A Snow Day

Friday February 1st was a snow day for everyone. My son was over joyed at not having to go to school. I was very happy I did not have to venture outside and drive. I did have to do a bit of shovelling for my puppies lol. With the constant snowfall we had drifts out our back door and down the few steps to the back yard. I wished I had my camera ready when we first let out our chihuahuas. By the time they got to the bottom of the stairs they were completely covered in snow. Chico lifted up his head and was completely covered in snow. Only his big beautiful brown eyes were visible. They very quickly ran back up the stairs and inside before doing their business. I had to go out and shovel a pathway for them to get to the grass just off our cement patio. They would not go out unless I bundled up to and went out with them. I was not so impressed as I am a warm weather gal.

The tan chihuahua is our male pup and Sophie is our very prissy female pup. I had to carry Sophie outside every time until the snow stopped and was packed down enough that her legs didn't get buried. They hate wearing their little coats, but don't like having the snow touch their bellies even more. Poor Sophie has no hair on her belly at all to protect her from the cold.

It was a good time for sewing though. We couldn't really go out anywhere. As usual our street is about the last one to get ploughed so didn't want to get our car stuck in the snow.

I received some sad news last week. One of my previous co-workers was diagnosed with leukaemia and is in a hospital in hamilton.  They are holding a fundraiser in a few weeks for her, and I was asked to go. Of course I am going and then thought of some other ways I could help. There are going to be door prizes and draws so I thought I could make a few tote bags to donate for some of the draws. The totebag in my first post is the one I will be making. I didn't have a pattern to follow so I'm thankful I still have it to compare to. I always promise myself to write everything I do down when I'm making it, but get so excited to see how it will turn out I never do it.  The bag though is coming out even better than the first one so I'm really happy with it. I will post pictures when I have it done. So I guess I better get back to it. I would like to get as many done as I can.

A Design Wall, It's a Good Thing

A lot of quilting sites always talk about a design wall. I never gave it much thought because I just don't have the room anywhere in my house. My sewing room is down in the basement because we have lots of animals, 5 cats, 2 dogs (itty bitty chihuahua's) so the basement is off limits to them so I will have a hairless room to sew in. I just couldn't see how the fabric could stay on the wall with just the flannel as a base, no pins, tape or anything else.

When I am arranging the quilt top on a table it's hard to get a good view of how it will look and then stretching to reach the middle of the quilt to make any changes. The ladies that have a design wall usually attach a length of flannel right on to a wall. I don't have that option so I was trying to think of another solution. Then I thought what if I made a temporary wall made from some cardboard. This worked okay for just a few small blocks but once the rows were sewn together the cardboard was to flimsy to stay upright. Then I had a great idea. What about foam board. It is light weight but still very sturdy and comes in all different sizes at our local staples stores. So I tried it and voila, a very good solution. Here are a few pictures of what I came up with. Pictures are above lol, don't know how they got there but at least I was able to get them up. I'm still getting used to using my camera and using all the blogging tools.

Another good incentive for the board is, if you leave it up when you are still working on it, it will be a reminder that you really should finish it before starting a new project. If you put it into a not finished pile, it might not come out for a very long time. If it's staring you in the face its hard to ignore lol.

I really love my make do design wall. Its light weight so easy to handle and when I don't need it I can move it anywhere with ease. If you don't have one of your own, you should really try it. Looking at the block arrangement  over a few days can help you decide what is the best arrangement of the blocks.

A Year for Firsts

     I have wanted to start a blog for a very long time but was always afraid to put myself out there. I also have a lot of trouble with electronics, namely my camera; how to take the right picture, get it from the camera to the computer and finally how to find it on said computer and get it onto a blog. Also I want to have a diary or journal to keep track of all the lovely things I make this year. Usually I have more than one project on the go and my sewing room is in chaos most of the time and I loose track of what I am doing.

This is where I found the title for my first blog entry. Its a year of firsts. First blog of the new year, first post, first project etc. No more being afraid to start something new.

I have been knitting for over thirty years which includes mostly baby sweaters and blankets. Its strange that every time I make something it is usually for someone else. I very rarely make something for myself. I love making baby clothes because the amount of yarn you need is small so not so expensive and its a great way to learn a new stitch or pattern without worrying about how much you spent  on the yarn and therefore if said project takes a wrong turn and ends up in the I'll get to it later pile, it's not such a big deal.

I have done a bit of clothes sewing over the years but don't find that to be as interesting or fun as making a new tote bag, coin purse, wristlet, placemats, pillowcases, etc., I think you get the picture lol. I have overcome my fear of zippers, magnetic snaps and other purse hardware and now enjoy the challenge of trying something new. It has just been the last few years that I have got in to making quilts. I really, really, really, like everything about quilting. There are so many beautiful quilting fabrics out there that a person can have a hard time trying to buy just what you need and not what you would love to bring home.

I spend a lot of time searching out tutorials and quilt patterns on-line. I come across a lot of helpful tips on just about everything and would like to share with everyone who might not have the time to do as much searching as I do. If you are looking for something specific please let me know in a comment or you can e-mail any question you might have. I find a lot of projects, patterns, tips and tutorials on pinterest which is becoming my new addiction. You can find almost anything on there, especially free patterns, tutorials and ideas. When you are thinking about a specific kind of quilt pattern you can search and see what others have done with colour, placement, and block patterns. I still get amazed at how a quilt can look totally different with just a colour change. There is lots of inspiration out there.

My first finished project of the new year is a beautiful pink tote bag that I think I will keep for myself. It was made with 12 charm squares and some pink toned batik for the bottom. I quilted the outer focus fabric with some batting and then made a lining that is not quilted inside. I have pockets 5 pockets inside that are all a nice size. The bottom has boxed corners so it sits up nicely by itself. I found the instructions on how to make this in a video tutorial by the Missouri Quilt Co. They have a lot of easy fun tutorials using pre-cut fabric which are fast and easy to work with. Its worth you while to go have a look.

I can't believe I actually was able to get pictures posted on my first try. I am just learning how to make posts and use blogger so please forgive any mistakes I might make. This will be a work in progress as I get used to how to do things. Thanks so much for visiting!