Crankin' my first sock!

Oh my! A new passion has been discovered. Meet my circular sock knitting machine, a Speedster made by Erlbacher Gearhart. I’ve had this hot rod for about a year now and recently attended a crank-in workshop in Victoria BC. I found a whole bunch of people with the same passion, these are definitely my new peeps. 

Had a great weekend and thanks to all for your amazing patience teaching me how to use my machine. It was soooo much fun! I knit my first sock!  

Adventures...around the sun...

Wow! Full circle around the sun...so many adventures, so many memories, so many new friends. My how fast time flies, in a blink of an eye here I am a year later.  Getting re-established has taken time, sewing has progressed slowly. I'm finally settling in and able to spend more time in my sewing room, making quilted projects I so miss making. I've made a few Halloween projects and a few Christmas projects...the Christmas gifts were a hit...unfortunately I didn't take any pictures before I sent them off! I made fleece blankets for the kids in my life, they all adored them.

The next project I'm going to tackle is my nieces wedding quilt....I posted about it a while back.  I need to finish off the blocks and get it quilted, hopefully I'll be posting progress pictures in the near future.

Happy Quilting!
Nadia

Big Changes!

I have moved my quilting business!  I am still taking in sewing, however my longarm quilting machine will be taking a rest for little while longer.  My quilting studio is in the process of being revamped. Stay tuned!  I have been busy finishing up smaller projects and catching up on my knitting.

My beautiful niece got married this Fall and I am putting together a signature quilt for her...attendees of the wedding signed quilt blocks that I had pre-made and I will be assembling them into an awesome quilt for the newlyweds.  I used Kona Cotton Solids and I'm loving the brightness of this fabric.  Stay tuned for progress pictures as I assemble this quilt.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of these vibrant colours.

Happy Quilting! Nadia

Did you check it out??

...my blog post on the Quilty Pleasures blog?

My butterfly garden quilt turned out fantastic!  I love the bright butterflies set against the softer background fabrics.

I freehand quilted this quilt using Superior So Fine! thread in a matching colour.  

It sure was fun making this quilt.  I'm already working on my second assignment...I'll reveal some of those details in the coming days.

Happy Quilting!
Nadia

The Suspense is Getting to Me.....

OMG! I love how my Scrap Squad version of Summer Love quilt for Quiltmaker Magazine looks!  It will be revealed soon!  Stay tuned for the blog post at Quilty Pleasures blog!  I wish I could show you now..the suspense is getting the best of me!!

In the meantime...check out my SS sister's first post...her version is awesome!

How about a little teaser??  Here are some of the fabrics included in my quilt....

some fabrics...

...and I can't resist showing you a picture of my baby...my 6 month old standard poodle puppy 'Sunny'...she is so adorable...look at those eyes!  If you look close you can see how her eyelashes curl back...



Look at those dreamy eyes!

 

Happy Quilting!
Nadia

Binding...by Hand or Machine?

I love attaching binding by hand to my quilts.  I feel it finishes my quilts so nicely. I machine stitch the binding to the front of the quilt, almost matching the cut edge, flip the binding to the back and hand stitch it in place using a fine thread to hide the stitches.  I find the process very calming and a great opportunity to reflect upon the quilt I am making.  I enjoy my time hand stitching the binding to the back of my quilts.  (I know, I know...I must be crazy or something).

I'm not a complete hand stitching snob....I have tried machine stitching the binding to wall hangings and smaller throws, but I never really felt the connection to finishing my quilt.  I could never get the machine seam line to fall where it should.  I agree, it is a faster process finishing the binding by machine, but it never really has caught on with me.

This morning I was reading through some blogs (I love surfing through quilty related blogs and seeing what everyone is up to) and I came across the latest post on the Quiltmaker Magazine blog..."Quilty Pleasures".  I was reading the post from a fellow Scrap Squadder (2013), and a line caught my eye.  Christa (Hi Christa!), wrote that she "still is in love with Susie's Magic Binding Technique".   Well, I thought who is Susie and what is this technique she is writing about??  I clicked on the link and read the tutorial.  Wow.... as I was reading all I could think of was I could do this and I can see how accurate my stitching line may be.  So here you have it....this technique, found here, sounds rather interesting!  I will try this out on a smaller wall hanging to see if I really do like it.  Thanks Christa for sharing yet another lesson with us!


I'd love to hear your experiences...Have you tried using this technique to finish projects?  If so, how do you like it?  Any recommendations for someone who is about to try it?

Happy Sewing!
Nadia

Guess What??! Guess What??!

........drum roll.........

I've made the cut for Quiltmaker Magazine's 2014 Scrap Squad!!  I applied for this opportunity back in December, and was offered a spot just the other day...of course I enthusiastically accepted!!  Have a look here to see the 2013 Scrap Squad.  I am looking forward to this exciting new adventure, meeting my fellow SS cohort and blogging about my journey as it unfolds in the year to come.

What is a Scrap Squad you ask?? 

Short description:  FUN!

Long description:  it is a group of readers/quilters who love to make scrap quilts.  They get one pattern from each issue of Quiltmaker Magazine ahead of time and they make a scrappy version of the quilt and blog about it on 'Quilty Pleasures', the blog at Quiltmaker Magazine!  They blog about their journey.....what worked [or what didn't work] for them, their colour choices, their decisions, techniques used and whatever else comes up....and of course....taking and posting pictures of their work as it progresses through the quilt making process. 

 

Now...isn't this just the BESTEST way EVER to start a new year???  Leave me a comment and let me know if you'll be following me on the blog as I begin this new journey! 

Happy Sewing!
Nadia
Scrap Squad 2014