this week.

you may be wondering why things have been a bit quiet around here this past week. well the answer is, i've been babysitting hanging out with two 6 year olds (after school), two 3 year olds, and a baby all day for the past week. talk about lots of energy -- it really has been a fun week! and i've learned a few things along the way...

• nap time rocks! although, maybe not on my bank account. i think i've ordered fabric from 4 different online stores during nap time this week. but that just means i have something to look forward to next week, right?
• fashion is out the window. sweat pants+no make-up+pony tail (or should i say, the hair that isn't sticking out every.which.way!) has been my look all week long. i think the BF will be happy to see it go. :) 
• baby-food can fly. across the room. out of a mouth. enough said.
• kids really do say the darndest things. you never know what's going to come out of a 3-year-old's mouth and it's usually best to just ignore it. we've talked about naked aliens, what chicken nuggets are made out of, who's eye is bloodier, and poop -- we've pretty much covered it all when it comes to poop. 
• bread crusts really are gross. it's hard to make a 3 year old eat the crust from a PB&J sandwich when you yourself, at 24 years old, still throw them away. :/
• and somedays there's just not enough diet coke out there.

this week i have really come to appreciate where i'm at right in life right now -- 24 years old and being able to focus on my dreams+aspirations+goals whole heartedly. it's times like this that make me take a step back, be thankful for where i'm at+what i have, and stop trying to rush through life. and while i'm sure someday having a family+children will become a goal of mine, i'm not ready for it just yet. so to all of you mom bloggers out there, let me just say YOU ROCK! the simple fact you balance kids, husband, household, work, etc. and still manage to find time to blog, blows.my.mind. cheers to you all! :)

i can't wait to get back to my sewing machine+blogging this weekend! 
xo, megan. 

how's your week going? 

canoe ridge creations on flickr!

did you all know there's a new canoe ridge creations flickr group? i'd love for you to join and share your pictures! maybe you've been inspired by one of my creations. or maybe you've made something using one of my tutorials. i want to see your creations! and who knows, i might feature a few of them here! :) 


xo, megan. 

{sew} modern monday.

hello, everyone! did you have a good weekend? it was spring cleaning central around Canoe Ridge Creations this weekend. it feels SO GOOD to de-clutter and get rid of unnecessary things! i'm hoping my refreshed attitude will keep rolling, because i have a busy week planned. :) 

let's get right down to the good stuff, {sew} modern monday! do you have a recent modern sewing finish? maybe it's a bee block, a quilt, a pillow -- all modern sewing is welcome! i can't wait to see what you have been up to! please, remember to link back to Canoe Ridge Creations in your post. hit it!

sparkle quilt along | the linky party!

This post is part of the Sparkle Quilt Along, 

for more information click here.

It's time to wrap up the Sparkle Quilt Along with myself and Jeni of In Color Order! And that means it's your turn to link up and share your Sparkle Quilt. We will have the linky party open until March 15, so feel free to share anytime before then. I can't wait to see your Sparkle Quilts! 


Here's my finished Sparkle Mini Quilt, you can read more about it here. 

Thanks to everyone for participating in the Sparkle Quilt Along!

xo, megan. 

granny love.

i'm making progress on my granny square quilt and loving every step of the way! 


i hope you are all having a great week! 
xo, megan. 

{sew} modern monday.

hello, everyone! it's MONDAY and you all know what that means, time for {sew} modern monday! 

did you all have a good weekend? full of LOTS of sewing time i hope! :) i enjoyed a relaxing weekend here in Iowa, with some unseasonably warm weather. anyone else ready for SPRING?!? as for sewing, i'm still working on my Granny Square Quilt for the Old Red Barn Co. QAL. you all should join! it's such a fun quilt design!

thanks to everyone who linked up to last week's {sew} modern monday! there were a TON of fabulous projects, as always. here are a few of my favorites (it was so hard to choose!)...

did you all see this ADORABLE pouch linked up by JuneBug's World?

there's even a tutorial included in the post!

i love the quilting + accent colors on this Habitat

Challenge quilt linked up by The Girl Who Quilts.

Leanne from she can quilt linked up her Kaleidoscope Quilt!

LOVE the colors + fabrics she chose. 

now it's YOUR turn. do YOU have a recent modern sewing finish? then be sure to link it up to {sew} modern monday! please be sure to link back to CRC too! 

granny square quilt along.

if you like hanging out in the online sewing+quilting community as much i do, you have most certainly came across this granny square quilt from Blue Elephant Stitches. doesn't it just rock? when i first saw Jolene's quilt i was instantly attracted to it's fresh, crisp, modern feel. it's a spin on the traditional crochet pattern that i love so much! 

well did you all hear that the granny square quilt is the next Old Red Barn Co. QAL? i'm so excited! ever since meeting Dana at Sewing Summit, i've wanted to join in one of her famous QALs and this Granny Square QAL seems like a perfect opportunity to start!

here's the fabrics i will be using! i've chose a fun and cheery combination of pinks, greens, yellows, blues, and oranges and will be pairing it with Kona White. i think my spring fever is starting to pop up in my sewing+quilting! :) 

so far i have 6 blocks done and i can't wait to start sharing them with you this week! hope you all had a great weekend!
xo, megan. 

welcome, Hawthorne Threads!

i am excited to welcome Hawthorne Threads as Canoe Ridge Creations' newest sponsor! owners Charlie and Lindsay (a husband+wife team!) opened Hawthorne Threads in 2008 and have turned it into a very successful online fabric store! i love how easy to use+navigate their website is and the great customer service. Hawthorne Threads has a HUGE selection of the newest fabric available, with great prices to match! 

have you seen this fabric?!?! it's Washi by Rashida Coleman Hale and i LOVE it! just placed my order with Hawthorne Threads and i can't wait to see it in person. it's very fresh and modern! 

oh and psst!! they are giving away a FQ bundle of the entire Washi collection on their website. go enter! 

be sure to go check out Hawthorne Threads, you won't be disappointed! 

xo, megan. 

contemporary cloth giveaway winner!

phew! how did i miss picking+announcing a 

winner for the Contemporary Cloth giveaway?!?! 

lets get right down to business. 

the TWO lucky winners will each receive a 

$15 gift certificate to Contemporary Cloth. 

#42 -- Kelsey
and
#77 -- tusen

congratulations!

thanks again to everyone who entered!
xo, megan. 

raw edge pez baby quilt.

you know, it's just one of those sewing+quilting things. sometimes you have an idea and you just have to run with it. even when you have PILES of other obligations you should really be focusing on, you still manage to start something new. anyone with me? 

well, that's is exactly the case with this raw edge applique quilt. over the weekend i was trying to come up with a quilt design using charm packs+layer cakes. i wanted a design that didn't take away from the fabric, that was fun and fresh, and i wanted some TEXTURE (i think i've been hanging out with Vanessa too much!). and here's where it all ended up!

i am REALLY excited about the rainbow color affect i achieved by using a Robert Kaufman Kona Solid charm pack. especially paired with the crisp Kona white! which, by the way, i have decided is my all time favorite background+accent color (if you've been around CRC for a while you will know it used to be gray.). everything looks good with white. well almost everything, my covered in mud yellow lab that just walked into the house....yeah not so much. but that's besides the point.  

quilty stats

name: Raw Edge Pez Baby Quilt

size: 36" x 42"

designed: by me

quilted: by me

if you are interesting in making a Raw Edge Pez Baby Quilt for yourself, check out my tutorial! 


happy friday, everyone! 
xo, megan. 

<<linking up to Sew & Tell Friday>>

so close.

 it's in the wash.
i can't wait to share it with you all tomorrow!

xo, megan. 

sparkle quilt along | finishing up.

This post is part of the Sparkle Quilt Along, for more 

information click here. 

Welcome, quilt along-ers! This week we are finishing up your Sparkle Quilts. Just in time for next week's linky party! How is your Sparkle quilt coming along? There are some WONDERFUL quilts popping up in the flickr group! Let's get started...

Basting. 

When you've reached this point in your quilting process there really are quite a few basting+quilting+binding tutorials available for you to reference. Jeni has a fabulous basting+quilting tutorial that follows the same process I use with my quilts. Here are some of the key points+tips I like follow:

• Make sure you press+spray starch your backing and quilt top. It will help everything stay smooth along the way. This stuff rocks!
• I use Quilter's Dream Cotton Batting. It's like quilting on butter -- you should give it a try! I like to use the Select and Request lofts. 
• Personally, I like to spray baste my quilts. Products like 505 Basting Spraymake the process easy-peasy!

Quilting.

Now you are ready to quilt! For my Sparkle Mini Quilt I chose to use wavy organic quilting in a matching Auriful Thread. 

Check out my guest blog post I wrote for more beginner friendly+modern quilting options. I give step by step instructions+helpful tips on how to achieve the following quilting designs, all of which would look great on your Sparkle Quilt.

Straight-line Quilting. 

Wavy Organic Quilting. 

Zig-Zag Quilting.

FMQ--All Over Meander. 

Binding.

The last step! And my favorite step! For me, choosing the perfect binding fabric is just at important (maybe even MORE important.) as choosing fabrics for the quilt top. My favorite binding prints are those that stand out a bit, framing the finished quilt. I like to choose contrasting prints+colors that set it apart from the rest of the quilt. Which is why I chose this gray binding fabric for my Sparkle Mini Quilt. 

If you are looking for a binding tutorial, check out Jeni's here! 

And, DONE!

Thanks for quilting along with us! Don't forget, next week is the Linky Party so be sure to check back and I can't wait to see your finished Sparkle Quilts!

xo, megan.

a new look and a new button.

things are looking a bit different around here....

<a href="http://canoeridgecreations"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9DD_d8otKLnC1GHKvGHbXEKZU4tosciyqFlrvlW6YJmbIzBY_gVKr12Xaa-I4YFKxaK-r4EWt0SuAWgpNyxK-c55Ry09RLO0xr8udNS5g3_MwdCWUrTg6EYl_FMvByTZIvriEBZusg/s1600/button150.png"></a>

and there's even a new Canoe Ridge Creations button! 

feel free to grab a button and add it 

to your blog!

:)

xo, megan. 
**thanks, j!**

new york beauty: a paper piecing quilt along.

I'm very excited to announce the New York Beauty Quilt Along! This quilt along is all about paper piecing. If you've never done paper piecing before, it might sound a little bit scary, but trust me, you can do it! The quilt along will feature step-by-step photos and instructions for each block by some very talented quilters, to give you the confidence to get off and running!

New York Beauty block from Kati of From the Blue Chair

We will be working with 10 New York Beauty blocks, and you can get a preview of the blocks here. Each block instruction makes one 8" x 8" block (as shown in the graphics); you can either assemble 4 of the same block to make one large 15.5" x 15.5" block (as pictured above), or you can mix and match to make something beautiful! 


Here are the approximate fabric requirements if you are planning on making all ten 8" x 8" blocks: 
- 10 fat eighths for main fabrics (or 5 fat quarters or scrap fabric) 
- 1-1/2 yards background fabric

<center><a href="http://www.canoeridgecreations.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Sew Sweetness" src="http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/bluemerleboutique/newyorkbeautybutton.jpg"/></a></center>

And here is the schedule for the block tutorials: 

March 5 - Kim from My Go-Go Life {Block 0} 

March 12 - Sara from Sew Sweetness {Block 5} 

March 19 - Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations (Block 1} 

March 26 - Kati from From the Blue Chair {Block 8} 

April 2 - Jeni from In Color Order {Block 7} 

April 9 - Amy from Sukie Don't You Know Who I Am? {Block 6} 

April 16 - Katy from The Littlest Thistle {Block 2} 

April 23 - Lee from Freshly Pieced {Block 4} 

April 30 - Amy from AmyLouWho {Block 3} 

May 7 - Lindsay from Lindsay Sews {Block 9} 

If you are thinking about participating, please join the Flickr Group! 


We'll be sharing fabric choices and help along the way! So...are you game?! Grab a button and we'll see you on March 5th for the first block of the series!!


xo, megan. 

something new.

new tutorial coming soon! :) 
xo, megan.

lately.

i found this Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns (new!) while shopping at a LQS Super Bowl Weekend! it's been out of print since 1993 and it's hard to come by online, so when i nabbed it for around $20 i was super excited! i think it's going to be a great quilty reference book for years to come. 

i'm still trucking away on my HST+hexagon project. i've decided to turn into a mini quilt and i'm hoping to finish it up for the Modern Mini Challenge with Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts. 

have any of you heard about the green monster smoothies? well i'm ADDICTED to these things! it's basically a nutrient packed smoothie with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt, milk, and spinach. my favorite combination is 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1/2 cup frozen blue berries, 8 oz. of greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of skim milk, and 3 cups of fresh spinach. yummy! they are so tasty!

i booked my flight to SLC for Sewing Summit this week. i can't wait to travel with my good friend Jeni! 


what have you been up to lately?


xo, megan. 

{sew} modern monday.

hello, friends!

are you ready for 

{sew} modern monday?

there were TONs of great projects linked up last week! a special thanks to everyone who participates+plays along each and every {sew} modern monday! the amount of modern sewing inspiration that is linked up each week is fabulous! i am so thankful to be in the company of so many very talented sewists. :) here are some of my favorites linked up last week...

heather d. from Crafting... linked up her finished quilt top

from The Sparkle Quilt Along. nice work, heather! 

i can't wait to see how you quilt this beauty. 

janine from Rainbow Hare Quilts linked up this 

beautiful quilt. i love the red binding she chose!

and this owl pincushion is just ADORABLE! :) 

it was linked up last week by delilah from Love. Laugh. Sew. 

now it's time for YOU to link up your modern sewing finishes! just be sure to link back to Canoe Ridge Creations somewhere in your blog post! :) 

{sew} modern monday.

hello, everyone! did you all have a good weekend? it's monday morning and you all know what that means! it's time for {sew} modern monday! i'm still having fun playing around with those half square triangles+hexagons and don't have a whole lot of progress to report. they are so relaxing to stitch on that i really don't want to rush the process. :)


so, it looks like it's YOUR TURN! do you have a modern sewing finish? then link 'em on up! please be sure to link back to Canoe Ridge Creations somewhere in your post too.


pssst! if you like modern fabric, be sure to enter in the contemporary cloth giveaway!