Friday Finish - It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas! I know, I know. Christmas is long over.

With all the holiday shenanigans, I didn't get a chance to share this one with you. I ordered the awesome Naughty & Nice fat quarter bundle from Pile O' Fabric way back in August of 2015 and just knew I couldn't let it gather dust in my stash. So I got to working on a Christmas quilt in December 2015, knowing there wasn't much chance I'd get it done for the upcoming holidays. But I did get it done just in time for Christmas 2016!

The pattern is Cluck Cluck Sew's Squares and Strips Bed Quilt. It's a free tutorial and I give it a full and unreserved thumbs up! I'm working on some similar blocks with my hoarde of low volume squares.

 

Those are honest to goodness Canadian snowflakes blurring up these pics. We had no snow over the holidays and this quilt absolutely REQUIRED snow for its photoshoot. Demanding, huh?

I toyed with the idea of an all over free motion pattern with a Christmas motif. In the end, I decided that straight line quilting would let those lovely prints have the attention they deserved. I used a cheerful kelly green... a departure from my usual white or grey!

The Kona Nautical binding (with the wee-est pop of Kona Cardinal on one edge) makes me very happy!

I'm darned pleased with myself over this back. I matched the prints pretty much perfectly. It takes a whole lot of looking to see the seam!

The Deets  
Title: C+S Christmas Squares & Strips
Size: 64 by 88 inches
Fabric Used: Naughty & Nice FQ Bundle
Konas Used: Candy Green, Cardinal, Grasshopper, Ice Frappe, Nautical 

Quilting: Straight line quilting in kelly green
Binding: Kona Nautical

Backing: Cotton + Steel Notes to Santa in Multi

Favourite Part(s): Snuggling under this quilt during the Christmas season and knowing that it will be part of our Christmases for many years to come

 

I'm linking up today (for the first time in a long, long while) with TGIFF @ Busy Hands Quilts, as well as with Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts. I can't call this my first finish of 2017, but I'm hoping it won't be too long until I have that to share!

J

P.S. Many thanks as always to my quilt holder, Ms. K.V. She never seems to mind my quilty foolishness, even if it means climbing up on stone walls in snow storms!

Long time, no see...

It's 2017. How the heck did that happen? I can't believe that it's been a solid two months and change since I last posted. I shan't go into all the gory details (yawn....so boring). Suffice it to say that a return to full-time teaching in addition to a fair amount of solo parenting doesn't leave much time or energy for sewing or blogging about it.

Here and there, I've managed some sewing and quilting. Much of it Christmas related and/or for Double Trouble. BT needed a little something to perk up his white oxford and jeans for the Christmas season and I managed to convince Himself that ties are super cute. A bow-tie would have been pushing it too far!

I used this quick little tutorial from Sharing the Wealth and added length as recommended by Kelsey @ Vanilla Joy. I see more ties in BT's future!

BT also needed some new Christmas comfy pants. No, GT isn't being left out. She's rockin' BT's ones from last year. I can't let that C+S Washi flannel go to waste. They're way cuter in person. Here's hoping we manage a family pic one of these days!

These pants mimic the ones I made for Himself last year (he said not to waste expensive flannel on him!) and used this tutorial from Sew Jereli. Now that BT has grown out of the biggest size of Big Butt Baby Pants ☹, I had to find a new go-to pattern. I'm pretty sure this is it!

For more than a decade, I've stored my classroom participation tokens in a Ziploc bag. Seriously. It's a case of the cobbler's children going barefoot! When I headed back to the classroom this year, I decided I needed something a little fancier. The In Color Order Drawstring Bag did the trick. I do so love this pattern and that print is just right for my classroom!

Miss K is practically an adult now, but I know she likes to colour occasionally. So I made her a little coloured pencil roll for Christmas. I also made a few to donate to the Halifax Shoebox Project. I wish I'd taken a pic or two first!

How right is that Cotton+Steel pencil print? I've got to make something for myself out of that one of these days! And a little Netorious and Kona Emerald rounded out the interior.

So there we are, dear readers. Proof that I've not dropped off the planet or given up sewing. I make no promises, but I'm hoping to be here more regularly in the coming months! Hope you'll be along for the ride!

J

2016 Finish-A-Long - Q3 Goals!

It's that time again... goal setting! After jumping on the 2016  Finish-A-Long just in time for Quarter 2, I found it very motivating. Here's hoping Quarter 3 is no different!

Goal 1 - Technicolor Galaxy

Last quarter, my goal was to get up to date on my Skill Builder BOM Technicolor Galaxy. Check! This time, I want/need to get this puppy assembled and bound. For reals. It's been long enough and I want my design wall back!

Goal 2 - Cotton + Steel Christmas Quilt

This one might seem a little familiar.  Yup, it was a goal last quarter too. But this time I'm really going to get it done. Part of my hang-up is how to quilt it. Suggestions are more than welcome!

Goal 3 - Selvage Challenge

I'm going to turn my pile of rainbow selvage blocks into something fabulous for Stash Builder Box's Selvage Challenge. The challenge runs from July 5th to September 25th (perfect for Q3) and all you have to do to enter is post your project on Instagram (yup... I've succumbed to the temptation) using #selvagechallenge.


Goal 4 - Paper pieced hexies

I made one of these awesome wee hexies during my May is for Makers mania. Must. Make. More. And turn them into something! I should set a goal to use a few of those lovely patterns I bought!

Goal 5 - Advent Calendar

 

Speaking of which! I started buying wool felt for this mega project just last week. Can I get it done for the end of September? It's a big goal, but I'm gonna give it a try!

I'm linking up with the goal setting post for Quarter 3 of the 2016 Finish-A-Long.

J

May is for Makers - Week 4

It's been a busy week! So busy that I really haven't been sewing much or even surfing around the interwebs for patterns. So in the interest of keeping up with May is for Makers, I've decided to profile a pattern that I purchased a few months ago. I figure I can support Indie pattern makers without actually buying one this week!

I fell in love with this beauty from Sugar House Shop on Etsy back at Christmas time. I love Advent calendars... probably because it's not a tradition my family was into when I was a kid.

Isn't it lovely? My plan was to make a couple ornaments a month and be all done in time for December 1. Ummm... the plan hasn't come to fruition. But I've still got 6 months! Anyone have experience buying felt? I need a lot of different colours and I don't think I can get it locally. 

J

Friday Finish - Another one in the bag!

Don't you love a well-written tutorial? Well, I do. Jeni Baker from In Color Order knocked it out of the park on this one.

DT are going traveling soon and needed somewhere to store their blocks. They LOVE blocks. This bag fits the bill perfectly.

 

Jeni Baker's tutorial for a very practical little drawstring bag was so good that I went back and bought the pattern. Eight more sizes of fun! I especially like the double drawstring closure system and the way she explains how to leave the openings. Easy to do and tidy when complete!

 Turns out that DTs blocks actually came with a bag...

But it's not as nice as this one! It's so nice that Anja @ Anja Quilts couldn't resist sewing up a pile of them herself!

This bag was my OMG goal for January. But once I had it finished, the goal seemed a little... well, small. Who knew it was going to come together so quickly? So off I went to my Christmas print stash stack. And I whipped up three more!

I love having some pre-fab presents set aside when Christmas rolls around. Ain't nobody got time for last minute sewing. So much stress.

I'm linking up today with TGIFF @ Busy Hands Quilts, as well as Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts. And let's not forget the monthly OMG It's Finished Party @ Red Letter Quilts. Now to get thinking about February's goal! 

J

 

ALYOF December Finish!

It was a cold and blustery day. -19 degrees Celsius with windchill to be exact. But the sun was shining and there was fresh snow on the ground. Time for a quilty photo shoot! And time to show off some progress on my December goal for ALYOF!

That goal was to get as much done on this quilt as possible.  I was #55 on the Goal Setting Party at the beginning of the month.

This Christmas-y flimsy finish makes me smile. I hoped to have the same kind of miracle as with my November ALYOF goal, alas, in this month of holiday chaos, it just didn't happen. I am pleased to say that I already have backing fabric and the MMQG January Sew In beckons! It'll definitely be done for Christmas 2016.

You can read a little more about the construction of this lovely here. The pattern is a Cluck Cluck Sew tutorial called  Squares and Strips.

So much Cotton + Steel goodness here. I love those 16 patch blocks. They're more work than the others, but they're just so danged scrap happy. I'm sure my junior high pal Joel didn't quite have this kind of Scrappy Happiness in mind when he made his album. But he should have.

I was sad to learn that 2015 will be the final year of ALYOF. It just goes to show that if you see a linky/challenge/QAL that speaks to you, you should jump on it with both feet. You just never know when it will end. Thank you so much to Fiber of All Sorts and Bittersweet Designs for organizing it for three years. I am, of course, linking up with the final Finishes Party over at Fiber of All Sorts. And since it's Wednesday, I'm also linking up with the Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts.

J

P.S. Blooper! Windy days are NOT optimal for photo shoots!

Monday Finish - Three of Nine!

Dasher, Dancer, and Rudolph! The rest of the gang will have to wait for another year! 

I love the way these Christmas pillows look on the couch. DT seems to prefer that they decorate the living room floor. But that's sort of why I made them to begin with! You can read more about the making of this pillow here.

I kept the quilting simple. It lets the reindeer be the focus (and was it was quick to do!) Thanks to the expert assistance of Q-B, I managed to insert this zipper. I knew that an envelope back wouldn't work for this unusually shaped pillow.
I wanted to use the green C+S print on the back, but there just wasn't enough. Time for a pieced back!

This lovely little project was an intro to next year's focus.

All the fabrics came from my stash. Many of them, like the brown print on the back, have been hoarded for some time. Time to use those lovelies instead of letting them languish! Stay tuned... I've made my Declaration. The Manifesto is coming soon! Perhaps you want to start drafting your own! ☺

J

P.S. I'm trying something new today and linking up with Main Crush Mondays @ Cooking Up Quilts!

Friday Finish - The Evolution of a Bib

There's a finish this Friday, though perhaps not the one you expected! Behold the holiday mega bib!

As with most of my projects, there's a story here. It all begins with some lovely laminated cotton bibs that DT received from Q-D before they were even born. There's a story to the Kaffe Fassett fabric she used, but she can tell it when she starts her blog. ☺

In time, even the larger of the bibs was too short for BT. It had to be long enough to tuck into the waist strap of the highchair. Otherwise, he'd flip it up and smear the back of the bib and his shirt with food. Ain't nobody got time for that.

But somehow BT (and often GT... she's very dextrous) would still flip those bibs. Usually at the same point in the meal when they decide hair styling with hummus is a fine plan and their parents are reaching the frustration tipping point. Enter the Velcro back strap.

While very effective as a flip deterrent, the strap is also a bit... well, scratchy. And it leaves marks that horrify the grandparents. Not to mention that DT now loves to jam his giant hands down the sides of his highchair to simultaneously smear his shirt and pants with food and stow something to eat later. Time for the next version. Hopefully, the final stage of the bib evolution. The utopia of bibs. The Mega Bib!

As per usual, I broke out the Kona for the backing . It's pretty fitting that's Kona Tomato given that DT could consume their weight in tomato and tomato sauce on any given day.

So how did I do it, you ask? I started by making a paper pattern based off of the Cat in the Hat bib. Then I add side flaps and tested it by wrapping it around a twin or two. The test showed me that the sides needed to be straighter. On to a fabric template...

Paper is tricky to wrap around a wriggly 1 year old, so I went with a fabric template before making any bibs. This stage told me that even though I wanted the flaps to meet in the back with velcro, it wasn't really possible. Straps were still needed to bridge the gap.

On to cutting out the Christmas themed cotton laminate. Oh wait. Nobody makes that. Crap. Guess I'll have to add this print from my stash...

 To this expensive (13$ a metre) product, apply a medium hot iron...



 And presto! Christmas laminated cotton!

So many tricky things about working with laminate, like not being able to pin your pattern in place. So I reached for my trusty painters tape. Honestly, someone should make me the quilting spokesmodel for painters tape. Imagine the swag.

For those of you questioning black Christmas bibs, here's the thing. I'm sewing my stash and needed a fair bit of yardage to make these, cutting down my selection dramatically. And it's apparently been in my stash for 2 years. I have documentation. Time to use it or lose it. And it has the added bonus of being able to hide tomato sauce stains (please refer to my earlier statement re: DT's undying tomato love).

The straps aren't made from laminate. Where they're on the back, it didn't seem necessary. And I really didn't want to sew laminate right sides together and turn it right side out. Tedious. Aggravating. Not at all required.  My Wonderclips came in handy again... not pins in my laminate!

Here's a close up of the straps, made this wide because I knew I had 2 inch black Velcro in the notions bin. How's that for planning ahead? About the only thing I didn't really count on was sewing squared off wide straps to a curved area of the bib. But it works... with only a little bunching!

Who knew a twin thwarting bib would be so essential? Or that a bib could be so danged complicated?! In any case, DT can now chow down on their Christmas dinner without wearing it. I am a sewing mama rockstar... even if I do say so myself. And to share my prowess with the world, I'm linking up with TGIFF @ Quilt Matters and with Finish Up Friday @ Crazy Mom quilts. With any luck, it'll be a good nap day and I'll finish that Christmas quilt top too!

J