Kindred Crafters

I went on my summer vacation and this is all I have to show for it...

2011-08-07T16:29:00.006-04:00

Hey everyone!

Summer vacay draws to a close tomorrow....and VERY little in the sewing department to show off. What can I say? The weather was hot and sunny (every day!!), I had a bit of a muscle injury from running in shoes that didn't fit well, and I just plain took it easy - it was great! But...I do have a few little things to show you.

I did manage to make up two little mug rugs - the bottom one is to send in my niece's first care package - she starts college this September so I put together a little box to help warm her new apartment. Tea necessitated a tea rug, and I had a tiny bit of binding left from her quilt, so perfect use, I thought. The top mug rug below is off to Victoria, BC to a fantastic friend who I miss dearly. We've been friends since we were wee ones, and I don't get to see her often enough (Like, um, a mere 3 times in the last six years, two of those times at our respective weddings).

My second little bit of sewing was a hanging hand towel for my kitchen...and contrary to how it might appear, it's not actually done. I still need to sew a button hole but couldn't find my manual to figure out how to do it.

And a last, gratuitous shot, 'cause while sour cherry season is sadly over, we did manage to pick a bundle for the freezer, many of which have made it into our bellies. We spoke to a farmer at the market this am, and may order a pail this week while we still can. Mmmmmm...sour cherries!

Oh, and our quilting bee has kicked off -and blocks made up from my fabric are beginning to show up on the flickr group. I'm super excited!

Back to the grind tomorrow!!

- Donna

Random bits and bobs

2011-07-19T20:47:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!

How is your summer going? In my household, we're chugging along happily toward our week off. (only a week! eeps!). Today I am treating you to a random list of bits and bobs that have caught my eye lately.

Pinterest! OMG. Are you guys on board with this wonderful new time suck, I mean tool for finding fantastic things on the web and best, of all, bookmarking them in a lovely visual way? The site is only by invitation now, but if anyone wants an invitation, let me know. I'm there by my real name, Donna. Come say hi!

Unscripted Bee is almost ready to kick off. The postal strike set us back a week but I'm up for August and I packaged up my fabric today - labels are made; I just need to pick up some envelopes tomorrow and we're a go!

I'm freaking out a bit - have been accepted to do a graduate diploma in public policy /program evaluation - it should take me approximately 16 months. I am nervous about balancing work, family, and school. Any tips?

What's going on with all of you?

- Donna

First Bee Quilt!

2011-07-02T20:57:00.004-04:00

I had a few days off last week and worked on the Double Rainbow quilt..happy to announce it's finished! Bound, washed, and ready to be mailed to Saskatchewan. I have shown it to my niece already (so much for a surprise) by way of facebook and she loves it so that is fantastic.

Originally, I was going to go with some small rainbow (all colours in) mosaic tiles for the back, but then I started leafing through Modern Log Cabin Quilting, and the rest, as they say, is history. I love the punch of bold colours against the Kona Coal. I only wish I had had better luck (or skill) in the basting. I'm a little irritated that the row of log cabins isn't more centred. Oh well.

For the binding, I went with Ann Kelle's lovely Remix rainbow striping - it just yelled out to me from the shelves of my local quilt shop. It makes this quilt a quadruple rainbow...but I think we can handle it.
I quilted it in some random diagonal lines. I had other plans, but these things change. In the interest of not pulling out my hair on my days off, I went simple. Hope it's enough quilting to hold it together!

Thanks to all the members of Sew Modern all-Canadian Bee. You gals did a fantastic job. Made my work so much simpler! I hope this is the first of many quilting bee quilts I put together.

- Donna

Quilt in action!

2011-06-25T09:16:00.002-04:00

Man, I love it when quilt recipients share a photo of a quilt I've made, in use. Particularly baby quilts, because OH THE CUTENESS!! You might remember this solids and polka dot quilt I made for the daughter of a coworker and friend. Mama sent me this photo last night of Gaby the wondergirl playing on it and it just made me smile. Check out this girl's HAIR!!!

Happy weekend everyone. rainy and wet here - hope you're sitting under sunnier climes!

- Donna

Double Rainbow..it's so intense.

2011-06-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

On Thursday night I finished my quilt top with the bee blocks put together by the all-Canadian Sew Modern Bee. So many steps left, but I had to share the completed top. I love the bright array of fabrics, and am pleased with how it has come together. Just the thing, I think, to send with my niece when she leaves home to start college.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this quilt top's name was 100% inspired by this youtube smash. My niece and I almost, er, peed our pants watching this while she was visiting and honestly, if you haven't seen it yet, please don't watch with a full bladder.

On to the back....

Will be nice to finish a quilt -- I think this will be my first one of the year!

- Donna

smores on a stick for papa's day

2011-06-19T15:18:00.002-04:00

smores on a stick, a photo by Kindred Crafters on Flickr.

A sweet confection for a sweet man. One of two desserts for Papa's Day! A bbq planned for later with friends, ribs and baked beans and potato salad, oh my! (There'll be some green things there I'm told, to balance out all the rest!)...sun is shining. I'm just so happy to have some a wonderful father for my kids! Hope you are all enjoying Father's Day today too!

- Donna

Sweet Like Sugar

2011-06-01T07:00:00.002-04:00

This is how I decided to use up my all white Bella Solids charm pack. Holly had suggested to just pair it up with a patterned charm pack to make a quick patchwork quilt. She was absolutely right when she said quick! This one was a breeze to put together.

I did think it turned out a little small with just the two charm packs, so I added a few borders around to add some size. I think it may be a little too big in the end, but lucky for me, babies grow and it'll be just the right size at some point in her lifeThe binding might be my favorite binding ever. It was a teensy bit more work because I didn't realize you had to match up stripes on striped binding, so I had to pull out some stitches (which I normally avoid at all costs!) and put it back together. It was well worth it in the end to have it look like one big continuous piece.

It is quilted in the ditch around the patchwork and then 1/4" on either side of each of the border seams. It made for an interesting pattern on the back...of which I only have terrible pictures, so you'll have to trust me on that one!

~Sara

You Are My Sunshine

2011-05-29T20:35:00.010-04:00

I've had wonky stars on the brain since Tong asked us to do these blocks for Sew Modern Bee. This quilt went together a lot faster than I expected. I just had to get into a groove and find a way to chain piece most of the blocks. Once I managed that, I was completely sold on this pattern! As much as I love modern quilting, there is something that just melts me about old fashioned patterns.

When I picked up this cheater print a few months ago, I instantly knew I wanted it to be the back of an all yellow quilt. I think it works pretty great on the back of this one!

This was the first time I've used pre-made binding. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I would rather make it myself! The pre-made is just a little more flimsy than what I am used to, but I do like how this one matches so well with the other elements of the quilt.

Big E took a shining to this one, but it's actually for one of the 7 babies of 2011! I have one more quilt to make to round out the seven and I better get at it since the Mama is due in exactly one month!

~Sara

A New Bee!

2011-05-19T14:43:00.003-04:00

Donna and I started a new quilting bee! An all Canadian improv quilting bee, that is! So anxious to get started. Sew Modern Bee was such a great learning experience and as it is coming to a close this month, both Donna and I decided we weren't quite finished with quilting bees just yet. I'll be Queen Bee in September this time around as I just have too much on the go right now and through the summer. I am so very anxious already!!

~Sara

Crafthope, Project 12 - Bracelets for Orphans

2011-05-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Are you all familiar with Craft Hope? The latest project they're organizing is bracelets for Orphan Outreach. Go read this post by someone who decided to help out. You may cry. I'll wait.

This quote, from the post, just got me right in the heart:

I can't help but think that maybe a little girl who very deeply knows the pain of life without loving parents might find a few moments of joy when she places a bracelet we made on her little arm.

Dontcha wanna make some bracelets?

I made 21...kind of a random number but that's how I roll. Join in, and give a little joy by showing an orphan someone is thinking about them. That's what I hope the kids who get the bracelets I made feel when they do these up. (Pattern generously shared by Jennifer Casa)

- Donna

Crafting with the Kiddies

2011-05-01T14:16:00.007-04:00

I want to craft more with my girls. I have good intentions, but sometimes the need to 'plan' things out and get prepared gets in the way. My girls are always provided with glue, scissors, markers, crayons, paper, bits of yarn, googly eyes, pipecleaners, playdough, etc, in their easy accessible craft cupboard, but for the more organized 'attivities' (as my 4 year old calls crafts), I'm less good at finding things to do and getting prepared (even though I peruse many kids crafting websites frequently).

I love it when a quilting blog comes through with a good idea. A while back I saw this idea over on Cluck Cluck Sew. I knew that the girls' doors needed one, and last Easter weekend was the perfect opportunity as we had nothin' but time, time, time. And I'm a girl with scraps and buttons, oh, am I.

My four year old (her M is on the bottom) got very into this activity and even wanted to make a face with felt and buttons. My two year old was less focused but of course had to copy her sister's face idea. The Ms (their names both start with M!) now hang on their doors and make me smile when I walk by their rooms.

My four year old's breathey "oh, mama, it's sooo fabricy" statement of pride when she was all done pretty much melted my heart.

Have you and your kids made anything fab lately?

- Donna

My mailbox is hungry

2011-04-21T09:00:00.004-04:00

My mother in law bought us a housewarming gift..oh yes, it's a shiny, kinda-even-sexy new mailbox. It replaced the old ugly way too small rusty jobby that was affixed to our new house. It can fit fabric packages nicely..I can't wait to feed it!

- Donna

Sewing vacation

2011-04-19T21:21:00.004-04:00

I took a day off yesterday with the express plans to SEW!!! Holly came over to join me and we both jumped a bit from project option to project option before settling down at our machines. I ended up finishing two baby bibs for a baby gift (pattern by jennifer casa). I'm a little bit in love with the grey green one but the pop of orange on the blue one makes me smile I'll be shipping these off across the country later this week and I hope the newest arrival likes them.

I also made a bracelet using jennifer's awesome tutorial for wristlet's and Holly and I have plans to making a dozen or so for the most recent Craft Hope call out. More to come on that one!

Anyone feel like joining Holly and I in some bracelet making?

- Donna

Jelly Roll Wonderland

2011-04-09T13:03:00.006-04:00

My grandmother used to make the best Jelly Roll. Actually, come to think of it, she was the only person I've ever know to actually make Jelly Roll, but it was fantastic! Each time I hear the words, I am thrown right back to my childhood, sitting at her kitchen table savoring every last bite of my slice! I really wish I had her recipe so I could recreate that same pleasure for my daughter, but I doubt I'd be brave enough for the rolling part. I could see my cake cracking in more places than one!

This wonderland was my first ever fabric Jelly Roll purchase. I got it on sale when Fat Quarter World was closing out. It's just been sitting on top of my stash for the better part of a year, so I decided to sew it into a simple strip quilt before the fabrics and colors went completely out of style! It sure did make for a quick finish! Gotta love those pre-cuts!

As you can see, I straight line quilted about 1/4" on either side of each seam. I love the effect this gave the solid pink back. I also used two different shades of pink thread to give it a little more interest on the plain back.

This one is going to the next one of my (many!) pregnant friends who announces she's having a little girl.

~Sara

Mug Rugs and Placemats {Swirling}

2011-04-07T07:46:00.000-04:00

I am finding these little mug rugs popping up everywhere to be so very inspiring. All kinds of great quilting techniques, free piecing and color combinations - a real feast for the eyes! I've sat down to try my hand at making at least one, but get overwhelmed with the possibilities and end up doing something entirely different. 1. My 1st Mug Rug!, 2. mug rug, 3. saturdays, 4. Mug Rug Swap Round 2 for Emedoodle, 5. pink camper mug rug, 6. Hearts Mug Rug, 7. Red letter day mug rug, 8. flowery mug rug, 9. Ticker tape mug rug Placemats, much like mug rugs, have also been swirling around in my head for some time. I just wish I could decide on fabric and a design! I get so hung up deciding on the 'perfect' pattern and the 'perfect fabrics' that years go by and I still haven't made anything. I could have made and wore out about 3 sets by now! Does that ever happen to you? I do think now that I see that little ticker tape mug rug, that that idea would work so very well for some everyday placemats... I'm tempted to run upstairs right now and try one out, but lucky for the zillion WIPs I have going, I'd need white fabric and I'm STILL waiting for my order to arrive. Tap tap tap on the watch... ~Sara

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice

2011-04-05T07:15:00.002-04:00

In case you were wondering, this is NOT one of the quilts I mentioned I was working on. I am in deep! I had ordered a Bella Solids charm pack of all white charms from Sew Fresh Fabrics (super fast delivery to Canada!) and it was burning a hole in my stash, so I paired it with a Sweet by Urban Chicks charm pack and next thing I knew, I had another quilt top. It still needs another strip of white around the outer edge, but I am fresh out of white solid. Luckily, that's part of the order that is en route. Fingers crossed my orders arrive this week so I can get to finishing what I started around here. I sure will have my work cut out for me!

Had to include this shot of my little helper fighting the wind! A half decent picture was not an easy task today...

~Sara

IBOL

2011-04-03T18:49:00.005-04:00

I found what I wanted to do with my surplus of fabric, I bundled it up in 3 separate bundles, added in some buttons, zippers, thread, measuring tapes and other miscellaneous sewing supplies and am sending them off to Iraqi Bundles of Love. Sounds like it will be put to great use.

I also came across this project in my search and wished I wouldn't have missed the deadline. I do see a message in the comments saying that the organization will accept kits anytime, so I think I'll dip into my flannel stash and put a few together to send off in the coming weeks.

What charity crafting projects have you been involved in?

~Sara

Decal love

2011-03-31T21:28:00.005-04:00

We're settling in at the new house starting to tackle a few of the nice to haves. This past week, we've had family visiting and I decided to take advantage of some extra hands and put them to work.

When we moved in my daughter asked for her room to be painted pink and purple. She's 4 and is in that phase.. I wasn't feeling the pink and purple love so I decided to order a decal set from etsy. I scoured around and found a beautiful set of trees from Urban Walls. I'm so pleased with the result!

Have you tried wall decals? I'm most happy with how graphic the black tree trunks looks against the wickham grey by Benjamin Moore. (Colour inspired by this post at Posie Gets Cozy!!)

This was a lot of pieces to cut apart, place, rub, and peel. So glad I had family to help!

- Donna

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-20T16:23:00.004-04:00

Since I have 4 quilts in progress which are all at a standstill awaiting various components to arrive, and since that is more than I have ever had on the go at one time, I couldn't bare to start anything else. I did pull the fabrics for #6, but that was as far as I let myself get with that. Instead, I sorted my scraps, as I have been meaning to do for a very long time. I can't remember where I saw this idea, but I liked it when I saw it and I like it even more now! It makes getting at my scraps exponentially easier than my previous storage (crammed into one bin that was too small to house them all.) Now, when I want a certain color, I can just grab what's in the pouch, dig through until I find what I want and stuff it all back in there when i'm finished. Perfect. I (the Mr.) hung it on the inside of the closet door so that it is easily hidden by closing the door. Again, perfect! Did I mention it was $2?

Once that was finished, I moved on to my stash. The situation is getting a little bit out of hand. I can't fit much else on that vintage potato chip rack! A normal person would destash, but I've never claimed to be normal! I can't let go of any of it and I kind of treated myself to some new fabric on Friday...oh where will I ever put it when it arrives? I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow!

Where/how do you store your stash? Are you good at destashing? How often do you destash? What do you do with the fabrics you're ready to part with?

~Sara

Mod Mosaic ...I'm Queen Bee...

2011-03-15T20:59:00.005-04:00

Sara has inspired me with her fantastic blocks in the Sew Modern Bee....everyone's blocks are turning out so well, and I can't WAIT to see the fantastic quilt when it's all done...it's going to be awesome...who's it for, Sara?

I have my fabric all cut up and ready to go...I'm planning a graduation gift for my sweet little niece, who is set to graduate this May (the quilt will be late!!). She's almost 18, and was just here for a visit. We had such a fantastic time, with lots of shopping, tea, and a bit of a culinary world tour (she's from a small town...I was broadening her horizons). It was a good bonding time and I'm so glad she was able to come and hang out with me.

This is her, at a coffee shop getting caffeinated before we hit the National Gallery. Isn't she the cutest?
I instantly fell in love with Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Mosaic quilt she just finished for charity.
The tutorial describing the technique seemed pretty straightforward. While I love her all-blue version, I have in mind something a little more colourful. After some discussion back and forth with my lovely co-blogger, Sara, and my friend Holly, I had a plan. I am asking for blocks that are all one colour, and I've made up packets of fabric in blue, red, yellow, orange, pink, green and purple. I plan on setting them against Kona Coal, and have a plan for the back....

I whipped up a test block in blue to try and get a sense of the amount of white fabric to send to help the Sew Modern Bee members build the 'grout' of the tile block, and I'm pleased with the results. (also, please note the quality of the light...yay...my new sewing room has not one but TWO good sized windows.!!)

Instead of sending detailed instructions for the members, I'm doing it here...

1) Make the block as big as you want with the fabrics provided.

2) Feel free to add in any modern prints in the colour family of your block.

3) Go as wonky as you want, as long as the edges are square, we're all good.

4) Click on link above for tutorial.

5) Have fun!

Not too many rules..improv is the best!

- Donna

A little more finishing and a lot less starting

2011-03-14T19:51:00.011-04:00

I know I said I just had to add the binding to another strip quilt and it would be all finished, but I kind of don't like the binding choice, so while I percolate on that, I decided to jump in to not one, but two more projects (on top of my bee quilt - eeps!). I rarely ever start another quilt before I finish the one I'm working on, so we'll see what kind of precedent this sets. Anyhow, here are some shots of what's been swirling around in my head (doesn't it always feel so awesome to get those swirling projects out and in progress?!):

First up on the cutting mat, an all yellow wonky stars quilt. I cut out a whole bunch of pieces from most of my yellow fabrics. I started with 5" squares and had the bright idea to hack them in half. About half way through that brainwave, I realized I'd be better off leaving them as full squares so that I'd have more room to be as wonky as my heart desires. The polkadot squares you see at the bottom will be the center for each and every star. In my mind's eye, the yellow stars will look more like the sun because I already have my heart set on naming it "You are my sunshine." I guess if that doesn't go as planned, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" also has a nice ring to it!
And since I don't have enough white in my stash (how is that even possible?!), that project got shoved aside and out came these fabrics for the long awaited fishy strip quilt, completely inspired by these little bits of sweetness. Again, I'll need to secure some solids to mix in with these (and lots more just like them) strips.

One more thing to report, I received an email from a friend lastnight announcing that she's expecting! Six just turned into seven. It's a baby boom and I am not complaining!

Do you have any projects swirling around in your head just waiting to be put into action?
Do you let them swirl or are you a sketch book kind of crafter?

~Sara

She Sells Seashells by the Seashore

2011-03-13T09:50:00.005-04:00

Another baby quilt down. That brings the tally 2/6. Thankfully all of the moms-to-be are all due no earlier than the summer, so it gives me some time to work my way up to 6.
I have another strip quilt ready to put the binding on...once I make the binding, that is. Also, I did some cutting yesterday for what should be #4 of six, but it's a wonky star pattern and that may get set aside if I need some instant gratification and interrupt the program with another strip quilt or some patchwork. I do have a stash of charm packs on the ready for when the mood strikes!

So this is the quilt where the walking foot made it's maiden voyage. Love that thing! It took a bit to get used to (first strip or two) and before I knew it, I had the pedal to the metal and the thing was all quilted! I mixed in a little bit of loopdy loos on the solid strips to add a bit of interest. I was nervous to try the loops, but they were really fun! This could definitely be my quilting pattern of choice for an entire quilt.

Ashley also has the strip quilt bug. The Mendocino was purely coincidence as I was inspired to cut into my stash after doing a swap with Tong, but now that I see her version, I wish I would have added a few smaller strips of different colors in for some variety. I am happy with this little quilt, though. It was a quick finish and right now, that's what I need!

~Sara

Bee Blocks and Woes

2011-03-10T21:34:00.005-05:00

My sewing room is finally set up enough up to sew...I decided it was high time to get my Feb block done for the Sew Modern Bee, and while I was at it I sewed up my March block as well.

I'm a little ashamed to reveal my Feb block...I missed on the symmetry, I boffed when I went all crazy cutting the squares and cut the 4.5" blocks that should have been in the corners. I had to add in a different cream and red print to make up for it...I trimmed as I went along and surprise, surprise, my block ended up too small. This has been a constant problem...rectified some months when I could just add up a border. Tong had to make my block into a mug rug it was so teeny. (Cute as all get out and I'm glad she could use it for something, if not its intended purpose).

I asked Sara, 'cause she's my sewing guru, about what I may have gone wrong..she told me consistent seam allowances, lots of steam...I feel I did that....but to not avail. I think I just need to keep practicing. Sorry Michelle if this block doesn't work out.....Mug rug?? Penny on Sewtakeahike posted this week about messing up bee blocks...good to know I'm not alone (although her block still looks pretty great to me!)

Not to be discouraged, I pushed on and tackled Sara's quilt block for March. Completing this block confirmed what I have long suspected. Improv is more my style. I made it up as I went along, had a ball, and am pleased with the results. The process got my wheels turning towards April, 'cause it's my turn to be Queen Bee....I'm making plans and hope to work on cutting fabrics up this weekend. I'm going to be attacking my colour coded scrap bins and am planning a scrapbuster....stay tuned!

- Donna

Instant Gratification

2011-03-08T07:32:00.001-05:00

I made this for Donna as part of her housewarming present:

I recommend making one as it is a quick and fun little project - a little instant gratification never hurt anyone! Tutorial can be found over here at in color order. I followed suit and used vintage sheets, but any combination of fabrics would look sweet, I'm sure of it.

I can't help but buy vintage sheets when I see them which means I have way more than I'll ever need ...and that's an understatement. Are you a vintage sheet stasher? Are you able to come by them easily in your area? Have you seen any creative projects around using vintage sheets?

~Sara

Fabric Shopping {local vs. online}

2011-03-06T12:28:00.004-05:00

I am all for supporting local business, especially local businesses run by local women, but to be frank, the local fabric scene in my area stinks. I'll paint the picture - there's one large chain store where the fabric scores are hit and miss, but they do carry all the supplies and have good sales regularly and the staff always take good care of me.

At the other end of the spectrum, there is a teeny tiny little quilt shop (you can barely turn around with a bolt of fabric in your arms - not kidding!) that carries quilter's fabric only. I've gone in there a few times over the past 15 years and other than there being less fabric on the bolts, the fabric scene in there has not changed.

In the middle of those two on the spectrum is a shop that sells machines, supplies and fabric on top of offering lessons, etc. but it's highly overpriced, the selection is dated and the staff have zero personality.

I went on a little tour last week and this is what I scored:

I was so surprised to see this on the shelf! I had no immediate need for it, but couldn't be expected to leave it there at $3.50/m now could I? I bought 3 meteres. Here it is next to the meter I already had - barely even resemble one another, right?!

Next up some sweet little dots. These were on sale for just around $3/m, so two meters of each hopped in my cart.

Now just look at this piece of sweetness! It'll be the back to an all yellow quilt I have swimming around in my head. Cute, right? Also $3/m.

So all in all a few good scores, but how can this compare to online fabric shopping? You can do it from the comfort of your bed if you wish, you can comparison shop, you can mix and match colors and patterns without carrying the heavy and cumbersom bolts around the store with you and above all, the selection can't be beat! Sure, it's a little more on the expensive side, especially for us canucks, but I think the price can be justified especially when it just isn't available in your area!

A few of my favorite spots to shop online are: Quilt Taffy for precuts, Pink Chalk for Kona solids, Hawthorne Threads for their extensive selection and finally, I love the custom bundles that Fabric Worm puts together.

What do you do when it comes time to buy fabric? Do you prefer local or online? What are your favorite online shops?

~Sara

Easy Street

2011-02-26T14:41:00.004-05:00

Two months later and they're finished! Seeing as though my mom's birthday is Wednesday, I couldn't very well let Christmas and her birthday pass without handing them over. Depending on which way you look at it, I am either two months late or a couple of days early!

They were actually quite time consuming considering their size and that there are only 4. What made my life so much easier was yesterday's purchase - a walking foot! Walking foot, where have you been all of my life? Oh my. A whole new world of possibilities just opened up with that little piece of magic.

I don't really get what's going on when it's on there, but it works and that's all that really matters! Best $51.95 I've spent in a long while. I wasn't sure my old machine would accomodate such a foot, but I'm having a hard time finding something that old lug can't do!

I see lots and lots of straight lines (sans puckering) in my very near future! This week has been a busy week in my sewing space. I have two baby quilts on the go, finished up these placemats and took a little trip to two local fabric shops. I'll share my loot later this week. I scored.

~Sara

On their merry way...

2011-02-20T14:54:00.000-05:00

I wrote an exam yesterday morning. I can't tell you the relief it brings me when I finish one of those buggers! It means I have a week off from studying and can sew and cook and relax guilt-free. Bliss!

So what am I doing with all my time? We went to the art gallery yesterday afternoon, then out to dinner. With a full belly, I came home and had a deep 2.5hr nap (heaven). In the sewing department, my test block for the bee is finished, packages for bee members are at the post office and February block for Michelle is complete.

The block above is my test block. It's huge! I asked for 20"x20" blocks which I feel a little bit bad about, but it was really quick going together. If the blocks were any smaller, it wouldn't really make a lot of sense since larger blocks of solids will be included. This was a lot of fun to make. No pattern, no rules - just squares and rectangles. I just cut and sewed, cut more and sewed more trying not to worry about values and weights - a little of a challenge for me!

The block above is Michelle's bee block. She is making this pattern from Lecien. I think it's going to be so great with all of those saturated colors she chose.

Have a great week!

~Sara

Action Shot #2

2011-02-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Is there anything sweeter than a baby girl freshly home from the hospital in her brand new nursery?

I think not. I wish she wasn't 10 hours away so I could snuggle her.

Action shot #1 here. Also so very, very sweet!

~Sara

Banana Cupcakes & Butter Frosting

2011-02-13T20:34:00.010-05:00

I thought I'd share a favorite recipe I make quite often for my loves. They were requested for a Valentine's day treat, but the only real thing truely valentine about them are the heart sprinkles. They're so good cold with a tall glass of milk. I think they taste like banana ice cream, but you be the judge!

Both of the recipes are from and old (i'm talking 1970's here!) cookbook. Anyone else have a copy of that book? It's my favorite, by far, for classic recipes. The glazed ham? To die for. Anyhoo, here are the recipes:

Banana Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in pans.
Sift together:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Cream:
1/2 cup shortning

Beat in:
1 1/4 cups of granulated sugar

Blend in, beating until light and fluffy:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed midture alternately with:
1 cup mashed ripe banana
3/4 cup of buttermilk

Make 3 dry and 2 liquid additions, combining lightly after each.
Turn into muffin liners. Bake in preheated oven for 28-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan. (makes 17 - every. single. time!)

Butter Frosting

Cream:
3 tbsp of soft butter

Beat in:
1/2 tsp vanilla
few grains of salt

Blend in:
2 cups of icing sugar

alternately with:
2 to 2 1/2 tbsp of warm cream or milk

Beat until smooth and of good sperading consistency. Add more sifted icing sugar or milk, if necessary. (A little note about the icing - I add a lot of icing sugar before I add the milk. If you add the milk too much at a time, it causes the frosting to seperate.)

Enjoy!
~Sara

Valentines - Check!

2011-02-13T12:40:00.007-05:00

2011 Valentines are packed up and ready for Big E to deliver to her classmates tomorrow. This project, which I found over here, was a lot more time consuming than I had anticipated. Not sure why I didn't just go with simple store bought suckers, but something came over me and I HAD to make these chocolate lips instead. That was the reason they took so long. If you plan on making them for next year, I'd recommend forgoing the homemade and going straight for store bought!

Of course, little miss muffet had to get in on the action, too!

Happy Valentine's Day!
~Sara

Ready.

2011-02-10T18:58:00.005-05:00

I am so very, very excited for my month in Sew Modern Bee! Donna and I began this Bee journey in May of last year so it's been quite the wait for our turns to roll around. Donna is on deck for April and I am up next in March. I've been searching high and low through the millions of quilts online for the perfect inspiration quilt (good thing we've had since last May!) and just a few weeks ago stumbled upon this beauty. The search was over. All of the fabrics are packaged up and just waiting for mailing labels. I just can't wait to see what the ladies in the Bee come up with!

~Sara

Why Do I Insist?

2011-02-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

Here we have yet another half finished gift that I had the nerve to gift at Christmas. Now I have even more nerve to dilly dally and still not have it done a month later!

These 4 little patchwork numbers are destined to be placemats for my Mom. They're made from Sweet by Urban Chicks (i think!) which is now out of print, I believe. I plan to sash around them in white and then the binding will be that red and white beauty at the bottom there. I really should just finish them up, shouldn't I? You'll be the first to know when I do...well, right after my Mom, I suppose!

~Sara

Color me inspired!

2011-01-30T22:59:00.001-05:00

(I would include links but blogger won't let me paste them in for whatever reason! You can find them over here instead)

Firstly, Donna inspired me to do a flickr favorite inspiration mosaic! Secondly, by the looks of these pictures, I'm heavily inspired by improv quits! I have had improv on the brain for about 2 years now and haven't gotten up the guts to get at it yet. I am pretty sure I'm going to use some form of it for my month in the Sew Modern Bee. I best be getting my act together on that since my month is March and that'll be here before we know it!
Also, I know of 6 women who are pregnant this year...so far! The last quilt I made will whittle that number down to 5, but 5 is still a lot considering I should be studying and not sewing! I think I'll stick with patchwork for the new babies of 2011. Think they'll mind?

~Sara

January Bee Blocks X 2

2011-01-29T11:09:00.005-05:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this quilting bee has been such a great learning experience for me. Sure, there may have been a few curse words here and there, but when the blocks are finished, I really feel like I've been challenged in ways I would never have challenged myself. This month's blocks in particular have me feeling like I was exposed to a whole other level of quilting. Not that the blocks were hard, just that the method Jen asked us to use was like a brilliant puzzle. Maybe following patterns isn't the worst idea in the world afterall! Pattern is an uneven star (for the big blocks) and the fabric is Dream On by Urban Chicks for Moda. I doubled up this month to cover off Donna's blocks since she moved into THE most beautiful new home just over a week ago. Donna, you can pick which one you made!

~Sara

Making lunches can be crafty!

2011-01-27T21:14:00.002-05:00

bento lunch
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

Lately I feel like my time and inclination to be crafty has taken a backseat. We moved into our new house last week and we're getting settled slowly but surely. Through it all, I've been striving to keep life as "normal" for the kids as possible. We drove away from our little house last Wednesday; the kids waved goodbye. We picked them up from daycare at the end of the day and drove to the new house. The kids ran around like mad but their rooms were all made up. Bedtime was a bit rough for the four year old but she woke up all smiles.

Making my kindergartner's lunch has been another exercise in keeping things stable. I've wanted to make sure that she has still gotten a healthy, balanced mid-day meal. This has been no small feat as we wound down our grocery stash in the old house, and rebuilt in this one.

My little crafty secret is that i kinda get a kick out making her lunch. I like making it colourful. I like making it diverse. I get a sense of accomplishment when her lunchbox comes out of her backpack empty at the end of the day.

I challenge myself to provide her with as much variety as I can manage. I use fun tools (like a bunny egg press and silicone muffin cups) to brighten it up and make her smile.

Is it weird that a lunch box is my most artistic form of self-expression these days?

- Donna

A quilt! Finally!

2011-01-22T16:23:00.007-05:00

It's been so very, very long since I've produced a quilt. Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've showed you anything on this blog besides bee blocks! I couldn't stand it anymore. Call me a procrastinator, call me what you will, but I could not take the studying in lieu of creative time any longer. Something came over me last night and before I knew it I had a quilt top. Unbelievably so, I didn't have the right fabric for the back in my stash, so I had to put it aside until today when I could make a trip to the fabric store. Solids were on sale - buy one and get 2 free, so I was happy about that! This quilt is for a baby that is due in two weeks, but is long overdue to the parents she is just about to bless. They've been struggling to have a baby for a few years now, so it's pretty exciting that their journey is just about to end...or begin, I guess! I used a charm pack of It's a Hoot (gifted to me from Miss Donna!) mixed with some Wonderland here and there as well as three different shades of pink Kona solids. I don't know the names of them, but wish I did because I really liked them once I pulled them out of my stash. I quilted it with straight lines, and I use that technique title very, very loosely, 1/4" from either side of all seams. I love the drape this gives to a baby quilt. The photos leave a bit to be desired (colors are way off - back of the quilt is a sweet bubble gum pink and binding is a deep fuschia, but I was trying out my shiny new iPhone 4 with the "Shake it" app. Fun stuff! And so quick to get blogged. Speaking of my iPhone, I thought I should whip up a case for it so I could just throw it in my purse without worrying what else is thrown in on top of it or the crumbs at the bottom of the bag messing with it. It's not a show stopper, but was a fun little project for the holidays. I quilted it with tiny little messy circles. Of course, my intention was not for messy, but that's what resulted. I think it looks fine as is and it gives such a great texture. I hope to be back here soon to show of January bee blocks that have yet to be put together and a WIP. Take care until then! I've missed you!

2011 - What's in store?

2011-01-04T19:54:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!

We hope you all had a peaceful and relaxing Christmas (if you celebrate) and a sparkly new year. I know I did. Lots of sleep, much packing (my sewing room is now completely packed up, and I'm embarrassed about the amount of fabric and other things I've acquired in my short time sewing.) This year's number one resolution in my sewing life is to USE WHAT I HAVE. I am pledging to go 6 months with no fabric purchases, except solids (if needed!) but my first focus will be some super scrap busting challenges to get some scraps used up. I'm gleaning some inspiration from the ScrapBuster Challenge 2011 group over in flickr. Things like this pillow and this growth chart really get my heart happy. While I was packing, I sorted all my scraps into bins by colour, and I'm hoping my organization will allow me to better see what I have, and crack on with it.

Sara gifted me this little treasure of a book. Yippee....I'm sure that this will inspire me to use up some scraps for sure.

Moving day is in two weeks tomorrow so things will no doubt be quiet on my end...but I promise to regale you with takes of the new craft space set up - I think it's going to be fantastic!

- Donna

Christmas is almost here

2010-12-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

wreath made by Holly (afishinthewater)
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

I just had to post about this lovely wreath that Holly (from A Fish in the Water) made me for Christmas. A fantastic smelling greenery wreath with her awesome handknit stockings and some sparkly bling baubles. It lives above my mantleplace and makes me so happy. Thanks, Holly!

It's been quiet around here lately and I am entering the Christmas home stretch feeling like things are under control. Packing frenzy for the move to our new house in mid-January has begun, and with that, my sewing room is mostly packed up. Maybe I can share pics of the new space as we get settled...I'm thinking there won't be too much making going on!

From both Sara and I, thanks for reading, and all our best wishes for a peaceful Christmas and a fantastic 2011.

- Donna

Solids + Polka dots = dreamy

2010-12-05T21:06:00.004-05:00

A sweet little baby girl was born last Sunday, a few weeks early. I had begun her quilt many months ago and thankfully had it done just in time to gift.

I knew as soon as I saw the Fat Quarterly Quilt Along posted back in August that it was a perfect way to use the Kona Rainbow Roll I had picked up ages ago. I stocked up on some great polka dots at our local Fabricland and away I went. I have learned several lessons over the years I've now been sewing. Squaring off? Muy importante. It's not perfect (Gah! How did two yellow polka dotted middles get beside one another??) and there are some wonky lines, but it's bright, colourful, and soft. It was nice to do some free motion quilting again, and I think I love scrappy bindings! This was my first, but I don't think it will be my last.

- Donna

Craftalicious 2010

2010-11-20T22:31:00.004-05:00

A week later I'm recovered enough to write about Craftalicious 2010.

Ok, that's a lie. It wasn't the craft sale that wiped me out this week...it was a cold, too little sleep, a a 24 flu bug for both me and my husband, and oh yeah, we bought a new house. More on that last one later...

This year, I may have mentioned that I shared a table with Holly. Waaay less stress and waaay more fun. I had a wide variety of things on offer:

an assortment of fabric covered button, vintage button and cabochon hair pins
doll quilts
scallop christmas garlands
quilted mug rugs
a few patchwork ornaments left from last year's saleedible treats: candied curried pecans, chocolate almond butter crunch, peanut butter and chocolate assorted goodies, caramel cream sandwich cookies, and ambrosia macaroons.
paper and fabric gift tags

Nadia from Red Sonja Designs did my labels again this year and they looked fantastic. She is so talented. Buy her photo lamps! They're beautiful!! Or if you're in the market for graphic design, she's your gal. End plug.

We started the sale an hour earlier this year, and the traffic steady from the getgo. I can't believe how many people came through. We didn't pay for advertising this year, beyond having posters and postcards (designed by Nadia) printed up. We relied on social media, in large part, to get the word out. I can tell that Ottawa is hungry for handmade goods as most sellers seemed to be happy with their sales.

I packaged my edible goodies in clear bags this year, as another food vendor instructed me to do last year. It made a huge difference and I sold/bartered nearly 60 bags of goodies. My hair pins almost sold out, so those will be repeated next year. I think some clever packacing on the garlands would help folks figure out what they were: even though we had strung some up on the wall and on the front of the table, lots of people asked 'what are these??'.

Here are a few pics from the day; even one of me to start them off!

Are any of you participating in or organizing craft shows this year? I'd love to compare experiences!

- Donna

Sara's November Block - Part 1

2010-11-13T12:39:00.004-05:00

This month Sarah asked us to do a liberated churn dash. I'll admit, this one was the most challenging for me, yet. I liked the part where you cut up the block willy nilly, but keeping track of what went where and what size the 'liberated' pieces should be was no small task for someone at my level of quilting!

It was an interesting block to see come together and will be a gorgeous quilt once it's all finished. Thanks for the challenge, Sarah!

~Sara

Someone special is celebrating today!

2010-11-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

And good luck at the sale on Saturday!!

Craftalicious Countdown

2010-11-02T08:42:00.002-04:00

doll-quilts[1]
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

I'm busy getting ready for Craftalicious. It's Nov. 13! - go here and check out some of the awesome vendors.

I'll be selling a hodgepodge mix of doll quilts, mug rugs, fabric garlands, gift tags, hair pins, candy, and cookies. Something for everyone!

My friend Nadia took this photo of three of my little doll quilts. These are made up from leftover blocks from a baby blanket I've working on. Sara was here last week and bound them all for me. She makes her binding differently than me, and RIPS the fabric and MACHINE BINDS. Her way is much quicker and her mitered corners are so straight! I wish she lived here always so we could sew together often. I would learn so much!

If you live in Ottawa, be sure and swing by the sale, St. Matthew's Hall in the Glebe, Saturday Nov. 13, from 9-5!

- Donna

My turn to play catch up

2010-10-24T19:15:00.008-04:00

Woah.

I am mailing off September and October blocks for Tong and Clivee...tomorrow. For reals.

I have had a heck of a time sitting down to get these ones done, and if I'm being honest, I'm sending a half finished project at best. Tong had asked for wonky scrappy stars for September. I was super happy to get going on this one...but a work trip, misplacing the fabric for several weeks, two bouts of cold en famille meant that I left this and left this and left this. I finally sat down in front of the machine last night to work on them. I cut out my cream coloured squares for the background, and made to scrappy centre pieces. But somehow in the way that I laid out the fabric I didn't realise that I had only half of it pulled out of the bag....I think I then tried to wonk the heck out of the squares and they ended up too small, as did the overall block. I put in several hours to get one block done, and it's wee, so in the end, I'm sending just one block and returning the lovely scraps to Tong with my apologies and a few treats. I'm so sorry I didn't complete the task!

I also miraculously got October's blocks done too....and even finsihed the two requested....Hope you like 'em Clivee.

Sorry about the poor photos. It's grey, grey, grey and cold and wet and it feels like almost-snow. I'm not ready for that yet. I would like some pointers on taking better photos...I have only a point and click but winter is nearly upon us so can't rely on sunny days so much....and also, how do I take a photo so it doesn't make the square look so wonky??

I had a lovely impromptu one night only visit with Sara this past week and we set up a little sewing room in my kitchen, joined by the ever crafty Holly. While Holly worked on packaging up the fabric tags we had sewn up months ago, Sara put herself to work binding four of the doll quilts I had sewn up for the upcoming craft show, while I worked on some potholders. What a productive evening! Thanks for the company Sara and Holly, and thanks for the sweat labour, too. Pretty good deal for the price of a steak and blue cheese salad (dinner!)

More to share soon!

- Donna

Catching Up

2010-10-10T13:54:00.005-04:00

Wow! How I have missed this part of my life! I've been quiet on the blog for the past while and I feel like I have a good excuse. I'm doing an accounting designation and that is taking up whatever time I have left after working full time and being the mom of a busy middleschooler. I've sang the praises of this quilting bee before, but had it not been for this bee, I wouldn't have forced myself to take a bit of time out for something I LOVE and MISS dearly.

September blocks are finally finished. Almost two weeks late, but finished and ready to be mailed out. October blocks are also finished which I am relieved about. When I saw the blocks that Cilvee chose, I have to admit, I was seriously nervous but I had no reason to be. These were some of the more fun blocks I've sewn in my block sewing career! They come together quite easily and quickly.

So there. I'm caught up in the quilting bee world. Now to catch up in the studying world! Will I ever be caught up on all fronts? Probably not!

Until next time...

~Sara

August Blocks for Alison

2010-09-28T08:23:00.001-04:00

August Blocks for Alison
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

Remember me?

These blocks were finished up a month ago, almost to the day..though I better share them out. And look - almost the end of the month and i've (gulp!) not started my September blocks. Maybe this weekend!

Life has been hectic around here, as it has been for Sara. I'm still working on stuff (a baby quilt from the FatQuarterly quiltalong), things for the craft show...hopefully something to show soon.

How do you make time for sewing? I've been fitting it in a minute here, a minute there, but haven't had a good stint in a long while. with working out twice a week, yoga once a week, the craft show to plan, a demanding full-time job and two kids (one of whom requires lunch now!!)...I feel burdened by too many things to do and not enough time.

I miss hanging out in this space and contributing to this community though so I'm going to try and get back here mor often.

- Donna

Sara's August Blocks

2010-08-21T10:04:00.003-04:00

Thank you, Alison! This was exactly what I needed for a busy August. Something I knew how to do and love doing. Can't wait to see this quilt together. As a matter of fact, I am anxious to see all of the bee quilts so far, together!

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful summer we're having!

~Sara

Sara's July Blocks

2010-08-07T07:00:00.004-04:00

Finished and in the mail on time, thank you very much! My comfort zone was certainly streeeetched this time around...circles and handstitching.

I had been wanting to try my hand at circles of some sort for a while now, so this was just the push I needed. Not sure I'll rush in to my sewing space and start a king size quilt like this, but happy I tried it at least!

This Bee is fun! If you're not already in one, I recommend seeing about getting yourself involved. New fabric and techniques each month for a whole year! What's not to love?

~Sara

July Sew Modern Bee Block for Nicole

2010-08-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

July's theme for the Sew Modern Bee was circles. I had been eying up the tutorial for a Stripey Circle Block from the Block Party blog, and this was the perfect chance to try it. I thought that the fabric lent itself very well to something stripey! I hope you like it, Nicole!

- Donna

Craftalicious Preparation

2010-08-03T08:00:00.002-04:00

We're going ahead and making plans for the second Craftalicious Craft show..to be held this year on November 13 in Ottawa. We've got the applications almost ready to go out, and we'll be able to announce to applicants around mid-September if they've secured a spot. The folks from the Craft Co-op are helping out this year and I gotta say, this guys are consummate professionals. They've got a mailing list set up, so if you're local and want to join us this year, get on their mailing list and you'll receive the call-out.

I'm still throwing around ideas of what I could make. Last year I went with an assortmet of appliqued baby tees, Christmas ornaments, candy and cookies, pushpins, magnets and hair pins. I also sold some of Sara's lovely things.

The shirts were a hit, I sold some candy and cookies, and the hair pins went over well, as did Sara's crayon rolls.

People asked alot of questions about the buntings, but I didn't sell one, which shocked me, since they were pretty and so well-made. I had whipped up a wicked bad one made of Christmas colours to decorate the front of my table, and several people tried to buy it. This year I decided to see if Christmas garlands will sell...so I whipped up 5 scallopy ones in Christmas fabrics. I figure if they don't sell, my home and office will look great come December.

Way back in the throes of near spring, I stitched up a few doll quilt tops, and I finished them up recently. I figured I'd make up little pillows and coordinating pillowcases and sell a few doll bedding sets. Not sure how many I'll get finished, but two sets done (minus the pillows, which I figure I'll do later in a bunch).

So in addition to these few items and the gift tags I made with Holly, I'm definitely planning on making hair pins again and will make candy, only will package it in see through bags to show off its glistening buttery glow. (I tossed the unsold candy into the freezer and I did end up selling it a few weeks after the sale at a home based craft show...that stuff is like crack - important to give out samples!)

I've got a few other ideas up my sleeve which I'll share as I get moving on them...!

Have you sold things at a craft market before? What kinds of things do you like to buy at a craft sale?

- Donna

Handsome Hexie Swap Round 2

2010-07-31T19:55:00.006-04:00

The wonderful Handsome Hexie swap round two has come and I whipped up a little pile for my secret partner. I think that they should suit nicely....a blast of colour, some grey, black and white, and as much Denyse Schmidt as I could muster. I'm proud to say that most of these were stitched up over beer at a local pub. And I only got a few weird looks. Any of you take hexies to pubs? Such a portable craft!!

Don't hexies look so great all piled up and coordinated by colour? Something so appealing about such an image, even if it's not millions and millions of hexes, it still warms my cockles. (Do I have cockles? Not sure!).

Anyhoo, secret partner, I hope you enjoy!

- Donna

PS - I'm not sure if I ever got around to showing what I received in the first round..but ta da...lovely lovely lovely.

Christmas all the way..Inspiration for Savvy Seasonal Swap

2010-07-16T21:57:00.002-04:00

Christmas all the way..Inspiration for Savvy Seasonal Swap
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

I signed up for another swap this week: Savvy Seasonal Swap. I'm kinda hoping I get assigned to a partner who's into Christmas as much as I am, but I am sure I can handle anything that comes my way. Stay tuned!

- Donna

Sara's Late June Block

2010-07-14T22:25:00.003-04:00

First things first, I am so sorry I am late on this one, Arianne. Life got in the way. I was hoping this Bee would get me in front of my machine a lot more, but so far that isn't the case! If it's any consolation, I have July's block half complete. It requires some hand stitching (yikes!) for which I don't have the right color floss yet. Note to self: get proper floss before weekend and finish block ON TIME. At any rate, here is my June block for Arianne...for better or worse:

I hope to be back in this special space soon!

xo,

~Sara

Red Velvet for Canada Day

2010-07-06T06:00:00.003-04:00

Remember when I signed up to make something for five people on Facebook within a year?

Yeah, I also kinda forgot about it. Seeing as how the year is now about half way gone, I figured I had better get started.

July 1 is Canada's national holiday (Happy 143rd!!), and to celebrate, I dropped off a half dozen red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and red sprinkles to my American friend Steph. She was the first person to sign up, so fitting that she gets the first handmade thing. She is a big lover of cupcakes so I always knew I would make her some.

Hope she liked them!

- Donna

Gift Tags for Craft Show

2010-07-04T20:03:00.002-04:00

Gift Tags for Craft Show
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

Holly and I banded together this past week to whip up some little paper and fabric gift tags for Craftalicious. We're thinking we'll share a table this year. These were super fun to make, especially once we abandoned the method we had read about in Sandi Henderson's newest book, which involved cling wrap as a fuser...we used glue sticks and then stitched them down and added a little grommet to finish them up. We'll add some twine and package them in sets of five for the show.

It's so hot here it's hard to imagine sewing but I'm going to work on some garlands tonight. More to show later this week!

- Donna

I think I've succumbed to fabric alarmism

2010-06-11T15:19:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I read Heather's post in which she mentioned that Laura Wisburn's Tufted Tweet line was on backorder in many stores. She listed a few stores where some was still available. I clicked over to check out the stock and found it had been cleared out. I quickly googled the line and found an etsy store (SewFreshFabrics) that had some and ordered up a bunch.

I focused on this colourway but not entirely.

Honestly, I read that post and imagined myself in two years, pining for a fabric that I could never have .... I pictured a Flea Market Fancy scenario where I would click wistfully on etsy listings like this or this and lament the fact that I just can't justify spending 45$ for a yard. So instead I horde my little scraps and use them in every project I can....

Do you stockpile fabric like I do? Am I being smart or silly...it's just fabric after all!

- Donna

June Block

2010-06-09T19:14:00.004-04:00

I decided to put my baby girl into our room last night so I could access the sewing machine. I worked solidly for 2.5 hours and put together these blocks for Arianne, a member of the Sew Modern Bee on flickr.

Arianne wanted a traditional block, 6-8" in size, edged in white, and then bordered in kona coal. She sent me some great fabrics and pointed us into the direction of the Quilter's Cache to find a pattern, and indicated that she really like stars. Have you found this site? What a treasure trove of patterns!

I picked the Indian Star block since I've never made a star and have wanted to try one for a while.

I was supposed to end up with an 8" block, but mine was 7.5", which I attribute to my inability to sew straight. I wonder when I will get better at this, so that i would feel like I could tackle a quilt that had more complicated piecing such as this?

This being said, I'm happy with how my block turned out, as well as the little block I made for Arianne's quilt back. I had made an error in cutting some of my pieces so I decided to use them in a little block rather than waste them. Can you tell I was using every little big of fabric so as to not waste anything?

So far I'm having a lot of fun being part of a bee. Do you take part in a bee, virtual or otherwise?

- Donna

Move over Aqua and Red!

2010-06-08T20:15:00.001-04:00

Hexes for Handsome Hexie Swap
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

I mailed these off far far away today. I hope they arrive soon.

Move over Aqua and Red. I think there's a new colour combo in town!

- Donna

Inspiration Monday

2010-06-07T01:00:00.002-04:00

I'm not doing much sewing lately. I finished up my hexes for the handsome hexie swap (will post about that soon!) that Heather organized. I have cut pieces for June's Sew Modern Bee.

But the thing I am most sad to admit is that I have come to the realization that I am losing my sewing space. My youngest daughter is not doing well at sharing a room with her sister and we're all losing too much sleep. I'm too tired to sew in the evenings. . .so it seems a bit silly and selfish, frankly, to try and hang on to the space.

Boo.

So instead, I'm finding inspiration and making future plans for my sewing life. Things like this are inspiring me lately. What is getting your creative juices flowing?

1. finished and all quilted, 2. original birds on a wire, 3. Urban swap machine cover, 4. Hexagons, 5. Another coin quilt!, 6. nest improv quilted (2)

- Donna

My String Quilt is born and she needs a name...

2010-05-18T19:38:00.009-04:00

After teasing you last week with that quilting shot, I'm happy to report that I finshed the string quilt a while ago . . . all bound up, it's been used to snuggle on the couch several times already.

It occurred to me as I stroked it one night that it contains a good many pieces of vintage or thrifted fabric. The back is mainly a piece of rust coloured broad cloth that I got for super cheap at Value Village. A quilt like this that is largely made up of scraps from other projects + pieces of fabric that I wanted to 'use up' + some of my favourites thrown in there for good measure (even if it meant i had to cut into uncut yardage!!) is really the best part of quilting. Using what you have to make something beautiful.

But she needs a name. Ashley's callout ended up in Kaleidoscope's naming. Anyone have a suggestion?? Let's hear 'em!

xx

-Donna

Oh string quilt, I have not totally forsaken you.

2010-05-04T21:02:00.002-04:00

quilting my string quilt
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

Dear string quilt,

After last fall's foibles, you may have thought I had forgotten you, but you've stolen my heart once again.

I will finish you yet and you will keep me warm all summer.

Woops, season may be off but I don't care . . I'm going for it!

Love you forever,

Donna

So long, Marianne!

2010-04-28T09:27:00.008-04:00

I couldn't stop singing Leonard Cohen when I was making this block! Marianne, do you know that one? This is my take on the May block for the Sew Modern Bee, which is making it's way across the country to Marianne as I type.

Marianne had some crosses in her inspiration mosaic which inspired me, but I couldn't manage to get them wonky like I'd hoped. How does one achieve the wonky and still meet the required measurements?

I should also mention how much I loved this line of fabrics, especially the green and blue prints I put in the block.

I'm really quite surprised with myself that I have the May block done and in the mail and it's still April! Let's hope I can keep up this keener attitude for the duration of the Bee!

~Sara

Edited to add: Here is the answer to my question! So much easier than what I put myself through!

Bees Rule! May Block by Donna

2010-04-25T21:30:00.002-04:00

May Bee Sew Modern Block- Donna
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

I finished up my first block for the Sew Modern Bee. Marianne set the parameters very broadly - use the fabric that was sent, and she provided a a huge variety of possibilities for blocks.

Marianne liked all of the Quilt along blocks that Elizabeth of Oh Fransson posted on Sew Mama Sew as part of Quilting Month this month, so I took the opportunity to try my hand at a dresden plate.

Hope you like it, Marianne!

It should be on its way to you this week!

- Donna

Bubble Quilt

2010-04-18T19:40:00.004-04:00

When I saw this quilt a while back in the Fresh Modern Quilt pool on flickr, I knew I would be trying one. I had done a fair bit of appliqueing patchwork circles on little shirts for Craftalicious in November, that I thought this would be a snap.

Oh, Donna, when will you ever learn??

I decided that it would be cute to make the back out of vintage sheets/pillowcases that I've been hoarding, since the intended recipient shall be a girl (due next month!).

Therein lie my first mistake.

I'm not sure if many of you out there have worked with vintage linens much. Sara made a beautiful picnic quilt a while back. My experience was not so beautiful. The materials were all of a different thickness and stretchiness. They were all cotton or cotton blend, so stretch shouldn't have been a factor, but I'm sure some of these things were 30 years old or more! So the back is crookedy as all get out.

Moving on to the front, I assembled circular things from my kitchen cupboards and sat down with a stack of fabric to cut out circles for the front. This part went well (funny side note . . .I initially tried to do an all pink quilt but I simply COULD NOT!! It's not me. And there are far too many shades of pink out there - or at least in my stash - for it to look any kind of decent).

So with an assortment of blues, pinks, yellows and green circles of various diameters cut out I decided to take Holly's advice and try spray basting them on to save myself pinning. This did not work! I don't know if it was because my spray baste was on its last legs or what, but I ended up pinning every circle down like crazy. No time was saved, but I mighta cursed a wee bit. (as an aside, for my onesies I used fusible web and that might have been better but I was out).

Rough edges are a good idea in theory, or would be a good idea if i was a steady hand at the machine, but it wasn't, I'm not, and I ended up having to resew many circles once the quilt had been washed, since the material frayed and the circles came loose. This kind of wrecked the look of my quilting as I had sewn the circles just onto the top initially.

Does anyone out there have experience with raw edge appliqueing? Is there a better way to have done this? My experience makes me weary to try my hand at a ticker tape quilt. If the quilt is well loved and gets washed a lot, do raw edges not make sense?

Last but not least, I made the error of cutting through the binding when clipping the edges to reduce bulk, as instructed by my quilting teacher at the class I took last year. ACK! AND I didn't notice until I had washed the darn thing. I conferred via email with Sara and ended up just covering it with a little patch I made using the same material as the binding. Not too noticeable. I think.

So here it is, in all its glorious bounty. I will gift it tomorrow and look forward to a new project. Maybe my fabrics will arrive shortly for the Bee!

- Donna

Action Shot

2010-04-16T09:08:00.003-04:00

Here we have a special wee girl hanging out on her crazy carnival quilt.

Melt.

~Sara

Sew Modern Bee

2010-04-13T17:25:00.002-04:00

Sew Modern Bee
Originally uploaded by arianescrafts

Both Donna and I just joined our first quilting Bee and it's all Canadian gals. Fun stuff. Really looking forward to the challenge and stepping outside of my comfort zone.

~Sara
Edited to add - if there is a Candian reader out there (Beth??) who is looking for an All-Canadian Bee, the Great White North Bee has room!

Pretty Little Mini Quilts - hooray

2010-04-12T08:38:00.003-04:00

I got word over the weekend that I was a lucky winner in the celebratory giveaway over at the Fresh Modern Quilts Flickr pool. Recently, their membership hit 2000+! Go Pool! If you haven't checked out this pool, you're due for some daily inspiration. At last count, it contained over 10,000 images of beautiful fresh and modern quilts.

The giveaway was great and featured fantastic prizes from the likes of Rita at Red Pepper Quilts, Ashley from Film in the Fridge, and Elizabeth from Oh Fransson, among many other talented bloggers, quilters, fabric designers...

I'm not sure who donated the book I picked as my prize, but thanks!

Pretty Little Mini Quilts is on its way to my hot little hands. After the last round of Doll Quilt Swap, I've got a bit of a love on for minis!

- Donna

Quilting in Children's Books

2010-04-05T00:34:00.000-04:00

I love reading books to my girls that mean something to me. Two of my favourite children's books feature quilting and I wanted to share them with you.

Oma's Quilt, written by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Stephane Jorisch is an excellent book that features a grandmother (Oma) who is set to move to a retirement home. She's leaving behind a lifetime of memories, and her granddaughter Emily gets the idea to make her a qult so she can remember everything. This book is a real tear jerker and makes me want to get going on the memory quilt project I'm brewing up for my daughters. This book has been adapted into a short film by the National Film Board - check it out!

Sara gave my youngest daugther a fantastic book for Christmas. The Quiltmaker's Gift, written by Jeff Brumbeau and illustrated by Gail De Marcken is a BEAUTIFUL story about an amazing quiltmaker who creates wonderful quilts and gifts them to the poor. A greedy but unhappy king is searching for the one thing that will make him happy. He tries to force the quiltmaker to give him a quilt but she refuses, instead telling him that she will give him a qulit when he is poor, after he has given away all his possessions. He reluctantly agrees and experiences increasing joy and happiness with each possession he passes on, until finally, years later, he returns to the quiltmaker's cottage to gift his final belonging - his throne. The image of the quiltmaker handstitching away atop the king's throne to keep the needy warm at night is a fantastic one.

Do any of you have books that feature sewing or quilting that you love reading to your children? I'd love to hear about them!

- Donna

Quilt Maker's Gift:

Hoppy Easter

2010-04-04T08:33:00.003-04:00

I remember saying that as a kid . . I thought I was so witty.

Hope you are all enjoying your Easter weekends. It's a four day weekend here which has been so great. The Easter bunny tapped me on the shoulder while I was sleeping to ask if he could use those easter eggs I made last year to leave a trail for the kids to help them find their easter treats. I agreed; what a smart bunny to think of those little eggs all forgotten in the basement.

That's my story and I am sticking to it. I think next year we'll make a point of putting them out for the Easter bunny to use. I may smell a tradition in the making!

I am working on a quilt that isn't going super well. More of that to come . . .

. . to assuage myself I've signed up for the FQ swap over at Sew Mama Sew. Swap is open until Monday.

Off for a little walk around Hog's Back Falls with the family. Trying to distract M from her easter candy ..I didn't buy very much but the sugar intake has already been quite high this am, topped off with some of my husband's famous crepes for breakfast. Yikes!

- Donna

dqs8 received!!

2010-03-28T19:25:00.002-04:00

dqs8 received!!
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

I received my doll quilt swap a few weeks ago, too. Life has been ridiculous so just able to post about it now and share it with you all.

It comes from dave and susi and I just love it! Look at those neat points! Impressive, I tell you. AND it features several of my all-time favourite fabrics . . primrose tile and lotus dots . . yummy!

I will definitely sign up for another doll quilt swap. It was great to work on a small scale piece and so fun to see it arrive in its new home!

- Donna

DQS8 received

2010-03-22T17:00:00.004-04:00

My mini quilt arrived in the mail today! Have a look:

Isn't it creative? Robin did such a great job with the applique, too! Thanks so much, Robin!

~Sara

Liberty of London Crazy

2010-03-20T21:12:00.005-04:00

I was down in DC this week for work, and made sure to hive off a bit of time to hit Target to scout out the new Liberty of London clothing line. I was sad that the women's dresses that I found weren't cotton, as I was hoping to grab one for cutting up purposes. I also couldn't find any clothes in my older daughter's size (5). But the toddler things, oh the toddler things. I walked away with these little gems. Little m has already modelled them all and cute doens't begin to describe these items on that girl. Come on summer so she can wear these things around town. Is it weird that I'm already mentally throwing them in the memory quilt box for m's memory quilt?

- Donna

Twittified

2010-03-14T15:03:00.003-04:00

Years later than everyone else, I've signed up for a Twitter account. My friend is a big fan, and swears that the Twitter experience is only as good as the tweets of those you follow. . .

Are any of you on Twitter? What are your thoughts? Is Soci al Media overdone? I am on facebook, flickr, maintain a blog - will twitter improve my social networking or detract from it? Time will tell! I'd love to know what you think of it.

- Donna

DQS8 - awaiting a confirmation from my partner!

2010-03-11T18:48:00.004-05:00

My package went out the day before the deadline. It was getting mailed far far away so it will likely take a few weeks to arrive. I I bound it ina grey and black geometric print . . I think it kinda looks like a frame. I threw in a few swap extras . . .do any of you do that? I find the process of putting together a package for my partner in a swap a big part of the experience. I kept it light and compact this time since it was going so far. A bar of chocolate, a tin of tea from a Montreal tea company, and a wee bar of soap (fig ginger!). A nice card with a handful of coordinated charm squares of Hope Valley and off it went.

Are you taking part in any fun swaps right now?

- Donna

The Anna Erin Ashley Quilt

2010-03-05T15:14:00.004-05:00

Fabric by one of my two very favorite designers, Anna Maria Horner, design inspired by one of my very favorite bloggers, Erin at House on Hill Road and back design inspired by my very favorite quilter, Ashley at Film in the Fridge where her quilt backs are as beautiful as the tops!

Granted I had the cutting done already, but I put this number together from one end to the other, yesterday. What a great day manouvering through the many stages of quilting with little to no interruption or set backs. Good thing because it is being gifted (*sob*) this evening. I work well under pressure it seems!

All washed and dried, it measures 66" x 56". The blocks were cut 12" x 12" for the front and 5" x 5" on the back. The fabric is range of Anna Maria Horner collections from Good Folks to Garden Party right back to Chocolate Lollipop. The solids on the back and binding are all Kona (coal, cerise, pond and lemon). I just quilted in the ditch between blocks and then added a line across and down the squares for a simple grid pattern. I figured there was already enough going on with this quilt that I didn't need to further complicate things with the quilting!

Truth be told, I am sad to see this one go, but I do know that it is going to a good home with an owner as spunky as the quilt!

~Sara

Adios, Amiga! DQS8 is on it's way.

2010-03-03T08:01:00.003-05:00

Measures roughly 20.5" x 20.5", made entirely with scraps, has me head over heels in love with these crazy little log cabins and is on it's way - wrong date and all. What is it going to take to make me realize it's now 2010? I'm "so 2000 and late"!

Fingers crossed she likes it!

~Sara

Love is in the Air. . .

2010-02-13T19:25:00.004-05:00

I spent Thursday night packaging up iced angel cookies for M and M's little friends at daycare, and attaching the handmade potato printed tags that big M had made a few weekends ago. I finished, bleary eyed, around 11 pm. Did I snap photos?

Nope.

You'll have to trust me they looked pretty cute.

What did you make for Valentine's day? It's not too late to be inspired by these cuties dug up on flickr.

Ok, well maybe a little.

But still, aren't these wonderful to behold?

1. Handmade Valentine's Card - heart balloon, 2. Valentine Bookmark, 3. Valentine's Day NOMs!, 4. I Love Ewe - Valentine Card, 5. Valentine Penguin, 6. Red Velvet Cupcakes

- Donna

Doll Quilt Swap 8 - almost done . . .

2010-02-07T14:48:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited about this swap. I'm almost done my quilt, which is at least 3 weeks in advance of the deadline, and that's a rare occurence.

I have been wanting to try my hand at hexes for ages now. Paper piecing by hand really appeals to me, since you can grab a handful of fabric and do a few whenever you get a free moment. It's portable (great for during my daughter's dance class and a few stolen moments over coffee break!), and I can do it in front the tv (finally. .getting caught up on the backlog of pvr'd shows!)

Christina has a huge long post about her adventures in hexagons that is super helpful and shows many of the tricks she's learned along the way. Armed with a few printed 1" hex sheets for which she provided the pdf, I got out my rotary cutter and cut out a bunch of 2.5" squares.

I was thinking ROYGIBIV . . the colour spectrun (red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, violet) but in the end I kinda merged the blue and indigo and went a bit aqua . . .I'm super happy with the results and now it's on to binding choices . .I'm thinking a darkish grey to frame the piece. I didn't totally stitck to the rules of swap and mine is a bit non-regulation size, but I think it'll be ok . . .

For the quilting I zipped around the hex formation about a 1/2" from the edge, and then in the ditch around each middle hex of each flower . . then I added some random hexes in two sizes to the white space for a little somethin' somethin'.

I couldn't resist another little hex flower on the back . . .some of this caramel town fabric by lecien had shown up on my doorstep while I was working on the paper piecing and these darn monkeys are CUTE.

I reached in to my scrap bin and did a little patchwork row to finish off the back. I see more hexes in my future . ..

Is anyone else taking part in this fun swap?

- Donna

Dear Heather Ross,

2010-02-02T11:07:00.006-05:00

Sign me up for a yard of everything. I'll worry about how to pay for it later.

(Images from http://heatherross.squarespace.com/)

Xo,

Sara

Bake Sale Preparations

2010-01-31T19:04:00.004-05:00

I think Big E needs a blog of her own...she's been the reason for all of the crafting in the house lately! This weekend project was "baking like we've never baked before" in preparation for a bake sale at her school this week. They are raising money for Haiti and Big E is all over it like a cheap suit. We made chocolate suckers, gummy skewers, chocolate chip cookie pizza and some of these (ours aren't as cute, but they'll do!). I must say, the basic cookie recipe for the hugs and kisses cookies is perfectly perfect and easy as pie.

What kind of fundraising are you doing for Haiti?

~Sara

Colour in Collaboration

2010-01-24T18:14:00.005-05:00

I bought these colouring pages last week in this etsy shop and I absolutely love them!

I thought they'd be fun to have around when we had a few minutes to scratch away at them. It didn't really go as planned as Big E and I couldn't tear ourselves away from them and each finished one without so much as a bathroom break!

Wouldn't they be so sweet framed as a series?

~Sara

Clay Cuties

2010-01-21T07:00:00.005-05:00

One look at this book on WiseCraft was enough to sell me. A few clicks of the mouse later and it was en route to my front door. Vive l'internet! I had all but forgotten my Fimo days when I was Big E's age. Beads were all the rage back then so regretfully, polymer clay food never even crossed my mind. I had to introduce this bit of genius to Big E and it had to be right away. She's the perfect age for this stuff!

I managed to hide it away until Christmas which gave me the necessary time to procure some clay, some tools, some jewelery findings and of course these in the case that she'd want to gift one of her creations...she'd need to be fully prepared!

Rolling that clay around in my hands instantly brought me back to her age. Fimo has come a long way. No longer the frustrating, crumbly mess it used to be. It's soft and easy to massage into these sweet little shapes. There will definitely be more where these came from!

The book is also highly recommended. The instructions are crystal clear, lots of pictures to guide you through. What's also great is that there are edible recipes tucked in there along side of all the cute!

As I say to Big E - try it, you'll like it!

~Sara

And the Winners are...

2010-01-20T08:42:00.008-05:00

Thank you so much for all of your birthday wishes! It's heartwarming to know we are an inspiration for other creative people through our blog. And now, the moment you've been waiting for: the winners!

The winner of Donna's treasure trove is Beth! She was commenter #22 who said: "Congratulations!"

The winner of Little Boy Blue is Christina! She was commenter #26 who said "Happy first blog birthday! You are both quite inspiring. Thank you for sharing with all of us out here in blogland. :)"

Congratulations, Ladies! Please email us at kindredcrafters@gmail.com with your snail mail address and we'll get these parcels out to you asap.

~Sara & Donna

Happy First Birthday! Kindred Crafters Turns One

2010-01-17T17:26:00.008-05:00

It's our very first blog birthday today! I wish I could let loose on a cake like I did on my real first birthday, but I guess once in a lifetime is enough for an activity like that.

Anyhoo, Donna and I really appreciate you dropping by to check out what we've been up to in our craft spaces. We are having so much fun sharing our projects and experiences. We love hearing from you through comments and email. We love getting to know the people behind the hyperlinks!

We've both decided to send a token of our appreciation out into the blogisphere. That means two of you lovely, loyal readers will be getting a special parcel in your box really soon!

I'll be sending out Little Boy Blue:

And Donna will be sending out a treasure trove of things: some fabric, a quilter's little helper w'nder thimble (pictured below), a "Born to Quilt" bumper sticker she picked up when last at one of her local fabric shops, a lovely Clover seam ripper, and your choice of pattern from The Sometimes Crafter's etsy shop. Her patterns are lovely, and so is she! (Christina, if you win, you'll get something else fab in place!!) ( sorry for the lack of a photo of the entire package, but i can't get my stuff together and want to get this post up - Donna)

We're going on the honor system and trusting that only people who regularly drop in will comment to be entered in the giveaway. If you've landed here for the first time, we're so very happy to have you! Please make yourself right at home here at Kindred Crafters and come back again soon.

Edited to add: winners will be announced this Wednesday, January 20th.

- Donna & Sara

Onesies for Haiti

2010-01-15T07:50:00.006-05:00

Big E has decided to sell her onesies in an effort to raise funds to send to Haiti. I told her if she would do that, I would pay to ship them and then match the amout she raised. 100% of the money will be going to Haiti. Please, please hop on over to Frugal Adeline to check out her sweet little onesies. Needless to say, it's for a good cause.

Edited to add: After I told Big E about Craft Hope for Haiti, she decided to donate three of her onsies to that effort and leave one in our shop. With the two we've already sold, she thought it would be nice to keep it even. Three for the initial relief fund we chose and three for Doctors Without Borders. I sure do love that girl!

Thanks!

~Sara

Make some stacking lentil bags

2010-01-13T13:34:00.002-05:00

Lentil bags
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

Chez Beeper Bebe posted a fantastic tutorial for stacking numbered bean bags. These little gems have a million uses - toss 'em, stack 'em, sort 'em, use them as teachables for colour or numbers, doll pillows - possibilities are endless.

I used some cream linen I had bought ages ago (before I learned how to sew!) with the intention of making linen napkins. Ha!

Much cuter as lentil bags for my daughters! They promptly fought over them like all good sisters would, and my eldest claimed the number one for herself since "hey! It has the same fabric as my quilt!". Amazing pattern recognition!

What are you making these days?

- donna

Tie Dye with Big E

2010-01-10T13:32:00.005-05:00

We spent yesterday afternoon and into the evening dying baby shirts. We had a great time together. Big E was great with making designs and combining colors. It had the potential to be a really messy project, but we managed (with a lot of plastic bags) to refrain from staining anything but the shirts and my hands!

This kit was delivered by none other than Santa Clause, so I don't know where you can get your own, but it was the Tulip kit. The colors seemed to stay pretty vibrant after one wash (as seen above).

Two of these are for presents, but Big E has plans to maybe sell some in my Etsy shop to earn some funds for herself!

~Sara

Gettin' crafty with my facebook friends

2010-01-07T18:38:00.003-05:00

Are any of you playing?

I got tagged today by a friend on facebook with the following note:

Five for Five for Fun!

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year (2010).
- You have no clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be a mixed CD. It may be a poem. I may draw or paint something. I might bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! [not me either]
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange or kind of perverted.

And in return, all you need to do is post this text into a note of your own and make 5 things for 5 others - if you do not post a note of your own, then I cannot make and send your item!ANY ONE CAN RESPOND ... NOT JUST THE PEOPLE I HAVE TAGGED!

I posted a response to my friend's note, securing me a spot as one of her five folks. Then I quickly posted a note on my own profile and within an hour or so I had five friends signed up with posts of their own.

I love the idea of this . . . five surprise gifts to make over the year and passing on the crafty vibe. For fun indeed.

Feel free to post this note in your facebook profile and spread the crafty love!

- Donna

DQS8

2010-01-06T21:54:00.005-05:00

A big thank you to Donna for alerting me of DQS8 sign ups. I made it in even though it was an 11th hour situation! *wipes sweat from brow* She's got my back, that Donna!

Hard not to be inspired by these pretties!!

1. Your Parents Are Cool, 2. Narrow Stripes, 3. purple patchwork quilt, 4. Color Stripe Block, 5. Both placemats together...., 6. { geometric squares quilt }, 7. framed quilt!, 8. Hope Valley Quilt - quilting, 9. Pillow received!, 10. Close up of quilting on the front, 11. Untitled, 12. Sewing Room TV Cover, 13. bed quilt, 14. fraction quilt -- two rows to go, 15. Twinkle applique , 16. boxed in quilt

What are your favorite quilts lately?

~Sara

DollQuiltSwap 8

2010-01-05T21:07:00.003-05:00

I signed up for a swap I've been eying for a while. I came across the Doll Quilt Swap group on flickr via cruising around through images of fantastic itty bitty works of art, so I decided that the next time one was organized I would throw my name in.

Just in the nick of time, I made it in. Participants have been limited to 180. It's an anonymous swap so we won't know how our partners are, but will be assigned a swap mama who I guess will shepherd us through the swap process. Quilts have to be in the mail by March so I'm really looking forward to seeing if my partner has put a mosaic of their likes together. Fun!

- Donna

Daycare Quilts done in the nick of time

2010-01-04T12:13:00.000-05:00

My girls are heading back to daycare today, following the holiday shutdown. They'll be dragging their new mama-made quilts behind them. Starting to make your daughters quilts, however simple the design, on Dec 23rd doesn't equal an attainable goal, at least not for me.

So I reset the goal to have them done by today so they'd be ready for daycare.

and yay!

This one is for my youngest daughter. Maude is a sunny little thing, so orange was a natural shade for this one. I am utterly in love with the Grass Green Kona Cotton, too, so I put a fair bit of that in, along with some cute Japanese prints I've been hoarding, some Joel Dewberry, and some Sandi Henderson, plus a few other prints I had in my stash. Actually, all prints came from my stash, for both quilts.

I quilted it in side to side free motion wiggly lines. I wasn't sure I liked this before it was washed as it was so random it hurt, but a wash does wonders and I'm pleased with the result.

This second one is for my oldest daughter Margo. She's more complicated than Maude, and has a much more contrasting personality, so I went with some clashing colours. She also loves animals so I based this quilt around the Michael Miller Calico Kitty fabric I had purchased months ago with her in mind.

I quilted it a la Ashley, after reading her recent entry about the quilt she made her sister for Christmas. Soft sounded good. (Diagonal lines through the squares with one direction running as single lines and the opposite direction running in double lines) . Love the polka stripe! The quilt is bound in a shred of vintage red and white gingham that I had. Yikes - vintage (read, thin and pully!) fabric as binding? Don't think I'll be trying that in a hurry.

I'll be happy to have these little gems cover my little gems each naptime.

- Donna

I don't make resolutions

2010-01-02T23:02:00.003-05:00

Plans for the New Year
Originally uploaded by Kindred Crafters

Just like Christina, I won't make resolutions, but I have crafty goals in mind for this year.

I will finish my string quilt this year.

I will use my vintage buttons in some way. Love the look of this project.

I will try my hand at some paper pieced hexes.

There is a rainbow dresden in my future (just ordered a template since Santa didn't deliver that wish list item. I'm pretending i deserved it!)

I will make more of these awesome quilted bibs, using jcasahandmade's cute pattern.

I need more pincusions. Stitchindye has a cool hex pattern.

I would love to try a mini quilt with some house blocks.

Ticker tape quilt for a baby quilt sounds so textury and good. Thanks Crazy Mom Quilts!

Already thinking about next year I've picked up materials for a wreath a la Sweet Jessie. Sparkly and shiny and oh so pretty.

What do you all have planned for 2010?

- Donna.

1. String Quilt Top, 2. Button Heart, 3. Doll Quilt Swap Received!!, 4. Doll Quilt Swap 7, 5. quilted patchwork bibs, 6. YIP 365. 114 :: Hex Pincushion, 7. Ingrid Press Festival Of Quilts 2009, NEC Birmingham, 8. ticker tape, 9. sparkly wreath

Donna's Year - A Retrospective

2010-01-01T21:03:00.003-05:00

This year I learned to sew.

I made 4 baby/toddler quilts, two doll quilts, and a quilted advent calendar. I go into the year with 4 WIPs, two of which I'm handstitching on binding pretty much as I type, so I will share these very soon.

I appliqued some 45 baby shirts, made pins, magnets, fabric ornaments, candy and cookies and set up shop at the indie Craft Sale that I, along with two friends, conceived of, organized, and pulled off.

I worked with a designer friend and came up with a logo and a shop name in time for the sale. (Thanks, Nadia!)

I was reunited with my long time friend and co-blogger, Sara. We, of course, worked on a quilt.

Sara and I started this blog, have written more than 150 posts in almost a year and look forward to our one year blogiversary. Stay tuned for a little celebration!

In my non-sewing world, I went back to work after my almost year of maternity leave and have been juggling life with two kids, and two parents with full-time jobs. On minimal sleep. And we all still love one another.

Not a picture heavy post (read, none at all as they're all on the system upstairs, and I'm downstairs, and lazy.) But I wanted to capture a bit of what, for me, has been a stellar year in terms of sewing, community, and life, in general.

Today, my family and I threw open our doors and held our annual open house, with about 40 people streaming through over the 4 hour period. It's a great way to bookend the holidays, relax, eat some good food, toss back a few bevvies, and one thing that has been so amazing is watching all these darn kids grow. Four years ago there would have been nary a kid present, and this year we were close to being outnumbered. I'm feeling full, happy, and looking forward to moving ahead into this year with open eyes, goals to be met in several areas of life, and a smile in my heart.

All my best to you, lovely blogging community!

- Donna

Sara's Year in Review

2009-12-31T13:07:00.007-05:00

These posts seem to be all the rage today, so I'm jumping on the bandwagon. It is a great way to put the year's work into perspective. Here they are, my quilts of 2009:

For starters, and mostly because 10 quilts don't make a nice even mosaic, here is the first finish of the year. This one was a pretty big deal for me because it was my first time using free motion quilting.

It opened up a world of possibility for me and hence the next 9 were produced...

They all have a special place in my heart because they've all taught me something very important about quilting and patience. If I had to pick a favorite it would be crazy carnival. That one definitely stretched me to my outer limits so for that reason and also the color combo, it tops my list of 2009 quilts. Thanks so much for all of your encouragement throughout the year. It means so much to have you along for the ride!

My to do list for 2010 is quite lengthy and coincidentally, I have more than enough fabric in my stash to accomplish it with. Did I just say that?!

Happy New Year, everyone!

~Sara

Season's Greetings, Gang!

2009-12-26T19:37:00.007-05:00

Felled by serious colds and coughs+pinkeye, three of my four family members were too sick to celebrate on Christmas Day. All four of us were too cranky to subject our friends to our moods. So . . .I have to say, this is one Christmas I'm glad is behind me. Grilled cheese and frozen peas for the kiddies' Christmas dinner, and frozen pizza for hubby and I after the kids were in bed. Christmas is largely about the food and the merriment for me, so this one was a bust.

There were fun crafty things to ogle under the tree for me though, and that helped take away the sting.

Denyse Schmidt's book!

Rashida Coleman-Hale's book from Sara!

Gingher 8" Dressmaker's Shears from my husband!

A new thimble and seam ripper (which, funnily enough didn't end up in my stocking, because I SWEAR TO GOODNESS, MY HOUSE EATS SEAM RIPPERS!!) I'm sure it will turn up soon.

I didn't get the quilts I started on December 22nd done for my girls. I finished the backs up today and will baste and maybe quilt them tonight. They girls head back to daycare on January 4th, so I've got time. (They're intended for naptime at daycare). I didn't get the table runner I'm working on done for my MIL (I told her I was making her something, and that it would be late so I will get to it after the quilts.) I'm quite far along but need to do a bunch of squaring off, which we all know is my least favourite. I'm working on relaxing and reducing expectations a wee bit!

Hope that you all celebrated in style with a merry cherry on top.

- Donna

Her Second Quilt

2009-12-21T08:59:00.005-05:00

She didn't think she'd get it finished in time for Christmas, but she pulled through! Since her first quilt, she's been talking about making a "real" quilt, a bigger quilt. I suggested she get her idea down on paper first and then we'd figure out what she needed. She designed a few different looks and off we went to get the necessary supplies. (note the scarf - I wish I looked as fashionable while quilting!)

She did a really great job, especially considering the size of the quilt! It is a gift for her 14 year old cousin who ritually cooks us nachos when he visits. I can't wait to see the exchange when she gives it to him on Christmas eve!

Is anyone else out there excited for Christmas to get here? I can barely sleep with the anticipation!

~Sara

A Winner ..and a winning advent calendar

2009-12-06T19:16:00.003-05:00

so that title is boo-worthy. I'm working, as usual, on about 5 hours of sleep.

I put the pedal to the metal to finish the advent calendar for my daughters (in future years, it will be for both . . my three year old is benefitting solely this year since baby #2 is just 15 months and could care less!) in time for Dec 1. I used Oh Fransson's tutorial from back in July on Sew Mama Sew, and followed her lead by using mainly Michael Miller Funky Christmas fabric. I made a ton of mistakes but I think I've finally learned my lesson and pledge to square up at every stage next time.

I'm happy with it, and we've had fun so far . .

Day 1 . . .chocolate lollipop

Day 2. . new tights (this is a girl who wears dresses all the time)

Day 3 . .some new headbands

Day 4 . .a mini bag of popcorn and a note for family movie night - (we watched Shrek the Halls and Merry Madagascar . . tried Rudolph and my daughter was scared of the monster!)

Day 5. . .a glowstick and a note for Santa Claus parade of lights (which we ended up skipping as both girls skipped their naps and it would have been ugly

Day 6. . a fancy decorated sugar cookie I got at a craft show yesterday with a note for decorating sugar cookies with friends. I made gingerbread and sugar cutouts and another family came over with their kids who are 5, 7 and 9 and they all went to town.

Fun!

Here's the calendar in its glory:

I had to handstitch the appliquéd numbers on since I quickly realized that my skill on the machine did not allow me to machine appliqué. My plan is to make one of these for my first grandchild so that I can measure how far I've come . .this is quilt number 6, counting two doll size quilts so I think it's not too bad! It's definitely my most square quilt.

And now on to the winner of my giveaway . .*drumroll, please . . .*

. . Eeme-le - congrats! I've sent you an email asking for your mailing address, so as soon you provide me with that I'll get your things sent out!

Night, all. And thanks for playing along.

- Donna

Comments on Giveaway post now closed

2009-12-06T13:35:00.003-05:00

Hey all
Wow. I somehow wasn't expecting so many comments! I'm closing up comments now (in words, since I don't know how to do that in blogger!) and will finish entering names into my spreadsheet and then pick a number later today. Check back to see if you're the lucky winner. I'll do my best to contact the winner and will give the person 48 hours to respond and if I hear nothing I'll move along to the next lucky person.

I'm really pleased that so many new people commented and added our blog to their reader or started to follow us. Come back and say hi anytime ! We love new readers and do our best to answer comments (I petered out on the giveaway post, I have to admit, but I appreciated every recipe and entry! I have me some baking to do.)

Who knew the popularity of snickerdoodles, magic cookie bars, peanut butter balls, peanut blossoms, and chocolate crinkles? Gingerbread and Shortbread, sure, but some of the others surprised me.

Since you all shared so kindly, here`s a to-die for recipe that I sampled at a Christmas open house yesterday.

Gluten-Free Rocky Road Snowballs

Enlist your favourite helping hands to roll these delights and coat them in coconut. For a nut-free variation, replace walnuts with chopped glac?herries.
Servings: 75 snowballs

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg (250 g) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped walnuts
1 cup (250 mL) mini-marshmallows
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) shredded sweetened coconut

Preparation:
In bowl over saucepan of simmering water, melt together semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and cream cheese, stirring occasionally, until very thick. Remove from heat; stir in walnuts and marshmallows. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Roll by scant 1 tbsp (15 mL) into balls; roll each in coconut. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet; refrigerate until hardened, about 1 hour. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 5 days.)

They`re from Canadian Living Magazine and they`re pretty much AWESOME.

tune back for a winner . . .

- Donna

Giveaway Day

2009-11-28T20:24:00.006-05:00

Over the years that I've been entering contests via this lovely internet community, I've been lucky enough to win a few great prizes. . fabric, a calendar, cute clothes for my girls, a beautiful quilted journal cover, handmade cards, a fabric storage box, and of course, an autographed copy of Alicia Paulson's Stitched in Time - the list goes on . . .

I enter a giveaway almost every day . . I think they're such a great way to give back to the blogging community that gives so much in terms of inspiration.

Which is why I'm taking part in Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day on December 2.

I have this book on my wish list this year . . I borrowed it from the library a few weeks ago and fell in love! I didn't have a chance to try out any of the projects but I think it belongs on every quilter's bookshelf.

If you win this giveaway, I will order it directly from a bookstore and have it delivered to you. I will also mail a little package of handmade fun. This will include an ornament for sure, but the rest depends on where the winner is from since postage rates can vary and it would be nice if the package could arrive before Christmas.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite Christmas cookie is . . and a link to a recipe gives you two entries. I need to get started on holiday baking!

Want a third entry? Become a follower of our blog and leave a comment telling me you've done so. (If you're already a follower you get a bonus entry but be sure and let me know.)

The deadline to enter is December 6th. Please include your email with your entry so I can contact you if you win!

Good luck!

- Donna

Crazy Carnival

2009-11-21T08:32:00.010-05:00

Oh boy! It feels really great to have this one finished and not a moment too soon as it is being gifted today. I struggled on many levels with this quilt and resorted to asking both you and the recipient for guidance to get me out of the ruts. I really hope it's what she wants now that it's together!

Things I am not so proud of about this quilt include the inordinate amount of time it took to decide on the pattern (had the whole thing laid out in the first of these patterns, but could not wrap my head around squaring up the edges), the time it took me to get the right amount of blocks (had some going in the opposite direction and after fixing those, ended up with some STILL going in the wrong direction...oh, and of course cut one too small when trimming).

What I am proud of is that my points line up somewhat well. It really is impressive when you're careful to keep everything the same size and to press the seams in the right direction. It ends up fitting together just like a puzzle. Also, there was somewhat of a crisis during quilting, but I persevered and after the washing and drying magic of a stippled quilt, the crisis is barely even visible. Phewf!

There were a few firsts with this quilt. It's my first pinwheel which I enjoyed. It's the first time I've quilted with bamboo batting which is so soft and gives a really nice drape to the finished quilt. Lastly, it was the first time I've used flannel for the back. I will definitely do another flannel back again, but I have had some trouble with colored flannel running before, so it may be wise to pre-wash if white isn't what you're using.

~Sara