Clearing the Decks

Curiously enough, I only have one project on the go right now. Usually, I have a few going and I'll switch between them whenever I loose interest or need some space to think. I have lots of ideas in my head as to projects and a lot of bins with materials for those projects, but it's that first cut which I think I'm trying to avoid. Many of these projects have come out of my own head, rather than from a pattern so starting them is seeming a bit daunting. I have a feeling I'm just going to have to take a deep breath and start cutting (and hopefully I won't screw up too badly)

Another reason for my procrastination, was the disaster that is my sewing room. Since we've moved, I have the great fortune of no longer have to work on half of the dining room table (we did need to eat). My messes have gotten a bit out of control so it was time to tidy up.

I'm loving the sewing surface we made. It was really easy and IKEA has the perfect counters (they're thick so I don't think I'll have to worry about warping). Now all it needs is a pad for pressing seams on. The walls are pretty bare, but I have some quilts and fabric still to go up.

While cleaning, I noticed my scrap bag was getting a little too full. I have packaged up three bags for anyone who would like to swap some scraps. I have a lot of batiks as well as some prints.

Most of the pieces should be sewable but a few really small pieces may have snuck in as well. The first three people to comment are the lucky ones to swap (I'll e-mail you after). If you happen to miss out and really wanted one, I can make some more bags as well.

Holy Crap!

I was at my local quilt shop tonight to start my latest block of the month project when I found out that my block I told you about earlier won a prize in their local competition. 2nd place for Viewer's Choice!!!! I was second only to a woman who publishes quilt books (which I can totally deal with). The prize I was initially going for was for the most pieces, which I didn't win. There was a postage stamp block with quarter inch squares (407 in total) which I'm assuming won.

This is the first thing I've won with my quilting and I have to tell you I'm pleased as punch. Along with an incredibly useful gift certificate, I also got a fat quarter and a spool of thread (both of which I will be sure to use).

Towel Rack -> Quilt Rack

The number of quilts are slowly increasing in our house. I've been looking at quilt racks, but they're always a bit expensive. In a recent wandering at IKEA, I found this.
The rack tilts so I can place it at a nice angle. I covered all the rails with fabric to protect my quilts. It's now holding the various lab blankets we've accumulated.


I've also nearly fogetten to show the quilt I've showed you as a sneak peak. I started this quilt as a class a very long time ago. There was a delay in finishing it because I wasn't quite comfortable quilting it yet. I ended up quilting it how they suggested, which turned out really well. The bias "tape" I made is an 1/8 inch and the quilt is 21x17 inches.

Labels

My dear sweet hubby said the nicest thing to me when I was creating my latest label. His comment was that I should put my labels on the front of my quilts since I put so much work into them (OK I'm paraphrasing - but its the general idea).

I find I always need to add something else to my labels besides the title, name and date. For some of my quilts I've added a quotation I've found that suits my quilts,

the simplest label I;ve made only has a border,
my most complicated label is actually a block.


All of my labels are a little different and allow a for a bit of experimenting or else a bit of review (such as do I remember how to make bias strips? - the answer was yes).

Project Spectrum Postcard Swap - August

This month's Project Spectrum's colours were black, white and neutrals. I swapped with Christine from California. I decided to do either a black and white or a neutral postcard. Here is the postcard I sent. It was really fun playing with different embroidery stitch combinations.

Christine sent me this fantastic collage. I'm still looking at it and finding new things to admire.

I think this swap was really successful. When we both got each other's post cards and were worried the other person would be disappointed.

I'm sad to say but I think this is the last postcard swap for Project Spectrum. I really enjoyed swapping the last two months. Not only because of the excitement of receiving beautiful things in the mail, but I only got to experiment a bit with my own work and be introduced to new blogs as well. I am definately going to have to find some more swaps to do. If anyone knows of any interesting swaps, or would like to swap...

Any Suggestions?

Last spring I went to the Textile Museum of Canada's Yardage Sale. It's their annual fundraiser where people donate fabric, books and notions which they sell for amazing prices. This was the first year I went, and I was really impressed with what was there.

One thing that I picked up was a panel of painted fabric. It has some damage but I couldn't pass up the elephants.


I want to hang it up but I can't really think of a good way. The edges are a little rough so I can't sew it around something. It's also too big to fit in between a poster sized frame from Michaels (I was hoping to just squish it between glass. I saw what Bella Dia did with her fabric panels on foam core, but I don't really want to use adhesive on the panel.

Does anyone have any slightly inexpensive ideas? I would love to hear them.

That Damn Book Thing

Sara invited others to do this, and since I read way too many books...

One book that changed your life: I think the title is Quick Classic Quilts. This is book that started me quilting, and the first one I made a quilt from.

One book that you've read more than once: I don't usually reread books, but I want to read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez again - I don't think I appreciated it as much the first time as I should have

One book you'd want on a desert island: This is the hardest question I think. It would have to be something epic (ie large). A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, anything by Margaret George, Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - wait, that's more than one book :)

One book that made you laugh: Hapiness by Will Ferguson, J Pod by Douglas Copeland.

One book that made you cry: I read a trilogy by Marie Laberge - a Quebec author. In the third book, one of the characters I "lived" with died - of course I read this part on the commuter train.

One book that you wish had been written: A simple book on home design.

One book you wish had never been written: Sorry, can't think of any (I'm pretty easy going when it comes to books)

One book you are currently reading: I'm reading Please, Mr. Einstein by Jean-Claude Carriere. It's basically conversations about physics and philosophy. It's a slow read, but not too shabby.

One book you've been meaning to read: I'm collecting a series of books by Jack Whyte which centers around Camelot. I almost have the whole series so I can start reading them.

Instead of tagging people, since I just started blogging. If you would like to do this meme, write me a comment and I'll come check it out on your blog.

What I Love: Finishing Projects

Call me crazy, but I love the feel of finishing things. It doesn't matter what it is, from quilts to pens. Maybe it's the idea of sticking with something until completion. I took a quilting class a very long time ago and all that was left on the quilt was to quilt and bind it. I waited a bit, then figured out the quilting pattern I was going to use, then waited some more (I wasn't prepared to quilt it yet). In the past couple of weeks I've had the urge to quilt it, and so I've started. It should only take about a week to finish (it's a miniature quilt), but here's a sneak peak.

I've also started one of my projects that have been sitting on a shelf for over a year - I'll post more about that when it's done.