First attempt at fabric cards

I made my first fabric cards this week and I'm pretty darn happy with the results! This was a collaborative project; Sophie chose all the fabrics and I sewed them to the blank cards. I was inspired by seeing some fabric cards on Dana's blog. Her tutorial is here. It's based on a project from the book Denyse Schmidt Quilts, which I was given for Christmas (thanks, Jan & Ken!), so I pulled out my copy for reference while putting together the cards.

The rainbow card went to my Grandma and the Earth Day card is waiting for a lucky recipient.

In other sewing news, I received this great fat quarter (1/4 yard of fabric) from Georgi in Whitehorse yesterday! We were partners in the Sew, Mama, Sew! FQ Swap that is part of their Quilt Month celebrations. As soon as I opened up the handmade envelope, Sophie said, "You should make some more fabric cards with that!" Good idea, Sophie!

The Snail and the Whale

Our house is full of books, especially kids' books, and a great one that we were introduced to by the lovely Mia is "The Snail and the Whale" by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. It's a lovely story of an adventurous snail who hitches a lift on the tail of a humpback whale in order to see the world.


When I bought Sophie some whale pajamas from the consignment store, she requested that I add a snail on the tail of the whale. This week, I finally pulled out my needle and thread and granted her wish.


We were both pleased with the results!

Bike the Blossoms

If you're in Vancouver this weekend, hop on a bike and join the 3rd annual Bike the Blossoms ride! It's part of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival and it runs from 10-4 on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Our family did the ride in 2009 and had a great time!

Bicycle print by My Little Buffalo

Sophie says: "I would like to have a brown and blue bicycle like that sometimes."

I say: "I'd love a copy of this print with a red bike!"

Spotted this great bike print by My Little Buffalo on Etsy. Spotted her shop via Handmade Evolution.

Sophie's owl pillowcase

I used the "Pretty Quick Pillowcase Tutorial" by Ashley at Film in the Fridge to make my first ever pillowcase. Sophie loves it and has so much fun picking out her favourite owls! I`m now hooked on pillowcases and am in the middle of making a lemon yellow and aqua pair for Janet.



This was my first time using French seams, so I just had to share how beautiful they are. Encasing the raw edges truly creates a professional looking seam!

I bought the fabric from a Canadian online shop called Pink Panda Fabrics where shipping in Canada is always free! Cheryl, who runs Pink Panda Fabrics, kindly featured my pillowcase on her blog.

The Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild

The first Modern Quilt Guild started in LA in October, 2009. In the past several months, new guilds have been popping up all over the United States and there are now international guilds in Melbourne and Toronto. Modern Quilt Guilds are a place for non-traditional quilters to share their fresh, modern quilts.

I watched all these developments with interest and was encouraged to set up a Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. I created a ning group on Thursday and by Monday (just four short days later!) we have thirteen members!

With the Olympics coming soon, I think we'll wait to have our first meeting until the spring to avoid the pandemonium. It will be so exciting to meet other local modern quilters and see what kind of quilts they're making!


Image via Spool of Thread's blog

One more development that's super exciting for me is the fact that there will be a modern fabric store and sewing lounge opening in Vancouver very soon! It's called Spool of Thread Sewing Lounge and it sounds like heaven. You'll be able to buy lovely fabrics, take sewing classes, and rent a sewing machine by the hour (this is my chance to try a serger!). I just can't wait for the grand opening!

Vancouver in January

We are just over two weeks away from hosting the Winter Olympics here in Vancouver. Today, I thought I'd take a few photos around my neighbourhood to show just how ready we are for the Spring Olympics. All of the above photos were taken by me on January 27th, 2010. Gotta love our temperate climate!