2013 Word of the Year

is  COMPLETE

My Happiness Key is finally COMPLETE! I did the final binding on New Year's Day, but it's my last finish of 2012.

I'm really pleased with the finished quilting.  I put 12 large pies in the outer border with variegated thread. Then I put 13 pies, a baker's dozen, in the body of the quilt. You'll have to come and visit to see if you can find them all! Do you see the one in the sun?

2013 is starting out to be a good year. I think the word COMPLETE will help me focus a bit more on the things I want to accomplish and to stop hesitating. 

 I've also COMPLETEd one of my Halloween 1904 blocks! This UFO is at the top of my UFO list. I'm planning now to quilt each block separately then put it all together. I'm going to include the border parts on the outside blocks as I go too. I've bought some more backing fabric and just need to get some batting to stay on course.



Happy New Year! Here's to many quilt COMPLETions this year!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Time to BEGIN a Finish

It's almost here! 2013. Hard to believe it's been a whole year since I started focusing on the word PLAY. I think I was pretty successful, but it's a hard thing to measure. Do you pick a word to focus on for the year? Can you guess mine for 2013?

Before 2013 arrives it's time to party at Pat Sloan's New Year's Eve Luau. You can join us over at her forum. My New Year's quilting tradition is to pick one quilt that I want finished before next year. My Happiness Key wallhanging is the lucky winner this year. I am close to done - just need to finish quilting it!

Can you see the pies?

I quilted in 10 pies yesterday. I trace the template on freezer paper then iron it onto the quilt. Using a smaller stitch length I added the pies, using different colour thread. This photo shows one pie quilted onto the sail and another still waiting to be quilted.

Do you quilt yourself into the New Year?

Sarah Vee

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Blue Tape, Pink Chalk and Fresh Lemons!

It's a fun day at Sew JOY Creations Studio!

BLUE TAPE

Thanks to lots of chatter over at Pat Sloan's Quilt Mashup Forum, I have finally started to quilt my Happiness Key!   This is the backing {right side down} fastened with blue tape to my kitchen floor.

Here's all three layers ready to be pinned. Just looking at this quilt makes me smile! 

You can still find the free pattern over at Pat Sloan's blog on her free pattern page.

PINK CHALK

Oh Happy Day! I am delighted to share that my Liberated Churn Dash QUILT pattern is for sale online at Pink Chalk Fabrics! A dream come true, goal accomplished. This was a vision I set out for myself several years ago. It is a joy to see my pattern on the 'front page' of the Pink Chalk website today. I love Pink Chalk Fabrics - it is an online store that feels like a store, d'ya know what I mean? Inspiring, full of great ideas, colour stacks and patterns galore. Go take a peek!

FRESH LEMONS

One more thing! A giveaway of my new pattern is on NOW at Fresh Lemon Quilts! Faith created a fantastic liberated sampler and linked to my liberated churn dash tutorial. I thought her readers might enjoy a chance at winning a copy of my pattern. Click on over and enter for a chance too!

Thanks for sharing my JOY today,

Sarah Vee

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Inspired to Bake - Happiness Key & Camping

Camping surrounded by all the different greens of the forest is always inspiring.
We snuck away for two nights to Chutes Provincial Park. {It takes us longer to pack up than to get there!}





I even had some time to work on my Happiness Key wallhanging. I ran out of the pink floss for "Friends" and finished it at home.




We walked farther along the trail this year than last. My son turned four this summer and walked most of the 3km, then was carried most of the way back.

I read the first chapter of Emilie Richards' book, Sunset Bridge. It's the third in the Happiness Key Series. As always, it inspired some pie baking!

Peach Cream Pie.

Made with Ontario peaches.

Who knew sour cream could be so sweet!



With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Happiness KEY Lime Pie

I am having so much fun with Pat Sloan's and Emilie Richards' Happpiness Key Mystery.

Especially now that I've made a key lime pie!




There is a group of dedicated "Sloanies" working on this project together. We share stories and especially stories about pie. One of the characters in Emilie's books is slightly obsessed with pie, too.

Every month Pat gives a photo challenge to go with the quilt. This month was to take a photo of yourself with a dessert. You can see our projects and desserts at the flickr group here.

One of the ladies on Pat's forum LOVES Key Lime Pie. I think she eats it once a day!?!?
I took on the challenge to find key lime pie. Pretty tricky up here in the northern parts of Ontario.
Then I saw some frozen ones.
Then I decided to make my own.





Finally we have key limes in the grocery store. They're really tiny!


One trip around the internet for this recipe and BAM!





Here's a slice of my Key Lime Pie. On one of my placemats:)






Here's an action shot of me releasing a slice from the pie. {My crust is a little crunchy}





Here's me, trying to show the piece of pie on my plate - and catch it as it started to slide off!



Nothing like friends and pie, I say!



With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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The Sun is Out at Happiness Key

My happy little cottage got some added prettiness from my stash of little bits
- some lacy frills at the windows and
a piece of wide green rick rack.

The CUTE factor has kicked in with the Happiness Key mystery quilt.
Pat Sloan designed it, inspired by Emilie Richards' book series, Happiness Key. She's posting a novellini on her blog too that follows the story line between her books.
I bought the kit! First quilt kit I have ever purchased.




The sun is shining and sending out positive friendship rays!




Part 5 of 6 came out today. I am almost caught up on the stitching and loving this quilt!

There are more happy cottages to check out at the Happiness Key mystery flickr pool.


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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A Tip from a Non-Trimmer

I am working on getting caught up on lots of projects {and blogging about them too}.
Happiness Key is a free mystery quilt designed by Pat Sloan. It is inspired by the series of books by Emilie Richards about Happiness Key and it's residents.




I don't like to trim half square triangles. I usually use the 7/8 measurement to make my squares and don't have to trim. But, when I'm making someone else's pattern, I follow their instructions. I' sure Pat will make me a better trimmer.

With practice.




Can you see the difference? I trimmed one whole set of pinwheels wrong. Well, I trimmed off the wrong side. At least I figured it out in time to save the remaining set.

Trimming tip:
trim from the outside edge of the unit.
This will allow the units to match up when sewing them together.

I am not a trimmer.
I was never a presser either, but that has changed so maybe there's hope for me yet?
{grin}

How do YOU do half square triangles?


With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Happiness Key Part 1 and Almost 2

I'm having lots of fun working on this quilt. It's the Happiness Key mystery quilt designed by Pat Sloan based on books by Emilie Richards.




I really enjoyed their first collaboration, the Season of Grace advent quilt.

This time around I bought the kit! I think this is my *first* quilt kit purchase! Can you believe it?!! I usually like to pick out my own fabrics {and design my own quilt too!LOL}

Pat's included a few quotes about friendship as that is a major theme running through the series of books. These are my first embroidered words. Already my second set is improving.




I have started to work on Part 2 of this mystery. I got the boat fused onto the top. . .




and have started to work on the next quote that goes with it.

Part 3 is up and is a real motivation not to fall behind!
However, the Liberated Churn Dash is what I'm working on. I have it spread over all possible surfaces to deter me from sneaking in work on another project:)

You can find the FREE pattern for the mystery quilt over at Pat Sloan's website.
Here is the link for her free pattern page.

Emilie Richards is also writing a 'novellini' that adds to the story between her 2nd book and the 3rd book which will be released this summer. You can find the "Treasure Beach" on her blog.

Nothing like quilting a summer quilt during April Snowstorms!!!!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Full Design Walls this Monday!

My computer is still away, hopefully to be fixed soon as my husband needs his laptop back for work. But I am trying to carry on and even have something on my design wall this morning!

I put back up my folk art wallhanging because I have all of the pieces pinned to it and it was starting to not like being folded up on my table. I blogged about this project here.

Beneath is another Block 10 for the Layer Cake Quilt Along. This is made up of fabrics from the fat quarter collection I'm using called "Bejewled" by Susie Robins. You can click on the logo for the Layer Cake Quilt Along on my sidebar to see more. I also have a flickr set of the blocks that I've completed.




My second design wall {which will have to be removed as soon as the weather is nicer and we want to sit on the front porch!} has up the background for Pat Sloan's Happiness Key mystery. I bought her kit and love the fabrics. I will get to the lettering and the second step next month.

To see some more design walls, check out the links through Judy's blog. She's trying out a new link system and you can see a photo from each blog before you click!

Remember, tomorrow is the beginning of the Book-a-Round tour for Kay Mackenzie's new book. You can click to find out more on my sidebar. I'll be hosting a day of the tour HERE next week!!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Happiness Key and New Pattern Question

I am catching up on Pat Sloan's latest Quilt Along. She has teamed up with Emilie Richards again for a 6 month mystery project based on Emilie's books, "Happiness Key" and "Fortunate Harbor".

Above is the layout of the background for the wallhanging.

This is a photo of the gorgeous fabrics that Pat selected for the kit! A birthday present for me. It's the FIRST KIT I've ever bought for a quilt! Can you believe it?
Are you a 'kit addict' or do you like to use up your stash or shop for your own colours?
This time around I wanted IN on the lovely prints that I don't normally stock up on.




There will be a fair bit of applique and embroidery in this project. Here is my template for the water at the bottom of the quilt. I am going to trace it onto the freezer paper you see beneath it, then lightly iron the freezer paper to my blue water fabric. This way I don't have to use up a lot of my fusible web.

I like this method on big applique pieces - and on little ones too! You don't have to reverse your templates as you iron the freezer paper {shiny side down} on to the RIGHT side of your fabric. If you turn under a seam allowance while you applique, you can simply leave the freezer paper on your fabric. Or you can remove the paper and machine applique {or hand stitch} your raw edge.




Each month Pat is also having a challenge project to go along with the Quilt Along theme. This month is a needle keeper. I still have to blanket stitch around the shapes and add the words, but at least I've started!
I missed the boat on February's project - a pie tote. You can see the projects in Pat's special flickr pool for these projects.

In the meantime, I am almost, ALMOST done my pattern for

I'm still fiddling with pictures.

Here's a question for you - actually a little survey!

Leave me a comment here letting me know if you would find it useful for a quilt pattern to include SPECIFIC finishing information for the pattern.

I'm wondering if I should include information on

how to make and add the hanging sleeve to a wallhanging quilt

What are your thoughts? Necessary or not?

Thanks for your feedback.
With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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