PatchworkPottery

Crane Star Pattern

2012-03-11T22:08:00.006-07:00

The Crane Star pillow pattern is now available in my SHOP. The Crane Star is a versatile pattern made up of six cranes. This pattern includes instructions for basic paper-piecing technique as well as layout & instructions to make a 19 x 19 inch pillow cover.

Paper-piecing allows the quilter to create intricate blocks with accuracy and ease. The fabric is sewn directly to the paper template. Felicity tested my pattern using her own choice of fabrics which I think looks fabulous. I have enlarged the pattern ever so slightly. Read her review here.

PatchworkPottery pattern booklets include a metric conversion chart, stitches & terms section, fully illustrated step-by-step instructions, and full size templates. Try joining rows of half Crane Stars to make a matching quilt or incorporating a single crane into a quilt.

The Teacup Pouch pattern will be available next week. The SpringTime Bag and Quilted Teacup & Saucer patterns are coming soon!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Rainbows

2012-03-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a rainbow on a dark & dreary day...

This lovely quilt is a collaborative effort to which I added some different prairie points and pieced rainbow binding. I wanted the points to echo the points on the wonky stars and I think it turned out nicely! The fabulous quilting was done by Janet!

Here is the front of the Rainbow Wonky Stars quilt. I pieced the aqua block...

And here it is all washed and folded... super yummy!

Some more rainbow wonky stars appeared in my craftroom. The pieced rainbow stripes were the backing for my wonky star quilt but looked amazing as borders along the top & bottom of the quilt. A herd of cranes were slowly spreading across the floor...

And now for some random cute fluffy Percy cat-ness...

And some more rainbows in Claire's hand...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Feedback

2012-01-15T13:44:00.003-08:00

Today I added a feedback section to my BigCartel shop! I think it's very important to receive feedback from my customers so that I can improve my shop and my patterns.

The button is now on my shop's sidebar as well as in every shop e-mail as a FEEDBACK link. It also shows a link to feedback from my old Etsy shop which I hope helps to relieve doubts about purchasing that first pattern.

Now I'm asking for your help :o) If you have purchased a PatchworkPottery pattern and would like to leave feedback, please click on the image below. Right now I have no feedback for my 355 sales in my BigCartel shop.

I can't wait to hear about your shopping experience. I want to know if the pattern was easy to print & assemble, instructions easy to follow & if there any mistakes no matter how small. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Mosaic & Magic

2012-01-05T19:15:00.003-08:00

I made this mosaic today showing some of the things that I posted on flickr in 2011. I can't say I made it all in 2011 because patterns published in books take about a year before you can tell anyone!

Today was a wonderful sunny day that was too warm for a scarf. It reminded me of a little quilt I made in August 2010 that I totally forgot about! I called it "Sunny Day Neighbourhood" and it started out as a Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild challenge to use leftover triangles from a flying geese block...

I just can't get enough of these cute little houses and the fun loopy quilting...

And yes..."neighbourhood" is spelled the Canadian way. My blogger preview window doesn't like it ;o)

Yesterday, I received a lovely e-mail from one of my fans in the Ukraine..."Hello Laurraine, Looked at your work and simply fell in love with each one. Do you have a magic wand? This is something unreal! You are an extraordinary person with special hands and creative head. Good luck to you." I thought it was quite hilarious because there just happened to be a magic wand in my studio at the time!

Claire asked Santa Claus for a real magic wand... not those plastic sparkly light-up ones which are obviously just toys... a real wand... a wood wand. She was absolutely thrilled to find this amazing wand in her stocking Christmas morning. She makes sure that everyone knows it is made from "100% wood" which is apparently a VERY important detail! Oh... and apparently it works!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Butterflies!

2011-12-28T18:16:00.003-08:00

The Butterfly Potholder is now available as a PDF pattern booklet in my SHOP! This pattern was published along with my Teapot Trivet in Pretty Little Potholders by Lark Books in 2008. Unlike the book, PatchworkPottery pattern booklets include a metric conversion chart, stitches & terms section, fully illustrated step-by-step instructions, and full size templates.

It's easy to make a Butterfly Potholder to suit any decor from modern to country. Just slide your fingers into the pocket wings, tuck the rickrack antennae under your hand & you are ready to take that blackberry pie out of the oven!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

TeaTime Trivets

2011-12-27T17:56:00.002-08:00

These TeaTime Trivets were so much fun to make! I guess it's one of those inspired projects that magically comes together in no time at all. I think little elves were helping me!

If they hadn't been made for my dearest friends who I have over for tea every monday night, I probably would have kept them both! It took me an afternoon to make each one and I was in such a rush to finish the first that I forgot to erase my chalk lines!

I made them both 9 x 9 inches using the same background fabrics, one teapot and one teacup & free-motion steam. However I changed the placement and shapes of the teapots & teacups to make them more interesting and original. The only problem is that I can't decide which I like better! This red one went to the same friend who received this teapot cozy.

Linen, tea & pretty prints... what could be better? I will definitely have to make one for myself maybe in robin's egg blue... I wonder if I have enough of that pretty Strawberry fabric left!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T19:24:00.002-08:00

Have you ever made something for someone and then decided that you like it too much to give it away? So much for the Christmas spirit! I originally made this potholder for a Christmas swap at the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild Christmas party but liked it too much to give it away!

However, after much thought I will be giving it to my mom for her birthday which is now past but close to Christmas. I made these leaf potholders for my Mom last Mother's Day but they sit on a shelf never to be used. At least this Christmas potholder might come out once a year :o) I had fun making this block... a wonky star with a peppermint twist!

We had lots of fun this year with a Christmas photoshoot. I really need to get one of those camera remotes because I was the one running back & forth! The picture with the entire family including the cats makes us laugh because Percy Persimmon the orange cat was trying to run away and Mr. Scruffy the grumpy old grey cat is perturbed, hissing & baring his claws! It also looks like he should be wearing a tutu and dancing in the Nutcracker! We love it!

We baked gingerbread and many other cookies... and then my handmixer died! I'm hoping that Santa will bring me a new one because I use it almost every week. It's too bad that things these days aren't meant to last. Plastic is good for some things but not gears! Claire did an amazing job decorating the gingerbread with me!

We brought our tree up from the basement at the beginning on December this year which is earlier than usual... thanks to the 7 year old in the house! This year we didn't have a theme and used my appliqued pears & stars tree skirt.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year full of inspiration from Laurraine, Sota, Claire, Percy & Mr. Scruffy!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Habitat Challenge Quilt

2011-11-19T14:40:00.003-08:00

When I joined the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild one and a half years ago I thought to myself... "Why am I joining a modern quilt guild? My style is far from modern!" After the first meeting, I realized that anything can be modern. My favourite explanations of modern were the following: Modern can encompass the self-taught/just wing-it approach to quilting. It can also describe technology used in this modern age such as blog, flickr & facebook. OH! That's totally me! I guess I'm a modern quilter!

It was definitely a challenge to work with the Habitat fabric line by Jay McCarroll. The Vancouver branch of the Modern Quilt Guild decided that any quilt or quilted object could be made as long as only more Habitat fabric or solids were added to the fat eighth packs donated by Free Sprirt. Read more about the Habitat Challenge here. These were definitely not colours or patterns that I would choose... ever! However, I did like the light blue polkadot since my usual style is Country Chic and how can you not love polkadots!

I managed to scrounge a few extra fat eighths from unclaimed packs for my quilt as I needed more of the polkadot fabric for my border. I also can't make anything lately without throwing in some natural linen! I liked how the neutral linen toned down the busy patterns and added a warm feel to the otherwise cool colours.

I decided to continue the leaf silhouettes from the fabric by free-motion quilting them into the linen background. It was a daunting task but once I got going it was pretty easy! My stitches are by no means consistent but no one will be looking at it that closely... This is definitely not something I would have tried before meeting Janet!

I hand-appliqued the tree, apples, and circles on the back of the quilt. I also stuffed the trapunto apples to give the quilt some dimension.

I used my extra fabric to make an interesting backing totally inspired by Paul's many fabulous quilt and equally fabulous backings.

I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out. It's probably the most modern quilt I will ever make!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

New Pattern Booklet

2011-11-16T19:46:00.002-08:00

I am pleased to announce that there is finally a new pattern booklet in my SHOP! You can now make House Tape Measures for yourself and all your crafty friends... and just in time for Christmas too! There will be new patterns each month thanks to my new illustrator & friend Sarah Taylor! Thanks also to Krista for testing my House Tape Measure pattern!

Sit down with a cup of tea and start sewing your Christmas presents today! Visit my SHOP to instantly download a PatchworkPottery pattern booklet... print it out and you are ready to sew!

Watch for the Butterfly Potholder and Crane Star paper-pieced pillow cover patterns in December!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

*** For international crafters who are unable to find the tape measures locally, you can purchase them HERE. ***

Crane Star Pillow

2011-09-23T11:40:00.002-07:00

Inspiration struck this week and I finally finished my Crane Star pillow. It's been so long that I think the panel faded slightly from sitting in the sun through the summer. Note to self... don't leave half finished projects on the floor!

From paper to fabric...

Front & back...

I wanted to try some "not-quite-straight" quilting that I saw at the last Vancouver modern Quilt Guild meeting for the back panels. I like it and it was super fun and fast. My Japanese husband said that the pillow looks very Japanese so I think that's a good sign!

I ran out of the pink fabric that I used for the crane on the front so I had to substitute it with a linen that was a close colour match. I pieced the binding with all six fabrics and added rainbow sashiko on the linen ties to echo the front of the pillow...

Stay tuned for the Crane Star paper-piecing & pillow cover pattern coming soon to my shop!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Apron, Tea & Stars

2011-09-16T18:34:00.002-07:00

Come over for tea so I can show off my fabulous new apron!!! My friend and fellow quilt designer Sonja and I swapped some goodies on thursday night at the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meeting and I am just giddy with excitement about the apron she made for me! I wore my new apron for the entire meeting and all the way home too!

The only problem was that I couldn't decide which side to wear because it's reversible! How cool is that?!! And I received all these other goodies too including some delicious Nut Crunch tea! Thank you Sonja!

Here is what Sonja received... I made her a cozy for her french press in colours to match the apron that she made herself a few months ago. I also included some homemade Cocoa Cranberry Cookies (my own recipe), a lavender teabag sachet, and some wood buttons from Italy & Japan.

I actually didn't know the exact size for her french press. However, she had sent me a picture and told me where she purchased it. So I snuck over to London Drugs, purchased the french press, brought it home, measured it, and returned it the next day! It was only slightly different than the Kaffe press from Ikea for which I designed my pattern.

I also did a tiny swap with Prairie Mouse. This little bird is flying all the way to New Zealand in exchange for this sweet little green bunny! Thanks Louise!

And here is a look at my newly updated tea drawer. The jars hold loose leaf teas and was inspired by The Great Wall Tea Co right here in New Westminster!

And because they look like my tea drawer, here is a peek at my wonky star blocks. I really like how they look right now but I still have a ziploc full of 2 1/2" linen squares so I'm not certain if the quilt will keep growing...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Linen Skirts

2011-09-11T00:28:00.002-07:00

The combination of hot weather and girls' birthdays gave me the perfect excuse to whip up these cute linen skirts!

These two skirts are for my friend's twin daughters who just turned three. They are really into Hello Kitty and Thomas & Friends so I came up with these non-commercial designs that I hope they'll love. The kitty is a little pocket and the train is fusible web applique with felt button wheels!

I also made this reversible skirt for my niece who just turned one! One side is a blue linen-cotton with fun birds & flowers. The other side is a cute cherry print.

I'm planning to make a few more skirts for birthday presents because they are so cute & easy to make and the girls love them. There's only one problem... my daughter has fallen in love with every single one I've made! I guess I will be making a few new skirts for her too!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Published Again!

2011-09-07T19:05:00.002-07:00

I'm very excited to be published in two more books this year! My Nesting Boxes have made it to the front cover of Zakka Style by Stash Books coming in December. Thank you Rashida for inviting me to be part of your book! I already love it and can't wait to see more!

I also designed this "New Home" coaster set for Countdown Calendars also by Stash Books which came out in June. These decorative coasters would make a great gift for a friend who is moving. Numbers are appliqued on the backs of the coasters so they can be flipped to count down the days until moving into their new home.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

In the Heat of the Attic...

2011-08-19T23:28:00.002-07:00

I haven't been doing much sewing. I want to thank those of you who continue to follow me regardless of sporadic blog posts and new patterns that never seem to appear in my shop. Life has been busier than normal. My daughter has been on Summer Break and I have returned to karate after a 10-year hiatus! The exercise is really helping me focus. I have been organizing and preparing my studio so that I will be ready when Claire goes back to school in a couple weeks.

Lots of work has been happening behind the scenes though. I finally worked out the kinks that were keeping me from making new patterns. The layout has been adjusted so that they are ready to be professionally printed if I decide to go down that road in the future. I have added some new sections including published patterns info, stitches & terms, and a conversion chart for those of you who work in centimetres. The biggest change is that PatchworkPottery Pattern Booklets are now illustrated! Local illustrator, Marie Tai, is doing an amazing job helping me make my patterns look spectacular! Thanks Marie!

I also opened a BigCartel shop! It works in conjunction with Pulley to provide customers with secure instant downloads. No more e-mailing the patterns to each individual... now they can download it themselves!! When I sell many items, the combined set monthly fees for Big Cartel & Pulley work out cheaper than my Etsy shop. It's also fully customizable. YAY!

Please visit my NEW PATTERN SHOP for the following patterns coming soon... House Tape Measure, Butterfly Potholder, Teacup Pouch including CoffeeMug & HotCocoa templates (I still need to take a good photo for the cover), and my new Crane Star paper-piecing pattern!

Marie also sews which is why she is great to work with. She just "gets" the stitches and layers of fabric that other illustrators do not. To see her sewn goodies, origami creatures & illustrated paper dolls, please visit Marie's Etsy Shop!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Crane Star

2011-06-12T17:00:00.002-07:00

Paper-piecing seemed tedious and confusing before I began this project. I had an idea in my mind and the only way to create it seemed to be paper-piecing which I had never done before! After watching a few tutorials and piecing a few cranes, I came up with a method that worked for me.

My first idea was to quilt the pillow cover entirely by hand to resemble Japanese sashiko. I ordered some custom hand-dyed floss from Cymberfloss in France. It turned out gorgeous and the colours matched perfectly! My embroidery went much slower than expected as I was forced take it one stitch at a time. Pulling a few running stitches through several layers of linen and batting proved impossible.

I will be freemotion quilting the rest of the pillow cover in the same colour as the linen so that the focus of the quilt remains on the cranes.

I am also in the process of making a lap quilt with seven crane stars. That's a total of 42 paper-pieced cranes! Percy Persimmon is helping me pick fabrics that look like origami paper. I think he's doing a great job!

I'm hoping to use some of this beautiful hand-dyed floss by Nell's Embroidery in North Vancouver.

My husband Sota is from Japan. His family lives inland and were luckily safe but the news was still devastating for all of us. He started Crane for a Dollar to teach school children to support, sympathize and come together as a community by folding origami cranes to raise funds for Japan. If your child's school is interested in folding 1000 cranes or want to find out more, please click on the postcard :o)

After seeing all the folded cranes, I was inspired to design this paper-piecing pattern. Fourteen cranes finished and twenty-eight more to sew... and then the PDF pattern booklet will be on its way!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Fabric, Tea & Trash?

2011-06-10T10:58:00.002-07:00

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! I received these wonderful fabrics as a gift from the talented Australian quilt designer, Lynette Anderson! Right now, I am hoarding and drooling on my stash of "Scandinavian Christmas" but soon I hope to come up with a pattern worthy of these beautiful fabrics.

I adore the entire line and I think it totally suits me... from the sweet little folk illustrations to the neutral colour range. My favourites are the teeny stitched hearts and the cross-stitched snowflakes and who can't resist the Winter Toadstools! I encourage you all to hop on over to Lynette's Blog :o)

Here are a few TEAish photos for you to enjoy... I am still enjoying this Teacup mug rug made by Sylvie that I received in a swap a while back, and these beautiful handmade lavender-filled acorns and strawberries and sweet teatime coaster made by the lovely Sonia of Cozy Memories.

Here are some of my favourite Tea-for-One sets in my collection! And I just love stamping these pretty scallop stickers from PaperPeddler!

I rescued this pretty little quilted block from my friend Janet's trash can! I thought it would make a sweet mug rug so I finished it with pink plaid binding, some embroidery and a cupcake tag. One quilter's trash is definitely another quilter's treasure!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Kona Quilt Challenge

2011-04-27T14:04:00.003-07:00

Modern Quilt Guilds across the world are taking part in the Robert Kaufman Kona Solids Quilt Challenge! The challenge is to use all 43 colours on the quilt! We can add prints & other fabrics but the Kona Solids must remain the focal point of the quilt. The Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild chose the solids in the dark palette. So here is what I came up with...

Another TEA theme... BIG SURPRISE! I hardly ever use solids and if I do they are usually neutral linen-cotton blends so this really was a challenge for me! Although they are not colours I would normally work with, I am quite pleased with how my quilt turned out!

Someone mentioned that I actually went ahead and used the solid fabrics to create prints such as in the polkadot teapot... I didn't notice before but they are right! I made some ribbon with a tea quote especially for this project using my fabric labesl tutorial. Adding the trims, ribbons, buttons & embroidery definitely added some PatchworkPottery style!

And YES! I managed to use all 43 colours on the front! Some of the teacups were even made with three different colours!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

House, Leaves & Teacup

2011-04-27T09:35:00.002-07:00

Here are a few more gifts that I made for friends & family. I made this sweet little Welcome Wall-hanging for a friend. The background and main part of the house are all pieced.

All the other small pieces including the letters, windows, doors, birdhouse and hearts are raw edge applique with fusible web. Note the mismatched socks hanging on the line ;o)

I noticed than I have been adding a lot more embroidery to my creations now and I am enjoying the hand-sewing immensely! I believe my method of embroidery is different than the regular hoop method. I make the quilt first and add the embroidery as the last step. Working from the top of the quilt, I sew through the top fabric and some batting and I avoid piercing the backing fabric. It works for me!

And of course I always love to add buttons! I usually finish the back of little wall-hangings with these little corner pockets sewn into the binding. Just add a small stick and it's ready to hang!

These scrappy Leaf Potholders are for my Mom on Mother's Day! I whipped them up yesterday using a tiny bit of my green scraps. I actually had no idea that these would turn out to be leaves! I started out sewing scraps together in a crazy quilt fashion :o)

I made the mini Teacup Pouch for my daughter. She said she needed somewhere to put her chore money :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Cotton & Thyme

2011-04-01T14:16:00.002-07:00

My SpringTime Bag pattern can now be found in the Taiwanese quarterly quilting book: Cotton Life no.5! This one announces that SPRING has finally arrived with all the daffodil and tulip colours and flower prints galore!

Cotton Life is written in Chinese but includes photos for each step of every project so it very easy to follow. All measurements are in centimetres and includes full-size templates. Each issue includes 28-32 projects including accessories, clothing, housewares, bags, quilts and much more!

I was surprised to see my name on the front cover and I love how they designed my page! Take a sneak peek inside before you purchase a copy from my SHOP.

Here is a closer look at all the details. There is a flowerpot pocket on the front of the bag...

and a little birdie on the back...

and the pattern for the Butterfly Keychain is included!

The bag is also fully reversible if you decide that you want to go plain.

I was out in the sunshine all day yesterday preparing the gardens and planting early veggies. All of my window sills are full of herb, veggie & squash seedlings. Did I mention that "my time (thyme) is up"?!?! Enjoy your SpringTime!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Gifted

2011-02-20T22:25:00.002-08:00

Here are a few things that I made as gifts that I never got around to blogging...

A teapot eyeglass pouch for my Mom. She really likes the cherry fabric :o)

A lemon potholder for a friend. This was the first time I did curly quilting and it was super fun but things got a bit crazy at times!

A scarf for Claire's friend. I didn't have any fleece so I used flannel for the backing. It's not often you'll see me use hot pink and purple!

And Claire's first fusible web applique project. I helped her a bit with the ironing and sewing but it was her first time using a real sewing machine. She had fun sewing the stars with my Elna. She was quite proud of her finished coaster and I was quite proud of her!

And please check out my online trunk show over at Patchwork Posse by clicking the button below...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Cotton Life no.4

2011-02-08T12:58:00.002-08:00

Cotton Life no.4 includes two of my patterns: Winter Wonderland Candlemat and 'Tis the Season wall-hanging! There are photos for each step of every project so it very easy to follow even if you do not read Chinese. All measurements are in centimetres and includes full-size templates. Each issue includes 28-32 projects including accessories, clothing, housewares, bags, quilts and much more!

I was really happy with how both of these projects turned out :o) Here is a closer look at 'Tis the Season wall-hanging...

And a closer look at Winter Wonderland candlemat...

Cotton Life no.4 is now in my SHOP! Get yourself a copy and have fun sewing these and many more wonderful projects for next Christmas!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Winners!

2010-12-02T11:12:00.002-08:00

As her first important job, my happy Tomte (brownie) helped me choose two winners for the Scandinavian Stitches blog tour giveaway!

Congratulations! The book goes to Melanie and the cards go to Jo! Thank you to everyone who followed the Scandinavian Stitches Blog Tour!

Scandinavian Stitches & Giveaway

2010-11-24T23:19:00.002-08:00

Recently, I was given the chance to review Scandinavian Stitches by Finnish designer Kajsa Wikman. I met Kajsa four years ago through Flickr when her whimsical appliqués caught my eye and have been following her blog Syko ever since. I am surrounded by her handmade goodness every day. She has been a huge inspiration to me so I was very excited to talk about her first book!

I was pleasantly surprised to find more than just projects inside Kajsa's book. There are sections about inspiration, organization, choosing fabrics, designing your own appliqués, embellishing, appliqué techniques, and free-motion quilting. My favourite section in the book was "I just don't get it!" which lists problems and solutions to ease our frustration when things go awry! Thank you for reminding us that we're not the only ones who have quilting disasters! I was thrilled to find that the book reflects Kajsa's design style and her creations to the "tea"!!

The simple & playful projects encourage creative freedom making it easy for the quilter to add their own flair. Each pattern is easy to follow and accompanied by clear diagrams paired with full-size templates! I was so excited that I immediately whipped up a few of Kajsa's projects that I have been eyeing on flickr and her blog for years!

The first project that I absolutely had to make was the Syko Teapot pillow of course!!! The colours I used reminded me of the taste of Earl Grey tea so I decided to add some free-motion writing at the top. It looks great on my wicker chair in the tea room! I think the result is a very happy blend of Kajsa and Laurraine!

I have also had my eye on the Tomte Stuffies since last Christmas! A tomte is described in the book as "the Scandinavian relative of Santa’s little helper". My tomte is made using non-traditional Autumn colours! I added a flower to her hat and she happily helps me in my craftroom (an army of these little helpers could come in handy all year round)!

Kajsa's description of Autumn in Finland is also my experience of Autumn here in British Columbia. This quilt will remind me each day that my friend is not so far away! I had a few extra leaves so I added them under the tree. My smaller version of the Ruska quilt now decorates my kitchen table :o)

Here are a few things I asked Kajsa...

What is the proper pronunciation of your first name (for all of us foreigners)?
For all of you English-speakers - if you say Kysa I think you will get it right! (I can hear everyone saying AHA! now) It is a long "i" sound as in KITE!

What was the first thing you ever designed?
I was 15 and it was a sweater. I asked my mum to knit me something and she told me to do it myself! So I learned how to knit! It was very wide and colourful, a one of a kind piece for sure, a pity I didn't save it! I do have pictures of my fist appliqué designs, I did my first appliqué on clothes for my daughter, some 7 years ago now, luckily I now have a digital camera!

Do you belong to any quilting or craft groups?
No quilting groups, but I would love it, I might start my own when the kids are a little older! I do belong to a local craft organization. We are having a show this December.

When did you realize that you wanted to make a business out of your crafts?
I think the seed was planted when I participated in my first Christmas market, but it was Etsy that made me think about my options seriously. Etsy gave me an affordable sales channel for my first creations. All the positive feedback I got on the pictures I posted on flickr was very valuable and also helped me with the decision.

Have you taken any craft business courses and were they helpful?
I took a course for starting businesses when I was starting up and I wouldn't have managed without the things I learned about taxes, book-keeping etc. Right now, I am participating in a project for craft businesses. We meet about once a month to learn about things like pricing and product display. I spoke about social media (blogging) and Etsy for my fellow students last month! It felt great to be able to share my experience and it made me realize how much I have learned along the way!

Have you ever thought about hiring someone to help you sew? (I know I have!)
YES! And it will probably happen soon, I need someone to help me with the sewing. I can't keep up with the demand anymore and with so many different projects the time dedicated to sewing is shrinking all the time!

GIVEAWAY TIME! (now closed)
Stash Books is giving away one copy of Scandinavian Stitches per blog and Kajsa is giving away one set of Syko Design cards per blog. Simply leave a comment on my blog for your chance to win! Giveaway closes on Saturday, November 27 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.

Thank you for choosing me to be part of your amazing online book tour! The blog tour will end off tomorrow at Allsorts. Please see the previous post for the complete list of participating blogs.

If you don't win or can't wait to purchase some of Kajsa's work, please visit the Syko Shop.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Blog Tour

2010-11-14T13:44:00.002-08:00

I met Kajsa Wikman four years ago through Flickr when her whimsical appliqués caught my eye. We immediately traded bags in my first ever swap. My house bag still goes with me everywhere I go. I consider Kajsa a great friend and although we have never met in person, I feel as if I know her from following her life through her blog, Syko Design. I was there when the first birds were created with her daughter and I was there when the button became the Syko logo!! Her designs have inspired me greatly throughout the years and now I am excited to announce that her first book Scandinavian Stitches is being released this month!

Follow the tour to learn a little more about Kajsa at each stop, as well as 10 chances to win a copy of the book provided by Stash Books and 10 chances to win this cute card set!

Blog Tour Dates:
November 15th – Fat Quarterly
November 16th – i heart linen
November 17th – Tall Grass Prairie Studio
November 18th – The Sometimes Crafter
November 19th – Pikaland
November 22nd – LucyKate Crafts
November 23rd – Whip Up
November 24th – PeikonPoika
November 25th – PatchworkPottery
November 26th – Allsorts

Congratulations Kajsa!
Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Craftroom Corners

2010-10-25T08:00:00.002-07:00

I would like to show you a few of my favourite spots in my craftroom. I love little groupings of my favourite things. They help give me inspiration :o)

Here are some of the things around my large sunny window. I have birds from three of my favourite internet crafty friends. The floral birdie was made by Sonia of Cozy Memories in France, and the little pink one was made by Kajsa of Syko Designs in Finland. I have a lot of their handmade goodness around my craftroom. The beautiful felted wool bird sitting in my basket of twine (and the leaf too) was made by Lisa of Lil Fish Studios in the United States. These wonderful women are all a big inspiration to me both on and off-line :o)

In front of me while I sew I have little design sketches, favourite stamps, a most amazing tea bookmark which never gets used for that purpose made by Sonia, a sweet little needlebook made by Anne Marie of Life in Yonder in Norway. My little house tape measure is cute and useful, and even my button magnets inspire me! Little drawings by my 6 year old daughter Claire also decorate my magnet boards... little did she know that stitch 87 just happens to be a flower!

Above my fabric on the left side of the shelf, I have a collection of the books that my patterns have been published in as well as hardcopy print-outs of my PDF patterns. The house was made by Kajsa, the pear by Lisa & the linen strawberries by Sonia! A card by Kajsa decorates the right side of the shelf, as well as other random goodness. A sunny teapot and some touches of springtime ready me for the drab winter :o)

Here is the place where I sit and sketch cozied up with Kajsa's teacup pillow! On the wall between the closet door openings hangs my acorn collection. And on the shelf above my computer, a little tag from a pattern that my favourite Australian designer Lynette Anderson sent to me as a gift! The tag sits beside Sonia's moleskine that I love too much to use... I promise I will use it one day ;o)

"Things to do after I have Tea"? Hmm... I suppose I will never get anything done because I never finish drinking tea!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Quilt Retreat

2010-10-19T20:00:00.002-07:00

At the beginning of this month, I was lucky to be part of the first annual Quilter's Connection Magazine Quilt Retreat! It was held at Edenvale Retreat and Conference centre in Abbotsford. Heather, Tricia & Susan went out of their way to create a special weekend for us. Lovely gift baskets, charm packs, chocolates on the pillows, fun games, demo, and lovely quilts decorating every common room... Fantastic!

I forgot to take photos of everything... I found a chocolate sewing machine in my gift basket and I actually remembered to take a photo before I bit into it! Here is the woodsy flannel charm pack I found at my place setting, and a few shots of busy bees at work :o)

I won three cutting rulers as a prize for the first completed project from start to finish! I made this monkey quilt in about 12 hours! These small rulers are perfect for me and I even used them all that same day!

I have a few new nicknames now... "Ruler girl" because as well as the small rulers, I also won a large pineapple block ruler as a door prize at the local quilt shop. A Great Notion opened their doors to host a special wine & cheese night. I bought some lovely fabric, new on the market Shades SoftFuse fusible web, and a new rotary cutter because my small one is too small and my big one is too big (that's my excuse anyway)!

My other name is "Liberty girl". We were playing a game of charades and we had to act out quilt block names. Well mine was "New York Beauty" and all I could think of doing was stand there the whole time thrusting one arm up in the air! There were a lot of laughs :o)

I overheard a few quilt retreat repeat offenders saying that this was the best quilting retreat that they had attended. It was my first weekend retreat and I will definitely be going again next year! If you would like to join us, subscribe to Quilter's Connection Magazine e-newsletter to receive news and free patterns.

Here are a few more photos of all the lovely ladies I met at the retreat...

*All of the outdoor group shots are courtesy of Megan Jensen*

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Mug Rugs

2010-10-15T16:41:00.002-07:00

In September I joined an online Mug Rug swap. You may ask the same question I did, "What is a Mug Rug"? Well, it's like a quilted potholder... a special place to put your cup of tea with room for treats!

The Scrappy Mug Rug Swap was lots of fun! 125 crafters signed up and each had a different secret partner. We received a list of our partner's likes & dislikes from our swap mama and then we had to be sly & cunning to learn more about what our partner liked without letting them know!

Lots of design photos were posted, comments given, guesses and hopes as to which mug rug we would receive! Take a look at all the wonderful Mug Rugs in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap flickr group.

My partner liked linen, pink and charcoal as well as teapots and teacups! From the comments on flickr, I learnt that she liked the first design in the softer pink colourway.

She also liked the checkered button from the second colourway and adored the backing fabric which is why I decided to make a matching napkin so she could actually see it!

It travelled all the way to Rose in Australia. Rose says, "I'll be thinking of you when I have a cup of 4 o'clock tea with my napkin while admiring my mug rug safely on the wall!"

Here is the second mug rug design in the other colourway. I was really happy how this one turned out too! I worked on it at the weekend quilting retreat but left the binding for home after finding a tiny piece of the stripey fabric in my scraps. I knew it would be perfect and that I had some in my stash!

I bought these lovely Spring fabrics at Quilted Treasures in Coquitlam. I used the pretty green on the right for the backing fabric.

And last but not least...

The absolutely fabulous Mug Rugs that I received from France! Yup, not only one mug rug, but TWO!!! And teacups! What could be more perfect :o) Thank you so much Sylvie! See how they match our mugs perfectly!

Sylvie's 5 year old daughter made a special lavender house sachet for Claire. She was thrilled to receive something from across the seas and enjoyed seeing the photo of Charlotte sewing the sachet. She loves the smell and takes it to bed with her! Thank you so much:o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Paper, Pie & a Sheep

2010-10-12T22:10:00.002-07:00

Last month I was interviewed as part of an article on Etsy for the local newspaper. Twice a week since then, I have been eagerly searching the paper looking for that tiny article with maybe a photo of me in it. I was starting to think that it may never be published until yesterday when I saw a little photo of me at the top right of the front cover announcing the feature story...

Little did I realize it would be a full page article with my photo taking half of it! I was blown away! Please read the full article HERE.

I also made some absolutely scrumptious pie! It was so fabulous that my friend licked her plate at our tea party! HAHA! I used what I had in the house: 2 nectarines, 2 fresh spartan apples, 2 clumps of concord grapes, 2 cups of frozen blackberries, the juice and rind of half a lemon, 2/3 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup flour to thicken. I use this fabulous hot water pastry recipe for my pie crusts. It's so easy and always turns out great. I think I miss pottery because I went crazy with the crust! I will definitely make this pie again!

Here is a sheep pillow I made for a friend's daughter about a year ago that I forgot to blog!! It's never too late :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

A Can of Inspiration

2010-10-09T00:43:00.002-07:00

The walls in my new craftroom have been beige-yellow since we moved in March. I finally realize that yellow is just not my colour. I can't think in it... it gives me no inspiration. It took me weeks to choose a colour for my walls. I already knew that I wanted my favourite colour~ dusty aqua... little did I realize just how many dusty aquas there were at the local hardware store! I finally narrowed it down to 3 paint chips but one stood out above the others...

How could anyone possibly resist a can of paint called "Garden Party"?! I had to have it!!

I took all these photos just after I moved everything back into the room. Of course it will never be this clean again! Here is one of those staged photos with a quilt top I haven't worked on in years...

And here is my computer shelf (not really a desk) with my best friend Mac and my awesome Ikea step stool that I sit on. I know if my bum is numb that I have been sitting at the computer too long and need to get some sewing done!

And here is my lovely built-in looking bookcase! I used 5 Ikea DVD shelves, some moulding to fit between, and some narrow shelves to sit on top. I finished the whole thing off with my super fancy scallop trim I cut from cardstock. Cardstock has never made such a huge impact before! Eventually I would like to replace it with something a bit more durable...

Here is what it looked like before the trim and scallops. I also had to cut a hole in the back of one bookcase for the electrical outlet. That is why one bookcase was pulled away from the wall...

Removing the doors and wire shelving, and painting over the faux clouds, made a huge difference in the closet. The closet has become part of the room now and makes it look much larger too! Too bad that lovely hardwood floor doesn't continue under the carpet...

My craftroom doubles as a guestroom or a place to crash if I have worked much too late! I originally had the couch-bed facing the computer...

This week, I have turned the couch-bed to face the closet. It gives me much more floor room to lay out projects and to sandwich quilts :o)

I finished painting my room 3 weeks ago, just in time for a big interview. Penny & Bill ~world-traveling freelance writers, quilters, artists and storytellers extraordinaire~ drove all the way from the UK to interview me! Okay, I admit I was sort of on their route around the world but they had discovered me on the internet many months back and decided to write a magazine article about me with intentions to pitch it to British Patchwork & Quilting magazine. Let's cross our fingers!

Meet Penny & Bill. We had a lovely visit with them and had fun getting the tour of their traveling home! Visit their blog, Ageing Overlanders and be sure to check out their travel diary!

I'm throwing in a photo of the bird I made for Claire while Penny & Bill were visiting. Claire was so happy that she had a new basket that looked like a nest. She put a few plastic easter eggs in it and sat her bunny stuffy on top. I mentioned that bunnies don't really lays eggs (just the easter bunny of course). OOPS! She threw up her arms in horror and frantically repeated over & over that she didn't have a bird stuffy. Mommy to the rescue...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Books, Wool & a Spider

2010-10-05T23:18:00.002-07:00

As one of the pattern designers, I am proud to present "Cotton Life" all the way from Taiwan!

This new sewing book has a great Zakka look! There are photos for each step of every project so it very easy to follow even if you do not read Chinese. All measurements are in centimetres and includes full-size templates. Each issue includes 28-32 projects including accessories, clothing, housewares, bags, quilts and much more!

Cotton Life no.3 includes my Autumn Leaf Bag set! Look for my patterns in every issue that follows! Now you can find them in my SHOP.

I drooled all over this delicious wool at the fabric store so they made me buy it! I love Autumn colours!

Speaking of Autumn, Halloween is just around the corner. I recently joined the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild and October's block of the month was a 6 1/2 inch square block with a Halloween theme of course! Here is what I came up with! I had lots of fun using up my scraps :o)

... and what would a patchwork spiderweb be without a button spider!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

One Little Monkey

2010-09-30T18:00:00.002-07:00

My brother had a baby girl this month! I decided to make a different version of the original 9-monkey quilt... a cute little quilt with only one monkey. I made one like it a few years back which was mostly tied but thought I could improve upon it. Instead of really basic quilting and tying, I free-motion quilted a flower into the centre of each square and quilted the words "one little monkey jumping on the bed" around the border. I really love the border but next time I think I will quilt bananas into the squares!

As you can see the border changed for the better with my husband's valued opinion! The rusty red border really was too dark...

I also tried something I never thought of doing on a pillow-cased (no binding) quilt before. I sprayed 505 on the batting and stuck the backing to it. I still pinned it but it was much easier to quilt and I didn't get any puckers at all! I also thought I would have my stained office carpet in my new craftroom, but laying the batting on it and sandwiching the quilt was a breeze. I just stuck my cutting mat under the edge where I pinned.

Here is the finished quilt top on a sunny day hanging from my clothesline on my back porch...

And here are some details of the finished "One Little Monkey" quilt...

For the backing, I used brown flannel with a stripe made of little squares of all the fabrics used for the flower blocks on the front of the quilt! I really liked the added interest :o) Pieced backs are becoming much more popular in the revived modern quilting movement (if that's what it's called)!

Here is the original version with the nine monkeys that was published in "Quilts, BABY!"...

And this was the first single monkey quilt that was mostly tied.

I will be making another one this weekend when I go to my first full-weekend quilting retreat! It is the first annual Quilter's Connection Magazine weekend retreat. I am quite excited about sewing for a full weekend without interruptions! I think I have packed way too many projects and supplies but I usually work on whatever tickles my fancy at that moment. I really need to catch up on my long list of baby gifts though ;o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Evening Tea Party & a Cozy

2010-09-22T19:36:00.002-07:00

I made this french press cozy a while back. It is much simpler than my other designs... floral linen with red plaid binding and ties, and buttons embellishing the centres of quilted flowers! Lately I can seem to resist adding some sort of hand embroidery to each piece so I added little cross-stitches on the ties in the same dusty grey-green as in the linen. I really like how it turned out :o)

I hosted what will no doubt be the last evening tea party in my garden for the year. The weather is getting colder and wetter but I'm not complaining because my craftroom is bright even on a gloomy day. I am so lucky to have two of my high school friends as neighbours since moving to New Westminster. We try to get together every Wednesday evening for tea and sometimes a walk as well. Our visit was lovely! Solar lanterns hung from the wisteria vine, and tea lights in lanterns and jars added sparkle to the evening. The pie was baked with freshly picked blackberries! Yummmm...

For pure eye candy, I will throw in a picture of the cake I made for my husband's birthday in August...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Books & Zippers

2010-08-29T19:09:00.002-07:00

Things change...

I have decided to take more of a pattern-design route in my life as most of you already know. Designing the first two issues for Quilter's Connection Magazine was fun and a great learning experience but also quite stressful. It didn't leave much time in my life to focus on my own patterns so I decided it was time to move on. I still design a page now & then or help out with photography or patterns but at a much more toned down level. What I learned is already helping me on my path to my own pattern-making.

Click on the image to get a sneak peek inside!

PURCHASE A COPY

Several months ago, I was contacted by a new Taiwanese sewing book called Cotton Life to join their team as one of their main designers. This quarterly magazine has a Japanese flair with photos for every step which makes it easy to follow even if you can't read Chinese! I have always dreamed of being part of such a book and I am very excited to once again be published in another language!

For issue No.3 (my first issue), I designed a quilted bag, pouch & keychain set. Now why I designed a round zippered pouch I will never know! Sewing zippers into round bags is DIFFICULT! I tried many ways but I soon realized that sewing them by machine was NOT an option for me! So I decided to do it the Japanese way and sew it in by hand!

The first two pouches were good but the zippers stuck out the sides and I didn't like the loose lining.

The final pouch consisted of two tiny round pillow-cased quilts. I also set the zipper further back so it wouldn't be noticeable from the front.

I was very happy with the finished product... yet another pattern I must add to my list! Send an e-mail directly to Cotton Life to PURCHASE A COPY. For those of you who can wait, I will be adding a few copies of each issue to my Etsy Shop :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Tea Cozy & Garden Party

2010-06-25T23:53:00.002-07:00

Enjoying ourselves at a local Tea House, my friend mentioned that she needed a tea cozy and was going to buy one from the gift shop. I immediately told her that I would not allow her to purchase one and that I would make her one... enter the deluxe patchwork tea cozy with two different sides!

The quote that I embroidered along the bottom, I borrowed from a vintage cross-stitch that my friend gave to me recently. It reads "Come into my kitchen and chat with me while I prepare a pot of tea." I think it may be my new favourite tea phrase!

It suddenly appeared on her teapot during our Wednesday night tea time... she almost cried :o)

As my family and I were entering a cafe, I spotted this license plate! I jumped up and down pointing at it. My hubby thought I was insane but I managed to get him to sneak a photo for me!

I turned 37 on June 13th. I made my own birthday cake this year which was polished off in minutes near the end of my small garden party :o) I usually don't like to make layer cakes because of the mess it makes when you try to cut the layers. This time I baked thin layers that looked like giant cookies. No cutting, no crumbs, no mess! PERFECT... especially with fresh strawberries and whipped cream!

I had a lovely afternoon enjoying my friends and my garden. Many thanks for all the birthday wishes I received via e-mail, flickr , and facebook too!!!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Sunshine & Stitches

2010-06-08T20:06:00.002-07:00

Sneak peeks at a WIP that I started on monday... There's the new sewing table in use and I can fold it up and slide it away. I still prefer my round bistro table by the window for tea time.

I found that I am a bit rusty when it came to the free-motion quilting. I definitely need some more practice! My swirly lines were a bit wobbly but I left them because that's part of the charm... right?! I enjoyed the hand-embroidery which I took with me to the park today. I even had time to work on it because today Claire finally figured out how to swing all by herself!

Meet my new teacup and floral pillowcase. I found them for a great deal at a second hand shop last week :o) I think this is the prettiest teacup I have ever seen! I am trying to decide whether or not to cut into the pillowcase to make a pendant garland for above the window in my tea room as was the intended purpose...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Linen & Green

2010-06-04T21:00:00.002-07:00

Here is another quick little project for myself... nesting fabric baskets for the kitchen. I used a textured linen-look fabric for the outside and added cute little tags. I hand-stamped some ribbon, and made others from pretty tea ribbon created by Anna of Lilla Lotta. They are cute but next time I will quilt them so they are sturdier :o)

What a surprise when I found this peony in my back garden! I am enjoying my new yard immensely and will enjoy it even more once the sun comes out to play.

I must admit that I am proud of my baker's rack herb garden with the tiny greenhouse of strawberries on the top shelf. I planted thyme, parsley, both sweet & thai basil, cilantro, oregano, rosemary, sage, marjoram, tarragon, savory, mint and chives. I started most of the herbs from seeds so I can't wait until they grow a bit more to fill the pots. The only thing missing is an old metal watering can or two :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Tea Room

2010-06-03T10:39:00.002-07:00

What more can I say?! An entire room in my new home dedicated to tea & sewing parties!!! What could be better! I found some great second hand items such as this wonderful gingham chair...

...and this wonderful red hutch which needs some shelves but was already painted the perfect shade of warm red!

Above the fireplace I am finally going to frame this fantastic print called "Night Flowers" by Claire Robertson of LoobyLu. I bought it when my daughter Claire (the name is pure coincidence) was born 5-1/2 years ago. Her blog was the first I ever read and was truly an inspiration to me.

Now all I need are some drop-leaf tables to transform my Tea Room into an instant sewing room. I found this table second hand and will be bringing it home on the weekend! I think it will be perfect and I am planning to eventually get two for the Tea Room.

I have been a major slacker on the internet in the last few months. I seem to go through a period every year when I need a break. Thank you all for your e-mails of concern but really I am fine and just being lazy and focusing on other things like gardening and setting up home.

Even during my breaks, I never stop being inspired by my crafty friends across the seas. My friend Sonia of Cozy Memories in France made these fabulous sketchbooks for me. I adore them so much that they sit on my computer shelf now where I can stare at them for hours! Thank you Sonia. You are the first person I spy on when I visit flickr and blogland :o)

I had my new quilty neighbour Janet over on monday morning. I made these little tea party napkins with tea party fabric of which I managed to scoop up some more from an online shop. They turned out cute but next time I make them I will place the label so that when the napkins are folded they become little sleeping bags for the tea spoons :o)

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

My New Craftroom!

2010-03-26T10:33:00.002-07:00

I LOVE my new craftroom! This is what it looked like at the beginning of March before I unpacked all my crafty goodness. The window was screaming, "Window seat! Window seat!" I found the perfect storage bench at IKEA which I purchased right away! Now all it needs is a lovely cushion for the top.

It was a bit difficult transitioning from a room with high ceilings where all my shelving was tall, to an attic room where all the walls are much shorter. I needed to purchase entirely new shelving. I chose these small DVD shelves in white to hold my fabric.

As you can see, I now have an entire wall of fabric which resembles a quilt shop! My plan is to turn these Ikea shelves into something that looks like high end built-in bookcases. I will buy some nice moulding to fill the gaps between the shelves and add a larger shelf along the entire top and add a lovely moulding along the edge to finish it.

My craftroom is bright even on a cloudy day! I was a bit worried that the bright sun would fade my fabric but at the same time I would rather have them right where I can see all of it at once so I can spot something and grab it right away... that is just the way I work. I will just have to sew up a storm before the fabric fades ;o)

The shape of the room made it difficult to put my desk in the center of the room. My desk is now against the wall which would be a bother if I worked on large quilts all the time but most of what I make are smaller quilted crafts. This actually solves the old problem I had with pieces of projects falling off and disappearing under my desk. The shorter walls also meant that I had to hang my magnet boards differently too. I quite like the longer look :o)

The first thing I set up was my computer although you would never guess from the lack of blogging! I used the same narrow shelf as before to allow room for the guest bed to open.

The closet space was so fabulous that I just had to remove the doors to open up the back half of the room even more! There is hardwood floor in the closet but unfortunately in does not continue under the old grey office carpet.

Don't you just love the fake clouds sponge-painted against bright blue inside the closet?! (Yes, I am being very sarcastic!) The closet was full of useless wire shelving which I promptly removed. There are currently three billy bookcases in there (one of which has more fabric?? ...Yup, all my larger pieces!) Now I need to fill the billion holes it left and it will be painted along with the rest of the room as soon as the weather warms up.

The colour I chose is called "Garden Party"! It is a lighter version of the first colour. I gave the actual sample to our landlords and it has been okayed :o)

And if one amazing window is not enough, you could decide to look out the perfect picture window! Of course you only get this view if you are standing far back inside the closet while hunching over ;o)

Do I miss my old craftroom? ...not ...one ...bit! Not even the window!

Keeping my Sanity

2010-02-10T18:18:00.002-08:00

I think this is our biggest move yet... somehow in the last 3 years we have collected a LOT of stuff! Right now I am sitting in a corrugated forest surrounded by more tall towers of boxes. My craftroom is slowly being packed away but not as quickly as the rest of the house... I do need to keep my sanity after all!

Yesterday, Claire wanted to make a doll. She handed me a little drawing and some fabric and yarn that she "found" in my craftroom... I sewed and she helped stuff and even drew the face herself... and in one afternoon Claire had a new friend :o)

While I was packing a few of the trinkets away, I found a handful of acorn caps that Claire had collected in Autumn. I have some little needle-felted acorns from Lisa of Lil Fish Studios, and a few nylon and yarn acorns from Recycle Micol. I have wanted to make my own version of fabric acorns for a while to add to my collection. Thank you my friends for inspiring me!

My husband went to Japan recently and returned home with a Komaneko doll! She is the main character from a very sweet Japanese stop animation film. It is my absolute favourite because she is very crafty!!! However she didn't come with her handmade dolls so I re-created the girl doll upon Claire's request :o)

Expect to see more quick little projects during our move while I struggle to keep my sanity! Read more about our move here.

Here is the first part of Komaneko. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Goodbye Craftroom

2010-02-01T01:00:00.002-08:00

I am slowly packing up my craftroom (and the rest of the house) to move to a new home in on March 1st. Even though I am excited about this move, it also makes me a bit sad. Over the past 3 years, many new ideas were conceived and made by hand in this room.

My business has grown so much in this time and I have somehow transformed from closet crafter to internationally published quilt designer... who knew where this would all lead or where it will go from here! I am certain that my new craftroom will be just as inspiring or maybe even more so once I get everything sorted out.

Our new home will have much more space, and a much-needed dishwasher because what crafter ever has time to do the dishes!?! We will also be able to finally add a sweet little cat friend to our family! I will be a neighbour to two of my best friends from high school and I have already met one of my new crafty neighbours in blogland whom I can't wait to invite for tea & sewing!

Everything seems friendlier and much more family-oriented in New Westminster than it does here in Burnaby. People even say Hi back to you when you pass them on the street! Claire will be going to the most quaint little school of 66 students right across from a beautiful park. I think the change of scenery will be a plus for me... I am even thinking of starting karate again after 10 years of not doing much of any sort of exercise. I will have to check out the dojo that's a two minute walk from our house. Add that to the already planned evening strolls with friends through the very hilly streets, and Dance Dance competitions! YAY!

I will be busy packing up my teacups and fabric this month. Goodbye craftroom... I will miss you... especially your window!

Sailboat Pillow

2010-01-28T13:21:00.002-08:00

I made this pillow as a Christmas present for Claire's bigger 10-year-old best friend who loves sailing and the colour orange. I secretly planned this present a couple months in advance, mysteriously giving her a project to draw a sailboat picture for me. Weeks went by and she was very curious! She kept asking me what I was planning to do with her drawing, and I would reply in a taunting voice, "Yoooou'll seeeeee!"

I scanned her drawing into my computer and turned it into a black & white photocopy which I then printed out. I used it for the template and cut all the shapes out drawing the reverse on the paper side of fusible webbing adding extra where the pieces would be overlapped by another piece.

Then I ironed it onto the back of the corresponding fabric and cut out the shapes. Peeled the paper backing off, positioned the pieces, and ironed them onto the background block. Beacause the fabric edges were raw, I sewed around each shape twice to prevent any unravelling after many washes.

Here is her fabulous sailboat drawing :o) And she absolutely LOVES her new pillow!

Coffee?

2010-01-25T15:16:00.002-08:00

I am a tea-a-holic (if you hadn't noticed already)! I never drink coffee but you will always find a tin of it in my fridge. Why? Well, although I do brew an occasional cup of coffee for my hubby, I use it mostly for staining fabric! Sometimes that perfect fabric for a project is hard to find especially when you are a perfectionist like me... this fabric is too white... that one is too bright... That's where coffee comes in.

I prefer fabrics and trims with a natural tone but sometimes they are hard to find. I will start with a fabric that has a white background, and a white cotton trim (sorry I forgot to take a before picture).

I hand-wash my trim in warm water and use a bit of soap to remove the sizing which are chemicals added to the fabric to make in more rigid and to protect it from stains. This will allow the fabric to to absorb the coffee stain evenly.

Fill a small sack with lots of ground coffee. I over-do it and use about a cup... much too strong to drink! Tie it closed and throw it into a pot of boiling water. Brew it for about 10 minutes and remove the sack.

Let your fabric simmer in the pot for 10-20 minutes depending on how dark you want to stain it. Remember: Once the fabric is dried, the stain will become MUCH lighter. Remove from the pot with tongs and immerse in very cold water with some white vinegar added. At this point, immersing the fabric in hot water would remove some of the stain. Rinse in cold water.

If you don't want to ruin your ironing board, cover it with an old pillowcase or spare cotton fabric. Iron the fabric or trim by sections with a hot dry iron until it is completely dry. The stain is now set.

Here is the fabric against a white background so you can see how it has been stained. Now, I don't use coffee purely because I would rather not sacrifice any of my precious tea... I find that different types of tea will yield different tints. Orange pekoe will give a much warmer yellow-orange tint. I prefer coffee because it produces a more neutral tint. I giggle when I think that I stain my tea fabric with coffee!

Sometimes if the colour or print of the fabric is too bright or if I want a more antique look, I will even bleach the fabric a bit before staining it. The cowboy fabric in this quilt started out as a very bright orange and green print...

See more of the Mister Peanut bunny quilt that I made in 2007 here.

Patchwork Scarf & a spot of Tea

2010-01-24T16:31:00.002-08:00

I finished my scarf and I am VERY happy with it! I love the colour and the fabrics and the super soft microfleece backing. I was worried that it might turn out too pink because really I am not a pink person however the colour has been growing on me in the last couple years. The green backing, and the greens and tans in the patchwork do a great job of toning down the pink.

I also used some fabulous Tea Party fabric by Susan Branch and a bit of sweet Tea Time tape made by my very talented friend Anna of LillaLotta in France!

After all, it just wouldn't be a scarf for me without a spot of tea!

Partridge & Pondering

2010-01-20T20:19:00.002-08:00

I wanted to share this little wall-hanging I made before Christmas. It turned out different than I had originally planned... the background fabric changed, I added trim to the lace at the bottom, and the way it hangs changed as well. For the most part though I followed my original sketch :o)

It's interesting how the first photo feels so much different than the finished piece. Sometimes I wonder if I had waited another day how much more different it would have turned out... which fabrics or trim would have whispered to me, "pick me, pick me".

It hung with my teacups for my bird-themed Christmas. I think next year may be another peppermint Christmas... this time with pink and LOTS of candy canes! Maybe I should make my peppermint garland into a PDF pattern later this year?

Scarves & Tarts

2010-01-20T00:15:00.002-08:00

This evening I finally started working on the scarf that I have wanted to make for myself since Autumn! I will finally have a scarf to match the hat that I made for myself last winter... no more blue scarf with my pink hat! I have been looking for the perfect project for which to use this wonderful Susan Branch tea party fabric that was given to me. I coffee-stained it darker, and I found some very soft green microfibre fleece for the backing. I like how it is coming together so far! I plan on using some of Anna's wonderful handmade tea tape as a label for the back :o)

I made this wonderful Pear & Cranberry Tart last week. It was amazing and amazingly easy! It was my first time using frozen puff pastry from the supermarket...

I made a bunch of stuff at Christmas that I would like to share with you over the next few posts. The first were these fabric rose brooches and this patchwork scarf for my Mom. It was my first time making both items. The scarf was fun, fast & easy to make...

I have a funny feeling that my friends will all get new scarves next year!

Cupcakes for Sale!

2010-01-11T21:31:00.002-08:00

CupCake Pincushions are now available as a cute little PDF printable pattern booklet! This is the third pattern in "A Scrap Basket Project" PDF Series. This series is a collection of super easy projects for quilters and crafters of all skill levels, and are designed to use those small pieces of fabric.

You can find this pattern along with Pumpkin Coasters & Bird Ornaments in my SHOP.

Flocked Tree

2009-12-24T22:42:00.002-08:00

Not the flocking you would usually associate with a Christmas tree...

A flock of birds have flown in from all around the globe to make a home in my tree this year!

There are some of my own fabric bird ornaments, felt gingerbread birds from CozyMemories and a felted wool robin from LilFish...

There are pretty scrapbook paper birds from Mrs. Kwitty...

There is a fabric birdhouse from Annax and my favourite new glass bird ornament...

and THESE and THIS and store bought birds of all types including some wonderful glass bird ornaments that I found in 2 different stores this year... what luck!

Among the birds are birdhouses, pinecones, acorns, popcorn and of course tons of glittery, shiny & sparkly tinsel requested by the 5 year old! (We should have fun trying to remove it all from our fake tree!)

I wonder if anyone has ever topped their Christmas tree with a birdhouse before... Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Everyone!

Bird Ornaments

2009-11-22T16:25:00.002-08:00

Bird Ornaments are now available as a cute little PDF printable pattern booklet! You can fill them with lavender or other dried flowers to turn them into a pretty sachet. They are a great decoration for all year round... not just for the holidays!

This is the second pattern in "A Scrap Basket Project" PDF Series. This series is a collection of super easy projects geared toward quilters and crafters of all skill levels. These patterns are designed to use those small pieces of fabric from your overflowing bin or basket (in my case I have 7 of them!).

You can find this pattern along with the first pattern of the series Pumpkin Coasters in my SHOP.

Tea & Time

2009-09-24T10:18:00.002-07:00

Finally, I have some free time!

I have been drinking obscene amounts of tea over the last 2 months while working on the second issue of Quilter's Connection Magazine. Tuesday, I went to Rhino Print Solutions in Richmond to meet the gang and have a tour of their huge warehouse. I had no idea that the printing machine alone was bigger than my house! Heather the editor and I checked the proofs and everything looked amazing! I am very excited about the Winter 2009/10 issue that will be out in December!

This week I finally had time to finish an order for 6 quilted teacup & saucer sets. These are for a very good customer of mine. I hope she likes them! No, you can neither put tea in them nor a teacup... they are really just a conversation piece but I have so much fun making them! And yes, they are on my list to make into a pattern booklet :o)

I had entirely too much fun taking photos of them! If you would like to see more photos, please visit my Flickr Gallery.

Pumpkin Coasters

2009-09-21T21:15:00.002-07:00

Harvesting pumpkins from my little garden last week put me in a particularly Autumn-y mood. I needed something to decorate my wall that would celebrate the season as well as have a function. From the over-flowing bins of fabric scraps, Pumpkin Coasters were born... and what a better opportunity to try out my new-found InDesign skills than to create my very first PDF pattern!

These coasters are very versatile because they can be linked together. You can make a set of 4 or as many as needed. Pumpkin Coasters is a very simple & easy-to-make pattern, and is suited to quilters of any skill level!

I am very excited to make this PDF pattern available in my SHOP just in time for Autumn. It is a 4-page pattern which includes the cover, an instruction page including full colour photos, and 2 template pages. I have decided to make my simpler designs available as PDF patterns. My goal is to make most of my current designs available as printed pattern booklets and keep on creating new projects! My dream is to find my pattern booklets in shops across the world :o)

...but first I have to make them!

Interview!

2009-08-28T17:10:00.002-07:00

I was recently interviewed by Marysia at House of Art! Click on the photo below to learn a little more about me and to check out their great blog!

Winner!

2009-08-20T17:40:00.002-07:00

Out of a fantastic total of 195 new e-newsletter subscribers, #97 was randomly chosen. And the winner is...

Sylvia R. of Under the Quilt from UK! Congratulations! You will be receiving a one-year subscription (4 issues) to Quilter's Connection Magazine all the way from Vancouver, BC Canada!!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway and thank you to Heather at Quilter's Connection Magazine for providing the free subscription! For anyone who is interested in our new Canadian quilting magazine, please hop on over to Quilter's Connection Magazine to subscribe today!

Quilter's Connection Magazine & Giveaway!

2009-08-10T13:41:00.002-07:00

At the end of my previous post I mentioned a new Canadian quilting magazine and now I finally have a minute to tell you all about it!

If you are a Canadian quilter you may have already heard about Quilter's Connection Magazine. Heather McArthur, publisher & editor of QCM has made her dream of creating a Canadian quilting magazine for quilters by quilters a reality after taking the reigns of the BC newsletter "Connections for Quilters".

In July, Heather asked me if I would be interested in contributing a pattern to the first issue due out in September and of course I was excited! She was also in need of a graphic designer so I mentioned my experience designing business cards, invitations and ads for an Art Gallery where I used to work. We decided to design her business card and she was so impressed that somewhere along the way she hired me as the Creative Director of the magazine!

I am so excited about my new job as it incorporates everything I love and everything I am good at. There hasn't been a boring minute since July! I have been busy doing graphic design, layout, illustration and even some photography, as well as designing my quilting project which is featured on the front cover! I'm really happy with my "Partridge in a Pear Tree" project. The borders at the sides are little pockets that hold all the pears & the partridge ornaments! If you want to try to make one then you will just have to order yourself a copy of the magazine :o)

A big thank you to Heather for making me a part of something HUGE, and thank you to my hubby who is excited even when I'm not, and to my daughter whose Mommy has a computer glued to her face all day ;o)

Many Canadian quilters are looking forward to the first issue of Quilter's Connection that will be available in September. Issues will be available at select quilt shops across Canada and annual quarterly subscriptions are available online to anyone who is interested at www.quiltersconnection.ca

If you want to try to win yourself a copy, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY for a one-year subscription (4 issues) to Quilter's Connection Magazine! To make this giveaway available to quilters from ALL COUNTRIES, I will be paying for the shipping! To enter, all you have to do is to subscribe to the online newsletter by midnight on Wednesday, August 19th (Vancouver time). Please remember to leave your name, e-mail, blog (if you have one), and country. The e-newsletter will be filled with information, great tips for quilters, and fun & easy projects!
Good Luck Everyone!

UPDATE: Thank you! The GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED. I will be posting the winner tomorrow! :o)

Buttons!

2009-07-19T18:03:00.002-07:00

You will have to thank Sara in Italy for my first blog post in over 2 months. The buttons I received from her Etsy shop PopcornTree were so amazing that I just had to show the world.

I adore wood buttons but I have never seen any as beautiful as these! Each button is hand-cut and the designs are skillfully burnt into each one... just look at this amazing tree...

I ordered some custom buttons and what I received was absolutely beyond my expectations! I love them so much that I feel like keeping them all to myself and never using them but they would be oh-so-gorgeous on a quilted bag!

I love that sweet little house button too! Thank you so much Sara. I will definitely be returning to your shop soon ;o)

There are a few more buttons I would like to share with you. I bought these lovely ceramic teacup buttons from themssmiths.etsy.com

and I received these ones as a thank you gift for my Fabric Labels Tutorial. What a surprise! Thanks Patricia! You're so sweet :o)

Pretty soon I will tell you all about what I have been up to and why you haven't seen much of me. It has something to do with a new Canadian quilting magazine...

Tea Time

2009-05-05T21:49:00.002-07:00

Tea and lavender... two of my biggest addictions!

I have been addicted to making these little lavender-filled teabag sachets. I have made lavender teabags before but my goal this time was to make something cute and more my style using fabric scraps. The idea came about when I was trying to come up with a little "surprise" to send with signed copies of books in which my patterns have been published. I find making them so relaxing...

I made the tea tags using a cute stamp I bought from CraftPudding. I love my new Tea Time stamp set! I seem to be stamping everything with them lately! Even stickers for my packaging :o)

Moving on to real Tea Time... I had a wonderful tea party at my home with my two of my best friends. I used my new high tea tray for the first time filling it with all sorts of delectable goodies! I made very lemony poppyseed cupcakes with lemon cream cheese icing, super chocolatey walnut banana bread, chocolate covered strawberries, and crepes with pear preserve sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Yummmm...

Why am I not surprised that my 4 year old daughter is drawing teapots & teacups?! Wait a minute... that teacup design looks an awful lot like my teacup & cofeemug pouches ;o)

Books & Bananas

2009-04-24T15:51:00.002-07:00

I am happy to announce that two more books to which I have contributed patterns have been released this month! The first one I would like to share with you is "Pretty Little Cozies" and I am proud to say that my cozy has made it on the cover! I couldn't bring myself to part with the cozy yet so here is the actual cozy with the book! I haven't decided yet if I want to keep the cozy for my own french press but I do know that I will keep it in case I need any extra photos when I am ready to design its PatchworkPottery Pattern booklet.

My Monkey Quilt pattern is finally available in "Quilts, BABY!" by Lark Books. I am so utterly thrilled with this book and would buy it even if I wasn't in it! The book includes 20 amazing baby quilt projects! What's more fun is that there is a baby picture of each designer and a "behind the seams" short interview. I love my baby picture. I didn't realize until after I sent the picture in that I have a banana sticker on my forehead... how perfect is that for a Monkey Quilt!!!

I am listing these two books along with "Pretty Little Potholders" and "Pretty Little Purses & Pouches" in my Etsy Shop. Each book contains one or two of my patterns along with many other great & creative projects. I will sign the books and also include a little surprise! There is a list of all these books with links for more information on my sidebar.

Since several of my patterns have been published, I am very curious to see what wonderful things are created with them! Please add photos of your creations to my PatchworkPottery Patterns Flickr group. Links to my Flickr Groups can also be found on my sidebar.

And before I go, I'd like to share a funny little story about baby me & bananas! First you need to know that I do not use foul language at all... When I was a baby just old enough to talk, my parents offered me a brown banana. To their surprise I replied, "I don't want no shitty banana!"

Butterfly & Greedy Fox

2009-04-24T02:54:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted much lately so I feel as if I need to catch up by posting lots of stuff in a few days! As you have probably noticed, I am a rather sporadic blogger & crafter! I tend to craft, flickr or blog only when the mood strikes...

This was my inspiration for the following shabby chic butterfly potholder. A vintage bedsheet, super yummy striped linen from Japan and linen rickrack from Finland :o)

My friend claimed ownership of the butterfly as soon as she saw it sitting on my side table! There are two others that will hopefully make it into my shop!

Here it is in its natural habitat...

This is what I brought home after a visit to Dressew in downtown Vancouver. The entire bottom floor is trims, buttons & other notions!

Hey Fox... Those are MINE!

I think he's in heaven... I know I am :o)

Red

2009-04-23T14:20:00.003-07:00

How could I possibly relate all these random photos? I know! They all have red in them!

A cupcake pincushion on a new stack of fabric cut from old shirts...

A future wall organizer with teacup pockets...

A little bird & a detail shot of a teacup pouch that I made last month for a swap with Anna in France...

A custom house tape measure I made this week...

Yes, there are some more tape measures on the way!

Spring Things

2009-04-23T10:24:00.002-07:00

Spring has arrived at last and I am filling my days with Spring Things. The days of sun and warmth are more frequent now and instead of sitting at my sewing machine I have fun filling teapots with flowers that Claire has carefully picked from our yard. What better use for a teapot that dribbles!

We turned over a garden in the corner of our backyard and dream of harvesting fresh vegetables throughout summer and fall. It doesn't look like much but was a patch ofgrass and overgrown weeds a couple weeks ago. I will take some more photos once things start growing.

Claire has almost outgrown the skirts that I made for her last summer. I have chosen fabric for two new ones including a patchwork skirt using these Japanese fabrics I purchased from Matatabi. I also bought some brighter polkadot, check & stripey fabrics that absolutely reminded me of Spring!

And now I will share a bit of our Easter with you... I made a stuffed & lavender-filled fabric Easter egg for my Mom this Easter to go with her mug of flower seeds since she doesn't like chocolate. I wrapped it in a very sweet French Chocolate bag that I found at a local Japanese dollar store.

Claire had fun on her Easter egg hunt at Grandma & Grandpa's house, and she drew this wonderful picture of the Easter bunny for them.

I don't remember ever drawing this good when I was 4 1/2 years old! That's her own writing too! Yes, I am a proud mommy. I can't believe she will be starting school in September. She is growing up so fast! I look forward to the days when I will have more time to focus on designing & quilting :o)

Postal Paradise

2009-03-23T11:24:00.002-07:00

Paradise... the result of a whole month of swaps, giveaways & unexpected gifts is quite overwhelming. I have been spoiled rotten and it has been even better than Christmas! Very belated thanks to everyone for the all crafty goodness sent my way... now I must let all of you drool ;o)

Sonia of Cozy Memories sent me a wonderful surprise thank you package from France! The lavender-filled handmade strawberry along with some wonderful french soap infused the envelope with the most amazing smell! Claire loved the little unicorns too :o) If you click on the photo directly below you will be able to read notes on the photo...

I received a long-awaited package from my swap with Micol of RecycleMicol in Texas. The wooly acorns are amazing and I am still in awe of the handwoven purple ribbon! I also love the knitted dishcloths. I am not a knitter so I can't even begin to wonder how on earth she was able to knit a teacup into one of them! Micol also made a box of crocheted chocolates for Claire which I am trying really hard not to keep for myself! I am planning to do some stamping on the large white cloths that she wrapped everything in... my package was well-worth the wait! Click on the mosaic to see some more notes :o)

I also recieved a wonderful thank you package from my friend Francy of Matatabi. I buy most of my amazing Japanese fabric from her Etsy shop. We became instant friends after I met up with her at the Tokyo International Quilt Festival in January 2008. She is deprived of an oven (I wouldn't be able to live without one) so I have been sending cookie care packages every now and then! I never expected anything in return :o) The fabric, cotton crochet trims, buttons & tea are all adorable and exactly my style!! There are some notes if you click on the last photo in this set :o)

I must admit that my most recent cherished possession is this wonderful felt TeaHouse made by Anna of Annax in France. She sent me so many wonderful goodies which you can find out more about if you click on the photo of the table full of crafty goodness!

I just love how the TeaHouse is always open for ME! I adore all the watercolour transfers and handmade ribbon details that went into making this piece... truly amazing! Now I have to work on my end of the swap. I think making up for all the wonderful things she sent me will prove to be quite difficult :o)

These wonderful heart stuffies were a totally unexpected surprise from Sandrine Deleuze in Belgium... the best Valentines ever! Yes... the mirror is their permanent home :o)

If that's not enough mail, I also won a giveaway for this sweet little birdie heart ornament made by Mervi also known as Memmu in Finland. Look at all the other extra little goodies she sent... I love her handmade card, Moo MiniCard and the Tilda ribbon!

Finally, the results of the Birds of Change Exchange that I was part of in January. I received my birdies at the beginning of this month and love every one of them! Thank you to Regina of Creative Kismet for organizing the mega-swap! Click on the photo to see from where my birds migrated :o)

Oops! That didn't count all the stuff I bought...

Books & Procrastination

2009-03-22T18:23:00.002-07:00

Yup... that's what I have been so busy doing over the last month! I have just been having so much fun lately becoming totally inspired by everyone else's blogs & creations that I haven't had much time for my own but HEY! ...We all need a break from time to time :o) Thanks to all of you who left those little messages through my e-mail, blog, flickr & etsy telling me you missed me!

I have been sewing a bit here & there but not as much as usual because I have started reading again... yes, I haven't picked up a novel since before Claire was born (4 1/2 years ago) and I forgot how time consuming it can be... especially if you read two 950 page novels in two weeks! I admit I am a fantasy girl and have been utterly enthralled in the new television series Legend of the Seeker. This series is like nothing I have ever seen on TV! It's like one long epic motion picture. The film quality, acting, & special effects are all top notch. It is based on Terry Goodkind's Wizards First Rule so I started reading to find out what REALLY happens!! I find that books are always better that the film version! I have just started the third novel in the series.

During my break, I have collected a large number of photos in a folder titled "to blog about". It's been so long that I just can't go back that far to catch up in order so what I am going to try to do is every time I blog about something new, I will throw in something old that hopefully relates in some way!

This week I sewed some more Book Pillows. One of my bestest customers requested two smaller ones (6x8x2inches/ 15x20x5cm) and this time I remembered my rule to always make more than one! That means there are three extras in my shop :o) I was really happy with the label for the Beloved Poems book. I finished it off with a border of french knots and cotton crochet trim...

I also listed my tiny "teapot" wall hanging in my shop at the same time. The idea came to me while I was surfing Etsy and saw these long wooden beads from SupplyCandy. As soon as I saw them I knew exactly what I would make!

Don't you love how a little thing like a bead can inspire a whole piece of art?!

SCAM on Etsy!

2009-02-12T21:54:00.002-08:00

My Monkey quilt photos were stolen and used in a SCAM shop on Etsy that is still in business! Etsy is dealing with Kroftwerk now but I convo'd the seller and asked them not to STEAL my copyrighted images. They sold their non-existent monkey quilt 5 times...OH! and they sold the Monkey Quilt pattern too! HAH!

I feel bad for the unsuspecting customers who think they are getting a really good deal and are really just getting their money stolen. Hopefully by the time you read this, the above link will no longer work but I am certain they will just open another shop under a different name. I have seen this exact thing happen before. Please be cautious and check feedback before making any purchases on Etsy or E-bay!

Thank you to Tanis who spied it by fluke on Etsy yesterday morning. It certainly is a small world and we artists have to watch out for one another. Thanks :o)

Teacup Pouch Saves the Day!

2009-02-12T17:35:00.002-08:00

I wanted to share this message from a very thankful customer a few months ago but I forgot! Better late than never...

Hi Laurraine,

I have a HUGE thank you to say - my teacup pouch saved all my money and cards from a burglar this week!

We had an intruder in the shop where I work. While we were all cutting ribbons and counting beads for the Christmas shoppers, he snuck downstairs and went through my bags. He stole my cell phone, and went through my lip balm/tablets pouch (which looks like a wallet) - everything was strewn all over the floor, but left in my bag was my dear teacup, rejected by the burglar and safely containing my £100 cash, bank cards, railcards and everything else important!! Hooray!!

Everyone should have a teacup pouch!

~Katie from Bristol, UK

Winner & WIP

2009-01-22T16:42:00.002-08:00

First of all, I would like to thank each & every one of you who left a comment on my Giveaway post. It's really exciting to see how many people visit my blog! And now for the winner...

...and comment number 113 belonged to Jane S from Sweden!

Jane said:
Hi, I am living in Sweden and I follow your blog every time when it is possible. Love the things you do.
It would be great to win one of your birds
Greetings from
Jane in Sweden

Congratulations Jane! The little linen birdie will be flying home to you :o)

Today I was tidying up my magnetic board when I came across a little image of a shepherd woman under all the layers of ideas & inspiration (Please click on the above image to see the notes). About 7 years ago, it had inspired me to start a quilted version. I had lost my inspiration in the project and put it away knowing that one day I would be inspired again. It was forgotten at the very bottom of my basket of WIP. Today when I unfolded it, it was like opening a wonderful treasure! I am inspired once again...

My craftroom wall is much better now. The mold was only on the surface. My landlord cleaned it but not good enough for me so I scrubbed the remaining toxic mold with toxic cleaners and almost all traces are gone now... Life is good again!

Bird Giveaway!

2009-01-20T01:36:00.003-08:00

As part of the "Birds of Change" Exchange, I am giving away this little Linen Bird! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by midnight Vancouver time on January 22nd. I will announce the lucky winner on January 22nd through the day.

*Update: The Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who left a comment. It's wonderful to see how many people visit my blog :o) The winner will be announced later today!

Don't worry, there are more birds in my Etsy Shop. I am listing Linen Birds, Cupcake Pincushions, House tape measures, Cup pouches and even some books! Please be patient as I will be listing items all day :o)

I still need to take some photos of the Cup pouches that I assembled last night. I was hoping to finish more than I did but the button ran away and that crafty feeling disappeared...

The Runaway Button

2009-01-19T23:40:00.002-08:00

Today the sun was streaming through my craftroom window. It was so nice to see the sun again after days of grey fog that I just had to stop sewing and take some photos of the wonderful sight! Aaah... Life was good!

Tonight as I was tidying up some projects, a button escaped and rolled across the floor into the corner. I couldn't see it so I moved one of my large shelving units to reveal this...

No wonder I have been sick all winter! I am the only one in the family who spends time in here. Black mold is toxic and can cause flu-like symptoms including coughing, headaches, fatigue, and more. Life is not so good anymore and I feel like packing away all my fabric and clothing into large plastic bags. When I spoke to the landlord on the phone tonight he made it sound like it was all my fault. He mentioned that I should be opening the windows through the day... in the winter?! I want to move but it's not that easy and I am dreading the landlord poking at the mold and releasing more of it into the air... especially with my daughter in the house. I suppose I should wear a hazmat suit to sew tomorrow.

Okay... I'm ready!

Sweets & Tweets

2009-01-15T17:06:00.002-08:00

I have been having fun the past few weeks making Cupcake Pincushions for my shop. My huge stash of yummy felt has been asking to be turned into delicious icing! With Claire's new classes through the week and the dark days I am finding it difficult to take photos but I did manage to get a couple shots of some sweet goodness...

I joined my first group swap! All the wonderful bird ornaments on Flickr at Christmas time gave me a neat idea for my tree next year... a tree full of birds with a birdhouse at the top! Having only one bird ornament makes that idea a bit difficult so when I heard about the "Birds of Change" Exchange organized by Regina of Creative Kismet I became very excited! Each person makes five bird ornaments and in return receives five new ones! I believe there are about 350 bird ornaments flying to Regina's house this month!!! For some bird inspiration visit the Birds of Change Exchange Flickr group! I'll be on the search for bird ornaments all year ;o)

I will be giving away one of these little linen birds on my blog on January 20th! ...and because they are so addictive to make there will be a few for my shop too :o)

Speaking of swaps... I received this wonderful parcel from Anne Marie of Life in Yonder all the way from Norway! This cute litle Needlebook was made especially for me and the fabrics are absolutely my style! I love the little tea & sewing charms too! Thank you Anne Marie!

Crocheted, Felted, Trimmed, Woven...

2009-01-13T22:16:00.002-08:00

My second felted hat... sort of! It began with beautiful colours from my eye-candy yarn bowl.

It was another just-go-for-it project but I wasn't so lucky this time... only half of the yarns felted! The hat did not shrink in height at all! The rim that I crocheted turned into an hideous ruffle! After the feeling of defeat and frustration subsided, I decided not to toss it but to try to come up with a solution.

I decided to just cut it to the right height at one of the felted parts since I knew that it wouldn't unravel here. The parts that didn't felt were thin and left large holes which left my head cold so I decided to weave in extra yarn.

I am super happy with the results and like it even more because of all the different textures!

Handmade in the Snow

2009-01-13T14:22:00.002-08:00

I am finally feeling better after my second cold this winter so now it's time to catch up on some blogging.

I will start way back on Christmas eve when it snowed and snowed and snowed some more! We decided that we would not drive the 8-9 hour journey through the mountains to visit my parents for Christmas. The highways can be treacherous during snow storms with not only black ice but white outs as well in which the front of your car is not even visible. We were practically snowed in and so were all our friends. I was quite bored on Christmas eve without the regular family festivities and had the sudden urge to bake 20 dozen more cookies and two of these delicious Cranberry Yule Logs! I froze a bunch of the cookies and a Yule Log to take to my parents house once the weather is a bit better.

Santa brought what Claire had asked for... a Hello Kitty Sewing Machine! She was so happy!! Her first sewing project was a pillow for her little puppy. As you can guess... I was so proud that she wanted to be just like me! We had fun making the little pillow together and then we went through my fabric and made a new stash for Claire :o)

If that wasn't enough crafty excitement for the day Claire was interested in doing her first embroidery so I provided her with the materials and she focused her heart & soul into every stitch for the next hour! She insisted that it was letters she was embroidering ...A...T...X...Y...

Here are a few pictures on Christmas Day when the snow was at its peak! Cars parked in the street appeared as hills of snow! Quite a sight here in Vancouver! We ended up with a total snowfall of 89cm in December. .7cm short of the record set in 1964!

To give you a better idea of how much snow there was... my daughter and husband turned this 5 foot round table into a giant birthday cake!

With nothing else to do on Christmas afternoon, my husband decided to go out in the backyard and play in the snow. He looked quite busy so I asked him what he was doing and he exclaimed, "I'm building an igloo!". I chuckled and an hour later he had built the bottom row of a giant igloo... After doing some research on how to actually build an igloo we all went out to help. We adjusted the base to make the igloo a more managable size for our first project and we had three rows finished by nightfall.

The next day, we finished building our new home! I carved little indents into the igloo walls for tea lights and we sat in our igloo to admire our handiwork... it was magical! Things started to melt the next day...

For anyone who is interested in handmaking their own igloo, here is a great igloo tutorial ;o)

Felted Hats & Snow Boots

2008-12-21T20:36:00.002-08:00

In my last post I talked about my adventures in making my first felted hat. Well, here it is finally finished with my first Button Flower pin. I ironed the fabric to the felt with fusible webbing and then cut out the shape. I really like how it turned out. I mentioned in my last post how I prefered the hat BEFORE felting but I have totally changed my mind! I have been wearing it outside every day and have fallen in love with it! It is very warm and keeps my ears nice and toasty... I also get lots of compliments :o)

It has been snowing again for a full 24 hours! Craziness in Vancouver where no one is ever prepared for SNOW! Today we braved the snow to search for much-needed winter boots. We were luckier than most because our Honda CRV has four wheel drive however we still managed to slide a few times turning corners. We didn't get stuck and wore our new boots safely home.

Todays roads were bad and I'm certain the highways are worse. I don't think we will be driving the 8-9 hour trip to my parents' for Christmas this year...

I really like how the colours in my hat are the same as in the snow photos!

I made these tomatoes last week to add to Claire's Grocery basket... I'm afraid that she may only get one carrot and two tomatoes for Christmas because all this snow is making me want to crochet and felt more warm hats! These beautiful colours were calling out to me from my yarn bowl!

However she will be getting this ball that she asked me to make for her. She even chose the fabrics all by herself... not bad for a 4 year old! :o)

Have a safe & happy Christmas!