Just Sew It

Ty Pennington is going to be designing fabric for Westminster/Freespirit fabrics. Can’t wait to see his line of fabrics!

Winter has arrived and I’m not happy. It’s cold. But with the cold comes more time for sewing. I have my sewing plan mapped out for January. I am going to finish my trench coat and start on a quilt for my son’s bed. We bought him a new bed that is a up to my chest in height. We wanted a bed that is a space saver. It has a pull-out desk which great! My favorite part is that it is made of pine. I love the smell of pine. It smells soooo homey. If you are interested in finding a great looking bed for your child or yourself, check out Canwood Furniture’s website. They are made in Penticton, B.C., Canada!

In the new year I am going to start on a huge scrapbooking project. My mom and I are going to make heritage books for both of my brothers and I. My parents will also get their own. I’ll have to ride my mom’s ass as she is a slow poke at the best of times. She is in charge of journaling and organizing the photos. I’ll do the scrapbooking. I’ve informed her that I’m starting in January. She is retired so she better get in gear.

A while ago we bought Guinea pigs in hopes that would be easier than a dog. Mistake. They are called pigs for a reason. One word. Messy. They are sooooo messy and skittish. We have had them for a month now and they still are scared stiff of us. I read that they are quite social and will warm up to you. When?! Nothing worse than having a pet that you can play with or cuddle with.

Sunday mornings are sometimes spent eating brunch at papa’s house. My dd is having fun with Uncle’s dog, Ebony.

I found this quilt on the net. It’s so cute! I love it.

I’m working on my third quilt. The pattern is Turning Twenty Again. Nice and easy pattern. Now, for quilting the top. I have seen this pattern in the quilting stores and it has been quilted using detailed designs. Me, detailed? I don’t think so. Last night I tried quilting a cat onto my large square. Did NOT work. I think it takes a lot of skill to follow a pattern. I could not see where I was going. Many serious quilters have long-arm machines that specifically quilt the top. These huge machines make it much much easier as you can see your work.

I have seen a domestic version in my local quilting store using a Janome quilting machine set up on a quilting frame.

These quilting systems whether domestic or professional both have a “cruise control”. Which would be fantastic on my machine. It is hard to control the speed smoothly.

On another note, this blogger stumbled across my blog too the other day. She enjoys crocheting and sewing too.

I think I’m addicted to fabric. I seem to be buying so much of it lately. Yesterday, I went to get some quilt batting either Warm and Natural or Hobbs Heirloom and some fabric for the backing of my friend’s quilt. I walked out with 1.3 m’s of two different kinds of apparel fabric and 3 m of fabric for the backing of my placemats I plan on making. What happened to the batting? I forgot.

I think I need extra income to supplement these hobbies of mine. My good friend told me that I should sell my quilts. I don’t think anyone would pay what I would be asking. With the crazy cost of fabric and all the time that I put into it, not many people would pay for that. Maybe I should sell Tupperware? Not. I have thought about getting a job in a quilting store on Saturdays but with young kids that makes it difficult.

This week the plan is to practice some quilting techniques including a cat pattern that I picked up this weekend. Cute.

I also want to make some labels for the two quilts I’m making. Saturday night I cut out one pattern for a top that I’m going to make. Oy, I have so much on my plate and not enough time to do it. I have to do a little everyday just to get to it.

I also picked up some paper and stickers for some scrapbooking I plan to do very shortly. It’s for my dd’s Grade three pages. I have already completed one page but her book needs more.

My crochet is coming along. I’m now working on a sample for the half double crochet stitch. Slow but it’s coming. I picked up my third book on crocheting from the library. It’s called Learn visually to crochet. Large colorful photos and very easy to follow. I think this book is the one I am going to buy. The library has saved me a lot of money. I always check a book out thoroughly before spending a dime. Books are so pricey that one has to be choosey.