Raise a Ruckus Mystery Quilt - put it all together

Ah-ha, onto the "putting it all together"...

So to take stock of what you have now to work with -- you still have the 3 1/2 inch bright squares, you have a stack of 12 1/2 inch light strips that are 3 1/2 inches wide, some plain, some with bright triangles at one end, some with bright triangles at both ends, and the stack of 4 patch in a 4 patch 12 1/2 inch square blocks.  Then depending on if you are adding an outside border that fabric is still uncut -- we will talk about that at the end...

Step One

The first part of putting things together is to make 7 long sections that will then be sewn together to make the top -- now from this point on, those making the full size will need to make 9 long sections where each section is an extra 2 blocks and two sashings in each section -- so keep that in mind because I will only be describing the putting together for the lap size or 12 block quilt now.

You will be sewing two long sections now, at the same time, these are sections 1 and 7.

You will sew, the bright 3 1/2 inch square to the plain 12 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 strips.  This long section will begin and end with the bright 3 1/2 inch squares, so bright square, to plain strip, to bright square so that there is 4 12 1/2 inch strips alternated with a bright strip...

So that it looks like the photo below, hanging off my ironing board.

You should press the bright squares so that the seam allowance is toward the bright fabric. see below.

Now you will be making two more long strips similar to the first two, except you will start with a bright square and end with a light square, then the second and second last piece will be a strip that has the triangles only at one end and so that the point is to the next bright square, not the first one, then you will sew on the bright square, then a double pointed strip, a bright square, a double pointed strip, a bright square, then a strip with only one end with point so that the point is facing toward the centre of the strip and finally a last bright square...

So, now you should have 4 sections that look like the picture just above.

These are actually strip numbers 1, 3, 5, and 7

Step Two

Now you will be sewing the blocks together with the 12" strips to make three long sections.

At this point you need to check how you want the diagonal orientation of your blocks.  For this quilt if you put them up on a design wall, or on the floor, make sure they all go the same way.

Now you will sew a plain 12 1/2" strip on the left side of a 12 1/2 inch block, next will be a one pointed strip that faces down, a 12 1/2 inch block, a one pointed strip, and do this so that you have 4 blocks and the last 12 1/2 inch strip should be a plain one.

Now that you have sewn that section together, make another so that the pointed ends are at the top of your blocks.  If you find it somewhat confusing, I often put a piece of masking tape at what is the top left corner of each block, then I know that every one is orientated the right way -- if for some reason that piece of tape ends up in the wrong corner of the sewn pieces, there is still time to undo one seam and re orientate the block so that it goes the same as all the rest.

When you are pressing the blocks to the "sashing" you should press the fabric so that it lays toward the block -- yes it is easier to do it the other way, but if you do it this way you will find that where they "sashing" joins the bright square on the cross seam they will fit together beautifully without creating a big bump.

The two "block" sections should look like the photo below.

Notice how on row 2 the sashing points are pointing down and on what is row 6 the sashing point are turned up.

The last long section is the very middle row.

You will begin this section with a plain strip, a 12 1/2 inch block, a double pointed sashing strip, a 12 1/2 inch block, a double pointed strip, a 12 1/2 inch block, a double pointed strip, a 12 1/2 inch block,  and at the end a plain sashing strip. So that it looks like the section shown below, which is row 5.

Now you will be sewing these long sections together to create the final piece top.  If you need to mark each row again, use a bit of masking tape in the top left corner so that each strip is properly orientated and

TA-DA!

 Here is the top and the end of the main instructions.

Now you have a few options, you can simply layer, quilt and bind the top as it is, or add a fairly wide border of a medium value fabric -- a large print or a themed print would be very nice.  I think my first choices of fabric may have made a nicer/sweeter quilt though, the blues that I have chosen makes this look very much like a recycled jeans project -- which is not really so bad, it makes it quite generic, I think.

I am hoping that if any of my quilt guild members have followed along that perhaps you will bring the project to our group show and tell in January??

Further away readers, I am always happy to see if you have followed along and would very much appreciate comments or an email (click on my Profile page to find how to contact me).  I will try to answer or clarify any questions you may have concerning this project.

Thanks, everyone.

Look forward to a PROJECT towards the end of February or mid March -- SPRING HAS to Come sometime for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere!

edited to add -- oh yeah, the border... I haven't added any sort of border onto my lap size quilt top, but I am thinking that a dark red at about 5" wide might give it that finishing touch, though that addition adds 10 inches to the dimenson of it and that makes it expotensionally (sp?) larger for quilting it on my machine here at home...  maybe a 1 inch framing border with a wide light colour border.... Hmmm... I think I better stop talking about borders.   It is time for tea and to read about my new keyboards and maybe push on a few of the keys?

Raise a Ruckus Mystery Quilt - part 2 sewing

Now, onto the easy sewing -- the beginner block, the Dessert.

Now you need to go to your stack of cut 3 1/2 inch squares, the light stack and the dark.

You will be sewing these two pieces together, so that you will have 48 {80} dark light rectangles as shown in the photo below.  Right sides together, and sew along one side using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  This is great practice for a beginning sewer in keeping a straight line and it also helps to over come that inherent fear of sewing through a finger as you guide the fabric along the sewing line -- I do want to say - I started using a sewing machine when I was about 7 years and now with almost 50 years of sewing ( pretty close to) I have never had the misfortune to get my finger between the needle and the fabric!  Tho' I do hear that it does happen -- just pay attention to what you are doing and don't let a commotion somewhere else in the house distract you.  It is a machine, remember.  It keeps going even if you don't keep your eyes on it!

Press (iron) these open and make sure that the seam allowance leans over the dark fabric.

Now, you should have 48 {80} dark/light rectangles that look like these two piles.  Now you will sew along the long edge here so that the dark and light are in opposite corners.  This block, in all the sewing and quilting books is called a four patch -- anywhere you go with quilting, this is usually the first block that you learn to put together -- it makes up an almost unlimited number of more complex quilt blocks.  When you make these blocks you can create anything from a diagonal pattern to animal or other biological shapes just depending on how you place the colours...

Now once you sew these, being careful to match up the seam so that the previous seam exactly matches.  When you place them right sides together the seam allowance on one will face one way and the other will face the other way, that way they will nestle together and it becomes very easy to see where they should fit together.  Use a pin at this junction if you feel that you need to, but don't sew over the pin, pull it out of the way, just before you get to the pin -- which also means, don't sew too fast!

Your next step is to make another four patch block but this time you use the four patch (s) that you have just created as part of the larger four patch.

Now you will sew your already made 4 patch(s) to your already cut 6 1/2 inch squares of medium fabric.  If you have used two different medium fabrics or a random number of these 6 1/2 inch squares, this is where you will notice if your choice of medium value fabrics are appropriate -- you do not want them to be too dark or two light!  If you are unsure as to whether you should use a certain fabric, place it beside your 4 patch block and make sure that the 6 1/2 inch square is not blending exactly with either the light or dark.   When you lay these, so that right sides are facing, make sure that each end matches up exactly, sew all the pieces the same direction.  Stack them up as show in the photo above and make sure that you sew each together the same way.

Finally, now you have 12 large rectangles with a 6 1/2 inch four patch and a 6 1/2 inch medium square sewn together -- now in the same fashion as above you will match up that centre seam, place the two rectangles right side facing and sew them together so that  either your dark squares  go from corner to corner or that your light squares go coner to corner -- which ever way you prefer -- in the final piecing together of the quilt, the "line" this creates will run diagonally across your quilt, so your eye will follow that line most strongly.  Do you want your quilt to appear more light? or dark?  In my case I wanted the darkest colour to seem the strongest.  You should now have 12 blocks that are 12 1/2 inch x 12 1/2 inch {or 20 blocks for the full size}.

For those more experienced, you may already have the idea of what this whole quilt will look like, but at this point take a little coffee break and we will continue to put all the elements already sewn together, into one quilt top.  You will be finished in a couple of hours!

What was it that occupied me yesterday?

I got a new TOY!

A keyboard!  When I was a child, I took lessons from the time I was 8 til my family moved to a farm outside the city when I was almost 11 years old.  That move effectively stopped the lessons although we still had a small piano for a while after the move, but I was not so inclined to practice and I am afraid I disappointed my Father in that my interest changed from playing piano to something more akin to thinking about "rock and roll" music that came from The Monkees and the Rolling Stones and the Beatles;  the piano was then pass along to a cousin who took up lessons (then ultimately didn't get any further than me and disappointed her parents too!)

Well, now, the time seems to have come where I actually want to re-learn what I lost so long ago...  A new thing for a new year, but not a new year's resolution.

Raise a Ruckus Mystery Quilt --sewing the pieces

Good Morning -- well at least for me it is morning -- I think that where I live is practically the last place on land before it turns to the next day!  For me, we are only a little over 9 hours into the first day of the year...

Today we can start to sew.  When I was a child my father often said to me, if I did the part of a job that I did not care for so much, then the part that I enjoyed most would be more fun -- now in just one word, I think he meant DESSERT...

So, the tedious part...

You will need to pick up 17 of the 12 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch pieces {31} and bring them to your sewing machine.  You will also need to count out 48 {96}of the two inch squares

In this particular case we are going to make each of the long pieces come to a "V".

In order to sew an accurate line you should mark the back of each of the 2 inch squares with one diagonal line going from corner to corner.

Next you will place a 2 inch square in one corner of the 12 1/2 inch piece so that the right side of the pieces are facing each other, and so that you can see the line you drew on the back of the 2 inch square.  Place the pieces as shown and the diagonal so that it crosses closest to the corner.

You will sew very slightly to the right (or inside) of the line, not exactly on it -- this allows for the very slight amount of fabric that is taken up when you fold over the fabric

  You can chain sew these small pieces by slightly overlapping the longer section. You will find that if you place the next piece just under the one currently being sewn you will avoid snagging or scrunching the next piece.  Sew all 17 {31} 12 1/2" x 3 1/2" pieces so that there is a 2" square sewn to one corner.

Now that you have that corner square sewn you will press it over so that it forms a triangle in one corner.

Open the folded over square and trim away the extra fabric so that it leave about the usual 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Next you will repeat the same procedure at the corner as you did with the first corner for all the 17 {31} 12 1/2" lengths.  Including the pressing and trimming.

Set aside 10 {14} of these long pieces and then sew a 2" square to the other end of each strip remaining to make double pointed ends only on 7 {17}

so now you have two stacks of sewn pieces that look like this ** there are still some of the 12 1/2 " lengths that are left plain with no sewn on corner triangles...

Just a word to ACCURACY.

If your sewn squares look like this after you have sewn and pressed them to the 12 1/2 inch lengths -- well, to put it honestly, you need to re-do it.  If the fabric behind shows up like that it means that when you cut off the back pieces, the full length will be slightly shorter, when that happens you will stuggle to stretch the pieces to other peices to be sewn later.  So to avoid stretched pieces that don't fit at all well.  Make sure that you sew slightly to the right of your drawn line.  Your corners should look like the photo below...

We will finish up the rest of the sewing before the end of the day (my day, that is) So come back in a few hours for the rest of the sewing instruction for this quilt top.

The way to start a year is not to leave things part way done, but certain other events have conspired to interfere with the time it takes to finish up the instructions today -- So please check back tomorrow and the final piecing and instructions shall be revealed!

Thank you everyone for your patience...

* and I have definately figured out a way to put this into pdf format and will let those interested when I will have completed the process... (still trying to decide if I should charge you for the 'service')

Raise a Ruckus Mystery Quilt

Archie, the cat, has taken an interest in this project -- he sits amongst the in progress pieces...

And before we start -- some of the actual fabric measurements given in my intro post on the subject of this New Year Quilt was based on very loose calculations, in fact the amount called for the border fabric, could be somewhat exagerated, for the lap size quilt which I am doing the main instructions for, but should be fine for the double sized quilt.

Mainly this project is meant to come from your stash.  If you bought fabric for this project -- you may just be adding to your stash!

Again, I would like to offer a project to you my readers that can be done in just a few hours -- not a long drawn out process that takes months to complete.  This quilt is meant to be done in a couple of concentrated days and it is simple, but requires accuracy.  It is excellent practice for a beginning quilt maker, young or old -- I would say this is just the project for Gramma to teach grandchild!  For those of you experienced and familiar with quilting, this is an excellent, quick to make donation quilt for your favourite charity.

Cutting your fabric

I am planning to make the smaller size quilt top, which will measure about 48 inches x 63 inches but that does not include the outside border, which if you add a 5" border all around will give you 58 x 73 or thereabouts (notice I try not to be too exact case I could change my mind before the end -- I usually do!)  I will put into brackets the requirements for the larger size quilt which will nicely cover a twin or perhaps a double bed at 63 inches x 78 inches and with a border it becomes 73 x 88.

For myself, the smaller size allows me to quilt the layers using my own sewing machine, I can manoever the layers reasonably well, but larger than that it become a struggle and sometimes a large quilt top will simply sit in my linen cupboard awaiting the energy to complete the quilting of the layers.

So as I showed you in a previous post on the blog, the colours below are what I finally decided to go with

You can of course use multi scraps as long as you keep to the general description of light, medium, dark and bright fabrics.  In my case I have chosen to use two light fabrics, and two medium fabrics along with one bright (the red) and one dark.  So I have 6 different fabric, where kept to a minimum you can further simplify and use 4 fabrics.  In this case I would suggest that if you plan an outside border that it should be a Medium colour value.

Step One

So to begin, the least used fabric will be the Bright, so you will need to cut

20 - 3 1/2 inch squares {30 - 3 1/2 inch squares}, so cut 2 strips from the width of the fabric that are

 3 1/2 inch wide then cross cut to make the 30 squares needed { 3 strips 3 1/2 inch width of fabric - with left over that you can then cut down to 2" wide for the smaller squares}

Then

You need 48 - 2" squares, which will need two strips the width of the fabric cut at 2 inches then cross cut to make the squares. { 90 - 2 inch squares will require 4 strips cut 2 inches wide for the width of fabric, plus the left over from the previous 3 1/2 wide strips that you already cut down to 2 inches wide}

Step Two

Cut your Light fabric

You will need 31 pieces to measure 12 1/2 inches x 3 1/2 inches. {49 at 12 1/2 x 3 1/2}

From your lightest fabric or fabrics cut 11 strips width of fabric at 3 1/2 inch wide, then cross cut the strips to 12 1/2 inch long {16 strips}

Now in this case, if you are using a small print, or even a solid, you could sew the leftover parts of the strips into one long strip and use the sewn pieces in order to have less waste -- for example, since you can only get 3 - 12 1/2 strips from each width of fabric you will have about 5 inches left from each strip, so if you cut 9  strips from your fabric you could sew the leftover ends together and that should give you enough length for all the needed pieces.  That is if you are very frugal -- otherwise you don't need to fool around with those bits and save them for a future scrappy project!

Next, also from your Lightest fabric you need to cut

48 - 3 1/2  inch x 3 1/2 inch {80 - 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch squares}

This requires at least 4 strips of fabric cut 3 1/2 inch wide for the width of the fabric and you will again have some fabric left over, as you should get 12 cross cuts from the regular fabric length { 7 strips in order to cut 80 - 3 1/2 inch squares}

Step Three

The Darkest Fabric

For the darkest fabric you will need to cut the same number of squares as for the lightest...



48 - 3 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch {80 - 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch squares}

This requires at least 4 strips of fabric cut 3 1/2 inch wide for the width of the fabric and you will again have some fabric left over, as you should get 12 cross cuts from the regular fabric length { 7 strips in order to cut 80 - 3 1/2 inch squares}

Step Four

Medium Fabric

For your medium fabric you will be cutting 6 1/2 inch squares, so you need a total of

24 - 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 inch squares {40 - 6 1/2 x 6 1/2}

Your piles of fabrics should look somewhat like this

 if you are using 4 fabrics only you will have 5 different size cuts -- the bright will be cut in the two sizes - 3 1/2 inch squares, and 2 inch squares, the dark will be one size cut at 3 1/2 inch squares, the medium fabric will be all 6 1/2 inch square and the lightest will have two different size cuts,
 12 1/2 x 3 1/2 and 3 1/2 squares...

See you tomorrow for the sewing together -- then on Sunday you can put it all into layers and quilt it...  Maybe...

Happy New Year!

PS. for those interested, I will have the printed instructions for this quilt project available as a PDF  via email sometime next week... now if I can just figure out how to connect it to paypal for a small fee in exchange for all this sitting at a computer on New Years eve...

Year End - What's left over?

This happens every year...

I think it happens to many of us.

There are things we meant to do - check back to see what your New Year Resolutions were...

I meant to get a stack of UFO's completed...

Actually, I should say, I meant to get quite alot of stacks of UFO's completed...

I didn't.

I got a few done, but I went about creating more - stacks that is.

I have alot of odd bits, so I did cut dozens, hundreds, maybe even thousands of 2 1/2 inch squares and strips, just about as many 3 1/2 inch squares and strips and a mighty lot of 5 inch squares.  The raw material is there.  The first steps are done in alot of cases...

Now, I just have to not hide them in drawers, where I can easily forget about them and guess what? Start a new stack!

These stacks of blocks have been sitting in corners for months...

Today, I was going through what was done and what was still left to do.

The left-to-do pile is bigger than the got-it-done pile...

I am thinking that I will just keep pluggin' along, finishing some and making new piles.  I have decided that this coming year is not a year to make resolutions or set specific goals as to where I intend to be at the end of 2011.  My aim is to keep on, keeping on, and that's it...

Raise a Ruckus Mystery Quilt - two weeks

The last couple of weeks have been somewhat busy in my household and I feel that I have been negligent in updating Things here on my blog.  It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the days can roll past and how things you intend to do get pushed back to another day, then another day and sometimes even to another day. 

Little jobs around the house, though important sometimes get glossed over and you realize it has been a week since you thought about it.  I have one of those little water coolers in my kitchen -- we do drink alot of water so it is a useful tool, EXCEPT when we discovered that it may not be functioning as it should.  Well, at least a week ago, I realized that it never stopped it's cooling cycle.  I meant to get the instruction book out and read through -- but it actually to me FOUR days to get the booklet out! Then it took me another day before I read through and found no helpful hints to answer why it  just keeps running all the time.  Well, now my solution is to turn  the machine off every night -- the instructions don't give me any other solution.  We have only had this machine for a little bit over a year.  It is frustrating to purchase an appliance and have it turn into garbage in such a short time...  It sits in the back of my thoughts wondering what I should do about it...  No wonder there is so much stuff in our landfills!  No wonder people tend to put stuff on shelves and in basement corners -- you just hate to throw out something that really should still be working and you hope that sometime, someday a solution or a fix-it technique will appear from over the horizon and the item will again be useful...

Well, now, that idea took me off on a tangent, didn't it?  I had no intention to write about broken water coolers -- but then, of late I have been somewhat discombobulated... (now there's a word not often used anymore -- tho I heard my maternal grandmother use it often -- it means confused, or out-of-sorts!)

Now back to the Raise a Ruckus Mystery for the New Years Weekend... I have been wavering back and forth as to what my choice of colours for this quilt will be.  I thought turquoise and pink with that brown as my dark and the cream as my light and that almost fuchia pink as my bright.  Then I did promise, that the quilt I create will go to Quilts of Valour Canada , and even though there are women in the armed forces, these colours are very feminine, so pulling out colours and a variety of combinations, I finally decided that for my own quilt for this mystery, I am going to go with one colour in different shades -- a harmonious quilt, you might say...  I think a better choice that will appeal to a more wider range of people.

So my final choice of colour is a selection of BLUES  all from my stash (even though I went out and bought a couple of meters of green, thinking that would be good)!   I actually chose two lights in this case.  One will be the light to be used as the main light colour and the other as the contrast to that really dark. In the description of the colour choices for this quilt, it does mention ONE LIGHT, so I am using two, but combined they will act as the Main LIGHT...   My Bright turns out to not actually be so very bright, but is a strong standout from all those blues, so even though it is a dark, being Red it should "act" the same way that a Bright would in this particular quilt.  

I have been working on the Mathematics part of this quilt too, so that you may be able to choose whether you want to make a large single size quilt, which will measure somewhere around 75 x 90, or the lap/comforter size of about 60 x 75 -- now that is not a promise of two sizes as yet -- just a possibility...

Now, as to what has been keeping me busy when I should be thinking about fix-it chores and other mundane daily type things, here is a picture of my christmas preparations.   I don't often do much in the way of decorating for any holidays, but my Niece in Winnipeg has an infectious nature and a joyous attitude so some of her wonderful enthusiasum caught hold of me and I did make an effort to brighten a corner of my house...  That little tree did need a bit of TLC as it had not come out of the back cupboard in a few years and it was sorely lacking when it came to ornamentation...  And now, it looks like the cheery christmas tree it is meant to be, though small, so with a child's imagination, I can see it in a cosy cottage somewhere on the backlot of Santa's Workshop estate where a worker elf goes home to after his day is done and he/she is satisfied with a job well done...

Christmas in the Neighbourhood

I bought a camera a couple months back, a point and shoot as they are called, but this one has a 14x zoom and a few other features that makes it where I feel pretty good about most of my photos.  I am far from a pro when it comes to picture taking, but over the years I have picked up a few useful tips, I think...

Every year we go through our neighbourhood and say "Wouldn't it be nice to have all these colours and designs up all the time?"  Well, finally I am able to capture them.  Mind you I have taken at least a hundred night time photos in the last couple of weeks as my neighbours put up and turn on their christmas displays...

As I get older, I have discovered that I most appreciate the gift of these lights around town, more than most any other presents given to me!  There are so few things that I need any more so this wonderment of lights and colour and design is special to my eyes...

Some are purchased forms or those air filled statues, some are lights on the trees and shrubs, some are the talented owners own creations.  All are amazing and wonderful to see...

Little Things

This past week I have been keeping busy, though at the same time being quiet mostly and reminicing.

A few weeks back I saw this toque online at http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/11/how-to_knit_mike_nesmith_of_th.html  and I had seen it on another blog too, {edited in -- Polka Dot Cottage is what actually sent me off on this toque making spree]and caused me to become somewhat envious that I didn't have one and had never before made one! 

 My version is slightly different as the pompom on top is slightly bigger but looser.  I followed the online directions -- very simple -- using Red Heart Super Saver yarn, and still have most of the skein to use somewhere else. 

 Now, I have been crocheting for many years, and I was taught the basics of knitting even more years ago than I was taught how to crochet, but, I don't think I ever before completed a knitted project!  I do believe this is my first. 

This hat was part of the past weeks reminicing -- Mike Nesmith who was one of the 4 Monkees wore this type of toque in many of the episodes of the TV show and probably in just about every publicity photo.  Mostly though, the hat he wore was a odd sort of green -- I could not find a yarn in just the right green, so I opted for this dark blue.  Now Mike Nesmith was not MY favourite in the group -- that was Mickey Dolenz...  One thing that I always wondered though was how did he manage to have his hair curl in that particular way?

My other project during the week was creating these little ribbon ornaments, crocheted with an acrylic yarn then starched.  I managed to finish up almost a dozen and may make up a few more.  I will enclose them in the christmas cards that I send out this year for those I know put up a tree and hope they like them.

These little ornaments can be found at http://www.favecraftsblog.com/meet-and-make-an-ornament-from-phyllis-serbes/  these are so very quick and easy to create and take very small bits of yarn.   Not being a particularly speedy crochet-er these take only a maximum of 20 minutes each to make.  I found that I was doing them while sitting in the car when my husband was driving about town doing deliveries.  So I was keeping track of his next stop where it was and what was getting delivered and at the same time hooking the loops to make these ribbon type ornaments...

Now, today's project is to work on sorting and cutting into strips fabric from a box I have been filling up for a year or more -- and I mean a boxfull -- the box is about 24 inches by 24 inches by 24 inches and is absolutely full of scraps from all my quilting projects. 

Enjoy, all your Christmas preparations, they are often as much fun as the big day itself...

Sometimes I Have Nothing to Say

So as an explaination for my absence on this blog for the last few days, I will provide you, my reader with a Link.
 The Article is about my Uncle George and Aunt Irene.  I was recently in Winnipeg, as you may know if you have been reading my blog for awhile and visited with my Aunt and Uncle and other family members.  Though I am sad, I am also feeling very priviledged to have been able to "say" goodbye.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/news-of-death-kills-wife-110901369.html

I will write again about quilts and crafty things in a few days, I just need a bit of time to reflect and remember this couple who were a very important part of my life, for all of my life...

On the Way to Christmas Part 3

Just a few more Christmasy links...

How about a banner?  Heres one using paper and Christmas stamps...
Easy, inexpensive - if you have some stamps in a drawer somewhere - and sharing time  with the kids
http://chantalvincentart.blogspot.com/2010/11/easy-paper-christmas-bunting-tutorial.html

Do you BAKE?  My Mother and I tried to make a gingerbread house many years ago -- it was okay, but way back in the '60s there was not the kind of tutorial and hints and tips to make such a thing -- well, I don't remember that there was anything other than a picture and a recipe.  At Not Martha, she creates individual gingerbread houses for everyone to put on on their mug of hot chocolate!  Using her method and her very clearly written tips to create perfect shapes, how could you fail??
Take a look at http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/12/18/a-gingerbread-house-that-perches-on-the-rim-of-your-mug/

Are you on Facebook?  There is a Green Grocery Bag Challenge page -- the idea is to make and give grocery bags to either wrap your gifts in, or to just give the bags for repeated use when carrying your groceries or other items home.  The Challenge Page is at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Grocery-Bag-Challenge/107692562629944 but if you are not on Facebook, here is a few links to tutorials to make grocery totes -- choose one or two to make for yourself, or to give as gifts that will help save our planet....  Yes, it is easier to buy those 99 cent ones from the grocery store, BUT did you know that some of those bags (made in China) actually have been tested and have LEAD in the compiled material used to make those bags?  read: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/nyregion/15bags.html

Grocery Bag tutorials:

  for a roll up shopping bag  http://needleandspatula.blogspot.com/2010/11/roll-up-shopping-bag-sewing-tutorial.html

  a you-tube video tutorial  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7nN36oIBqY
(only thing I wonder about this is Where is the IRON?)

    a reversable bag - use and double use!  http://ourgreenexperiments.blogspot.com/2010/11/reversible-reusable-tote-bags.html



    I even did a bag making tutorial a few years back when I was writing Miss Snips Notebook and put it on Flickr -- but there you need to log in and that is a nuisance - but just in case you want to look -- here it is (you probably have to log in to Flickr)  http://www.flickr.com/photos/86029575@N00/918291309/in/set-72157601043057359/  once you are at the tutorial you need to click on each photo for the written instructions, which includes measurements for cutting the fabric -- but you can make this type of bag in any size you desire -- I am actually making some christmasy ones using the method described in my tutorial,  that are quite tiny ( 7" wide x 7 " deep) to put in the Abbotsford Christmas Craft Fair this weekend at the Ag-Rec Building --- check out Ellen's Booth as my bags are only a small part of the wonderful Christmasy things that you will see at the craft fair next weekend! 



Here's wishing you a great start to the season and Happy Christmas!

On the way to Christmas Part 2

There is always something new to learn...

Having been a quilter for many many years, I have admired the designs and creativity of the various paper crafts -- and there is an amazing variety of things you can do with paper!  My Son works at a middlin' size printer that does everything from government pamphlets to children's and other illustrated books.  He is able to occassionally bring to me bright or textured or  unusual types of paper that are 'cut-offs' from various runs, and now a friend is the proud possessor of a Cricut machine...  Those two things combined is encouraging me to explore blogs where paper is the main element of design.

As you might see, I have collected a variety of cardstock and paper and am thinking that perhaps, I might try to make a few christmas cards, or at least some greetings in the next little while...

http://inspiredbystamps.blogspot.com/2010/10/christmas-candle-critter-sketch.html

The above link is an illustration, with some instruction of a type of challenge to create a specific design -- now as I gather, the idea is sort of like a quilt challenge except with making a card -- a certain format or placement design is created and those who take part use the "map" and their own creativity to fit a theme.  This one a christmas candle.

For the beginner paper crafter, here is a very simple card that lends itself to mass production, or at least for the 20 or so cards you need to get sent by Dec 7...
Just cardstock, some folding and a couple of Christmas stamps and stamp pads
http://paperblossoms.blogspot.com/2010/11/cas-christmas.html

Here is another idea that looks like what you would make for that special someone!  http://rejoicingeverymoment.blogspot.com/2010/11/cocoas-mittens.html

And here is paper crafting combined with gift giving!  And HUMOR!  I really like this idea - a special little gift for visitors or those who you just want to give a christmas cheer-up to...
http://craftingwithdarsie.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday-sunday-reindeer-poop.html

More Christmas projects, ideas and tidbits coming yet!....

On the Way to Christmas...

I don’t generally post lists of things, but I thought that since we are getting close to Christmas some gift ideas might be in order.

Some of these have been posted earlier in the year on other blogs whose whole purpose is to give you ideas and things to read, and some of them are sites that I return to on a regular basis either to remind myself of a project that I have already done at some time in the past or a new idea that seems to be just right as a gift for a friend or relative.

Check out these and hopefully one or two will be useful and help fill in your Christmas giving gift list.

http://www.oneshetwoshe.com/2010/09/lunch-money-cuff-tutorial-she-christie.html  I really like this one for a quick and easy stocking stuffer for those in between kids “tweens” that are finished with toys, but not quite ready for the full adult version of a product.

Décor? This could be a fun project to share with a grandchild to learn about crochet - or if you are a beginner crocheter, try out this for a way to perfect your expertise and to recycle some older tree baubles and to decorate for Christmas -- three purposed project!
http://meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com/2010/11/pips-crocheted-christmas-baubles-as.html

This is an especially nice Chef’s Apron Pattern, you just use measurements to make the patter or simply go direct to sewing this design. Free and easy and can work for yourself while making Christmas Dinner or perhaps make one for the BBQ season and your own BBQ chef?

http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apronpattern1.pdf

Here is a ’blog that every Monday features a crochet snowflake pattern. I especially love the one recently posted here http://snowcatcher.blogspot.com/2010/11/starflake-monday.html   if you look on the side bar and click on Snow Flake Patterns it will bring you to all the blog posts of the many different designs this writer has made and given instruction for.

Also on the sidebar is Snow Flakes for Kids to colour -- print these out to keep the younger crowd busy…

Here's a tip from Naptime Quilter of Calgary -- she shows how to create your own little tool for cleaning the lint from the bobbin area of your sewing machine.  Get and Keep your sewing machine running smooth for all that christmas sewing -- go to http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/2010/04/friday-favourite-lint-tool.html

Want or need some hints on making chicken stock (do turkey stock the same way)?  Check Small Notebooks instructions and you should be successfull everytime and have a lovely stock for future soups... http://smallnotebook.org/2010/11/12/chicken-stock-recipe/

Well, this is a good start, but no one wants to spend too much time wandering about the internet, so I will leave you with these 6 links, and will post more in the coming weeks -- all links that will in someway be useful as we approach Christmas...

French Press Cozy

Yesterday I was reading about making cold pressed coffee and that the ideal tool for it is the French Press.  Well, I have been making my coffee using the French Press for a long time now.  The main reason I use the French Press is because it is small - 8 cups it said on the package when I bought it, but I thought that was a missprint (you know how things made in China sometimes have odd words?).

 Well it turns out that it means 8 - 4 ounce cups.  Who ever drinks a cup of coffee that is a 4 ounce size?  Espresso, I guess, but I drink regular coffee in regular Canadian size mugs, that is more like 10 oz.  Anyway, I get three good mug fulls from my coffee press.  I just put in two really heaping tablespoonfuls of coffee and pour in the boiling water -- it sits for about 3 minutes and I pour the coffee into my cup.  That leaves 2 cups or Canadian Mugfuls still in the pot, a second morning cup, maybe and a cup late in the afternoon ---  If I don't use all the coffee in the pot (by warming in the microwave) then I put the coffee in a mug, cover with with "press and seal" wrap and put it in the fridge and still have pretty good coffee for the next day's breakfast.   Now if I used one of those automatic makers with the heating plate that soon turns coffee into bitter black tar, I would be throwing out alot of coffee everyday!
This morning, I thought I would make a simple little cozy wrap for my French Press to extend the warmth of the coffee in the pot to my second cup...
I think it worked out well, using some thicker batting and some left over scraps - mind you by the time I got the cozy made, the coffee was already cold, so I will have to wait til tomorrow to see if it will keep the coffee warmer, just a bit longer. 
And here is the link about cold pressed coffee making, using a French Press http://www.lisaclarke.net/2010/08/24/cold-press-coffee-or-how-i-reclaimed-some-precious-counter-space/

Now the next thing, I think is to go make some oatmeal cookies...

Raise a Ruckus Mystery Quilt

Yes! another Mystery Quilt project coming up!  This will be a larger quilt top, meant as a small bed or lap throw, it will measure around the 50 x 70 inches and can be done with scraps or in a limited palette.
This project is especially for those who plan to celebrate New Years at home.  The first installment will be New Years Eve, December 31, 2010, there is a fair amount of cutting so this is the day to cut your fabrics along with some "strata" type piecing.  Plan to spend a few hours at this! Then on New Years Day, January 1, 2011 piecing will continue and if you have no plans for a big dinner or other visiting you should be able to spend 3 or 4 hours in your sewing room.  Finally, Sunday, January 2, 2011, you can relax a bit and piece the sections together and perhaps add a wide border, depending on if you like borders or want to slightly increase the size -- the plan is that a border will be added and it will be fairly wide.

I am of an age where New Year's Parties do not hold much interest and kissing people at midnight is definately not my style!  So this project is for the person who wants a couple of quiet days at home to do something that is not part of the crowd! So this Raise a Ruckus will be a quiet and industrious type of Ruckus!  The Fireworks will be part of the quilt that you create!

You will need to pay close attention to the light, medium and dark hues of fabric but along with that you will need to incorporate a BRIGHT -- I would suggest a Yellow, but a bright green, red or blue will also work but it does need to definately be BRIGHT and to be almost a solid or a very small print that will look like a very bright solid.  You don't need much -- about 1/2 meter -- or for you American readers about a 1/2 yard.

As to technique and ability.  This is a traditional design with a bit of a twist.  Almost all very straightforward piecing of squares, but if you have not done foundation or paper piecing this is where you can start.  There is one element of foundation piecing - fairly simple but to be accurate, this is the best way to add an otherwise "fiddly" detail.  Not hard, though!

Now because this is a bit larger project, you will need more fabric, so here are the estimates of what you need:

Border Fabric: optional a medium hue that perhaps refects or co-ordinates with the fabrics in the body of the quilt -- about 2.125 (thats 2 and an eighth) meter ***a hint about the border*** if you like you might consider choosing your border fabric FIRST, then while studying your border fabric, choose your other fabrics from the print that is within your border fabric -- the light, the dark, the medium and the bright elements within the border multiprint.
Background fabric -- either light or dark -- about 2.75 meters
Strong Contrast to Background --in other words, if your background is cream, the strong contrast should be a Navy Blue, Deep Forest Green, Burgundy, etc -- about  1.25 meters
Medium Print -- you will need a total of about 1.25 meters -- you should consider using two different medium prints, both in the same colour family, if you are working in blues, choose two different medium blues, that are very close in value, or perhaps you could go with a true blue along with a aqua, or a rose, with a coral. If you plan to work with scraps, carefully study your scraps, lay them all out together (maybe use a red viewer) or take a photo then look at them, make sure they are all in that similar medium tint or hue even if they are all different colours.  These should not break up the view as you look at them together, if one piece is either too light or too dark you should be able to see it pop out of all the others...

Finally you will need to consider your batting and backing -- you will need about 5 meters for your backing -- but again, you can use some large scraps pieced to make a backing.  You can purchase a twin, or double size quilt batt of your choice.

I hope that you will follow along with this project -- I am planning to create this quilt to donate to a project that my quilt guild is a part of -- Quilts of Valour -- so I thought today would be a good day to make the announcement of the Mystery Weekend.  Quilts of Valour in Canada can be found here .
If you are American there is also a Quilts of Valor page, to be found here .

You have almost 7 weeks to prepare -- and I will remind you about this again in the next few weeks...

Treasures from Goodwill

I discovered the problem with loading my pictures onto this blog.  I bought a new camera, and the resolution is too high!  Each photo now needs to have the resolution reduced in order to upload it in a reasonable amount of time...

Now, onto the store of Treasure found at the thrift store.  If I could whistle I would have been singing like a bird when I found these, they made my heart flutter!

One of the wonderful treasures that I found in the Goodwill Store was a box of wooden spools, in a variety of hues.  I have not come across this type of thread before.  It is called Buttonhole Twist - 15 yard spools.  As you may notice the spools are short and stubby and the "stamped" end says Beldings Artsyl  Made in Canada, Buttonhole Twist.  It is a fairly thick thread - I do believe it is 100% cotton but it doesn't say that on the spools or on the box of 45 spools.  Perhaps it is exactly what it says, thread to use to reinforce the making of buttonholes by hand.

Ya, Think?

A very pretty find, that I am more inclined to look at on a shelf than to actually use.

Anyway,the other find that I wanted to show you was a child's Sewing Cards Kit!  This one actually has a year and copyright mark --- 1974!  Thirty-six years ago a little girl named Ramona received this box of sewing cards.  I wonder how old she was then?  One card was close to complete and a second card was started.  The third card was not used at all.  I wonder if Ramona grew bored of this project, or perhaps she had already done and undone them a few times -- the yarn in the box was somewhat frayed.

I have wanted one of these kits now, for a very long time.  I have kept my eyes open and remember to look at every thrift shop that I visit.   I was so surprised to see this in the Goodwill Store in Winnipeg -- I was not thinking about sewing cards and did not quite believe what I was seeing.  It was under a stack of clothing patterns.  If you go to thrift shops you know how common clothing patterns are -- so common that many thrift shops, use the pattern printed tissue papers to wrap china and glassware, instead of selling the paper as patterns.

I don't know what to do with this box of sewing cards now that I have them!  Thats the craziest part.  How to use this ultimate treasure?  Where do I put it?  Do I leave the cards undone?  Do I take my adult self to the place where I can actually play with them by threading the big needle and 'sewing' a card or two?

So far, I am happy to just look .

Where Have You Been?

I'm Back! And happily so, but I sure had a great time visiting with family in my old home town!

I have grown accustomed to the climate here on the west coast of Canada, where the snow rarely shows itself except maybe at Christmas time.  I arrived in Winnipeg on a night that was very reminiscent of Vancouver, dark and rainy!

Visiting the old home town included some drives around the countryside.  I went to a school north of Winnipeg at a community named St. Andrews.  I was part of the first classes that attended this school the year it was built, now when was that?  Hmmmm, some time about 196?, Yes, that's it, exactly!

A bit of a grey day, but well, to me alot of my school days were grey...

And St. Andrew's Anglican Church on the Red - one of the oldest churches in Western Canada... it is across from the school - it can be a melancoly day's step into history, to read the gravestones dating back 150 years or more.  The one that said "Baby, aged 2, drowned in the Red River 18--" was one that set me to thinking...

Then further north, we drove to the general area known as Winnipeg Beach - my SIL's family has had a cottage there that has been in the family for more than 60 years -- long before it was popular to have a cottage at the Beach...
I could not pass up this photo of the Art Centre and the painted quilt block on the building.  What more lovely sight does a quilter want to see???

Now on another day we went to an number of 2nd hand stores -- thrift shopping is the family sport! Our Mother taught us very well, not everything needs to come from the big department stores or as they are called today the "big box stores" .  The Goodwill Store on Princess Ave. in old Downtown Winnipeg is housed in one of those pre 1900 built heritage buildings.  The stone quarried north east of the city at Garson or Tyndal Manitoba.  This store has been at this location for as long as I remember -- when I went it, the floors squeeked as they always had, the designated areas for goods were unchanged.  It was a step back in time - I expected at any moment for my Mother to call me to check on where I was!!  I could almost see her dark curly hair just by looking over the racks of clothes, it was heartwarming and yet quite eerie to be in the store again...

Tomorrow, I have to tell you about some of the treasures I found -- I spent only 1.60 plus sales tax (that is a whole 'nother area of contention -- how many times does one have to pay tax on the same thing?)

I would have continued the story of the treasures found, but for some odd reason, I cannot get any other pictures to load onto this blog...  So a bit of suspense...  It is worth the wait!