Have you heard about the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge?

Have you heard about the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge? If not check it out here:
http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/

Check out this great tutorial on how to make a pillow case quickly and easily!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgM

Creativ Festival

Twice a year in Toronto, the Creativ Festival comes to town, and I absolutely love it. Being a York student gets me in for the entire show for only $5 and I get to wander around staring at beautiful quilts, buy beautiful fabric, and even catch a few interesting sessions.

I of course found my regular stall that has Japanese and African fabrics that no one else seems to ever have and found some great deals at Len's Mills. But, my favourite find from my trip out was the red and white fat quarter bundle. Just look at it, is it not beautiful? And who does not love cute packaging that can be reused?

Super Easy Bunny Hat

Oh my goodness! This has is just too cute for words and can be made from a left over tanktop. . . gotta love it. Check it out here:
http://notesfromaveryredkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/bunny-hat.html

The instructions say it takes ten minutes to make it. I'll let you know once I'm done. . .

AccuQuilt/AccuCut Die Listing

What I Currently Have:

3" Block Numbers

Chisel Shapes Set (50148 and 50149)

Gift Tag #4 (50755)

Quilt Block E (8") #1 (50272)

Tumbler Block #1 (50219)

4-7/16" Circle (50639)

Apple Core #1 (50068)

Triangles #2 Jumbo (50230

Hexagons #5 (50121)

Stocking Set (50789 & 50768)

Box Charm Square 5" (50901--I use with paper only)

Super Strip Cutter 3-1/2" (50060)

Square 5" Pinked #2 (50215)

Super Giant Strip Cutter 2-1/2" (50612)

Black Tie Uppercase 1-1/2" (AccuCut)

Black Tie Lowercase 1-1/2" (AccuCut)

Butterflies #8 (AccuCut)

Cupcake Wrapper #1 (AccuCut)

Top 100—Yay! Vote before April 19th

Wasn't I surprised today to open my email and find a very wonderful message. GAB and GUP were here for a visit and were in the other room when I yelped with glee. I'm in the top 100 for the AccuQuilt Barn Quilt competition. Me. Wow! I'm up against some fierce competition though. Ebony Love of Quilt Possible is one name you may recognize and for those who don't, if you check out her site you will see she is a quilt designer. She sells patterns. And I'm in the running with her. Double wow! 
   
Here's a pic of the email they sent me:

 And here is the design that made it into the top 100.

So if you'd like please go and vote for me. . .it's super easy if you have a facebook account. And for the record, I'm totally okay with pity votes.

Cheyenne's skirt

Well, I'm getting my posts out of order because I really should be starting with a review of an amazing book that has actually given me great guidance on how to sew and do it well. In the past, I've really only done things where I can sew in a straight line with a regular straight stitch, period. But we'll save that post for later because I found a really cute tutorial on making a simple skirt and just had to make it for Cheyenne! Especially after Julia told me that whatever I get for Cheyenne's birthday should have at least one of the following qualities:
a) be pink;
b) have butterflies on it; or
c) have flowers on it.


Well hadn't I just received my latest fabric order from fabric.com and it had this fabric:

Asian Collection Mum Gardens Fuchsia by Free Spirit

Check, check, and check. I actually had already cut out a skirt for myself prior to having this conversation with Julia, but there was just enough left over to make Cheyenne's skirt AND six hexagons for a hex flower quilt I'm starting. Yay! Not bad out of two yards of fabric (thankfully Cheyenne is still quite small).

I recommend checking out http://www.dana-made-it.com/2008/07/tutorial-simple-skirt.html for some summer clothing inspiration that is super easy to do! (She always has great photos and inspiration.) I was a bit creative and made an adjustable waist band in my version, rather than just stitching in the elastic as you normally would. These little people grow so rapidly you know! I'll let you know if it works out the way I think it will, or if we've had to switch back to the regular waist band once it makes it's way out to Saskatchewan. 

Pictures of the finished product

A change to the focus of this blog. . .

Originally, I was going to blog all about the wonderful food creations I was making after being inspired by Jamie Oliver. Well, then I became obsessed with all the research necessary for our island purchase. Next came my pregnancy, and now I'm a mom. Wow. . . that still sounds weird. 

Anyway, this breastfeeding thing is pretty restrictive to what I'm eating (yuk). And there is relatively no creativity in what I'm eating, since eating the wrong food causes a lot of screaming by my daughter (double yuk). So I'll be holding off on trying out a lot of new recipes, but I am regularly cooking and doing what I can from scratch. Just not with tomatoes, pineapple, turnip, etc.  You'd be amazed just how big this list has become. I can't wait until my call with the nutritionist and the day when I can start reintroducing the "acidics"!

So, I'm going to write about what's going on with me in general and things that interest me. Be prepared for the facts you don't want to know about everyday products in our lives, for pictures of fabrics I love and quilting/sewing projects in the works, and other random new mom moments (if I was still on facebook, my status a couple days ago would have been "WARNING: Poo flying through the air").


Anyway, time to head to bed. Audrey seems to have settled and I need to rest up for our exciting day tomorrow. GAB and GAP are coming to visit!  :oD