Yes, I still quilt!

I know all my posts recently have been about wonderful gifts and fabric. Now it is time to get back to making things. Here are a couple things I have been working on.

I had bought (a few months ago) some vintage 4 patch squares from an etsy store (sorry don't remember who). They had a slight smokey smell so I left them to air out the last couple months and smell much better now. Anyway, I have put them together into this. I will be adding some borders to make it a table runner and to sell in my etsy store. It is roughly 9 x 18 inches.

My daughter did a block exchange with her cousin at the beginning of this year. I had my daughter make extra blocks (I helped with some) to make a doll quilt for her cousin. This is Ellia's doll quilt (was suppose to be a birthday present but is now a few weeks late). It still needs to be quilted, just need to iron the backing fabric and find some time to quilt it.

This is my daughter, Calliope's, doll quilt. Calliope made 10 squares and her cousin, Molly, made the other 10. For both this quilt and the one above, I let Calliope figure out where the blocks were going to go; I didn't give her any advice about light and dark. I noticed she would put blocks with her favourite fabrics together. I sewed the blocks together into the quilt tops but Calliope picked the backing fabrics and will have a say in what quilting is done on them.

Here is what I made with "The Recipe for Friendship" charm pack my mother bought me. I didn't use all the fabrics since I am planning to make a tablerunner with the leftover squares.

Bought the matching jelly roll for the border from A Sunday Girl on Etsy. I have already started to sew the strips around the middle and will post a progress picture soon.

The end of Box 1

Sunday marked the last present in the first of 3 boxes of presents from my sister. I wonder what is inside?

Gifts for the next 4 days. I included the little piece of basket fabric as part of my August 30th gift.

On the 31st I opened this. I laughed a little - I love The Muppets. I am saving these to for when we have cake.

On September 1st, it was this set of notecards based on Japanese prints. I really like asian fabric and these are really cool. Makes me think of Van Gogh who would spend his money on buying Japanese prints instead of food.

My favourite card.

On the 2nd, it was this kleenex holder made by Sarah.

Today's was this little fabric basket. I am using it as a garbage collector. Much better than the yogurt container I was using to collect threads and other bits.
Tomorrow I open the second box...I can hardly wait!

Even more 30 til 30

So, my sister has really gone above and beyond with the 30 til 30 gifts. I am really enjoying them. Especially when I wake up before the kids,make a cup of tea and enjoy my gift for the day all by myself. Now I share the last few days with you.

Pretty fabric for wrapping paper.

A journal with fabric cover made by my sister.

Open and ready for sketches.

Next day.

Another bag of wonderful scraps.

This is the first piece that became a favourite. Once I sat and really looked at each one there were several favourites.

Yesterday's letter telling me that the gift for the day was all the wonderful fabric she had used to wrap the gifts in for the week. Fine with me. I've been looking in quilt books trying to find something to make with the birthday fabric. I really like them Sarah.

And today's gift. I am already half way through this and have enjoyed looking at all the different studios and dreaming about the day my sewing space will not be a corner of the living room but a room all of its own. I can hardly wait. Thanks again Sarah.

Fabrics from Mom

Here are the beautiful fabrics my mother bought me at the quilt store that is closing. They are all half meter cuts. Can't wait to use them.









When I told my mom how much I liked these 2 she went back and bought another one. Now, what to do with them?

I bought these 2 when I visited the store last week. One can't ever have enough.

More 30 til 30

These are the delightful little gifts from Sunday and Monday. A very pink measuring tape (that my daughter loves) and a nail file which was wrapped in the fabric they are lying on. Now I have to grow my nails.

Here is today's lovely present. I really like the fabric and lucky for me, there was 2 pieces wrapping the present, which was...

... this bag. Very roomy and has a pocket in the inside for my keys (the one thing I forgot to add when I made a bag for myself last month). I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

More Goodies

A quilt store in my hometown is going out of business. Here are the fat eighths that my daughter picked out. The 2 on the left are remnants she bought at another quilt store.

My mother works across the street from the closing store so she has bought a lot of quilt stuff - and she doesn't even quilt. Here are 2 charm packs that she picked up for me.

Thread, beautiful thread that my mom picked.

Here are the fat eighths that I picked up at the store on my visit.

Some of my 30 til 30 gifts from my sister. I put the pail and fabric back in since they were so nice. I first opened the pin cushion and then the baggie full of scraps. Opened a measuring tape today but I'll post that pic tomorrow (this pic was taken yesterday). Thank you Sarah for doing all these little gifts.
And why are there no finished projects? You'd think after 2 and a half weeks away from my machine I'd be itchin to go. I am but I decided to renovate our dining room instead. Will hopefully get back to my machine some time this week.

30 til 30

So, as of today, there are 30 days until I turn 30. My wonderful sister decided to give me a present for each of these 30 days. I am very tempted to just open everything and then delay showing the pictures so she thinks I obeyed or play by the rules and really open something everyday. So far I have been good.

Here are the 3 boxes of presents. Beautiful wrapping paper.

Box number 1 is the biggest. Time to start opening.

What a delight for the eyes! Beautiful fabric wrapping treasures - I can hardly wait!

Today's gift was the fabric it was wrapped in and the little pail which is holding a bunch of other little gifts. So far you have kicked ass Sarah.

When I saw my sister a couple weeks ago, she also gave me this piece of fabric. She bought a metre and cut it half so we each had a piece and would like to do some kind of challenge with it. Right now I don't know what we are going to do with it.

Close up of one of my favourite spots.