Flickrfaves

Ahhhh, the good old days. The days when we all hung out on Flickr, sharing our photos, participating in conversations and sending our happy little mini quilts, pouches and mugrugs to far away friends in swaps.  Angela started a new hashtag on Instagram for showing our old #flickrfaves photographs to new friends who may not have been on the quilting scene back then.  I know not all of you use Instagram, so I thought I'd repost some of my older work that you may not have seen before (also, most of what I'm making these days I can't share quite yet because they are for challenges or gifts or publication in the future).

Remember when we all started making Mug Rugs? These were two I put together with some leftover "twofer" corners cut off from some flying geese for another projects. All French General fabric. January 2011

This was one of two tree skirts I made using a pattern by Carol Turznik (mamacjt on Flickr). Carol kindly granted me permission to teach this as a class and it was a lot of fun! December 2010

Here's another mug rug made for a Flickr swap, September, 2010. This pear design went on to become a  bolster pillow pattern published in Stitch magazine.

Another sweet little art quilt given away in a swap. The theme was Spring Fling and completely unbeknownst to my partner and I, we both made a tiny quilt featuring a nest with 3 robin's eggs for each other! Sometimes swaps can have the most surprising results. 

March, 2010

This wallhanging was made in 2004 after a workshop with local teacher Barb Mortell, who taught the free-pieced paper dolls. It was my first 'original design' quilt and the first time I'd tried free-cutting and piecing curves with a rotary cutter and making improv-pieced flying geese. The quilt is called Mu-Mu Bijoux and is a remembrance of my late mother-in-law and her Maui muumuus.

This baby Storm at Sea was made for our former babysitter when she had her first child. I made it 10 years ago from all the soft Moda florals that were so in style back then at our local shops.

Here's a favourite of both my husband and mine. It was sent away in a mini swap with a 'house' theme. It's all wool applique and an original design inspired by a photograph I took near my parent's cottage in rural Ontario. A local resident has placed unique birdhouses on top of a row of fence posts by a hay field. 

And finally, I think this is my most-viewed Flickr photo, with over 6500 views. I'm not sure how that happened, but I think it was featured on the Explore page and then used in a bunch of inspiration mosaics for mugrug swaps. I actually kept this one because I was so pleased with how it turned out. It was my first ever project using Essex Linen, which started quite a love affair for me - it's my background of choice for special projects!

September has been so busy for me already. I presented 5 trunk shows/lectures in the space of 8 days to local traditional guilds, taught an Improv Under the Influence workshop, hosted a day retreat, delivered our son to university, made 3 mini quilts and a lap sized quilt top, completed a special gift, made two Stepping Stones table runners from Make It, Take It, and provided many, many Mom Taxi rides for our daughter (who has started supervised driving, thank goodness). In another week, I'm off on a very exciting adventure to Sweden, where I'll be teaching 3 workshops. I'm also helping organize a showcase of Modern Mini Quilts for the VMQG; we are showcasing our quilts at the Vancouver Quilter's Guild show on October 23 & 24.

2015 is a crazy, exciting, amazing year so far and the fun will continue right through to December. Somewhere in the next two months I need to make the QuiltCon entry that I'm dreaming about and get a start on some Christmas gifts. 

Phew. 

Flickr Fantasia

For all you Flickr afficianodos out there, I'm doing an informal survey. When something like this shows up in a comment under one of your photos, do you:

(a) Freak out because it means your picture got Explored?

(b) Throw up because all the sparkling makes you nauseous?

(c) Say to yourself "Awww, that's so nice that a perfect stranger likes my photo enough to leave me a pretty gift"

(d) Shake your head in disbelief that someone in Brazil (who has no interest whatsoever in quilting) has polluted your photo's comments with an oversized bouquet of flowers and an incomprehensible message?

(e) Actually take them up on their offer to "please come to visit my photostream to see my latest pictures"

(f) All of the above.

I mean seriously, am I the only one who finds it totally insane that people feel the need to paste screen-filling tacky animated images into the comment section of strangers' photostreams?  Or there's the photographer in Istanbul that seems to have an unlimited supply of sultry ladies in his photostream (12 of which he's included in his comment on your photo, just to peak your interest on the off chance you'd like to come visit his photostream in return for his "nice capture" on the photo of your latest mugrug).   

This is the mystery of Flickr.  Some days it totally cracks me up. I know I can delete these comments with one easy click. But really, who would rid their lives of such genuine admiration and praise?

Please pass the Gravol.

Pretty (and Perfect) Little Pouch

This is fast becoming my favourite swap group. The members are fun, the talent is evident and the work is inspirational. I am busy clicking the 'favourite' button on almost every pouch photo! I love the rules that specify your pouch cannot be larger than 12" and any extras you send must fit into the pouch. It helps one avoid falling into Overachieving Swap Participant Mode.

In my sign up survey, I indicated that a pouch to hold our family's Kobo e-reader would be a great idea if my partner was looking for ideas (I personally like direction from my partners, so I try to give some ideas when I sign up for swaps - it takes a lot of pressure off from wondering what the heck to make!). When I first saw this photo in the flickr pool, I immediately got that "oh! Could this be for me?" feeling. Imagine my thrill when it did arrive in my mailbox last week!

It was beautifully made by the talented Vikki and sent along with those amazing extra treats all the way from the UK. Thank you so much Vikki! We used the pouch right away on our recent family road trip and everyone thinks it is totally cool (and cute, and functional, and perfect).

The pouch I made for one of the swap organizers (and fellow VI Bees member) was very well received (there were a lot of exclamation marks in her thank you flickr mail - so cute). Kelly had asked for a pouch that could tote juice boxes & snacks for her two little boys. I took this as a great opportunity to try lining a zip pouch with laminated fabric recently purchased in Bellingham. I also quilted the outer pouch with insul-brite thermal batting which gave the whole thing quite a lot of body so it can stand on it's own.

Pouch + loot

(including my quilting secret weapon, Roxanne's Glue Baste-it, some chocolate, a Kona solids charm pack, hilarious napkins and tissue holder)

Back of the pouch, with some poppyprints and stamped text (I'd been dying to use my alphabet stamps purchased at JoAnn last March).

So, another great swap comes to an end. I think I'm gearing down on public swaps in general, but I will definitely participate in this group when round 3 comes up. It's too much fun!

More QR Code Quilt Fun

After posting photos of Scan Me on flickr, it was soon invited to join a couple of fun groups. The first is QR Codes in the Wild which mostly consists of photographs of printed QR codes in magazines, newspapers, posters and playbills. The second is more up our collective alley: QR-3D which showcases QR Codes hand made by some very creative people. I think the group was started as some sort of contest in the UK, but I can't seem to find any details. Here is one fabulous quilt from that group, shared here with permission from it's talented maker Pippa Wardman.

Pippa created this unique QR Code quilt with a solid white background and fused fussy cut cupcakes. IT ACTUALLY WORKS!! I think this is super fun. Thanks for letting me share it, Pippa. For those of you without a smart phone, I can tell you that the code links to this blog (but if you've got an app, try it! Scanning is just too much fun!),

Check out the flickr group - there are some spectacular codes made from hundreds (maybe thousands!) of tiny french knots, several cross-stitched codes and even some knit gloves incorporating codes (although my iPhone couldn't scan the knitting).

Oh! Have you heard? The Modern Quilt Guild Blog has put out a call for submissions for a feature they will run this fall called "100 Days of Modern Quilts". You are encouraged to submit up to 3 quilts that you've made and consider to be examples of modern quilting, along with any tutorials that you have written, or that you would like to nominate from someone else in blogland. I've submitted "Scan Me" - let's see if they like it!

Still two days to enter my birthday giveaway for a GO! Baby fabric cutting system (including 3 dies of your choice) or some of my hand-printed poppy fabric here.

Pretty Pouch(es) in da house!

Fun mail today! You just saw the pouch I made for my secret partner. No sooner did I finish that, then this arrived, all the way from Champaign, Illinois.

My partner Suzanne obviously did her homework because both of the pouches she sent are absolutely perfect and incorporate so many details I just love!

I mentioned in my sign up stats that a pouch to hold the Kobo e-reader that I share with my son might be a good idea (if my partner needed a plan). Suzanne posted a picture of this pouch in the Flickr pool and said things had gone a little off with her measurements and she wasn't sure if it would fit "a certain device". I immediately LOVED it and wondered right away if she was referring to our Kobo. After a field trip to the store for testing, Suzanne realized it was too small, but I'm so grateful she decided to send it anyway because it is just so great!

It will be the perfect thing to store my three rotary cutters in! The best part is that I don't have to share it with T. Don't worry, I'll make his Kobo a cover one day....it doesn't stray far from his bedside table, so I'm not really in a rush.

I feel rather spoiled that Suzanne made and sent this wristlet too! It comfortable fits my iPhone and a few credit cards/driver's licence. Perfect for walks to the village for coffee!!

I heart sashiko stitching but typically I mimic it with very thick thread on my sewing machine. I am really appreciative of the time and effort put into these hand stitches, which by the way, are so beautifully done!

Thank you for these wonderful swap gifts Suzanne, and to Kelly and Michelle for organizing all of us! The Pretty {little} Pouch swap was super fun. Check out the flickr pool for lots of amazing pouch ideas.

Did I say that?

It seems like a looooong time ago (like last week) I was busy vowing to spend more time making thing for myself, my family and my home this year. And maybe just a few private swaps with bloggy friends.

Well, along came the {Urban} Homes Good Swap 3 this week. I watched the first two excellent rounds pass me by. I've hummed and hawed the entire week about signing up for this round. And I made the mistake of looking at everyone's inspiration mosaics. And then my brain starting making audible whirring noises as I thought of all kinds of cool stuff I'd make for my parter. And then I thought I'd make up a mosaic for myself, just for me to, you know, keep track of what I like. So next time I want to make myself something I will be all set for inspiration.

And then it happened. I couldn't stop myself.

Yup. I signed up.

I did it for my sewing machine. She's really picking up a lot of dust and a cover would be so nice. Or maybe a table runner for the dining room? Or, I know, some fabric baskets to organize my sewing table. You know what would also be super useful? Insulated carrying cases for my retreat irons! I've been meaning to make those for years (anyone know a tutorial?)

You should also know that my swap item for Traceyjay is almost complete and it's so pretty. I can't wait to share. That's partly why I figured it would be ok to do just one little (sort of big) swap. I'm two weeks ahead of schedule!

A Woolly Mini

Because I haven't got enough wool for a mammoth.

For my last group swap of 2010 on Flickr, I was to make my partner a mini quilt with a theme of houses. Participants had the option of a holiday house, or a regular house. My partner and I chose regular houses. Even though I've had 2 months to get this together, like a lot of other swappers, I prefer to let my ideas percolate for a good long time. My plans changed radically over the course of the 2 months and I must say, I couldn't be happier.

My partner is very fond of birds. She includes them in most of her swap quilts and blocks. It was a given that I'd find a way to incorporate this into her house mini. Since she hasn't yet received the quilt, I don't want to spoil her surprise with a full reveal, but I'll show you my inspiration.

These are photos I took in August while on vacation at my parent's cottage. Apparently the local realtor's wife is a bird lover and has been installing birdhouses along their country farm fence for many years.

I noticed in my partner's Flickr favorites that she has chosen a lot of felt projects. I thought this small 8" x 10" quilt was perfect for a sweet wool felt picture. I do have a pretty great selection of hand dyed wool thanks to Paulette and Uschi. Turns out, it was all perfect for this project! It reminds me of children's books that are illustrated with fibre pictures, or those felt boards pre-school teachers use to tell stories.

Here is a couple of sneaky peeks of tiny portions of the quilt. I made Queen Anne's Lace with french knots - I think they are my favourite bit. Most of the quilt is machine stitched, but I did a little bit of hand work, too.

I can't wait to get this off to Nannette! You'll get the full frontal after she receives it.

Flickr, how do I love thee?

According to the statisticians over at Flickr, this photo of my little quilt has been viewed 2172 times, made a favourite by 107 people and received 91 lovely comments.

If you make stuff, if you enjoy photography, if you like to share, then Flickr is for you. There is no other way I could have made a little 9" X 14" quilt and had that many people look at it, like it and tell me so.

When you spend a day in your sewing room all by yourself making stuff, sometimes you wonder (well I do, anyway) where it's all going? will anyone else like it? am I doing this right? Of course we should know the answer to all those questions intuitively: does it matter? It makes me happy to make stuff, just like it probably makes you happy, too. What makes me even happier, though, is being able to share and receive feedback from all over the world.

1,415 views, 96 comments, 94 favorites

Perhaps the even more a.may.zing part is that I would never have even made these two small quilts if it had not been for flickr in the first place. I wouldn't have even known about mug rugs, what they were, or even how to swap them, if flickr hadn't been the catalyst and meeting place for creative people to share with each other.

B and I got a flickr account a few years ago so we could share photos with our faraway family members. I had no idea that flickr was a community. I thought it was a giant server that functioned as a back-up for storing digital photos. Once again, I underestimated the power of that interweb thingy.

So, to the smarty pants that thought of and created Flickr before I could, thanks pal.

My heart on a string...the year in review

I began blogging a year ago because I wanted so badly to be a part of the global quilting community. My guild is amazing and my retreat buddies mean the world to me, but I had a sense that exciting things were going on amongst creative women the world over and I wanted IN! No longer content to be the last pick on the baseball team (my hand-eye coordination was, and still is, pathetic), I took a chance and jumped in with both feet.

This is one venture where I think I can speak for all my blogging friends: results do NOT vary. Everyone succeeds and finds their online community, their online voice, their virtual home of creativity, if you will. In addition to blogging, flickr is a wonderful place for community-building through sharing photos and swapping handmade items in groups.

Before long you feel inspired to share your work with appreciative recipients: all of those other amazingly creative people that you 'talk' to every day through comments on their flickr photos or on their blog posts. I have always loved giving handmade gifts and now the fun part is I am receiving them, too!! Admittedly, my large-sized quilt production has taken a nosedive in the last 12 months, but I'm having too much fun to worry about that. Plus, making smaller projects specifically for a person who has shared their likes and dislikes can be a wonderful challenge, like this quilt I made for DQS9.

Monthly swaps with changing themes have also stretched my skills, expanded my colour palette and inspired me to make this,

this,

and this.

I never thought I would make so many original projects, dreamed up right inside my very own head! I was stuck in a 'making it from a pattern' loop but this past 12 months has given me the freedom to create like never before and sometimes I feel full to bursting with ideas. So again, I say thanks to all of you for your encouragement and friendship! (don't forget to enter my blogiversary giveaway here if you haven't already).

Returning to the concept of receiving, and the string reference in this post title, I wanted to show you this happy doll quilt that Carol sent recently. Carol is so generous and supplies all of the angel quilts for the doll quilt swap on flickr....she knows I loved this string quilt, so we arranged a little private swap for one of my selvage coin quilts. Lucky me!!

Thank you Carol, this cheerful number will keep me happy in my sewing room!

So, what's up for the coming months? Despite trying to carve out more time for my own projects, swapping is just too much fun, so I've signed up for another one, arranged a couple more private ones with blog friends, and in January I'll begin my first ever online quilting bee organized by Tracey. I can't wait!

p.s. as an afterthought, I did think of one downside to all this online friendship.....unfortunately I have discovered WAY too many places to shop via keyboard and monitor. While my stash is thriving, I fear my savings account is on life support!!!

Mug Rug Takes Flight & Other Happy Milestones

People, you are so much fun! Thanks for all the love on the tree skirt - it really was a fun project and sounds like several of you are going to give it a go. Fabulous! Be sure to ask your LQS (local quilt shop) to stock Carol's pattern, give them her blog address so they can contact her for the distribution details.

The international mailing date for the flickr Mug Rug swap has finally arrived. Happy October everyone! This is what I'm taking to the post office right after I publish this post. This package is off to my secret partner (who lives very far away, but not so far that an trans-oceanic flight is required).

I'm not sure if my partner is a coffee/tea-on-the-run-type-gal, but just in case I made her a cup cozy. I wouldn't want her to get caught out and about without something cute to wrap around her caffeine. If you are looking for small project inspiration, I recommend checking out the photos in the mug rug flickr pool. The creativity and originality that quilters have come up with in a 7" x 9" format is astounding! Most swappers have made multiple mug rugs - the small size is manageable and it's fun to try new techniques without the commitment of a huge quilt. They are a great way to use up scraps and alleviate fabric-accumulation guilt, too.

....and now the other happy milestone......

Over the past 12 months, I've written 165 posts. During this year I have made some incredible friends, shared more than I ever thought possible, had wonderful feedback, received amazing gifts and swaps, and most importantly had the most creative year of my adult life. Thanks everyone, for hanging out with me! I would be lying if I didn't say I was absolutely tickled that 202 of you like it here enough to follow along (and I know there are a few more non-google members who check in regularly, too). You all get a big MWAH! from me. And once I figure something out, I'll have a nice little celebratory giveaway, too. Soon. I promise.

Thanks for being here (and there),

Krista xo

A Brief Look Inside a Quilter's Brain

Here is a synopsis of a regularly occurring sequence of events in my brain.

1. Open flickr homepage.

Oh look, some new uploads from my flickr contacts. Wow, I like that quilt, click. What else has Tia made lately? Click, click, click Oooo, that one is fabulous! Hey, there's a picture of her with Gwen Marston! At retreat! She's so lucky!

Hmmm, I really should buy Gwen's second book, because I loved reading Liberated Quiltmaking from my guild library a few years ago.

2. www.amazon.ca.

Ah there it is: Liberated Quiltmaking II, click: add to cart. Oh look, someone else who bought Liberated Quiltmaking II also bought Material Obsession II. I need that book. I mean, look at the cover quilt. It's to die for! Click: add to cart.

Check out: $54.94

3. Today, on the back deck.

Oh, happy day. I love the quilt books. I love sun in September. I love impulse purchases that make me happy.

from Liberated Quiltmaking II by Gwen Marston

from Material Obsession II by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke

Do you have Quilter's Brain, too? It is an incurable condition that I will gladly endure for the rest of my life (or until my bank account runs dry).

Tale of two (or three) Kristas

Growing up, I rarely met another Krista with a 'K' (sure, there were some wannabe Christas with a 'Ch', but I always knew they didn't really count). I liked having a name that wasn't too wacky - just a little bit different. For a brief time when I was about 11, I tried to add some extra oomph to the differentness by spelling my name at school with a 'y' in place of the 'i', but that was just silly so I stopped.

Now that I'm relatively grown up, I meet more and more Kristas with a 'K' and one such Krista has become a wonderful blogging/flickr pal. She lives in Anchorage with her husband and three cute kids. She's afraid of moose. Especially when they are in her front yard. Kind of like me with bears in my front yard. We both love mixing fun, modern prints with linen in our quilting work and we both can't say no to swaps even though we are too busy to do them. We're practically twins (except I'm pretty sure I was born about 10 years before her!).

Recently Krista saw a note I'd made on a flickr photo that said "where did you get this?" over the cutest piece of fabric.

And just because she's so nice, she sent me some! I loved her hints on the envelope.

See? She doesn't iron either. Twins! The fabric is so awesome...dachshunds in sweaters? How cute!! I'll have to think of something really fun to do with it. For me though, the best is seeing her sticky note to Krista, from Krista. I love that. Recently we've become friends with a third Krista, known on flickr as lolablueocean. The three of us have hatched a plan that Anchorage Krista is working on (she's got the tech savvy that the other two Kristas do not). There's even talk of a Pacific Northwest rendez-vous....a summit of the Kristas, if you will. Now THAT would be fun!

Stay tuned!