Echino love with cloud leopards

Last fall I bought myself a yard of this fabulous Echino print from Pink Panda. I love the look on the sitting leopard's face; it is so perfectly "cat". Of course I didn't have a plan for the yard, just a hankering. Now, about 10 months later, it is my turn for the Quilter Bee ladies to sew my blocks, and the dreamy leopard print can feature in a quilt for our bed. I found the perfect natural linen, some pretty grey floral and just daring enough purple dot to complement the cats. What could be more satisfying?

This is my preliminary sketch: 15 blocks and no sashing except for the border.



I'm going to ask for the bee ladies to texturize the linen by making pin-tucks, a little bit like the pleating in this sample from another online bee.



I can't wait to see what everyone does when they get my fabric!

Long Weekend Catch-up

Two new blocks for the Quilter Bees' April member.





Detail of the quilting on Finn's quilt.


Apparently Finn and his parents have been using the baby sling I made quite a lot (see earlier post). It is great to know they find it useful. He looks like a pea in a pod when ensconced!

Finnegan Eli

I can officially assume my godmother title now. Finn was born yesterday, Mothers Day. I've been waiting two weeks for the little guy and the opportunity to post about his quilt.


quilt front


Lambs and Lamb Trellis in citrus.

The fantastic lamb fabric is from Scarlet Fig, by Laurie Wisbrun. I was inspired by Film in the Fridge. It's perfect for baby Finn and his parents, because they live on a Gulf Island and have two sheep.


quilt back - the birds are from a tea towel

Productive Procrastination

It's that kind of productivity that gets the bathroom clean when one has a paper to write. Useful, but something to wonder at. Luckily, my current "must do" project is delightful (a big drawing) and the procrastination distraction has become anything sewing related.



Some careful shopping in the Ikea "As-Is" section as well as a thrift store 50 cent bin have yielded several baby items that can be adorned with colour. Fun! My godbaby-to-be has a great many older cousins whose mum has bequeathed all their outgrown clothing to the expected one. This makes some of my creative actions seem slightly less than necessary, but it doesn't stop me. So far, the adorned-with-colour collection includes 4 bibs and the above onesie.



Much progress has been achiebved on the quilt for the baby too. The back is complete. I used a half of a cute birdie tea towel as one panel, for my Galiano Island farm theme.



The front has some amazing Scarlet Fig lamb fabric by Laurie Wisbrun as well as the trees and brown lattice. All I have to do is sew on the sashing (fudge brown) and get to quilting!

Excited Godmother

Two of my dearest friends are expecting at the end of April, and I get to be their baby's godmother! My excitement has been building slowly, but last night reached bubbling proportions because E and A came into the restaurant where I work and had dessert. A quick online search and perusal of the stash provided me with pattern and fabric for a baby sling. Hopefully it will be a useful item for the new mum and dad.

Modeling a baby sling without the baby seems quite pointless, but the cat wouldn't cooperate. At least one can see the general effect. I found numerous patterns which were all pretty much the same, but the measurements here and also here seemed the most accurate.



I think it's Amy Butler "Nigella" fabric in home dec. weight - the "Imperial Fan" pattern.

Birthday Beauty in Olympic Times

Bright lights on the ground.


I turned 31 the other day, and M and I went for a gorgeous walk before work. Documenting all the signs of spring was one of my goals, since the sun and the warmth have made flowers and leaves burst forth.


Pink and frothy: the cherries and plums.






Laundry on the line. White + White.


Three happy ducks, all in a row.


Forsythia: the yellow hallmark of winter's end.

Sewing Space

Our house changed configuration recently, when a friend moved into our spare room to start is PhD at UBC. My sewing space had to be re-jigged into the living room, which surprisingly has worked out quite well. I recovered the ironing board, so it wasn't such a drab eyesore, and now all the splashes of colour look cheerful and inviting.

The fabric for the ironing board came from the discount section of the Textile Clearance House, which means it was only $2/yd!

Finally, a Photographed Finish

Completed cat and bird quilt, at long last! Soon to go to its forever home where a new baby is expected.


It's been so long since I posted anything here, it would seem that I'd abandoned ship. However, that is not quite true. Things have just got a little off course, in terms of blogging and sewing and taking pictures:) What follows is a brief catch-up on a few projects. More to follow!



Detail of the quilting.


I really love how the simplicity of the back contrasts the busyness of the front.


A star block for my quilting bee, which turned out to be quite challenging for my not-so-precision quilting skills.


And a churn dash block, which was fun and easy!

I've got a new quilt underway, for home use, and an appliqued duvet cover under works for my parents. It's the iteration of the forest branches blocks, made mum and dad friendly. They're not really quilt people, so the duvet cover seemed like a good solution.

Learning with Block Party

The twelve dancing princesses / talented quilters from Block Party are not only holding a fabulous giveaway, they're also charting the development of online quilting bees and providing both instruction and inspiration for us all. I only discovered Handmade by Alissa in the summer, and via Alissa's blog, I came to know about online bees, her involvement with Block Party, and to see some of their lovely quilts. A book about the quilting bee and online community is in process, guided by Alissa. I can't imagine a better way to research the modern quilt phenomenon than to get the online quilters to participate in the making and compilation of information and documented projects. Reaching out to all of us who are connected by a love of fabric, colour and design, the book will contain photographs of the quilt squares we piece over the next year.


...one of the fat-quarter giveaway packs...

I'm just excited by the prospect of witnessing all the different ideas and varying approaches to a given design or tutorial. There will be a lot of learning and happy sewing!

Little Houses for Quilter Bee Anna

These are the houses I made for the October member of my online quilting bee group, "Quilter Bees". I'm so glad I joined the bee, since I'm learning a lot but in very manageable snippets of productivity. If only so much of my time wasn't devoted to pastry school these days!

Measley Mouth the Puppet

My boyfriend's nephew is turning 2 this month. He calls me "Aunty BB" because he can't pronounce my name yet, and he knows I have a horse although he's been too shy to come for a ride. In lieu of the real thing, at least for a little while, I decided to make him a puppet. I found some convenient scraps and crafty bits at a local thrift shop, and set to work.



I think Measley Mouth turned out pretty well! I'd love to make some more animals.



"Do you have any apples for me?" Asked Mr Measley Mouth.



"Look at my fine shaggy coat, perfect for winter camouflage!" The old horse neighed.

Branching Out

I've started piecing a queen top - my biggest yet. It's for my mum and dad, hopefully in time for Christmas. Gleaning some improvisational tips from other bloggers, the style is "chopsticks". Since my parents live in a temperate rain forest, and there bedroom windows look out onto tree branches that include deciduous as well as coniferous trees, I decided that my version of the block is called "branches". Especially with the fabrics chosen, there is a leafy, foresty feel to the quilt already!

(The green tape doesn't do much for the aesthetics right now, I know. My design wall needs white tape that won't mar the paint.)

New Book: Great Lakes, Great Quilts

I was in Gibsons this weekend and found a great quilt book at the local mall's sale book stand. On Friday I walked away from it, thinking "you don't need that" but then on Sunday I was still thinking about it so out came the $7.99!


Great Lakes, Great Quilts has 12 patterns inspired by heritage quilts in the collection of the Michigan State University Museum. The first half of the book speaks about the collection, providing an historical perspective for modern quilters. I found it fascinating to read of women who had immigrated to the USA from Britain, bringing their quilting traditions, as well as the story-telling appliques of the First Nations and African-American people. There are pictures of quilts made entirely of cigar ribbons, quilts that have been in families for 100 years, and quilts from an international collection that showcase things like poisonous insects from China!

I am most excited about trying the Stove Eye pattern. The String Plate project is also cool looking, and comes with detailed sewing tips. It's very useful to have a book in hand with instructions on technique and piecing methods.

Friendship Bag Fun

I made my friendship bag, for the swap, last night. It's all pieced from scraps, and even part of an old collared shirt. Although I don't sew at my best after 10pm, I stayed up until midnight to put the last top stitch on the wee bag. I like finishing something all in one go!

Do you think my swap friend will like it? She's into green, and seems like a cheerful, feminine lady.

Stipple Dipple Dapple Cat

I got a free motion foot for the Bernina yesterday, technically a #15 embroidery foot, and tried it out today. It seemed a good idea to practice stippling, but a waste to practice on something that would get discarded, so I made a hot mat. Or maybe it's a pot holder. Whatever it is, it's alright. The cheery red and white polka dot print is fun. I liked the wide, lazy, curvy lines I quilted at first. Then I thought I should practice loop-de-loops and wee turns. I'm less keen on those, although they have their place aesthetically.

The free motion foot and no feed dogs is a totally new sewing sensation. One has to be so careful not too pull or push the fabric too much, because then the stitch length gets all weird. I had to go pretty slow in order to make relatively even stitches, but they are certainly far from perfect. Practice practice, I suppose. Knowing me, I'll practice on a genuine quilt. I'm way too impatient to spend hours on things I don't really want to make. On the other hand, when I have an opportunity to take cute cat pictures, it all seems well worthwhile.



Christopher Robin looking super sweet.

My First Finish, Learning with Bernina

My mum bought a Bernina Activa 130 about 12 years ago. It's basic and deluxe at the same time, and really has all the features I could ever ask for in a machine. The tension is always dreamy, the motor is quiet, the feed dogs drop down at the press of a button (I just learned that) and it memorizes the first button-hole you sew and then makes them all the same size after that. It is super sweet of mum to let me borrow her Bernina for weeks on end, but I still mourn the days when I have to return it. My machine is a 1990s Singer that refuses to cooperate even with the simplest task. It balks at seams longer than five inches, creates a tangle when put in reverse, has sloppy tension no matter how carefully one checks and adjusts, and the thread breaks all the time. I do remember when it was working fine. I was in elementary school and then junior high, and I was allowed to mend horse blankets with it. Probably I killed it with that treatment. Horse blankets weigh about 100lbs (well, maybe 15lbs), use cordura nylon, wool, batting and thick webbing straps, and always smell even when they're clean. Poor Singer. No wonder you hate me now.

This is my first quilty finish ever. "Peachy"





I did a little strip of piecing on the back. I almost like it better than the front.



The binding was a labour of late nights, but worth the effort.

I'm hoping to get a free motion quilting foot for Bernina this week, when the parts man is back on deck at my local sewing machine store. With my first finish, the Peachy coin quilt, I didn't know how to lower the feed dogs and had the regular presser foot on. The end result is fine, but it was one of the most arduous sewing tasks ever, and of course there are little puckers that caused frustration. Hopefully quilting the Cats & Birds quilt I've pieced for my boyfriend's sister will go much more smoothly.



My arduous quilting adventure turned out OK, but I don't recommend right angled turns.



The top of the second quilt. I'm calling it "Cats and Birds" and I imagine that they're in a garden with a lattice fence.



The back is quite plain, but does have a 1/2 yard piece of super cute owl fabric. "Spotted Owls" by Alexander Henry.



Just some close-ups of 2 blocks.



Fabricland eked a good deal of money out of me this weekend as they had a 50% off everything sale. I have "Warm and Natural" batting for 3 queen size quilts, bamboo stuffing for the making of fun little creatures, fabric for two dress patterns I bought in the spring (some at $1/metre!) and some really fabulous solids and prints to round out the fancy fabrics I got online this summer when my quilting frenzy started. I'm even a proud quilter with real olfa tools now too, which were also 50% off! How cool is that. No more painful scissoring!



After getting all this pink, I need a girlie girl to sew for! The top fabric is an espresso brown, not black.


The ice blue didn't come out that well in the photo, but it's very pretty.