add more to the list

If you've come here from the Blogathon Canada hosted by Sew Sisters Quilt Shop, welcome to my blog!  I'm not always very regular here, but I do post sporadically.  I'm more active on Flickr as that seems to be more mom friendly.  It's easier to post a picture with a couple words than it is to write up a post when you have two little ones around.  If you're on Flickr, my name there is Principiessa.  (I chose that name because my husband, who is Dutch, claims to know some Italian and this is the word he, ahem, knows.)

I have a bunch of WIP's going on now and I want to show that I am actually working on them!  Some are over a year old, but I'm slowly chipping away at them.  

I'm still busy with my Hexy MF.  I'm not pregnant anymore (phew) so it's much easier to sew on this one.  I have only to attach 4 more flower to the stems and I'm ready to quilt, or sent it off to the quilter.  

I'm finishing the binding on my Stack n' Whack quilt.  Only two sides left to bind and I keep thinking to myself - Just get it done already!  

My Simply Solids Triangles Quilt is still a top, and I still haven't decided on a border or not.

To add to the pile, my Get Your Hex on bee blocks are almost all here and they will need a plan too!

it's so hard to take a good photo when winter is here.

This project is smaller and has to get done sooner as it's due to be sent in January.  I've become a mild swap addict and this bit of piecing is going to become a doll quilt for round 14 of the Doll Quilt Swap.

I've fallen in love with this block, and I'm not even sure what to call it!  Is it square in a square, or fussy cut squares.  If someone could help me out to find the real name, that would be great.

Anyway, I've gone with Moda Cheddar and Kona Slate for the surrounding squares and bits of Heather Ross for the fussy cuts.  I'm thinking of backing it on magentas to match the centre mermaid square and than bordering the whole mini with some low volume fabrics.

everything is a bit too bright in this photo...

I'm so on the ball with this project.  I can't send until January and I'm ready to get the whole thing done now.  I hope I'm not doubting myself by the time it's time to send.

still around, just not here

I don't know how you ladies with jobs, kids, and a sewing hobby find the time to blog regularly.  I find I hardly have the time to blog and so it gets ignored.

I do find time to sew though!  I miss it when I don't have a chance to get behind the machine.  Over the last bit I've made 4 blocks - 2 for a bee and 2 for do. Good Stitches.

I joined the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee for a round and chose to make Icky Thump from 627 Handworks.

This is my 'test' block made in the colours I requested - navy, magenta, and light yellow with low volume background.

This block is for Linnea in the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee.

I also finished up these two blocks for do. Good Stitches.

Amid all my sewing, I also received some sewn gifts.  I received a large tote bag from Jennifer as part of the Secret Tote Bag Swap.  I am in love with this front pocket panel and I want to simply hang it on my wall.

Then I received this gorgeous needlebook and F8's from Leila in the Simple & Sweet Scrappy Swap.

Last, I made two bags, one for pattern testing and another as a special order.

This is the Penelope Purse, a pattern by Clover and Violet.  Jennie put out a call for pattern testers on Facebook and I responded to help her out.  This is such a cute pattern, and I love the top zipper panel.  I don't have many pictures of it as my daughter took off with it almost immediately and filled with with her 'stuff'.

I used denim for the bottom and the strap and a fat quarter bundle of Paper Dolls by Studio E Fabrics I had been saving to make something for D. I also did my first bit of 'real' free motion quilting on the top of the bag - pebbles.  It worked out not too bad either!  Not that I'm confident enough to try it on a quilt or anything.  That seems like a lot of work, but then maybe my pebbles have to be bigger.

I just finished up this bag yesterday for a customer who wanted a wet/dry bag just like the one I'd made for her friend.

It has a 'dry' front pocket and a large 'wet' pocket that's lined with PUL fabric.  It's quite a big bag and holds 8 cloth diapers. 

Tomorrow I'm having a sew day with a friend - and truthfully, I'm not sure what to sew!  I'm waiting on fabric to make Sunday coats for my girls, so if that comes first thing in the morning, I've got my day set out, but if not, I might have to make up a project.

blocks and plans

I have been on the wait list for a Canadian branch of do.Good Stitches for a little while and a spot opened up for me in the Happiness group at the beginning of October.  I'm looking forward to making these some blocks every month as I'm always looking to make something but don't really need anything.  

The October quilter asked us to make Crown of Thorn blocks in blue and yellow and low volume for the quilt she is putting together.  

It's a paper pieced block, but was pretty simple to put together. I love how it looks too.  Might have to keep it in mind for myself one day.

I've been slowing down with dress making and I'm not doing any shows this fall/winter.  I've decided that I'd rather do the odd custom request instead and focus more on quilting .  

This dress was a custom request for a customer who needed a dress for an upcoming family photo shoot.  She had three dress pictures and wanted something from each of them put together just like this. 

Can't wait to see some pictures from the photo shoot.  It's always so rewarding to see things I've made being used.

I'm also hosting another round of the F8 Swap Canadian Edition.  This time we're swapping modern novelties.  I love so many of these novelty fabrics that are coming out or have been around, but I really don't need a whole bunch of each piece as I usually fussy cut and only use bits, so a F8 is the prefect size.  

I'm adding Sarah Jane's Children at Play Balloons to the swap.  

So far we also have a bit of Madrona Road and some Riley Blake houses.  There are still a couple spots open if you're wanting to swap.  I'm also thinking of opening the group up to whomever wants to swap, not just Canadians... So long as it doesn't get too big.

I also have some plans to make a quilt for my baby.  She'll be one in December (eep!) and she's been sleeping under a too small blanket.  It was fine when she was smaller, but she's a pork chop and doesn't fit nicely under the blanket anymore.

These are the colours I have in mind, using Full Moon Lagoon as the main inspiration and adding some navy to it rather than orange or white as is found in the panel. 

I'm not 100% sure of a design yet, but I have some time.  I'm sure something will come to me, right?  Maybe you could suggest something?  I'm not a fan of a quilt that is symmetrically blocks, but rather more of a 'whole picture' type of design. I guess that's why I'm having trouble finding something I really want to do yet.

back to relative normalness

Phew! My little sister is now married and I feel like I can focus on other sewing projects now. 

I had made the bridesmaid dresses and the flower girl dress for her wedding and it seemed to me that as long as the wedding was still coming, I should be doing something with them!  That wasn't really true, just how it felt.  I don't have a great picture of the bridesmaid dresses as they looked kinda bad on the hanger, but I do have an almost final picture of the flower girl dress.  

In the end, I took off the blue tails from the flower as I thought it made it look like a fair ribbon, and I added a gemstone to the centre of the flower.  I'm horrible for remembering to take photos, so I don't have any of D wearing the dress.  

After the wedding on Saturday, I whipped out three bee blocks, two of which I forgot to take photos of before mailing them off, and a 241 Tote for the Secret Tote Swap.

241 Tote finished just on time!

the one block I did have time to take a photo of

I also received this Super Tote and Open Wide Pouches from Little Island Quilting as part of the Sew Sew Modern Swap.

Feels good to be able to sewing again!

wanna swap?

I've started a swap group on Flickr for Canadians who love fabric.  

We're in our 3rd round and we're swapping 11"x18" fat eighths.  

So far we've done low volume.

Rainbow.

 

And now we're swapping text prints.  

If you're a fellow Canadian, come join us at the F8 Swap Canadian Edition.

received and made

I joined the first edition of Sweet & Scrappy Swap on Flickr where we had to swap 50 charms plus a handmade pouch and a few notions.  This was what I received from Jera - I love all the charms and have already started playing with some.

The pouch is also great because it stands all on it's own!  

I also finished a swap item to be sent sometime in September.  My partner in the Sew Sew Modern swap asked for a bag, and I've always loved Anna's bag patterns, so I treated myself and my partner to the 241 Tote.  

I did want to make it extra special though by doing something more than just using a single piece of fabric for the front and back centre panels.  So I pulled out my paper pieces and came up with this.

After I pieced the whole works together (wrong I might add - you'll see later), I was not so impressed with how the stars looked.  There was a gray hexy in the centre and not a star as I had hoped.  Plus I only managed to get three on for the most part because the way I pieced them together put more space between the stars.

So I tried again and pieced this together.

This was definitely centred, but I couldn't not use the other panel!  It had taken me a while to get together, so I just used both.  I'm sure my partner won't mind : )

I went with the pink glasses and an Architextures print for the sides and some Madrona Road for the strap.  

I love how this turned out!  I kinda want to keep it, but I guess that's the point of making a good swap item - it's usually something you want to keep yourself.

looking back

Summer has been good to us.  We've spent a lot of time outside taking walks, having water fights, camping, and this morning, going to the parade and catching candy!

  

I've also been busy with my small garden, weeding and picking a bit here and there.  We built a small playhouse and slide fort for D and then I painted it red with white trim.  We go for a weekly coffee visit to a friends house - D loves playing with the other kids there and since we live far away from her friends, it's nice for her to have the visit day once a week too.  I'm going to miss summer when it's gone.  But that's always how it goes. 

This school year, I'll also be going back to my old job on a very part time basis.  I used to teach before D was born and they've asked me to come back to help out for one class with a total teaching time of 3 hours in a 5 day cycle.  That means I'm also busy getting ready for that as well.  I'll be teaching Social Studies (Canadian History) to a group of about 15 grade 7 kids.  

And somehow, in the middle of all this, I'm finding time to sew.  Well, I have to find time to sew as I am making 2 bridesmaid dresses, a flower girl dress and a matching ring bearer tie for my little sister's wedding in September.

I've almost finished up the flower girl dress.  I just have to add buttons to the back and a teal ribbon with a bow at the waist.

I hemmed 4 circles for this dress. Definitely a labour of love, but it's so cute on that it was also worth it.

The bridesmaid dresses are about 1/2 way.  They are a two part dress, a slip dress with an over dress. The over dress is sewn from lace - any tips on hemming lace?  

I also had a few orders for sunsuits.  I have to admit that though I probably wouldn't put my baby in one (I'm just too practical for that), they are just the cutest!

Soft pink with gray and blue ruffles - for a 1st birthday photo shoot.

Black chevron with hot pink.

And I've still been swapping.  I just can't help it.

This generous swap package is from Laurel and was part of the Fat Quarter Blender Swap.  We are supposed to send 4 fat quarters that are tone on tone or white and tone, but as you can see, Laurel was so generous she included this gorgeous pouch (I love the colours!) and tags and paper and a pen. 

This paper pieced bit is for the Sew Sew Modern swap.  I'm sewing up a 241 Tote (I've wanted that pattern for a while and finally got it) for my partner, but instead of making a plain bag, I'm hoping to make it amazing by having fancy front and back panels.  Cross my fingers this will work as I imagine!

And, yes, there's still more!  I am also keeping up with my bees. 

August Get Your Hex On block

August Simply Solids block

I'm sure when I'm more 'house-bound' because of cooler weather, I'll become a bit of a more regular blogger again.  But for now, it's still sunny.