Sweet Pepper Jelly: A Finished Quilt

Way back in 2013 I subscribed to the Sugar Block Club with Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock. I was still relatively new to quilting and thought it would be a good skill builder. And it was! I used a blogger bundle of fabric from Rita of Red Pepper Quilts (at the time she was one of my favourite bloggers; as of late my taste has diverged significantly though I still admire her skill!) as well as a few prints from my own stash (that I might not even buy today!).

It was my first attempt at paper piecing (I believe four of twelve blocks require paper piecing) and I was not so great at it. And all my blocks ended up slightly different sizes ranging from 10.5" to 12". I saw no way out, at the time, to putting it together into a quilt top. And so it languished.

I would say it was my first ever true WIP, and I am not someone to let things go unfinished. It has been nagging at me for years to finish it. This was the summer!

I put away my reservations, embraced "Finished is better than perfect" and got to work.

And here is Sweet Pepper Jelly, a quilt with many imperfections (and that includes the quilting) but which is DONE and will now be our "out and about" quilt that stays in the car for picnics, chilly mornings or general quilt needs.

A sampler quilt, in an odd mix of fabrics, but DONE!

I did loopy swirls in all the borders and tried something different with each block, to varying degrees of success.

The back is this infamous IKEA print, picked up and stored for the last three years with this exact quilt in mind. It is much lighter weight than quilt shop quilting cotton but it sure packs some visual punch! This was my first scrappy binding, made in 2013 and not attached until mid-2016. I love how it works for this quilt.

You get a bit of a sense of the different quilting looking at the back like this.

It feels so good to have this quilt DONE. Only one more WIP sits languishing in my closet now...my Aviatrix Medallion which I am not prepared to tackle again right now!

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday.

Pink Castle Fabrics

My husband is absolutely amazing. So amazing that when we discussed going away for a weekend, just the two of us, he was the one that suggested Ann Arbour, MI because he knows that my absolute favourite online source of fabrics is Pink Castle Fabrics.

What, was I going to say no?

So, along with trips to multiple breweries, the downtown core and one of the best restaurants I have EVER eaten in (Frita Batidos), I got to make a trip to Pink Castle in person!

It looks deceptively unassuming on the outside.

So much goodness on the inside!

Fabric everywhere you look! And all modern and to my taste!

Molly worked with me at first getting together orders for quilty friends A and C.

And then I started roaming the store and making stacks. These are both my stacks. I gave myself a very healthy $300 budget and still managed to stay significantly under that, despite finishing 5 bolts (and receiving a 20% discount for doing so!).

I just grabbed everything my heart desired and got her to start cutting!

And after close to two hours in the shop, here is my final haul (noting that the Finding Nemo fabric, lion flannel and the 505 Spray are actually from Jo Ann's. I also got an Ott light! It was on super discount and at least $30 cheaper than the equivalent in Canada!)

Not too shabby. Of course I have NOWHERE to put them, I've found. Oops! Better start sewing! Those Halloween prints are for treat bags for Halloween for my daughters. The mini pearl bracelets in the dark blue are the backing for an upcoming quilt. The rest? I just wanted them!

Here is quilt friend C's haul:

Everyone needs a Kona colour card! Plus a bundle of Abacus by Allison Glass.

And A wanted some of this sweet Christmas fabric for her nieces to make pillowcases...and some for herself too!

A was delighted with this bundle. I love when she geeks out on fabric like C and I do ALL. THE. TIME.

It was such a positive experience. There was so much goodness in one place and I shopped without reservation knowing it is unlikely I will be there in person again for many years.

Which of my goodies are your favourites?

Thank You Ann: A Finished Quilt

My daughter is nearing the end of grade one. She had a wonderful year. Her development has been remarkable, particularly her reading and math skills. This was, in large part, due to her experienced, calm teacher, Ms. Locke.

This quilt is her year-end teacher gift to thank her for months of caring for, guiding, supporting and teaching my child.

Here is Thank You Ann:

This scrappy rainbow was born mostly from a rainbow bundle I ordered from Pink Castle Fabrics ages back. Some also came from my stash to give me the right variation of each colour.

I quilted vertically through all the blocks along the seam line (but not quite in the ditch) and then did rows of diagonal straight-line quilting going in each direction. I like that it emphasizes the geometry of the quilt. Do you like the little Lizzy House kitty peeking out from that one mustard-y print?

The back is all one print.

It is an Art Gallery print that I ordered a long time ago from Sew Sisters based on a picture on the screen and then didn't end up liking at all for the original purpose. I am content with this use for this print.

Quilt label written by my daughter. I like the extra authenticity of the backwards "2".

I hope this lap-sized quilt is appreciated and used often by her teacher and that it helps her to remember my saucy little girl!

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Speedy

I have a long list of baby quilts that I'm working through, and I thought I had hit all my deadlines thus far until I discovered that a baby I thought was due in March was actually due at the end of January- and then she came even earlier than that!

I already knew what fabrics I was going to use, and which pattern. Because this was a fat eighth bundle of Brambleberry Ridge, I wanted a fat eighth friendly pattern. I found this free tutorial by Samelia's Mum and decided I liked the simplicity.

Here is what the first layout looked like. I decided that it was just too small, so I added a 5.5" (unfinished) white Kona border to bulk it up.

The colours are unusual. My husband and mom don't like the colour combination but I think it is delicate and pretty, and I've been getting lots of Instagram love, so I just hope the mom likes it!

I have been working hard to shop my stash, and I knew I had some chocolate Pearl Bracelets purchased on mega sale from Pink Castle fabrics awhile ago. The brown is much deeper and richer than the brown from Brambleberry Ridge but it still worked out beautifully (I think!).

Pearl Bracelets are so awesome. Did you hear that mini Pearl Bracelets are coming? I can't wait to see that scale.

And thanks to my amazing husband, I have been able to sneak in some sewing time and I actually have it all quilted. I liked the straight-line quilting that I did on my orange jungle quilt so much that I decided to do straight-line quilting (with white Aurafil) on this one too. I like it, but I'm a little worried it comes across as too grid-like. Wait for the reveal to tell me if you agree!

The quilting went very smoothly and added some nice texture to this pretty little baby quilt.

I managed to find a peachy-pink 1/2 yard of fabric in my stash for the binding, which I have made and now I'm do the hand binding. I might even be able to deliver it to the new baby girl early next week!

Though I'm excited that this one is almost done, I can't stop to enjoy it because more babies are coming soon! I've already pressed the green and grey intended for my next quilt!

Do you like the peachy-pink/brown combo?

Lynn

Linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

Abandoned

Ages ago I ordered a bundle called Glow with the Flow from Pink Castle Fabrics. I loved the quirky, modern look to the black and white dots with the bright, neon pinks, greens and oranges. It has sat in my stash for quite some time. When I found out some of our neighbours are expecting a little girl I thought of this bundle right away. They are young and a bit wild and I thought it would be perfect.

I put the neons with some black dots on white and made a pile of HSTs.

Post-pressing, pre-trimming.

And I started to put together a layout that fit my vision. This is what it was starting to look like:

I left that black and white print whole so that you wouldn't lose the graphic nature of it.

But. Then I ran out of black dots on white (but still had lots of colour). And since I am determined to shop my stash as much as possible, I pulled out a white dot on black print and made up another stack of HSTs to go with the first stack. And then I started to play with layout. Below are just a couple of the six or seven layouts I tried.

I tried putting the coloured dots together into a diamond.

I tried alternating the white and black dots and removing the black and white face print.

I went with adding in some neon squares that were whole squares, I tried adding white sashing and then black sashing, I tried putting like-colours together into pinwheels (all orange, all pink), and pinwheels with different colours. In the end...

Abandoned.

...I stacked them all up and abandoned the project. It just. Wasn't. Working. I never do this. I stick through projects to the end! But if it wasn't working for me then I wasn't proud of the work and I didn't feel right giving it as a gift if I didn't love it. So I bit the bullet, texted the mom and asked what her nursery colours are.

Here is Plan B. Can you guess the nursery colours?

There is a whole lot of Lotta (Jansdotter) in this pull, and the fabrics are feminine but not babyish. I just need to select a pattern and then I can roll with Plan B (baby is due in November). I'm feeling this bundle a lot more and maybe one day inspiration will strike with the other pile. In the meantime, I'm okay with moving on!

Lynn

In Excess

I often blog about the newest fabric that I have purchased. When I began sewing a few years ago I knew that I loved fabric but I very quickly became pretty much obsessed. I have a very healthy stash, and when I see fabric I love I often buy it because I want it, not because I have a specific plan for it.

But lately it has started to feel a bit...excessive. When my credit card bill is usually 50% fabric purchases (ridiculous, I know. Damn you, Paypal!), and when I look at fabric websites every day, and when my husband joked that he could see six piles of fabric just from where he was sitting in the living room (and he was right! There were six!) I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by fabric buying.

When friends recently went to the United States on a big fabric trip and they shopped for me (based on my instructions) I ended up spending more than them and I wasn't even there!

This Cotton + Steel will be a bag. The mint arrows will be the outside of the bag (it is a canvas) and the pink (cotton) will be the inside.

This Cotton + Steel print is one of my favourites.

They bought me an entire bolt of batting. Fifteen yards of it.

And there was a Pink Castle sale that had me buy some of this:

Purple unicorns from Far, Far Away by Heather Ross. My daughter saw it, took it and stole a pin from my sewing box to fashion a cape from this 1/2 yard. I think she loves it.

More Pink Castle buys, courtesy of my husband who lost a bet and owed me fabric as a result.

With this in mind, and knowing that I don't plan on cancelling my Kona Solids of the Month club, nor do I plan to entirely stop buying fabric, I have a plan moving forward.

For me, the year is actually September to June (because I am a teacher) and not usually January to December. From September to June I would like to "shop my stash" and resist fabric purchases as much as possible. I have so much fabric I could make 20 quilts a year for five years and still have fabric to make more. That is getting to be a bit gluttonous, I think. I am committing to making quilts using mostly my (very large) stash until June 2015. I may buy fabric, but I won't prioritize new fabric over current fabric. I hope I can do it and I start to feel less like I am buying beyond what is reasonable.

On a final note, I happened across a blog post from From Blank Pages where she is very candid about her fabric addiction. I was already planning on this post but I felt like she really highlighted how my jokes about being "addicted" to buying fabric can be a real thing for some people. I have never hidden any purchases from my husband, nor have I ever been short of money for needs (like mortgage payments or what not) but I can see some of myself in her. Read it. Does it strike a cord in anyone else?

So, wish me luck! I plan on shopping my stash for the next few months and spending time sewing instead of shopping for fabric. Is anyone with me?

Lynn

Blog Around the World

I started to sew by teaching myself after asking for a sewing machine for my thirtieth birthday from my husband. That was four years ago. After a year and a half of sewing I tried my first quilt, something I thought would take years before I could accomplish. I got totally and completely hooked. That included being hooked on quilting blogs, which led to me starting my own blog.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when Jenn from A Quarter Inch from the Edge contacted me to ask if I would be interested in participating in Blog Around the World where she would direct her readers to my blog (and two other blogs). I encountered Jenn when I had a giveaway on my blog from Sew Sisters and she entered. I checked out her blog and a few entries in I had her on my Blogger dashboard so I wouldn't miss a post! She is sort of a Kona solids genius. Check out what she did with these strip colour quilts or how she made a silk purse out of a (Kona) sow's ear. Also check out her epic solid Starburst quilt with the coloured Aurafil quilting. AMAZING. I'm interested to see how the addition of twins (!) will impact her quilting time (she accomplishes a zillion projects a week, or so it seems). Jenn is also Canadian but she is in Halifax in Nova Scotia whereas I am close to Toronto in Ontario. Google maps tells me it would take 17 hours and 53 minutes to drive there. Ouch.

And so here I am to answer the following questions about myself, my blog and my creative process.

What am I working on?

I used to be a woman who finished projects. My quilty friends C and A would comment that I was great at actually following through and that I didn't have very many WIPs (works in progress). Somehow that has changed this summer in particular. Or, perhaps, it has changed while being on maternity leave because the addition of a new baby (on top of my almost six-year-old) has changed how I am able to work. Currently I have the following projects "on the go" (including those for which I have already selected fabrics):

1. Oldest WIP: Stitchery Dickory Dock's Sugar Block Club Block of the Month. I have the blocks made and the binding made (with the scraps from the blocks). I made this using a bundle curated by Red Pepper quilts and purchased from Pink Castle Fabrics. I already know the backing (IKEA Nummer fabric) but I have not been motivated to do the boring sashing bits.

2. Swoon. I participated in a #Swoonalong with several quilty friends this summer. I completed all nine blocks using Tula Pink's Fox Field line and a LOT of Kona Shadow. I decided to add sashing which really helped make the quilt look right. Now I just need to add the border (which are cut and ready to go) and then baste (yuck) and decide how to quilt this sucker.  I think this will end up being a 2015 finish.

3. Aviatrix Medallion. I don't even like medallion quilts all that much. Or at least I didn't until I saw Elizabeth Hartman's pattern in all Kona solids. I bullied a friend into doing it too and she is so much further ahead. This is a very very VERY complex quilt so I knew it would take ages. I have finished the centre medallion and I'm working on the grey HSTs for Border One. This one may be a very late 2015 finish or, dare I say it, 2016?

4. Grey quilt #1: A Plus quilt. This is for a friend's son, J. She commissioned me to make two double quilts for her two little boys, ages 1 and 3. They both are dark greys and lots of Kona White. I only agreed to make these quilts because I adore her and because she turned creative control over to me. I am at the hand binding stage with this quilt.

5. Grey quilt #2. This is for big brother, E. It is a Pow Wow quilt from Cluck Cluck Sew's pattern (which I LOVE). I love this quilt so much I don't really want to let it go. I have it basted it and I'm waiting for the FMQ fairy to inspire me.

6 and 7. Mint Julep and Monkey Business, simple patchwork quilts for twins due in November to a work friend. These should be quick finishes. You know, if I stayed focused.

8. Black and White shower quilt. A lifelong friend got married two years ago and I was her maid of honour. Her mom and aunt both quilt so I came up with the idea of having the guests at her bridal showers sign squares of fabric and make a "guest book" quilt. Her aunt had the squares for two years without touching it so I took over to get the project going. Now I just need time to fit it in!

9. A very modern quilt for a neighbour expecting a little girl in November.

10. A red and white quilt for my husband's stepmother's mother, Nana. I want it done for her for Christmas.

I also need to make a baby quilt for a friend from work who is due in January, a special car holder project for my nephew for Christmas and a bunch of crayon roll ups for my daughter's loot bags at her sixth birthday party. Oh, and have I mentioned I'm going back to work from maternity leave starting tomorrow?

How does my work differ from others who quilt?

I don't really know how to answer this question. I know that when I compare my quilts to that of my friend's mother and aunt, or my great aunt, I am definitely more modern in my pattern and fabric choices. I know that compared to my quilty friends I am more adventurous than one of them (she chooses more modern fabrics but more traditional patterns) and less adventurous than the other (who chooses patterns because they are hard). Maybe at only three years into quilting I don't have a solid identity yet.

Why do I quilt?

I have always been drawn to quilts. For my high school graduation I didn't want a class ring. I asked my parents to pay to have a quilt made (I guess at 18 my parents should have read the warning signs). My job is incredible and challenging and rewarding but I also need something to do that is not related to the consuming nature of my job. Quilting fits the bill because it is very challenging and I am constantly learning and my mind is busy but on something other than work. I find that refreshing. I also think I can express love through my quilts, and since I am a pretty tough cookie that is one of the few ways I do!

What is my creative process?

I read a lot of blogs and go on Instagram and Pinterest a lot. Sometimes fabric or patterns just speak to me. They jump out at me and then get stuck in my head and haunt me until I at least write them down in this little notebook I have that is just for quilting. I will sketch out or write out my thinking behind the quilt and then I will have it sitting in my brain begging to be made until I actually get to making it. The problem is getting things done because my mind has sometimes already moved on to the next project before I finish the grunt work (like basting) for the one I'm on. This hasn't been too bad until recently. The grey quilts are an example of this madness. My friend mentioned wanting quilts in dark grey for her boys and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Within two days I had sent her inspiration photos and explained my vision. She was sold without much consideration and then I jumped on making the quilts happening. Alas I am nearing the finish line but I'm already itching to make something colourful!

So that is all about me. Now check out THESE amazing women and their blogs. On September 8th they will have new posts similar in flavour to mine. Check them out!

The Edgy Perfectionist
Her title encapsulates her perfectly. Crissa works full time and yet creates the most incredible quilts and projects. She is meticulous and it shows in her work. She likes BOLD colours and fabrics like Tula Pink, Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett. When her mojo is flowing, watch out! I think the quilt she made that blew me away the most is her Out in Space quilt. Epic. Another Canadian, but closer to home than Jenn as she is in a neighbouring city here in Ontario.

How My Time Flies
An experienced sewer and quilter, this woman can do it all. Anita makes quilts but also clothing (including her own bras!), pillows, drapes and, well, anything you can sew. And she knits, too! She works full time and she is a very detail-oriented quilter (read: perfect seam matching every time. She told me she would teach me how but I know I wouldn't have her patience!) so her finishes are fewer. Anita has been working on a Dear Jane quilt for two years and I can't wait to see it together. Also, check out her incredible landscape quilt. She made this after taking a class on Craftsy. This is her first landscape quilt. WOW. Hooray for another local Canadian!

Peas in a Pod Creations
Kymberly is American, from Iowa. She was one of my first followers on my blog. She blogs about quilting but also about her knitting (gorgeous stuff that I could never make!). I am particularly captivated by her foray into making a Farmer's Wife quilt (a zillion tiny blocks with a zillion pieces each, much like a Dear Jane) because she is doing it entirely in black, white and grey. I have never seen one with a colour scheme like that and she is so good about explaining her process with the blocks and when she makes mistakes that she can live with and when she scraps it and tries again! I can't wait to see how it looks when it is all together because I think it is going to be worthy of a quilting show.

Lynn

More Fabric. Of Course.

Fabric is addictive. I didn't know that when I started quilting. I have a stash that could only be described as gluttonous. Honestly, I am starting to reach a point where I could sew for five more years at ten quilts a year and barely make a dent.

And yet.

Two big fat envelopes arrived from Pink Castle Fabrics!

There is no happier mail than fabric mail.

See, Pink Castle is moving locations and had a Super Sale section and then ANOTHER 40% OFF THAT SECTION! I wiped the drool from chin and placed an order for these:

Riley Blake Quatrefoil FQ bundle that worked out to just over $1 a fat quarter. Also, a yard and a half of this Art Gallery print so my friend A can make my youngest daughter a dress using an Oliver and S pattern I bought last year. I don't sew clothes.

At the same time I texted quilty friend C because there was a Heather Bailey True Colours Half Yard bundle in the Super Sale section. We both were drawn to this particular bundle when it came out last year. We also both showed restraint until this sale which, by going in together, we each got a fat quarter bundle of this line for about $30. Amazeballs. Let's just say that C jumped on the offer and I had pressed "Place order" about 15 seconds after she said to do it.

The colours are so amazing. I love this bundle.

I'm having some fabric buying thoughts that I will share in another post. Not a diet, exactly, but some motivation to use my stash. Thankfully Lotta Jansdotter's new line, which comes out in October (I think) does not appeal to me at all this time. Phew. Otherwise that would be preordered in a second!

Lynn

Well I Don't Want to Run Out of Fabric...

Sometimes even when you're not supposed to be buying fabric, and even when you totally don't need anymore fabric something comes up and you need to buy fabric. You get me, right? 

Case in point: I was talking to my quilty friend C about how much I liked Tula Pink's new line Foxfield. She is a Tula nut. We quickly crafted the brilliant plan to buy a 1/2 yard bundle and then split it. I am madly in love with the bundle, let me tell you. I plan to use it for a Swoon quilt along with friends C, A and K this summer. I am going to use a grey background. This will be awesome.

How could you say no to this beautiful bundle?

And then the same quilty friend (wait, I'm now seeing a pattern) posted some pictures on Instagram of the Lizzy House Tone on Tone Pearl Bracelets she had ordered from Pink Castle Fabrics. I LOVE Pearl Bracelets and already had a fat quarter bundle from her original release. I saw the tone on tones and knew I needed them.

I keep petting these pretties. I can't wait to use them.

And since I was ordering from Pink Castle anyway, I threw in a bundle of these dots from Bonnie and Camille because if I was paying for shipping anyway...

These dots are so amazing.

So, keeping in mind that I had ordered all these fabrics, I also couldn't pass up the spring sale going on at my sort-of-local quilt shop The Hobby Horse. I mean, 30% off all fabrics in the store? I'm in.

This quilt was on display. It is in flannel. SO CUTE. So, of course, I bought the kit.

Flannel sock monkeys? I needed a metre of this. Obviously.

And since fabric was on sale I also bought some other basics. The Hobby Horse has much more old fashioned fabric than I would normally go for, but some classic dots in olive and these Michael Miller rainbow dots were speaking to me. I also got some of this white-on-white as the last bit of white for the white and red quilt I'm making my step-grandmother-in-law for Christmas.

Nice basics.

Quilt kit with backing fabric on the bottom. Super cute.

Of course now Pink Castle fabrics has a HUGE sale on and a bunch more fabric is coming my way, plus I may have preordered the Cotton + Steel basic blenders fat quarter bundle.

My name is Lynn. I have not bought fabric in twenty-four hours. I have a problem.

Lynn