Lost package

Two months ago I went on an online shopping spree for fabric. In two nights I ordered from three different online stores for fabric - Nani Iro from Mountain of the Dragon, Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks from CityCraft, and a mix of quilting fabrics from Fabricworm.

The Nani Iro arrived in 2 weeks (I finally got to see and feel the famous double gauze!). I waited for another two weeks, at which point I emailed CityCraft and Fabricworm. CityCraft was really nice and offered to issue a USPS claim and refund or re-ship if the package doesn't arrive in a week. Luckily the package arrived the day after I sent the email.

Fabricworm responded to my first email, which basically said it may be held up in custom. I waited for another two weeks and still no package. I contacted fabricworm again and they said basically the same thing. My subsequent emails were not answered. At this point I am passed the 45-day deadline for filing a dispute with PayPal.

It's disappointing because I have ordered from fabricworm before and was quite happy with them. And the irony is, out of the 3 orders, the one from fabricworm is the most urgent - the order is for 2 baby quilts - and I really do hope to finish the quilts before the two babies turn one!

I think I will make the quilts from my stash.

A new dress for me

I am so inspired by this red dress on harmony and rose that I made one for myself, before I make anything else. And trust me, I have a long list of projects waiting to be started.

It's a Built by Wendy pattern Simplicity 3835. It comes together very quickly and is fairly forgiving. Mine is made with a cream baby cord that I have in my stash. I put my own spin on it with pleated pockets, trimmed with bias tape that I have kicking around. I may shorten the sleeves a bit but overall I am quite happy with the way it turned out.

A bean bag for Ben

I can't believe the 2-week spring break is over!! Anyway, we had been extremely busy during the break. Fortunately, I got this bean bag chair done BEFORE the spring break. It feels good to sew again! (BTW, notice the brand new hardwood floor? It's pretty isn't it)

The bean bag chair is based on this tutorial from Stardust Shoes. It's great to be able to find great patterns on the net, and it's free too, no less.

The applique is upcycled from some of Ben's old bibs...

My new toy and a stroller blanket

I know I know I should be packing, but then I got my new toy - an iPhone 4. And you know what, I can't find a case that I like. They all make the phone too bulky. Plus when I throw my phone into the backpack I don't want my key to scratch the screen. That will be bad. So, I spent the precious 2 hours, when Sarah was in school and Ben was napping, plus a late night, to make this.

It's snug, I have to squeeze the bottom to get the phone out. But I am still happy with it. And I got it out of my system - otherwise I will be thinking about it the whole time I am away from my sewing machine.

And we went to baby Elijah's three-month birthday dinner tonight. Wow what a cute and big boy! Here's what I made for him.

A handmade Christmas

I am done!!!! I am sooo happy! I have been busy busy trying to get them all done before my friend Agnes, one of the recipient, arrived from out of town. I used Lizzy House's Castle Peeps, which I have been saving for the perfect project. I love the way they turned out!

This is my first attempt in free motion quilting. After quilting 5 cushion tops, I think I am finally getting the hang of it. Although it is still far from perfect!

And here's one just for Sarah:

We are less than 2 weeks away from moving to Vancouver. It's time to pack up my sewing machine! It will be hard. Who knows how long it will take us to find a house and be able to take our stuff out from storage. One thing for sure - I am going to whip up a few of these cushion covers for myself.

A needle book

I have been wanting to make one, but it was postponed so I can work on Escher's quilt. Now that it's done, I get to this little project for myself pronto.  I love the bright colors of the front...

There's a little pouch on the left for my thread clipper, and the right side is a flap for the needles...

It is so handy, especially now I am getting my hands on paper piecing. The best thing is it's made entirely of scraps!

A quilt for Escher

The quilt is done and in the wash. This quilt started out as Mixtape II from Oh Fransson. After the initial blocks are pieced, I wanted the blocks to jiggle a bit, as shown here. This last minute change caused the quilt to be bigger than a normal baby quilt, which means it's probably not as easy to carry around and be used with the stroller. I also used the extra blocks to make the piece back, and I still have a few blocks left over. I really want to make a smaller stroller quilt, or a pillow with the leftover blocks. Let's see if I get around to doing it before we move.

I wasn't sure about the quilt front when it was first done. I think the binding really make it pops. I quilted the whole thing with random crossing lines  using painter's masking tape as guide, which allows me keep the line straight and also helps me visualizing the lines before quilting.
 

I am super happy with the way the label turned out...

I can't wait to meet little Escher and give him this quilt. I hope he likes it. 

Last but not least, here's a quick one I made for Ben last month. He loves cars so this road quilt is fun for him to drive all his little cars with. The back is a cute flannel.

This one is for baby Sophia

Here it is... my first baby quilt! This quilt is based on the Charm Squares pattern from Oh, Fransson. It started more boyish than for girl, and sure enough, Alice had a girl. So I tried my best to add girly elements to it. I am liking the hot pink binding. It's in the wash right now, I am so happy! I hope Alice and baby Sophia will like it.

Work in progress...

Between selling our house and dreaming about moving to Vancouver, I still try to keep up with my sewing projects. I am done the quilt for Alice's baby girl - will post pictures of it as soon as I put a little personalized label on.

Here's a picture of another baby quilt that I am working on... can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done.

A baby quilt in the making

After the table runner project, I was determined to make quilts. It's completely coincidental that there are a bunch of new babies coming for friends and family. I know the perfect gifts for the little ones! The first one out the gate will be Alice and David's in October. Since they don't know whether it will be a boy or a girl, the quilt needs to be gender neutral. I decided to make the Charm Squares Baby Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman from Oh, Fransson!. It a super fast and easy pattern which is great as a first quilt project.

Here's what I come up with...

Do you think it's too boyish? Hmm... I hope they are getting a boy. I am going to the fabric store this afternoon for border and binding. I kinda like the way it looks with the light gray in the picture so I may pick something similar.

I am very excited. I plan on quilting it with straight lines similar to my runner. I still need to find the courage to try free motion quilting.

A quilted table runner

I have been very inspired by the modern quilts I saw lately that I want to give it a try. Doing a full side quilt is a bit overwhelming so I choose to start with a table runner. Plus I needed a runner for my sideboard anyway.

I started by cutting rectangles from my scrapes. The plan was to have them running down the middle surrounded by a white/gray prints and then a thick deep blue border.

 

It was ok but I wanted it to be really fresh. The blue border seemed to add too much formality to it. So I decided to have some fun and added a strip of squares on one side...

I quilted it with straight lines across the width. For the border, I picked a darker gray with bold prints. And here's the finished product.

I had so much fun making this that it won't be the last!

More coin pouches

I have been busy the last couple days. Here's me all organized for the coin pouch assembly line...

One for Carol from Toronto...

...one for Faye from a couple blocks away...

...one for mama me, to match my favorite pillow...

... and the last one for Ben?!

I also made two aprons for Carol's little boys, although I wish I had done a better job sewing the bias tapes... oh well.

Don't you think the little gift pouch is a nice touch?

A wallet for Sarah

I was going to sew a coin pouch for myself, so I made this and put it on the console table. The next morning Sarah saw it and asked if it was for her. Well, it is now.

A blanket for Sarah

I got my machines back from the shop! The sewing machine sounded different when I sew, but I wouldn't say it made a huge different. I have to do a few experiments before I can say whether it's worth the money spent. I inherited the machine from my mother-in-law. The machine's 10-year-old and it has never been serviced, so it's probably ok to spurge to have it cleaned and checked.

Anyhow, here's a blanket for Sarah, which she promptly used as picnic blanket for tea party with her dolls.

I took apart one of Ben's minky blanket for backing and hand quilted the random circles. I wanted to add a few more but Sarah couldn't wait!

I miss my sewing machine

I dropped my sewing machine and serger off for service before I went to Vancouver. I am still waiting for them to come back. I so miss my machines!

More bird print cushions

I was hoping for two square cushions with the bird prints, but then I didn't have enough fabric, so I have to patch the second one with my all time favorite Joel Dewberry. I still prefers a set of matching cushions, but I think it looks ok now. The back of the cushions is a super soft black micro suede.

This one is for the beach!

The few of you who followed me are probably tired of seeing the same summer top made so many times, but I made it again, partly because I have no time to trace another pattern, but mostly because this style is so comfortable that it's all I wear now. This time, I used a cotton voile from my stash. It is so light and airy it feels like I am not wearing anything. I considered lengthening it to make a dress, but then I don't usually wear dresses so a top will get much more used.

We are leaving for Kelowna this weekend, and the forecast is sunny and 35C. I am going to bring all my summer tops! Yes, I am the type who will buy the same style of clothing in different colors from store. Happy Summer!

Some like shoes, I like books

A couple weeks ago I went into an online shopping spree and ordered a bunch of books. Today, the books from Amazon arrived via UPS. I am so excited! Didn't really have a chance to sit down with them yet, but I did checked them out at Chapters before ordering. I can't wait to put them to use and sew up a storm!

 Here are some books from the library... all are lovely lovely lovely.

I am still waiting for some Japanese craft and sewing books from YesAsia. What can I say, I am such a sucker for books!

A matching apron for me!

Wow two aprons in one day! That's a record for me. I love Sarah's jungle apron so much that I made one for myself.

I have no more orange bias tape, so I have to improvised. I decided to use the leftover bias tape from my summer top. It's hard to say whether I like the orange trim or this one better. I like them both! How about you?