Felted Slipper Shoes

I finished these last night and started another pair for my friend. What do you think?/ have you ever made shoes? I want to put a sole on them but I'm not sure how. I'm thinking of painting thin layers of rubber cement. Your thoughts? Suggestions?

I'm all ears!!

Cheers, 

Carolyn

Happy Halloween!

Cheers,

Carolyn

Liberated

I'm breaking all the rules today and I must say, I'm now ok with the fact that old rules no longer need be applied.
What am I talking about? Well for starters, I pressed seams open!!

Hmm I just upgraded my phone and it's not letting me put the pics in where I want them, so I'll stop typing and let the pics do the telling.
Cheers,
Carolyn

WIN House donation quilt top finish

I went out to another Seba Beach retreat two weekends ago and before I had left I stopped at Central Sewing South to pick up a cut quilt package to sew for WIN House which is a women's shelter here. For more info on the shelter, here is there link : http://www.winhouse.org/about-us/stories/

I had heard of the WIN House sewers about a year ago, but I actually got to speak to some of them at the Creative

 Stitches show in September. They meet during business hours of course, but I wanted to help so they had a kit ready 

To go for me to make. It was so easy to sew, but I have discovered I have so little time. I'm not sure when that happened.

Any how, I'm really glad I got to make this top for them and I got it back in the time frame they requested.

Yeah me! (Thanks to the retreat, but hey, it still happened!)

Here it is :

Not bad huh? Easy pattern, but it looks cool.

Here is another Seba Beach sun rise to inspire your day:

Eh, that one kinda sucks and I'm on my iPad so I cannot get it to delete! Try this one!!

Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Beautiful 

Cheers,

Carolyn

I feel felting awesome!

I just realized, I was so excited to show what I made in my class and wrote this post this morning without saying where I took the class! It was with the Edmonton Weavers Guild. The link to their site is: http://edmontonweavers.org/ 

My instructor was Brenda and she was awesome! I shared the day with some awesome women whom I really hope to see again.

I took a felting class yesterday, all I dreamt about last night was felting. I don't want to work today, I want to FELT! 

I enjoy felting so much, I do not feel like quilting, and I have a ton of quilt projects to make. Not good!

Here's what I made just yesterday, on my very first day learning to felt.

A decorative ball, three buttons, a purse, a hot pad, and three wallets. The buttons we made first, then the ball, then the hot pad and finally the purse. When I got home, I fed my monsters, made supper for Mr Hunter and I, did a quick (and incomplete) kitchen clean and then made the three wallets. If it wasn't so late, I would have kept going. 

I woke up at 5 to use the lu, and I seriously considered staying up to felt before work.

The wallets have a single pouch, but I figured/ designed how to put in more so you will be able to have your phone, cards and money separate. Too late for the three, but I will try to make one with the extra pockets to see if my design will work. 

Here is my first and best button.

And a close up of my purse. I think I will use the first button to keep the flap down. 

Do you guys felt? I was thinking some critters could be cool, if you have made some and have tips/ advise you want to share, I'm all ears!

Cheers, 

Carolyn

Cruising Bonnyville Main St.

Road trip!

We are driving north today to check out a couple of used Jeeps for sale. Just stopped is Waskatenau for gas. It's cheaper here then in Edmonton!

And did you know that Smoky Lake is Alberta's pumpkin capital?! Cool. 

And look, you can buy liqueur with your fill up at the gas station. Hee hee, how convenient!

Cheers,

Carolyn

Twin bed quilt top finish - Beautiful Chaos

I finished another quilt top while waiting for my order from Connecting Threads to come in (which is bringing my backing for the donation quilt and this newly finished top).

I call this one Beautiful Chaos. I think I posted the strips and maybe some blocks for this over a year ago!

Here are my crappy iPhone pictures (I heard the new iPhones are out or coming so maybe I can finally upgrade my 3 to a 5 without paying 600 bucks!).

I want to get this done before not this weekend but next so I have a nice new quilt for Jan's Quilting Retreat I'm going to. It won't happen though as I'm not sure how I want to quilt it yet, and I do not want to stipple it - not to mention I just placed the order for the backing this last Sunday. Oh well, I'm going to the Seba Beach Group's retreat in October, I can have it done for that one =)

What do you think of it? Crazy to much, or crazy cool?

Cheers,

Carolyn

We rocked the pottery class!

Mr Hunter and I took a pottery class together. 

Here is the stuff we managed to produce.

Here is my fav of the hubbies:

I managed to make a couple of lidded containers. 

Do any of you do pottery?

Cheers,

Carolyn

Decisions Decisions...quilting dilemma

What do you think? Does any of these "speak" to you?

The top one is hard to see, I had one of those excellent Sharpie Pencil to Pens, but I lost it yesterday at the Creative Stitches show =( I just drew it this morning with a pencil and it is just not as good.

I'd love to get your thoughts on this so if you have a comment, please do leave it.

Cheers,

Carolyn

Creative Stitches Show

I'm at this show right now and so far it has been fabulous! I met Cindy from Cindy's Threadworks almost as soon as I got here. She is amazing and I hope to stay in touch with her. I photographed one of her quilts and will post it soon as I took it with my camera and I am currently on my crappy old phone.

Here are a couple of photos though:

Did you notice the Carola's sign in the middle picture? I make Mr Hunter take me there every time we visit his Mom on the coast - I love that store!

I briefly met Carola this morning as she was organizing her samples for this afternoons session. It starts in 15 min, I better eat my lunch and get in there!!!!

Cheers,

Carolyn 

My first Bernina top finish!

I made all these blocks on my Phaff, but almost every row were assembled with my new Bernina 820.

The pattern is called Diamonds, I saw a photo of it online and made up my own square size of three inches. Wish I went larger - this took forever!

This quilt will be donated to my home town to do a raffle to buy books for the library. I used the library fabric from Connecting Threads. I think the line was called Bookish. I really like their fabric and I love their big spools of thread. 

Now to quilt this monster! I have a queen bed, and this top is almost touching the floor on both sides and it just touching at the foot of the bed. 

I'm feeling inspired by Angela Walters quilting she did on her quilt Impracticality which was featured on the June / July issue of Quilters Newsletter. 

It's totally different then my diamond quilt, but not.... ... LOL.

What do you think? Any one have any suggestions for me? I'm also thinking I might quilt it with a navy thread, what do you think? Is that crazy talk? Will that be too busy? I do have brown.

Love to hear your thoughts my friends!!

Cheers,

Carolyn

My cat understands English!

I told Jada-Bean if she wrecked my rows I'd kick her out of my room. I said this while she started to dive under some of my completed top. 

I swear it was like she understood what I was saying, she came out, looked at me and kinda nodded, and then curled up as far into the corner of the twin bed as possible. Curled into a little ball and had a nap!

Look, here is my photo to prove my cat totally understands me!

Such a good kitty!

Anyone else have a pet that speaks your language?

Cheers, 

Carolyn

No shipping to Canada??

Grrr, all I want is new Bobs =(

So unfair, why do so many US companies act like Canada is soooooo far away, we are attached for goodness sakes! 

Any of my US friends want to receive my shoes and send to me? I guess I'll see what the sad Canadian selection is at the store first. They might have black and brown.... Boo to Sketchers!

Lol. I guess with my online shopping spoiled I will head down to my sewing room and use my Bernina, ahhhhh, now I feel good again. Hee hee hee 

Cheers,

Carolyn

Creative Stitches Show coming to Edmonton

Look what is coming to my town! Well, it's actually in Sherwood Park, but close enough. Woot Woot, I hope I can go this time.

I just wish they would run these on a Saturday and Sunday so I could actually have the chance to enjoy two days of quilt nerding out. Unfortunately, the younger crowd have not picked up quilting here like I have or like in the states were more and more young people have taken up the craft. Ahh but I digress, I can still hopefully make the Saturday!!

Click on this link for more info and the list of all the classes and seminars (most of which are FREE)

http://www.quilters-dream.ca/pdfs/creative_stitches_brochure_pdf.pdf

What great quilt shows have you gone to this past year?

Cheers,

Carolyn

Saturday Night

It's a good night! LP is on right now on the Edmonton Folk Fest main stage and she is amazing. 

Yesterday we saw Shakey Graves from Texas- amazing!! We also saw Tim Chaisson with Colin Linden (Blackie and The Rodeo Kings member- another kick ass band that has played folk fest although Colin does lots of his own stuff as well and is a fantastic musician to check out) from Nova Scotia and Joe Nolan from Fort Saskatchewan whom were all fantastic.

I met a couple whom came up from Nebraska for this festival! Very cool.

I hope you are all having a blast this weekend as well. Don't worry my friends, I'm still managing to make stuff, I worked on some hexis this afternoon. 

Today's highlights were Carolina Chocolate Drops from Carolina, Good For Grapes from BC, and Langhorne Slim and The Law, from the USA somewhere, I cannot remember that one, but there were awesome as well. 

Cheers,

Carolyn

Chillin at folk fest

Hmm I see this did not publish, whoops.

Hanging out at Edmonton's Folk Fest on Gallagher Park this evening, 

What are you guys up to?

Check out this sunset!

Cheers, 

Carolyn 

Nighty night time on the hill

Still at Gallagher, listening to Fiest and looking at the city lights.

Bernina 820 for me

After a few months of Mr Hunter's encouragement, I got over my fears of waisting money and bought a Bernina 820!

The box was huge and just barely fit into my little car.

Here she is, fresh out of the box.

Here is my dear old friend, Phaff. I'm definitely not getting rid of this machine. It has been with the exception of the "mother-board fire" which happened almost two years ago - this has been a pretty great machine. Plus its lighter so I will still take it on retreats =)

If the Phaff's had a machine with the 12" throat space instead of their current 10", it would have been a definite contender, but in the end, I opted for the biggest machine my money could get and that was the Bernina. It was on sale for a really good price at Central Sewing and my good friend Linda F that works down there recommended it. 
I have not had the pleasure of sewing on it yet, but I hope to in the next few weeks and I can update and let you know more of what I think of it.
Cheers,
Carolyn

Wonderful Surprise

I made last weekend at the quilting retreat that I showed images for on Wednesday, a thread play demo of a tulip. I showed the project to Mr. Hunter and look what he surprised me with the other day!

Here are my beautiful flowers with my thread play demo - perfect match!!

Here is a picture of the demo I made for the reverse applique with fancy stitching:

It looks better in real life, the colors are much more vibrant, but it still looks pretty neat I think. I think it would make a cool bag or pillow. What do you think?

Cheers,

Carolyn

Graffiti Thursday

More newer pictures, summer is on its way and the wall is changing faster and faster. There are some really good artists in Edmonton right now.

This piece was destroyed after being up for about a month untouched. Below is what was done - shame, I never got a decent picture of the original. One thing I noticed however is the care of the red paint added. Although it ruined the beautiful portrait, the person took the time to carefully add. Unlike the few people whom just cross things out - or there is one jackass whom likes to write the word dirt over the really good stuff. 

I caught this one in progress. The next picture shows another little monsters poking out of the grouping.

Here is another one in progress, the finished piece is below.  Its neat how they build up the image and how it evolves.

Cheers,

Carolyn