Round the corner

My quilting projects are incrementally growing bigger, up to a lap quilt now. But boy did that thing seem monumentally huge on my first go at handsewing the binding.

The inspiration was this Film in the Fridge tutorial on strip quilts and this amazing September Lights fabric I stumbled on while doing a little crafty perusing on etsy.

It's pretty simple - cut a bunch of strips of various sizes, arrange them until you're happy, then start sewing. Easy peasy. On the back, I sandwiched a few strips between two large pieces of the two fabrics I especially liked.

Foreseeing the epic battle on the quilting ground between me and my sewing machine that, make no mistake, I would lose, this was my first outsourced quilting project. And she did such a lovely job, both straight lines and a simple pattern inside the wider strips. Worth every penny.

All that was left was the binding. And so it sat. All my smaller quilt projects I zipped around the binding with my machine. But with such painstaking handquilting, it seemed wrong to do the binding with any less effort. So armed with a needle and thread with a stack of movies at the ready, I got started.

And kept stitching, stitching and stitching. Then stitching some more.

I finished this afternoon and immediately headed outside, quilt tucked under my arm and camera in hand to capture the last of the afternoon sun. Unfortunately as I was taking pictures of a quilt spread out on the grass, I was joined by my neighbour, the strong silent type who was doing the uber-manly task of charring meat on the backyard barbecue. I stuck with small talk instead of attempting an explanation, and I'm sure he headed back inside with yet another tale of the crazy neighbour. But, seriously dude, any crafter would know in an instant what was going on and jump in to hold it up for a photo.

A post addendum ... I got up to toss my new quilt into the dryer and immediately noticed the dog bed at my feet. Which is about the same size, only the pattern - a split nine patch - is far more intricate. Not to mention the crazy amount of quilting, including the bottom side of the cushion. The fabric was more expensive, too. What the heck!? I made my dog a better quilt than myself!

PA

Despite my general embargo on weekend shopping because the only thing worse than shopping is shopping in a crowd, I braved a trip to Fabricland for their half-price sale. How can I resist the siren call of everything 50 per cent off?

I always forget they have a pretty good selection of quilting cotton that includes many popular lines - like the ikat I used for my wiksten. The new spring collection included one with delicate pink and orange flowers on white that looked like watercolour. As I held the bolt and a co-ordinating one with soft rectangles in oranges and pinks, I wondered what could I do with this fabric too beautiful to not buy. The answer popped into my head as quickly as I dismissed it - pillow cases. I need a crafting intervention. No more pillow cases. That is after I post these two sets, one for a friend's birthday with Jay McCarroll fabric and the last with Hawaiian fabric earmarked for bedding:

How pretty is this Hawaiian print?

Now, that's not to say I don't have more Hawaiian fabric. I bought a bunch more for napkins, including this hibiscus print on red. Again I was seduced by the siren song of a sale. As I unfolded and unfolded and unfolded the whack of fabric, I remembered the good price and the moment of craziness when I asked for four yards. Four yards! Let me tell you ladies, that is tricky to iron! Especially since I washed it first, which meant trying to do a decent job folding that length in half.

I cut it all up to make 18-inch square napkins - the maximum size with the minimum wasted. Consulting Martha's sewing bible, she said the standard dinner napkin size is 20- or 24-inch square. Wha!?! That's practically a tablecloth.

So now a dozen Hawaiian napkins are on the crafting list. And no more pillow cases (thus the blog post name: PA - pillow cases anonymous). Right now I am handsewing the binding onto my lap quilt, going along at a snail's pace. But yesterday I turned a corner on that - two literally - and the end is in sight.

Hawaiian dreams

While I was in Hawaii, I picked up yards and yards of lovely Hawaiian fabric. Because the patterns and colours are a bit wild, I figured it would be best to use it in small doses. The plan - pillow cases and napkins. Then you can have a flavour of the unique fabric without it being too in-your-face.

I've finished three sets of pillow cases for friends, with one more part way done for myself. Now we can all have sweet Hawaiian dreams.

I wrapped them up in bundles with leftover fabric strips.

Now onto the napkins. I may regret the idea a few mitered corners in.

Shovel and stitch

I learned an important lesson - don't try to top stitch right after shovelling heavy snow for an hour. It makes sewing straight lines darn near impossible. But my seam ripper and I forged ahead.

I wanted to make my dad handkerchiefs as a little gift for his 75th birthday. After much rummaging through my fabric stash - the pinks, florals and cute critters - I found a couple masculine-ish fat quarters. A little ironing and semi-straight seams later, I had two handkerchiefs.

I love that my dad still uses handkerchiefs. So old school. It's too bad such gentlemanly habits slipped away. Now you've got guys walking around with their pants hanging below their butts. That is if they're not wearing pyjama bottoms.

Wiksten #1

Finally! I joined the Wiksten club. My CFF Tara and I signed up for class at Greenwood and in a few hours I was well on my way to finishing my own tank top in a muted ikat fabric picked up at the shop.

Knowing it was highly unlikely I'd remember just how to finish the cuffs if I put it off for another day, I pulled out the sewing machine when I got home to finish the job. I woke up several times in the night picturing how the bias strip goes into the arm hole.

With Wiksten #1 under my belt, I picked up fabric for #2. And so it begins.

Hawaiian escape

I was lucky enough this January to leave the winter behind me for a family trip to Hawaii. After a day in flip flops and skirts, I forgot all about snow and ice.

Although I was away from my sewing machine, it was not forgotten. I searched out fabric shops and found a few great ones, including Kimura's on the Big Island. Stepping through the doors was like a trip back in time. I don't think it has changed since opening more than a half century ago. When the elderly store owner cut my fabric, she laid it out on a box of standing rolls and measured with a wooden yard stick.

I picked up a whole bunch of great Hawaiian prints. Some is destined for pillow cases (already started) and others for napkins. I figure just a splash of the kinda kitschy fabric is enough. No Hawaiian shirts for me.

The selection in a shop near where we were staying in Kauai was overwhelming. Needless to say, my suitcase was a tad heavy leaving Hawaii, weighing in at just over 50 pounds (and about 10 heavier than when I left home).

On a search for a spot to stop in lunch, we happened upon a yarn and ukelele shop. Yup - yarn and ukeleles. There was a great selection of hand-dyed yarns and I picked up one for myself and two for presents.

I wrapped up one of the skeins with a hibiscus stitch marker. The colours, especially the orangey one, remind me of the island and a wonderful winter escape.

Before I could ease into a Hawaiian state of mind, I had to answer that most difficult question facing every crafter packing for a trip - what craft do I bring? I settled on a cross stitch Bill Murray. Freaking awesome.

Frosty morning

The frost this morning was amazing - I've never seen such huge ice crystals. It was like all the barren branches grew sparkling new white leaves.

Usually when there's frost, the morning is grey and foggy. But this morning's clear blue sky and bright sun made the wintery scene magical.