Category: Sewing

Quilts for Sale!

I’m so happy to write this post with a couple of my little quilts for sale. At this point I’m not setting up a store, I’ll write the prices for each under the photos and you can email me if you’re interested! I hope so much you like them and can think of someone who might enjoy one. Shipping will be something I’ll figure out specific to each country and I think paypal invoicing will be the easiest way to pay, but maybe if things get complicated I’ll figure something else out. Prices are Canadian dollars.

While these look best for smaller folk, please note I have numerous small quilts I use while watching telly and I can’t imagine life without one to snuggle under, so they’re for all ages. Although I do especially love seeing my 3 year old god-daughter sleep under the one I made her when she was born as well as carry it around the house.

I’ve been making a point of using all my FAVOURITE fabrics this year. Often quilters hoard fabric and just pet some of it instead of using it. But I realized they are SO MUCH HAPPIER IN A QUILT. Ha!! Of course. These quilts all use my best fabrics, some of which will be gone for good soon. I like to try different techniques with the little quilts too, so you’ll see a collection of squares and triangles making up different patterns here.

First up, Morning Walk with friends, with the majority of this fabric designed by the amazing Leah Duncan this little quilt is an abstract landscape, dark in one corner, green in another, it is one of my favourites for sure.

$220 + shipping   100% cotton   measures: 45in x 38in (115cm x 96cm)

My second is a variation on the tradition pattern known as the Irish chain, but mine is multicoloured. It was inspired by a similar one I saw posted on Craftsy (I’m not sure who made it originally, sorry whoever made it). I love grey, so I always like to sneak it in as a neutral when I can. Backed in cheery feathers, this one is also one of my favourites ; )

Colourful Irish Chain

$220 + shipping   100% cotton   measures: 53in x 38.5in (135cm x 98cm)

The last quilt I’m posting this month is one you might have glimpsed before (if you follow my instagram). This pattern is known as a version of “Delectable Mountains” which are really fun blocks to arrange in all different patterns! I had a lot of input with choosing this one, which was so fun. It is backed in one of my all time favourite prints (again, Leah Duncan ♥)

Delectable Desert Mountains

SOLD  100% cotton   measures: 44in x 30.5in (112cm x 78cm)

These are all machine washable in cold water and you can dry them on warm too. Especially good if babies and toddlers use them! Don’t forget different computers or devices make colours look a bit different, so if you want to know more, contact me!

That’s it for now. I feel almost nervous posting these for sale. I genuinely love making these and always make them thinking  - oh I’m going to keep this one for myself… While they are all smaller quilts, they take a couple weeks for me to make from start to finish, I’m not so fast and I work full time, so they’re my relaxation and creativity on weekends. Thanks for taking a look and please share if you think someone you know might love one.

PS, more quilts coming next month too, a couple more neutralish and a more ‘boyish’ one too!! Stay tuned.

Happy May!

April

It’s the end of April and spring still doesn’t seem to want to make much of an appearance. Even though it’s a bit dis-heartening, I have been insanely busy sewing because I’ve decided to start selling a few of my little quilts! I won’t be taking orders, but I’ll be posting finished quilts that if you like the look of, could be yours!! Or someone you know :) I’ve had lots of people ask if this was possible and while most of the quilts I make I love and want to keep/hoard- it’s just not totally practical to have 10 lap quilts for snuggling on the couch, one should do. Plus as soon as I send one to someone and they send me pictures like these back… I feel happier than ever!

 

I’ll be posting a separate post in the next week or so with all the for sale quilts!! 4 or 5 I think. For now I’ll just share them on here and my fb and instagram, but if you know of anyone who might like one please share! (Thanks you awesome friends!) Here’s a sneak peak until then.

Also I had to get a new iron, ugh, turns out my last one was a bit crap even when it did work because my new one is waaaay better! (And purple)

And I found some imported baked beans, phew, just in time for Anzac day. Energy for the week!

Dear Spring

Please come soon spring! We cannot take much more of this chill. It’s no surprise March is always miserable in the Northern hemisphere, it’s the month we’re all secretly hoping could be warmer. But alas, it probably won’t be nice for another month at least.

I have been slowly sewing together the blocks with sashing for my Farmers Wife quilt. Yes it’s been years in the making this thing, but I’m so happy to see it come together in all it’s pastel goodness. Such strong memories in this quilt, when I used to sew on the coffee table and pack all my fabric into one plastic bag. The sashing makes it all fit together well, but I’m thinking of adding some kind of border too, just to give it that nice full coverage of the bed- insane? A triangular border? Yes, but this quilt is worth it. Have I mentioned I’ll be hand quilting  the whole thing? Definite never ending story, cant even imagine what to use for the back, but I’ll get there.

In the mean time I made a super fast baby quilt for friends of Ange’s. They had a baby boy who spent a couple weeks in and out of hospital so Ange thought the little guy needed a snuggly blanket asap. I used mostly Indian Summer and some Cotton and Steel prints for this one. Really simple squares are sometimes quite effective. I did some crisscross quilting and used a japanese cotton for the back, hopefully they like they colours! It’s always a tricky thing to make quilts for a) boys b) people you don’t really know.

I’m hoping to teach a good friend some simple quilting this month! I’ve got lots of ideas for easy starter patterns so we’ll see what she wants to try first. It’s a slippery slope of fabric hoarding though! I’ll have to practice my French so I can explain to her properly what it means to be addicted to fabric!

Biggest treat this month was a trip to see the Orchestra of Montreal with the incredible pianist Nikolai Luganski perform Chopins- Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11. With fun conductor, Juanjo Mena and the orchestra also playing Tchaikovskys- Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64. I’m fortunate enough to have an amazing client who is a violinist in the OSM who sometimes offers me bargain tickets to terrific events such as these. This is the first time I’ve been able to go, but I’m looking forward to returning to see more great concerts in the future. Such a fun night out and check out our seats!!

Hello Janome

Despite being hit with some ridiculous tax numbers this year, I couldn’t take the old Singers tension issues anymore and splurged on a new machine. A Janome 2030. Yay! Such a happy, exciting day. Now I’ve had old machines all my life and they are awesome, they can run forever if taken care of, but I thought it time for a treat- something I never do for myself (it’s mostly thanks to Ange actually). This Janome is quite inexpensive for a computerized machine, so it doesn’t actually have tons of features, but it is quiet, which we’re all quite happy for!

I set it up and tested out a few of the new features and then promptly had no idea what to sew.

I did however, finish up the baby quilt commission. My Goddaughter helped me clean it and I’m glad that I waited for the pretty bird fabric to arrive from out West. It’s a lovely soft cotton and I think the orchid colour goes good with the front. I like to make baby quilts that are not too babyish so that they can be used for as long as possible. I snuggle under one this size while watching TV so it should go nicely from baby to grown. (Excuse the poor lighting.)

I’m pinteresting quilts like crazy for my next few makes and inspiration, some biggies coming up. One for my parents with a ton of Liberty, I’ll let you know about it soon! Hope this week is off to a flying start for you all. xo

Back to it

Getting around to some sewing for 2015! Starting off with a little diamond chevron quilt for a friend of mine who wants to gift it to a relative expecting a little girl soon.

I really love working to a brief, as long as it’s not too constraining!  The colours requested for this quilt were pink, purple and yellow. Definitely not colours I would normally put together, so it was a bit of a challenge getting a nice balance. I’ve loved this arrangement of half square triangles for a while and knew adding the white would be a good touch to break up all that colour! I tried to use a mix of lights and darks in each colour just in case the bedroom is pastel and/or bright.

I’ve ordered some lovely backing material so I’ll be finishing it off hopefully next weekend.

It has been beyond freezing here, lots of days well below -20 celsius which I am sure now I’ll never get used to. The sharpness on your face is like nothing else, layers upon layers of clothing are always needed.  On a day around -9 you find yourself musing to others how lovely it is outside.

It does make for some beautiful sparkly ice, snow and frost though, if you’re in the comfort of a warm space it’s a really pretty view.

Premier Décembre

Wow a post a month, not so good is it!? I know it’s not just me who gets insanely busy round the end of the year. Who knows why, the time still continues in January! But I’m extra busy at work (everyone needs good holiday hair, I love this time of year) and trying to get a lot of pressie projects done. The quilt top for Kelly’s wedding quilt is done and I’m in the middle of doing some sewing for my Mum, who’s birthday is dangerously close to Christmas (which means often last minutely-remembered!!)

Not the best lighting for this picture, but you get the idea!

I’ve been making bread weekly! It sounds harder than it is. I don’t know about you, but I am a massive carb lover. My weakness, bread, cakes, croissants – baked goods of any sort. I could literally eat an entire loaf of freshly baked bread with no second thoughts.

It’s mostly just time you need, but if you can put it in the mixer and then let it rise while you do other things, it really is simple.

Here’s the recipe! It’s actually an old Challah recipe but I find it so tasty for every day bread. You can leave out the eggs if you’re vegan.

  • 1 1/4 cups of water (lukewarm – so the yeast can feed)
  • 1 sachet of dry yeast (I think it’s roughly 7-8grams)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs (whisked, set aside a little of this for brushing the loaves, use about 1.5 eggs in the bread mix, or you can just use 1 egg, with no egg wash)
  • 1 Tablespoon vege oil (or melted butter)
  • 4 cups flour (sometime you’ll need 1/2 c more or less)

Place the warm water and 1 tsp of the honey into a bowl with the yeast. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until the yeast is frothy. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Add the flour a cup at a time, just so that you can stop when the dough has come together nicely, you may not need a full 4 cups.

Knead the dough for 8 – 10 minutes until it’s nice and smooth and elastic feeling. Then place it in a lightly greased bowl for an hour or so with a clean dry tea towel over top. It should rise and double in size. At this point you can divide the dough into 3 parts and roll out each and braid it, or you can roll it into little balls to make buns. Whichever you decide, place them on a lined baking tray and cover with the same tea-towel for another hour.

Once the loaf or buns have grown again, preheat the oven to 180C or 350F and lightly brush the egg you set aside previously, over top of the dough (this is not necessary, the buns in my picture above aren’t egg washed). Bake for 20 – 25 minutes (a whole loaf) or 15 – 20 minutes for buns.

I’m not going to make my usual selection of Christmas cookies this year – too much to do in too little time, but maybe I’ll make New Years cookies instead!

November

I’m rarely sick, but this weekend I’ve been hit. It’s good it’s over the weekend because it won’t impact my clients, but it’s a bit sad too. Nothing to be done. It’s nuts to think it’s already mid-November, but easier to believe now that there is snow falling outside my window as I write. Where does time really go?

I finished a simple plus quilt for my friend Adri. Her baby came early so I posted it off pronto for little Beatrice.

I really like the simple cross pattern. It’s a goody if I’m not sure of the tastes of the parents. I’m all about pattern and tons of colour usually, but I definitely know that’s not everyones bag. I always put a little ribbon loop now, for hanging, and a tiny signature too.

I’m super excited to be going back to Australia for the holidays. Lots of family business to focus on this year, nieces to meet, weddings to attend!!

I’ve recently been missing doing glass, it’s been a long time now. I think I’ll try and find somewhere in 2015 to tinker in, wish it wasn’t such a pricey endeavour.

I’ve also been missing Japan. I’ve spent lots of time there over the years, it really is a wonderful place, so much to explore packed into such little space.

Does being sick make you nostalgic? My Mum always used to say, “health is a crown on a well mans head that only a sick man can see”. But I’ll be fine in a couple days, I’m just going to watch tv in bed, drink juice and tea and sleep. It really could be worse!