Waverunner Quilt

Waverunner Quilt, a photo by Bumble Beans on Flickr.

Love Victoria's aka Bumblebeans' original Waverunner Quilt!!!

Love the colours, the improv style, the quilting...all together it's just beautiful and definitely speaks to me! I decided this would be a nice quilt for my husband so I sent out some fabric to the gals in my bee (Unscripted) and they sent me lots of beautiful pieces back. I've slowly added to what they made and this is what I have so far. It's a work in progress for sure. Was supposed to be a Christmas present (what was I thinking) so needless to say here it is at the end of January and it's still a wip! I am proud though as I've decided on the backing and ordered the flannel fabric a few nights ago - just in time before the crazy shipping rates to Canada go in effect - ugh!

Not sure how I feel about it. I think it's one of those quilts that I should suspend my thoughts until I've finished piecing the top. What do you think?

Simple Marks Zippered Pouch - for me!

I've been wanting to bust out my little package of "Simple Marks" fabric - 2.5 inch squares. I bought two packs earlier this week and they were so cute I couldn't resist! At first I was thinking of a pillow but then I thought a zippered pouch for myself would be way more practical:)

I decided to alter the usual pattern I used from Noodlehead because I wanted a taller pouch. I went with 10.34 x 12.25 x 4. It will be perfect for small knitting/crochet project and sewing supplies. It actually reminds me of Elizabeth's pattern.

I still have to add the topstitching and close the lining but I'm happy with the results. I think maybe next time I'll make it 3 inches in depth and I could always add some quilting but overall I'm happy with the results. Thanks for stopping by!

More Zippered Pouch Gifts

The last of my zippered pouch gifts using Noodlehead's Zippered Pouch Tutorial For this one I used equal parts linen and some old Amy Butler (5 inches x 5 inches).

Pillow Talk Swap 9

I totally forgot to post my pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap 9! It was my first time participating in it and let me say, it won't be my last I hope:) It was a lot of fun especially seeing everyone's progress as we went along. I called my pillow "Scrappy Shoo Fly." I actually made a drawing ahead of time (which I never do typically) and got an idea of where I wanted to go with the colours in the pillow. I started off with using linen as my background colour but I found it kind of boring.

Text fabric has definitely been "in" this past year so I ordered some from Mad About Patchwork which is an online fabric store in Canada! I chose Madrona Road by Violet Craft for Michael Miller. Love it! So, here is the finished product. What do you think?

Quilting it was the fun part for sure! I knew already that I wanted to quilt it in concentric circles. I love things all circular when it comes to quilting! I found Blooming Poppies tutorial helpful - love her quilts by the way!!

Pillows are definitely the place to practice different quilting techniques - easy to maneuver compared to a large quilt and you're not likely to get bored of it in a smaller project:) Ahhhh....those rings .... love them!!!

I went with a simple envelope style closure in the back but next time will definitely use a zipper back closure with flap. I came across this tutorial which I'm going to use for sure:) Thanks for stopping by friends!

Goodbye 2012 and all my UFOs

I have to say I'm not really sad 2012 will soon be behind me. If you've followed me, you will know that the end of 2011 and 2012 have been by far the most difficult year of my entire life with the loss of both of my parents, particularly the loss of my Mom which was very tragic and devastating. The fall out after her loss with the parties involved have challenged me both personally and professionally. However, I feel I am making headway with the latter and so my new life has begun. I look forward to new beginnings on so many levels and I crave some "down" time. Things like sewing for fun again, knitting again, making things for my family....travelling in the new year, family time, fun stuff:) What I like about blogging is that sometimes it helps me to keep accountable. I don't even want to confess how many UFO's I have or how big my stash continues to grow. So, I need to stop buying, finish my UFOs and just keep a list of favourite things to make "someday." I don't know about you but I get overwhelmed with all of the things I'd like to do and then don't get around to finish things I've started! Bad! Bad! Bad:) So, I'm confessing to you now....here's a list of things that I need to finish in the New Year! Scrappy Circles Quilt (need a pieced back for it):

Jelly Roll Quilt(again need another back):

Beach Quilt:

DS Spools Quilt:

Waverunner Quilt (for my husband) which was part of the Unscripted Bee I belonged to:

Drunk Love Quilt I started way too long ago and still have more to complete:( I do absolutely love it though:) And who can forget this quilt top I made several years ago....now I'm getting embarrassed! My string quilt: My orange and aqua quilt: Not to mention my knitting UFOs....aghhhh In the interest of "coming clean," this poncho was originally a 6-12 month size that I finished last year but then it was a little too short on my daughter so I needed to redo the bottom by lengthening it.....and now Miss P is two!!! I still have a cowl for me that has been on the needles since our trip to Florida last February, etc. etc. Pheww....now I feel better...the cat is out of the bag!! Now, that I've told you I'll have to think about getting these UFOs finished right?! Did I mention that I went to my local yarn shop today and bought some new alpaca wool to make some fingerless mittens for my stepson's girlfriend and that my four year is still waiting for me to finish her little knitted hippo that I started in August of this year?! So, like I said, 2013 is a New Year full of promise:) Thanks for stopping by and I hope your New Year brings you lots of finished UFOs, good health, peace and happiness! Okay, here's a list of some things I did complete....and feel good about:) (don't know why the Mosaic isn't showing but oh well the links are there if you're interested) 1. "Scrappy Shoo Fly"-PTS9, 2. Simple Modern Baby Quilt, 3. Pumpkin Hat-Age 4, 4. Urban Baby Cable Beanie, 5. Pouches, pouches & more pouches, 6. Other side of pouch, 7. Urban Baby Chinstrap Beanie; Newborn Photo Prop, 8. Urban Baby Pixie Hat-Newborn Photo prop-Newborn-3 Months, 9. Urban Baby Flower Beanie-Newborn Size-Detachable Fabric flower, 10. Quilt Con Block Challenge, 11. Baby in the Hood Jacket, 12. My First Pillowcase!, 13. Hello Kitty Dress- OwlyBaby Pattern (4 yrs)-"Betsy Pillowcase Dress", 14. Urban Baby Pixie hat, 15. Urban Baby Earflap hat, 16. Urban Baby Earflap Hat with Detachable Flower, 17. Ikea Lined Drawstring Bag, 18. Bliss Quilt Top-Scrappy Circles, 19. Sherbet Pips Jelly Roll "Race" Quilt, 20. Unscripted Bee Block; (Tara) And to my beautiful Mom....I miss you more than words can say xoxo

Merry Boxing Day:)

Hopefully you've had a wonderful holiday with your families! As a last minute finish for a preschool teacher, I whipped this up the other night. You'll have to excuse me for the bad picture but it was late at night so lighting wasn't great! I used this tutorial again as I made three more in September. Remember these?

I used linen for the bottom and some Anna Maria Horner for the main body of the pouch. What's on your to do list before the end of the year? I still have two more of these pouches and I want to make a fabric box for my daughter's room to keep the diaper supplies organized. I'm going to work on some knitting tonight....first time in a long long time!

Finally emerging....and a little Pre-Boxing Day Sale

Wow, what a year this has been.....I can't tell you how much I never want to look back at this year because there was a lot of loss and pain. However, the good news is that a lot of stressors are slowly being lifted off of me so I look forward to beginning anew in 2013! I'm blessed with my two little girls, my husband and two stepsons. I need to focus on this now more than ever:) Connecticut is just another painful reminder that what matters in this life are our relationships....and that life is so precious and fleeting! I believe that God has his plan but sometimes it's just so hard to not know what it is and to find meaning in such pain. On a happier note, I look forward to returning to quilting and knitting in my spare moments. These quiet activities give me such peace - I'm sure you can relate:) So I thought I'd celebrate this by offering all of my hats in my humble little Etsy store for $26.00 - for a pre-Boxing Day Sale! Kind of fun! Oh, and did I mention that to give myself a little present, I'm going to QuiltCon in February....need to book and all that fun stuff but just thinking about it brings a smile to my face! Happy Holidays!!!