{Sew} Beautiful Bee [it's my month!]

July is my month for the {Sew} Beautiful Bee and I am just finally making a decision. sigh.  Since the sewing be started in January, there have been some seriously awesome quilts (like this one from Don't Call Me Betsy) that I had a hard time settling on a block.  But have no fear, a decision has been made!  I am asking the {Sew} Beautiful Ladies to make a 12.5" block using this Japanese x and + block tutorial from badskirt. yay! Oh, and see that fabric over there?  Yep, I think it's about time I pull out my Innocent Crush stash.  What do you all think?

xo, Megan

pssst!

Today is the kick off of a series of teacher interviews I am doing 

for The Sewing Summit.

First up is Jeni Baker from In Color Order.

Here's interview!

Be sure to go check it out! :)

if you are looking for {Sew} Modern Monday--it's over here!

{Sew} Modern Monday #24

Hey there everyone!

Time for another edition of 

{Sew} Modern Monday! 

Yep, that's right!  This is week number 24 of {Sew} Modern Monday here at Canoe Ridge Creations!  I can hardly believe it!  Where the heck does the time go?!?!  That's almost 6 months of modern sewing projects--most of which have made their way onto my "to-sew" list.  Funny how that happens! :)

One thing is for certain, I have come to seriously look forward to Mondays--and that is all thanks to you!  The amount of inspiration and modern goodness you all link-up week after week always amazes me.  When I need a little kick of modern sewing inspiration, {Sew} Modern Monday is the first place I look.  


And I am curious, where does your sewing inspiration come from?


Now to celebrate 24 weeks of {Sew} Modern Monday.  How about a yummy mosaic showcasing projects?  I think yes! :)

1--Kona Solids Quilt by Lindsay Sews

2--Hopscotch Quilt by Gen X Quilters

3--Helen Keller Wisdom Quilt by Felicity Quilts

4--Hexigon Park Quilt by Random Thoughts do or "di"

5--Bookshelf Bags by City House Studio

6--Tilted Tweets Quilt by The Girl Who Quilts

7--Rainbow Mini by Don't Call Me Betsy

8--Weekender Bag by Sew Sweetness

9--Walk In the Woods Quilt by FairyFace Designs

10--Single Girl Mini by So Happy

11--Sprockets Pillow by My Go-Go Life

12--Cosmo Bag by SewCraftyJess

13--Toddler Proof Towels by My Fabric Obsession

14--Mosaic Squares Shower Curtain by Freshly Pieced

15--Bliss Baby Quilt by TraceyJay Quilts

If I could make one giant mosaic will all of the {Sew} Modern Monday link-ups so far, I would have!  Thank you all so much for your participation--without all of you, it wouldn't be the same!

psst.  Don't forget to enter in the givaway! :)

Now on to this week.  Time to link up! :)  If you need a rules refresher--you can find it over here.

a reason to celebrate [kona giveaway!]

Here at Canoe Ridge Creations, the last few weeks

have been full of excitement!

From the exciting 
Sewing Summit news 

to reaching 300+ followers (yay!)

it only seems right that we celebrate!

How does a giveaway sound?!?!

Up for grabs are these 
7 Kona Cotton FQs!

Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment--anything will do. (1 entry)

2. Become a follower of Canoe Ridge Creations and leave a separate 

comment. (1 entry)

And for a bonus entry, 

Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about the giveaway.

(be sure to leave a link in a separate comment, please!)

That's 3 chances to win! :)

I will leave the giveaway open until Friday, July 1 (10PM CST).
At that time, one lucky winner will be chosen using a random number generator.
US and Canada shipping only.

Goodluck!

xo, Megan

{Sew} Modern Monday #23

It's time for another weekly dose of modern sewing finishes!

The other day, when I was making my way through quilty/sewing blogland, I came across this blog post from Amanda of Ms McPorkchop Quilts. 

it may or may not have been that rocking pink bow that first caught my attention. :) 

Totally inspired by all her yummy handmade things, I have decided to do the same.  My goal is to have lots of homemade pouches/cases to take along on my trip to SLC for The Sewing Summit in October.  Yay!  It makes me giddy just thinking about it! :)

First on my to-sew list this weekend was a little pouch for my laptop (which will most definitely be coming along with me!).  I opted to a clean, simple look and incorporated one Amy Butler print along with Kona Ash and Kona Snow.

One purple zipper and a little sewing later and I was done!  

To add a bit of jazz, I lined the pouch in a contrasting Kona.  Love!

I am still contemplating adding a bit of hand stitching along the zipper.  Any thoughts?

And there you have it.  One laptop pouch ready and waiting for October! :)

Now it's your turn.  Have a recent modern sewing finish you would like to share?  Then link up!  

But please, remember--this is a link-up for finishes only.  If you have a work-in-progress post you would like to share--then hold onto it for a few days.  Lee from Freshly Pieced has a wonderful linky party on Wednesdays completely devoted to all those works-in-progress.  

If you need a reminder on all of the rules for {Sew} Modern Monday, head on over here!

kona love.

I have been counting down the days until my LQS

recieved it's shipment of the top 50 Kona Cottons.

Last week the waiting game came to an end.

And I didn't waste anytime using these yummy solids.

Come back for {Sew} Modern Monday if you want to see more! :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo, Megan

the single girl mini.

I have a confession to make.  

I have quilty commitment issues.

More commonly referred to as quilty ADD. :)

Exhibit A. My Katie Jump Rope Single Girl Quilt.

If you remember, I jumped head first into The Single Girl Support Group like I had nothing to lose.  I chose fabric (Katie Jump Rope!), pressed said fabric, made templates,  and then traced and cut out fabric for a Queen size quilt, and approximately 576 pieces of fabric later, I fizzled.  I lost all motivation and set the entire thing aside--I had Single Girl commitment issues.  Then one day, out of no-where, my SG mojo kicked back in and I had to finish a block--just one.   A little quilty motivation, you could say.  

I decided to use left over scraps from my Sliced Coins Quilt and paired them with some Kona Med-Gray.  And, quilty peeps, I seriously love this mini!



I really like the simple, modern feel of the Single Girl pattern and wanted to continue that over into my quilting.  So it seemed like straight-line quilting was the way to go with this mini.  I love the texture and feel the quilted lines give off, especially with the matching gray thread.



Does anyone else enjoy hand sewing binding like I do?!?!  It quite possibly could be my favorite step of the entire quilting process!  Maybe it's knowing you are "this close" to a finish or that it is just plain relaxing--either way, I could do it all day long.

There you have it, my SG motivation.

Anyone else like that?  Do you find yourself having to finish just one block and use it as quilty motivation?

xo, Megan

{Sew} Modern Monday #22

Ladies (and Gents!), guess 

what time it is???

{Sew} Modern Monday time!

This past weekend was filled with all sorts of quilty things--interrupted only by work and sleeping (necessary evils I say!).  Wouldn't it be great if we could sew all. day. every. day.?  I started a new little pouch, chatted quite a bit with a quilty/bloggy pal, attempted to organize tidy up the sewing area--otherwise known as my bedroom, cut fabrics for a new quilt, and finished up my SG mini.  I had high hopes of sharing that Single Girl mini finish with you all today, but mother nature was just not having it this weekend--clouds + rain = no quilty photo shoot. Tomorrow is looking better, so stay tuned later this week.

So without a finish of my own to share for today's {Sew} Modern Monday, it looks like I will have to settle for the next best thing.  Sharing some of your great link-ups from last week!

First up, this fabulously colorful quilt from Kate of Needle and Spatula.

I love every bit of this quilt--especially those rounded corners!

Oh and Kate is having a fun linky party over on her blog

--called the Blogger's Dinner Party--

go check it out!

Did you all see this tute that was linked up by Mary of Craft Buds?!?

Upcycled bags--brilliant!

I have a college roommate that would love one of these!

Danielle, if you are reading this--please ignore that last sentence. :)

Lydia from DreamPatch shared this adorable quilt.

I [heart] the binding fabric!

And that's a wrap.  Be sure to check out all the other fabulous link ups from last week! 

Now.  On your marks.  Get set.  Link up!

Here are the rules:
1.)  Link up a recent sewing project using modern fabrics and/or designs. Please link to the specific post, not just your blog home page.
2.)  Link back to my blog in your own post.  If you want, grab the {Sew} Modern Monday button over on my side bar and add it to your blog page.  That way you won't have to remember each week.
3.)  Check out other people's {Sew} Modern Monday links.  What fun is a linky party without comments?  Please take the time to comment on other people's posts.

the next best thing.

Sometimes the sewing and quilting can wait.

Especially when it comes to golfing. :)

Have a great weekend!

xo, Megan

keeping up with the joneses.

Canoe Ridge Creations is now on Twitter!

Stop by and say hi!

Oh, and it looks like we are getting

dangerously close to 300 followers.

Which means there

might just have to be a giveaway soon.

*hint, hint*

:)

xo, Megan

{Sew} Modern Monday #21

It's Monday, and you all know 

what that means.

Time to link up your modern sewing finishes!

I am very excited to share today's finish with you all.  This spiderweb quilt has been in the works for a while now and it feels great to finally check this one off my WiP list.

Somehow I missed the boat on Momo's Wonderland when it was first released and unfortunately was never able to get my hands on any yardage.  From the sidelines I watched lots and lots of fabulous projects pop up all over blogland and flickr using that fabulous fabric wishing I could get my hands on some.  

Then one day, when I decided to stop at a tiny quilt store near by my home town, my lucked changed.  There on the shelf sat 3 honey buns of Momo's Wonderland and I snatched them up.  Since the honey bun strips were so narrow (1.5" wide) I decided to go with a traditional spiderweb using Oh Fransson!'s tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew!


For the back, I used 5 left over blocks and framed them in Kona Coffee and paired it with Kona Candy Green.  With such a busy quilt pattern, I went with simple straight line quilting on a diagonal.

I carried over the Kona Coffee from the back, and used it as the binding fabric.

I absolutely love this quilt!  And if it weren't 90 degrees and humid out right now, I would be curled under it. :)   

Quilt Stats:

Name: Wonderland Spiderweb Quilt

Size: 52" x 62"

Pattern: Oh Fransson!'s Spiderweb Tutorial

Quilted by: Me

Alright, your turn. You can find the rules over here. 

pretty {little} pouch swap. SENT

A few weeks ago, I shared the nook pouch I received from a²(w) in Round 1 of the pretty {little} pouch swap.  Which I love!  Well it seems I never got around to sharing the pouch I sent.  

When we received our partner assignments I was excited, and truthfully a little nervous to be assigned to Holly from bijou lovely.  Her tastes are pretty similar to mine--in that she loves solids and gray. 

I chose to go with a rainbow of Kona solids paired with Kona Coal. The front of the pouch features a little patchwork using the Konas, while the back has a rainbow of thread detail.
 

The Front.

The Back.

 

Holly asked for a larger pouch, so this one measures 8" x 12".  If you want to read more, check out this bijou lovely blog post.  

I hope you enjoy this little pouch Holly!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

xo, Megan

next on the agenda [the farmer's wife QAL]

If you follow along, you know how much I like to start new projects.  I will admit that sometimes most of the time I jump around from project to project like it is going out of style.  So, I had convinced myself I was going to focus on some WiPs and not start any new projects.  Well you all know how long that lasted--about 2 hours.  

I just couldn't say no to a new QAL when I came across The Farmer's Wife QAL led by Angela from Fussy Cut and Amanda from Ms McPorkchop Quilts.  My reasons--other than the fact it is being led by two fabulous quilty bloggers--you may ask.
  A. I already had access to a copy of the book. Thanks mom!
  B. It only requires finishing 2 - 6.5" x 6.5" blocks (out of 111) a week.  Totally manageable.
  and, C. Because the blocks are so small, it is the perfect stash buster.  

It's a win-win situation really! :)

The blocks are all made out of printable templates that come along with the book.  But because I was so excited to get started, I jumped around and choose two that I could do with a little math.

Since this is a sampler quilt and I will be using scraps for most of it, I have decided to stick with Kona White as the background for each block to add some "order" to the blocks.

Block #2 [Autumn Tints]

Block #21 [Contrary Wife]

If you want to join in there is a flickr group with all the details.

xo, Megan

The Sewing Summit!

I am very excited to announce that...

And I am even more excited to say that

I am now the

Social Media and Blogging Assistant

for The Sewing Summit!

I am so excited to be a part of The Sewing Summit!  Erin and Amy have a great group of teachers lined up for the October 2011 conference along with some fabulous sponsors, which means this is going to be one great event.  Not to mention the fact that I (and you can too!) will get the chance to meet some seriously awesome bloggers just like you all!

If you are interested (and I hope you all are!) you can find all the details on The Sewing Summit website.  And if you have any questions, feel free to send them this way!  Also, be sure to check out the FAQ page.

You can also stay up to date on all the info via:

• Twitter--@SewingSummit
• Facebook
• The Sewing Summit on Flickr
• and of course, The Sewing Summit blog

So, who else is going?  I would love to meet you! :)

xo, Megan

bow tie block [a tutorial]

June is my month for the BLISS circle of do. Good Stitches and I am really excited to say our theme will be a Rainbow of Bow Ties.  I have put together a little tutorial for the block with the measurements I am asking the Bliss girls to use, but I am so happy to share it with you all as well!

NOTE: The inspiration for this quilt came from Angela's Pink Lemonade quilt, which I absolutely adore!


For each block, you will need:

• 8 -- 3.5" x 3.5" squares (in this example, I am using Kona White)
• 2 -- 3.5" x 3.5" squares and 2 -- 2" x 2" squares of each of your four prints

1. The bow tie block is made up of four units.  Concentrating on one unit at a time, place your cut pieces as shown in the picture below.

2.  Making sure right sides are together, sew from corner to corner on the two "partial snowball blocks," either by marking your fabric or by using the center guides on your sewing machine.  Trim middle piece of print fabric to 1/4 " to help eliminate bulk in your block.

3.  Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the four 3.5" x 3.5" squares together as pictured below.  Pressing all seams open.

4.  Repeat Steps 1 - 3 for the remaining three units.  See below.

5.  Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the four units together as pictured below.  Press seams open.  Your finished block should measure 12.5" x 12.5".

Happy Sewing and thanks Bliss ladies!

Also if you like this overall design, Lee from Freshly Pieced has a great tutorial for some yummy placemats.

xo, Megan