Wow! Time has just been swimming by (see, what I did there, wink-wink) I realized the other day. There is so much work that I’ve never shown you. Time to correct that. This piece “Just Swimmingly” (drawn in March of 2012) was the first drawing I did in my Fabric Stash Drawing Project. Just like the pieces that were to follow, it was drawn on a wood canvas with coloured pencils (a fancy way of saying pencil crayons). This piece is 14″ high and 11″ wide, 1″ deep, to give you some scale.

Berene was kind enough to indulge me on raiding her (impressive) fabric stash to draw. In hindsight it was a huge leap of faith on her part, seeing that we hardly knew each other. True, we had just finished a inter-guild swap but still… Funny, I remember when I was given her name for the swap, I think I had blurted out, “Hey! I know her!” I had seen her work online and was impressed.

Eventually we met (actually we ended up doing a few other swaps together, such a treat), however in the beginning,  it was so nice when I realized she was as awesome as her work.

Photo credit goes to the fabulous Reaenne Schachter

In celebration of Krista’s book coming out in a few days! I’d like to share this interview with you. First let me set it up…

I first heard Krista talk at a Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meeting in 2011. She gave an impromptu chat about do’s and don’ts in swaps. It was pretty pertinent information at the time, since I had just signed up for my first online quilting bee. I quickly realized Krista really knew her stuff and that she’s one smart cookie! It doesn’t take long to figure that out from reading her blog “PoppyPrint” As it happens at that same meeting I had shown a drawing of my own stash at show and tell. Krista was very keen about the drawing. In the spring of 2012 I started my Drawing project with Berene Campbell’s stash, who happens to be one of Krista’s BFF’s. After I finished Berene’s drawings I remembered Krista’s enthusiasm and asked her next. After seeing Krista skip wildly to the front to collect her door prize I figured she’d probably say yes to my adventurous invite. Which she did!

Krista has just released a new book called “Make It, Take It: 16 Cute and Clever Project to Sew with Friends” (due out February 10 of 2015!). We’re all just thrilled for Krista and can’t wait to get our hands on it! However, luckily for me Krista took time out of her busy schedule to answer these questions while she was in the midst of editing her book this past summer. She’s pretty awesome that way. 

1. You moved your stash since I last drew it. Where is it now? Did you do anything different when you set it up this last time? My daughter and I switched rooms, so now she sleeps with the spiders in the basement and I get a lovely view of Vancouver to Metrotown while I sew. I completely culled all of my out-of-date, out-of-my-style fabric and chopped it up into 2 1/2″ squares with an Accuquilt Go cutter over the Christmas holidays last year. I’ve already made 2 “scrap vomit” quilts out of the squares and I think I could make 3 more! I rolled all my yardage onto acid-free boards and arranged my stash in colour order on shelves. Everything is so much easier to see, find and use now.

2. I noticed you’re a big fan of wrapping your stash around comic book boards. How and when did that come about? See above! I noticed several bloggers I read were doing this and having worked at an LQS, I already had an affinity for vertically-displayed fabric. Now, instead of looking at a disaster of crooked piles, I have a pretty display. My non-quilting friends routinely react in shock at the sheer magnitude of my stash. Result!

3.What are your top three go to online or brick and mortar stores to buy fabric from? Do you have a preference to online or in person shopping? And is there a reason behind your choice, for example I enjoy buying online but I still love and prefer to feel the fabric before I buy it. I freely admit to buying most of my yardage from U.S. online shops as the selection is always much better than what is available locally (plus, I am fairly in tune with upcoming lines and they are typically available sooner in the U.S.). I started doing this when our dollar was at par, however now that it has dropped again, my buying is much more selective and I’m trying to use what I’ve got first. I shop at Sew-Sisters, Mad About Patchwork (both Canadian Stores), Marmalade Fabric and Fabric.com. Locally, I look to Spool of Thread for modern prints and Kona solids.

4. Do you have a method to your madness, do you buy per project, when you find a good price or just when you see something you like? Price has a lot to do with it – I’m definitely a sale shopper. I am trying to avoid hype-buying (hello, Cotton & Steel?) because when I look at my stash I do see quite a bit of ‘trendy’ fabric that remains untouched. I have a large enough stash now that I don’t need to buy to fulfill most of the projects I have in mind.

5. If you were on a deserted Island and all your fabric was floating off into the water, what three pieces couldn’t you live without? Keeping in mind, these are shark infested waters and some of those pieces may have floated off into the distance. Is there a story to these three pieces or are they simply your favourites? I love my Liberty tana lawns and Echino linen blends the most. I’d fend off sharks for them, I swear.

This little zippy pouch (8 1/2″ x 6″) is going to the Victoria Modern Quilt Guild. It’s chalked full of goodies : zippers, bakers twine, fabric, fancy scissors, a note pad, some pencils and some pens. Oh ya, and a few of my cards. I hope my swap partner likes it!

UPDATE: And she did, Margo left me a very sweet message on Facebook during my Four day giveaway last week. I’m so glad it went to a good home. These things are like giving away kittens for me!

Why a cassette you ask? Being a child of the 80’s, scratch that, growing up in the 80’s, who doesn’t have a sweet spot for them. I thought I had a paper piecing pattern for a cassette tucked away in my studio but nope, I couldn’t find it anywhere so, I made my own pattern. Which I find so fun to do!

This past September our guild had its 3rd anniversary and instead of bunting we did banners of charm packs sewn together. The white texty fabric was on that banner as well as the black I used by the zipper.

I love how the A1 lined up!

I don’t often do fabric swaps at our guild. I’m not sure why, I’m always pleased with what I end up with. Add it to the to do list!

UPDATE: Ta Da! My lovely orange ( I LOVE orange!) zippy pouch I received from Michele! Loaded full of goodies. I think I got spoiled, tee hee! Thank you , thank you!

While I’ve been looking forward to not packing lunches and rushing out the door every morning, I’m shocked at how fast our summer is filling up. Despite my ever growing garden, summer camp and holiday plans I thought I’d take a moment and proclaim my intentions for this summer. That way, I hope, the summer won’t sneak away from me and I’ll be held responsible to git r done!

#1. I’ve got some updating on my website I’d like to do. Maintenance things, add some photos, put up a few post I’ve been savouring but it’s gotten to the point I just need to just DO IT! That way I can get on with #2 on my list.

#2. Draw, draw, draw! Apparently my calenders are quite hot. I had assumed it was more of an end of the year thing but Carol from Favourite has asked for more, more, more!

#3. I need to finish some lap quilts for some really amazing teachers. Our eldest graduated from grade 7 this year and it was kind of a big deal. It’s a small school which was founded by two moms that had kids that were dyslexic. They couldn’t find the help they needed so they started their own school! Hard core right! And those ladies still work at the school thirty some odd years later and have created an amazing community. My plan was to have five lap quilts done by the end of the school year… yeah, that didn’t happen.  Originally these quilt tops were going to be one big quilt (a king-sized quilt! What was I thinking?). I’ve been making good progress on them but I think having them ready for the new school year might have been a more realistic goal!

#4. I started a quilt for my youngest son last year in September, for his birthday. I NEED to finish it! Poor guy… every once in a while he’d ask, “When is my quilt going to be done?” What can I say? It’s been a project I’ve struggled with.  My son and I designed it together. I had bought the fabric, then just like Halloween costumes, the design changed. I hadn’t given myself enough time and started it only a few day before his last birthday. I almost got it done but the next day his Dad (unknowingly) showed him a quilt the day after his birthday based on a video game that he really liked . He proclaimed,”That’s what I want!” I lost luster for the project. I recently dragged it out again and all has been forgotten. He can’t wait for me to finish it! Although he’s come up with another quilt design…

NEWS FLASH! I finished it! Before I got this post put up – woohoo! I’m still keepin’ it on the list though because it makes me feel good to check it off!

#5. I want to finish my Fab Bee quilt. I’ve received all my trees now it’s time to make the forest! Then there is my Unscripted Bee quilt. I was holding out on finishing it until two final blocks came in but I think it’s time to git r done as well. Well… at least git r pieced by the end of the summer! Plus I did a drawing for each month for the Unscripted Bee and I think I’m safe to go ahead and send those out too! That, I want to get done for sure by the end of the summer.

#6. Oh and I need to sneak in a #6. Jennifer from Second Hand Dinosaur and I did a little swap earlier this year via Sew, Mama, sew’s Give Away Day . We’ve made a little challenge for our selves to make something out of some trims I picked up when I was in San Francisco this past March.

Phew, I know, I know, I’m an over planner. Shoot for the moon and at the very least you’ll land among the stars right? I wish you a wonderful summer filled with lots of cool drinks and tan lines. Did I mention I already have my first sunburn of the summer? I guess I can check that off my list!

I took some time after realizing my list was very similar to last year’s, and I decided to throw it out! Just like that, BAM! Done! Instead I’ve decided NOT to focus on checking things off my lists and to not hammer through projects to git’r done, just to get them checked off the old list (clearly that wasn’t working anyways). Instead I will enjoy and savour the projects that do get done. Truly, will my projects that I have in the wings ever be complete? Most likely not. It seems like once one is completed, it’s replaced by three new projects anyways, or at least it feels that way. So instead of feeling like I’m always behind, I’m going to strive to take a cup half full approach this year and appreciate the things I am able to complete!

Although I didn’t complete my list from 2012, I’d like to share with you a few highlights of things I did accomplish. I’d love to hear what some of your highlights from 2012 were. Was it a swap, a workshop or a trip? Let me guess you got all caught up on your projects maybe? Wink, wink!

January – In January I started drawing other people’s stashes! The first stash I drew was Berene’s!

February – Our guild had a treat and this was one of the quilts I worked on. It’s called Rainbows and Lollipops, I gave it to Raeanne in exchange for some photos she did for me!

March – Every March my husband and I go to San Fransisco. He goes to a conference and I go to Britex, an awesome store. Four floors of fabric!

April – I was invited to join the Fab Bee!

May – Lesley allowed me to draw her lovely fabric stash!

June – Every June my husband and I go to LA for work. With the timing just right again, I was able to attend for the second year, another LAMQG meeting at Sew Modern! I donated this drawing to their door prizes but they decided to hang it in Sew Modern instead.  This photo was emailed to me by Latifah, their groups co-leader. Wasn’t that nice of her! This particular meeting was really cute because EVERYONE was pregnant. I made sure I didn’t drink the water just in case!

July – Both my husband and I turned… lets just say it was a milestone birthday year. He jumped out of a plane I attended a Deynse Schmidt workshop. Those are my quilt blocks next to her quilt! Hee, hee!

August – I was able to finally deliver my cousin Jennifer’s Wedding present. I drew her Wedding dress for her!

September – Our guild the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild turned 2!

October – My first quilt bee, Unscripted ended. This was from Amy’s block.

November – Bye, bye Red Spotted Patch Heeeelllo lysa flower! The launch of this here website!

December – A month of straight craziness! My in laws and their dog, Raffy (the elf) helped out at our kids school with their Santa Store this year, which was loads of fun!

So there you go 2012 in a nut shell! Here’s to you and yours, wishing you a very happy and healthy 2013!

However with out further ado the winner is… put your hands together for…

Holly U Congratulations! (and the crowd goes wild!)

I have to admit when I reentered the world of sewing, mostly quilting, I didn’t realize how entangled it would be with the postal system. I’ve always loved letters and what really clenched it for me was when my grandfather took it upon himself to write to me when I moved away to Vancouver. We wrote back and forth until he passed away and I kept every letter because I knew one day it would be a precious reminder of our relationship!

When I was a kid I would sometimes stay with my grandparents for a week or two on their farm. Grandma and I would drive into Halkirk (a small hamlet in Alberta. Maybe it is even too small to call a hamlet?) to pick up their mail. Grandma would chat with the post office lady, who was so nice, and they’d catch up on the weather and local news. It was always a lovely outing and I really enjoyed it! Recently I had a chance to go back to Halkirk and there it was, the old postal office. Of course they’ve put siding on it so it isn’t as cute as it used to be but in true prairie form it’s more practical.

When my husband and I moved out to our acreage and discovered our local post office, I was over the moon!

Unfortunately the postal lady wasn’t nearly as friendly or jovial as grandma’s postal lady. Mostly I think because I usually had small kids in tow. I’ve come to learn some people are allergic to young children and I suspect this might be the case at our post office. Now that my kids are older we seem to be getting along much better and I don’t seem to be getting in as much trouble about the state of my packages anymore. In fact she was quite impressed and complemented me on my Fab Bee mail out where I sewed the envelopes together!

I’ve come to learn a good postie can make quite the difference in the kind of experience you’ll have with sending or receiving mail. Between the swaps I’ve done and the quilt bees I’m in, it’s so nice when there is a friendly face on the other end of the counter. So now I am off to happily deliver my cards to Holly U! Congratulations!