single girl update

I wasn't going to blog today but then I started folded laundry and realized that a little bit of watery fall light was coming through the window, perfectly accenting the quilting on my single girl.

So here she is all quilted, bound, and done.  Already covered in dirt in some spots thanks to the cats.  And done.  Did I mention done?  So glad it's done.

After much back and forth I went with the blue flea market fancy stripe.  I realized that what had been holding me back from deciding was that while I love this quilt I just wasn't in love with it anymore.  So consequently I didn't care all that much what it was bound with.  So why the blue stripe?  That's what I had the most of.  Decision by default I guess.

have an awesome weekend,
c

Pin It

blue, white, and stumped

I have 2 major projects on the go right now, both of which I'm a little stumped on.  The first is a craft fair coming up on the 24th of November.  The second, and the one closer to my hear, is a quilt for my Baba (my maternal gran).

It's bizarre how difficult I'm finding coming up with a pattern!  I have some basic parameters and a definite idea of her style but marrying it to a quilt pattern is hard.  She wants something blue and white, something classic and not too busy.  Baba's decorating style is quite streamlined, lots of mid century pieces in natural tones, lots of books, lots of art.

So far I'm really drawn to this orange peel pattern from Denyse Schmidt.

It's graphic but traditional.  The white areas will give me a lot of range for quilting. The circles remind me a series of prints she's bought recently from a Native west coast artist. And it will definitely be a challenge since I haven't done a lot of applique.

But then I'm also drawn to the simplicity of something made from hsts.  I think this would be stunning, especially using blues all across the value scale.

I know Baba will love whatever I make her.  I just have to get it right for myself, you know?

xox,
c

Pin It

single girl choices

I've finally finished quilting my single girl!  After months of agonizing over how to quilt it I decided that something simple really would be best.  Denyse's designs always seem to want simple quilting, I don't know why I fought that for so long.

Now I have to pick the perfect binding.  Normally I know right away what I want to bind a quilt with.  This one I'm stumped.  Ideally I'd use a hot pink with white polka dots, but since that special flower doesn't live in my stash, I'm hoping one of these will work.

Sandi Henderson plaid.  I used this in the rings so I like the continuity, but I wonder if it's too fussy?

Pink pezzy print.  I wonder if this is just too much white against the linen.

Blue flea market fancy vines. 

Pink flea market fancy vines.

I really thought after looking at all the photos something would jump out at me as being perfect.  They're all good but none of them seem quite right.  What do you think?

xox,
c

Pin It

Hope Valley top done!

 

Boo yeah!  I am so happy to have this finished!  I really love the whole design process, the cutting of the fabric, the completion of the first blocks.  I don't so much love finishing things.  And, yeah, I know it's not finished until it's quilted, but for me, getting to a finished top is pretty impressive.  So, without further ado, some Hope Valley porn.

 And because it's not a quilt shot, without a cat, here's Tron looking sassy.  Rowwr!

I've entered this top in Clover & Violet's Stash Project of the Month.  If you buy the fabric for one project then abandon that one and start something new months later, it's stash, right?  Right!




rock on,
C

Pin It

Go Canucks go!

Because I'm sick and tired of hockey and if you don't win this one we're going to game 7 and that means more hockey.  Please, win already.

In quilty news...

Progress occurs on my Hope Valley quilt.  It's going to be big, big, big. King sized in fact.  Hopefully the top will be done by the end of the week.  I just have to keep taking the dog out on massive 2 hour hikes to keep her tired and quiet!

In other news, I have a massive bruise on my butt and keep trying to take photos that don't involve too much crack.  It's just not happening, though!  But at 38 I've finally learned the lesson that polished wood stairs and socks are not a good match.  I fell on Thursday and still can't sleep on my back!  If it were anyone else I'd be, aww, you poor thing.  But since it's me, I'm all, dude, I have the hugest bruise on my ass!!  Yup, I'm officially a moron. 

keep safe, yo,

C

Pin It

Hope Valley

I find when I'm really stressed that I have to start new projects.  Kinda crazy, but that's how I roll.  So with the house sale dragging on and the husband moved out I've started a new quilt.  Yup, the 6 or so on the go aren't enough.

Handkerchief Corners by philistine made

After ignoring Hope Valley for ages I finally decided about 2 months that I desperately needed some and ordered a fat quarter bundle.  The initial plan was to make the quilt above.

Fruit Salad from 107 Quilts

But then I saw this one and everything changed.

I'm making big blocks, 22" across, then cutting them down.  The plan is for 16 of the big blocks, resulting in 64 10" blocks after the trim.  I'm a little over half done, and getting a little panicked about fabric.  I have strips on the coffee table, on the couch, in the fruit bowl.  I'm pretty sure I have enough!  No tv tonight, I want these beasties finished.



And speaking of beasties, Miss Beatrice decided to try on a my underwear yesterday.  Tres chic, yes?

smooches,
C

Pin It

Denyse Schmidt at Jo-ann's

from Westwood Acres on etsy

Have you heard?  Denyse Schmidt has a new line of fabric exclusively at Jo-ann Fabrics.  Since we don't have Jo-ann's in Canada, or at least in my corner of it (not sure about the rest of the country) I jumped on the chance to buy a bundle on etsy.  I think etsy, ebay, and flickr are going to be hopping with these prints and I can't wait to get my hands on mine.  Woot!

adios,yo,
C

Pin It

Well, hello!

Please excuse me but I've just had my butt handed to me. The flu landed in our house and left me shaking like a newborn kitten and moaning like a bad drunk.. Friday I was awake all of 7 hours (and not at one stretch). Saturday I sat in bed and moaned. Saturday night I kept waking up because everything ached. My bones. My muscles. My skin. Have you ever woken up because the sheets hurt your skin? Not pleasant. So I haven't been getting much sewing done.

I have done a little online shopping, though. Yup, if I'm conscious enough to fumble away at my ipod, I will buy stuff. It turns out Kerri from Sew Deerly Loved is dealing with a bundle of sick kiddos, so I'm not sure how much she'll appreciate my order of 20 fat quarters. Can you imagine 6 sick kids? I'm going into panic mode just thinking about it! But I needed to get organized for my single girl quilt, and those 20 fat quarters sure will work. The called for 36 fat quarters seems a little nuts, but I'll deal. Those 20 will be supplemented with fabrics from my stash and probably some I pick up on our trip to Seattle on the 25th. I know, I know. Cutting starts on the 14th. Tough! Now, before I pass out, a pic of the fabrics I picked up, plus a few from the stash I know I'll be using:

I still need to order the backing fabric, which I think will be essex linen in natural. And add some more oranges and pinks, which is easy since I have so many.

love and sneezes,

C

Pin It

Backside of the Coque

One down, 11 to go!


One of my goals for 2011 is to finish a quilt each month, and I'm happy to say that as of yesterday my January quilt is done! But let's not start at the end... let's start where we should, at the beginning.

A week or 2 before Christmas I decided I really needed a new quilt for our bed. We've had a king size for more than a year now but have been coping with a queen size quilt I made for our old bed. I decided I was going to tackle Denyse Schmidt's Hills n' Hollers, so I ordered the pattern. Then I got impatient. Typical. I wanted to start right away, so I drafted the pattern myself.


Then I ordered fabric.

The quilt came together well, a mix of reproduction prints from my stash, and new, modern prints. I prepped my pieces using my favorite technique of freezer paper and starch, then because I'm too impatient for hand applique so I used the invisible hem stitch on my machine and the applique came together in a flash.


I'd ordered 110" wide muslin for the background, which was a nightmare to work with since I don't have a surface that wide in my house! Add an off grain so I couldn't rip pieces to the right size, and I was pulling my hair out! I'm pretty sure the quilt still isn't square, but it's for sleeping, not for show, so I don't really care.


I had big plans for the quilting. I was going to divide the top up into different bands parallel to the applique and quilt each one with a different free motion design. Once I got this beast to the machine, though, I knew I had to change plans. It was huge, heavy, and the batting was thicker than any I'd worked with before. It was almost impossible to drag through my poor bernina. If I ever find a job I'll start saving for a megaquilter or the like, until then, wavey lines it is!


Anyway, the quilt looks good, the cats love it, and it's warm and colourful. As for the name, since it's not exactly true to Denyse's pattern (I think I divided each band of applique into 4 sections and drafted for that, then accidentally only cut pieces for 3), I decided I couldn't really call it Hills n' Hollers. Two years ago we moved to Kamloops, BC, about 4 hours and one treacherous drive away from Vancouver. The highway that connects (or divides) the 2 is the Coquihalla (pronounced Coca halla), and Kamloops is the arid, mountainous town at the Coque's end (or back side, since I'd really rather be in Vancouver).



As you can see I've decided to enter this in Gen X Quilter's love nest quilt contest. Wish me luck!

off to start the next beast,

C

Pin It