Or I hope it will be. I need to start living for me. When was the last time you asked what was good for YOU? Not hubby, or the kids, or the community but for YOU?
Now is my time to heal, which means thinking of me. Doesn't it?

Prep

I haven't done much in the way of sewing but tonight I got some prep work done for a Tisket a Tasket
and sewed some tumblers of one of Moda Bake Shop. I only had one charm pack so....I'm going to have to buy another, or a layer cake in Maypole to expand this because I do like it, although I think I'd like it better if the tumblers were about half the size, they seem big to me. I really am a glutton when I want to make something more complicated or time consuming.
Now why would I start a project with only 1/4 of the supplies and that in an older line? Because I thought to just make Little Bit another doll quilt but I love these colours so much I think I want to make it a throw, which as with all the others, would double as a "baby" quilt for her dolls, when not in use else where.
This is one of the aspects of being broke that really stinks. Not being able to just spend 30-50 on something, even if it's only once a month. And being more broke than usual really stinks. DH went for my meds, and instead of getting my normal 10 day supply they gave him the next month's, big difference even with insurance because I still pay 20%, and have to wait for reimbursement. Poohy. Self Pity over though because I know I'm blessed to have any drug coverage, and it's not like I pay to see the doctor, nor did my surgery cost anything, even with the 6 day stay at the hospital.