a week at the lake. [part 1]

i'm baaack! it's amazing how refreshed you can feel after a few days away from home, work, & real life. last weekend my entire family (mom+dad+myself+the BF+little sis+her BF) make the 5 hour drive up to Northern Wisconsin to spend a week at the lake with more family. we've been taking this same trip every year for as long as i can remember and i wouldn't want it any other way! i.love.the.lake.

and you know, it's not really "the lake" itself (although it is a beauty!) that makes this vacation one of my favorites, it's the time spent with family. it's the laughter, the stories, the catching up, the food -- oh man, was there food! most importantly, it's spending quality time with people who always show love, support, & compassion.

between sunshine, beach time, & boat rides i was able to sneak some sewing time in! surprised? :) this year i packed up my machine and brought a few different projects to stitch on. first, i finished up my Denise Schmidt Picnics & Fairgrounds Quilt. <3 <3 <3 the first part of the week i kept thinking this was my favorite quilt i'd ever made...that was until i started the next project.  more pictures + a full recaps to come!

i'll be back tomorrow with more pictures and stories from the lake!

talk soon!

xo, megan. 

festival of hexagons.

Remember all the fun we had during the Festival of Half Square Triangles earlier this year?

Well my pal Ali of a²(w) is keeping the fun rolling with a new blog hop called the

Festival of Hexagons!

<a <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">href</span>="http://www.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">asquaredw</span>.com"><<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://farm8.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">staticflickr</span>.com/7132/7594562440_6e0a6bf998_n.<span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>" alt="Festival of <span style="background: yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">Hexies</span>" /a>

There's great list of bloggers signed on to share tutorials+projects+inspiration and the party wraps up with a linky party for all of YOU to share your hexagon creations!

Check out the schedule.

Monday, Aug. 13

Ali from a²(w)

Tuesday, Aug. 14

Amanda from A Crafty Fox

Wednesday, Aug. 15

Kelly from Kelbysews

Thursday, Aug. 16

Terri from Sew Fantastic

Friday, Aug. 17

Jeni from In Color Order

Monday, Aug. 20

Lindsey from LRStitched

Tuesday, Aug. 21

Kati from From The Blue Chair

Wednesday, Aug. 22

Michelle from Super Orange Sewing (formerly I Like Orange, Too)

Thursday, Aug. 23

Sara from Sew Sweetness

Friday, Aug. 24

Megan from Canoe Ridge Creations <--- you are here! :)

Saturday, Aug. 25

Recap

Aug. 27 - Sept. 2

Link Party

Sept. 3 - Sept. 5

Voting

Friday, Sept. 7

Winners announced

Are you in? Then grab a button and be ready to get your hexi-on starting Monday, August 13th!

xo, megan. 

happiness.

ever get that bogged down feeling? 

too many things to get done, not enough time in the day. 

it seems like one thing, after another, after another....

and then at some point you find yourself feeling behind.

inadequate.

completely frustrated.

in all aspects of life.

you may (or may not!) have noticed things have been a bit quieter than normal these last few months. 

the reason: i just wasn't feeling myself.

i was feeling bogged down. 

i found was comparing myself to other blogs+bloggers. even other people. 

i wanted more. 

more, more, more.

  

and then one day i realized, the happiness has to start from the inside. 

success comes from believing in yourself. 

so i started a complete lifestyle change.
started eating healthier. down 25 pounds this week!
realized how important my friends and family are. 
how much i enjoy sharing+blogging my creations with all of you!

now i find myself more productive.

more organized.

more relaxed.

more content.

and most importantly, i find myself happy again.

:)

have a happy weekend everyone!

xo, megan. 

firefly quilt + tutorial.

happy thursday! ever needed to make a baby quilt in a weekend? maybe your tight on time, but want to make a fun modern quilt? or are you looking for a great beginner project for you or a friend? today i'm excited to share my most recent finish and a free PDF tutorial so you can make one of your own. this quilt top can easily be finished in an afternoon and only uses 2 yards of solid fabric (1 yard each!). finishing up at 40" x 50", it's a great size for a crib quilt or play mat. enjoy!

the inspiration for this quilt actually came from a polo worn by a golfer at the country club where i work. inspiration truly is everywhere! i was drawn to the simple, horizontal+linear lines and am happy with how it translated into a quilt. the machine quilting is simple (just the way i like!) and follows the horizontal design. i choose to straight line quilt 1/4" apart on the white (background fabric) and 1/2" apart on the lime green (main fabric) using Aurifil 50wt in white (my "go-to" thread!). that makes for some great texture!

ready to make one of your own? here's the Firefly tutorial+pdf. fabric requirements, cutting instructions, color diagrams, it's all there! 

if you make a quilt using this tutorial, or use any of my tutorials, please share it in the Canoe Ridge Creations flickr group. i love seeing your creations!

xo, megan. 

{sew} beautiful bee [may+july]

hello, everyone! i hope you all had a wonderful weekend. i spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday playing "catch-up" on a few sewing obligations. today i'm excited to share two of those weekend finishes! both quilt blocks were made for a virtual quilting bee called the {Sew} Beautiful Bee. this quilting bee has some seriously great sewing+blogging talent involved and i'm proud to work with these ladies. 

this first bee block is for Angela of My Three Sons. she asked each of us to make an Improv Pineapple Log Cabin block using this tutorial from the Modern Quilt Guild -- i highly recommend this tutorial! i'm loving her Hawaiian inspired fabric choices (makes me want a beach!). orange+blue = <3 it's going to be a fabulously modern quilt!

every time i look at it, i'm finding myself more and more "attached" to this second block. good thing i dropped it off at the post office this morning before i could keep it for myself! Katie of From the Blue Chair asked for a paper pieced star block (of our choosing!) using this great yellow+gray color palate. the block i chose is called the Kansas Dust Storm. you can find the tutorial and templates over at Freshly Pieced. 

have a great monday!

xo, megan. 

i [heart] instagram.

tap, tap, tap.
is this thing on?
good grief it's been a while since i've blogged. 
seems like i've had lots of things to blog about, just no time to sit down and do it. 
you feeling me?

any who, how's everyone doing?
i honestly miss chatting+connecting+sharing with you all on the blog.
so today i thought i'd share some instagram pictures from the last week or so. 
enjoy!

^^as much as i'd like to take credit for this stinking adorable 

embroidery finish, it was actually stitched by my talented little sister.

seriously, how cute (and tiny!) is this?!
<3 <3 <3

^^i love this time of year. the warm weather, the sunshine, 
and the straight corn rows. 
yep, complete Iowa girl here. 

^^wanna know my favorite place to relax during the summer?

it's right here, on the front porch!

^^my parents celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary over the

4th of July holiday! <3 they took a few days off and sewed together.

she pins & presses, he sews (and rocks at it!).

talk about true love!

^^it seems like much of the US had record setting temperatures 

last week -- Iowa included! the heat index reached well over 110 degrees F

some days. those temperatures combined with the humidity made for

some hot summer days.

^^given that the temperatures were so crazy HOT, we actually spent most of

our 4th of July indoors. but i'm not complaining, 

that just meant uninterrupted sewing time in the A/C!

^^see, i have actually been sewing. :) 

check back tomorrow for a quilty finish and full tutorial!

^^hand stitching the binding = the best part of quilting.

i just love it!

^^i spent a 10 day stretch house sitting+hanging out with this little guy.

he slept, i stitched. talk about match made in heaven!

^^pulled out a WiP last week. 

must.finish.this.quilt.

^^speaking of finishing things up, you all should join the #finishitjuly

party on instagram+twitter. finishing up old WiPs is way more fun with friends!

^^target rocks. enough said.

^^the count down to Sewing Summit 2012 is on!

t-minus 3 months. 

^^it's county fair time! 

this year our little Iowa fair has a barn quilt display. 

phew!

i think that gets you all caught up on what's gong on in my life. 

instagram style. 

if you want more picture updates, feel free to follow me on Facebook and Instagram (@canoercreations)

now tell me, what have you been up to this summer?

xo, megan. 

monday, monday.

Good morning! First things first, after much consideration i've decided to put {Sew} Modern Monday on hold for a while. Between a busy work schedule+summer activities+trips I've found it harder and harder to "keep-up" with these posts. Can you relate? So look for {Sew} Modern Monday to start back up in September and in the mean time, feel free to still share in the flickr group! Thanks for understanding! 

I have been sewing -- a bit! I've always wanted to share my handmade creations with others in the form of an online store and I'm finally taking the plunge. Whoop! Look for a //GRAND OPENING// the first part of August (next month!) and I'll be sure to share details along the way. The Canoe Ridge Creations Shop will feature handmade items -- wallets, pouches, totes, headbands, and much more!  

In other exciting news, I've been focusing on a little summer weight loss in the month. Starting June 2, I committed to a complete life style+eating habit change and have been thrilled by the results -- down 16 pounds! I'm using a program based off of pre-packaged meals (bars+shakes+etc!) and have found it very easy to follow+stay on track. If anyone would like more details feel free to comment or send me an e-mail (megan at canoeridgecreations dot com) -- I'd love to share my story!

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday! 
Talk more soon. 
xo, megan.