Etchings - a Moda Bake Shop Project

The day is here to finally share my new Moda Bake Shop project. Please go and check out my new tutorial on Moda Bake Shop. It's the Etchings Quilt. The fabric, Etchings by 3 Sisters, is just SO lovely! Please go over and leave a comment - or leave a comment here. I'd love to hear what you think!

I am away on a ship right now, talk about timing. Anyone like me that just adores receiving comments - and here I am, away at sea and not able to check if anyone commented! ;-)

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Lily's Quilt

This quilt is way overdue. I belong to a lovely group of friends called the BCBabes. We met online while planning our weddings 10 years ago. You know, when all that revolved in our lives was eating out, growing our careers, wedding dresses, favours, honeymoons...

We formed some great friendships and often get together once a month for potlucks or babefests, as we call them. A while ago a dear friend and fellow BCBabe had found out she had breast cancer. This was just an awful and silencing time for me. The thoughts that I had when we first formed our group were starting to come true - when we were planning our weddings I often thought about the future of the babes - our future children, our future success and failures and as we got older, our health issues....and it was starting to happen. How could so many years be passing us by already?

We all wanted to do something special for her. Lily has an obsesssion passion for tea...and the teacup theme came about. We came up with the idea of collaborating on a quilt and the 'craftier' people would sew up the quilt, while each person in the group would hand stitch/make a teacup block representing Lily's interests or symbolizing themselves on the quilt. This process took the longest - just rounding up everyone and keeping tabs on who was finished, who needed help, who needed a little fire under their butts to get going and complete things. Fast forward to today, when the presentation was made to dear Lily.

An idea of some of the teacups...

Closeup of the quilting and lovely crinkling...

My dear friends presented the quilt to her in person - I linked up through facetime on the Ipad and was able to watch everything from LA, as I awaited my boarding time onto the cruise ship.

The technology collaborating this was awesome - we belong to a bulletin board forum strictly for our group - and we were able to start a private discussion. We have members that are in Calgary, Iowa, Australia and northern BC.

The quilt started in Australia, where a great babe started the process of the center medallian and all of those wicked looking pinwheels. It later got shipped to me in Calgary. All of the tea cup blocks were sent from BC, Alberta, Iowa, and Australia to me, and then I compiled and completed the layout of the quilt. I pieced it together, machine quilted it and sewed on the binding....it was then sent to BC for the binding to be hand stitched by some other lovely babes, and finally to be packaged and presented.

It's just another way that quilting has brought together a group of women, and hopefully brought a hug to someone who needs to know we love her.

Remembrance Day 2011

11/11/11 I remember.

Thoughts....

Life is full of ebb and flow isn't it?

Mine is all about flow at the moment.

I can tell when my life is full of flow because my eyes and forehead start to hurt, I find my face constantly in squinting position, and it feels really really good to rub my face. I'm sure I'm forming wrinkles from the rubbing/massaging that's happening.

Sometimes I think that we get a little extra flow in our life as a 'test' to see how we can manage. And when we overcome life's challenges, it things just seem a bit easier on the other side of it.

I'm heading on a quick holiday next week, and hope that the flow slows somewhat. I'm going on a Disney Cruise! My first stop is the ice cream machine, followed by stalking Goofy on deck for a photo op.

Life is just going so fast...I'll be back just in time for the Christmas season to flow. I'll start some happy sewing.

While I'm away, can you make sure you stop by ModaBakeShop on Monday November 14? My project will be up and ready to show you! I hope you like it.

Here is something for you to watch (they're only 30secs long) my big E is up to..making stop motion animation videos. Enjoy!

This first one is only 30 secs long - so stop it after 30..the music just continues...

He figured out to shorten the music on this one..

Garment Sewing

I've been watching all of these gorgeous tunics, shirts, dresses and skirts pop up in blogland. You know the kind - artsy, unique, comfortable. The kind where you see someone wearing them and you make a mental note of admiration.

What a sewn tunic looks like on:

Her - adorable, artsy, classy with an edge

Me - mu-mu.

I feel the same way about handbags and totes that pop up everywhere.

What an artsy bag looks like on:

Her - SO cute, she can really carry those colours off well. It just makes her outfit work.

Me - a homemade bag. Who the heck raided the remnant bin at the fabric store?

So in the spirit of making things I will make something I don't have to wear out and about. Something that I can wear comfortably at home.

What handmade pajama pants look like on:

Her - cute and crafty...could easily wear them to pajama day at school.

Me - baggy and sloppy.

Am I the only one that cannot wear home made garments well?

Machine quilting....

Sigh... I could doodle all day. And I did...for several days. ;-) This is all I can show you for now.