A run for the border!

Last weekend Big G had a hockey tournament in Fargo, ND.  So, we packed up the van and headed south of the 49th parallel to have some fun.  Now, Fargo is not known to be a metropolis or anything, but it is a pleasant little town, very friendly to its neighbors from the North, and they have Target.....life is good.

Another bonus of a drive to the USA?  There is a little border town called Pembina, which basically consists of a gas station, duty free booze store, cafe, and a handful of parcel depots where Canadians like me can have a variety of items shipped and stored, for a small fee, until we can pick them up and cart them back north with us.  Considering the crazy increases in postal costs recently, it just makes sense to take advantage of the cheaper, and often free, shipping opportunities within the US!

Oh, and I really took advantage!  Thanks in large part to a bunch of post-Christmas sales (including $3.50 yards over here, still some there!), I ended up with several boxes of fabric, and don't forget some yarn! The question isn't "what did I buy?" but more like "what DIDN'T I buy??"

So many pretty things......stacks taller than your average schnauzer, in fact !  Does that mean I have a problem??

retreat prep :)

On a very happy note, I will soon be escaping for a weekend for my FIRST EVER quilting retreat!  And I am going big...flying out to Vancouver to hook up with my fabulous and talented friends Krista of Poppyprint and Felicity of Felicity Quilts to spend 3 blissful days holed up in a lodge on a lake in the mountains, eating food I don't have to cook and sewing 24/7 if I darn well feel like it.  That ought to satisfy the sewing itch a bit!  And apparently there is even a fireplace where I can curl up and do some knitting.  I may just miss my flight home.... ;)

I have an absolutely ridiculous and unrealistic list of projects that I have packed and am planning to complete.  I have been spending much of the last week or so pre-cutting fabrics so that I can just get down to business!  I did a "test" make of one of the projects I will be working on, and it is pretty darn cute:

And this sweet little purse opens up to this:

This is from the Storybrook Lane pattern booklet and panel by Ever Kelly (bought here).  It also comes with a bunch of cute finger puppets of stuffed dolls that can be used to play in the house.  I had so much fun making this and picking the coordinating fabrics to go with the panel pieces. I love the library book prints from Victoria and Albert with this! I plan to produce 7 more of these puppies sweat-shop style on the weekend for basically all the little girls on my Christmas list.  That along with 4 quilt tops.  And don't forget the 3 knitting projects.  Hmmm.....can you tell I have a bit of pent up crafty energy?  Wish me luck!

Beginnings, middles and endings

Beginning a new quilt....using the Linky Love pattern by traceyjay.

In the middle of some adventurous quilting.

Finished a project with this lovely Malabrigo yarn, but it's a gift for someone special who often tunes in here, so you'll have to wait for the full reveal!

Speaking of beginnings, looks like we are beginning a new season today. Not ready for that white stuff.

Seriously. We were doing this just 4 days ago.

Mother Nature sure has her mood swings!

walking

Well, we are back from our SCAD fundraiser walk in Naperville, IL. What an amazing experience. Not even sure how to articulate it.


We went down in support of our friend, Michele, who survived a SCAD heart attack last fall. It was her first chance to meet other survivors or this uncommon disease. I am sure you can imagine it was an emotional weekend, but an important one for her healing, I think.

I was so inspired by the strength and spirit of these amazing women. Survivors, indeed. I hope to make this an annual event! Such a scary, random disease, and a very worthy cause.

We had fun meeting survivors and supporters from all over the U.S., and we were the proud Canadian representatives! We brought a flag and our own wacky charm to the event ("red wine is good for the heart, you know!").

Thank you so much to all of you who donated to the fundraiser! And on top of those who donated from afar, a very special blogging friend, who happens to live in Naperville, went the extra mile (well, 3 miles, actually) and came with her husband and 3 children to participate in the walk with us! Do you all know Svetlana from S.O.T.A.K. Handmade? If not yet, you should, she is an amazing quilter (so much better than me. Seriously.), and also an incredible person. Thank you so much, Svetlana, for coming to the walk, for your conversation along the way and for even inviting us Crazy Canucks to your home! You are wonderful :) It was a pleasure to meet you.


Speaking of walks, I also picked up a little fabric while away....including Aneela's A Walk in the Woods!

And finally got my hands on some Flea Market Fancy! I hoard Denyse Schmidt fabric like a maniac, one day I will actually make a quilt with it all.

And I also picked up something special....remember my drunkard's path quilt top from the quilt along last fall? Well, I treated myself to some long arm quilting by Jenny, and she blew me away with her amazing skills. Here is a sneak peak! Hope to get my act together and slam on some binding over the next week. This one is mine, all mine!
Have a great day!

more.

Like I needed more fabric.



But look what followed me home. Big chunks of fabric, justified as quilt backings. They were on sale, after all! And the perfect grey dot....for only $5 per meter!! It would have been wrong not to gobble up that deal. Wrong, I say!

The gingham I bought thinking it would be the perfect back for my Children at Play pinwheels...but not working for me. I continue to dislike this quilt top! Maybe I should just pack it away for a couple years instead of trying to resurrect it! On the plus side, I can see the gingham pairing well in color and style with my granny squares!


Oh yah. And then there was this:


The lastest DS quilt line from JoAnn's, and probably my favorite yet. Greys and yellows?!? Yah, baby! Courtesy of my fabric mule, Kaelin :) She keeps me in supply!

One more big stack of Flea Market Fancy reprint on its way, then....well, the plan is to stop buying fabric for a bit. We'll see ;) I really have a hankering for some of that Vintage Modern.......

The Anti-Thrifter

Seems like lately I have been "helping the economy" like gangbusters. I was showing lots of restraint until Salt Lake City- then it was like a dam broke. I have been buying things here and there and, well, I am just going to brag about it now. Simple as that.

First up, I love me some nice accessories. And I found the perfect pair of ankle boots that tie up with these cute wraps. I admit they cost a pretty penny, but, when I strut myself around town in these puppies, I feel like Hot Mom. Bonus: most comfortable shoes EVER! No regrets. All 3 kids don't have to go to university, really.


This box arrived for me...come to mama. I am going to love you up into a sweater, oh yes I am! How awesome is this color?

I admit I am a Fabric Pig. Pig, I say!! In a moment of weakness, these lovely fabrics found their way into my cart....The Echo line is divine, and who can resist Denyse Schmidt and Joel Dewberry? I had no choice, truth be told.


Jewelry. Pinterest is going to cost me a lot of dough. I see cute stuff, I follow the link, only $15 on etsy? Okay! Invite a few sparkly friends! Yikes! Here are a couple awesome finds I found here and here (in case you want to come and join The Dark Side).



Off to find some new hiding places for all my goodies!

"get organized" giveaway

My craft room has been a disaster for ages, but I never want to waste time I could be sewing on cleaning. But, inspired by Jeni's excellent lecture at Sewing Summit on colour, I decided to take the leap and refold and reorganize my heaps of fabric. So, I took a deep breath and separated all my pretties from their collections, and am having them all intermingle, like a big old party! I also used Jeni's tutorial on fabric folding so they would look all neat and tidy. I admit I a normally a total slob. Really- why hadn't I done this before? It makes me so happy!

So far, I have sorted the quilting cottons, storing the larger yardages, solids, voiles, home dec weight, holiday fabric and Heather Ross items separate. It appears I have a bazillion blues (not surprising- my favorite colour), am a bit short on the purples, and am sadly lacking in greys (which I also love- what gives?!?). But overall, I am certainly not hurting for stash. Wanna peak? Just don't mind my yellow photos, my sewing space is in a very dark room!

My reds, pinks, oranges and yellows:



Blues and greens:



More blues, purples, browns, neutrals and multicolored fabrics:


We had this built in cabinet placed a couple years back, and I love the sliding drawers for visibility of my fabric! Never thought back then that I would be able to FILL it with so many lovelies :)


Also bought some jars from IKEA and organized some of my notions. I got these wonderful vinyl labels by Ginger Snaps on Etsy. Perfect for getting organized! They work on glass, walls, plastic- most surfaces. I know my love affair with these has only just begun....


So what is this about a giveaway? Ginger, the busy mom of 5 behind Ginger Snaps, has offered up a free set of labels of your choice! She has so many great ones to choose from- chalkboard labels, kitchen labels, black and white labels or dishwasher safe cup labels! Mine were the kitchen labels, and I just had Ginger customize them for what I wanted in my sewing room. If you want to see some other cute ideas of how to use these labels, or just great ideas in general, go check out Ginger's blog as well!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below with your favorite label listed in Ginger's shop. Winner to be announced on Sunday, October 23. Good luck!

As for the rest of my sewing room? It remains a disaster. Ready for a reality photo??


Yikes! Still a work in progress, but at least I am getting started!!

NOTE: This giveaway is now closed!

shrieeeeeeeekkk!!!

Aneela Hoey's Little Apples (available in September).....


....Oliver + S : Cape Ann (available in October).....


....Bonnie and Camille's Ruby (available in October)....


......lots of Moda goodness in da house!!!

Excuse me while I go hyperventilate.

Introductions

Hi! We are Bliss and DS Quilts. You're new around here. Welcome to Kristie's Crammed Fabric Closet!

Thank you, my name is Children at Play. Wanna play with me?

I am sew sure we can think of something......

As Time Goes By

There is a great new shop called As Time Goes By in Winnipeg (at 442 Academy). It is home decor, has all sorts of fun goodies, and the owner, Katie, is a hoot! She also has a couple really fun ideas-her store has a free book exchange and....a button plate? What is that, you ask? Basically a plate full of awesome grandma vintage buttons that are FREE! Look at all the treasures I walked away with:

And here are some of my very favorites :-) I tell you , I was like a kid in a candy store.

Also, I bought this really cool beeswax needle holder. Apparently it helps your needles stay sharp!

Also scored some awesome maple flavored honey, made right here by little Manitoba bees! So crazy yummy...makes your toast taste like French Toast!
Anyways, Katie ships across Canada, so why not pop by her web site and take a peek for yourself?

Okay, at the risk of sounding like I am gloating, I received a couple more great things in the mail this week. First off- some more Denyse Schmidt to add to my obsession...I mean collection. These are courtesy of Kaelin at The Plaid Scottie, as part of a little swap we are doing. Thanks, Kaelin!

Second off, look at these luscious hand dyed yarns!

The purple is Malabrigo Chunky in Cuarzo, meant for a hat for a Christmas gift. Yes, already thinking ahead to Christmas! The orange is Madelinetosh Vintage in Warm Maise, for a sweater I am planning for Last But Not Least. It will be in the same Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi pattern that I am currently working on for The Middle Child. Man, sweaters take a long time!
We are heading on a bit of a family road trip soon (Lord help me), so I hope to take this along to keep me occupied/sane :-)

Mail!

Canada Post is currently in full-out strike mode (boo!!), but before that happened, I had me a good mail week :-)

First off, I have to say a big thank you to the awesome people in Blogland who encouraged me to get back up on the swap horse after my first (crappy) experience. After I posted about that one, the amazingly thoughtful Sandy insisted she send a gift my way. And then in the last month or so, I have "inadvertently" gotten myself into a bunch of private swaps, ALL of which are going so great! So, this week, I trotted down the to the post office with my little side kick, bribed her with a cookie to keep quiet while I taped up my first bundle of packages (these ones going to Sandy, Alison, Kaelin and Amy). Ladies, don't judge a package by its cover because my packaging/tape job is really quite comical! Look like they were done by a cat or at least an animal without opposable thumbs. Anyways, after selling a kidney, I was able to pay Canada Post what was required to send them on their merry way. More on the contents later :-)
Speaking of swaps, I have already received my parcel from Amy...check out this adorable kidlet basket she made for me using her sweet new "My Happy Place" fabric. I love it, Amy! And she included some extra fabric, a button and a bloom transfer in its pocket. Thanks so much! Lucky me :-)

My new friend Jeannie also sent me a huge bundle of interfacing in the mail. She had said she was going to send me samples of a couple types so I could see their texture and such before ordering online, but instead she sent me a whole stack which will be put to good use in my framed purse production line of late :-) Thanks, Jeannie!

My mate Kelli was kind enough to send me a load of Denyse Schmidt's Australian version of her latest fabric. Drool! I will put it together with my stack of the American prints and plan to use it in Elizabeth's quilt-a-long! On my own schedule, of course ;)

Also, got myself some yardage of Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks voile. I actually still have this whole line, uncut- so why order more? I plan to use this buttery goodness on the back of a yet-to-be-designed quilt involving my rainbow Liberty of London bundle! And I WILL get over my anxiety and cut into the Little Folks bundle, eventually!

Lastly, I got myself a little something for the sewing room from Aunty Cookie in Australia. How cute is this print?

While I was at it, I got a half yard of this adorable linen. Expensive, but I know just the project(s) for it!

Now, just a couple more swap presents to send out! I love mail :-)