need a new project? or ten?

can you believe that we're almost to february? we're 3 weeks into january! how did that happen?!!?


there are SO MANY THINGS going on in blog-land these days. i'm a little disturbed by it, to tell you the truth. how do all of these people have time? why aren't they spending their januarys finishing late christmas presents? did they all just throw up their hands in defeat on december 31st? that must be it. and really, good for them. if the presents are late, they're late, an extra month or two won't make a difference. or maybe they said screw the handmade gifts for 2011... i applaud that as well.

i was wishing that i had the time to do a quilt-a-long or two, but that's just not gonna happen at the moment. then i decided to keep track of the interesting quilt-a-longs so that i could go back to them when i DID have time, and there were so many of them that my list turned into this post. if you know of others, leave a comment with a link, please.




there are multiple scrappy quilt-alongs at the moment, and it seems to be good timing - enough people have been quilting long enough to have ridiculous scrap piles!

Jodi from Pleasant Home is running a Sew Scraps Along with tons of inspirational posts, links to tutorials, prizes and so much more.

Rachel over at Stitched in Color is doing a Scrap Attack Quilt-a-long, with weekly tutorials and/or interviews with other bloggers. and if you finish a scrap quilt by the end of March, you can win prizes!

justabitfrayed is doing a scrappy quilt-a-long with a specific pattern, and it's so pretty!

however, the most popular Quilt-Alongs by far are star or sparkle themed. HUGE trend for 2012, obviously! (and isn't my little group quilt cutting edge then?)

Chelsea from Pins and Bobbins is running a quilt-a-long for the Made In Cherry star quilt designed by Sarah Fielke

Faith from Fresh Lemons is doing a sampler style quilt-a-long that's all different star blocks, called Solstice Stars.

Jeni from In Color Order and Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations are coordinating a Sparkle Quilt Along that's super cute.

Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson is running a quilt-a-long for her pattern Sparkle Punch.
here's a pillow top made up by flickr user GoingSewCrazy. isn't it gorgeous!?

Hannah from Heartbreak Homestead has posted the first block of her Starry Skies Sampler Quilt project, and it's very lovely.


and vintage sheet stars!!! Holly told me about this yesterday, and i'm so in love! Sheila at Thought and Found is creating a stunning star quilt, with blocks that she's designed as well as blocks designed by various guests. i know i totally don't have time for such an ambitious project, but oh my goodness!

if you're not into stars, you still have a few other options...

Jeni from In Color Order has started an HST block of the month for 2012, so you could do that instead!

or how about the Swoon-a-long that Katy from Monkey Do is organizing, using the
Swoon pattern by Camille Roskelley?

or the monthly mini-quilt sew-along that Randi at I Have To Say is doing for 2012? each quilt will start on the 2nd tuesday of every month, and the supply list will go up about a week before that. january was courthouse steps, don't they look lovely?

Sarah from Narcoleptic in a Cupboard is in the process of designing a really lovely quilt as well, called the Stained QAL because of the quilt's stained glass look. you can see the original quilt here.

Jenna at Sew Happy Geek is doing a modern/traditional mixed sampler style quilt-along that looks awfully cute. 3 blocks have been posted so far, and the flickr group is so pretty!


Kim's Crafty Apple is coordinating a House and Tree Quilt-Along that could be super fun! there will be 16 blocks total, all designed by different people, and each block will contain either a house or a tree, or both. Two blocks have been posted so far, and more are coming! i saw a sneak peak of the block that will be released on January 31st and it's GORGEOUS! seriously, i think i'd be happy making 16 of that same block.... as everyone in the VMQG knows, Terry's pretty amazing.

or maybe you'd rather focus on colour for your theme? Pantone released their official colour of the year, and it's "Tangerine Tango" Ali from a²(w) and Erin from Two More Seconds are hosting a Tangerine Tango Quilt Challenge, complete with two categories and awesome prizes! the flickr group is already starting to look pretty fabulous... and i'm not even an orange fan!

and if you're thinking that your freemotion could use some help,
Leah from the Free Motion Quilting Project has started a new project for 2012

and Sew Cal Gal is also doing a year-long Free Motion Quilt Challenge, with monthly prizes!

or how about something completely superfluous? QuiltJane is hosting a "Dress up your Roll" contest. Yes, THAT roll! it is possible to make toilet paper covers that don't involve ruffled dresses and half barbies - just think of them as mug rugs in tube form! you can enter as many times as you like, and the international prize is pretty damn fine. my toilet paper roll might be needing an outfit...



so. feeling motivated? you've got lots to start with!




apparently Fat Quarterly blogged about some of these the other day.... i'd say that this will be a lesson to me on getting my ass in gear and not leaving drafts in blogger for weeks at a time while i add to them - and on keeping up with other blogs - but frankly, i haven't learned anything! it just means that great minds think alike, that's all. right? ;)

what do you do when you don't feel like sewing?

sorry for the radio silence folks.

i kinda lost my mojo for a few weeks after christmas. i still feel like i'm recovering from the entire month of december, but at least i've started sewing again. my sewing machine was unplugged for over a week!

i had to switch machines to hem a pair of pants for my little brother - i know, i said i wouldn't hem his pants anymore, but he suckered me in! he'd actually been acting like a real human being, and he gave me a sob story about how he was flying back the day before he started work, and wouldn't have time, blah, blah, blah. so i hemmed them, and since my brother machine does an awesome blind hem stitch, i switched out machines. after i'd put the brother away, my janome just sat there, not even plugged in, until i finally got motivated this past week. i was determined to finish my Habitat quilt before the FVMQG meeting, so that got me going a bit.



one thing i have been doing, since i haven't been sewing, has been baking. yay, baking!

while i was in manitoba i wanted to make sugar cookies, but i couldn't get my hands on the ingredients for my usual amazing recipe (whether you're vegan or not, they're AWESOME!). i searched and found a few recipes, and decided to go with this one, which i found on this blog, though i used margarine, not butter, and didn't have any cream of tartar. they still turned out great! i followed the suggestion to put the cut out cookies in the freezer for 15 minutes before popping them in the oven, and i think it made a big difference in the spreading.



they disappeared within 3 days, i think! isn't my platter neat? i think i paid $0.25 for it. totally a good score.


after christmas i decided to make another batch, again using margarine, but this time i didn't have vanilla, but did have cream of tartar! (i usually steal my sister's vanilla, but i made the dough late at night.) since i was at home, i had a lot more selection of cookie cutters, and i had fun using a bunch of them.

i made some simpler shapes, as well as some gnomes (which totally don't look like gnomes unless you do a fancy job of icing them!). i found this key cutter in my stash that i'd forgotten about, so i made a bunch of keys, and coordinating hearts. (aw. key to my heart. isn't that sappy?) i was so excited when i found the silver jimmies... but they're chocolate! i didn't realize that when i used them, and chocolate's kind of eh on sugar cookies. but it was okay, they were still yummy.



and then i made a tray full of strawberries, and had fun icing them. pretty, huh?



i also made a bunch of teensy-weensy cupcake shaped cookies, which i used to decorate cake cupcakes for a friend's birthday.



i didn't intend to match the icing with the tupperware, but they look pretty good together, don't they?




i'm craving sugar cookies now! why don't they sell sugar cookies at the grocery store like they do chocolate chip and oreos? there's obviously a gap in cookie manufacturing here.

happy new year and congratulations!!

hi all! happy new year!


i know lots of other folks have fabulous mosaics of things that they made in 2011, but frankly, i'm so behind on posting the things that i've made, i'm not ready to make a mosaic!


i've also been thinking new years-ish thoughts, but they'll have to wait until i've had more sleep.


did you have a good new year's eve? i went to a potluck supper with friends that was lovely, and fairly quiet, and then, for the first time in YEARS, i went to a house party with tons of drunk people. it was amusing for a while, especially since i was one of the few sober people there, but by the end of the night the amusement wore off and i realized, damn, i'm too old for this shit! it was still a good night, seeing people that i hadn't seen in forever (years, in one case), randomly running into someone who went to the same high school as me (and getting a great bit of gossip), cuddling with one of my favourite people for much of the evening (except when some drunk girl asked me to move so that she could hit on him - who does that?!).


i've told myself that the first week of the new year is all about paperwork and catchup, as unexciting as that it. it needs to be done!


but i wanted to pop in and tell y'all who won the Birthday Giveaway!


the winner is.....





that's Hadley, from Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle. Hadley came over thanks to Krista's tweet, which is kinda awesome, dontcha think?


thank you so much to everyone who entered, for your birthday wishes and lovely comments, but mostly just for visiting my blog and commenting. you're the ones who make blogging fabulous!

Hexie Coaster Tutorial

(are you looking for my birthday giveaway? you still have time to enter!)


i promised you a tutorial!



here, it is, finally! wanna make some coasters?

they're easy, they're quick and they're cute, perfect for last minute hostess gifts! or maybe you're one of those always prepared people? whip some up for next christmas, while you're still in a festive mood - imagine that, having presents for next year before 2011 even ends!


you'll need:
- your main fabric
- accent fabric for the centre hexies
- fabric for the backs of the coasters, either a single piece or scraps to piece together
- cotton batting
- 505 spray adhesive
- thread to match the main fabric (optional)
- thread to match the accent fabric
- sewing machine with a walking foot



Step One:
- Print out the hexie templates available HERE and HERE. (right click on the original sized template to save it) You'll only need one coaster template, no matter how many coasters you make, but you need one hexie template for each coaster. i think 6 is a good set, but if you're a small family, you might only make two or three. or if things tend to get lost at your house, you might want to make more!
- Cut them out so that they're ready to use. note that the seam allowance is included on the coaster piece, but not on the applique piece - but don't worry, if you follow the directions, you'll be fine!
- Pin the coaster template onto your main fabric and cut out as many coasters as you'd like to make.


if you're using a directional or geometric print, you'll need to cut them carefully to ensure that they're all straight.


but if it's an all over print, feel free to fold your fabric and cut multiple layers at once.

Step 2:
- Pin the small hexie templates onto your accent fabric, spacing them out so you'll have enough seam allowance for each one.



Step 3:
- Cut out your hexies, leaving at least 1/4" around each template.


depending on your fabric, you might want to leave more than 1/4" for seam allowance. for these, i weas using a linen that is a bit looser weave than regular cotton, so i left a bit larger seam allowance. better safe than sorry, right?

Step 4:
- thread a hand sewing needle with any colour of thread, because you're only basting here, and knot the end of your thread. (it's the perfect time to use up the ends of bobbins!)
- baste the seam allowance to the back of each hexie. i leave the pins in from cutting them out, and start on an edge where i can fold the allowance over without having to remove the pins until i've basted at least 2 sides.


you don't need to do a ton of basting stitches, usually just the corners will suffice.


once you've basted all of the sides, make a small knot, clip the thread, and move onto the next one!

Step 4:
- press the crap out of them, and set them aside. if you're worried about scorching your fabric, use a press cloth, but make sure that you press them well.


i should note that this is just how i make hexies. if you google "english paper piecing tutorial", there are TONS of them out there, including videos.

Step 5:
- Grab your 505 spray (or some other brand, but honestly, i haven't found any others that compare), a piece of newspaper or something else to protect your table, your cut out main fabric pieces, and your scraps of cotton batting.



Step 6:
- Spray a portion of the batting, and smooth one of the coaster pieces onto it. Move on to the next piece, protecting the one you just glued down with another piece of newsprint or scrap paper as you spray. Continue spray basting until all of the pieces are adhered.



Step 7:
- Cut out the pieces that you spray basted onto the batting.



Step 8:
- Take the basted hexies that you set aside after step 4. carefully remove your basting stitches and slip the paper template out.




because you pressed the hell out of it, the folds should stay when you remove the paper template.

Step 9:
- Line a hexie up on the front of each batting and main fabric piece. you can eyeball it, but i use a quilting ruler to make sure that it's an equal difference from each edge.


once you're happy with the positioning, pin the hexie in place.

Step 10:
- Thread your sewing machine with thread to match the applique hexie. using a moderate stitch length, stitch the hexie onto the main fabric/batting piece. stitch close to the edge of the applique hexie, and backstitch a few stitches at the beginning and end. if you'd prefer to not backstitch, just pull your threads to the backside and knot them off, but i hate doing that unless i really really have to! repeat until all of the hexies have been appliqued onto all of the coasters.


i found it easiest to adjust the needle position on my machine so that the edge of the hexie lined up with an edge of the walking foot.

Step 11:
- Using the same template pattern that you used for the main fabric, cut out a back piece for each coaster. you can use a single piece of fabric for your backing, or you can stitch together strips of coordinating fabrics and cut your pieces out of that.



Step 12:
- Place a back piece face down on the appliqued front and pin around the edges.


see the yellow pin? pay attention that that!

Step 13:
- If you'd like, set up your machine with thread that matches your main fabric. since my backs were also red, i just stuck with the colour i used for the appliques. start stitching at least 1/4" away from a corner (start where the yellow pin is on the photo above!), and stop a similar distance from the other corner, leaving a space to turn the coaster right side out. use a seam allowance of aproximately 1/4", but it's not the end of the world if it's not exact. i lined mine up with the edge of the walking foot.



Step 14:
- Once all of the fronts and backs are sewn together, clip the corners of each coaster. we're doing this to reduce bulk within the seam allowance once the coaster is turned, but be careful that you don't cut your stitching.



Step 15:
- Turn your coasters right side out. i use a pair of scissors with rounded tips to push the corners out.


to stop myself from pushing the tip through the fabric, i only push from the front, where there's batting to help cushion it.

Step 16:
- Finger press the coaster flat, and turn in the edges of the opening you left. pin the opening closed, and add a pin to each edge to keep the coasters flat and even.



Step 17:
- Using the thread that matches your applique and that contrasts with your main fabric, sew all the way around each coaster. try to sew close to the edge, to make sure that you catch the seam allowances of the opening and stitch it shut.


once again, i've adjusted the needle position on my machine so that the edge of the coaster lines up with the edge of the walking foot.

Step 18:
- After you've stitched the edge of the coaster, move to the middle of the coaster and stitch around the appliqued hexie, about 1/4" away from the hexie.



Step 19:
- Now we're going to fill in the remaining two lines of quilting. you might want to test this on one coaster, maybe even machine baste a few lines, because i really just spaced out my lines of quilting based on needle position. if you're really worried, you could use chalk to mark your quilting lines, but then you'll have to wash it out.


i did one line based on the outside line of stitching, and then centred the last line between the one i just did and the line that echos the applique.


(that sounds confusing to say, but i think it's pretty straightforward when you look at the photo.)

Step 20:
- Pour yourself a drink, cause you're DONE! Didn't i tell you that they're easy-peasy?



whew! did you follow all of that? it's been a while since i've written a tutorial, and technical writing is definately not my forte - which i'm a-ok with, cause technical writing is always a bit boring, don't you think?



let me know if you have ANY questions, and if you make a set of coasters, show me! i wanna see!