Owl Pumpkin!

I have been soo busy with school lately that I have had no time to do fun creative things. So when I realized I needed to carve a pumpkin tonight, I was thrilled. Keeping up with my owl/bird obsessed phase, I carved an owl. I was going to use a template that I found online but I was having difficult tracing it so I just decided to go at it free hand with the knife. I think it turned out really well!

Hexies!

At the September meeting of the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild, we learned how to make hexagons and diamonds using a technique called "English Paper Piecing". I have admired hexagons on other blogs for quite some time now but was intimidated by what I thought would be too finicky of a technique for me. However, they are actually quite simple to make.

I made this wall piece for my parents room. It is very simple but cute. Plus, it matches their quilt :) 

Quilt for Mom and Dad

Side 1 (Totally a reversible quilt)

I finished this quilt last week but didn't get around to taking pictures til today. I am so happy with it. We had a party for my Dad's 50th birthday on the weekend and I gave a few 'quilt tours' around my house to show people some of the quilts I made. I got to talk about what "modern quilting" means to me and show off some of my work.

Side 2 (originally the back but I just love it too much to make it only the back, haha) 

I really love the back and I think that it is a very good representation of what I picture when I think about modern quilting. The colour scheme is definitely not traditional. I also think that the many different elements that make up the back lead  it to be full of movement. Although I have not made very many quilts (this is my 4th) I have many ideas in my head about quilts I want to make. I am very drawn to the simple blocks with sashing in between.

The fabric along the top of the back (from Tula Pink's "Prince Charming" line) has become one of my all time favourite fabrics. I love showing it to people and asking them to tell me what they see. They can always get the smaller details (boy reading, bike, chasing butterflies) and they ALWAYS miss the giant turtle. I chose to put it at the top by where my parents' heads will be because it seemed so dreamlike to me.

See the quilting?!? I think it is the perfect quilting design for the quilt. I love how the quilt is so square-like with lots of 90* angles but the quilting is very flow-y and dynamic. Good contrast...

I am going to take it to the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild meeting this weekend. I am looking forward to seeing what other people in the quilting community think of it. I am so new to quilting that I feel like I can learn so much from people who are more experienced. 

Yes, I know the pictures I giant but I just thought big quilt=big pictures :)

Quilted macbook case

Front (the coloured bit at the top is the front of the velcro flap)

I made myself this quilted case for my computer. It has a few of the fabrics I am currently obsessed with (hence why my last few projects have all looked very similar). 

Close up of back   (echino <3  )

Back of case 

I am definitely starting to get the hang of these cases, now that I have made three. I really enjoy making them as they are both pretty and functional.

Inside lining of case and back of velcro flap. 

Bon voyage, Lake!

Modern wall quilt

My little brother moved to Paris, France last week to attend Sciences Po for a school exchange. I made him a couple going away presents. I made him a quilted wall hanging as wall decor is probably not going to be high on his 'to buy' list for his new place. I didn't take a pic of the back but it is a funky coloured wine bottle print, which I thought was appropriate given he is going to France.

One side of the eye mask 

 I also made him a sleep mask. I thought this was a very necessary gift after he told me he sometimes puts a pillow over his face to keep the light out in the morning. I think that an eye mask is a much safer alternative to a pillow...it has a much lower risk of smothering. I have been obsessed with bird fabric lately so both side of the mask used bird fabric.

Other side of the eye mask

Best quilting day EVER!!!

Side view

I quilted my first quilt on a longarm machine today. It was the most incredible quilting experience I have  ever had. I went to Red Red Bobbin, located just outside Brantford, Ontario.  Louise and Jim, the lovely and super kind couple that own Red Red Bobbin were the greatest teachers. As most of you know, I am a totally self-taught quilter (and even sewer, I guess) so I have a lot to learn about the technical aspects of the art. They taught me everything I needed to know to be able to work the longarm on my own...however, it was a lot of information so they helped me every step along the way. 

Robin the Longarm and I (Jim took this photo and emailed it to me minutes later without me even knowing!) 

I was pretty set on just doing some sort of free hand design, maybe some loops and swirls. When I got to the studio though, I soon realized that I might as well try a pantograph. Louise and Jim were able to find one that was exactly how I wanted my design to look and that was going to be okay for a beginner. I am so so so happy with how it turned out. It wasn't easy but I am sure I will improve with practice. Now all that's left is the binding! 

 I highly highly recommend Jim and Louise at Red Red Bobbin. The offer long arm lessons as well as their own quilting services where you can send them the top/back and they will quilt it for you.

Quilted iPad case

Front (the coloured bit at the top is the front of the velcro closure flap)

 I made this iPad case for my boyfriend. I used some of the fabric scraps from the quilt I am making for him as I am in love with the colours. I made it using the same idea I used for my Mom's  kindle case.

Back 

I'm not sure if you can see it very well in the photo but I made sure to include my tag in the case. It is a tree on one side and says 'by sky' on the other.

Inside lining and back of closure flap

Toronto Modern Quilt Guild: Kaufman Challenge Complete!

I finally got around to binding this quilt. I was having a tough time thinking of a binding that would look good with all the colours and was still kind of funky. My Mom actually came up with the idea to use the same one that I used on her mug rug. However, I only had about 12 inches left of that binding. I decided to check out a fabric store in the east end that has some quilting fabric. Oddly enough, when I got there, sitting right smack dab in the middle of the cutting table, was the exact same Michael Miller gray polka dotted fabric I had used for my Mom's mug rug. Very weird but I was obviously thrilled that I was able to find the fabric I had in mind.

 In the end, I think the binding was a perfect fit. I LOVE the wrinkly look after it's been washed.

Embroidery is a hoot!

I taught myself how to do embroidery over the long weekend at my cottage. I am really obsessed with owls.

Next time, I will probably do a better job of drawing on the image so that it is easy to follow. I didn't have a proper fabric pencil so I wasn't able to see the lines I wanted to follow so I just eyeballed it. It's not perfect but I don't mind the wonky look.

Kaufman quilted

I haven't been doing any crafty stuff because I was in MEXICO! My amazing parents surprised me with a trip to Mexico last Tuesday as a graduation present. It was a wonderful trip!

Here are some process shots of the Kaufman quilt. It seems like it's taken ages. I had some machine difficulty at the beginning of the quilting part. The owner of my local sewing store was incredibly helpful and kind and fixed my machine for me on the spot. 

 I really love the quilting design I chose to do. It was very fun to quilt (once I got my machine fixed...).

Ooh, you can see a tiny bit of the back. I will wait to show the whole back until I finish the binding.

Kaufman Top Done

This is the finished quilt top for the Kaufman Challenge. It's simple but I really like how it turned out. 

Toronto Modern Quilt Guild -- Robert Kaufman Challenge

I joined the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild last month. They have been working on a challenge since March but I was able to participate as well, I just have less time to complete it. 

The rules were pretty simple. We were given a kona solids charm pack in the 'dusty' palette. We had to use the charm pack, plus only ONE metre of ONE additional fabric (could be solid or print). I chose a light grey linen/cotton blend as my extra fabric. I also went with a design where I wouldn't have to cut up the charm squares too much as I wanted the quilt to turn out a functional size.         

I am going to add a grey border and then the top will be finished. There are no rules about what we can use for the back and binding... I have a few ideas of what I want to do for the back.

Mother's Day Mug Rug

Happy Mother's Day!!!

My Mom loves to drink tea (and eat snacks) so I thought a mug rug would be a perfect present for her.

Front of the mug rug

I really love how it turned out. The one strip of warm colours and one strip of cool colours looks great.

Back of the mug rug

Love wall

I am in the process of redoing my room and I did this wall yesterday. It has photos as well as cool things that I found in the attic of my grandparent's house.

Fabrics for Eric's Quilt

I am so excited to make this quilt! I wasn't really looking forward to making a 'manly' quilt because I thought it would be made up of pretty ugly fabric...boy, was I wrong! I ordered some of the fabric from Fabricworm and then got some at my local quilt store in Guelph (Greenwood Quiltery). I love the colour scheme sooo much! These fabrics are going to make up the squares and then I am using Kona Solids in Medium Grey for the sashing and border.

 I bought the Medium Grey today from the Creativ Festival :) I also got to try out a few long arm quilting machines at the Creativ Festival so that pretty much made my day. I met a woman who rents hers out in Brantford so I might go there to quilt my parents' and Eric's quilts.

Mug Rug!

I realized something as I was making this project...I have a style! At first I was thinking that all my stuff looked the same and was kind of thinking I might be boring. But then if you think of it as more of a distinct style, that is pretty cool. I think it is because I am officially obsessed with linen and bright colours. That's why the lavender pillow, linen quilt, kindle case and now this mug rug all go together.

Mug rug- front

I made this mug rug for my friend Sarah for her birthday. You might be asking "oh golly! what in the world is a mug rug?", well, a mug rug is kind of like a giant coaster, but it's bigger and has room for your mug and a snack, like a cookie! You really don't need a whole plate for a cookie but it would be too messy to just set on your desk, so you need a mug rug! It's literally a super mini quilt, so it is totally machine washable for times when you put your fresh baked ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookies onto your mug rug, or spill your pink forever nuts tea on it :)

Mug rug- back

Sewn scarf for Lake

This is a scarf I made for my brother, Lake. He designed it and picked out the linen fabric, and I sewed it. 

Front- the colours are navy blue, chocolate brown and off-white linen.

 Sorry for the bad quality pictures! My camera ran out of batteries and I had to take these pics with my computer.

Close up of front

If you couldn't already tell, I LOVE linen so I was very happy with the fabric used for this scarf.

Red linen on the back.

Here I am trying it on.

First wristlet

One side

Other side

My friend taught me how to make these wristlets and this is the first one I made. I made it for my Mom for her birthday using Echino linen-cotton blend fabric that I bought at the Creativ Festival. I really loved the fabric and I think it turned out really well. 

Inside with by sky label

Quilted Kindle case

I am very happy with this project. I actually think it is my favourite thing I have ever sewn. It is a Kindle (e-reader) case for my Mom.  I found out this morning that I got into the Masters in Social Work program and Laurier so that put me in a good mood and I felt like being creative!

The front! I am holding the flap down but there will be velcro there when it's done.

  I made up how to make the Kindle case all my myself, no tutorial. Due to that, I'm quite surprised it turned out so well. I tend to rush things and even though they turn out, I know they could have been better if I put more time into it or thought about how to do it a bit longer.

This is the back. 

 Btw, it is not totally done, I have to add some velcro but I didn't feel like trekking through 1 foot a snow today. I really like the quilted look. It reminds me a lot of the linen quilt. The fabrics are all random but I think they worked really well together.

This is the front with the flap open. I added a little extra flare to the inside of the flap.

As I mentioned above, I made up how to do it all by myself. I also just made it up as I went along, I'm not much of a planner with this sort of stuff. I did think of a detail that ended up working out really well...I knew you would be able to see a bit of the inside lining even when the case was closed and I thought it would look messy and distracting if you could see a whole different pattern. I made the top inch or so of the lining with linen so that it blended it. If you take a peek inside, it is a very funky pattern. Also, I am pretty sure it is a perfect size! I want it to be snug but not annoying to take out and put back in.

Looking in.

Toiletries bag

I just picked up my sewing machine from getting it serviced and was itching to sew something as soon as I got home. I made this toiletries bag for my boyfriend. He picked out the fabric a while ago and I just got around to making it today. The inside is a blue gingham oil cloth so that it's easy to clean when stuff spills in it. 

Linen quilt

Work in progress. Ping-pong tables make great work areas.

 I made this quilt as a distraction from applying to grad school in December. It was my second quilt ever and my first non baby size quilt.  When I decided I wanted to learn how to quilt, I flipped through some books at Indigo. Kaffe Fassett was the first book I looked at and I instantly fell in love with his fabric. My boyfriend's Mom gave me some Kaffe Fasset fabric and I knew I had to put it to good use.

Finished quilt (front). I LOVE LINEN!! 

 The natural coloured fabric on the front is a linen and cotton blend. I love the earthy look it has. If you use linen, prewashing is a must! It shrinks A LOT. Luckily my Mom told me this before I began cutting and sewing.

Finished back.

The back took so much longer than the front to make. I learned a pretty good lesson in quilting while making this quilt. Making things line up and look very tidy and organized is easy! Making things wonky and random is much much more difficult. That's modern quilting for you! I had to cut the back up into so many pieces and basically replace areas of the brown (Kona solids in Sable) with my squares. I wanted to change my mind and just line up the blocks but I knew I would appreciated the wonkiness once it was complete.

Close up of a pieced area on the back. No, it is not perfectly square but I like it this way. 

I finished this quilt on Christmas Eve at my Nanny's house. I got the binding from a cute little quilt shop in Kingston.

Reuse!

This is a necklace I made for my Mom. It's made out of a t-shirt. It's quite easy to make actually and I think it would be fun for kids too. I braided my pieces but i have another one that isn't braided and it looks really great too. You have to use a certain kind of fabric so that when you cut it into strips and pull on the strips, it curls nicely. It's the softer jersey type of fabric that works best.

By the way, I will probably only be posting previous projects, not new ones for a while. School is super busy and I also took my sewing machine in to get serviced so I won't have the opportunity to sew up anything new. Looking forward to a summer full of sewing though :)