Quilt The North #2 Unboxing

 I told myself I was going to make a couple of things for me in December. I did manage to make a pair of socks but my sewing goal is down to the wire. I have decided to make the quilt in this quarter's Quilt the North.

It came in early December and it was like an early Christmas gift.

My box arrived a little worse for wear, but the contents were all safe.

First up, the pattern.

The pattern is by Karen Neary of Nova Scotia. It is a bit hard to see but it is a star in white and silver and flying geese in pink, green, and purple, all on a dark blue background. I have made some of Karen's patterns in the past, and they are so well done that they are easy to sew and have a lovely completed project. So I'm excited to make this one.

Here is the fabric.

There is enough to make the top, back and the binding.

As before the box came with bonus goodies.

A block pattern from Monica, from Penny Spool Quilts, the creator of the Quilt the North boxes. 

A blueberry chocolate bar from Peace by Chocolate from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. If you are unfamiliar with Peace by Chocolate, they are a refugee success story. 

You can find their story and their products here.

There are also thread snips from LDH , a Canadian scissor company, and coasters from a Halifax company.

No wonder it felt like Christmas came early.

I have washed my fabrics, and copied my foundation pieces. I tidied my sewing room and if the power stays on, I can start tomorrow. There is an ice storm on the weather radar, and so our fingers and toes are crossed.

This box is sold out, but if you are interested is the next box, you can look here.

https://www.pennyspoolquilts.com/pages/quilt-the-north

Fraternal Twins

 I was asked to make two beach bags for a friend's granddaughters. Since it will be awhile before we have any beach days, I went toward a tote bag. My friend gave me some cotton fabric from her stash that both young women liked, and I added some water resistant canvas, that I got from Emmaline Bags. 

https://emmalinebags.com/collections/canvas-all-kinds/products/water-resistant-polyester-2-2-twill-450-denier-polyurethane-coated-back

Here are the finished bags.

The one on the right actually has blue canvas, but the camera turned it, and the wall behind it, grey. 

The bags have recessed zippers in the top.

They have slip pockets inside, a long with a lanyard for their keys.

The slip pockets has a label describing my thoughts as I finished,

I made the slip pockets a bit larger than I meant to make it. I must change the measurements in my book to shorten it.

I also finished my Christmas socks.

Like the bags, the socks are fraternal twins. They nearly match. The yarn is from Area 51, an Alberta hand dyer.

With winter settled in, the cats were thrilled the other day when their bird feeder was visited by a collection of finches and juncos.

there is only a junco visible in the picture. The cats are keen bird watcher in the winter, and remind us if the feeder is empty, or we didn't put peanuts out.

Purse # 4

 After 3 more days of work, I finished the requested purse for my friend's granddaughter. This is the finished bag.

The fabric was supplied by Grandma, and I supplied the hardware, zippers and strap. I needed to deliver the bag, so I forgot to get a picture of the strap, or the zipper. You can kind of see the zipper in this picture.

The zipper and strap are rainbow leopard print. The interior has big polka dots and small ones.

My friend was thrilled with how it turned out. I added a different stabilizer to the flap and adjusted the lining seams to give a smoother fit to the lining. I hope its new owner enjoys it.

I saw a pattern for a tiny sock and decided I needed to do one. I already have a tiny sweater for my tree, why not a tiny sock?

It is very tiny. It is laying next to a 6" DPN, so it is about 3" long.

I started a new pair of adult socks, shown above, then realized that it was December and I needed to make Christmas socks. The Christmas socks are coming nicely. I should have them done in time to wear, this Christmas.

Finally, Emme would like to show you her bestest spring. She hopes you will think it is lovely, too. She is also hoping she gets some new springs in her stocking because her other springs all seem to have disappeared.