Sewing Machine stopped . . . ?

Oh dear - just when I was having a break through with stippling and about 5 minutes away from finishing the project - my dear Janome just stopped.  The foot pedal doesn't do anything. The light is still on.  Nothing is happening!  Unplugged her, turned her off.  Turned back on.  Nothing.  Oh god I won't be able to sleep now worrying that something is wrong.  Hmmmmm . . . didn't know it was a 'she' until now.

Inspiration from Pinterest

Seems like lately I've been getting all my inspiration from Pinterest.  How did people function before Pinterest? Oh yeah - all the creative people had nice crafts and now all the rest of us can copy from them!  Really - I feel like I don't have a creative bone in my body. I'm just really good and duplicating everyone else's ideas.  When I pick my own fabric for a project it just turns out busy and awful.  I'm trying to keep things simple and go with the 'less is more' philosophy but that doesn't always come through.

I've got 2 projects to finish - stippling Maris' Christmas runner and the awful scary place mats.  I'm telling you - don't mess with me or you'll get the scary place mats for Christmas!

Then I am going to tackle paper piecing. I'm so excited. Again - I've been snooping on Pinterest and there are so many templates that are just waiting for me to print and give it my best shot!  Don't have much of a scrap collection so maybe that's a good excuse to go buy some little bits?

My first ENORMOUS quilt - DONE!

Now what?  I've been sitting on the couch hand sewing every chance I get for the last 2 days.  I finished the binding last night and we slept under 'Danish Delights'.  I'm done!  Hurray!

This morning I've been perusing Pinterest trying to get inspired.  I've got pin after pin and they all look awesome. I have no idea where to start.  I have the afternoon to myself and I'm tempted to go to the fabric store - but shouldn't.

I've got the Heritage Park 'Festival of Quilts' brochure sitting next to me - Saturday and Sunday, May 26th & 27th.  I really want to go and want to convince Mom, Michele and Tiff to come with me.
Check it out!
http://www.heritagepark.ca/content/pdf/FestivalofQuiltsBrochure2012.pdf

The Binding . . .

I've had 2 lucky days in a row.  Yesterday I picked up my big quilt at the quilters and brought it home!  I wasn't expecting it for a few more days - so I was pretty excited to see it.  Auntie Michele was here for a visit too, so I got to show it off to my favorite 'quilting' auntie.  She seemed suitably impressed for a pro like her.  We discussed the binding that I should use and that's where lucky day #2 comes in.  When I picked up the mail today - there was the fabric for the binding.  Another piece of the Kate Spain 'Fandango' family and I think it will finish off the quilt quite nicely.

So, while the boys were sleeping, I trimmed the quilt and cut the binding.  I could have started sewing but I wasn't bright enough to take the sewing machine out of Charlie's nap room.  So - I ate chips instead.  I just finished sewing the binding on the front with my machine and now I'm trying to figure out what thread to use for the binding.  Think I'll have to stop at the fabric store tomorrow because I really have nothing appropriate.

Here are a few sneak peaks without the binding.  I'm thrilled with the quilting!  It just changes the look so much!

This is my beautiful 'Danish Delights'.  All 96"x104"!  I wonder how long it will take me to do the binding by hand?

Trying to show the quilting here . . . but it's not the best photo.

More finds from Pinterest

I've been collecting Owl cupcakes on Pinterest hoping to find something easy for Charlie's first birthday.  Well - success!

The boys had chocolate from top to bottom and then the sugar rush hit.  Oh no - Ben is up!

Maybe Blogging isn't my thing . . .

I've been so busy sewing, being a mom and trying to keep the house half clean, that I haven't had time to blog.  Or maybe I just haven't been that fussed with blogging.  It seemed like a good idea at the time - but it is time consuming.

Actually - instead of working on my own blog - I have been reading a lot of other blogs out there.  Well, not so much reading, but snooping the pictures and collecting nice quilt pictures for Pinterest.  If there were a prize for finding nice quilts and pinning them - I'd be up for an award. The only problem with this is that when it comes to making my next quilt - I won't be able to make up my mind. I've seen so many nice ones.  Of course I'm a beginner quilter so easy patterns are more my style.

Going to show you some of the stuff I have finished!

This is the Christmas Table runner that I finished shortly after Christmas. I'm way ahead for next year - or at least that's the way I'm looking at it.  I wish I could take better pictures . . . maybe that's something I need to work on as well.

This one is called 'Hopscotch' and the fabric is 'Cherish Nature' by Deb Strain. I fell in love with the quilt at Sugar Pine in Canmore - so I just had to buy the quilt kit.  This is my first quilt - ever!  And I'm so proud of it.  This picture just has the quilt top but since then, I've had it quilted and the backing is minky so it's really soft and cuddly. I sewed the binding on this weekend and got to lay on the couch with it last night.  Heaven! Just the right size and it's mine. Don't even think about using this one boys!

I'm not a butterfly fan, but I still loved the leaves and the colours so I just had to do it. 

I think I was finished the quilt top in mid January and then I started on the big one!  'Danish Delights' with 'Fandango' fabric by Kate Spade.  I found this pattern on Pinterest and I kept going back to look at it.  I just fell in love with it and couldn't get it out of my head. So I ordered the exact same fabric as was used in the pattern picture and just went for it.

Fandango is at the quilter now, and I'm hoping to get it back by the weekend. I didn't order enough fabric for the binding when I first ordered the fabric. So I'm waiting for that in the mail.  Please come this week!

Again, I need to work on taking better pictures!  I'm on a sewing kick - I hope it lasts. So much fun!

Car Seat Cover

Mom and I both found this pattern on Pinterest.  I was planning to make it for Molly and so was Mom.  Good thing we talked or Molly would have ended up with 2.  And Mom's would have looked better.  So we joined forces and did it together.  It took us 2 nights . . . I did the sewing, Mom did the ironing.  I'm really proud of it and I think we should make them for baby gifts.  Very useful and I wish I would have had one when B was born and then of course C could have used it too.

The most interesting thing about this whole process - I found out about the '1/4 inch foot' for a sewing machine.  I call it the 'cheater foot' because you could close your eyes and sew straight.  So, really . . . all those people who look like great seamstress' probably just have the cheater foot and we'd never know.  Wanted to steal mom's but then I realized she wouldn't be able to sew straight without it.  I'm going to get myself one!