a colourful post

Okay, so here I am... on Wordpress... so please excuse if things don't look quite right.

I've been busy busy busy sewing dresses and tunics for my upcoming tradeshow in October and then I decided I needed a break from them.  So I got to work on a swap item!

I joined the Modernista Homemade swap this time around.  We have to make something for the kitchen and my partner asked for something pretty specific, so I won't share that part yet.  I have to wait for fabrics anyway before I can even post any progress or sneak peeks.  For the small item, I chose to make a bunting as that was also something she hinted at being able to find a place for.

Because the large item will be all prints with a neutral background, I thought to make the small item from all solids.  I really like this bunting and I think it looks pretty good on my own wall... Might have to make another!

I've also been plugging away at my Hexy MF project.  The last few nights I've pulled out my hexies and made at least one flower an evening.

Then yesterday I wasn't feeling very well, so I parked myself in my rocking chair and made a bunch more.

Now if only I could find the other finished flowers I made!  I put them away somewhere 'safe' but I can't for the life of me remember where that 'safe' place is!  I seem to have that problem more often lately.

That's why I try not to clean up my sewing space too too often.  I only end up losing stuff.

Today I also received some happy mail!

My pouch from my Pretty {little} Pouch Swap partner arrived!  Alisa from Making More With Less send me this beautiful gray, orange, and aqua pouch.  Big enough to hold my hand sewing and pretty enough to leave sitting around - I mean look at the bikes and the row of fancy stitching!

I was quite surprised to find out that my partner was the same person I sent to!  That's the second time that has happened to me - and both times have been super swaps.

and I'm done!

I was so excited to finish the pouch for the Pretty {little} Pouch Swap that I broke my own rule and sewed past 9pm.  

On the plus side, I finished the pouch and I absolutely love how it turned out!  I kept waving it around in front of my husband who was also duly impressed.

On the down side... I broke my rule and as usual, something happened.  I cut my finger with my rotary cutter.  Typical.

Remember, I chose to join the advanced ranks?  I was a little nervous about this pouch meeting advanced specifications, so I made it using three different challenges for myself. 

1. I did some relatively difficult (at least for me) piecing with lots of parts.  Not a perfectly straight result, but still looks good.

2. I did some paper pieced applique - something I very rarely do.  I do paper piecing often, but not much hand stitched applique.  Again, not perfectly lined up, but lets just focus on the colour here, and you won't even notice.

3. I added some hand stitching to both sides.  I was a little stumped on how to add hand stitching to the star, but I think it worked out good.  On the back side, I tried a stitch other than the simple running stitch to embroider my partner's name on the pouch and I also love how that turned out.  

Course, I can't show that part yet because she might just check my blog and that would ruin the surprise.

It is a square pouch finishing at 8.5" on all sides.  

I really hope it meets my partner's expectations of an advanced pouch swap.

i'm going to melt

It is so hot!  I thought it was hot enough before, but this is really hot.  I really don't know what to do with myself or where to be in order to stay cool.  Since Monday we have had over 30degree temps (for the Fahrenheit people, that is well over 80degrees), and with the humidity it feels like 40!  We don't have a/c, and usually we wouldn't need it, but I sure loved getting groceries this week just to walk in to the bliss of a/c.

Since I don't know what to do with myself, I've been basting hexies.  I have three and a half fabrics done and basted.  I love these colours.

The Cheddar for the centres came in today, so now I have all the fabrics and can even start making flowers if the mood hits me.  These hexies are actually bigger than I thought they would be.  I am used to working with 1" sides and these are 1.5" sides which is kinda nice because you get a bigger flower.   That means less flower making to cover the same area  : ) 

 In this heat, I also spent some time distracted in front of the computer.  I mean, really, it's too hot to go and mow the lawn or water the garden, or anything like that, so I may as well waste some time on Pinterest and Etsy.  

I found these lovelies.

source

I never used to have a thing for bikes.  Then I met my husband.  He is big into road biking and he rather sucked me into the hype of Tour riding too.  Before we met, he had bought himself a road bike here and went biking a bit.  Then after we met, I bought a second hand road bike and we went together.  

An old pic on an old camera, so excuse the quality.

I always liked the flat roads while he likes hills. Luckily we both like bike paths that meander and go up and down.
I really like biking now and I watch all the Grand Tours with him and even have my favourites in the races. 

Unfortunately, this year my favourite go knocked out of the Tour de France early because of a crash.  

Next year Ryder!

source

In the last year I have been slowly collecting bike fabrics too.  They are not so popular and most of the good ones are on Spoonflower, but I really can't bring myself to spend such a large amount of money on one FQ.

source

So I guess, until I stop being so cheap, or I run into some money, all these lovely bike fabrics will have to wait for me. 

source

At least the looking is free!

it came!

First off, I have to post this picture of my sweetie happy with her new towel.

I tried it on her the next morning hoping I had made the hole big enough for her head to fit through.  It did.  She was excited to wear it for a while.  But then it started to get in the way of her play, so it had to come off.

Yesterday and today the mailman was good to me.  

The fabrics and papers I ordered for Hexie MF came!  All except the yellow colour for the centres, but that's okay because at least I can get started on this.

I absolutely love these all together and I cannot wait to start putting it all together.

The gray colour is perfect!

Of course, I couldn't wait and as soon as the first few fabrics and the papers came, I was cutting and basting.  

I had never basted the paper to the fabric before with glue, and I must say, why didn't I find this out earlier!  It makes it so much easier because the fabric is not moving around on the paper.  I never liked using a pin because that always bent things up a bit, but this glue idea - brilliant.

Because I am in Canada, shipping can be quite pricey to get fabric.  Most Etsy sellers charge $12.95 CAN for 3.25 to 8 yards.  One seller had most of what I needed for the QAL, so I ended up ordering extra to fill up the parcel to 8 yards.  That way at least, my shipping was worth it.

That's where these beauties come from.

I asked Cheryl of on the grain fabrics to add to my order of 1/2 yards a rainbow potluck of 16 FQs.  Colour is always handy around here.  She picked some great fabrics and included a great variety of colour.  

Thanks Cheryl!

some help please

This year I caught in on the fun and joined Craftaholics Handmade Gift Exchange.  This was the sixth exchange and there are two a year, one in the spring and one in the fall.  

This year Linda chose to use a site called Elfster to organize the swap.  Elfster blindly paired people up and then when you find out your partner, you can ask secret questions and look at their likes and their wishlist.  Some people don't seem to like or understand how Elfster works, but I thought it was great!  It was nice to be able to ask my secret partner questions about her style and likes.  That way I can put a gift together that I know is her style.

My partner collects owls and foxes, and I had some owl fabric left, so I made a reversible tote.  It turned out a little smaller than I hoped, but it is still a good size for when you don't need to take much along.

I had received some of the same owl fabric in a different colourway so I reverse appliqued an owl of the lighter colour on both sides of the bag.  I haven't done reverse applique before and I really like how it turned out.  I first interfaced the fabric I cut out of so that the edges wouldn't fray too badly.

My partner said she really liked colour so the reverse I chose a much brighter print from my stash. 

******

A quick interruption from our local elephant.

She used to be scared of this costume, but now she wears it weekly.  Even eats lunch with it on!

******

I am going to take a really big step.  I am joining a QAL.

I know!  What am I doing?  I'm not a quilter!

I make clothes and small quilty things, but I am not a quilter!

See, it's a big step.

I read over on Marian's blog about a QAL that Fat Quarterly is hosting.  Then I saw the quilt she was talking about and it was one I had pinned a while ago!  How could I resist!

The quilt is Hexie MF from Katy over at i'm a ginger monkey.

image from i'm a ginger monkey

I loved this quilt the moment I saw it, and now I have the opportunity to make it!  I am just a little excited to be making hexies all summer and then end up with this!

But now I have to pick fabrics.  I don't have a specific plan for this quilt, other than to make it, so my colour options are pretty open.  I headed over to the Fat Quarter Shop and Etsy to scope out some good fabrics and came up with three lines that I really like.  I want colours that will make the flowers pop from the background.  For all three lines I chose Soho Charcoal for the background.  I really wanted to find a crosshatch or sketch in charcoal, but there is none to be had, so this will work.

I need your help now.  Which of these three lines do you think will show off the pattern of the quilt best?

Domestic Bliss by Liz Scott for Moda Fabrics

Peachy Keen La Dee Da from Erin McMorris

Vogue Blue Modernology by Pat Bravo

stepping out

I am a non-quilter trying to do quilty things.  Does that make me a quilter now too?

I have seen paper piecing around and never really got the hype of it.  I didn't really like all the little pieces and all the seams that showed in the end product.  

But sometimes you have to make things that someone else will like, so you end up trying new things.  Like paper piecing.  

I joined the Modern She Made Swap on Flickr because I like the challenge of making something other than clothes.  I make clothes to sell, but I make other things to try new techniques and then give away.  If I tried everything I wanted to try and then kept it all, I would have a lot of stuff.  I think I have enough stuff, though one day I will have to make something for me.

Maybe, if my partner doesn't like this, I will keep this project.

I had won a subscription to the magazine Fat Quarterly about a year ago and the final issue I received was about paper piecing.  This little girl with her balloon were one of the features in the magazine.  I thought she was kind of cute, but did not have any intention of making her.  

Then this swap came up and I thought, why not try that little girl!  

Well, one reason to not try her was because I had no idea how to paper piece.  And another was because the project was labelled intermediate, level three.  

But I like a challenge, so I printed the pattern and got to work.

And what a work!  I had only done one practice run on a very very simple diamond pattern, and now there were all these little pieces!  The biggest thing for me was making sure I had the fabric positioned correctly.  I did a lot of seam ripping because I guessed wrong.  

Next time, I am going to try something easier and a little more geometric.  

I did the balloon first and that seemed to go pretty good if you discount the picking.  But the girl was another story.  All the parts!  And then everything had to match up!  She was looking a little wonky, but I kept going.  In the end, I think she's not so wonky after all.

I squared the block up and surrounded it with some Kona Pacific.  

Now I have to decide if she is good enough to send to another person.  Is she something you would like to have?