Sweet Like Sugar

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

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice

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

2011 - What's in store?

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

Zeee Shirts

I think I mentioned that I'm participating in a craft show in mid-November (like maybe eighteen times or so ..I'm pretty excited!). I've been sitting on a big box of beautiful organic onesies that I ordered from here ages ago. They arrived in June, and while I so pleased with the quality and colours of them, I haven't touched them.



(aren't the colours GREAT? I was so psyched to find organic cotton in colours that go beyond oatmeal or pale pastels - although I did order a few in pale colours, and even a few in 'natural')

After pre-washing, the shirts have sat, in a box, in my craft room. Prompted by the birth of a very good friend's second child (Welcome, Cedar!!), I got a few out last night and FINALLY got started.

It's my daughter's first birthday, and I've had a long sleeve tee in white sitting waiting for some jazzing up. I was majorly inspired by Allison's beautiful pillow, and have based my shirt on this. (Funny - in looking up the link to this awesome pillow, I looked at it again - I had a picture of what it looked like in my head last night when I laid out the shirt but in fact it's pretty different. Mind playing tricks . . .) I machine stitched Cedar's shirt in the interest of time (I handmade a few other little treats and need to get this parcel off - the girl is going to be a month old before it reaches her, easily!), but I want to handstitch all my girl's leaves. Labour of love and all that.

I've been busy with a few other projects but nothing to show for my busyness yet! Back to it . .I'm feeling charged up by having started building some 'stock' for the show. You were right, Sara - once I got started I got excited! Only 40 or so more shirts to go.

- Donna

Have you ever gotten that feeling...

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

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

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

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

~Sara