Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Beeeeeeep.
Hi, you've reached Milkybeer at www.milkybeer.com. I can't come to the blog right now. I'm busy getting ready for my upcoming craft show and recovering from my parents' recent week-long visit (just kidding). Please, leave a comment after the post and I'll get back to you shortly. Thanks and have a great day.
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Quilt preview: Inspired by a vinyl tablecloth?
It's true. The beautiful quilt I am working on was inspired by a rather uninspiring Superstore vinyl tablecloth.
We pull that tablecloth out from time to time when Abner wants to do a little painting at the kitchen table. As I sat at the table with her a few weeks ago, the repeating pattern caught my eye and I realized it would be easy to recreate as a quilt.
At the fabric store, this cute Kate Spain fabric became the launching off point for the rest of the fabrics and colours. I believe it's from her Central Park line as are several of the other fabrics I went with (it wasn't on purpose, I didn't realize until I got them home).
Besides the Kate Spain, I think the Robert Kaufman Quilter's Linen is my favourite. I've used it as a solid to tie all the other colours together.
The quilt is almost done...will post more pics once finished!
 |
| The uninspiring tablecloth as it appeared earlier this year at Abner's birthday party. |
We pull that tablecloth out from time to time when Abner wants to do a little painting at the kitchen table. As I sat at the table with her a few weeks ago, the repeating pattern caught my eye and I realized it would be easy to recreate as a quilt.
At the fabric store, this cute Kate Spain fabric became the launching off point for the rest of the fabrics and colours. I believe it's from her Central Park line as are several of the other fabrics I went with (it wasn't on purpose, I didn't realize until I got them home).
Besides the Kate Spain, I think the Robert Kaufman Quilter's Linen is my favourite. I've used it as a solid to tie all the other colours together.
The quilt is almost done...will post more pics once finished!
Saturday, 22 October 2011
Out on the prairies
I had no idea what to expect in terms of outdoor activities when we moved to SK. So much of our outdoor experience in BC revolved around either going up or coming down mountains. What could SK offer that could possibly compare?!
Well, they're not exactly mountains, but the valleys around this region do offer some...eh hem...modest hills that make for perfect fall hikes.
Over the past few weekends we set out to explore some of the local trails which are actually maintained by local cross country ski clubs. First up were the Wascana Trails just north of town. Pretty spectacular, don't you think?
The hills seemed like a novelty to Abner. She loved running down as fast as she good (and had a few good wipeouts doing it) or running up to be king of the castle. She also put up with me trying to snap about a million pictures of her! It was driving her crazy, but I just loved how her hair was the same colour as the grass.
Last weekend we headed east to try out the White Butte Trails. We have to be the only family crazy enough to set off for an outing in an unfamiliar province with absolutely no idea how to get to where we are going. All we had to guide us was TDSH's vague recollection of having seen a sign for White Butte on one of our earlier outings. Thankfully, that was enough.
The views weren't as impressive here, but the scenery was gorgeous nonetheless. Abner loved hearing the train so nearby, while TDSH and I were less than fond of the sounds of rifel fire coming from the nearby shooting range.
I'm so glad we had the chance to get outdoors before the snow falls (which feels like it's going to be soon...very soon!)
Well, they're not exactly mountains, but the valleys around this region do offer some...eh hem...modest hills that make for perfect fall hikes.
Over the past few weekends we set out to explore some of the local trails which are actually maintained by local cross country ski clubs. First up were the Wascana Trails just north of town. Pretty spectacular, don't you think?
The hills seemed like a novelty to Abner. She loved running down as fast as she good (and had a few good wipeouts doing it) or running up to be king of the castle. She also put up with me trying to snap about a million pictures of her! It was driving her crazy, but I just loved how her hair was the same colour as the grass.
Last weekend we headed east to try out the White Butte Trails. We have to be the only family crazy enough to set off for an outing in an unfamiliar province with absolutely no idea how to get to where we are going. All we had to guide us was TDSH's vague recollection of having seen a sign for White Butte on one of our earlier outings. Thankfully, that was enough.
The views weren't as impressive here, but the scenery was gorgeous nonetheless. Abner loved hearing the train so nearby, while TDSH and I were less than fond of the sounds of rifel fire coming from the nearby shooting range.
I'm so glad we had the chance to get outdoors before the snow falls (which feels like it's going to be soon...very soon!)
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
A new look for Milkybeer
Remember way back in February when I said, "bartering is not dead"? I said as much because I'd traded my sewing services for a little bit of design work from a friend (designers...good friends to have).
She got a beautiful custom-made duvet for her son, and well, one baby (that was the designer, not me) and one move to Saskatchewan later, I finally get to show you the other half of that trade: an awesome new banner for the blog!
The new banner was a great excuse to freshen up the layout and design of the blog. Of all the designs this blog has seen over the years, I think this is my favourite. I love how she took the stitching details from my quilts and integrated it into the banner!
Exciting times around here, I tell ya. There's more to come though. Stay tuned!
She got a beautiful custom-made duvet for her son, and well, one baby (that was the designer, not me) and one move to Saskatchewan later, I finally get to show you the other half of that trade: an awesome new banner for the blog!
The new banner was a great excuse to freshen up the layout and design of the blog. Of all the designs this blog has seen over the years, I think this is my favourite. I love how she took the stitching details from my quilts and integrated it into the banner!
Exciting times around here, I tell ya. There's more to come though. Stay tuned!
Friday, 14 October 2011
In the works: coasters and bags
My days here on the prairies are filled with sewing, sewing and more sewing (plus lots and lots of playing, reading, and baking with Abner). Here's a sneak peak at just a couple of the goodies I've been working on.
Outdoor adventure bags
Linen patchwork coasters
Outdoor adventure bags
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Take note...
In just a few weeks I am participating in my very first craft sale! Yippee! If you're in the Regina area, here are the details:
True Knit 3: The Craftermath
November 5
10 am - 5 pm
University of Regina
Ridell Centre
Multi Purpose Room
I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Not only have I never sold my own stuff at a craft show, but I've never even been to any of the previous True Knit shows. I'm flying blind here! I have my fingers crossed that my stuff will fit in with the vibe of the show and that folks will actually want to buy my creations (wouldn't that be nice?)
Thankfully, I've done enough craft shows with Hudsonny to know that I can't just fill my table with large (i.e. pricey) items. So, I've been scratching my head trying to think of ideas for small, quick items I can whip up to add to my table.Here is what I came up with: matchbook notepads. Cute, aren't they?
Each pad is about 2" x 2" and has 20 sheets of paper (which is apparently the absolute max my stapler can handle). They will be available as sets of three (one of each design).
I love these little guys and the fact that they tie in with my new greeting cards as well! I hope others will like them too!
If you happen to be able to make it to True Knit, be sure to stop by and say "hi!"
True Knit 3: The CraftermathNovember 5
10 am - 5 pm
University of Regina
Ridell Centre
Multi Purpose Room
I have absolutely no idea what to expect. Not only have I never sold my own stuff at a craft show, but I've never even been to any of the previous True Knit shows. I'm flying blind here! I have my fingers crossed that my stuff will fit in with the vibe of the show and that folks will actually want to buy my creations (wouldn't that be nice?)
Thankfully, I've done enough craft shows with Hudsonny to know that I can't just fill my table with large (i.e. pricey) items. So, I've been scratching my head trying to think of ideas for small, quick items I can whip up to add to my table.Here is what I came up with: matchbook notepads. Cute, aren't they?
Each pad is about 2" x 2" and has 20 sheets of paper (which is apparently the absolute max my stapler can handle). They will be available as sets of three (one of each design).
I love these little guys and the fact that they tie in with my new greeting cards as well! I hope others will like them too!
If you happen to be able to make it to True Knit, be sure to stop by and say "hi!"
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
A sweet t-shirt quilt
Last week was dedicated to working on my latest commissioned quilt - a memory quilt for friends down in the States*. As usual, the t-shirts sat around my house for weeks
until I finally sat down a week or two ago to sketch out my plan. From there, it came together beautifully.
When asked what colour she wanted on the back of the quilt, Jaimie suggested heather grey to keep with the athletic theme on the front. It was a brilliant suggestion, however, quilting cotton does not come in heather grey! I bravely grabbed the necessary yardage (meterage?) in jogging fleece and hoped for the best.
My concern was that the stretch of the fleece would be difficult to work with. You see, even though the t-shirts on the front have the same stretchy problem, I always stabilize each square with interfacing so that it's not an issue. Covering the entire backing with interfacing isn't exactly feasible, so I just pinned like hell and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't get all wonky. It didn't. Phew!
With typical Milkybeer luck though, the fleece was about 1-2 inches too narrow to span the entire back, so I had to piece it with squares leftover from the t-shirts. It's a bit of extra work, but I do love the look. It's a nice way to get a little bit of colour on the back.
I once again opted to tie this quilt instead of stitch the quilting lines. Just the thought of pushing this much fabric and lofty batting through my machine is enough to give me nightmares, so tied is the only way to go for me. Although, in this case, it meant doing 80 ties by hand in one afternoon! Ugh.
Want to see more of my t-shirt quilts? I've added a t-shirt memory quilt gallery to my new Flickr account! Please stop by and have a look or read the original blog posts about the Chris quilt and the Allison quilt.
* If any of the Sharon Wives (or Sharon Boys for that matter) are reading this....shhhhh! It's a surprise for Doc!
When asked what colour she wanted on the back of the quilt, Jaimie suggested heather grey to keep with the athletic theme on the front. It was a brilliant suggestion, however, quilting cotton does not come in heather grey! I bravely grabbed the necessary yardage (meterage?) in jogging fleece and hoped for the best.
My concern was that the stretch of the fleece would be difficult to work with. You see, even though the t-shirts on the front have the same stretchy problem, I always stabilize each square with interfacing so that it's not an issue. Covering the entire backing with interfacing isn't exactly feasible, so I just pinned like hell and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't get all wonky. It didn't. Phew!
With typical Milkybeer luck though, the fleece was about 1-2 inches too narrow to span the entire back, so I had to piece it with squares leftover from the t-shirts. It's a bit of extra work, but I do love the look. It's a nice way to get a little bit of colour on the back.
I once again opted to tie this quilt instead of stitch the quilting lines. Just the thought of pushing this much fabric and lofty batting through my machine is enough to give me nightmares, so tied is the only way to go for me. Although, in this case, it meant doing 80 ties by hand in one afternoon! Ugh.
Want to see more of my t-shirt quilts? I've added a t-shirt memory quilt gallery to my new Flickr account! Please stop by and have a look or read the original blog posts about the Chris quilt and the Allison quilt.
* If any of the Sharon Wives (or Sharon Boys for that matter) are reading this....shhhhh! It's a surprise for Doc!
Saturday, 1 October 2011
The perfect biscotti
This, my friends, could be my all-time favourite biscotti. So perfect for dipping into a little hot chocolate with amaretto! I've added the super easy recipe to Milkybeer Cooks if anyone else would like to whip some up. Enjoy!
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