Farmer's Wife Quilt A Long...

So I received my new book "The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt" by Laurie Aaron Lird today. I had ordered it online through Chapters last Friday (as well as "Glee Season 2 Vol 2 DVD - but back to that later). I am looking forward to looking through the book and reading the excerpts from the letters written by women in the 1920's.

Photo by Angela - Fussy Cut

There is a "Quilt-A-Long" that is being hosted by Angela (visit her blog Fussy Cut here for an intro of the Quilt-A-Long) and Amanda (I would provide a link to her blog - but none of the links that I have appear to be working - drats). This post at Fat Quarterly is what really got me interested in joining the Quilt-A-Long and learning some new blocks. If you want to join in too there is also a Flickr Pool that currently has just over 900 members and almost 5000 pictures of blocks for inspiration.

I have a couple of projects that I want to finish before I start making the blocks from the book and I figure that since I am starting late anyway what is a couple more days?!? I plan on starting with some simple blocks (until I can get the CD that comes with the book installed on my computer for the templates) and will post pictures of the blocks as I make them (probably 2-3 blocks at at time).

Anyways, I am off to go read some of the letters from the book and figure out what blocks are going to be best to start off with (after I finish making the mini fabric baskets that are cut and pinned of course!)

Hope to see you later,

Katie

A 25 Patch Pillow...

Good Morning,

I just have a quick post today. I decided to make a pillow cover with some of the leftover fabric from my friend's butterfly quilt (not "Butterflies in Blue"). Marcia saw the quilt that I had made for Jesse, and decided that she wanted to make a similar one with butterflies and flowers. Marcia loves both butterflies and the colour purple and she found some purple butterfly fabric that she fell in love with. We took the fabric and cut out flowers and butterflies.

I had some scraps from the quilt and I decided to make a quilt. I made a 25 Patch Block. I used 25 2" squares, sewed them all together and then added a 3/4" white border, and then a 3 1/4" black border. I added a scrap piece of batting to the front and then machine quilted the top - just simple quilting: along each row in the 25 Patch Block, the edges of the white border and 1/4" on the inside of the black border.

Here are some pictures of the pillow.

Here is a picture of the pillow front before I quilted it.

And a picture of the finished pillow front.

And a picture of the quilt back.

I am sure that Marcia will love the pillow.

Anyways, I am off to do some crafting and creating.

Have a great day!

Katie

A Spice Cake Patchwork Messenger Bag

Good Morning!

I have been quite busy sewing and creating over the past few days. I finally cut into the Spice Cake fabric that I got about 2 weeks ago from Stampin' Up! I only have 1 fat quarter of each pattern so I want to make sure that there is very little waste.

I wanted to make something with some of the fabric that I could have during the Demonstrator Only event that is being hosted by Heather Summers. She is one amazing lady and has a wonderful blog. You should check it out. Here is a link to her blog.

I decided to make a messenger style bag (and used Amy Smart's "32 Minute Messenger Bag Tutorial" which can be found on her blog Diary of a Quilter).

I decided to add a pocket to the front of the bag and was originally going to have a pocket that went from side to side, however I then realized that with the simplicity of how the bag is constructed that the bottom of the pocket wouldn't be sewn to the bottom of the bag as the bag is composed of two pieces (shell and lining) instead of 4 pieces (2 for the shell, and 2 for the lining). So, I altered my pocket design to be a smaller pocket that would "float" in the middle of the bag.

I started out with 2 1/2" squares and using a 1/4" seam allowance I sewed them all together.

Here is a shot of the 3 piles of 2 1/2" squares.

And here is the pocket assembled.

I used some fusible interfacing and lined it with broadcloth.

And here is the bag with the pocket attached.



This is my 3rd bag made from this tutorial, but the first with a pocket on the front (I usually put the pocket on the inside of the bag). I was going to put a smaller pocket on the inside (and actually it was sewn on when I constructed the bag), except I put it on the same side as the front pocket and felt that it was too much so I took it out.

All I have left to do is to attach the straps! Project 1 done for October 1st....now to finish the mug rugs as well as a fabric basket. :)

Anyways, I am off to do some more crafting. I have some mug rugs to quilt (3 to be exact), a fabric basket to create (using the pink/orange floral fabric that I bought back in July), as well as create some cards to swap at the Demonstrator event. It should be a busy weekend and keep me out of trouble :)

Happy crafting!!

Katie



A quilt in a day? You bet!!

Good evening

(OK technically morning as it is 1:15 am as I type this)....anyways....

Can a quilt be made in a day?!? You bet it can!! Especially when it is a mini quilt.

I wanted to make a little Thank You gift for one of my friends. My summer TV obsession is True Blood and there are a few people at work that also watch. Maria is one of these people (and she has read all the books like me)! Maria was kind enough to make a couple of True Blood gifts for me! So I thought that I would return the favour.

Maria LOVES butterflies and I know that she would have taken the 'Butterflies In Blue' quilt if I could/would have let her. She loved the quilt and she loved the colours too!! So I decided to make her one of her own - just on a smaller scale.

There are many, many free quilt block tutorials out there on the Internet and there were many different butterflies to choose from. I choose a fairly simple pieced block and you can find the butterfly here. But you should check out all of the other blocks as well. I know that I will be using a couple of these blocks to make some quilt squares.

I used some left-overs from 'Butterflies In Blue' to make this quilt.

Here are some pictures of the process to make the block:

First up is a single butterfly.

The original design had the butterfly body as a full square, but seeing as I had a

VERY limited amount of the brown fabric so I decided to paper piece the centre square.

The butterfly is made up with 9 squares ranging from full squares, HST squares, and paper pieced squares.

I made 2 butterflies and added a 1 1/2" border around the butterflies.

It is hard to see but the white fabric is a tone-on-tone fabric with butterflies!

Here is the mini quilt after the machine quilting and binding was done.

 I choose to machine quilt around the butterflies,

up and down the strip in between the butterflies and the outside border.

I just love how the butterflies seem to pop!

Here is a close-up of one of the butterflies quilted.

Anyways, it is getting really, really late so I better head off to bed.

Have a great night/day!

Katie

X's and O's - A Mini Quilt

So I have been quite busy over the past couple of days. I figured out the pattern for the quilt that I am planing on making with the new fabric that I bought (the blue and green fabric that can be seen here).

I started out and made 4 of the blocks. I was using scraps (again) and this particular black and white print is from the days when I would make clothes.

After making the four blocks I laid them out

 but couldn't decide whether I wanted to form the blocks in the shape of an X ...

  

Or in the shape of an O.

So I decided to make 4 more blocks and combined all 8 blocks.

And here is the result - has both the X and the O!  Then I added a white border...

  

Then added an orange/rust binding.

I really like how the orange binding just pops!

 

And here is a close-up of the binding.

  

I hope that you like the mini quilt...It is just big enough to be a short table runner!

Well, I am off to finish hand sewing the binding.
 Have a great night!

Katie

I think I figured it out...

Hello Again,

So you already know that I have bought some new fabric and figured out the quilt design (the inspiration can be found here). Well, after searching the web for a pattern (and instructions on how to make the block) - I found a couple that were similar that allowed me to adjust the design of the quilt block slightly.

I have been practicing with some scrap fabric so that there would be minimal waste of the new fabric. I have decided to make 6" blocks (which when finished will be 5 1/2" squared). The blocks are assembled with paper piecing. And after practicing on a few block I have learned a whole bunch - like that shorter stitches make it easier to remove the paper once the block has been formed. And that it is easier to trim the block with the paper still attached.

Here is a couple of pictures of the two blocks.

This block made with Stampin' Up fabric (Candy Cane Christmas) and is 7" square.

I plan on making a pot holder with this one.

This block is some old fabric from my stash (that had been used in the past for a skirt).

I plan on making 3 more blocks and sewing them together for a larger block.

I will be back later with some pictures of the quilt once I start it. :)

Have a great night!

Katie



A Mug Rug

Good Morning!

If you stopped by yesterday then you already know that I have a new quilt project in mind. I have gotten some lovely fabric in blues and greens, plus a white tone on tone with butterflies. Well, the fabric has been washed, dried and ironed. Seeing as I don't know how big of a quilt that I am going to make - I only bought a small amount of the fabric. Plus, I can always go back and get more if I need it which is better than having far too much fabric.

I decided that before I cut into the new fabric that I would test out the block with some scrap fabric. I used a quilting technique know as paper piecing (and then removed the paper before finishing the block). The block measured 7" square before finishing. I choose to turn the block into a Mug Rug. Mug Rugs are basically a small quilt - just big enough for a mug/cup and maybe a small snack.

The finished Mug Rug is just slightly more than 6" square and has been quilted "in the ditch" along the diagonal seams.

Here are some pictures of my first completed Mug Rug.

Mug Rug made with scraps from "Butterfly In Blues"

I hope that you like my little Mug Rug! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

New Fabric & A New Quilt Project

Good Evening,

Well, I was going to switch gears and maybe start making some jewelry again. I want to have some new sets for the Etsy shop that I am planning on opening. But then while going through the quilting blogs on my Google Reader - I came across these squares made by Amy Smart (Click on over to her blog for a picture). I believe that the quilt blocks have been strip-pieced together and I found a tutorial online!! Yeah!!

I was inspired not only by the squares that she made but also her colour choices. So I wound up stopping at Fabricland (a fabric store here in Canada) and got some fabric in blues and greens.

Here is a picture of the new fabric (before I washed it)

It is hard to tell but the white fabric is a tone-on-tone fabric with butterflies.

I may even use some of the scraps from "Butterflies In Blue" as well.

Here is a picture of all the fabric together.

I am waiting (somewhat impatiently) for the fabric to be done in the washer/dryer and then I can start making the blocks. And who knows - maybe I will make some jewelry as well.

Anyways - I am off to iron some fabric (soon I hope!)

Have a great night and thanks for stopping by!

Katie



I think we have a winner...

Hello Again,

So I have been trying out some quilt blocks and think that I may have finally found the quilt design/block that I want to use.  I decided to try my hand at some HST blocks (for you non-quilters they are Half Square Triangles) and they can be arranged to make a number of things - one being a Pinwheel.

For my sample block I decided to keep it simple and just use 2 different fabrics (one patterned and one white). I forgot to take pictures along the way - but if you are interested in making your own quilt (or even just a couple of blocks) there are a couple of tutorials on Moda Bake Shop. You can check them out here and here. There is also a lovely quilt on Amy Smart's blog that uses HST squares as well - check it out here.

Here is the picture of the finished block. I managed to get the points pretty much in line. Yeah!! :D

I think that I might even make a few of these blocks into hot pads for Christmas too!!

What do you think??

Katie

A Disapearing Block ...

Hello All!!

As you are probably aware, I have been playing with various quilt blocks trying to decide which design to use for my next big quilt. It allows me to try out a block (and practice making the block) but I still have not found the perfect block/design yet.

Today's block is a disappearing 9 Patch block. And I once again played with some Christmas fabric. I will probably wind up making some small table quilts for gifts with these rejected blocks. I made this block with some scrap fabric. The blocks all started out as a 4.5" block, and where sewn together which resulted in this - a 9 Patch Block.

The next step was to cut the 9 Patch Block down the centre block and then cut from left to right in the centre. (I forgot to take a picture - sorry). After cutting the block into 4 smaller blocks they were arranged and sewn back together. The end result is this block.

While I don't mind the look of this block (I like the large squares) I think that this block is too fussy. I want something simple, but while still displaying the beautiful fabric (so small pieces won't work). I plan on using the gold fabric for the back of this block and creating a small table quilt (could be a centre piece or perhaps a large hot plate).

What do you think of this block?

I think that for my next block - I am going to try my hand at sewing some Pinwheels (which means sewing triangles - a wee bit of a scary thought - sewing without the edge of the fabric to guide me)... but there are plenty of Pinwheel tutorials out there - and all else fails - I can make the Pinwheels into pot holders.

Be back later with those pinwheels.

Katie

Pretty Fabric

Happy Monday to you.

I hope that you have had a wonderful long weekend so far. I have had some productive days (finishing 9 of the cartwheel blocks) and some not so productive days (only making one block yesterday). I tend to do most of my sewing in the evening, and unfortunately I did not get much done. I know - it would be easier to sew by natural/sunlight, but that doesn't happen very often :-)

I have been trying to figure out what quilt design that I am going to make. Hense the unproductive day - too many ideas floating around in my head. And not just quilt blocks - there are earring and card ideas there too!

I just realized with all the blocks that I have been trying out - that I have not posted pictures of the fabric (at least not on my blog, although they are on my facebook page).  So here they are.

This first one is going to be the quilt back.

First of the prints for the quilt top.

More Prints...the first 3 are part of a fabric line.

 This one has some imperfect stripes.

Peach fabric to match the striped fabric.

Small hearts and flowers. 

This one was a last minute find...And I love how it works with the other prints.

Original photo of the fabric together, before the last minute addition.

I am totally in love with these prints! And the fabric chosen is a little "out of the box" for me. I tend to gravitate towards blues and greens, not yellows/orange (which is prominent in some of the prints).

So, do you like the fabric?!? I sure do!! :D

I am now off to the sewing machine! I may be back later if I complete another block.

Have a great one!!

Katie

Apples & Snowflakes

Good Evening,

You are probably wondering about the blog post title....admit it you are!!

I have been working on some more quilt blocks. Still trying to decide what design I want to make for my next quilt - and I figured that instead of creating a design with the  new fabric (and wasting some or all of it if I do not like the design) that I should play with fabric & scraps from my stash.

I am slowly going through some of the quilt blocks from Moda Bake Shop. The block that I made today is from the "Apple Crate Quilt" designed by Angela from Fussy Cut. You can find her blog here. I only made 1 of block A - and while I like this block I am not sure if I want it for the quilt (I think that I want something with slightly bigger pieces). Oh, and the fabric that I used has snowflakes all over it (and they are sparkly). Block B is basically the same block - but the fabrics are reversed (so where there is pattern on this block, it would be white on block B).

So, now you understand the blog post title!

Here is a picture of the block. It is hard to see the sparkles that are on the fabric, but trust me they are there.

I like the block, and with the size of the block I would not have to make too many to fill up a quilt (the unfinished block measures 14.5" x 16.5"). I think that it would also make a nice place mat if rotated. 

What do you think of this block?? I love to know what you think!

Katie

Cartwheels and Candy Canes ...

Good Evening!!

I bet when you saw the blog title that you thought I was talking about the gymnastic type of cartwheels...but did you know that there is (at least one) other?!? I have been playing a little bit with my sewing machine (still trying to decide on a quilt pattern for the fabric that I bought back in July).

I have tried some Wonky 9 Patch Blocks (see the earlier post here), but decided that they were not quite what I wanted for the quilt.

I have been going through some of the quilt tutorials from Moda Bake Shop (click here to see more) and thought that I would try the Cartwheel Quilt by Amanda Jean at {Crazy Mom Quilts}. The thing that I like about this quilt/quilt block is that they are just straight lines, but it looks a bit like if there are curves (and no triangles - I am not quite ready for those yet).

I have some pictures of my progress so far. I used Stampin' Up! Candy Cane Christmas fabric and have made 3 blocks!!

Here are some pictures...

The blocks start out as 2 1/2" strips - two of them sewn together.

Then the long strips are cut into shorter 4 1/2" blocks.

Next 4 blocks are laid out creating the "Cartwheel" shape.

And here are the first 3 blocks sewn together.

I have enough small blocks to make 12 cartwheel blocks...just don't know what I am going to make with them. I might just make a small quilt (3x4 blocks), or perhaps a table runner (2x6 blocks), or maybe cut more fabric for a larger lap quilt?!? Any suggestions on what I should make??

Anyway, I am going back to the sewing machine to make more blocks.

Have a wonderful evening.

Katie

Spice Cake Fabric

Hello All!!

Today I got a lovely "wee" package that was delivered by UPS. Around here we call our UPS drivers "Santa" - simply because they bring us lots of presents. Did you know that Santa wears a brown suit in his off season?!?

Anyways - back to what was delivered...there were lots of new things (card stock, ribbon, some stamps, punches) but the item that I am most excited about is the Spice Cake Fabric. The sewer in me loved it when Stampin' Up! first introduced its line of fabric (although some of the fabric is not to my taste). When I saw the bag from Convention that was made using the Spice Cake Fabric, I knew that I needed to have some.

What do you think??

I love that the various fabric collections come in Fat Quarter Bundles - that way you have 3 different but co-ordinating fabrics to work with. I am not quite sure what I am going to make with these Fat Quarters - maybe a bag or a small quilt. Who knows?!? But if I plan on something bigger I will have to get more fabric!

Anyways, that's all for now.

Have a great evening.

Katie

Revisting Stampin' Up! Regionals September 2010

Good Evening,

So I am still working on showcasing some of the cards that I made/had on display for the entrepreneur fair. Unfortunately I was unable to display them all because of the small table - so I am not sure if these cards were on display or not.

I originally made these cards as a demonstrator swap at the Stampin' Up! Regional Event that was held in Hamilton, Ontario September 2010. I originally made 4 different card fronts, but didn't have the fourth one on display at the entrepreneur fair.

Here are the four cards that I made. All of the supplies are Stampin' Up and are still current (and available for order).

Concord Crush Artistic Etchings

Concord Crush Just Believe

Pear Pizzazz Just Believe

Rich Razzleberry Awash with Flowers

Supplies for these cards

Stamps - Artistic Etchings, Just Believe, Awash with Flowers

Card Stock - Whisper White, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry

Ink - Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories - Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 1/2" Concord Crush Poly Ribbon, 1/2" Pear Pizzazz Poly Ribbon, 1/4" Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon, Rhinestones, Scallop Oval Punch.

Hope that you liked these cards. Enjoy the remainder of your evening! :-)

Katie