Away for a month? Really?

I have been busy. Very very busy. But apparently not busy quilting or writing my blog :( Along with two wonderful children and a fabulous hubbie, I have a job I love. But at times it can be very challenging. These days working and hanging with my babies is about as much personal time as I get! I even missed a quilting class yesterday..... and didn't even remember until today!! I need to get myself back on track!

As my happy thought for the day, I want to share a Paddington snowball/9 patch quilt I made for one of my best friend's baby boy. This isn't a newly finished quilt. It has been complete for almost a year. However, it makes me happy thinking about that cute baby boy. Today I just need that thought to inspire me to work on some other projects today.



Happy Quilting!

I Chose Red!

I was on a roll. I just had to put on the two borders and I would have a completed top! My daughter and I went to a new local quilt shop (Sew Have Fun!) and found a Kona red that is perfect for the inner border.... and the binding.... and the backing!! I love RED!!!! At the same time, she witnessed a children's Learn to Sew class that she just has to join! A great Saturday! We came home, put the fabric in the washer (I am always a prewasher, but with red fabric it is a requirement).... and then it happened.........

I turned on the computer to quickly check for updates on the Moda Bake Shop site. Progressive Dinner!! If you have not been following this Blogging Dream, fix that right away!! Some of my favorite bloggers, like Amanda Jean and Moda Lissa are involved, but I have also found a bunch of great new blogs. So instead of sewing this week, I have been reading other people's blogs! Although I am disappointed I haven't done a lot of sewing this weekend, I have done a lot of great reading :) Go check it out and put your name in to win the new book and the great Moda precuts!!!

Only two more days of Progressive Dinner and I'll get to my own sewing and have those borders on so I can sandwich my quilt this weekend and have it completed for Valentine's Day. That is my challenge to myself!

Anyone else have a challenge they are working toward?

Happy Quilting!!

Decisions, Decisions

I have been in love with the same Moda layer cake for more than a year. Each time I looked at it, I had the incredible urge to buy it. But in my head, I could hear that little voice that says "You have so much fabric. Don't even think about it!" Well, after months and months, I gave in and became the proud owner of a Moda "Love Is In the Air" layer cake. The question was then, what to do with this fabulous assortment of fabric?

As soon as I got home, I jumped on Moda Bake Shop looking for inspiration. I love that site!! Then I saw it. Charming Hearts. Although the pattern is done in charm squares (therefore.... the name), a layer cake makes up easier and a little less scrappy. This is what it looks like so far, pieced on my design wall.

The pattern now calls for a dark mini inner border and then a scrappy outer border using the remainder of the layer cake/charms. What I am struggling with is what color to use as the inner border and binding. First I thought RED! But I am having such a difficult time matching the 'right' red, that now I am thinking chocolate brown maybe? Any ideas would be greatly accepted and appreciated!! :)

Happy Quilting!

Belated B-Day Gift for My Sister

For my sister's birthday this year, she requested a bag. Not just any bag. I had a picture she had taken on her blackberry and a challenge. It took months to figure out the picture was of the Miranda Bag from Lazy Girl Designs. The day I found the pattern, I was absolutely relieved..... and terrified. I quilt, but I do not do clothes or bags. Luckily, although my sister just loved the look of the bag, I loved the easy to follow pattern!! It was late for her birthday and Christmas, but I have finished it!! The pattern had step by step instructions with lots of pictures. Perfect for the visually oriented, like me.

One learning from my adventure. Although I love batiks and I love this bag, next time around I would chose a more consistently colored fabric. The great thing about batiks is how the fabric color moves and no piece is exactly the same. The thing that sucks about using batiks in a bag that needs four identical blocks is that no piece of fabric is exactly the same! It is more obvious in the picture than when you actually look at the bag in person, but still a note for next time!

Happy Quilting!

Sewing with my Daughter

Today had a bit of a crumby start. An early morning at gymnastics isn't special, but I have a cold that is kicking me pretty hard... so it was a struggle. It is REALLY cold today, so the kids had cabin fever. For my daughter, who is 7, that means a day of sighs followed by "I'm bored!" As I was held up in my sewing room, trying not to spread my germs (that is my story and I'm sticking to it!!) she came in with those sad eyes that break my heart. The result was a great mommy & baby girl day!!

Since she got her sewing machine for Christmas, I have taken a lot of tips from the site http://www.kids-sewing-projects.com/. If you have read my blog or know me, you can probably guess that I do not do great at simple, "finish in a day" projects. Mostly, finishing any project isn't easy. Finding a way to teach Katie to sew while not loading my perfectionism "issues" on her was easier with this site.

Today was an awesome success for me and for her. What a wonderful day!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Today as I scramble to prepare for tomorrow's festivities and finish one last quilting present, I thought I would take a moment to throw some good cheer out into the universe!!

I will make sure to post the pics of my two quilted presents as soon as they have made their way to their new home.... but until then.... it is a well guarded (and incomplete) secret!!

Enjoy your time with friends and family! I will be enjoying the season, while also missing loved ones on The Rock!

Those Darn UFOs!!!

I am currently sitting in my sewing room watching reruns of Sex and The City.... when I should be working on my unfinished projects...... or at least working. Instead I am reading blogs about other people finishing their UFOs!

In the past month I have finished my Beatles quilt, finished the top for my Oriental Elegance quilt (which is now with a long arm quilter!!), and finished two wall hanging tops. All of this progress would be incredible had I not gone to the Creative Sewing Festival in Toronto and a local shop hop in the same time frame. I admit nothing..... but there may be a few more pieces of fabric to fondle in my stash and a few more projects.

In fact, the reason I am sitting and not sewing is I am trying to restrain myself from starting to cut the flannel I bought Friday on the shop hop to start my first rag quilt. I found great instructions on a blog by Jen Yu that were so clear even I got it!!! And what a fabulous way to use those smaller pieces of batting that are too small for anything else!

I am not sure what I am going to do but I am going to spend 15 minutes sewing right now! Great advice from several of the blogs about finishing UFOs which I plan on following tonight!

If there is anyone out there that is actually reading my blog I would LOVE to hear your advice on reducing the amount of UFOs in your sewing room! Or at least to hear that someone else has them!!

Baby Bargello!

It took me a while to develop a love for Batiks. Now, I want to use them everywhere I can! Making a baby quilt out of them was likely not the most practical thing I have ever made. It is currently sandwiched and ready to be quilted. I started a few weeks ago using InvisiFil. I love it for my handwork. It amazes me how it dissolves into my hand applique and I wanted to test it on machine quilting in the ditch on the batik. I did love the way it disappeared. However, although it will likely never see a baby, it just felt wrong. So I have pulled out the quilting and need to start over again with cotton.

The more I learn and experiment, the more I am pulled back to traditional quilting techniques, patterns and cotton thread!

But I am closer and closer to finishing another project on my UFO list!!

Happy Quilting!

All You Need Is Love.... and great family!

My brother-in-law turned 50 a few weeks ago. To celebrate this occasion, I had made him a Beatles quilt I had seen in a Fons and Porter magazine a while back. It is a crazy, psychedelic quilt with colors that gave me headaches. However, he is such a lover of the Beatles I just couldn't resist!!

I am lucky to have married into a very large family. Although it will take me 20 years to complete quilts for all my sister-in-laws, brother-in-laws, nieces, and nephews, it is a challenge I have slowly started to work toward! 3 down, 20+ (and growing) to go!!

The real catch is that I have a hard time finishing projects, so I really need to love fabric and a pattern to see it through. Given these were novelty fabrics, they didn't exactly fit into my "fabric fondling". However, sometimes you just need to suck it up (buttercup)!

Finishing this project and giving it to my brother-in-law made me an emotional puddle!! Although it isn't my favorite quilt in terms of fabric, it is one of the best "quilt gift" moments ever!!

Perfectionism

I had a realization today as to why I haven't updated my blog recently. Seems to be the same reason my UFO room just grows. It isn't a lack of discipline or an inability to follow through with things I start. Both are qualities that I think make me good at doing my job.

I also don't think it is about finding time. Regardless of if you work inside or outside of the home, that is an issue for everyone, right? Yet some of the busiest people I know (and you know who you are) are the most accomplished quilters with regard to both volume and quality.

My mental (and physical) block seems to be that I am a bit of a perfectionist. If I can't have the perfect project, I just don't want to finish it. Blogging seems to be the same. An inability to think of the perfect post with the perfect pictures..... and I just don't update.

So..... time to loosen up. Summer is over, school starts on Monday. Time to get back into a rountine. My sister asked me to make her a batik bag for her birthday (which is now only 2 weeks away!!!). Time to buy fabric and start sewing!

Enjoy the long weekend!

Pretty Dresses

I am counting down the days until I get to head home to Newfoundland for my summer vacation. There are a lot of reasons why I love to go home. The beautiful sights. Being able to actually see the stars at night. It is nice to go to a grocery store and recognize most of the people I see...... even if those people frequently mistake me for my sister. That will be really fun this time as we will both be home for the week with our families!

I love to sit and watch the news with my dad and quilt with my mom. There are a couple quilt stores that have opened since I moved away. There is a relatively new one in Pasadena I am looking forward to checking out while I am on the Rock!

I have 5 more sleeps and a lot to do before I get on a plane. However, I have a UFO to work on while I am away! It is a hand applique quilt called Pretty Dresses. It is 16 blocks done in fabulous 30`s fabric. I have a weakness for 30`s (and anything Moda, Thimbleberries, Northcott or most batiks!!). I have basted all my blocks to take with me. I don`t think the nice people at Westjet will appreciate my scissors, needles and other quilting tools..... so I`ll wait until I reach Deer Lake to work on it. I have 3 blocks completed, which I thought I would share. The goal is to have all the blocks completed during my vacation! Quite the challenge as I`ll really only have an hour or two here and there to work on them when my babes are in bed.

Below is a link to the fabulous book where I got the pattern. This quilt is the cover of the book so you can check out what the completed project may look like.

http://www.amazon.com/Quilting-My-Sister-Projects-Celebrate/dp/1564775305

Off to do more packing (and maybe sneak in a little sewing) before I head to bed!

UFOs - 27 Projects and Counting?

The process of writing this blog is eye opening. Those who know me may not be surprised. Okay, likely even they will be at least a little surprised by the number of my UFOs. I have discovered I am completely incapable of finishing a project! How did this happen? And more importantly, how can I fix it?


Step 1
Document my Unfinished Projects
Where do I begin?? Apparently I need to shame myself by admitting my dirty little secret. Document it so I can't ignore it anymore. But how? Do I catalogue my projects by technique? Stage of completion? Do I include the kits of smaller projects that I have not even begun? How about fabric without a "home"? Mystery solved! Apparently I spend so much time thinking about my projects (and fondling fabric) that I never actually do anything!

I have spent spare moments in the last two days looking at my sewing room, searching for an answer and simply feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and incompletion. No time like the present. I am sure I will find more as I go along. I am not even going to open my closet :)

My UFOs

Sandwiched/Quilting Needs to be Completed
Baby Bargello - Batik (Pieced)
Spring Cleaning - Thimblebery Fabrics (Pieced)

Quilt Top Completed Big Block Flannel Quilt (Pieced)

Needs Borders/Square Up
Sailboat Quilt for my Son's bed (Machine Applique)

In Rows
Oriental Elegance (Pieced)

Blocks Completed
Friendship Star - Thimbleberry Lakeside (Pieced)

Pieces of Fabric in Great Organized Containers!
The Beatles Quilt (Pieced)
2010 Piecemakers (Hand Applique)
1998 Piecemakers (Hand Applique)
Pretty Dresses in 30s (Hand Applique)
Dresdon Plate - Thimbleberries Lakeside and Lodge (Hand Applique)
McKenna Ryan - "Journey to Light" (Machine Applique)
"Winding Roads" Quiltmaker Scrap Pattern (Pieced)
"Sweet Hearts" McCalls Quick Quilts Pattern (Pieced)
Thimbleberries Block of the Month (2008)
Elm Creek Quilts - Olde Silver Thimble Bookclub (Pieced)
Traditional Sampler (Mixed Methods)
Moda Madiera Jelly Roll Quilt (Pieced)

Uncut Kits or Fabric
1999 Piecemakers - Time and Season (Hand Applique)
30's miniature quilt kit - Dresden Plate (Hand Applique)
Art to Heart - "I Believe" (Machine Applique)
Northcott "Cambridge Square" (Pieced)
"Bali with Love"(Machine Applique)
Row Your Quilt (Mixed)
McKenna Ryan - Petals of my Heart (Machine Applique)

Misc Projects
Disney Cars Pillowcases
Flannel Snowman Family Christmas Wall Hanging - Panel with borders
Too many more kits of bags, chatelaines, wallhangings, journal covers etc. to possibly name

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Well if I doubted I had a problem before, I can no longer hide from it! Now I just need to ponder what to do about it! Suggestions are always welcome!

My First Post!!

As I send my words out into the emptiness of the world wide web, I cannot help but be excited. I am not sure what has inspired me to start this journey today.... not even sure where to begin to set up a blog. However, here it goes!

I love my family. I am blessed with a wonderful, patient husband and two incredible children. A 7 year girl and a 3 year old boy. It doesn't get much better than that! I love my job (most days) and over all, life is pretty fantastic.

But I constantly yearn to spend more time quilting. Not just quilting. I am a fabric fondler. It is an unfortunate quality to have as a quilter as it leads to many yards of fabric that sit lovingly in my sewing room..... never to be cut as I wait for the perfect project! Mostly, that means I visit my fabric stash daily to have a touch.... only to leave it to take my children to the sitter and head to work. I like to visit my sewing room inbetween putting the kids to bed, putting laundry away and various other errands that bring me past its second floor doorway. But lately, it seems my UFOs are taking over and touching fabric and reading other people's blogs is as close as I get to the hobby I enjoy so much.

As a motivator to push past my room of UFOs and beautiful (but uncut) fabric, I am starting this blog. My first "To Do" this week is to make a list and take pictures of all my current UFOs. To inspire me, I am adding a picture of a project I have actually completed! I tried to add others... but I haven't seemed to figure that out yet :)

I can't imagine anyone reading this blog (except for me and maybe my mom!), but I am excited about documenting my journey!