turkey coma

Thanksgiving in Canada has come and gone yet again, and as usual we have so much to be grateful for.   The kids are back at school today and I am spending my day off boiling bones to make soup and catching up, emerging from my turkey stupor to blog a wee bit!

It was a great long weekend.  The Hubs was actually away for most of in it Vegas with some buddies doing some no doubt unmentionable things to celebrate a 40th birthday.  Apparently it involved a variety of costumes.....he has not disclosed much to me to be honest, but his friend mentioned at one point they had to go buy Sharpies for him to sign autographs as he kept being mistaken for Jon Bon Jovi.  Do I really want to know the details?  Probably not.

But the luck was REALLY rolling back at  home in Winnipeg!  I took the kids to see a movie and afterward was suckered into letting them have toonies to play "The Claw"- you know, that game where you use a joystick to guide a claw and try to have it grab a stuffed toy?  The one where no one ever wins??  Well, history was made right here, people.  Last But Not Least won not one, but FIVE (!!!) toys....and get this, in ONE TURN!!  Insane.  The kids and their friends went absolutely mental, as I am sure you can imagine.  This moment will become the folklore passed from generation to generation in our family, no doubt.  Got a grainy photo of their glee.  Just awesome.

Between the usual hockey/ringette/dance schedule that keeps us running this weekend, I actually found some quiet moments to knit and sew.  I am feeling a surge of creativity lately and am chomping at the bit to MAKE.  First off, made some cute booties for The Plaid Baby.  Pattern here.

Should be a lovely accompaniment to her sweater :)

Next, raided my scrap bin for blues and greens and made this quilt top, entirely inspired by this one by Blue Elephant Stitches.  I just love how it came out!

And a little hand stitching and embroidery on another quilty project as well!

I also spent a good deal of the weekend outside enjoying the beautiful turning of the leaves....fall is my favorite time of year with all the colors and the honking Canada geese flying overhead!

As soon as Thanksgiving dinner was eaten, the girls declared it was time for the next holiday, and dragged out The Ghastlies quilt to snuggle with. I think this is my all time favourite!

Have a wonderful week!
Kristie :)

quilt labelling

We know we should do it.  But it is the last thing we ever get around to, especially if the quilt is staying at home with us, right?  Which explains why, when I went to make a label for my parents' new quilt the other day, I took a tally of my quilts still needing labels...and the total was eleven.  Gulp.  Not including mini quilts.  So, about half of my finished quilts!

I decided to tackle a few at a time.  I like to personalize my labels, write a small inscription, along with my name, the date and location that is customarily what quilt labels entail.  So just and "OCD" tag doesn't do it.  I figured out a fun and easy way to make some professional looking personalized labels and thought I would share them with you!

First off, I am completely devoid of any computer graphics/computer scrapbooking talent.  But I recently bought an app called Rhonna Designs that is awesome.  Best $1.99 I have ever spent on an app!  It is meant for embellishing your photos, using a bunch of pre-made graphics.  But it also has a small selection of non-photo backgrounds, my favorite of which looks like lined paper.  There are also a bunch of great text fonts to choose from, which you can layer onto the graphics/photos/backgrounds.

So, my first label, for my Good Folks king quilt, was made just simply using the lined paper background and text:

My next one was for my parents' quilt.  First I made a base design, with the "handmade....etc" in the red bracket thingies, which I saved for future use, then I added the personalization:

Next I decided to use a non-Rhonna background for the label for my Retro Christmas Quilt.  I found this free Christmas lights background just by doing a simple google search, downloaded it onto my iPad and then uploaded it as a photo into the Rhonna Designs app to add the text.  Simple enough!

Finally, I downloaded this cute free printable off the internet for my Ghastlies Halloween Quilt that I personalized for a label (not using the Rhonna app at all).

Now, how did I convert these pdfs into tangible labels?  I bought a product called Printed Treasures by Dritz some time ago.  It is inkjet printable fabric that you can then sew on or piece into your quilt.  It comes in packs of five or twelve 8.5 x 11" sheets.  It is available online at Amazon, and also in Joann's or Fabricland. Not cheap, put I can get multiple labels per sheet.

So I opened a simple word document, inserted my pictures/labels that I had created (I did 4 labels to a sheet), and printed them out.  Trim to size, follow the instructions by removing the paper backing, run under cold water to remove excess ink.  Piece into quilt (if you are organized enough to do your labels at the time of making your quilt), or press edges over and hand stitch onto quilts after the fact.

I have used this product multiple times in the past, the fabric is a decent weight and I find them to be fairly colourfast.  Here is an example of one I pieced into the back of my niece's quilt, using simply Word and no graphics whatsoever:

And here is one I pieced into a larger label for Kiera's quilt, which was then hand stitched on after it was completed (my favorite and most likely way to do it):

So now I have a few labels set and ready to go!  Just need to plunk myself in front of the telly and enjoy some quiet hand stitching :) Hope that helped demystify quilt labels somewhat!

a quilt for a Christmas gift

Last Christmas, that is.

(just a wee bit behind)

I have the best parents ever.  And they have waited sooooo patiently for this!  Of all the people in my life, they are two of the most important.  So I guess the delay was partly that I wanted a quilt for them that I liked, and I knew THEY would like.  So I gifted them an unfinished quilt for Christmas last year. But as much as I liked the quilt, it just wasn't them.  Then I couldn't decide how to quilt it.  Then I hated the quilting. Then I was too lazy to pick out the quilting and do it again.  In short, I started to hate that darn quilt, and didn't want to send those bad vibes over to my folks' house.

So I finally got a fire under my arse and started over again.  My mom is not a girly-girl (and obviously, either is my dad), and their home is decorated mostly in taupes and navies.  I decided that Cara's free Urban Lattice quilt pattern was the perfect fit for them.

I made a few modifications- I did 10" blocks instead of 12", so it finishes at about 60' by 70". And I just cut the pieces with a homemade template and pieced them without the paper, because I got lazy after a few blocks.  Not totally perfect, but that is when you fall back on a parent's unconditional love ;)

I used linen as my base, which I love using for texture and also for the weight- it feels substantial to snuggle under, and softens with each washing.  I did my sashing in navy linen, and then used a variety of browns, navies and aquas from my stash for the top. The binding is hand stitched, a bias stripe from Riley Blake.

Did an all over stipple for quilting, because I love the crinkly effect, and honestly, I suck at straight line quilting.  I truly do.  And it just accentuates any imperfections in my piecing.  Truth.  So there you have it.

For the back, I did a big block.  Kinda like it.  But sewing 30" blocks on the bias was not my brightest idea.  All is well that ends well!

My Dad's birthday was yesterday, so that gave me the perfect opportunity (read: motivation, deadline) to give them the quilt.  They loved it, of course.  Because they are the best parents ever :)

Now it's time to work on my sister's Christmas quilt (gifted Christmas 2011....oops!).

done.

Wham!  Take that, to-do list!   A few buttons and some seams, and I finally finished this sweet little Coolbreeze baby cardigan for "the plaid baby."  Kaelin requested this pattern from me before she even conceived!  And it is my duty and privilege to provide cozy, woollen, authentically Canadian winter wear for her Louisiana babe ;) That baby might be sweaty, but she'll be cute!

I love the chevron gradient of blues in here, it knocks me out.  Have already started the adult version for me!

Finished this up dockside on a mini-escape to the cottage yesterday :)  Was such a great drive out, taking in all the fall colours!

 And I may just have another finish to show you soon :)

More sweater details on my Ravelry page here.

undone

So much accomplished, yet so much left undone!

Finished my Briar Rose lattice quilt top that I was working on, plus finished another quilt top last week....which leaves me with three quilt tops that need some backs and finishing.

This wee sweater, Coolbreeze Baby by Tanis Fiber Arts (intended for The Plaid Baby!) needs some seaming and some buttons to be in the "completed" pile.

Meanwhile, I am driven to distraction by the adult version for me!

I had high hopes of getting to some of this on my days off this week, but with a string of nights tending to puking kids and one home with me today, I am thinking that I may just come undone myself!!

Funny things my kids say- the "where do babies come from?" edition

It has been awhile since I shared some of my funnies with you, and this one is too good to skip (though my son may kill me later in life if he reads this).

And I am at a total loss as to what kind of picture would be suitable for this post, so I am going imageless on this one (you can thank me later).

Ever since my niece was adopted, our kids have understandably had many questions about where exactly babies come from.  My 9 year old son, Big G, especially.  Finally, he wore me down and I decided to give him the low down.  I gave him a somewhat flowery description of the biology of making babies.  To which his reply was, "you know that is totally gross, right?"  Um, right.

Anyways, it remains on his brain because every now and then a question pops up out of the blue.  He and I were driving alone in the van one day when one such moment occurred.

Big G:  Mom, when people have sex, does the man or the woman go on top?
Me (sweating bullets but trying to look calm): Well, that depends.....
Big G: And is there penis rubbing involved?
Me: (Gulp) There CAN be.....
Big G: Now would I do that part or does the doctor?

Silence.

Me:  Um.....there isn't a doctor present when you have sex, Buddy.
       (side note- there is for me, but I am married to one.  haha!)
Big G: WHAT?!?!?  You mean you don't do it in a HOSPITAL???
Me: No....most people go to the hospital for the baby to come out, but not to put it IN.
Big G: So you can do it ANYWHERE??  Like, OUTSIDE?? (waving arms frantically to the street outside our van)
Me: Well, usually in the privacy of your home is a good idea.  Otherwise, you can get arrested....
Big G, crossing arms and shaking head in disgust: I just do NOT understand this sex thing AT ALL.

What I did on my Summer Vacation! by Kristie :)

Well, hello!  It has been a long time.  I certainly didn't mean to take such a long break, but have been busy enjoying an excellent summer and just never really made my way here.  Am looking forward to catching up with you and visiting some of your blogs that I haven't been caught up on in months!  Hope you all are well.  I HAVE been checking in regularly at Instagram, however!  So if you are there come say hello, my user name is Kristieocd :)

Getting right to it- I haven't really done any kind of crafting.  A bit of knitting here and there, but nothing finished to completion.  I didn't even touch my sewing machine for a record breaking 3 months!  But now that we are back to school and back to routine, my sewing mojo has come back with a vengeance.  Hope you have lots to show you soon!

So what DID I do?  Let me bombard you with pictures ;)

The Hubs and I enjoyed a KID FREE (!!) long weekend in Boston, for my cousin's wedding.  It was our first time to the city and I must say I fell in love with the area.

It was a whirlwind visit- a city tour:

A day in nearby Marblehead.  We spent a great day hanging out with my parents, can't remember the last time we got to do that!

Also spent a couple days visiting the beaches and shops in Cape Cod (and eating lobster, naturally), after all the wedding festivities!

Our other big summer event- we bought a cottage!!

If you have been around awhile, you may remember that our previous cottage was destroyed in a flood.  So, after a couple years of waffling on whether or not to rebuild, we opted instead to buy something else in another area altogether, close to where the Hubs grew up.  It is a great place, a 4 season home, really (it's been nicknamed it "The Lakehouse"- very tongue-in-cheek!),  It is on a beautiful lake in the rocky Canadian Shield, and has the most spectacular sunsets :)

We spent a wonderful few weeks, and some weekends, too, at the new place so far and we just love it.  What's not to love?  A gorgeous lake view, sunsets, swimming, boating, water sports, and a new place to make quilts for?  Talk about heaven!  We are very lucky.

So I guess you could say my creative energy this summer has been put to use nesting in our new place. Little touches, here and there, to make it feel like home.  A little painting here, some decorative touches there.  My cottage Pinterest board has gotten a little out of control.

A basket next to the slipcover couch for storing quilts.  Gotta have quilts to snuggle with on those chilly days!

I found a home for my Emerson quote mini quilt near the front door, along with a new twist on a guest book. We collected stones and have visitors sign them with notes about their favourite memories from their stay. We collect them in a large vase for display. It is a great way to make fun "decorative memories!"

I am also collecting wine corks and caps, having friends sign them to remember the glasses shared over sunsets and laughter!

After all, sometimes the memories get a wee bit foggy after a few bottles.....

An eclectic photo wall of happy memories.

But the best part of the cottage is what is outside, not inside!  The kids absolutely love catching all sorts of critters- frogs, bugs, garter snakes and crayfish are hunted down daily, and returned to nature every night :)

          

Swimming of course!

Tubing, waterskiing and knee boarding.

Boats of all varieties.

Fishing (it's all about using the right bait).

Spending time with friends and family makes it all that much more fun!

           


I have a perfect place to do some fabric cutting or sewing:

Last But Not Least lost her first tooth at the cottage!

We re-hung our "measuring oar."  We had a tradition at the old cottage to measure the heights of the kids on it every July, so we reinstated that here. Amazing how they have grown!

Speaking of that, this fall LBNL started grade 1!!  Hard to believe.  Which means (drum roll....) this is the first year that all THREE of my kids are at the SAME school, on the SAME schedule!  No more lunch hour pick ups, shuttling to daycares, etc.  Nope, all in school, all day long (and 2 out of 3 are excited about it ;)

What does this mean? Well, now when I have a day off work, I MAY just get some time for some sewing!  In fact, took advantage of that yesterday, and worked on this Heather Ross Briar Rose quilt top:

Well, that concludes my report on my summer vacation :)  Hope your was just as spectacular!  Looking forward to catching up with my crafty friends!  Thanks for stopping by!  And if I go AWOL again, you can likely find me here: