Finished Flower

I finished that flower I started in the Thread Play class. Now that it is done, I know how I should have done it - but I feel this is a good sample for me to use as reference on how to do better for next time.
Here is the finished flower:

 Next time, I will use the dark burgundy on the side petals, and have more blending throughout. NEXT TIME. HA HA.
I dislike the way I did the highlighting on the middle petal, but after unpicking it once already, I was not doing it again. 
Do you have any suggestions on how I can do this better? I would love your thoughts and suggestions.
Cheers,
Carolyn 

iPad cover for me!

I finally made an iPad cover for myself. Figured it was about time. I have so many lovely fabrics, I just could not decide, but then I thought - hey, I can make myself as many covers as I want!! So, my first cover is using fabrics from Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner and Valorie Wells. I used a lovely grey solid and a print for the binding from Connecting Threads and tadah, here it is:

I used a double layer if batting to make it extra safe for my dear little iPad - as I am not that careful with things. I have already dropped it on the floor, so I figured I best give it some extra cushion.
Have you made a cover for your eReader or iPad? What fabrics did you use?
Cheers,
Carolyn

Care to join me on a fun quilting bee?

I originally posted this on September 30 and I have three peoples interested, so if you would like to join us, please leave me a comment!


I was thinking it would be pretty cool to start up my own bee. An art bee! Here is what I am thinking, if you would like to join me on this creative adventure, please leave a comment. I am hoping for 11 people so we  can each take a month.

Art We Crafty is the name I just made up, cheesy? YES. Love it!! This bee if enough of you are interested, will be a slight twist from other bee groups. Each person will still be assigned their own month, we will send out fabric to the 11 other members when it is our month and in turn each month we will create with the fabric received a block for that person. So what is the twist? How does the Art part come in? I would like us to think a little outside of the box, it does not have to be extreme, it can be a simple embellishment on a traditional block, or applique, or taking traditional patterns and changing them to make something else. Or you could go all out and create your own masterpiece.

Here are some blocks I have done for my Let's Bee Together group (which made me realize as I look at everyone elses blocks that I do not really fit in.. ... but they still like me I think?).

So again, these are just my blocks, for examples only - it would not be making these blocks. If it was your month you could send out fabric with as many instructions as you like. For example, it could be to make a certain block, but to embellish it with lace or buttons. Another example could be to make any type of block you want, but use fabric A as the focus. You could even send out your fabric and just tell people to make you a penguin block!

Please keep in mind however that art blocks do take more fabric to make. The more fabric you can send, the more potential for creativity to flow. Do I have any takers? Would 11 of you like to join me? Please leave a comment if you do.

Cheers,

Carolyn

Project Idea inspiration

I am thinking of these:

And Silky Solvy.. ... well not them in the Solvy - but make leaves with thread with the Silky Solvy! I could applique them onto an art quilt, or I am thinking of make a name tag. More on that soon.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Graffiti Thursday part 15

I cannot believe I had enough pictures from one wall to do 15 posts!! I think this needs to come to an end so without further ado, here are the rest of the pictures. Thanks for bearing with me on this Graffiti Thursday run.

Cheers,
Carolyn

Share time

I was left a comment by Anonymous, with a super cool link I wanted to share with everyone. The link I got was to Crazy By Design's blog and the post is on how to make your own zipper flowers. If you want to check it out - click here to go to this post. 


I just spent three hours uploading videos to You Tube. I thought I could share some of my concert footage and some silly things that I caught on video. It is strangely addicting and it made me realize that life if pretty great - and its really great to catch the silly stuff on video. ha ha


If you feel inclined to check my videos out, my You Tube channel is WiczKid. If you subscribe to me (its like a Facebook friend request), you can see my tagged favorite videos and I can see yours. I think it is a great way to share how to's. I currently have tagged favorite videos on how to make yo yo's, do crewel work and other decorative things.


OK, now for a picture, because I just cannot post without one. here is Lucky Lu, begging me to stop sewing and come play with him. 

I kept sewing. I know, I'm such a mean Mommy!
Cheers,
Carolyn

More Thread Play class pictures

I finally took pictures of the rest of my class projects. 
Here they are:

I made this neat Christmas ball on Polyester Organza with Sulky Solvy as my stabilizer.

Here I played  with different stitches to applique - with raw edge pieces.  We used an iron on adhesive called Wonder, I had never used it before, but I really liked how well the paper came off - after I discovered I have to press it for a good 10 Mississippi's! 

I played with metallic threads. Those are the beezeneeze let me tell you! I love metallics. I never used them for fear of them breaking all the time and giving me a headache. I only had it break once, and I was probably doing something stupid - like threading the needle without releasing the tension with the presser foot.

This was so cool! We used a really thick thread in our bobbins - there is no way this would fit in a needle - to see what it would do. I cannot wait to find more of this and play more. I love the texture - and of course my thread was shiny so I was extremely pleased. ha ha 

Here we played with couching. 

And here is the flower I had worked on the day before. It is still not done - but its pretty close I think. I had to steal the hoop to make my Christmas ball or else I would not have taken it out until it was done. You can see the wrinkles - this is because I did not use a stabilizer. If I had pressed it immediately with the iron when taking it out of the hoop, I could have lessened it. Oh well, live and learn right? Right!

And lastly - here is what I bought. I tried to not buy anything - but really, I was surrounded by great fabrics and a ton of cool tools, how could I not buy anything!

I have not used this yet, but I think I was the only person in the class to not have it already.  It is a special pressing sheet (sorry I know you can read), that prevents any applique adhesives from sticking to your iron or your ironing board. Cool huh?

Then I bought these delicious fabrics! The Christmas balls in the fabric above is what inspired me to make my Christmas ball in the first picture.
Other things I bought but that are not pictured here are some metallic threads, some Sewers Ease (I think that is what it was called - to prevent old threads or metallics from breaking) and this neat Iron Cleaner Solution. OH and I bought two meters of that awesome Sulky Solvy! I have a plan for it - you will see, I will share soon - Hopefully this weekend.

Cheers,
Carolyn

Thread Play quilting class fun

This weekend I spent at the quilt store on the south end of Edmonton called Earthly Goods. I was very lucky enough to be able to attend a weekend long quilting class called Thread Play taught by Lois. I have been to quite a few retreats now, but never an actual class. 
I really enjoyed myself and we did a lot of what the class was titled - Play! I do not have pictures of everything yet as I forgot to take my camera in today, but here are some pictures of what we did Friday night and then on Saturday. 

We learned on the first day about stabilizers and how and when you would use a hoop.

This is more of our free motion stitching practises with a hoop and stabilizer. We practised doing an outline and then filling it in making sure to stitch into the outline.

That practise was for this! Cool huh??

You make these neat "applique" pieces with using Sulky Solvy. At first I thought it was pretty cool, but when would I ever use it? Then the wheels really started turning and I have thought of a trillion different art quilts I could use this for. The best part is you can buy this stuff by the meter and its not expensive! JOY

This is from the second day - so was the Silky Solvy stuff I just showed you -  here we talked and learned how to do blending.

For what we did for the rest of the weekend, you will have to wait as I have officially bonded with the couch and am not getting up to take more pictures. hee hee.


After I got home from class today, I fed my fur babies and then ran to the grocery store to get myself some healthy things to eat as Mr. Hunter is not here I do not have to listen to complaints about my carrot sticks and tofu! If he had his way, the only food in the house we would have would be chips and cookies - but that is a whole other blog post! HA HA
No, I went on this tangent because I wanted to show you what happened when I got home. With my hands full, trying to get in the door with my veggies, I had a little mishap. I did not realize it until I pulled my key out, but look:

Can't you see the issue? hee hee, Check out the next picture, you will see!

Eek!! I bent my key.

 I think the rest of the keys got caught on the jam when I was unlocking the bottom door lock and  then pushing the door open? Not sure, but it is bent pretty good. I was going to bend it back, but there are what looks like cracks on it where it bent. If I bend it back and it breaks - I will be locked out or in depending on the case I suppose. Mr Hunter is in Winnipeg until Tuesday night so I will just have to be careful. We have a spare, but I do not have a clue as to where it is. 
So that is my story for today. What did you do this weekend?
Cheers,
Carolyn

New show coming up

Darlene over at SewCalGal has another virtual quilt show coming up. This one is for Christmas. For more details, please click on the button on my sidebar and it should fingers crossed I did it right, take you to her site.

There is not much time left so get your thinking caps on and start your Merry Ho Ho projects!

Cheers,

Carolyn

Graffiti Thursday part 14

Another tag done in chrome paint. I like shiny things.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Road trip adventure with Anna!

I mentioned briefly the other day that I was heading out to a quilt shop in Mayerthorpe, AB. The shop is called Behind the Seams and let me just say.. ... IT IS AWESOME!
The shop is not open on Saturdays - but they will take appointments so I made one for 12 noon. Anna and I drove up from Edmonton and we met up with my other quilting friend Cheryl. The shop is an hour and a half from Edmonton and it was totally worth the drive! When we first pulled up, the shop looked small and my heart sank a little. Then I opened the door and my jar hit the floor. This place for a shop in the country was huge! In fact, she had a huge selection even for a city store. Her racks were full of delicious fabric with prices that made my heart and pocket book sing with sheer joy!
I got a large bag of fabric as did Anna. I sadly forgot my camera on my coffee table - so here are some crappy iPhone pics.

The view from the front door.

 Here is Anna with her bag of yumminess.

Here is the owner Shelley (I am pretty sure I remembered that correctly and I am so sorry if I am wrong). She was great, and I really appreciated the fact that she opened the store on her day off for us!!
The shop has a large classroom as well which had panels, kits and patterns for sale and on display. 
Here are my spoils!!

The STACK!! ha ha

The pattern and pieces at the top are from a kit I bought - I started making it last night- but it came in a sweet brown paper bag with the clear plastic window so you could see the fabrics inside.

I got a couple of tools and patterns to. It was a great day.
Thanks for coming with me Anna! If you do not know who Anna is, check out her blog here.

Some sewing done

Here is the block I made for the Orange you Glad group

 And this is the block I have made to go with the rest of the bee blocks I got for my month with the Let's Bee Together group. I will show more on this as I get it put together. I am hoping to find a suitable fabric to border it with at the quilt shop I am heading to today.

 I made a set of four of these place mats? I think I will either make them into place mats or hot pads.

 Check out my middle points! They do not all look this good, but not bad.

I made a table runner at the retreat, but I failed to take a picture - very unlike me! I will try to get a picture of it all quilted and post soon.

How are you all doing with your Christmas sewing? I am still clueless with what all I should do. What are you guys making? Can I copy you? Please share. ha haha
Cheers,
Carolyn