Japanese change purses

I have been crushing on coin purses ever since seeing a tutorial on the Purl Bee. While I splurged and bought some Liberty fabric, I could not bring myself to spend the $20-25 per frame to make their coin purse! Instead, I found some frames (with extra large colored bobbles) on etsy for under $3 a piece. Much better, thanks!

I also have been sitting on a set of Japanese charms for some time, waiting for the right project. When I saw the frames, I knew I had my match. A perfect pairing! There is a Cinderella, a Princess and the Frog, and my favorite childhood story, The Wizard of Oz :-)





Cute little linings from my stash:


But why stop there? Of course my daughters were all over this project. They are age 5 and 4, and nothing thrills them like a shiny penny! Could I make one for them? For their friend? Sure, why not?
For The Middle Child, who adores pink, I used some pre-made felt flowers and polka dots from Stampin' Up, and stitched them (with a ribbon stem) to linen. And of course a coordinating one for her BFF.

Polka dots on the back:Pretty pink floral lining:

I also hand embroidered her friend's name at my daughter's request- it will be filled with coins and given as a gift at her upcoming birthday party.

For Last But Not Least, orange is the go-to color, so orange bobbles and some sweet little Heather Ross goldfish where paired with some blue corduroy from my stash.

Some Amy Butler orange and blue Love dots for lining, and she was wearing one heck of a big smile!


I think these will be perfect for the little girls in my life. May need to make some more for the big girls? ;)

Linking up at Sew Modern Monday and Fabric Tuesday.

Denyse Schmidt clutches

My quilting "to-do" list is looooong, but I just had to crack into some of that gorgeous new Denyse Schmidt fabric from JoAnn's. Couple that with my new obsession with framed purses, and here you have it:

I used the tutorial at U-handbag to make my own pattern, using these cute frames- love the aqua bobbles! In typical OCD style, I bought a mother-load of various frames on etsy here and here, so be prepared to be bombarded over the next weeks until I get this out of my system ;) Remember my embroidery hoops phase?? (here here here here here and here)

I simply love how these framed bags look, and the endless possibilities! These ones are 8 inches wide, the perfect clutch size, or can be thrown like a pouch into a bigger tote.


I lined each with coordinating fabrics from my stash, and included my new labels bought from Mommie Made It.


Not sure yet how I will slice the rest of these babies up, but Denyse did it again- these are truly pretty prints :-)

Lining up at Sew Modern Monday and Fabric Tuesday.

A winner, a win and an ethical question....

First off, thanks to everyone who took the time to enter my Sew Mama Sew giveaway and for your lovely comments. I especially appreciate those of you who took the time to poke around my site and comment on my projects! Sorry I couldn't reply to all of you, but the numbers were a wee bit prohibitive for that, I would say!

Which got me to thinking. Now this thinking process may make me unpopular, but bear with me.

I recently entered, and was lucky to win, a giveaway (not part of SMS) by Alison at Little Island Quilting for this gorgeous handmade quilt AND a jelly roll of Moda fabric:

Here is the "catch"- it was a fundraiser for Japan earthquake victims, and her only requirement to enter was to make a donation of an amount of your choice to a Japanese relief organization. Additional entries were granted if you were to blog about the giveaway.

She only received 19 entries.

So, it seems a bit ridiculous to me that here I have almost 800 entries for a few measly fat quarters of fabric. And it made me wonder...what if I had asked for something small in return for an entry? Say $1 in aide to one of the many earthquake/flood/fire/tornado affected areas out there? How many fewer entries would I have received?

Now, I am not trying to make you feel bad about yourself on this fine Thursday morning. Giveaway Day is a fun event and I personally enjoy it as much as the next person. And I know, with all the crazy tragedies happening in the world along with unstable economic times, it is hard to give to them all. But, would a dollar be so much? Or maybe $5?

Another fellow blogger, Dana at Old Red Barn Co., is hosting a similar quilt giveaway to help tornado victims in her husband's hometown of Joplin. Maybe you could pop by and help?

So, that said, on with the Dream On winner :-) I am too technically challenged to figure out how to cut and paste this so it looks all pretty, but here is who Random.org chose:

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 796
Result: 166
Powered by RANDOM.ORG


And the winner is...... Lee :)

Lee said...

Lovely giveaway, thank you! : )
May 23, 2011 9:38 AM

Congratulations, Lee, I will be emailing you!

Package from Purl Soho

Well, here I go bragging about my latest fabric purchases ;) Avert the eyes if you want to save yourself from temptation!!

First up, who doesn't covet Liberty of London fabric? I always drool over it, but pretty pricey stuff. So, when Purl Soho put together a mini rainbow bundle, I bit. Just little pieces, but a little can go a long way, right?

First off, let me say, I ADORE it! So very pretty. Second- I will tell you when I opened the package, I actually laughed out loud. Sooooo tiny! Here it is to scale....fitting as it cost me a pretty penny, $50 for this wee package! Joke's on me!

Regardless, still glad I have it, and I have my ideas, don't you worry!! Maybe an Irish Chain style quilt or something similar that uses lots of solids. Any suggestions?? Also great for adding bits of beauty to smaller sewing projects like clutches, etc.

While I was there, I also picked up this cute Alexander Henry print ("goo goo socks" in brite). Hadn't ever seen it before, but it is so cute. A couple coordinates/stash builders as well.

Finally, I picked up some FQs of Rowan Fabrics shot cotton. I love the texture and vibrant colors! To be used for lining purses and such.

(seen here in butter, ice, true cobalt, lilac, pink and heather/mushroom)

That's enough damage for one day, I'd say!

Giveaway Day and my Blogaversary, too!

SORRY, THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Welcome, everyone!

I don't know where the time went, but it has now been one year since I made my first quilt, and started this blog to share it at the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Wow, I have had a great time! Here we are, 17 quilts later and a stack of other sewing and knitting projects to boot. I have learned so much, made new friends, and acquired one heck of a stash ;) So, since this milestone happens to perfectly align with Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day, I thought I would share a little bit of fabric with you.

I picked up some sweet fat quarters of the lovely Dream On by Urban Chiks not long ago in some citrus yellows and oranges. I love how this line is reminiscent of vintage sheets I remember from my childhood. But, since I am plugging away on a quilt with authentic vintage sheet bits, I figured I would pass these replicas on to you.

So, this giveaway will include 6 fat quarters of Dream On, as seen here:

To enter:
1. Leave a comment- anything will do
2. Leave a second comment if you have been one of my followers over this past year, or if you are a new follower :-) Thank you!!
3. If you are also hosting a giveaway, leave an additional comment including the link to your goodies.

Deadline is midnight on Wednesday, May 25. I am happy to ship internationally!

Thanks for popping by, and enjoy Giveaway Day!

Bloggers are the BEST people :-)

There has been much chat lately speaking out about bloggers and bad feelings and such....really, I have no idea where this stems from. In my experience, fellow bloggers have always been so helpful, generous and sweet. Today I thought I would share a couple recent awesome examples with you.

Last month I did a post about a swap gone wrong. I had chalked it up to just one of those experiences, and was very grateful for your supportive comments. But never did I expect this- Sandra (aka Quiltin' Sandy) emailed me and insisted that she wanted to send me a gift, in place of the one that I never received from my swap partner! I was so touched by her gesture! What an incredibly kind heart. And, lickity split, an amazing package arrived from Australia.

First off, a beautiful drawstring bag with some sweet hand embroidery on the front. This is the perfect size for my knitting projects, and since I meet up with my girlfriend at a local coffee shop weekly to do some stitching and bitching, the stitched tea cup and cupcakes (we like our sweets!) are perfect for those outings.

Next, a hand stamped notebook, perfect for notes on knitting patterns or to sketch up some quilting inspiration!

And finally, these adorable angel embroidery scissors. How spoiled was I?? Sandy, I am so grateful for this gift, and touched by your generosity. Thank you!!!

Amy, from Diary of a Quilter, did me a wonderful kindness as well. When Denyse Schmidt's new picnics and fairgrounds fabric came out at JoAnn's, she kindly agreed to grab some for me as it is not available up here in Canada. She shipped me an awesome assortment of 12 prints- I already have some in use, and the rest is earmarked in the "quilting production line." Thank you, Amy!


Another special {FREE} fabric score for me....Mendocino! I was the lucky duck who won the giveaway at Felicity's blog for half meters (she is Canadian like me, eh) of three Mendocino prints. Yes, Mendocino!! These prints were in part featured in her amazing Oceanic Supernova quilt...go take a look, I'll wait....isn't it gorgeous?? And, as if that wasn't enough, as a bonus Felicity also sent me some good sized scraps of 2 additional Mendocino fabrics and some of the turquoise blue solid from her Supernova. Cap that all off with a cute quilting card, and I was doing the happy dance. Thanks so much, Felicity! I happen to have another stash of Mendocino scraps generously given to me by Nikki (left over from this equally awesome quilt), so me believes I am about to embark on a Heather Ross adventure.....off to the drawing board!

And Georgia, from Little Blue Mouse, was very sweet in nominating me for a Versatile Blogger award. For this award I am supposed to tell you about myself...as I have done that in the past, I will spare you, but I wanted to be sure to say thanks to Georgia, and to all of my readers, who are always so sweet to me :-)

Have a cheery day!

Warning! X-rated content post

First off, a question.

When seeing that post title did you:

a) click tentatively, hand shielding your eyes, worried about what evil that Krazy Kristie might be exposing you to

-OR-

b) enter with zeal, eager to see The Nasties?

Leave a comment, I'd really like to know ;)


Anyways, I am the lucky daughter of a most excellent mom. A mom who stayed home with us, read to us, gave us plenty of hugs, taxied us around to hockey/ringette/gymnastics/girl guides/student council/baseball/volleyball/basketball.....you get the picture. But...well, she got me as a daughter, which certainly has its perks, but definitely keeps the woman on her toes ;)

Enter- Mother's Day. A few little presents for her, but I thought a handmade gift was also in order. Mom being of a practical sort, I thought, "perhaps something useful!"

I decided to knit her up a dishcloth. But not just any dishcloth ;)

The pattern is by Nadine, and is advertised as meant for "cleaning up after life's little messes." I hope it will serve Mom well!!

The must-have bag in Manitoba this spring

Not by Amy Butler. Not by Coach or Gucci.

Let me introduce you to...The Sand Bag.

We got well acquainted over the past weekend. As you may or may not know, up here in Manitoba, Canada, we are experiencing the worst flood that we have on record. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes, and will likely be unable to return until the waters have receded in July or August to see what damage and losses have occurred.

Water from all over the western parts of Canada has travelled to us via the Assiniboine River. Its banks are unable to contain it, and it is being diverted into farmlands, and into Lake Manitoba. This is the lake where my husband and I recently bought ourselves a little family cottage.

Built in the 1950s, it is quirky and nothing fancy, but to us, it is the place where we find the most peace and joy in the entire world. We spend summer days on the beach collecting shells and frogs, swimming and boating, going for long walks, spending time with friends and family, having campfires and gazing at the stars.

But. Our 30 feet of sandy beach is now gone as the lake rises from the diverted river water, bringing with it who knows what kind of contaminants. Our lake is approximately 25 miles/40 kilometers WIDE.....can you imagine the volume of water required to raise the lake that much in just 2 weeks? And the water is expected to continue to rise as water will continue to be diverted here into June. We are hoping our cottage , and others, will not be lost to this growing sea.

We are lucky. This is not our primary home. This is a slow flood, not a tsunami like recently in Japan. No lives will be lost. Only homes and livelihoods. But....my heart still aches to see it slowly rising, with so little to be done.

So, along with our friends and neighbors, we picked up some sand bags. We made some barriers. We worked together and were reminded why we have "Friendly Manitoba" on our licence plates. And, we are hoping for some sunshine.

Rainy Days and Mondays quilt complete

Welcome, visitors from Blogger's Quilt Festival! Thanks for stopping by :-) Today I am going to share my latest finished quilt, which I am calling "Singing in the Rain."

It has had several other names during its construction, like "Stupid D#*m Thing" and "IhateyouIhateyou," but, Singing in the Rain it will be!

I started this one a couple months ago, as a birthday present for my 4 year old daughter. She has an April birthday, so, as "April showers bring May flowers," I thought this would be the perfect fabric for her special twin sized quilt. I designed it myself, inspired by one of the fabrics of the line. I wanted it to look like random, swirling, dancing umbrella tops!
It has definitely been the most time consuming quilt that I have made in my {relatively} short quilting career. Not so much difficult as tedious...each umbrella top you see here involved the following:
cut, sew, cut, press, square, sew, press, square, cut, sew, press, square, cut, press, applique. Times 48.

Anyhoo, at that point I was going to name the quilt "The Hangover," you know, for that spinning feeling you get right before you vomit...with all those twirling colors I was seriously doubting how this thing would not come out looking like a dog's breakfast. Thank goodness for white sashing, that tempered it quite a bit! So after another marathon of cut/sew/press etc to add the sashing, I finally had a quilt top! And...I liked it {phew!}.

I had promised myself, this time, to do a SIMPLE BACK. If you click on the icons on the left sidebar of my blog and peruse my finished quilts from this year and last, you will see that I tend to make "reversible" quilts, with the backs more intricate and often preferred to the fronts! Anyways, I did tone it down a bit but couldn't resist adding a couple really special features to this quilt back.
All the details have meaning. First off- a strip of orange, my daughter's favorite color. Within the strip, I added some "raindrop" blocks- four, in honor of her fourth birthday. I used the final raindrop as a label, and included this special message:
Happy 4th birthday, L-! I wish you a life full of sunshine, but if a little rain should fall, I will always be your umbrella. All my love always, Mom (date, place).

In one of the blocks I included and image of her kitty, which is her very special stuffed toy she has had since a baby (more on that here), floating off with an umbrella. I have to say the kitty thing really did not go well. I had the bright idea to print using my printer directly on the fabric...thought it would work as it was permanent ink, and even sent a sample through the wash to test it before piecing one into the quilt. Then, when all was said and done and I put the quilt through the wash...well, kitty's image basically faded away. Ugh! So, I used transfer paper to add the image to a scrap of white fabric and quickly hand stitched it on top, TERRIBLY, but will need to replace that at some point as well as I don't find those transfers to be super durable. Maybe will send something off to Spoonflower to try and fix? Not. Happy. I was really disappointed in this, as it was to be that special personal addition for my baby girl. At the moment, she adores it how it is and is none the wiser, but my mind continues to whirl about how to fix this little blip.

But, all that aside, the quilt has already been lovingly adopted by my daughter and, much like childbirth, memories of what hassles may have occurred during the process are already starting to fade, and I am eager to jump in and start a new one :-) I am actually also planning to make a pattern for this one and some of my other designs that I am often asked about- this is something I will work on over the coming months. I think this quilt would be fun in rainbow solids, don't you?

Here are some quilt stats for you:

Finished size: twin (84 inches by 64 inches)
Fabrics: Rainy Days and Mondays by Riley Blake, with some from my stash by Amy Butler, Urban Chicks, Barbara Jones, etc and solids from local quilt shop.
Design: by me
Quilting: stippling by me, by machine
Binding: Green dot from Rainy Days, attached by machine to front and hand stitched to back