Coaster Swap Reminder & A Shop Update

First things first - all of you coaster swappers out there, please be reminded that tomorrow is June 1st. This date is important to us swappers because it's that special day where parcels are brought to the post office and are one step closer to our front doors! Please get in touch with your partner, or us, if you can't make it to the post on time...

Donna and I are so looking forward to see what everyone has up their sleeves. Don't forget to post photos to the Flickr pool over here.

Also, it feels quite weird to say this, but I've added some new items in the shop! Click on over and you'll find some quilted zipper pouches in various sizes. They took me ALL WEEKEND to make. So much for a quick and dirty project, but they were a fun way to pass the rainy days.

Have a great week,

~Sara

Open For Business!!

Without further ad0, I give you my new Etsy shop, Frugal Adeline! Yikes, I'm nervous!

I have been tossing the idea around for a while now and with some encouragement from some special peeps, I threw caution to the wind and set up shop. There, I said it. It's out there.

Since quilts have been my focus for the large part of the year, my intention is to continue to list more as I get them finished. In the mean time, I've added the last two baby quilts I've made as well as some bundles of the vintage linens I used to make the picnic quilt. Now you can have a crack at one yourself!

The shop is named after my grandmother who was featured in this story about my favorite quilt, but I should note that it was also DI's grandmother's name.

Head on over and let me know what you think!!

~Sara

Stay Tuned...

Some exciting news coming just as soon as I can get myself organized!!


Can you guess what it is? No, Annie, I am not pregnant!

~Sara

Lazy Daisy

I came to the grim realization yesterday, that my sewing space is getting a little clutter in it ...oh, who am I kidding, it's teetering on fire hazard status. In a fit of destashing, I decided to tackle my 2' stack of vintage linens.

I've been wanting a picnic blanket for our family for a while now and have been squirreling away that one sheet on the back for this exact project. It's one we had at home when I was a kid. With some fine inspiration from Donna's pillowcase quilt, I plunged into this head-on and stopped only to sleep. The blocks are 12" square and the finished quilt measures 68" x 68"; my biggest yet!

It's quilted 1/4" on either side of each seam which went together really fast. I had a little bit of trouble with some slight puckering where the quilting met at the corners, but nothing major. Most of them miraculously vanished in the wash!

This is the first time I've tried sewing the binding on 100% by machine. I could use a little more practice, but it wasn't half as bad as I thought using this method, or something loosely based on it! I'll definitely do it this way again. So much faster and a lot less worry that the whole thing is going to unravel in the washer.

Looks like Big E has her own plan for Lazy Daisy!

~Sara

Flickr Favorites

1. Fabric Postcards, 2. car quilt top, 3. far far away dress, 4. far far away heather ross dress, 5. the swing coat in poppy, 6. new bag!!! #194 on explore!yayyyy!, 7. Quilting the quilt..., 8. babero multicolor, 9. quilted patchwork bibs, 10. yet another bib, 11. latest bib, 12. patchwork bib, 13. Patchwork Bib - Lemon, 14. Baby, I Do!, 15. minimalist doll quilt, 16. baby i do blue

Awe-Summmm

Kristy over at HernanaMER tagged us for an Awe-Summm blog award. Aw shucks. As a result of this honour, we're duty bound to list 7 reasons we're awe-summ, and then pass on the bloggy love to seven awe-summ folks.

Here goes:

1) Sara is awe-summ because she motivates me to craft every day. I'm so impressed with how she figures out things on her own and produces such wonderful pieces. I really hope to be able to sew and craft as well as her some day.

2) Sara was a single mom for a few years and managed to juggle school, work, and bringing up a great kid. That makes her mega awe-summmm. Oh, and she makes the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies EVER.

3) Sara is one of the most encouraging people I've ever met. She has an edge, which keeps her interesting, but she's a super supportive cheerleader in so many ways.

4) Our friendship is unique because we're closer than ever, despite not having seen one another for NINE years. We've known one another for over 13 years and were in fact slated to be residence roomies at uni, although this didn't quite work out (not because we weren't compatible!). Or maybe it did. We're still in each other's lives, while the roommate I did end up with is just a whiff on facebook.

5) Donna is awe-summ because she'll try anything at all. She's adventurous and not only in a crafty sense. She moved all the way from the Northwest Territories to New Brunswick, by herself, to attend university. She then moved all the way back across the country to British Columbia and lived on her own while she completed her Masters degree. Then she packed up and moved to Ottawa to work on Parliament Hill. Adventurous or ambitious? Both, I think.

6) Donna only began her sewing journey last November when her awe-summ husband gifted her with her first sewing machine. We're talking a mere 6 months ago here. Have you seen what she can do with that thing? Her progress is off the charts awe-summ! She's also pro at picking fabric combos...something not everyone is good at, including me.

7) Donna is a wonderful mama to two little beauties. It kills me that she has two children and I've never met them (we're going to fix that this year!), but through our e-relationship, it's crystal clear to me that she is doing a bang-up, awe-summ job with those girlies.

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And now for our seven much loved blogs. Seven is a small number of the many we cruise daily.

1) Lina at Linaloo is a Brit married to a Canadian living in the fair city of Montreal. She has a real knack for ferreting out great materials at thrift shops and creates many beautiful things.

2) Kaori at Koala Brains is a super creative and prolific mama who also makes wonderful food which she shares on her blog.

3) Christina at the Sometime Crafter has some super great tutorials and her blog is a beauty to behold. Her blog headers always make us smile.

4) April at BySmallMeans is a super talented sewer and just held a mega giveaway extravaganza to celebrate her birthday. I was a lucky recipient of this AWE-SUMM fabric box and I am in awe of her generous spirit! Thanks, April!

5) Suzanne at Foofanagle. She posts great reviews and lots of helpful stuff. She's Donna's swap partner in the coaster swap, too (lucky Donna!)

6) Isa is awe-summ because she incorporates modern fabric into classic quilting patterns, and she does all this with a 9 yr old and a baby in tow. Need we say more?

7) We've really been crushing over the work done by Red Pepper Quilts lately, too. One click and you’ll agree that she needs no explanation as to why she’s awe-summ.

Thanks, Kristy! This was a fun post to write.

- Donna & Sara

A vintage pillowcase quilt - Check!

Ever since getting this book I've been itching to try out several of the projects. I managed to check one of them off my list this past long weekend, by completing a little baby quilt out of four different pillowcases. Although I didn't stick to the pattern to a T, I did start out that way, but ended up with a HUGE baby quilt (maybe my pillowcases were really big??) so I cut part of it off and went with that.

It's going to a new baby girl born a week or so ago. Can't wait to gift it! I haven't washed it yet, so not sure how much it will shrink up. The white fabric wasn't prewashed, not was the batting. It currently measures 32" X 44", so I'm hoping it doesn't shrink TOO much as it's a bit narrow.

I learned a little trick at my last quilting class too - clipping the corners of your quilt sandwich before mitering the corners gets rid of some bulk and allows for smoother corners. Still not perfect, but I do see an improvement.

Next up is the quilt I've been working on my quilting class. My class is now over and we're left to our own devices to get it quilted and bound. We starting quilting it in class and it was going along fine . .until it wasn't. We're supposed to qulit it as Sara did her last one, nice straight crosshatching. Mine, not so straight, not so nice. I'm going to be spending some quality time with my seam ripper in the not too distant future. I wanted to only show a completed project on that one, but I may come to you all seeking advice on how to quilt it. I'm sure you're sitting on the edge of your seat waiting, right? :)

I jest.

- Donna

That 70's Show

I finally finished this one last night. What was I thinking last week when I said I'd have it done the day after I finished the blue one?! This is the other project I started when I was away on the girls sewing weekend. I put the top together there and did the rest at home. Again, I used Denyse Schmidt Katie Jump Rope fabric for the front and some fabric Donna and Holly sent me for the back.

I finally strayed away from free motion quilting and attempted cross hatch instead. Instead of drawing lines on, I used painters tape to guide me and it worked like a charm. I really love it now that it's washed and dried. It feels lighter than a stippled quilt. Don't get me wrong, I still love the stippling! (the picture of the back looks funny, but I swear, it looks fine in real life!)

When I laid it on the bed I thought "That's it! I need to have another baby." So, either I have to stop making quilts, or I'm in big trouble.

~Sara

Coaster Swap Update

A big thank you to those who signed up for the Coaster Swap. We have 36 participants!! Not too shabby for our very first one.

Alright, so after a little bit of technical difficulty that sent Donna from the comforts of her home to a coffee shop with internet access, we have all of the partners matched up and emails have been sent. Please get in touch if you've signed up, but haven't received an email.

If you are doing an international swap, please be mindful of the time it will take to send your parcel 'across the pond'! I had sent a swap to Austraila and it ended up taking 2 whole, painful, long months to arrive. There are two things I could have done differently at the time: first, when the lady told me it would take 5-7 days by boat, I should have questioned her! That's physically impossible! I should have sent it by airmail. Secondly, keep the receipt. If you need to trace your package, having the receipt can make it a whole world easier. Also, if a tracking number is provided, it might be a good idea to share it with your partner so they know the parcel is en route.

Beyond that, ENJOY!

~Sara

Have you ever gotten that feeling...

Have you ever gotten that feeling when you see something, that you just have to make it? And when you're not home, surrounded by your stash and can't jump right into it, it kind of consumes your thoughts until you can? That's what happened to me with this camera strap. I had seen them around before and thought of making one some day, but yesterday, yesterday was THE day.

The minute I got home, I went straight to my sewing space and didn't come out until I had a finished product. My inspiration can be found over at house on hill road. She makes some fantastic color combinations and her workmanship appears impeccable.

I used 1.5"nylon webbing to give it a bit of form and I quite like it. My intention was to use cotton, but there wasn't any to be had right on the spot. I would also recommend cutting bigger squares of vinyl, stitching them and then trimming down afterward. This saved me a lot of the stress of sewing really close to the edge and keeping the two pieces lined up perfectly perfect.

The hardest part of this was photographing it, so I see more of these in the near future; just as soon as I find the strength to cut in to more of my stash.

~Sara

Swaps and More Swaps

Swaps are addictive, I think.

Both Sara and I are signed up to the button swap being hosted over at The Adventures of WonderMommy.

The low-down:

Sign up by May 20,2009.

Send at least 6 buttons of your choice to your swap partner. You can send more if you wish. Make sure you include a little note about yourself. This will help us all get to know each other better. Buttons must be mailed by June 1, 2009.

WonderMommy is going to post a big list of those who are participating, so a good chance to find some new reads.

And remember, today is the last day for sign-ups for our very own Coaster Swap. Now that those Mother's Day gifts are all done, you're free and clear to sign on up, right?

:)

- Donna

May 5X5 Received!

Donna sent me these beauties this month:

She also sent some sweet little extras like tea and stickers, all packaged so sweetly. I guess I should have photographed it for you, but I was just so anxious to get in to it all! Again, Donna sits and waits for my 5x5 envelope. I was especially late getting it in the mail this month and last month it got returned because I didn't stick enough stamps on it. Bad co-blogger! I promise to get my coaster swap out on time (maybe even early) and next month, Donna, it'll be on your door step on or before June 1st. Cross my heart.

~Sara

Sparkle Power! knows how to give it away!

Last year, when we first stumbled upon blogland (aka heaven on earth), one of the first blogs we fell in love with was Sparkle Power! Candace shares a lot of our views and tastes. She is super creative and talented, and a wonderful Mamma to boot.
Needless to say, we were quite excited when she featured our blog in her "Reading & Loving This Month" section. She only picks 5 blogs, people! This is pretty special in our books! She's also joined and blogged about our Coaster Swap. Isn't she sweet?
So, now it's time to return the favor. She's hosting some pretty generous Mother's Day Giveaways over there. Link yourself on over and sign up. We highly doubt you'll regret it!

How's that for a link loaded post?

~Sara & Donna

As Promised

Here's a peek at something I worked on when I was away on that girl's sewing weekend. The plan was for everyone to make a Lotus Tunic, but when I arrived, I quickly realized that I was there on vacation. That tunic didn't look like vacation to me! Instead, I tackled a few smaller projects, one of which was produce bags for the grocery store. They're made out of the cotton muslin that was supposed to be the lining for the tunic along with some twill tape. They measure roughly 11" x 15". I couldn't resist adding some scraps to jazz them up a bit. Now the challenge will be to remember to bring them with me... I must get some points for good intentions, right?!

~Sara

PS - Don't miss out on the Coaster Swap! You have until Friday to sign up...

Lucky Me!

My book arrived this week! I feel so spoiled.

Thanks so much to Alicia for the giveaway and to Donna for winning!


P.S. 5 more days to sign up for the Coaster Swap...

~Sara

Gifting is the Best Part

Remember my first quilt? I got to gift it this afternoon and I was just so proud and excited. I was so happy to wrap it up and I can't wait to see the baby (due in mid-June) all snuggled up in it!

- Donna

PS - Isn't that gift tag awesome? My friend Nadia, of Red Sonja Designs, designed a selection of tree tags in mod colours for the Christmas ornament swap I organized last year. It was hard to use it on a gift but it complemented the paper so well, how could I resist?

PPS - Don't forget to sign up for the coaster swap! Sign up goes until May 8!

Little Baby Boy Number - Complete

First of all, we're getting really excited about the Coaster Swap! Swappers are trickling in and it's shaping up to be a great group. Don't forget to sign up by Friday, May 8th!

Now on to the quilting - I've learned a valuable lesson with this quilt: making a quilt with no planned recipient isn't near as entertaining. I'm happy with this one, but I don't feel a connection to it like I did the past quilts I've made. Is that weird?

The fabric used in this quilt is primarily Denyse Schmidt Katie Jump Rope and some dotty love from Fabricville for the binding. I also managed to use up some solid blue I had kicking around as leftovers from Big E's nursery. The quilt measures 37"x 46".

It's finally off of my to do list and I am quite happy about that. There is another one in the quilting stages and hopefully will join this baby boy quilt in the finished pile by tomorrow. Cross your fingers for me, would you?

~Sara