All things great are wound up with all things little. -Lucy Maud Montgomery

Hey all! How's it going? As I mentioned on Sunday I headed to Creativ Festival here in Toronto after work on Friday night and picked up a few goodies for myself. Creativ Festival occurs here twice a year - once in the Fall downtown and once in the Spring a little further outfield - I've been going to the Fall one for the past three years and went to the Spring one for the first time with my Mum in April. Fall is definitely the better of the two - it's huge, really easy to get to since it's on the subway line, and there is way more selection in terms of fabric and yarn and other crafting supplies.

I picked up this lovely fat quarter bundle of Silent Cinema by Jenean Morrison for Free Spirit from the Log Cabin Yardage booth - isn't it just so pretty?! I love the colours and I'm already dreaming up some ideas of what to do with it. I picked up one other thing at this booth but I can't show it right now because it's part of a Christmas present for my Mum and if I showed it it would be absurdly obvious what I'm making for her.

These four fat quarters from Patty Young's Sanctuary collection for Michael Miller came from the Sew Sisters booth. I always stop by to say hi to Judy, the owner of Sew Sisters, first because she's a nice lady and always has great fabric at great prices! I would have bought more from their booth but it's always so busy that it's hard to see everything!

I didn't buy any yarn this year because I was trying to be good - ya know, a girl's gotta draw the line somewhere! I saw some Viola in person for the first time and almost succumbed to it's beauty and the Sweet Georgia was calling my name too but I held strong!

I did however buy a skein of Madelinetosh's 80/10/10 MCN worsted in Tart when they had their free shipping sale a few weeks ago (Madelinetosh offers free shipping in their Etsy shop on Fridays every once in awhile). 80/10/10 is a superwash merino/cashmere/nylon blend and is one of their special bases - their special bases are only available through their Etsy. I have no idea what I'm going to knit with it but it is just so pretty that I couldn't pass it up!

I finished knitting Ysolda Teague's Damson shawl this week which is a holiday gift for someone I know but I haven't had the chance to get any pictures yet since it's getting pretty dark here by the time I get home from work every night - hopefully Alex can help me take some pictures this weekend! Hmmmm, that also reminds me that I need to get some pictures of the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief that I knit...oy, I really need to be on the ball a little more!

Oh geez! I forgot one of the most exciting things I picked up at Creativ Festival (but I didn't take a picture). I got a new Janome walking foot to replace the one that exploded - woot woot woot! Now I can finally get back to actually quilting things and I can finish up the one I was quilting when the disaster struck - hurray!

Ruby Winner!

Hey all! Sorry I wasn't able to do this post yesterday as promised but I spent most of the day in bed with a migraine - boo!!! I still have a little bit of it today but it is definitely much better! I was going to do a little recap of Creativ Festival but that will have to wait until another day when I have strength enough to take pictures of all the little goodies I got. For now though I will announce the winner of Bonnie and Camille's Designer Select fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop... drum roll please!

Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock

Woohoo, go Amy! You guys Should all check out Amy's blog, Stitchery Dickory Dock, it is super-cute, she has some great tutorials, and I am super-jealous that she was able to make it to Sewing Summit! Amy, please send me an email with your mailing address and FQS will get your prize out right away!

It seems like people are really interested in doing a quilt along for my Colour Block Cross quilt so I think we'll get going on that! I need to work out some logistics and then I'll announce all of the dates, etc here on the blog - this is going to be so fun guys!

A Tale of Two String Blocks...

So as y'all know I started a new job last week - hold up, for those of you who might be a little new around these parts (welcome guys!) I graduated with my Masters of Information in June and had been working part-time at one of my University's libraries but finally landed a full time gig as a Media Librarian at the CBC, woot! Okay, so I started last Tuesday and wanted to pretty up my desk a bit; I thought bringing a giant quilt and displaying it on the wall might be a bit much for some of my co-workers (although I did talk about my quilt designs and being President of the Toronto Modern Quilt Guild in my interview) so I decided on making myself a pretty new coaster instead. It was late and I was a little tired after my first day and thought to myself  "Hey! You have some extra completed string blocks sitting around from that tutorial that you wrote, why don't you use one of those to start?"... so I did.

Sorry that the picture isn't the greatest - I forgot to take a picture of the coaster when it was finished and ended up taking this one at work...with my iPod...under nasty fluorescent lighting. I basically used this coaster tutorial that I wrote but stuck with the dimensions I used for the original block tutorial.

Anywho, so after making the coaster I thought that since I had all the blocks out anyways I should lay out the quilt I had in mind so that I could decide on block placement...you guys have to know where this is going, right? I WAS ONE BLOCK SHORT!! Oh ya, totally nailed that one! I knew I had made at least one or two extra blocks and was wracking my brain trying to figure out what happened and then I remembered this...

That's right, a few months ago I used one of the extra blocks to make ANOTHER coaster as part of a swap (and of course didn't actually it on the blog either), oy!

So now I am a block short for my quilt - luckily they don't take that long to make and my "string bag" is full of cut strips already. Oh wait, have I never mentioned the string bag to you guys?! I started the string bag when I first started making these blocks; I use one of the totes (the tote on top here to be specific) that I was given at Quilt Market year before last and have it filled with strips of fabric ranging from 1"-2.5" in width that I slice off of scraps, fat quarters, and yardage at random when I buy/use them.

Anywho, so yes, that is what I have to do - make another block! I don't actually have any plans for the quilt when it is finished as everyone I know is having boys right now and the blocks are very, very pink. Actually I'm thinking that I'll put it in the shop and save the money (if it sells) to go towards next year's Sewing Summit. Unfortunately I couldn't go this year since I was lacking the funds - spending my birthday in SLC with everyone would have been so, so fun too!

Oh, by the way, do you guys remember my Colour Block Cross quilt? It's this one...

Since I've had a few requests for a pattern or tutorial I was thinking about doing a quilt along for it here on the blog. What do you think? Is that something anyone would be interested in? Let me know and if there's enough interest I'll do it!

It's Giveaway Time - Ruby by Bonnie and Camille!

In honour of finishing the first week at my new job, my lovely sponsors Fat Quarter Shop and I are teaming up once again to bring you another Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundle giveaway! This time we've got Bonnie and Camille's Designer Select!

This fat quarter bundle features twelve prints from Bonnie and Camille's recently released Ruby collection for Moda and three coordinating Bella Solids.

Ruby is an absolutely stunning collection and I just love it! Don't you guys think it's gorgeous? I really wish that I could keep the designer select bundle for myself by alas I guess I will pass it on to one of you lucky ducks! I'm positively swooning over the greys!

So I guess you want to know how to enter right?! You have two chances but please be sure to leave separate comments for each entry. Alright here's what you've got to do:

1. Leave a comment letting me know which fat quarter bundle

from Fat Quarter Shop is your favourite.

2. Leave another comment if you are a follower of my blog.

That's it - two very simple ways to enter! I will close the comments in a week (on the 22nd) and announce the winner here on the blog. International entries are, as always, welcome! Also, please remember that I have comment moderation enabled so if you don't see your comment right away it just means that I haven't had the chance to approve it yet (duplicate comments will be deleted).

Okay I gotta go! I have plans to sew up a storm today and bake some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies - I think the latter of those two will make Alex very happy!

*the giveaway is now closed*

The Falling Starburst Pillow

Hmmm, it's October 7th, I wonder what that could mean?! Here it is folks, as promised on October 5th, the full reveal for my pattern that is in the special Fall issue of Fat Quarterly!

This is the Falling Starburst Pillow! Here's a little snippet from Fat Quarterly of what I had to say about this little pattern and the inspiration behind it... "Fall is my favourite time of the year - Thanksgiving, my birthday, halloween, crisp cool breezes, amazing colours, pumpkin everything, and hot apple cider! What's not to love? My fall inspired pillow pattern aims to reflect the natural and simple - but glorious - beauty of fall with a mix of hand piecing, hand quilting, and natural linen."

The fabrics used for this pattern include a mix of natural linen and prints from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy, Tula Pink's Parisville, Oliver + S's City Weekend, and Joel Dewberry's Aviary. I used #8 Perle cotton in golden yellow and deep crimson shades for the hand quilting.

This very special "Fall-Inspired" issue of Fat Quarterly is available as a PDF-download on the Fat Quarterly website for a very special price too - only $5! Woot! This issue includes four quilt patterns, four bag patterns, and five other patterns - including my pillow (of course!) and a new xStitch pattern from the folks over at The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery!

So what do you guys think? Do you like my little pillow? Would you like to stitch one up for yourself? This is a great pattern for curling up under a quilt to stitch, maybe while watching the BBC, and sipping some peppermint tea - I know, because that's what I did when I was making it *wink*!

Head on over to the Fall Inspired page at Fat Quarterly if you so desire! And don't forget that if you make something from this pattern you can post pics in both the Fat Quarterly and Miss Print groups on Flickr!

Do You Love Fall? Because I Love Fall...

Since it's my birthday today I thought I'd give you all a little sneak-peak at my new pattern which will be in the special Fall issue of Fat Quarterly coming out this Friday (October 7th).

This little beauty uses linen and deep, rich colours to evoke the spirit of Fall - y'all know Fall is my absolute most favourite season, right?! Since this project almost exclusively requires hand stitching and hand quilting, it is the perfect project for curling up under a quilt and staying warm while you work. Come back on Friday for the full reveal and all the info on how to get your hands on this very special issue of Fat Quarterly!

Quilt Uber-Fest Block 2: Flying North

Welcome everyone to the second day of the Quilt Uber-Fest quilt along! I'm really glad that you're all joining me here today and I can not wait to see the blocks that y'all come up with over the next little bit. I've called my block design "Flying North" because the flying geese and log cabin motif reminded me of Canadian geese flying over sections of farmland.

Fabrics I Used:
Three prints from Nel Whatmore's Sleeping Beauty for Free Spirit
Woven Haze Stripe in Denim Blue by Kaffe Fassett
Bonus Fabric: Kona Cotton in Ash

*Note: All seams are 1/4" and please remember to press in between each step. The block will end up being 12.5x12.5" square with a finished size of 12x12" square.

Cutting Directions:

-Cut two squares measuring 4x4" from each the Kona Ash solid and one Sleeping Beauty print (I used print #PWNW013Purple) for a total of four squares.
-Cut one 2.5x6.5" strip and one 2.5x10.5" strip from one Sleeping Beauty print (I used print #PWNW017Brown).
-Cut one 2.5x8.5" strip and one 2.5x12.5" strip from the last Sleeping Beauty print (I used print #PWNW015Purple).
-Cut one 2.5x8.5" strip and one 2.5x10.5" strip from the Kaffe Fassett woven.

  Making HSTs:

-Draw a line diagonally from point to point on the wrong side of your two solid squares.

-Pin a solid block, right sides together, with a print block and sew 1/4" away on either side of the diagonal line.

-Using your rotary cutter or a pair of scissors cut the square into two triangular pieces using the original line that you drew as your guide.

-Open up each triangle and press the centre seam open. Trim each block if necessary to 3.5x3.5" square and cut off the little nubbins that are jutting out.

-Repeat the above steps with your remaining solid and print blocks until you are left with four half-square triangles.

Constructing the Geese:

-Layout your HSTs as shown above.

-Take each of your sets of matching HSTs and sew, right sides together, along the joining edge.

-Now that your two geese are constructed place them rights together and sew along the centre joining edge.

The Log Cabin:

-Sew your 2.5x6.5" strip, right sides together, to the bottom of the flying geese.

-Sew the first of your 2.5"x8.5" strips, right sides together, to the right side of the flying geese.

-Sew the second of your 2.5x8.5" strips, right sides together, to the bottom of the block.

-Sew the first of your 2.5x10.5" strips, right sides together, to the right side of the block.

-Sew the second of your 2.5x10.5" strips, right sides together, to the bottom of the block.

-And finally, sew your 2.5x12.5" strip, right sides together, to the right side of the block. Look at that - you're done!

I hope that you all enjoyed being here and that you've also enjoyed making "Flying North" with me. I've turned this tutorial into a PDF too which you can find here! Remember to add photos of your completed blocks to the Uber-Fest Flickr group and please come back and visit anytime you'd like! Also, add your block to the Miss Print Tutorials and Patterns Flickr group if you'd like too!

Next up with block three tomorrow, we have: Karen Linton who, since she does not have a blog, will be guest posting the tutorial on Scott's blog!

Quilt Uber-Fest Sneaky-Peek!

Hey all! As you know my block design for the Quilt Uber-Fest quilt along will debut here on the blog tomorrow but I wanted to give you all a little sneak peek at what I have in store for you!

I've named the block "Flying North" but y'all will have to come back tomorrow to find out why! Don't forget to visit John's blog today for his tutorial for the first block of the quilt along!