a work in progress

That describes my sewing space perfectly.

A work in progress.

A couple of weeks ago I got the best deal on some plastic tubs at Canadian Tire.

Like almost free kind of cheap!

so of course I bought lots!

and then I went back and bought more for my scraps-larger ones...

the smaller ones are shoebox size and they fit my other WIP's perfectly!

which made me and the hubby happy.

less than $15 = happy hubby

organized sewing space = happy ME

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so what are these other WIP's?

Well there are more than I'd like to admit....

AND this does confirm to my hubby that I'm good at starting but not so great at finishing...

but it's all relative--

and now that I'm organized--it'll be so much better!

I've told myself that once there are no more boxes for a project then I can't begin anything until I finish one--so on with the show

this one is a scottie dog for my dear middle child who has asked for a "dark blue" polka dotted dog stuffy.

SPECIFICS: Scottie Dog (free) pattern from Denyse Schmidt HERE

STATUS: so far the front patchwork is done and the back will be made from the royal blue felted sweater in the picture

Next up, a quilt made with a layer cake of my fave Sweetwater fabric called MAKE LIFE...

this quilt is a modified Disappearing 9 Patch using a special cutting method

SPECIFICS: Easy Bake pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew available HERE

STATUS: blocks completed...now I have to sew my quilt top together

now this quilt has been put away for a good reason.

I'm mad at it.

Mainly, it's just not going together right and is just not playing fair.
So I put it away and was going to leave it there for a LOOOOOONG time but then taking it out to take these photos did spark a tiny desire to see it finished....

and then as I folded it up and put it back in it's tub--and saw all the stray threads--

I remembered all the seams I've ripped out on this baby and it may stay out of my sight for a bit longer :)

SPECIFICS: fall quilt adapted from the Sugar Pop n' Change (free) pattern

STATUS: retired until further notice

These lovely blocks were gifted to me from Heather Bostic of (House) of A La Mode fame.

She was making a quilt in aqua, grey and orange 'til her hubby nixed the orange and then lucky me!

So far there aren't enough to make a quilt the size I'd like so I need to add to it...

SPECIFICS: inspiration quilt HERE

STATUS: blocks in progress

Lastly, probably my most favourite project at the moment.

A quilt for my pumpkin's bed (double) made with the love Sultry fabric by Basic Grey for Moda.

Using a couple of layer cakes to make an oversized version of the Disappearing 9 Patch.

Take a good look at this fabric--isn't it so pretty?

I just love it in all it's pinks and limes and browns.

thanks to my mom who understood my need for this fabric and came to my aid with her credit card until I could pay her back--now that's love! Thanks mom!

SPECIFICS: Disappearing 9 patch (oversized) --my first bed quilt

STATUS: initial blocks sewn--slicing and dicing, trimming and quilt top sewing in progress
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So I guess that's most of them that I'm working on however I have tons more swimming around in my head.

And I may have just purchased a layer cake of Lori Holt's new line "Sew Cherry" to make a quilt for someone super special but it won't do to name names at the moment

*wink wink*

Scrappy Mug Rug Madness!

Remember when I told you about my Mug Rug Swap?

Well I just finished another one and I realized I never actually did show you what I did for the first one back in 2010...

so let's start there... this is the one I made for my partner...

using Make life fabric :)

the back--My fave!

and this is what I received! soooooo spoiled I am!

So fast forward to the beginning of March 2011... This is what I sent to my partner...

She likes vintage and pleats and bright colours. I used a vintage pillow case and added in some brown pleating.

Topped it off with some free motion quilting--first time EVER!!! (thanks to my handsome hubby and my SWEET Janome Horizon sewing machine-score!)

Well, I hit a home run on this one--she loved it!

and then I received the most fabulous mug rug Sweetteamom .

She put so much thought and detail into it! I love the rainbow and she snuck in some of my fave Make Life fabric (the red word fabric) and then the grey cross is to symbolize my dad in that he's always with me in my heart! AWWWWWW!

She totally cared! And I love it!

I kinda don't want to spill coffee on this one :)

BASTE

the joy
of a nearly finished quilt
and the excitement of one little boy anticipating a new quilt on his bed.

catching up

I have been embarrassingly behind on my blocks...

both in making them and blogging about them!

So here goes!

Coffee Improv Blocks for Jan of Hip 2 Bee Square


These were for January 2011

Next up: 3x6 BEE blocks

In this bee you make 7 of the same blocks using your own fabric and the colours choices by your fellow bee mates...
aqua, red and white

pink, red and white

a baby quilt inspired block of green, yellow and white

black, white and yellow

a baby boy quilt block--no specified colours

and this was for my friend Tong (from the Great White North Bee) and was my favourite...

blue, yellow and gray

My colours for this swap were yellow and grey but I've yet to make myself a block.

I'll show you my blocks from my fellow bees another day, once I get my last one :)

The following block was made for Quynh in the Hip 2 Bee Square

The theme was bubbles and I had a terrible time with the circles!

But mine looked like most of the other ladies so I guess I didn't do too badly.

This was November's block.

For the December blocks of the Great White North Bee

Jen entrusted us with some much coveted Heather Ross fabrics to make confetti blocks

using this tutorial...

I got super behind on these because they scared me!

Alot of seams! Not my forte...

Barb asked for pink stars for January's blocks for the GWNBee

I love the look of the ohio star quilt block and used this tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop.
(this is the same tutorial I used for the blocks above)

The pinks she sent were so pretty :)

now I want a pink quilt!

I'm still behind on the last block for the Tethered Threads 2 bee and then I'm caught up for 2 weeks...

Then more fabric will arrive...

Mug Rug Swap 3

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this!

Back in December I took part once again in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap on Flickr.

You might remember my first swap in this group and I loved it!

So I did it again.

Only this time I was shaking in my boots a bit.

My partner wasn't just anybody.

She was a somebody...

Kaye Prince to be exact.

of Miss Print blog fame!

If you don't know of her,

you soon will.

She is the next up and comer in the quilting world of blogging and Moda Bake Shop

and she's CANADIAN!!

This is my most favourite of her quilt designs HERE.

so I set to it and came up with this design...

(mug rug front)
(mug rug back)
I was pretty happy with it in the end --however my machine was having a serious hissy fit so the quilting isn't what I had envisioned.

I think Kaye was pleased, however :)

It was hard to let that one go but soon enough mine arrived in the mail from
Katy! I had asked for a winter/Christmas mug rug and she delivered!
Thanks Katy!

So here's the thing--
I signed up again to do the 3rd swap and it's due to be sent by February 14th....

I have lots of ideas but so far nothing concrete put together so I'd best get a move on!

What was that about not joining any more swaps?
*wink*

Love Nest

My new "friend" is Carina Gardner.

Have you ever heard of her?

She's a fabulous new designer for Northcott Fabrics and her second line is called Love Nest.

This is my favourite new novelty line of fabric!
Isn't it fabulous?

It's all hearts and flowers and paisley's but my fave is those birdies up there.

When I came across this fabric I knew I had to have some!
so I right away called my LQS who is now looking into carrying some of Carina's new lines for the spring/summer but couldn't get me any Love Nest.

I was bummed and then Carina herself sent me a 12 fat quarter set!
Can you believe it!

I'm planning on making a table runner for Valentine's Day with it but in the mean time...
look who got into it first!

She's so proud to be sewing--
and yes--
she did pick this out fit out herself! :)

this little quilt is the beginnings of a 100 days project for school.

more on that later...

but a BIG THANK YOU to Carina Gardner!!!

p.s. check out this quilt that Carina just designed!!!
fabulous!

fears

I am afraid.
nothing scary, but it holds me in its grasp and I stress...

After reading this post by Anna of Noodlehead fame--I don't feel alone.
not completely.

This was my comment on her blog after reading this:

"i fear wasting fabric...the fabric industry is so cruel...it turns over fabrics too fast and just when i get the nerve to use my beloved fabric it goes OOP and i can't get it anymore. i stand stuck in this place.
my husband does not understand.
nice to know that someone else does :)"

note: OOP means Out Of Print.
as in done.
gone.
finished.
nada.
a bazillion dollars on Ebay for the world's last remaining fat quarter that someone else is selling because they were smarter than me and bought lots so now they can share it and get their projects done.

hmph.

yes. it's the strawberries all over again.
why do I obsess?

My hubby asures me "we can buy more fabric.
They will design fabric that I like just as much. take it one project at a time."

Problem is that it takes me MONTHS to finally begin a project and then the amount of fabric I have limits my creativity.

Fabric is expensive!
I don't want to waste it!

'cause once it's gone. it's gone.
so sad.

Hubs said to me the other day,
"you're getting a nice little stash of fabric now. Great for creativity."

umm...yeah.
except, no.
practically every piece of fabric I have was bought for a purpose.

It's not a stash.
It's a hoard.
waiting it's turn.
hmmmmm.....
time is also a problem.

I'm not entering any more quilt bees so that I can work on my own stuff.
promise.

what's that?
no I'm not crossing my fingers behind my back.

Swaps don't count do they?

hmmm.... could someone pass the strawberries please?

TO BE CONTINUED...

progress...

ready to be pieced....

I'm loving how quickly these HST blocks come together...

this is one Cotton Blossoms layer cake and 6 extra squares of fabric...

(my layer cake was missing 4 squares)

We'll see how I like it once it's all pieced :)

almost...

I almost...

had enough fabric for the backing of my quilt--almost...

I almost...

ordered fabric online

I almost...

spent an hour scouring etsy for the perfect fabric for the back of my quilt

I almost...

paid for shipping to Canada instead of sending it to my mom because I needed it now...

I almost...

had to wait 2 and a half weeks for fabric to arrive

(top fabric: Cotton Blossoms by Bonnie and Camille, bottom fabric: compliments of Fabricland)

I almost...

used my very favourite Full Moon Polkie by Amy Butler

but it didn't feel "right" with the rest of the fabric.

I almost...

walked right past this fabulous brick coloured chicken scratch fabric

I'm so glad I didn't!

I almost...

don't know what I like better...

vertical?

horizontal? either way, (thoughts???)

I almost...
passed up a chance to find this fabric for $3 a metre!

sometimes shopping in Canada for fabric isn't all bad.

(for those that don't know--Fabricland is the Canadian equivalent to JoAnn's fabrics but not quite as good--but it's growing on me!)

***I almost think the word "almost" looks funny to me now that I've written it so many times in this post

a little bit of this...

and a little bit of THIS

Oh my!

I love it!

It's called Glitzmas and it's fabulous!

I'm a sucker for Christmas anything and I just think this fabric would

sing with my Michael Miller mirror dots.

I haven't cut into the gold or the moss yet and I think if I could swing $25 bucks out of my hubby I'd be slicing and dicing!

Speaking of slicing and dicing...

here's a yummy pile of Cotton Blossoms fabric by Bonnie and Camille.

I bought this layer cake over a year ago with someone special in mind.

Well she's more special than ever and I've decided to

jump into this fabric with rotary cutter in hand!

I'm basing my quilt on one by Kaffe Fassett in his book

Quilts in the Sun.

It's called Tropical Frothy and it uses half square triangles.

I'm just awaiting the arrival of a bit more fabric so I can move on with it.

Lastly, let me leave you with this pic of my yummy new stash!

Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party!

Heather and I couldn't resist (it wasn't hard to talk her into it!), so we went in on an order together and this is what resulted!

that's 6 yards of fabulous colour!

(the top one I have had for a bit but it matches so well)

Can't wait to cut into it!

Rubbers, Wellies and Donkeys

I've got a thing lately for rubber boots

(or wellies or galoshes, what have you)

I have wanted a pair for my very own for a long time

and my brother made that dream come true this Christmas...

I know you're jealous!

But what I love more than my new galoshes

are rubber boot wearing donkeys!

and just rain boots in general!

Aren't these fabrics fabulous?!!

I've been wanting to make a fussy cut quilt like this for some time now

and couldn't think of a more adorable focus fabric

plus it's not cheap

so this way a little goes a long way :)

Designed by Laurie Wisbrun of Scarlet Fig

oh my

if you love fabric or you're just quirky like I am, you'll love her designs!

you know that song? "If I had a Million dollars...."

Well, I just need $20 and this fabric would be mine!

Dear Santa,

"I've been awfully good this year..."

Isn't that how everyone starts their letters to you??

It must make you crazy!

okay so here's the truth...

-this year I have spent way too much $$$ on fabric (without my hubby knowing)...

-this year I have spent way too much time on the computer gleaning ideas and not doing anything with them...

-this year I ate most of my kids Halloween candy all by myself and told my husband the kids must have eaten it all...

-this year I dinged the fender on our van because I don't know how to parallell park (I hit a light pole)...

-this year I have lost weight by cutting back on portions and then gained it back by eating those portions I'd missed out on!

So as you can see I don't have a stellar record but I'm hoping if you have time to look at your "B" list, that you'll consider me...

I heard through the grapevine that the Fat Quarter Shop has your direct line so I thought I might have a better shot if I sent my list through them...

Because we all know that they have been really good this year!

It's a small list, really :)

_______________________________________

1. Figgy Pudding

--I'll take anything I can get Santa!

But 2 Jelly rolls and some 1/2 or yard cuts would be GREAT!

I'll make it easy and you can pick--i love it all!

2. Simple Abundance

-- I know it's practically extinct already but Santa, I must have it!!!

2 Jelly rolls and 1/2 or yard cuts in anything I can get would make my Christmas...

I know you're not a miracle worker, but I just had to ask....

3. Winter Parade Bundle

--'nuff said!

4. Authentic Quilt Kit

I know, I know... I sound greedy--and truly Santa, I am!

I'd love it all--but really I just figure by the time you get to me you might be out of something so really I'm just giving you options...

I know you're a busy guy, So Merry Christmas!

Love Kelly

P.S. If my readers were interested in sending you a letter via the Fat Quarter Shop, you wouldn't mind would you?

I didn't think so...