October Sewing Adventures

My Little Wishes blocks are waiting their turn patiently. At least I think they are!

My cats are keeping an eye on me and making sure I'm getting stuff done!
My deadline quilt is in the mail and should arrive today at it's destination. 
(Sorry but I can't share it until next year!)

I have been away from my quilting space a bit. We went to a family wedding in Oakville and I got the chance to go to the CreativFestival in Toronto. 

Funny how I went all that way and only shopped at the booths of retailers that I have purchased from online in the past.

Sew Sisters Quilt Shop from Toronto - I got to buy their deal of the month in person :) Al the fabric is from them too - including the awesome yellow from Tula Pink's Eden line.
*pst! They're having a Christmas fabric sale right now too*

ByTowne Threads who I've ordered from before and was hoping to see as I needed some brown Aurifil thread to machine quilt the binding on my deadline quilt. 

I wasn't the only one shopping. One our way into the festival - literally, walking through the Convention Centre - the top button on my husband's coat cracked and broke off.

So, while I was chatting with Carla from A Needle Pulling Thread, my husband and son went on the hunt for some buttons. Good timing, right?

He found some rosewood buttons. This past week when we were in Sudbury to watch our daughter receive a certificate for achieving over 80% in all of her courses last year, we went shopping in the new Fabricland.  My mission was to buy a cutting mat on sale - didn't happen! But, my husband made sure I had the right needle for sewing on his buttons, and the right thread. I think he's paying closer attention than I thought to my quilting!

The progress photos and sewn on buttons are on my facebook page. I'm only directing you there because the photos aren't in my computer and if I wait until they are. . . it could be next winter! LOL!
So go see the buttons and the chocolate bar I consumed half of in the process of sewing them on. 

I've also been sick with a fever and cold on top of the hacking cough that doesn't seem to want to leave our household. And on the 'good days' I've been teaching too.


I'll be back again soon to show you some quilts from the Sudbury Quilt Show.



With Joy,


Sarah V.

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Oh, Thank Cuteness! Post of Joy

How could I resist an invitation from Sandi  

to participate in this week's

Oh Thank Cuteness Linkup?

Especially when it led to

a wonderful discovery that Scott 

 is heading up this great magazine!

Cuteness comes and goes around here, usually depending on my amount of sleep {wink}

Today the cuteness came out with our first snow fall!

Not enough to cover the grass, but enough to get my two kids EXCITED about what's coming. . .

The prompt for the display of cuteness around blog land was apparently a blog comment somewhere a few weeks ago by a disgruntled visitor who wanted to see JUST quilts on a blog.

Around here it is mostly quilts, but a lot of my quilting is inspired by cute things - my children and my sibling's children to start.

Quilting started for me out of a quiet, lonely despair about not being able to conceive. I talked about my story a bit here. If you check out the post at Generation Q today, you'll read that I'm not alone in my beginnings. Quilting brought me joy in my darkest moments and continues to bring give me the opportunity to celebrate the joyous ones!

I love quilting.

I love the world of quilters I have discovered

through magazines, books and online.

I love making quilts and quilt patterns. 

I love sharing my love of quilting.

But it's not all cute.

Today I really needed to take some time and work on pattern writing. My children were home for  a PD day. My 4 year old son has no concept of how long a 'turn' is on the computer and that I would like to WORK on the computer and not just PLAY.

Sew. . .

I pulled out a quilt block that I've been working on. He thought it would look more like trees once there were decorations on them.

I pulled out my buttons. And took a lid off one of my organizing totes.

I dumped the buttons into a box and he decorated while I wrote.

Then he needed to add snow.

Then we printed a picture of his button work 4 times. He cut them out and has a proud pile of artwork to take to school to show his teacher tomorrow.

I fleshed out the 'guts' of one pattern and made a list of photos to edit and insert.

Then we made Cocoa Oatmeal muffins to celebrate. And he fell promptly to sleep.

Okay, so Cuteness prevailed today!

Enjoy the links and take some time to be thankful for all the Cuteness in your life.

With Joy,

Sarah Vee

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Quilting Goodies for Good in Africa

I received some Shweshwe fat quarters at Christmas from my mom.
She found them in her local quilt shop.



I love the smell of them! Waxy like crayons for quilters;)
They are very stiff and need to be prewashed before use to get some of the excess dye.


I love the designs. I am saving them to make something special for me - probably a tote of some sort!

You can read more about them from this website: www.marulaimports.com





After receiving a comment on this post, I discovered a great source for buttons made in South Africa!

Incomparable Buttons is the name of their blog with gorgeous, inspiring photographs.
They also host giveaways for followers. {hint, hint}
This week there is another giveaway going on in blogland for some buttons.
Check out this post for more info.

They have a North American website too - here's the link.

Isipethu: Applique Collage available for sale here

Valerie Hearder is a Canadian quilter who does some amazing work in bringing South African art to the world. Here is her blog - African Threads



I love that it is possible to MAKE/CREATE/BE change with quilting!


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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3 Takes - New to Me Notions

While I was away I did manage to pick up some sewing supplies. I finally found some basting spray. I'm planning to use it on my Bunny Lady quilt. Soon. Before the summer is over as it's been recommended I spray outside. I also picked up some more neutral thread and safety pins.
Exciting. I know.

I also got to visit an antique store that I knew had sewing notions. I picked up some lace trim that looks alot like trim I've used up on projects.

baskets from the Mystery Basket Quilt

stocking from BOM Season of Grace

I have other lace trim, but this trim I find easy to sew down. And it doesn't have a musty odour. Bonus!

The antique store also has a giant, really, really, big bowl of buttons for sale. My son scooped buttons with an old tin baby cup while I hunted through the trims. As a reward, and because I wanted some more, we brought home a cups worth of buttons too. The big black ones won't fit into my tiny jar.
My son thinks they're his, but honestly, I can't quilt knowing he's playing with tiny buttons somewhere in the house. Safer in the jar.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have 3 finishes to share with you!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Pretty Ways to Avoid Bias

Did I really just use the word "pretty"?!

Here are the ways I found around making handles for the March Mystery Basket blocks.

ric rac and buttons

various buttons

medium size black ric rac

lace trim

Someday I will have to learn how to make a bias handle on a basket block.

Just not for this quilt!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Monday Buttons

Well, much of my time last week was spent making things I can't show you yet! I also played with some of my new buttons. I tried out trimming some trees.

Then I tried another combination. I think the final project will not have trimmings, but I will place the buttons in other spots.

I have this guy out on my cutting table. I was planning a design with just the antlers, mittens and yoyo nose, but my husband said I needed more detail. He also said he wants some of the design credit:). For now I'm trying to decide how to assemble him. I had precut the background as I had originally planned to applique, but now with this arrangement I see I could patchwork the head and antlers, and applique the ears and mittens. Those are also two of my new buttons on his face:)

This project may have to stew as I am eager to try out the free pattern from Gudrun today for making a quilt as you go tree which can be used as an advent calendar.

So many plans, so little time. Need some more fabric and batting too!

Go to Judy's Mr. Linky to see what everyone else in the group has been up to. I'm also going to try to enjoy the outdoors today as it is going to go above 10 degrees Celsius - perhaps for the last time this fall?

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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GQ Prairie Moon and Jaybird

No, it's not BUTTON PIZZA, it's even better!

It's the little jar of buttons I won on Prairie Moon's blog! I guessed the closest guess to the actual amount of buttons in the jar and Shelly sent them to me. She has a great website to explore too.

I really like them. Want a better look?
I am loving these colours! Some of them will find homes in projects really soon. Thanks, Shelly.






Julie at Jaybird Quilts is having a great 100th post giveaway full of Market goodies! I get an extra entry for blogging about it, but now YOU know:) Head over and enter yourself.



Enjoy a productive Thursday - even if all you 'produce' is some joy for winning giveaways!:)

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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