I bought myself a new machine!

After much deliberating, I mean MUCH.... I decided to get a new machine.  I've had my old machine since I was 21.  It was my first machine and of course has much sentimental value to me.  So after 10 years and only 1 service visit ever needed, my beast of a Janome is going to live at my work full time. (Honestly, I'm sick of dragging it back and forth... lol)

Here is my new friend.

http://www.sewingmachinesplus.com/Singer-Quantum-Stylist-9960.php


It does so much, soooooooo much more than my older model!  I am having trouble being patient...  It's coming from California, and I'm in SW Ontario, they expected delivery is this Friday though :D

I did a lot of research, watched videos, and read a TONNE of reviews, and I am really happy with my choice. 

HAPPY DANCE!

Love a good give away!

http://whimsycoutureboutique.blogspot.ca/2013/02/interview-and-giveaway-ann-kelle-fabrics.html
These are some gorgeous fabrics!

My first Quilt

For my first full quilt project, I've decided to follow along with the Crafty Gemini's Quilt Along.


But I chose to do my first quilt for my boyfriend, Rob. :)  So the fabric is Star Wars themed!

I have a thing about being overly organized....  Vanessa at Crafty Gemini has great videos, very easy to follow, so I watched them a few times and then made this to hang on the wall beside me.

I like a nice clear, concise and LARGE item to read while I work. :)  The cloth is on order and on it's way from California, all the way up to me in Ontario.  Thank You Fabricworm!!

New Iron!

Bought myself a new iron this afternoon. :-)  my old one was huge and heavy, so it was time. After much reading of other sewers blogs, Rowenta it was! And, it was 40% off randomly... Extra win!

My new kitchen set - Complete!

Well, I did it.  I finished my first "quilting" project!  I thought I'd start with small scale items, and I think I made the right choice!  I learned A LOT.  And there were so many helpful blogs, videos and sites to turn to, which I cannot be thankful enough for.  All I can say now is that I can't wait to go get more fabric!  What to do next....

Learning = Stitch ripping!

Last night I learned about quilt binding, and I forgot the step of ironing the fabric in half first..... so I had a nice sized binding on the front and a real big fold over....  Of course I didn't notice this until I had sewn all four place mats! ooooops : /    So I'll finish them up tonight, without 2 hours of stitch removal, I hope! 

Pot holders!

Pre-Washing Fabrics

Waiting on some new fabric to wash and dry while watching more great tutorials from "The Crafty Gemini".  If you haven't checked her out, I would 100% recommend it!

http://craftygemini.blogspot.ca/

I know there is conflicting opinions of pre-washing and drying, what do you like to do, and why?

The most recent collection I made.

I decided to buy some fabrics I loved and thought went well together, with the help of my very patient boyfriend :)

This is the pallet

I am making a collection of kitchen goods, and have finished a few of my projects thus far.

I will make 8 place mats in total, so far I have just done the front piece work for each of them

I made a casserole carrier, and it's reversible! 

A french bread basket, also reversible :)

And I have napkins, potholders and coasters in the process of being made.

It's been a tonne of fun, and I've learned so much just fiddling around and reading all the tips and tricks I can around the web.  I can't wait to finish my projects and get my table all set up and see it all together.

 http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.ca/

Red Pepper Quilts: Fort Worth Fabric Studio - A Giveaway!

I love a good give away, and this one would include international applicants... great news for us up here in Canada!

Red Pepper Quilts: Fort Worth Fabric Studio - A Giveaway!: A sponsored giveaway. Fort Worth Fabric Studio is an end of the rainbow , dream come true for owner and manager Jodie Heinold. Jodie ha...

The first 2 blocks I tried, a little on the uneven side.... ;)  The aqua one was first, and the green and brown were second, seeing them this way I can see the improvement!  I can say that quilting was not a walk right into it type of hobby even with my sewing experience.

New to this...

So I decided to venture into the indepth world of quilting. Wow. Just wow. I had no idea there was such a community of people on the internet for it!  And the absolutely beautiful fabric art they are creating. I was inspired by others to look into blogging, at first following but interested in having my very own.

This is the first patchwork item I created. It's a duvet cover that is tacked down in a few spots with some stitching. The idea came from my apartment of all beige walls... I was bored to death!  So in came some bright colour. :-)  As an avid gamer for as long as I can remember, I'm not sure if the "Tetris" like look was subconscious, or just an accident. Either way, I'm happy with it!  It's also nice to not have my duvet in a ball at one end of the bed in the morning...  ;-) 

After that I made a few quilting squares out of my left over materials... I use the term square very loosely. They didn't really turn out. (I will post a few photos, so you can see how they turned out)  So being the type to not give up, to the internet I went! I'll tell ya, there are some talented ladies out there!  If I knew how to tag them here I would... So I'll look into that! 

Anyways, I hope this can bring some new finds and followers to the great community of sewers and quilters out there!!