Check out the back!

I made this table runner for a dear friend's birthday. The inspiration was this woven ribbons block pattern and a bundle of muted blue/grey FQs.

The three white areas produced when the blocks were put together just begged for embellishment, so I enlisted my mom and her embroidery machine to sew a design in there. I picked one that fit with the floral and circle theme of the fabrics. The quilting is simple straight lines following the woven ribbons pattern, which meant a lot of stopping and starting.

I think my favourite part, oddly, is the back with its mini table runner floating on the deep blue fabric.

No scrap was spared. But with the fun detail on the back, I think that side is worthy of showing off, too.

Riding fool

This isn't a crafting accomplishment, but I just reached 2,000 kilometres for the cycling season. (Sadly cold, dry winter air doesn't mix well with exercise-induced asthma, so my cycling is limited to spring to fall.) Maybe I've earned a few fat quarters from this bike-inspired collection?

Crafter's paradise

I made this bunting for my CFF Tara to celebrate our trip to the crafting mecca of Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this past weekend, and also to lessen the sting of a bunting-related injury. It can happen.

If you haven't been to a Renegade show, go! All these amazing crafters gather together to sell their stuff in a really fun, casual environment. The Chicago show was huge! More than 300 vendors created what seemed like an endless line of tents stretching far beyond what my camera could capture. For lunch we had ridiculously delicious shrimp tacos from one of the many food stands.

I found some favourite card makers like Kate Funk and My Zoetrope, and new favourites like Genevieve Santos, Little Canoe and fellow Canuck Mehoi, and picked up a new Red Prairie Press top. It was a great crafty excursion with a great crafty friend! Made even sweeter with a generous amount of Chicago mix popcorn. That was lunch one day because we wanted to eat light before digging into a deep dish pizza for dinner. Makes sense, right?

Chicago is a lovely city, even on a foggy morning.