My Weight Loss Program...

I've decided a few weeks ago that it is time I lose those last few kilo's that are still hanging around from my pregnancies. I've been having a hard time getting motivated, and as a result, I would lose a pound, gain two. Lose two, gain one. Up and down...VERY frustrating.
So now, my husband and I have put together the ultimate weight loss program. We have set one big end goal, and a few small 'in between' goals. For each goal we reach, we get to spend a certain amount on our hobbies (that would be fabric for me, and Volkswagen parts for him...). So far it has been working great! I'm almost at my first goal (and so is he!) so I am starting to look around a bit to decide what to buy, and where to get it. It has been fun! (And I haven't even bought anything yet!!)

One thing I would like to get for sure is this pattern:

I saw it at Above all Fabrics, and have had sitting in my cart for a while now! But now, there is a neat little contest/giveaway going on at Above all Fabrics, and it required me to put a wish list together...Lots of fun! I basically looked at all the fabrics, and picked out a bunch that I think would make very cute 'Sydney' dresses for my little Stella :)
I've been looking at Fandango, by Kate Spain, such lovely fabrics! And I think that the scooters in the Monaco line by Jennifer Moore are just great :)
I seem to be changing my mind just about every day though, so we'll see what I end up using my weight-loss money for!

Lunch Bags

It took me more than 2 months to finally get my act together and sew these up for my boys.
It was a little more work than I expected, but they turned out really nice, and Ben and Lucas love them:)

I used this pattern.

Pretty Solid

I recently won a giftcard for Sew Mama Sew by guessing the fabric that was in the jar (on Facebook). Being on a 'no buying more fabric for now' budget, this was great!
I had been looking at buying solids, since I own virtually no solids (buying prints is so much more fun!), but I knew that more fabric just had to wait.
Then I won a $15 giftcard! I ended up getting 3 half yard cuts of Kona, FOR FREE! Yay!

I bought Kona Peony, Green Grass and White. They actually all seem to work great with my Summer Song fabrics, which I was hoping for.
Looking forward to working with some solids, yay for free fabric!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

This will be my very first time participating in the Bloggers Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.
This past spring I read many of the posts of participants, but having never made a quilt in my life, I only drooled over other peoples quilts, which was a lot of fun!
Shortly after that, I made my first quilt: the Mod Sampler (pattern by Elizabeth Hartman).

It is far from perfect, but I learned so much while making this quilt!

I was to scared to do any free motion quilting on this one, seeing as I had never quilted anything before, so I stuck with 'simple' straight lines. UGH! NOT so simple...

The backing fabric started to completely pull to one side, which I didn't notice until I had quilted a third of the entire quilt. (I think that was my best lesson learned, check your quilting on the back of your quilt periodically!)
So I also learned a lot about quick and efficient seam ripping.

But taking it out and starting over was so worth it.

I love the end result, and so do my kids! Who cares about perfection anyways?!

That Girl...That Quilt Along ~ Week 1

I'm participating in a quilt along! This is going to be so fun!

I really wanted to make a quilt for my in-laws this Christmas, and when I saw this Quilt-Along, I had just the charm pack for it.

I really like these fabrics, but I don't think I would ever keep them for a quilt for myself. They just aren't my 'style' but I do love them. Kindof weird, huh?

Can't wait to start sewing!

What's Next?

Now that Ben's quilt is finished, I'm hoping to start something new. I have been pretty good lately about not doing to many things at the same time, without getting anything finished.
I like to have my hexagons on the side, because it is nice to take along to other people's houses :)

I am thinking about starting a quilt for Stella using my Riley Blake fat quarters.

I just can't seem to decide on the pattern. I have a few patterns that I like. I am debating between this one and this one.

And then I need to figure out the size.
She will be in a crib for at least another year, maybe longer. But who knows...it might take me that long to finish! Crib or Twin. Decisions...decisions...

Finished!

He's VERY happy with this!

And because he is, I am as well.

Benjamin's Quilt

It seems like ages ago that I started this little flannel quilt for Benjamin. It has been so crazy busy around here that I haven't had much time to sew, and also didn't really feel like it when I did have some spare time. However, the last two evenings have been pretty good, I am almost finished Benjamin's quilt!

I did my first attempt at free motion quilting:

And I loved it!!

This is the back, which is my son's favourite.

I am now working on the binding. At first I thought because this quilt is so busy, I should probably go with a solid binding, but I didn't really like the look of it. I went with the dots and stars print instead, and actually like it!

On a different note, my boys are crazy about the Ikea beads that you can iron together. 

Now, if only I can actually get them to make something with them. That would most likely save me a HUGE mess on the carpet. Every. Single. Day. But hey, at least they're having good fun!

Hexie Fun

I am really having fun making hexagons, and swapping fabrics.
It is a little bit like buying fabric, except you don't know exactly what's coming in the mail. And the best part is (or at least, according to my husband...), it's way less expensive than buying fabric.
And then there is, of course, also the part where you get to know some people who are dealing with the same crazy addiction. Hexies Anonymous. Or something like that.

So this is what I have been up to:

So much fun!

My New Happy Place!

My sewing machine has never had a 'spot'. It was mostly stored on top of the piano, which didn't look very good.

Our computer room was always messy, as you can see in this post.

Now that we have a lap top instead of a desk top, that room didn't need to be designated for a computer anymore.

So now it turned into this:

I have lots of storage for my stash

My books and magazines...

...and I have a real scrap bin!!

Sigh...I love Ikea!

Some New Fabrics and a New Addiction

We returned safely from a great holiday in the beautiful Okanagan in BC. The weather was perfect. A few hot days, a few cooler days, and even a couple of rainy days.

I suppose a rainy day is the perfect excuse to visit the local quilt store...

I have never been to a different quilt store than the one in our town, so I was excited to see what was out there.

There was a cute little quilt store in Armstrong BC. I was looking for some fabric for Benjamin. He has been waiting for me to make him a little blanket. His 'baby-blankie' fell apart last year, and I told him I would make him a nice new blanket, but then the old (yucky) one, will have to be put away in a box.

He really wanted a construction fabric in his blanket, but the one that I found in flannel didn't look very nice. It looked great in cotton, but the fuzziness of the flannel just didn't work.

I ended up buying some very boy-ish (motor)-cycle fabric along with some coordinating prints.

Not sure exactly what I am going to do with it, but it will likely be my next project.

While standing in line to pay I saw a Jelly Roll of Frolic by Sandy Gervais. It was 33% off, and I just couldn't leave without it...

I needed a project for the holidays, and (very last minute) put together a little hexagon package to take along.

I am SO GLAD that I did. I have had so much fun with this! I worked on it in the car, on the beach, and by the swimming pool, and every spare minute at the cabin. I have used all of my scrap prints though, and don't really want to use any unused pieces of fabric for this. I would hate to be short a small piece for a project only to find out that I used it for my hexies!

This is definitely a fun project that I want to keep handy. Perfect for bringing along when getting together for coffee or a craft night!

Now to work on getting some more scraps...

We returned home with the van full of fruits. I had a big case of apricots that needed to be turned in to jam the very next day. It worked really well!

The day after that, I got together with two friends to turn 75 lbs of peaches into canned peaches. It was a lot of fun, and the nine kids that were there all day behaved just great!

That same evening I checked the mailbox, and I found a package from Sew Mama Sew! I had won their giveaway, and they sent me these beautiful fabrics! The funnest part is that most of these fabrics I probably wouldn't ever buy myself, but I love them!

Especially the brown 1 inch gingham. I think it might be my favourite...

Finished!

It took me just a little longer than I had hoped, but who cares! I finished my quilt, and am very happy with it.

It is far from perfect but I love it regardless. Making this quilt taught me so much and definitely makes me excited to tackle another project like this one.The basting was where things went a little funny. I basted, but didn't do a good enough job. I ended up having to take a whole bunch of quilted lines out. Then I took apart the layers, and decided to spray baste it instead. It worked like a charm (with my husbands help:).

I did make the mistake after my first basting attempt of trimming the edges before the quilting. When I spray basted, it was hard, and almost impossible to line up the front and back properly. So the back is a little crooked. Also, the quilt turned out just a tiny bit smaller because I had to 're-trim' the whole thing.

My binding is very skinny, because my seam allowance was way off. I wasn't paying attention. I guess things like that shouldn't be done after midnight...

This made for not very nice looking corners, but I don't care. It is finished, and I am happy with it.

Maybe sometime down the road if the binding really bugs me, I'll take it off and replace it. We'll see!

I am going on holidays next week, and I am sorely tempted to start this.

It looks like something horribly addicting. But it is a project with small pieces, which would be nice for using scraps, and for taking along.

I might be doing some cutting tonight!

Something Finished

The quilt is coming along, finally. I have half of it quilted, and hope to have it completely quilted by the middle of this week, and maybe even have the binding on by the end of this week.

I needed a break though!

I really wanted to make something quick and simple, so I ended up making a Sweet Little Dress (which I have made probably more than 300 times by now, so it doesn't take me very long anymore!).

I have this thing though with diapers showing under dresses. For some reason I just can't get myself to put a dress on my daughter without covering up the diaper (unless it is a cloth diaper, because they don't look like a diaper, they just look cute!).

So I decided to make some bloomers. I used a pattern from Amy Butler's 'Little Stitches for Little Ones'. It was really easy to make these. I did pre-press the hems and the elastic casings (before I do any sewing), as I find it comes together much easier and faster when I do this.

I made the dress size 6-9 months, and it was a little big, and the bloomers were 6-9 months as well, and they are on the small side. They fit fine, I'm just not sure if they'll still fit fine next week ;) Next time I think I will go up a size.

It came together in one evening, and it was a lot of fun. I just love this fabric!!

Girly fabrics

I don't know how long I've drooled over girly fabrics. I just never dared to buy them. I think it was mostly because I would want to keep them to make something for 'the-girl-we-might-someday-have'. And what if we would be blessed with just boys? Then all that beautiful girly fabric would just sit there unused...

But...the girl did come along, and so did the girly fabric. Today actually...in the mailbox!

Summer Song from My Minds Eye, for Riley Blake. I loved this line from the first time I saw it. These are the Orange and the Green fat Quarters, and the Pink is still on it's way to my mailbox.

I also finished my first Rag-quilt, but did kind of a half job. The next one will be better, but here is a picture anyways:

Quick!!

My daughter Stella is almost 4 months old. She is suddenly really starting to get into 'blankies'. You know, an (often) flannel receiving blanket that gets dragged along on every trip, and if it isn't available at bedtime, bedtime simply isn't going to happen.

Both our boys were very attached to theirs. Our 5 year old Benjamin still has his, although he can do without if he needs to. His is falling apart at all corners, and I have repeatedly snipped pieces off of it, and then just tied a big knot in the corner. But I am not allowed to throw it out. I can see it being stored somewhere and him sneaking in the closet, just for a 'smell'.

I loved Benjamin's blankie. Lucas' not so much. It was just to big to be taken along, and it was a very dark colour blue with a black trim. Just not my favourite.

So...now, before Stella latches on to one of my ugly boring receiving blankets, I am working on making a rag quilt 'blankie' (actually two) in fun happy colours.

I am making two, so we will hopefully won't be faced with a lost blankie, and also just because I couldn't pick between the two colours.

I loved the flowers and gingham fabrics in blue and green, but I liked it in girly colours too. So here we are. Two bright colour combinations. After all...babies love brights, and so do I!

Squares are cut, ready to be made into 2 'blankies' tonight. No other receiving blanket will stand a chance!

Motivate Me

I am having a hard time. Mostly to be motivated to do housework.

It seems like I have all the energy in the world at 10 PM. I do a few things (like put away laundry, tidy up some rooms, work on my projects) but then bed time comes to soon.

I always feel like tomorrow will be a great day to get things done, but by the time tomorrow comes, I feel drained of all of that energy.

I look at the things that need doing, and I look away. It is kindof that 'out of sight out of mind' thing that is going on here...

I needed to bake some cookies, as I am getting company tomorrow.

My first batch came out perfect. The boys each tried some, I had 8 cookies left of the first batch.

My second batch didn't cook that well. They came out thin and not done enough, so when I went to take them off the sheet, they all crumbled apart. Seriously...all of them!

My last batch...yeah, uhm... here it is:

These are NOT chocolate cookies. They are NOT supposed to be this brown. Ahem...

(excuse the side-ways picture, I currently don't have a way of turning it)

Hey, I still have 8 cookies left. That should cover for tomorrow!

My biggest next project, is to redo our computer room. Right now, it has a computer on a desk, a piano, and a whole lot of junk in that room.

The desktop pc is supposed to go downstairs into our basement, not to be used regularly anymore. I always use my macbook, and my husband just got a laptop as well. No need for the ugly beast that never works anymore.

I love my piano, but this is what it looks like, almost all the time:

All this stuff just doesn't do the piano justice, and the room is awfully messy.

I get to fiddle with this room and if it works, it might turn into a sewing room...I just don't know if I can keep a sewing room neat enough for it to be on the main floor.

Here are some things that made me happy today...

For some reason little shoes (of any kind) always make me happy. These are for my daughter. They were hugely on sale and I couldn't resist. They are still way to big for her, but I still like to look at them :)

I just finally finished pre-washing my new diapers that I bought. I love the look of cute fabric diapers in rainbow colours! Silly...I know.

And my daughters soft flannel quilt that she got from a friend of mine, I love it! And it looks like it was made for our playpen, but it was most definitely a coincidence!

And this...

This makes me both happy and really scared!!

I basted this, my first real, big quilt.

Now the next step, really scares me: quilting it.

I haven't ever done any free motion quilting, so I am staying away from that. I tried my first line of straight line quilting the other day, but it just didn't go that nicely. It pulled/distorted the fabrics a bit, so I took it out. Now, I am scared to start again.

But I will. Tonight. Hopefully.