my christmas wish for you.

1:30am and the Christmas doll quilts are done! (Pillows tomorrow.)

Wow is this ever a stressful time of year.  I've been making it a goal to smile at every person I make eye contact with, stranger or friend.  It's amazing how surprised people are to have someone give them a genuine smile this time of year.   It's wonderful when someone who was lost in a haze of stressful eyebrow furrowing looks up and returns your smile.

Under my mom's tree, in BC!

My sewing projects did not come together like I had wished (only 2 of 6 tree skirts completed).  I have not baked a single cookie (yet?).   But I have made about ten batches of cashew brittle (and only ruined 3).  I have assembled, painted, personalized and made quilts for Cam's doll beds (a gift to go with her American Girl Bitty twins present).   And best of all, I have wrapped all of the Christmas presents.

I should have done this outside. Fumes = stinky!

The big grocery shop for dinner tomorrow is done.  The tree is not up (yet?).  My goal today is simply to relax and breathe.  That is what I wish for you.

Enjoy the day.  Appreciate the people around you.  Tell them you love them (even your weird Uncle Maury).

Don't freak out if something doesn't go as planned.   Leave your baggage at the door and start fresh this year.  Remember, if all else fails, you can order Chinese food.

a nasty cold just in time for Christmas!

Wipe runny noses, sit down and enjoy a cup of tea.  Go easy on the booze and heavy on the hugs.  Build happy new traditions for you and yours.  Remember to say thank you.  Take lots of pictures.  Breathe.

my year in facebook status updates!

Dance while you do dishes, sing in the shower, tell your turkey dirty jokes every time you pull it out of the oven to baste it.   Go for a walk in the snow (if you have any).

Most of all, find your joy.

christmas countdown: how to make a reusable fabric gift bag.

Ever since I can remember, my friend Jennifer has found creative ways to wrap gifts that did not include using store bought wrapping paper.  She wrote this post on her personal website a few years ago, and I loved it so much, I asked her if she would let me republish here on my blog.  Lucky for us - she said "of course!!" 

How To Make A Reusable Fabric Gift Bag - by my friend Jennifer
I have a raging hatred of wrapping paper. Not wrapping paper on gifts that others have given me, of course. That would be in the "Gift Horse in the Mouth" category of social behaviour. However, for gifts that I am giving to others, I am loathe to use wrapping paper. This hatred dates back to the early nineties when environmentalism was almost as chic as it is now. My family was pretty into the whole thing and we started wrapping most of our Christmas presents in newspaper.

My attitude towards conventional wrapping paper has not changed, though I have graduated from newspaper to re-usable gift bags that I make all by myself. I make the bags every year and give them all away. The people who get them give them away the following year and it goes on like that. The only drawback is my having to make a new crop of bags every year, often when I am just getting sick of sewing quilts and other gifts.

Anyway, a few people have asked about the making of the bags so I have prepared this short tutorial to demonstrate how crazy-easy it is. A set of these bags actually makes a nice gift on its own, especially if you use really pretty fabric. I did this for the Octopus Books staff gift exchange this year and it was a hit. (Right, Lisa?)

So first, and most importantly, figure out which 1970's childhood Christmas album you're going to listen to while you sew:

So maybe you have a bunch of fabric scraps already littering your sewing table? Pick out a chunk of fabric big enough to surround whatever it is you'd like to wrap. If you have and want to use ribbons or twine, pick some that matches.

Now fold the piece of fabric over your gift to make sure you have enough. You'll want to make sure to leave extra fabric at the top so you're able to tie the bag shut. Then cut your fabric to the appropriate size.

(I have a fancy rotary cutter and ruler, but you can just cut it with fabric scissors. This does not need to be exact. It is a very forgiving project.)

Next you'll want to fold over the hem around what will be the mouth of the bag. I like to use my pinking shears on the edge so it frays less, but this isn't totally necessary. You could also fold it over twice if you didn't want a raw edge on the inside of the bag.

Then, sew the hem into place.

Okay! Now you'll need to fold your fabric in half with the "right sides" together. If you want to have ribbon attached to the bag, you'll need to sandwich your ribbon in the fabric with the edge sticking out a little so it gets sewn into the seam. Like this:

Pin it! Pin it all! This will make sewing it so much easier. I hate pinning, it doesn't mesh well with my complete lack of patience with everything, however I have been sewing for many years and must admit that pinning saves time in the long run because it ensures that your fabric will not go all wonky when you are sewing it.

You're almost done. Now just sew along the edges you've pinned. Make sure you back stitch at the beginning and end of the seam to keep the whole thing from falling apart after multiple uses. It would defeat the purpose of making re-usable bags.

Now you have a bag!

And you can put your gift in it and tie it up tight.

I often make these bags without the ribbon attached and then just tie them closed with whatever pretty ribbon or twine that I have hanging around. However, the ribbon being attached makes it even nicer if you have the time and wherewithal to include it.

Good luck! Here's to garbageless Christmases of the future!

J.

women of wonder: my 5th mission - rediscover your community.

Of all my missions for the Rediscover Your Wonder project, this one is my favourite.  My mission was to "rediscover my community".  The question is, which community needed rediscovering? 

mothers
women
parents of children with Autism
the town where I live
bloggers
quilters
...and many more (tongue in cheek)

No offence to mothers, women, parents of kids with ASD, neighbours or bloggers, but I get a lot of you on a regular basis.  Quilting tends to be a solitary art form though, so it isn't often that I get to spend time with other people who love quilting as much, if not more, than I do.  My 2 favourite quilting stores are Regalitos Quilting Arts and Quiltology.  The last time I got to visit them was in May, so I took this opportunity to hit the road for a few days to rediscover my community of quilters.

I loaded my sewing machine and my quilting supplies into my car and hit the road.  First stop was Regalitos in Jackson, Michigan, where I got to hang out with Cindie for the afternoon while she put together 5 Christmas tree skirt kits for me (I'll blog about them, not to worry).  The next stop was Quiltology in Chicago (I also hit my favourite pizza joint Eduardo's which is just up the street).  Please excuse the choppy video I shot - I was clearly overwhelmed with excitement about being around "my people".


In addition to rediscovering my quilting community, I also rediscovered my "mid-west America" community.  I love the people who live in this part of the US.  They are friendly and welcoming and the salt of the earth.  Even though I was traveling alone, I didn't feel lonely for one single minute. 

I should add that I had planned to visit another quilting store in the Chicago area (QuiltFabric.com), but I spent all my money at Regalitos and Quiltology, so that will have to wait for my next trip!

Check out WonderBra.ca to see what the other Women of Wonder are up to!

mill house inn by fig tree jelly roll quilt.

I bought this lovely Mill House Inn jelly roll by Fig Tree Quilts from pink panda fabrics (free shipping in Canada!!) last summer during a period of manic quilting (which seems to have recommenced).  I talked my mom into buying the exact same one, with the intention of having us make different quilts with the same fabrics to compare results.  She is currently knitting up a storm for Christmas, so I think that project will have to wait.  In the meantime, I'm getting started on a new quilt called "hugs and kisses" from the Moda Bake Shop.

This material is far more traditional than what I usually choose, but I'm making it for a friend who would likely prefer this to something more current.  The pattern I've selected is fairly modern, so it will be a good compromise (old meets new type deal).  This quilt is forcing me to learn a new skill - appliqué!  Turns out it isn't so hard.  I used fusible web to cut the letters out and stick them on the fabric blocks.  The only brain twister was having to do everything backwards. 

As you can see, I am switching up the words I use on my quilt (from "love hugs & kisses" to "live laugh & love").  Now that the letters are stuck in place, I am securing them by hand stitching around the edges using a blanket stitch.  It's taking a while, but it will be worth it in the end!

Stay tuned for the piecing of this quilt top - probably later this week if I can get a few minutes to finish these blocks up!  There is also the matter of those tree skirts...ahem. 

mental health monday: advice from a glacier.

This past weekend I took a solo road trip. It seems that every 6 months I need some time away to regroup, clear my head, work through things and be by myself. My last 2 trips away have been down to the Chicago area (my favourite city in America). It’s a manageable drive to do solo and just long enough to let me dismantle and reassemble all of the things bouncing around in my brain. By the time I arrive at my destination I am sufficiently road weary and I check into my hotel, pour myself a glass of wine and a bath and go to bed early.

The time and the space away help bring much needed perspective. I wander aimlessly yet with purpose. There are always a few predetermined destinations like Trader Joes, Target and of course quilting shops. I love how friendly and accepting our neighbours south of the border are – far less reserved than us Canadians. It seems that wherever I go people are happy to make small talk, offer directions and give recommendations. I never feel lonely. I feel at home.

I brought my sewing machine with me, and all my quilting tools. While most people would have been enjoying the Chicago nightlife, I got some takeout for dinner and soaked up the solace of my hotel room. On Saturday night the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness” was on tv, so I watched that while I worked on piecing a Christmas tree skirt. What can I say? I have a soft spot for Will Smith. It got me thinking about moments of true happiness, where everything good comes together and all the bullshit falls away. We live our lives chasing those moments. Some people think they need a lot of money to achieve them. They bust their asses so hard that when they finally get what they thought would make them happy, they are too tired to enjoy it. Or in my case, they have already set their sites on the next supposed thing that will make them happy, so they don’t take the time to enjoy their success, for just one moment.

My mom called me on the drive home, and we talked about finding a way to infuse more joy into the process of life, the journey. Quilting is a great metaphor for the journey. If you don’t enjoy the process as much, if not more than the end goal of producing an actual quilt, you will hate quilting and find it boring and tedious. I need to find a way to enjoy the day to day journey of life more. There are potential moments of happiness in every day. I’m not slowing down enough to take them in.

Perhaps, as one of my good friends recommended, I should take some advice from a glacier:

carve your own path
go slow
channel your strengths
smooth the way for others
keep moving forward
avoid meltdowns
be cool

I’ve got “carve your own path” covered, but “go slow” needs some work, as does the rest of the list.

10 tips for the beginning quilter.

This picture was taken back in March.  And no, I'm not actually teaching
Cameron how to sew.  I'm waiting until she turns 3!

Whenever someone finds out that I’m a quilter they

a) look at me like I’m a freak
b) tell me “I could never quilt – it’s way too hard”.

They probably have it right with the freak part, but they could not be more wrong with quilting being hard. Quilting is one of the easiest things in the world. If you can sew in a straight line, you can quilt.

Here are my top ten tips for the beginning quilter:

1. Find a friend who quilts and borrow her quilting tools. There is no point in shelling out a whole whack of cash on things like cutting mats, rotary cutters, and rulers until you know you like it.
2. Take a quilting class at your local sewing store. Preferably with a friend (makes it more fun and you have someone to ask questions after class when you forget which way to press your seams).
3. Start small with your first project – no bigger than a baby quilt
4. Don’t wash your fabric first – it handles much better pre-washed
5. Everyone makes mistakes, don’t worry about it when you make one, or ten. I think of my quilts like Persian rugs whose makers add an intentional mistake to every rug (the concept being that only God or the Supreme Being is capable of perfection in creativity).
6. If you feel frustrated, stop quilting and go for a walk. There is no point in continuing if your tired – you will make silly mistakes that will be a pain in the ass to tear out later.
7. Use high quality fabric. Yes it is more expensive, but it will hold up better over time and is easier to sew with. If you are going to put that much time and effort into something, it is worth the investment
8. Choose fabrics that complement and contrast each other – be brave! And make sure you absolutely love the fabric you pick.
9. If you are giving your quilt to someone, make sure they know and appreciate how much work goes into making a quilt.  There is nothing worse than finding out after the fact that they let their cat give birth on it.
10. Only give your quilt to someone who will let you visit your quilt (sometimes pictures just don't cut it!).

I hope that little list helps!  Of course, there are a lot of little tips that you learn as you go, but if you can stick with that list of ten, you'll be a quilter before you know it!

gum drops quilt complete.

True to my word, I completed the gum drop quilt for Cameron.  If you are keeping track, that's 2 quilts in 2 weeks.  Yeah, I have a lot on my mind.  While some people meditate and do yoga, I quilt.  My mantra is "cut, pin, sew, iron, cut, pin, sew, iron...".  Seems to work for me, and at the end of the night I have created something beautiful while putting my mind at ease. 


If you are interested in checking out the process from beginning to end, go to:
part 1: getting started
part 2: piecing the top

I chose a very fun and bright tie-dyed style flannel for the backing - "Fossil Fern" by Patricia B. Campbell and Michael L. Jack or Benartex.  While the Tinker Bell fabric was tempting, I want this quilt to have legs and still be of use once Cameron outgrows her love of all things Disney.  Not that there is anything wrong with Disney.  We love us some Disney chez Carefoot.  I quilted it with WonderFil Fruitti Egyptian Cotton 12wt thread in "Pansy" shade.

Baby and lap size quilts are by far my favourite size.  They don't take a lot of time to put together, quilting them isn't a big hassle of rolling and unrolling and trying to squeeze the fabric through your machine, and the end result is just as satisfying as a queen size bed quilt.  Plus the fabric is a lot of fun! The best part was I had just enough fabric left over to make Cameron's favourite "Alana Dolly" a matching quilt.  It was nice to have a use for the leftover scraps and not just add them to my mountainous fabric stash where they would likely never get used.

Cam is a bit under the weather, so she was very pleased when I presented her and Alana with their new quilts.  I have 3 baby quilts on my "to quilt" list and I'm looking forward to getting started on them.  But first? Tree skirt!!

gum drops quilt update.

The Gum Drops baby quilt that I started earlier this week is almost complete.  I finished piecing the top last night.  As you can see, it's a fairly small quilt (40" x 40").  Cameron is very excited and is encouraging me to keep going and finish it up so she can have it to sleep with asap.

The last step, of course, is to make the quilt sandwich and quilt the darn thing (my least favourite part).  Good thing it's small!  I managed to squeak into the Oakville Sewing Centre right before they closed shop last night to pick out the backing material.  It is one of the six in the picture below.  Can you guess which one I chose?  You'll have to wait until I finish the project to know for sure!  

Stay tuned - I have a feeling this one will be done in the next few days (heaven help me).

a quilt for cammy.

My next quilting project was going to be a tree skirt kit I bought last May at Regalitos Quilting.  I figure if I get started on the Christmas stuff now, I might actually get it done by the time the big guy in the red suit starts wandering around our house looking for our non-existent chimney. 

Cameron, had other ideas.  She discovered this fun Gum Drops baby quilt I ordered from Quiltology in my quilting stash.  She brought it over to me, peered up into my face and said "Mommy make quilt for Cammy?".  Dear lord.  Add to that she had a runny nose and a raspy little voice and I just melted.  I promised her that it would be the very next quilt I made.  She smiled and said "I love you mommy" and then I gave her the keys to my car. 

The quilt pattern is one from Blue Underground Studios.  You should check out their site if you dig modern quilt designs as they have very reasonable prices and patterns that will blow your quilt loving mind.  I really need to get a job where I get paid to stay home and quilt and blog about it...hmmm...

Stay tuned to see how this quilt turns out.  It should come together fairly quickly (the baby version of it is 1/4 the size of the original pattern). 

how to make a jelly roll quilt in one week.

Hot off the sewing machine! Here it is a fait a compli! I am really pleased with how this moda jelly roll (origins by basic grey) combined with  the "Braided Links" pattern from the "Jelly Roll Quilts and More" by Kimberly Einmo turned out.

If you are interested in checking out the process from beginning to end, go to:
part 1: getting started
part 2: piecing the top

I decided to leave the border off to give the quilt a more modern/urban look.  I stuck to straight line/stitch in the ditch quilting (my free motion quilting needs some work).  I used a hand dyed variegated 35 wt. 3 ply 100% long staple cotton thread called "Bumble Bees" by Valdani.  I like how the traditional log cabin style pattern is made modern with the hip fabric.  You would never guess that this combination of colours and patterns would work, but it really does pop.  That's actually one of the things I love about jelly rolls (besides the reduced cutting/prep time) - the colour selection often pushes you outside of your comfort zone and keeps things interesting.

Linda (my quilting mentor at The Oakville Centre) encouraged me to go with my bold selection for the backing.  This is a flannel, which is the type of fabric I use on the majority of my quilts (comfy for the recipient of your quilt but be warned that flannel doesn't glide through your machine as well as cotton does).  I used a bright orange on the back of my crazy quilt and I smile every time I look at it.  My suggestion to quilters - be brave!! Don't go safe and boring, it's such a fun surprise for someone to flip your quilt over and see something they weren't expecting.

If you're wondering how the heck I finished this quilt in a week (on top of a full-time job and having 2 young children), I broke it down like this:

Saturday night: cutting
Sunday: piecing blocks
Monday: complete top
Tuesday: put quilt sandwich together
Wednesday & Thursday: quilt, quilt, and quilt some more
Friday: sew binding on
Saturday morning: hand stitch binding

I'm off to deliver my quilt to Linda at the Oakville Sewing Centre (she's going to put it on display - what an honour!).

quilting up a storm with my moda jelly roll.

Click here to read Part 1 of this post!

My sewing machine hasn’t seen a lot of love from me lately. The last time I used it was back in May when I took the machine quilting class at the Oakville Sewing Centre (shame on me for not practicing and probably forgetting all the good stuff I learned). I can tell that was the last time because my quilting foot was still attached to my machine!  I’ve been working away on my now belated birthday quilt for Jennifer, but that involves hand quilting, which goes sloooooooooowly (painfully so). I clearly needed to sit down and plow through some chain piecing. Cut, pin, sew, iron, cut, pin, sew, iron…the process is very repetitive and I find it completely relaxing.

The hamster running laps in my head has been busy and this leads to lots and lots of quilting.  The pattern I'm using - "Braided Links" from the "Jelly Roll Quilts & More" by Kimberly Einmo is a really good one for me to be working on as it's in my wheel house from a skill perspective, so I'm not stressed about having to figure anything new out. 

This is what the blocks look like before the quilt is assembled

My mind gets quiet.
Everything that was bouncing in my brain settles down.
Things make sense.
All is calm (for a few hours).

I love the way the blocks come together - the darks and lights really work!

The feel of the modern textiles under my fingers, admiring how the beautiful fabrics complement each other as the blocks grow, it’s a form of meditation. I suspect only another quilter would understand. At the end of an evening of quilting, I find that the things that were troubling me before don’t seem so big. My body is tired and ready to sleep. My soul is happy to see the beautiful art I have created from nothing.
I sense a few weeks of heavy quilting are in front of me.  Here is the completed quilt top using the moda jelly roll origins by basic grey. Back to the Oakville Sewing Centre tonight to pick up backing fabric and binding.  This may be the fastest quilt I've ever completed to date!  Hopefully  Kimberly Einmo will stop back to see how her pattern turned out!

This reminds me of flying over Iowa - a landscape of farmer's fields.



where’s #@%$ing manual when you need it?

On principle, I don’t read manuals. That drives a few people in my life crazy (namely Scott). I figure that I am smart enough to sort out stuff on my own. Plus it’s totally faster to dive right in, you with me? Plug it in, turn it on and start pressing buttons. Unpack it, get your screwdriver and start assembling. Get the water boiling, start cutting vegetables and toss in some olive oil and garlic.  I actually prefer it if the instructions are in Swedish or Japanese with a few diagrams sprinkled in for effect. That way I have reference point but I have no choice but to go it alone.

Turns out, sometimes you should read the manual.

Picture it – me, sitting at my sewing machine yesterday. Limited time to get my quilting done and there I am cursing at my poor Janome. Blargh! The thread tension isn’t right! WTF?? I started scrambling around, turning knobs, pulling levers and sewing practice sample upon sample trying to get my machine to produce nice even stitches. Every adjustment I made seem to make things worse. No good.

I finally gave up and went searching for the manual that I recalled came with this machine…over ten years ago.  Of course, it was nowhere to be found. That’s okay – that’s why we have the internet, right? Wrong-zo. My mad google-ninja skillz were unable to turn up the blessed manual – mainly because Janome is doing some sort of website overhaul that has made all of their manuals unavailable (not helpful!). I couldn’t even find an answer to my basic question about thread tension “trouble shooting for Janome 5124 décor excel II”. Long story short, I wasted a bunch of time looking for the manual and the one time I could have benefited from reading it I could not find a copy of it to save my life.

I got up from the table, went and folded some laundry and came back 15 minutes later. I stared at my machine, begging it to tell me how to get this thread tension thing sorted out, and then the sky opened up and a ray of light hit the stitch selector and I saw that with all my messing around with the settings I had moved it to some wacky stitch and that was the reason everything was screwed up. Once I got it back to straight stitches all was right with the world.

And I did it all without the manual. I doubt the manual would have helped anyway.

moda jelly roll origins by basic grey.

Beautiful day, kids playing happily outside = me sneaking out to make a quick visit to the Oakville Sewing Centre to pick up the latest Quilts & More magazine.  Of course, I never manage to leave with only a magazine (that would be just about impossible).  As I flipped through the selection of Fall magazines a new jelly roll caught my eye.  Blacks! Yellows! Greens! Browns! and Creams! and oh no...this jelly roll was calling out to me "Katrina, Katrina, you know you want me, you know you can't leave me here in this store all my lonesome".  And who am I to deny such a request?

Linda, the lovely owner of the Oakville Sewing Centre came over to say hello and noticed I had my eye on the display of new Fall fabrics.  "Do you have a sample made up of this yet?" I asked, trying to sound casual.  "No," Linda said, "do you want to sew one up for me?".  Oh yes! Of course! And from there we agreed on a pattern and I walked out of the store with a new jelly roll, some thread, and a new pattern book, all without spending a cent.  That's the first time I've ever left a fabric store without taking my credit card out.  I do, however, have to get moving on getting this quilt completed to make good on my end of the bargain.

We picked out a simple log cabin pattern called "Braided Links" from the "Jelly Roll Quilts & More" by Kimberly Einmo (pictured above) because time is of the essence and the fabric is so beautiful it really doesn't need anything complex, it stands on its own.

I'm always blown away by how much fabric comes packed into a jelly roll.  The best thing about jelly rolls, aside from the fact that all of your colours are matched up for you, is that you have very little cutting to do.  (Please excuse the mess of cords and stuff on the floor - I didn't realize I'd be staging a photo shoot until after I had all of the fabric laid out.)  But you get the idea anyway.

Tonight, cutting and pinning and maybe some sewing.  I'll be sure to post updates on how it goes!!

moda arcadia jelly roll quilt.

It's been a while since I wrote about quilting. My latest project (a now belated birthday present for my friend Jennifer) is taking a long time to complete.  In theory it should be a quick quilt to whip up because it's a moda jelly roll.  The cutting and piecing were done within a couple of days of manic quilting.  If I had machine quilted this Jennifer would have it by now.  Alas, I decided to make it really special and hand quilt it (foolish, foolish girl).

Had I known just how long this endeavor would take me I think I would have sent it off to be long arm quilted by Cindie at Regalitos.  I'm about half way done at this point, so I'll soldier on and try to get it done before it turns into a Christmas present! 

Instead of following a set quilting pattern, I'm outlining the fabric.  I'm using two different thread colours - brown and blue (alternating blocks).  It looks amazing and it really is the best work I've done on any quilt. 

Each time I complete a square I breathe a sigh of relief, sit back and admire my work and take a week off before I can muster up the energy to get started on the next one.

Did I mention that I've got three quilts ready to be pieced together once I get this one quilted? I do, and the fabric is calling out to me - "cut me, pin me, sew me, iron me, pin me, sew me...".

To keep myself motivated, I am resisting commencement of any new quilting projects until this one is complete. (This is really hard for me!)

Okay, better get back to it!  I'm hoping to feature this finished version of this quilt before the end of October.  Maybe November (but definitely before Christmas!).

Road Trip: Day Two (Is That You In There?).

I left Chelsea at the crack of 10, and pointed my car towards Chicago. It was a fairly easy drive, except for my full bladder and the unexpected traffic right at the end. Oof! If I was a guy, I would have totally peed in my vitamin water bottle. Thankfully for the folks stalled in traffic next to me, I'm not and I didn't. Once I located my desired target - Quiltology - I suddenly realized that I was really hungry, and still needed to go to the washroom. Lucky for me, Edwardo's Natural Pizza Restaurant was close by, and being in Chicago, there is a certain expectation that one is going to have pizza, right? I asked my friendly waiter Mike what was so famous about their pizza, and he informed me that it was the stuffed crust. Turns out, you can get it stuffed with cheese, spinach or sausage, but Mike's favourite was spinach, topped with sausage and mushroom. Done and done. And a beer please and thank you. Hey, it was hot out and I was thirsty! Mike and I shot the shit about health care, the pros and cons of the Canadian system, and then my pizza came. And it was magnificent. I ate all of it.
Once I was done stuffing my face, I headed down the street to Quiltology, a quilting shop I have been wanting to visit for ages (actually, for about 5 days - that's when I started researching my trip). All I can really say is it is a good thing that I don't live in Chicago, because I would have to harass the owners night and day until they hired me to work there. The fabrics are stunning, prices are great, and the kits...the kits make me want to hole up with my sewing machine and piece until my sewing machine bites the dust. Susan, who works at Quiltology, helped me pick out fabric for the 3 baby boy quilts I have on my roster. She has a great eye for colour and was enthusiastic about my requests for fun and bright fabrics. I don't think she wanted me to take her picture, but she relented (reluctantly).
Look at the front window! Don't you just want to get a cup of tea and a good magazine and sit and people watch all day? Me too...
While Susan cut my fabric for me I wandered around and lusted after all of the patterns, books, kits and quilts on display. I behaved myself though, reminding myself that if I bought too much fabric I wouldn't have an excuse to come back for a long time. That's no good - Jennifer and my mom definitely need me to personally introduce them to this shop!
I didn't get a very clear picture of this pink and red lion they had on display, but it vibrates when you squeeze its paw and it is super soft. Unfortunately it wasn't for sale. Not even when I told her how much Max would like it. Ah well.
Once I was done at Quiltology, I hopped back into my car for what I thought would be an easy drive to the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago. Turns out that all those bridges and tall skyscrapers are not so GPS friendly. As in, my tomtom was telling me to drive the wrong way on one way streets and had me driving in circles. I had to kick it old school and pull over and get directions. Yay communicating with real human beings (#technology #fail)! Thank gawd I didn't have screaming kids in the car! I finally checked in, had a bath, and then headed out to Trader Joe's. Getting my America on full throttle!!
Upon my return to my room, stocked up with my favourite lavendar hand wash, I flipped the tv on and low and behold, the movie Sex In the City was on! Except it's the 4:3 version forced into widescreen mode, so all those skinny bitches look like they have fat arms. Hah! Love it. Time for another bath, and then sleep.