More new stuff

I mentioned in one of my previous posts about making a key bag and a cell phone bag for my eldest daughter who wanted them so she could easily find them in her cross body bag (which I also made for her.) Well, even though I forgot to take a photo of them, she did.

The cell phone holder was made with a scrap of sweatshirt fleece I had on hand. I used my husband's cell phone as a pattern since I don't own one. The key holder was so much fun to make. I searched the internet for free patterns and once I found one I liked, I sent the link to my daughter but she vetoed them. I finally found this one and didn't even show her because I figured it was just perfect.

It's not even a real pattern. It's a youtube video. I used an upholstery sample that I had in my stash (there are so many more to use up.) The lady in the video is Laura Ann Coia and this is called an Easy Zipper Pouch. It took hardly any time to make. I will be making more in the future. You are not stuck with just one size as she says you can make the pouch in any size you wish. I just needed a small one and so I went with the sizes she used in her video. Laura is a Canadian and she was a guest speaker at one of the guilds I belong to. I was surprised when I came across this video. I know she has a lot of youtube videos out there - some are sewing related and others are tutorials for quilters.

Here's block 32.

This is the block for the 33rd week of 52 Blocks in 52 Weeks. This took no time at all to make.

I'm still working on my Row quilt so once it's finished, I shall show you what it looks like.

New paper piecing pattern

There are some people who don't like paper piecing but I don't mind it. Although it's an old technique, it's not that old a use in modern quilting. I remember the first time I saw it used was in a quilt magazine. It could have been Quilters' Newsletter. I never did try it then but I have done several paper piecing projects since. Some bird patterns come to mind - like a crow. They are fun patterns and there are some quilt pattern designers who specialize in the technique. I am a pattern tester for one such designer. Her name is Aimee Leptick. She designed a cute pattern for last year's Row by Row Experience. It was a bull dog with earphones on his head. If I find the pattern in my files, I'll show you. That's not the pattern that I tested though.

This is the one I tested. It's called Evening Horizon and Aimee designed the pattern for the Stonehenge Fabric Anniversary. She has made it with two different fabric lines.

Pop on over HERE  to read about it and there's a link to the pattern which is half price for one week only. It's a 12" by 18" pattern so it's not that big or difficult to put together if you are at all hesitant to do paper piecing. I had fun with it and it will get quilted and hung on my newly painted walls.

New beginnings

Well here it is, September already. Today is a pleasant day with a high of 23C. The family are all coming over for a barbecue later. Tomorrow is a holiday, Labour Day. Then starts school. The twins will be going into senior kindergarten and starting French immersion. Teemu will be starting junior kindergarten. His very first day of real school. He has gone to preschool so this is just the next step. One teacher, a teacher's assistant and lots of new friends to make. Since he doesn't live too far away, he will be going to the same school as the twins and either I or my husband will be picking them all up after school. We have all day kindergarten here so it will be a long day for the little ones who are only four years old. At the end of the month, the twins will be turning five and their cousin Atticus and aunt Ayla will be here to celebrate.

Here's a photo from last Thursday at the park. There is a farmers' market that day and we all went over and had a picnic. The three little ones in the foreground are the ones starting school.

We've had painters here for the past two weeks painting our upstairs and downstairs hallways and two of our bedrooms. The hall is all white and the bedrooms got a new coat of colour.

Here we are getting set up for the painters. Those are two floor model sewing machines under cover. One is a treadle.

The smallest bedroom is getting the brightest colour. 

Teal or turquoise.

All of our closet doors were just wood and clear varnish so we decided to get all of them painted white.

Complete now with new drapes.

I'm very happy with it. The colour glows into the hall with all the light that comes from the window (which we had made bigger last year when we got new windows.)

The one bedroom where everything from two bedrooms was stored. We are in the process of putting things back so this bedroom can then get painted.

The 'before' photo of the other bedroom. The walls matched the carpeting. You can see the undercoat that was put on the closet doors.

There are two big closets and four doors to be painted. It's like a second master bedroom.

The 'after' shot. I chose a light gray. It will have dark gray drapes to filter out the morning sun which beats into this room.

It's a nice change.

The hall with new paint on the walls, the ceiling and the closet doors. The railing got a new coat of black paint. With little ones running around things get nicked and it's been years since we had the hall painted. It was white then and I like white. The area around our skylight got cleaned up and painted too. I often take photos of what I'm sewing under the skylight. There's lots of room and lots of light.

The opposite shot of the 'new' hall. You can see the glow from the turquoise room.

Our front door and the new white hall walls. 

The other shot with new white closet doors. That's the kitchen back there. It will be getting a facelift in the next couple of years.

This is my sewing room door. I got a new door handle put on. All the other doors had new ones so I didn't see why I had to have the old round brass one. This one is modern and brushed nickel. The light switch now has a cover. I did get my son-in-law to install new ceiling lighting last fall but I don't like it and will be putting the old one back on. I found the new one to be too focused on where the light shines. The old fixture had a broader light.

The walls will be getting pictures and quilts put on them but we've been slow to do all that. We are in no hurry.

Some new sewing

Continuing on with the weekly sew along of making 52 blocks - all finishing at 6 inches, here's the latest installment.

These are blocks 30 and 31. I didn't realize that I had used 2 of the same fabrics. I think it's because they were on the top of my green pile.

In between sewing blocks and putting a quilt together, I decided to make my little granddaughter a new hat. I did an internet search for free patterns hoping I could find something other than the bucket hat that I have made in the past. I found one that was offered by Ottobre magazine. It's a Finnish magazine but the instructions are in English and I found it very easy to make.

We have bubble machines for the little ones.

The hat was made with a bottom weight fabric but I still managed to put two thinner pieces of interfacing on the brim.

I love the fact that the brim could be folded up too.

The back of the brim is short so it doesn't affect wear and won't brush up against her back.

Esme and her new hat.

The pattern was so easy that I will be making more in the future.

Just some sewing

In between globetrotting and family time this summer, I managed to do a bit of sewing.

These are the blocks for weeks 25 and 26 of the Canadian Quilters' Association's 52 blocks in 52 weeks.

I also managed to repair my eldest daughter's quilt.

This is the 'before' photo of what I was repairing. This one fabric was cotton but I guess the thread count wasn't too great because the only blades of the grandmother's fan blocks that needed repairing were these.

I tried to keep up with the weekly blocks and these are blocks 27 and 28.

Block 29. I have completed block 30 but I forgot to take a photo.

I'm also trying to keep up with the Quilters of Faith BOM. These are blocks 19 and 20.

Today I made a couple of small pouches or bags. Unfortunately, I didn't think of taking a photo of them until they were sealed in an envelope and in the mail. My daughter requested them so she won't have to go searching around the bottom of her bag for her keys and phone.