Pay It Forward

I was lucky enough to be one of the first three people who responded a PIF post on Kelsey Sews blog so I can look forward to receiving a fun handmade gift!  You can join in the fun too!  Here is how it works:

1. I will make a crafty gift for each of the first three people to comment on this post. This little gift is a surprise, and will arrive to you anytime within the next 365 days.

2. To sign up to pay it forward, you need to commit to pay it forward too! Post this, or something similar on your blog so others can get involved.  Be sure to keep the cycle going!

3. I will email you asking for your mailing address so I can get your little treat in the mail. {Please make sure that your email address is visible on your profile or leave it in the comment.}

:)

Sibling Together quilt tops done!

I'm so happy to have finished both my Sibling Together charity quilt tops!

The fabrics are partly generously donated by BessieMae on Flickr and partly coordinating fabrics  from my own stash.  I tried to make the biggest size I could with what I had (one is about 57 x 70 and 60 x 73.5) and even used up the small scraps by piercing the binding.  So excited to send this off to another Flickr member in UK to finish these up!  :)

Resuming WIP Wednesday

It's been a few busy weeks around here, with sicknesses and the husband travelling for work.  Trying to get back into the groove of things.

Completed projects:
1) Covert Robin gift:

I ended up making my partner a Jane Market bag.  She seems to like bold/geometric prints so I choose a fun pattern for the middle panel.

I also saw on her blog that she likes selvage projects, so I make a middle panel with selvages on the other side of the bag, with her etsy store name written in fabric ink.

Since she's all the way in Australia, it seems that she still hasn't gotten her package yet, but I hope she likes it when it finally arrives.  Sorry the pictures are so bad and the bag is so wrinkly, but I finished it late one night and needed to get it packaged and shipped the next morning.

2) bee blocks

For the Comfort Quilts bee, I made these fun blocks:

I was also thrilled to make my first granny blocks for the Stash Bee:

3) I decided that I would make some quilt tops for the Siblings Together charity in the UK.  Here is the first one completed.

Also did a little selfish sewing - a Wiksten tank!

I've been loving all the Tovas and tanks I've seen on blogs and on flickr.  I finally bought the tank pattern last Friday and had this tank done by Saturday.  Such an easy and satisfying pattern!  The most time consuming part was the bias trim for the neck and armholes but so worth it because it makes it look so nice.  I'm also almost finished a dress version of it too.

In Progress (aka no progress):
1) HST quilt for mom: ugh, I have really have with the HSTs...I thought I was careful in cutting and square-ing but my blocks don't lay flat and I got so frustrated I put them aside and am tempted just to abandon it.  May give it another try when I'm feeling optimistic one day.

New projects:
1) Second co-ordinating Siblings Together quilt top - really want to get this done quick so that I can ship it off to the UK where another volunteer will be quilting it.

2) mother's day gift for mom - probably a Michelle pattern zippy wristlet pouch like I made my SIL for her b-day

3) mother's day gift for MIL - still have no ideas on this one.

4) mother's day gift for SIL - maybe some oven finger mitts like the ones I made my MIL for xmas.

I have many other projects I'd like to complete in the next few months, but I need to keep focused on the ones I need to get done in the near future.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday.

Covert Robin gift! :)

I received my beautiful Cover Robin gift and here is the lovely Allison to tell us about herself and the gift she so kindly made for me:

Hi there!  I'm Allison, wifey, mom of two, crafter, sewer, wannabe cook, fabric hoarder, and blogger over at My Raina Sunshine!  I'm a stay at home mom, currently trying to balance the needs of an energetic 3 year old, a 6 month old who thinks night time sleeping is optional, an amazing hubby, and a lovely sewing table that wishes I could spend more time with it.  (The feeling is mutual!)  While being a mom has always been my dream job, I studied elementary education and art in college, and have always looked for a career that would allow me to balance all of my loves.  While I wouldn't call a blogging SAHM to be a career, it definitely allows me to combine my love of children (and they're my own!  bonus!), art, and learning.  I feel pretty lucky.  Most days :).  My favorite things to make are gifts and accessories for tiny humans!  Some of my favorite projects have been my personalized rainbow taggie (best seller in my etsy shop!), this rapunzel hat I made for my 3 year old, this dress I just finished, and these awesomely adorable dino hoodies.  Really though, anything I make for my kids is my favorite project of that minute!

 My little loves, my biggest inspirations....

When I first read about the covert robin, I was super excited.  I'd never done a craft swap before, and was up for the challenge.  I was NOT expecting the crafter's block that followed!  Finally, after a few stalls, I came up with this lovely pillow, which I was tempted a few times to keep for myself.  In the end, I decided it deserved a home where it was safe from mac and cheese fingers!

Like I said, I had some stumbles here with this swap gift.  Making a gift/craft that was not meant to please a child/baby or said tiny human's parents was a huge challenge for me.  I made a few things - a ruffled scarf, a decorative picture frame - but what I settled on sending is this bright ruffly pillow!

My first thought was that pillows are an easy way out.  But I NEVER make pillows!  And there are so many fun ruffly pillows that I would love to make... but that would be destroyed in my toddler and baby inhabited household!  So I settled on it. 

The front is made from a home dec weight fabric - the same one I used to make the baby snuggler for Miss Lucca last fall.  I love the bright floral but not too girly pattern.  The ruffles are made from the main pillow fabric, a strip of bright pink flannel with white polka dots, and a light pink ribbon with white polka dots. 

The trim is actually bias tape - and instead of rounding it at the corners, I folded it, to give it a little more interest.  The back is pink minky.  You might think minky is my favorite fabric, since it is always appearing in projects and as my backdrop.  I'm not sure I'd call it my favorite, but I make plenty of things from it, and I always have plenty of it on hand!!

Some day, when my couch is not a magnet for dirt, crumbs, spit up, and ketchup, I'll make a few more ruffle pillows to keep for my very own self!  :)  

...So there you have it!  A finished gift, that I was very happy to send off in it's giant box!  :)  Hope you love it, Cecillia!  

My little blog is always looking for some love, and some new readers... so please come on over and take a look if you get a minute!  I have some great giveaways in mind for the future... but I need some followers before I can make it happen!  Show me some love!  Please?  :)


Thanks again Allison!  Your daughters are so cute!  I really enjoyed visiting your blog and seeing the adorable things you make for your etsy store! 

Birthday fabric loot - FINALLY!

I've been using my birthday money to buy fabrics (of course).  Since I'm in Canada, shipping and customs can end up costing more than the fabrics.  Luckily, I have family in the US that let me ship to them.  However, that means I have to wait for a family member (aka fabric mule) to go a trip before they can bring my purchases which can take a month or two. But of course it was worth the wait!

A rainbow of Robert Kaufman's Metro living circles squares:

 Some Tufted Tweets:

 1001 Peeps (to add to the other prints I already have):

 Some random fun fabrics from timeless treasures:

 I love Tula pink so I'm happy to have some prince charming:

I'm planning on a quilt for my bed with white/grey/yellow fabrics (and you can't go wrong with some Echo and Joel Dewberry) so I'm building my stash for that:

Yah!  :)

WIP Wednesday: lack of progress

Completed: none  :(

In progress:

1) quilt for mom - finished all the HSTs finally and started piercing the top but then ran out of the thread..ugh!

2) covert robin gift - finally started making it and have only a couple of days to get it done and sent out before the deadline...I'm such a terrible procrastinator!  Here's a sneak peak: 

No Progress:

1) Bee blocks - hate that I'm running up against the deadline but am determined to get it done in time!

Off to check everyone else's progress at Freshly Pierced.

WIP Wednesday

Wow a week goes by fast!  Good thing I have some progress to report.

Completed projects

I finished the present for our friend's new baby girl:

I think my appliques are getting better and I'm happy with the yo-yos I added to the closure tab (to hide my ugly stitches from attaching the velcro).

I also finished a gift for my SIL, a (modified) Keyka Lou zippy pouch made with some purple twill and AMH fabric I've been hoarding:

Ongoing Projects


Quilt for mom: I've made some more HSTs but will have a lot more to go...

Covert Robin gift: I have finally started it but it is still in the early stages.

Bee blocks: finally got my Kona white so I can get these done.



I am trying to hold off starting anything new until I have these finished these projects.

Off to Freshly Pierced to check out what others have been working on  :)