Road 2 California

It is that time of year again - time to enjoy one of the largest quilt shows in the nation.  And luckily for me it is only about a 45 minute drive from my house.  Yes I am talking about the Road 2 California Quilt Show which is held every year in Ontario, California.

Yesterday I took the drive to Ontario by myself, and what a beautiful day it turned out to be.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect and the drive was uneventful (which if you drive California freeways is a feat unto itself).  I found parking quite easily, but at a cost of $9.00 (ouch).  It was all very well organized - parking and ticket buying.  The cost of admission is $15.00 but that is for an unlimited access wristband so I can go back all 4 days if I want to (oh no...I am tempted to return lol).  Once I got inside, I was blown away by the sheer size of this show.  I have been in years past, but somehow I don't remember it being this huge.  There were vendors and displays everywhere.  And opening day was crowded.  I made the mistake of doing what everyone else does - starting at the far left aisle and meandering my way up and down the aisles in the main pavilion.  Let's just say I know how it feels when a salmon has to swim upstream lol.

Salmon

Next time I will come up with a better game plan, like starting in the middle.  Anyway, I digress.....there were so many beautiful quilts to see.  It just amazes me how much talent was at the show.  I saw things I have never seen before and loved everyone's creativity.  As for the vendors, there were a lot of good stalls.  Some of my favorites being Cotton & Chocolate Quilt Company from Thousand Oaks, Quilter's Coop from Temecula and My Red Door Designs, an online store and quilt show vendor.  Unfortunately, I never did find one of my all time favorite vendors - African Folklore Embroidery.  I met Leora (the owner) a few years back at another quilt show and she has beautiful products.  I was so looking forward to visiting her booth to see what new stuff she had, so that might be another reason to take a drive back down there for another go around lol.  I've completed a few of Leora's kits and they are so much fun to work on.  Please visit her site and check out what she has to offer.

My friend Jeanne and I at the African Folklore Embroidery booth at another show.
I'm holding a teapot I embroidered.

So did I buy anything?  Well of course, you can't go to a quilt show and not buy anything - that is impossible.  I bought some pretty fabrics that spoke to me, a handy dandy tool called a Quilter's Slidelock (amazing), a gorgeous tablerunner kit made with hexagons and some odds and ends like pins, pens and spray starch.

Lovelies I had to have

All in all it was a wonderful day.  If you live in Southern California, this show is definitely worth the drive in any direction.  I am extremely tempted to return within the next couple of days because I feel like I didn't see it all, and there are a couple of items I wish I had purchased that are still calling my name.  I am hoping that my daughter and her friend want to to go see the show and I will return with them.  If I don;t get to go back this weekend, I am going again next year with my game plan all marked out lol.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Jelly Rolls & Owls

Yesterday the jelly roll I ordered for the sashing on my pinwheel quilt  arrived.  Whomever invented these wonderful creations is a genius.  40 strips of precut 2 1/2" strips means I don't have to cut the sashing.  Of course, I am thinking I may not have enough to do a large quilt, so I may have to order another roll.  Oh darn...lol.  I am still waiting for the arrival of the rest of the charm packs to arrive so I can get busy making all the other pinwheel blocks I need.  Hopefully the mailman will be good to me today, and I will find that package in my mailbox.

I also wanted to share with you all the fabric that I have for my next cushion cover.  I just love the sweet little owls and the shades of pinks, greens and browns.  Not quite sure what the style of the pillow will be, but I am sure I will figure something out.  Stay tuned for an update on the completed project in the next day or so.  Have a great day everyone.

new year | 2014

Well I guess I have been slacking in the blogging department.  No-one's fault but my own.  I can blame it on the craziness of the holidays, but the truth is I haven't really been in the mood for creating anything the past few weeks.  But I am back, and have been a little busy sewing my little fingers to the bone the last few days.  I am exciteted to be sewing again, and I love seeing a piece of fabric turn into a beautiful and useable item.  I also like the fact that sewing calms me, and distracts me from the woes of the world.

The first project I started was pinwheel blocks.  I was watching quilting tutorial videos on the Missouri Star Quilt Company's You Tube page, and I saw a great video on how to create a pinwheel block from a charm pack.  It looked easy and fun, and I had the perfect charm pack amongst my stash to try it out - "Scrumptious by Bonnie & Camille for Moda".

Well they weren't kidding at the Missouri Star Quilt Company when they said the blocks would be easy.  I had a blast making them, and couldn't stop making them until I had used up the entire charm pack.  It hit me that I wanted to make a large quilt with these colorful blocks, so I had to go in search of more charm packs.  And find them I did...on sale...score !!!  Now I wait patiently for the mailman to bring me my delivery so I can continue work on this great project.

So I can't sit and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for those charm packs to arrive....so time to break out some owl fabric I have been saving and create a cushion cover.  I didn't follow any pattern, I just kind of winged it.  And I love the results.  It would make a great gift for a baby boy.  I have the fabric in shades of pink and plan to make a girl cushion too.  

 I promise to keep this blog updated on a more regular basis.  I will have some more projects to share with you soon.  If you look at the above cushion picture, you will see a sneak peek of the crib quilt I will be sharing with you all soon :-)  

Happy New Year everyone - have a great 2014 !

Pretty Handmade Placemats

Finally an update to my blog.  It isn't that I haven't been sewing because I have, it's just that real life keeps getting in the way.  I'd rather be sewing than doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, mowing lawns, cleaning cupboards, etc etc.  If you are a sewer or quilter, you will totally understand.  If you are my husband, it's another story altogether lol.

So what have I been up to in the weeks since I blogged last?  Well I have been making some pretty place mats.  They are fun and easy projects and will make great gifts, especially as the Christmas season rapidly approaches us.  I have really enjoyed making my first set, and love the color combination I chose of black and bright purples, pinks and greens.

Sewing seams, tracing and embroidering

Completed mats

Vine enhanced with buttons

Colorful background

I have now turned my attention to making some Christmas place mats - with all the christmas fabrics on the market right now, the possibilities are endless.  I chose a more classic Christmas look with a beautiful poinsettia and paisley print, enhanced by a pinstripe,  These place mats are still a work in progress.  Here is what I have completed so far.

Work in progress

Poinsettia and Paisley

Oh Joy

Front of mat

I have quite a bit of Christmas fabric in my stash, so I may make a few different Christmas sets.  I am planning on putting them on Etsy along with many other items I have completed.  Of course Etsy is on the back burner right now too because well you know.....real life gets in the way :-) 

Fabric Stash

For those of us who love to sew, the words "fabric stash" brings a smile to our face and joy to our hearts.  For those unfamiliar with the term, here is the official web definition of the term:

      ***In simple terms, your fabric stash is is your hoard of fabric 

            or your future hoard of fabric.  Stash is the fabric bought for
  future projects that you haven't even thought of yet***

I've been sewing and quilting now for years so needless to say my fabric stash has been growing leaps and bounds.  Fabric choices are absolutely limitless, which makes ideas and creations endless and it allows your imagination to soar.  I am a sucker for florals, mostly smaller florals so fabric artists like Cath Kidston and Tanya Whelan sing to me lol. 

 I am also in love with Lecien fabrics and the Japanese artist Atsuko Matsuyama.  I love their bright, colorful vintage looking prints.  They make me happy :-)

Japanese Lecien - Flower Sugar

Atsuko Matsuyama 30's Collection - Petite Lawn Fleur

Lecien - Florals, Cherries & Strawberries

Last night I ordered some Atsuko Matsuyama fabric for myself (from one of my new favorite online stores Sew Deerly Loved ).   I have been looking at it for a while and denying myself the purchase because well you know, I don't really "need" anymore fabric.  My mother asked me what I was going to make with it when I told her this morning I had ordered it, and my answer was "I have NO clue"...but it will look pretty in my stash :-)  

Hi, my name is Lesley and I am a fabric hoarder...............!!!

My First Apron

Well I completed my embroidered bird and decided to turn it into an apron.  I have never made an apron before, so after studying some apron making videos on You Tube, I thought "what the heck, I can do this" and got busy making my first apron.  It's not perfect, and I made a ton of mistakes, but you live and you learn.

Lesson # 1 was that I really shouldn't try to make things out of my head lol.  I should have followed a pattern, but I decided to just wing it and make it up as I went along.  I think I do better when I have a pattern to follow though.

So here is the bird and the teacup, finished in all its glory.  I was going to use beads for the center of the flowers, but remembered I had bought some pretty colored sequins for a card project, so I decided to use them in the center instead.  I love the way the light catches the sequins, and it brings the embroidery to life.

Picking out the fabric and colors for the apron was easy.  I used a beautiful pink floral fabric by Cath Kidston for the main focus, and some green polka dot fabric for the co-ordinating edging.  I also decided to try my hand at using bias tape - another first for me, and I chose a bright green that went well with everything else I had chosen.

Adding the bias tape wasn't too difficult.  I think I might have needed to loosen up the bias tape a little as I rounded the corners of the apron, it felt a little tight.  I guess that will be Lesson # 2 for me..lol.  I am thinking about making some hot pads and finishing them with bias tape, so that will be a smaller projects for me to work on and I will get used to using the bias tape.

Lesson # 3 was a difficult one for me.  It had to do with the pocket.  When I embroidered the bird and teapot onto the fabric, I used a backing to give it more support.  When I wanted to turn the embroidered piece into a pocket on the apron, I didn't want you to be able to see the stitches on the inside of the pocket, so I gave it another backing so it would look nicely finished.  Well adding on the bias tape along the top wasn't bad, but attaching the pocket to the apron was a nightmare lol.  Because of all the thickness from the layers in the pocket and the bias tape, it was hard to turn in the seams and sew through them all.  I fussed with it a bunch, unpicked and cursed a lot, but finally managed to get it attached.  Lesson # 3 learned and duly noted - do not use so many layers hahaha.

Lesson # 4 is that I need to learn how to take professional photos when shooting photos of my work.  I wasn't quite sure how to photograph the apron so you can see it properly.  So here is the best shot of my apron that I could come up with for now.  

Overall I can't complain too much about my first attempt at an apron.  I know there are several mistakes and I have learned from them, and hope to put my knowledge to good use if I ever decide to make another apron lol.

I am already working on something new, which I will be sharing with you shortly.  So tune back in soon for more updates.  I will also have more info about my new Etsy shop I will be opening, where I will be making and selling handmade goods.  I will also be making some new christmas cards sometime in the near future so I will be adding those to my card shop.

Have a great week everyone - adios for now :-)

Stitching Kind of Morning

You know those kind of mornings when you wake up and all is peaceful and quiet with the world?  Before all the hectic noise of traffic leaving for work, the garbage man dumping the trashcans or the dogs in the neighborhood discovering they still have voices....those are the kinds of morning I just love.  Time to get up, slip something warm on my cold feet (Fall has arrived this week in sunny Southern California) and put on a pot of coffee.  I can sit quietly and concentrate on the sewing project at hand.

Well my passion right now is still embroidery so I have another hand-stitched project I am working on.  It's a little bird with a tea pot.

I am not sure what I plan to turn this into, but I am kind of leaning towards making it the focal point on an apron.  Or I could turn it into a placemat?  I've made so many cushions lately, that I feel I need to turn this into something else.  Anyone have any other brilliant suggestions for me on what I could make with it?  Leave me some comments, I would love to hear from you.  Here is a little preview of what I have completed on this project so far.  Not a whole lot, but it is coming together quite nicely.

Don't you love my pretty sewing tin in the background.  I had to have it when I saw it in Scotland.  I was in a quaint little coastal village called North Berwick, and there it was staring me in the face.  It came loaded with threads, scissors, needles, pins and more.  I have since taken all of that stuff out, and replaced it with my own sewing threads, scissors and needles that I am using on my hand sewing projects.  I love the old fashioned vintage look of the tin - it just makes me smile looking at it.

Well back to the normal boring stuff, like cleaning house and laundry - bah humbug!   I hope you all have a great day and I will be back soon with more sewing goodies to share :-)