A Quick Road Trip With Some Fabric Pit Stops

 Last Sunday and Monday we took a quick trip to Halifax so that I could do a little presentation about my upcoming novel The Town That Drowned at a bookseller conference.  (It went well.  Everyone was super friendly and great)  It is only a four hour drive so en route we made some fun stops. 

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First up was Sackville, NB, which is very near the Nova Scotia border.  The swan above is a resident of a pond at the Mount Allison University campus.

 Here he (or she) is posing.

 There are actually two swans in the pond and they are friendlier than my kids would have liked.  One got out of the pond and walked over to us.  Tess took off running. 

 The true reason for our stop in Sackville was to visit the Sackville Waterfowl park.  It is a great spot with boardwalks over the water so you can see the birds.  We saw these ducklings.  Tess (age 4) called them "duck fawns".  I love how her logic works -- you see, she didn't know the word "ducklings", but she knew that baby deer are called "fawns", so baby ducks must be "duck fawns." 

 Next stop was my turn.  We drove right by the Value Village on the way in to Halifax so I bought some vintage sheets.

 Here is the Giant I-Spy quilt on the bed in the hotel. It will be travelling with us this summer.

 On Monday, before we came home we stopped at Atlantic Fabrics in Dartmouth.

 Big surprise, I bought Halloween fabric.

 Then we stopped at Dayle's in Amherst.  It is a huge old department store with a little Dry Goods department!

 And guess what?  They had a bit of Halloween fabric out at 50% off.  I should also say that a friend and I are putting together a raffle basket for our guild's show in the fall and our theme is Halloween fabric.  I will be cutting a FQ off each of these pieces to put them in the basket.

And a little more, all just small pieces.

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Happy Weekend!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Vintage Sheet Quilt #2 with a Bonus Pillow!

 So here's my latest quilt, once again made from vintage sheets, and since I mentioned a few posts ago that I wanted to make some smaller things this summer, I also made a small(ish) matching pillow.

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The bear in the middle of the pillow is fussy cut from a vintage pillowcase.  The way the colours of the bear match with the other sheets is kind of, you know, perfect.  I'm sure you quilters have had that little moment of delight when you realise your chosen fabrics just click.  I may or may not have insistently called my husband to come check it out immediately (!)  I mean I had to show him that the extra stop at the thrift store where I bought the pillowcase had indeed been necessary after all -- I now had irrefutable proof.

 The quilt is made of 6 inch squares set on point.  The focal fabric is a striped sheet.  The other fabrics in the blocks are all florals.

 The quilt is about 42 by 56 -- just a nice cosy size for my four-year-old daughter.  I quilted it with a wavy line stitch just off to one side of the seams.

 I quilted the pillow too.  The pillow is 20 inches square.  I had bought several unopened Ikea pillow forms at a neighbour's yard sale for 50 cents each.  I think I probably would have preferred more fully stuffed forms if I was buying them at the store, but my daughter likes how squishy the pillow is -- meaning it is good for hugging.

 You can see the quilt backing in this photo.  It is a pretty pink floral.  The binding is a pale yellow.  All fabric is cut from vintage poly-cotton sheets.

 The batting is cotton bamboo.  The quilt is nice and light and soft.

My daughter discovered that the back of the pillow and the deep pocket I made is a perfect miniature cosy bed.

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I'm hanging out with other crafty sorts at {Sew} Modern Monday and Manic Monday.  Happy 4th of July to my friends in the USA!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U



Fabric: New and Not-So-New

 It is never too early to buy Halloween fabric -- especially when new Ghaslties are out!  This fabric is called "A Ghastlie Night" and I LOVE it!

 I've also found a new source for vintage sheets -- my mother-in-law's linen closet!  My husband remembers having these sheets on his bed as a kid.  I am definitely going to be making them into something.

 Plus I bought a few other vintage sheets and pillowcases to add to my stash.  I think I will use blue and green in my next project.  (I finished my second vintage sheet quilt yesterday and will post it tomorrow -- very pretty if I do say so!)

While at Value Village, I spent a whopping $2.00 to buy a bag of vintage trimmings. 

And tomorrow one of my quilts (I know which one but I'll let it be a surprise) will be featured on Modern Day Quilts.  It's a neat site which features just one modern quilt a day.  Thanks Heather!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

The Summer of Sewing Smaller Stuff?

 I've made three quilts lately which were queen-sized or larger, so I think I am going to declare the next couple of months The Summer of Sewing Smaller Stuff ... smaller as in smaller quilts, like lap-size maybe, perhaps a pillow, perhaps (gasp!) a wall hanging ... we'll see.  I thought I'd show some of the things that are on my list of sewing to-dos. 

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Above are my selvage countdown squares.  As you can see I have a big pile.  My original idea for these now seems a little boring, so new possibilities are brewing ...

 And I do have another selvage idea that doesn't involve the squares above but goes in a different direction entirely ... I'm so excited about this one!!!  And I am definitely telling myself that it doesn't have to be something life-sized like the Selvage Snowman.  Smaller is good.  Repeat after me.  Smaller is good.  Smaller is good.

 Then of course there are my I-Spy hexies, which are my travelling project.

 And my vintage sheet obsession continues with this new quilt I just started ...

 Speaking of vintage, check out this vintage pillowcase I found the other day!  Cutest ever!!!  So these bears will quickly be made into something.  Pillows are small right?

 I Spy Planet Hexy still needs to be quilted.  It is kind of more medium than small, and I can't decide if I should send it out for quilting or do it myself.  I really want to do it myself, but I will have to get a walking foot.  Up until now I have just used the regular foot on the machine, but I would want to be really careful with this cool quilt ...

And finally on the topic of small, my daughter is small.  (Although don't tell her that, she is a BIG GIRL now, since she's four and everything).  I am looking forward to a summer of T-ball for her, 3 pitch for my son, lots of fun with family, friends, the pool, parks, picnics and lots of summer travel ...

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Plus there is one more thing.  Although I don't mention it here much, what I do with most of my time is write.  (Here's a smidge about me, the "writer" on my literary agent's website) I am within days of finishing the first draft of my second novel.  My first novel, called The Town That Drowned is coming out in September.  I have lots of fun stuff falling into place for the summer and fall for book promotion.  I have been getting some exciting news from my publicist about literary festivals, book tour stops and book signings.  I can't wait to share more information with everyone as the novel moves closer to release. 

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I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.  I really appreciate everyone who takes a few minutes of their summer to stop in here and hang out with me for a bit!

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I'm linking up with W.I.P. Wednesday.  Cheers,  Riel

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Vintage Sheet Test Quilt Complete

 So here is the result of my first venture into quilting with vintage sheets!  I am very pleased.  These are simple 6 inch squares set on point. The quilt is 44 by 52.  I quilted the width of my presser foot along each seam with a wavy line in a pale pink thread.  The backing and binding are also cut from vintage sheets.  The batting is some lovely cotton bamboo that I bought a few miles of when I saw it for a great deal at my favourite liquidation store.  (Click any photo to enlarge if you wish)

 Last post I got a few questions about these sheets.  I thought I'd do a little Q and A in case anyone else is wondering ...

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1.  What do you mean by vintage?  These are between about 30 and 40 years old in my nearest guesstimation.  Some actually had dates on the tags.  Some I remember from childhood.  Some you can just tell after looking at a lot of these sheets -- simply by the style of design and colours used. 

 2. Are they 100% cotton? No. They are a 50% cotton and 50% polyester split. I specifically bought ones that were a 50/50 combo. I am a fussy, er, I mean discerning fabric shopper and in most cases the 100% cotton sheets I saw looked too worn to me. These cotton/poly ones really don't show their age much, other than being slightly faded in colour in some cases. They are not obviously bally or fuzzy looking, nor do they seem worn (just soft). The 50/50 blend makes them very durable to stand the test of time.  I know it is hard to tell in the photos, but the quilt looks very fresh and clean and new. 

 3.  How can you tell what they are made of?  Fortunately most have labels.  But after handling a few you will be able to tell by the look and feel.  The labels are usually near a corner of the sheet sewn into the seam.  They should indicate 50% cotton and 50% polyester.  They also may say things like "no iron muslin" "no iron percale" or "percale."

 4.  How are they to work with?  Great.  They are super easy to cut and I managed to cut up to ten layers at once a couple of times!  They sew well.  The only thing that was a bit funny was the ironing.  Because they are "no iron" or I guess wrinkle-resistant is what we say now, it was tricky to press the seams open.  My seams didn't lay, or stay, as flat as with cotton.  And when I folded the binding and pressed it, the fold gradually came out as I stitched it to the back of the quilt.

 And the best thing about these sheets -- the price!!  The total cost for fabric in this quilt was less than $5.00 -- and that's including the backing and binding.
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Plus I should mention that the quilt is cozy.  It passed my Sunday-afternoon-nap test and Tess slept with it last night.

And since the Vintage Sheet Test Quilt is a horrible name for a quilt, the quilt shall be known from now on as Summer's Parfait which was suggested by Devona and suits it so well.

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And yes, my vintage sheet adventure continues with another work-in-progress which I have about halfway done.

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And for some linky fun, I'm hanging with other crafty sorts at {Sew} Modern Monday, Manic Monday , Made by You Monday and Fabric Tuesday. Thanks for stopping by!
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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

Vintage Sheets and Fabric Finds

 I've added a few more vintage sheets to my small but growing collection.  I'm really happy with how these sheets work as fabric in a quilt.  My test quilt is all done except for the binding so I'll have it to show on Monday.

 I bought a few blue sheets yesterday.  For anyone wondering, I buy these at either The Salvation Army or Value Village, which are the only places I seem to have good luck here.  Most times they cost between $1.99 and $3.99 although I did play $4.99 for a king size sheet (the blue daisies on the left above.)   At Value Village I have seen sheets priced at high as $9.99, but it would have to be something super-awesome-fabulous for me to pay that simply because there is usually a good selection priced for less.

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When I get the sheets home I machine launder them on hot with a good dose of detergent.  I run the machine on the longest cycle then put them outside to dry.

 This sheet made me laugh.  It isn't even close to colours I like, but I couldn't leave it behind.  It was $1.99 for a twin size at The Salvation Army.  I'm sure I'll think of something to do with it, or else pass it along to someone who loves it. 

 I found some fabric as well on my second-hand treasure hunt.  The piece on the top I thought would work as an I-Spy fabric.  The piece is huge, maybe 5 metres.  The bottom piece is just small, but interesting.  The lime colour in it is cool.

And again, this fabric isn't my colour either.  But I could tell it is really good quality from the feel of it.  The selvage says "An Antilles Design on West Indian Sea Island Cotton."  After a quick Google search I discovered it is indeed high quality cotton.  I would say the piece is 3.5 metres -- certainly worth $3.99.

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See you Monday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Posted by Riel Nason on The Q and the U

His and Hers Mug Rug

 A little while ago my mom mentioned that she and my father wouldn't mind having a couple of mug rugs ... you know that they liked to drink tea and coffee ... hint, hint, HINT ..

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So here is the first one for them.  It is a His and Hers Mug Rug which is 100% inspired by my His and Hers Quilt.  The blue bird is Dad and the pink one is Mom.  (But don't worry they don't have to share the mug rug.  I'll make another one for them eventually.)

 Here it is on the His and Hers Quilt, which is our everyday bed quilt.  Unfortunately that blue bird is the very last of the fabric that I have.  I LOVE the fabric.  It is Mod Girls "Patsy" by Jennifer Paganelli and is out of print.  I love it so much because there is something very nostalgic about it for me.  Growing up we had three chairs from an old church that my Mom reupholstered in fabric that had birds just like that.  I have had my mother search for old photos showing the chairs, but to no avail.  I would love to see just how close the birds are, to see how good my memory is.

 As further proof of how much I like the fabric, here it is in green on cream.  That is a picture of one of my dining room curtains.

And I see lots of cat pictures on other people's blogs, so here is my contribution.  We don't have any cats as my husband is allergic, but this cat visits outside in the yard sometimes.  We call him Snowball, but his real name is Crosby (as in Sidney Crosby).  The cat lives down the street.  It is a funny, friendly cat.  It got on the school bus one day with the kids.  You can imagine the excitement that caused for the elementary school kids!  The bus driver didn't notice and was quite surprised when a parent told her and she had to find the cat and carry him out.

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I'm going to try a new linky party today called A Crafty Soiree.  Happy Quilting!

Giveaway Winner and Some Other I Spy Ramblings ...

Okay, well, by reading the posts I would say that everyone does indeed sew in the summer -- good to know I'm not alone.  And, without further ado, the winner of the Giveaway for the 40 I Spy squares is ...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

4

Timestamp: 2011-06-08 22:02:31 UTC

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The person who left comment # 4 -- also known as Linda of Stray Stitches.  Congrats!  Linda has a great blog.  I love the format of her posts. 

 In other I Spy news ... I got a few more scraps from a friend, which will be perfect for my next I Spy quilt.  Thanks Tanya!

 And I bought the fabric above -- Little Golden Books.  It will be great for I Spy hexies too as the little animals are very small.  As a side note, I bought the fabric during a trip to Fabricville so that I could pick up some transparent (invisible) polyester thread.  I will say here and now, I will not be buying any more of it.  It was SO annoying to use that it should have come with a warning label "MAY CAUSE EXTREME FRUSTRATION".  It was hard to see, pulled, curled, broke, got stuck and was a tension nightmare ... it was likely just due to my inexperience, but I know I won't have the patience to become more experienced if I have to deal with thread like that ... ;-)

Okay, moving on ... I also bought a 1/4 yard of these eyes for a Halloween idea I have.

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Any finally, just because I am obviously in need of another few hundred I Spy squares I joined this swap today.

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Happy Quilting!

I Spy Quilt Squares: Giveaway!

 In celebration of my 200th post, I thought I'd have a little giveaway ... for 40 I Spy Quilt squares cut from my stash.

These are 5 inch squares.  They are prewashed (there may be an exception or two in there), quilt shop quality fabric and I tried my best to cut them nice and straight. ;-)

These are all fabrics I either used in my current I Spy Quilt (at the quilters now) or plan to use in future I Spy Quilts (yes, I am addicted). 

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Giveaway is open internationally.  Open until Wednesday, June 8 at 7:00 pm AST.

To enter just leave a comment on this post with an answer to the question: Do you sew in the summer?  One comment per person please.  Please be sure your email is either linked to your profile or that you leave it in the comment so I may contact the winner. 

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Good Luck.
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