Over to the dark side...

Thanks everyone for your kind comments on my sister's quilt. I received some great name suggestions...but I think in the end, I'll just christen this one "Laura's Quilt" since it was made for my sister's wedding.

One of the reasons that I actually finished this quilt is because I machine stitched the binding. I used Rita's tutorial from Red Pepper Quilts and it worked out beautifully. I think I have officially gone over to the dark side. I might never hand stitch a binding again. Sorry to all of you quilting purists.

Machine binding on Laura's Quilt

See...it didn't turn out too bad. I just used lots of pins, and followed Rita's directions. The only thing I did differently was that I used 2.5" strips rather than 2.25". I think I needed that extra wiggle room. I did have to go back and redo a couple of spots on each side that didn't catch, but I can't even tell now that it is all done.

I also got a start on my quilt for Doll Quilt Swap 10. I don't have a great idea of my partner's style, so I'm playing it safe this round. Here is a shot of the trimmings. They seemed to get a positive response over on Flickr.

Now I just have to decide on the background. Any thoughts? Do you like white, light gray (ash), medium gray or something darker (Kona Charcoal or Coal) with yellow and aqua? Or should I invest in some linen? I'd love an opinion. I'm off to Vancouver on the weekend I've heard a rumour that this store has all 221 Kona Solids in stock. Heaven!

New Year Resolution Complete!

As I've stated over and over again, I really wanted to finish some UFOs in 2011. Especially with a new baby on the way.  With only 3 months to go, I'm ready to make some gorgeous baby stuff. (Like all of the gorgeous things Ashley has been making lately).

So here is UFO finish number 1.  I'm actually quite proud of this one. It's big. It's huge. And I made it all by myself.



A Quilt for my Sister.



Although there are no designer fabrics in this one (I pieced the top before I became a fabric snob), I still love it. The pattern was originally from McCalls Quilting and called Roots. (sorry, it doesn't seem to be online anymore).

Almost all of the quilt.

I was going to call it "Nobody is Perfect" because it really, really, really isn't perfect. The quilting is crooked, the star points don't match, and there is a bit of a ripple in the border. But since it is for my sister, I figure she might take offense.

Outdoor photo shoots are trickier than they appear. Especially with 3 feet of snow in the backyard.

Any ideas on a good name for this one?

It is now raining here in Prince George, so I thought I'd share some photos of the weekend. It was gorgeous, warm and sunny and we had so much fun skating on our community outdoor rink.

My daughter wearing my sunglasses.

My son really only wants to play hockey...it's time for some 'real' skates.

Enjoy your Wednesday!

Checking In

I had two major sewing/quilting goals for 2011. I thought in the interest of full disclosure I should give you a quick update.

Goal #1: Finish some WIPs and UFOs. Here's a shot of my oldest living UFO. In truth, I wasn't even going to post about it since it really doesn't represent my style anymore (and the craftsmanship is terrible). But it is taking up so much of my time, I thought I'd give you a glimpse.

Long dead, and now resurrected UFO. It will get done, it will get done, it will get done.....

It is big. A Queen. And for some stupid reason, I decided to quit it myself. Lets just say that it is crooked, there are puckers and you can't look at it up close (I won't let you). Not if you have any quilting experience anyway. But I made this flimsy back in 2005 or 2006 and it needs to get done. And I'm giving it to my sister who loves traditional quilts and who may or may not have got married way back in September of 2009. 2009! I just have to quilt the border, bind and label this baby and she is done!

Goal #2: Fabric Diet/Use up Stash. It turns out I'm as bad at fabric diets as food diets. The first week I bought some Kona White to finish up my Colour Wheel Quilt. Never mind that I 'added' in a 1/2 yard of yummy Innocent Crush (I had to see it for myself) and found a new to me Canadian online shop that has Kona Cotton Solids for $7/yard.

Stalled progress on Colour Wheel Quilt. More Kona White just arrived...

Week 2 I resisted. But now we're in Week 3 and I had a major cave. I couldn't resist buying some new fabrics for my Spicing Up the Kitchen Partner. And my fellow Canadians know how it goes, right? I had to fill up the envelope to justify paying the shipping from the US. You understand, right? Right???

How are you doing with your resolutions? Are you like me...or can you stick with them? I'd love to hear!

Life is Good...

Here's a photo of pure happiness for you:

I found the cutest wool and sheepskin booties at a thrift store on Saturday for $3.

And I finally got my hands on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I've been on the wait list at the library FOREVER! Let's just say that there isn't much sewing going on this week....

Are you reading anything good these days?

Thanks Meg!

Just before Christmas, I received a gorgeous pillow from Meg for the Pillow Talk Swap. Meg blogs here. She's a librarian and a quilter. Isn't that a perfect combination?!?

Anyway, back to the pillow. I LOVE it. The colour combo is stunning, the pattern showcases some amazing fabrics, and it is perfect just for me.

When I signed up for this swap, I thought that my pillow would go in one of my kids rooms. Wrong. I've decided to be selfish and keep this one for myself!

Thanks again, Meg! I love my new pillow. (In fact, I've decided to decorate my room to match!)

Happy 2011!

Christmas holidays are pretty much over for us now...hubby is back to work today, and I go back to teaching tomorrow afternoon. Today is going to be a day filled with crossing things off lists...take down tree...buy thread...send thank yous...work on UFOs....

2010 turned out to be a year of small projects for me. I only finished one lap quilt, started too many other quilts, and made lots of small things.

I've decided that 2011 will be a year of finishing UFOs. I've even started quilting a giant queen-sized quilt that I've had hanging around since 2004 or 2005. I'm hoping that getting some things finished will help me to enjoy quilting more as I won't have so many things hanging over my head.

I've also decided to join Angela's Fabric Diet. Have you seen this yet? 8 weeks of no fabric buying...it is something I wanted to do anyway, but this should help me keep up with it. I'm actually a very competitive person.



Unfortunately, I already need to buy some more Kona White so I can work on my colour wheel quilt. But I'm okay with that...I really, really want to finish this one soon.

So happy New Year to you and yours. What are your goals for 2011?