{Sew} Modern Monday #40

It's {Sew} Modern Monday time!

and Halloween time! :)

i seriously love Halloween. the fun, the excitement, the costumes, the CANDY! :)  and the pumpkin carving! what's not to love about Halloween??

so rather than share a sewing finish of my own today, i thought i'd spread a little Halloween spirit. like i said, i love pumpkin carving. but not nearly as much at the BF does. about a week ago, he was practically begging for us to go pick out pumpkins and carve them. in other words. he's.a.big.KID. when it comes to stuff like this. :) 
 
here's what we our pumpkins looked like when it was all said and done. can you tell what our hobbies are??
 

<<my pumpkin.>>

<<the BFs pumpkin.>>

happy halloween!

 

now it's your turn. have a modern sewing finish? then link it up! but please, include a link back to Canoe Ridge Creations in your blog post.

Bloggers' Quilt Festival [[tumbler quilt]]

<<it's time for bloggers' quilt festival over at Amy's Creative Side. even though this is only the second time i have participated in bloggers' quilt festival, i seriously look forward to it! for those of you not familiar with BQF, it's just like it sounds -- a fun linky party for bloggers to share a quilt of their choice. when it's all said and done, there will be hundreds and hundreds of fabulous quilts linked up. so not only is it a great place to find quilty inspiration, but it's also a wonderful way to connect with other bloggers in the online sewing community. win, win.>>

for this bloggers' quilt festival i had a difficult time choosing a quilt to share with you all. more specifically, i was caught between finishing up a WiP quilt or to share a quilt i already had finished. ultimately, i wanted a quilt that represents my quilting "style." so i have decided to share my tumbler quilt!

 

i started this quilt during a summer vacation to the lake -- which i think is part of the reason it remains one of my favorite finishes to date. every year, my family (mom, dad, sister, and bf) and i pack up our vehicles in Iowa and head north to Wisconsin for a week at my aunt & uncle's cabin.  it has become something our two families look forward to each year -- the lake, the boats, the fishing, the quiet time, the family time. all of that. we eat when we want. we sleep when we want. we drink when we want. and for me, this quilt represents all of that.
 

i have always wanted to make a quilt using the classic tumbler pattern. it's simple, yet striking. and paired with a yummy combination of Kona solids, it's modern. everything i love! 
 

it should come as no surprise that i.love.gray. seriously, love it. which is why it seems to always be the neutral of choice in many of my quilt finishes. but with this quilt, i opted for a classic Kona white as my neutral. for the other Kona solids i went for an array of grays and blues with a punch of yellow.
 

 
the back of the quilt was pieced using some of the left over scraps from the front. and of course, a little more gray!

continuing with that simple yet striking theme, i chose an organic wavy quilting in white to finish this quilt off. it's an easy alternative to the classic straight-line quilting and has quickly become my quilting go-to method. mostly because there's no right or wrong to it!
 

Quilt Stats

Name: Tumbler Quilt

Size: 42" x 44"

Fabric: Assorted Kona cottons

Pieced by: me

Quilted by: me

now grab a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, or my favorite--a cold diet coke, and head on over to Amy's Creative Side and check out all of the fabulous quilts that are a part of Bloggers' Quilt Festival.

xo, megan

this week.

this week i've been:
>>under the weather with a head cold.
>>enjoying the world series games.
>>knitting like a mad woman.

what's everyone else been up to this week?

<<be sure to enter in the giveaway, too!>>

xo, megan

{Sew} Modern Monday #39

 It's time for {Sew} Modern Monday!

and truth be told, no sewing finishes to share over here. :) 
so take it away folks! link up your recent modern sewing finishes.
if you need a rule refresher, you can find them here.
 
xo, Megan

**be sure to enter in the giveaway too!**

spreading the love [[giveaway]]

<<giveaway is now closed>>

two weeks after sewing summit and things are finally getting back to normal around here.

my suitcase is officially unpacked.

i've managed to squeeze in some sewing time.

and even had a little post summit meet up. 

more on that last one later this week because i think it's time for a little giveaway!

 

erin and amy lined up an impressive list of sponsors for this first year of sewing summit and what was even more impressive were the swag bags for all of the attendees. they were pilled high with goodies!

 

so i've decided to keep on spreading the sewing summit love and have pulled a few of my favorites for one fabulous giveaway. here's what's up for grabs!

let's see, there is:

--5 spools of Aurifil thread

--Martingale & Company notepad

--Robert Kaufman Kona charm square pack (dark palette)

--Quilter's Block-a-day Calendar CD

--Lizzy House journal

--Izzy & Ivy Designs: Ruthie's Romper pattern

--Modkid Sewing Patterns: Hummingbird Quilt pattern

--ADORNit: Long Live Vintage Pattern Book

Here's how to enter:

1.) Leave a comment -- any thing will do. (1 entry)

2.) Follow Canoe Ridge Creations -- and leave a comment telling me so. (1 entry)

the giveaway will be open until Sunday, October 30th at 10 pm CST. International readers welcome! :)

Good luck!

xo, megan

9 bee blocks, 1 day.

that's the kind of intense sewing situation you find yourself in when you slack.on.bee.blocks. guilty as charged. i like to blame it on sewing summit, but in reality - - it's my crazy life that's gotten in the way. enough with excuses tho, here's what went down yesterday. side note: please excuse the pictures. i was more concerned with takin' care of business than photography. :)
 

[bee block #1] September {Sew} Beautiful. 
yep, September. need i go further? ok, ok. AnneMarie asked for this simple Dutch Pinwheel pattern (tutorial here!) using Ruby and Bliss charm squares. charm squares + HSTs = easy peasy. i love the way this block turned out -- simple and traditional-ish. :)
 

[bee block #2, #3,and #4]September do. Good Stitches.
another September. for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches, we were asked to make 3 blocks of varying sizes following a string pieced log cabin pattern. our quilter for the month requested we use solid fabric in the cool color-way -- greens, blues, and purples -- with a contrasting print for the center. again, easy peasy. and i actually enjoyed this method of improv sewing. gasp!
 

[bee block #5, #6, #7, #8, and #9]November do. Good Stitches.
yep, jumping ahead a month.  can you blame me? these blocks are super fun and modern. love them! Linda Beth asked for blocks using an orange or blue solid accented with orange, blue, and black & white printed fabrics. i am super happy with the way these five turned out!
 

so there you have it, 9 bee blocks, 1 day. moral of the story. i am a total procrastinator. :)
 
now, with only 3 bee blocks left to make (with an October deadline) i am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. and i will be knocking those 3 out tonight. no ifs, ands, or buts!

xo, Megan

a new 'do.

a very special THANKS to my pal Holly for designing my new blog header!
see it up there?
:)
i love it!

what do you all think?

oh how i've missed you.

i was finally able to get back at my sewing machine last night -- it's been almost 2 weeks! here's a little sneaky peaky of what i am working on. more pictures soon!  

 

 

what's everyone sewing this week??

 

xo, Megan

{Sew} Modern Monday #38

It's baaackkk! :) 
 
{Sew} Modern Monday time!

It's that time again to share some fabulous modern sewing finishes and guess who doesn't have anything to share? Meee. In fact, I have yet to touch my sewing machine since I got back from Sewing Summit.  Second fact, my suitcase is still packed. :)  Oh well.  I'm hoping to get back sewing sometime this week.
 
I wanted to say a special thanks to everyone who left a nice comment on my quilty dreams post! Your words of encouragement seriously mean the world to me! So, thanks! And I don't want to jinx anything, but I am already on my way to making one of those dreams a reality. Hint: I see lots of sewing in my near future. eeeek! :)
 
Enough about me, lets get to the fun part -- your modern sewing finishes!  Just remember to please include a link back to this post in your own blog post. 

ETA: I hate to be a stickler, but you must include a link back to {Sew} Modern Monday in your blog post or your link-up will be deleted. please. and thanks. :)

sewing summit [the loot]

you know you have a fabric addiction when you go back to the quilt store, just to finish filling your carry on bags. yep. been there. done that.
 
friday morning, before the official sewing summit festivities started, i took part in a little bus shop hop with 50 other women. and i shopped.til.i.dropped. literally. we visited two shops that i seriously couldn't get enough of. if you ever find yourself in SLC, you must check out Material Girl Quilts and Pine Needles. they are fab.u.lous. 
 

first up: fabric. my stash at home was in need of some blender fabrics, so i was on a mission. lots of fat quarters.
 

 
i also picked up a couple patterns that have been on my wish list for a while.
 

 
there were lots and LOTS of fabulous door prizes on our shop hop. my prize was this adorable Halloween jelly-roll. so i had to pick up a fat quarter and charm pack to go with it. 
 

at this point i was totally satisfied with my purchases, but i still had room in my carry on. the solution: yarn store! i picked up a few yummy fall yarns to make some cowls. 

phew!

this doesn't even include the fabulous sewing summit swag bags! more on that later. :)

hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

xo, megan

dream on.

Source.

we all have dreams and aspirations, right? things we constantly think about and work hard to achieve. well most of mine involve fabric. :) i thought i'd share some of them with you all -- which is totally and completely nerve-wrecking and exciting all at the same time. i'm hoping that by blogging about them, some day i will be able to come back and say, "see, told ya so!" :)

quilty dreams.

1) i would love to have my name published in a quilty magazine. ok, well i've actually already achieved the name part (and the picture i suppose) in copy of American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine Top 10 Quilt Shops (2006??). my LQS was featured and i was an employee at the time. don't get me wrong, i think it's totally rad but i'm thinking something a little different. like a published quilt pattern. :)

2) along the same lines, i would love to be a quilt pattern designer. and a few downloadable patterns off my blog is not what i'm thinking. i want in your face, real life quilting patterns. you get the picture, right?

3) which brings me to my next goal. quilt market. i want to go to quilt market. not just for the fun of it--like taking pictures with Tula Pink (don't get me wrong though, i'd love that too!). i want to go with a purpose, to buy or sell.

4.) and ultimately, i want to own my own quilt store. the brick and mortar kind. with fun, modern fabrics. it's been a dream of mine since i started working at my LQS at the age of 14, and now nine years later, i still think about it every day. swoon.

so there you have it, my quilty aspirations.

now you can call me crazy, i can totally take it. :) but at 23 years old, i am bound and determined to make some of these (if not all) a reality! so one day i can look back and say, "see, told ya so!" :)

what are your goals and aspirations? they don't have to fabric related like mine, they just have to be YOU.

xo, Megan

sewing summit weekend [take 1]

as most of you know, this past weekend was the first annual Sewing Summit in SLC. the entire weekend buzzed by and i am having a hard time even describing how wonderful it really was. there were so many great things about the weekend, i think the best way is to start at the beginning...and in two parts.
 
THURSDAY:
i arrived in SLC early afternoon (and brought my parents along!) and check into the fabulous hotel, Little America. it was one of those picture perfect hotels, with chocolates, turn down service and cute bell boys. :) once we settled in, we decided to kick of our little vacation with a drink at the hotel sports bar. and after a casual twitter invite, our group kept multiplying as more and more sewing summit ladies came down to the sports bar. so fun!

 
later that night i officially met Erin and Amy! which was a surreal experience in itself. for months, the three of us have been swapping emails, google chatting, and tweeting back and forth and WE FINALLY MET! :)


FRIDAY:
this is when the real fun began! i helped out with registration, passed out fabulous swag bags, and there was a bus shop hop -- and LOTS of fabric purchases (more on that later). and then the official sewing summit meet and greet reception. :) just imagine 200 sewing and blogging women, in one room. the excitement was bursting at the seams. 

i remember at one point looking over at the bartender who was working the event and wondering what he was thinking. i'm sure he was throughly confused about so many women, from all across the world, sitting and talking about fabric and sewing. and i'm pretty sure that confusion was aparent all weekend long.  in fact at one point, an older man approached a group of us and asked "so do you all really sew." when we answered with a confident "yes" he responded, "the women i know that sew aren't as attractive as you all." thanks buddy. :)
 
later that night, i went for dinner with most of the ladies from my {sew} beautiful bee. SURREAL! we've all been in an online sewing bee together since January, we've chatted through countless flickr discussions, and we finally met! so, so cool!

{sew} beautiful!!, by emedoodle on flickr

then as if the hadn't already exceeded my expectations, i spent the rest of the night sewing we these fabulous ladies. the amount of crafty concentration was off the charts. love it! 

and that's a wrap on part one. i'll be back soon to share the rest with you all!

xo, Megan

just wanted to pop in and say HI! :) 

today is my last day in SLC, the weather is great and I am trying to make the most of it by squeezing in some last minute shopping--yarn and fabric!

hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

xo, Megan

{Sew} Modern Monday #37

It's that time again....

Ever since the day Sewing Summit became a reality, the Amy Butler Weekender has been on my sewing to-do list. I promised myself that no.matter.what I would have a Weekender to take to Salt Lake City. It's the perfect bag--big, tailored, professional. And, intimidating! But I was determined.

I had originally bought a kit a few years back--with some of Ms. Butler's fabric--but after I came across this bag made by Ali, it was thrown right out the back door. I knew had to have those yellow zig-zags--but with gray! And I found it--half price!--at a fabric chain store. Score!

So I cut out my outer fabric. Then I cut out my lining fabric. And I cut out my fusible interfacing. And then I cut out my Peltex.  And then I cut, and I cut, and I cut.  You get the picture, right? Several days (i kid, i kid--hours.) later I started the bag construction.

At this point I realized the most valuable tool of Weekender Bag construction--find a friend to text, lots! Elizabeth and Michelle and I all tackled our Weekenders at the same time and were able to share tips, questions, and frustrations. And it made a world of a difference--especially when you get stuck on tricky steps (was it 10b??). Thanks, ladies!

In the end, I am so happy I conquered the Weekender Bag because it became a sewing right of passage for me. :) There were some serious frustrations, and I may have cursed Amy Butler a time or two, but in the end it's totally worth it. I love this bag!

And now I'm one step closer to Sewing Summit. Just have to finish up my name tag, a little zippy pouch, and possibly a new laptop cover.

On to {Sew} Modern Monday! It's time for you to link up your modern finishes! A special thanks to everyone who linked up last week--50!! But first a few house keeping details:

• Because I will still be in SLC next Monday, we will be taking a break from {Sew} Modern Monday and I promise to be back the following Monday (10/17)!
• Remember--this is SEW Modern Monday.  So....a) your finish should involve sewing. :), b) it should be a finish, and c) please link back to CRC. :) please, and thanks. rule benders will magically disappear. 

Hit it!