How About a Quilt Along? Come Join The Library Project

Back in August I had an idea. I wanted to make a commitment to my Quilting Books, and the folks that wrote them, that I would  make something out of them. I have quite a collection of amazing quilt books, and yet I hardly ever make anything from them. Shameful! So I started The Library Project. I chose six books from my library, chose a project from each, and have plans to make them over the next year. 

As I have been updating here on the progress of the Project I have had a lot of comments about how folks would like to do this, and even what a great Quilt Along it would be. So I say, listen to the people and launch a Quilt Along!

How does it work?

1. Dig out your quilt books and select as few or as many projects as you would like to make from January to December 2014 - one per book. I leave the number of projects you chose up to you, as I know how busy life can be. BUT - I would like to challenge you to at least 4 projects :)
2. Each month come back here to link up with my update post and tell us about your progress.
3. At the end of the year I will host a final link up party where you show all of your finished projects for the year. From these posts I will randomly chose a winner for a prize. (this is likely very unprofessional but I don't know what the prize will be yet - just haven't gotten that far. But I promise it will be good, and open to international participants!)

The link up schedule:

• January 17th, 2014 - Write and link up your first post with you book / project choices
• February through November - Monthly links ups on the third Friday of every month with progress on your projects
• December 2014 - Final post to show off all of your finishes and link up to be eligible for the prize!

So - grab this button, dig into the stacks, drool over some patterns and make your choices! Come back here on January 17th to tell us all about it!

Can't wait to see what you pick:)
Adrienne

Fabriholics Anonymous

I was going to wait until the new year to talk about this, but they have started, the sales! And by they I mean my LQS, and every on-line fabric store I can imagine. Oh I want to buy fabric everywhere, because it is on sale. I don't need it, I just want it. That's right, I am a fabriholic.

My stash today. All 24 boxes are full. A lot of the tops will not close...

Two years ago I had sewn my stash down to almost nothing. It felt great, it felt free. Since then I have been building up my stash. Now I will say I have been doing A LOT more quilting in the last couple of years, so the growth of my stash is natural. But seriously, at this point I know that I have enough in the stash to get me through a whole year of projects.

the "Large Cuts" drawer

So I don't need any fabric, and I don't have any extra money to speak of, so it is time for a fabric intervention. Last week, Leigh Anne over at Ella's Cottage talked about the FabricFast 2014 that she is embarking on. This got me so inspired! And then I came upon Rebecca's Fabriholics Anonymous at Making Rebecca Lynne.

I am in! Here is how it works...
Goals

• To use the Stash I already have!
• Finish UFOs without distraction by shifting to other new beautiful fabric.
• Stop the insanity of constantly buying the latest and greatest fabric.
• Save the $ I spend on stashing - I want to go to Quiltcon in 2015. let the saving begin! 
• Destash the fabrics that I realize I am never going to use.

Rules

• No fabric purchases for 6 months beginning January 1, 2014.
• At 6 months I will reevaluate and decide whether to keep going for the full year. 
• I am extending the fabric fast to books / patterns / magazines too. I have so many on my shelf now, I need to use them (See The Library Project for how I am handling this issue). I currently have a subscription to Quilty magazine, I will keep that until it expires.

Exceptions

• I can purchase batting or quilt backing fabric to finish projects but will try to piece backings from my stash where I can, and I am going to hit the thrift stores for things like cotton sheets as an alternative to buying "new' fabric for backings.
• I can buy white or background fabric e.g. another solid if I need it. 
• I can purchase thread or notions, as needed.
• Commissioned Quilts - fabric for those quilts can be purchased - they pay for themselves!
• For Bees - I am in two quilt bees. Both work using fabric in your stash, but for the rare occasion where I do not have what my bee mate needs, I will have to make a purchase

Tops waiting for assembly and quilting

UFOs/WIPs

Also as part of the challenge, I need to lay out my UFO/WIP list, to keep myself on track. Here is the list:

• Patchwork Wheel - needs backing and binding
• Postage Stamps Quilt (Commission) - pretty well everything needed. Top is started. 
• Giant Star Quilt (times two!) - needs to be quilted and bound
• x and + Quilt - needs to be quilted and bound
• Churn Dash Quilt - Top needs piecing, quilting and binding
• Sugar Block Club - Everything! Only have 4 of 12 blocks made
• Tennessee Road Quilt - Everything! Fabric cut. That is all.

Well this list is not too bad. All fun projects :)

I am feeling pretty stoked about this Fast. Will you be taking the challenge this year? You are not alone :) Thanks again Leigh Anne for lighting that fire under my butt!
Adrienne

What a Year!

This time last year I made a bunch of lists about what I wanted to accomplish in 2013 related to all things quilty. I just went back and read it. I am here to tell you that I got off track :) For example, the list looked like this:

• No quilt book/ pattern purchases - fail, epic fail
• No fabric purchases - um yeah, right, funny
• Complete the Sugar Block Club quilt -I got as far as April in the BOM
• Fresh Mini Quilt Club - um yeah, only made one of six in that one! 
• Make a Union Jack something - didn't get to that
• Finish off all UFOs - Right. Still have two from about ten years ago, and currently have three new ones in the closet

Now, I could beat myself up about this, or I could consider all of the stuff that I DID DO this year.
I made all of these quilts:

How wicked it this! The real goal for me this year was to make stuff. That's it. I don't know why I got so particular last year, by making lists. I really just wanted to allow myself the time to be creative. Cut fabric up and put it back together. I did it in spades!

I also made some non-quilty things, which turned out to be more fun that I thought

And then there were the Bees! I finished off the Stash Bee and also started running two bees of my own! Global Scrap Bee and ModQImprov Canada Bee. Look at all of these blocks!

This year was also busy with the  whole blogging thing. I spent lots of time here and participated in two big Blog Hops. This has been so amazing. I have met lot's of cool people and learned so much.

Oh and of course, my crowning moment this year. The Maritime Modern Quilt Guild is a Go!

I cannot wait to see how the guild unfolds this year. Can. Not. Wait.

So, to sum up. While I have been horrible at sticking to those New Year's resolutions, I have had a pretty good friggin year!

I do have some new goals for this year, goals are good, but I think I need to lighten up on this lists :)
The Guild will be a big focus this year. I want to do some fabric fasting and I want to keep working on The Library Project (which I am hoping you may join me for...stay tuned)

I will keep working on those UFOs and perhaps finish off on the Sugar Block and Mini Quilt Club. And who knows, I may join another Quilt Along if something speaks to me. There are so many popping up this year, it is hard to resist!

But bottom line, I want to keep giving myself time to make things. It is so easy to get caught up in the hectic business of life. Fabric cutting and stitching back up, and talking about it here, keeps me grounded.

So, a toast...here is to past years and new years, and may your holiday season be fraught with sewing time! 

Cheers!
Adrienne

Bear Stockings: A Finish

...Wait for it...Wait for it... I made something that is not a quilt! I don't know why I get so proud of myself when I make something other than a full fledged quilt, but it is really a break-outside-of-my-box kind of thing. Now mind you, this project does involve fabric, batting, thread, and quilting, but it is not a quilt. It's a stocking!

I bought some of Laurie Wisbrun's Brrrr! last year. These polar bears just make me smile.

I used the Falling Flakes Tutorial from Imagine Gnats to whip these QAYG babies up.Yeah, you heard me, I made two! One for me, and one for the Mister.

I loved the color scheme in the main fabric so I stuck with it. I hit the stash for some reds and aquas

This one is mine. The obvious choice since somehow my polar bears landed on their heads!I have to admit that I did have to take a quick jaunt to You tube to see a visual of how you get the lining inside the stocking. And while I figured this out, I was paying too much attention to the lining and my bears landed upside down.

Oh well, I still like their peek-a-boo ways.

I have been meaning to make us stockings for five years now. Five. I'm felling pretty good about finally just doing it. Now I need to go stuff these with goodies!

What are you working on these last few days before the holidays?

Linking up this week at 

Happy Sewing - quilt or not!
Adrienne

Giveaway Day Winner!

Wow! What fun Giveaway Day was. Thanks to everyone for playing. I had so much fun hearing what you wanted Santa to bring you. I hope you all get just what you wish for, especially all of those shiny new sewing machines :)

Without further ado, the winner of the Hex Pop Pillow cover is:

#90 - Becky who is hoping for a gift certificate to her LQS.

Congratulations Becky!

Well back to the decorating. I have a naked tree who needs some trimming.
Adrienne

Giveaway Day!

It's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! This is my very first time participating in a Giveaway Day. It is a great event to meet some new blogger friends and have the chance to win some swag!

If you are  new visitor, welcome! Please feel free to peak around. I thought it would be fun to giveaway one of my quilting projects, the Hex Pop Pillow Cover.

I have been thinking about what I would like Santa to leave me under the tree... so to enter the giveaway leave a comment on this post letting me know what you would like to see under your tree this year. 

This giveaway is open to international participants, but if I can't contact you, you can't win. If you are a no-reply blogger, please leave your email address in the comment. I will randomly draw a winner on December 13th at 6:00 pm AST. 

Good Luck and thank you for dropping in! Hope to see you again sometime :)
Happy Holidays
Adrienne

WiP Wednesday: The One with Circles and Squiggles

I hate to say I told you so, but... well, you know what comes next. Back in October I had a rash of finishes, and that has come to a screeching halt. Ah, I guess it couldn't last forever. While November was a VERY busy month, little in the way of sewing was accomplished. And I'm here to tell you, I miss it.

So even though the holiday month is upon us, and you will find me doing this kind of stuff...

I am also hoping to get more time at the sewing machine.

This week I am working on the circles... I now have a nice little stack of patchwork wheels all quilted and ready to go.

 

So, I have these sweet little blocks all quilted up. How to join them? Darned good question. I wanted the colors and greys to pop, so have decided to sash in white. But this also means I need to quilt-as-I-go on the sashing as well. Today was kind of a sucky day and I just didn't have the patience for straight lines. So I gave the pre-programmed stitches on my Kenmore some love and decided that my sashes needed some squiggles.

I think this is going to look pretty cool. So, back to the sewing machine I go. And maybe back to a little of this...

What are you working on this week?

Linking up this week with Lee at Freshly Pieced for WiP Wednesday
Adrienne

Winner! Winner!

It's time for the winner from the Blogathon Canada giveaway! Before I get to it though I would like to say a big thank you to Sew Sisters and all of the hosts for an amazing time! What a fabulous week! I have met a lot of new friends and discovered some amazing quilters across this great Country.

 Now to the good stuff... the winner of the Kona Solids bundle is

#79 - Mrs Pickles!!!
I will be in touch for your contact information.

Thank you to everyone for playing. Hope to see you dropping by again soon!
Adrienne

Going in Circles: A Tutorial on Quilting Circles with your Walking Foot

I have a  confession. I am afraid of Free Motion Quilting. If you are a regular visitor to my bog this is not such a secret, and you will know that I am always tying to find ways around it. While straight lines are my best friend, I do try to branch out. This past weekend I experimented  with sewing circles using my walking foot. I thought it might be nice to put together a little tutorial on what I learned

 

Quilting Circles With a Walking Foot

You will need:

• A round shape to trace (I am using bowls)
• A marking tool of your choice (I am using a Frixion Pen)
• Walking foot
• Scissors, thread, iron...the regular stuff

Step 1
Prepare your project. In this example I am Quilting As You Go some on Patchwork Wheel Blocks. I am addicted to QYAG and have done a little tutorial on that which you can find here and here. Quilting circles is a great option for QYAG since you have to be able to move your block around continuously. So small projects are good!

Step 2

Chose a round household item to suit the size of circles that you want. I really wanted to emphasize the wheel in the blocks, so chose to do radiating circles. I was looking around the house and spied these bowls:

These were perfect, not too small (smaller circles can be harder to manoeuvre around) and they radiated out perfectly. You could use dinner plates, pie plates, jar tops, whatever suits you! No need to buy fancy rulers for this project :)  

Step 3
Use your tracing tool to trace the circles on to your block. Now, this is the exciting part. I have recently discovered the Pilot Frixion Pen. I don't think these pens were originally designed for fabrics. They are an erasable pen, and when you run your iron over the ink on your fabric, the heat makes it disappear

Step 4 
Next, to the machine you go. Fit your machine with your walking foot, and thread of your choice. Start stitching, following the curve of your traced lines. In this type of work, slow and steady wins the race. The slower you go, the more control you will have as you work your way around.  

note to self - next time dust walking foot before close up photo shoot

Step 5 
With all of your circles done, head to the ironing board. Simply iron over the stitched lines and the Frixion Pen lines disappear! (I have no stocks in Black & Decker by the way) 

ummmm, right. This is a great close up of my overshoot as I tried to join my circle ends. So lesson learned there, GO SLOW and your ends will join better than mine :) I did get better over time.

Step 6 
Enjoy your handiwork! You now have a block with quilted circles! I can't wait to put all of my blocks together. I think the effect is going to be great.

I hope you enjoyed this little lesson. I am off to finish my circles on the rest of the blocks!
Adrienne

Linking up this week

Welcome to Blogathon Canada!

Oh I am so excited that you are here! I was stoked when Sew Sisters contacted me to be a host on this year's Blogathon Canada. What an opportunity to hop around and meet amazing Canadian Quilters.  Marjorie from Marjorie's Busy Corner and I are representing the Maritimes today on the hop.
 
 

Without further ado, Hi! My name is Adrienne and I would like to welcome you to Chezzetcook Modern Quilts. Chezzetcook what you say? I know, it is a funny name, and likely you are not sure how to pronounce it. Chezzetcook is a small community on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, where I grew up. If you are a local, you drop the "t", add an "n" and say it fast - Chezzencook. Go on, give it a try...

I have been quilting for about 17 years, and blogging about my quilty adventures for nearly 2. I have an addiction to fabric, and quilting is the way that I cope with it. Stitching that cotton goodness into modern designs, taking it's picture and then writing about it. True Happiness!
 
The year so far has been a big one for me. I started organising two virtual quilt bees; ModQImprovB Canada and Global Scrap Bee. The first is helping me conquer my fear of improv, and the other links me with quilters from all over the world. Fun Stuff! Oh and I started this little thing called The Library Project. Basically a commitment to actually make something out of all of those quilting books that I buy :)
 

 
The next big thing on the agenda, and the one I am most atwitter about - I am staring a chapter of The Modern Quilt Guild here in the Maritimes. Our first meeting is scheduled for November 27th. I cannot wait to connect with other like minded quilters in our region.
 

 
So, lots of exciting stuff in the works around here. But here's the thing. At the end of the day, regardless of bees, projects, guilds, I still just like to quilt! After the day job, I crave to sit at the sewing machine and stitch up that fabric I cut a minute ago. So, I think the best way to get to know me is by having a looksie at some of my finished quilts!
 

"Frames" is my most recent finish, and is made up of Blocks from my Bee Mates at ModQImprovB Canada

 

This is "Bliangles" So named, because, well, let's just say, those triangle tips may be a tad blunt in spots.

 

"Beach Cabins" was a commissioned quilt that I made this summer. It lives in Ottawa now, but my client wanted a beachy feel and I think I nailed it :)

 

"Stamps for Melanie" was also a commission, in fact I am about to make my third stamps quilt. But I am not tired of it yet with all of those delicious fabrics!

 

Everyone likes a Baby quilt right?! "Baby Bella" is now spending quilty time with Baby Elizabeth.

 

"Foreign Currency" is likely my favourite finish this year. It lives on my couch every day and I never tire of it's simple boldness (nor do my kitty cats) 

Besides introducing myself, the other part of my hosting job today  is to introduce you to other Maritime Quilters. I have had a blast looking for other bloggers in my back yard. I think if you take the time to visit, you will find yourself seriously inspired! Here they are...

Sister of the Brush

Stamp Stitch Create

Sheila's Quilt World

The Cuddle Quilter

The Running Thimble

Twistfully Yours

Scrapmaster

BevCrouse

A Quarter Inch from the Edge

This Little Life of Mine Plus 2

Candy Coated Quilts

The Painted Quilt

 

Now, what you have all been waiting for, the PRIZES!

PRIZE ONE

From me to you, I have picked this gorgeous bundle of Kona Brights. Just leave a comment on this blog post and these 10 Fat Quarters could be yours. I will make a random draw from all of the comments on November 24th. Remember, if you are a no reply blogger, leave me your e-mail. If I cannot reach the first pick, I will randomly draw again.

PRIZE TWO

Sew Sisters is also offering a prize during Blogathon Week. Hop back to their blog for a chance to win and delicious prize sponsored by Northcott

THERE'S MORE!

That is two chances to win, but it doesn't stop there! Every Host on Blogathon Canada is giving away their own prize, so make sure to visit them all for more chances to win great stuff from Sew Sisters! Here is the schedule. Have Fun!

Monday, November 18	BC	Holly	Holly's Red Bike
Monday, November 18	BC	Heather	Winding Bobbins
Tuesday, November 19	Maritimes	Adrienne	Chezzetcook Modern Quilts
Tuesday, November 19	Maritimes	Marjorie	Marjorie's Busy Corner
Wednesday, November 20	AB	Katherine	Sew Me Something Good
Wednesday, November 20	AB	Andrea	Urban Quilt Works
Thursday, November 21	SK	Flo	Butterfly Quilting
Thursday, November 21	MB	Kathy	Tamarack Shack
Friday, November 22	QC	Izzy	Dizzy Quilts
Friday, November 22	Territories	Danielle	A Geeky Crafty Life
Saturday, November 23	ON	Jackie	Jackie's Art Quilts
Saturday, November 23	ON	Krista	Krista Quilts

Wow! We have done a lot today! It has been great to have you visit my little quilty blog. I hope you come back for a visit from time to time :)

Adrienne