Charley Harper Zippered Pouches

I just finished uploading four Charley Harper Zippered Pouches to the shop.  These zippered pouches are made using 100% organic cotton, a line from Birch Fabrics. The designs are inspired by Charley Harper.

Each pouch is fully lined, uniquely quilted, and soft from added batting. Take a trip over to my Etsy shop to see what is available. Birch does a fantastic job and is one of my favorite fabric manufacturers.

Organize

I am in the process of getting this site organized.  After reading an article that interviewed a number of the quilting community's most prominent bloggers, I decided to clean up this site. I want to just trash all the old posts but that's not fair to my development as a quilter or a blogger. I cannot improve and grow if I do not have a record of where I have been.

As the month progresses, check back for additions to all the pages and posts here. In addition, I am going to be coordinating this blog with my Instagram feed and Facebook page. There does not yet exist a kBear Craftology Facebook page but it is on the list of things I have planned. I am also on Pinterest and Flickr as Ayragon if you want to look me up and follow there as well.

Preparing for August...

...and a month of abstinence. Who, what? That's right, I am going to abstain in August from the following:

• buying fabric [either in a shop or online]
• buying yarn [either in a shop or online]
• buying misc stuff and supplies I do not immediately need [either at Target, Joann's, or wherever]
• buying food that is not on my grocery list
• buying take-out [I will make meals for the entire month]

and if all goes per my plan, I will have less in the kBear Studio by the end of the month and more space for fabric and a new cutting table. That's right, my friends, kBear Crafts Etsy Shop will have fabric to sell in pre-cut bundles and limited by-the-yard bolts in the beginning of October [if all goes according to plan]. I am going to sell Michael Miller, Riley Blake, Westminster/Free Spirit Fabrics, and Cloud9 to start. Within 2014 I want to expand to other manufacturers. That's the big new for this fall.

Too much stuff in here!

For today I have been working on a number of projects. There is now two rows of my brother's Simple T-shirt Quilt completed! He's probably snorting beer through his nose in shock at even the mention of that quilt, let alone photographic proof of progress.

I tried my hand at a t-shirt dress using a neon and gray jersey fabric I've had for a while. It turned out pretty good for a first time, but I was sadly reminded of how much weight I need to lose when fitting the dress before adding sleeves and hemming. So, it's now on a hanger in my closet to remind me to do my daily exercises and to stick to my diet. But here's a look at it so far.

Made a size 6... too bad I'm a 12. Doh!

I finished my July-August swap for FRMQG. It was an "ugly" fabric swap, so we each brought a piece of "ugly" fabric to the July meeting, swapped, and were tasked with making a block out of it. At the August meeting our swap mama, Michelle, will collect the blocks and they will be turned into one great big charity quilt. I am adding some orphan blocks to the one I am turning in for the swap since I am trying to clean out my studio.

It's been so long since I actually last posted that I need to mention a few sort-of housekeeping type things. First, I am on Pinterest now. It's one more thing to suck my time but it is nice to see some of the things my friends are into and it's less work to post a photo and link than it is to Instagram or Facebook.

As for Instagram, I am closing in on 300 followers. I have an idea for something when I get there, a little give-away contest for everyone and a prize for the 300th person. I am very grateful for all the followers I have and really value the correspondence friendships I have made through Instagram, so thank you all for taking an interest in me and the stuff I do.

The last thing on my list to post today is Pay It Forward 2013 progress. I have made one person's item of the 12 on my list... and it's nearly August. Pathetic. I am way off the ball on this one, so here's a little something I am making to send out to one of my recipients, a Lily Bowl made of fabric. The pattern is by Michael Pacey and it's just too pretty. I think I will make these as "Thanks You" gifts for my son's gymnastics instructors and swim instructors. Just beautiful.

That's it for this monstrous post. Tomorrow I want to be just as busy, maybe get some more Simple T-shirt Quilt completed or who knows. I do know that because of the purchasing freeze in August, I may have overindulged a bit this past weekend, so there will be some new items coming via Happy Mail this week. Check the Instagram feed for those pictures and for the 300 Give-Away!

Cheers,
Meg

When the best laid plans go pear shaped...

It is 100 degrees outside today, no kidding, there is a storm coming but I don't think it's actually going to rain, and quilting was an epic failure. I just could not get comfortable with this mini and then my machine made noises I associate with "bad things brewing" and then I just couldn't handle it anymore. I quit, yes I am walking away from this for now, well, not right now, since I have about 1000 stitches to pull and then I think I might do some handwork on it, but I put it down to write this article and finish the knitting projects.

Just noticed the photo bomb...

First up, the Nixie Shawl from KnitScene, Spring 2012 issue. This pretty, simple shawl is jazzed up with the addition of a ruffled tail on one end. I did mine in Dark Arts Teal from A Stash Addict and limited edition Bliss from Fabric Bliss here in Denver. Both are sock weight yarns and I think they went together beautifully. Though I enjoyed knitting this and the yarns I used, I am not in love with this shawl, so it will be going into the kBear Crafts Etsy Shop sometime soon.

 Next is Wingspan from designer Maylin of Tricot Treat. Ok, this one has been out there for a while and many many people have done it. I decided to do mine out of Metallico Flint from Blue Sky Alpacas and Plie Bridgetown Brown from tilli tomas. These yarns both contain silk, either entirely [tilli tomas] or partially [Blue Sky Alpaca] so they were not the easiest of yarns to knit with, and both are sock weight. Boy are they soft though, and I just know I am going to adore wearing this shawl come this fall.

 
Finally, I cast on the Mambu Shawlette from Custom Knit Accessories by Wendy Bernard. I am using Hopper on a Flower from Expression Fiber Arts [one of my favorite people to get yarn from], which is a 4-ply Merino DK weight yarn. It is more robust than I was expecting, and though the pattern calls for yarn of this type, I think my reverse knitting style has it turning out a little denser than shown in the pattern photos. No worries, even though I have just started knitting, this is one of those keepers. If it turns out I don't need the other two skeins of this yarn for the shawlette, I'll make extras and post them for sale.

That's it for now. I am off to rip stitches out of my quilt and then I have my Adventure Block Swap to make for the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild meeting this Saturday at Treelotta at 10:00 A.M. If you're in the area stop by! We love new people in the guild or just to come say "hey".

Cheers

How wingspan looks on.

This is folded on the right side of the picture, it is actually a HST with the ruffle at one end.

..

Not a Real Post

I do not have time at this moment to upload pictures and compose interesting text for this post but I promise to update it soon with all the above. Mostly I just wanted to get it out there that things have been super busy in the kBear studio and two projects have come to near completion.

The Wingspan shawl I started in January is on the floor blocking and then I will weave it's ends and those of the Nixie Shawl that I completed about two weeks back. And my Scrappy Trip mini quilt is done! It is backed and the quilting is commencing today but we used it last night [kind of, since it is a small quilt] and the super goofy crushed velvet backing is such a hoot. I cannot hardly wait to post a real blog article and show you all the final pictures. It's awesome!

Until then, I hear my child calling, have a great Sunday! Cheers.

Mini-Quilt Invasion

So after years of following blogs and reading blogs and hearing about blogs, it's time for my own.  And this first ever post is Mini-Quilts!  I have become addicted to Mini-Quilts; they are everywhere in my studio right now from the mini pictured below to a larger quilt that could probably count as a lap quilt [which I will review another time in a Scrappy Trip Along post].

It's just so fun to try new blocks or fabrics or quilting techniques, and have something that is done in an afternoon and not a week or month [or year].  This mini is from a stack of six inch squares sent to me by the fabulous @brooketyler2002 [IG]; do I know the designer? Nope.  Do I know the line? Nope. Is it super adorable and perfect for me since I live with two guys and blue is everyone's favorite color? Yes, yes, and oh you better believe it, yes! And the two guys are my husband and son... [geeze, people, clean minds!]

The construction of this is super easy too. Just cut 8, 6"x6" squares of patterned fabric, then cut those in 1/2 creating 16 rectangles. Next cut 7, 6"x6" squares of white and repeat the process so you have 14 rectangles. For the first and last rectangles, I cut one each blue and orange, 3"x6". Next arrange to your liking in four rows, alternating print and solid, and sew together with a 1/4" seam allowance. I alternated the direction I pressed the seams so that they nested together but you can press them open too. Sew the rows together and press those seams open. Quilt and bind to finish. See? Easy!

Also on the Mini-Quilt to do list is the monthly Fresh Mini Quilt Club from the fabulous Megan Bohr of Canoe Ridge Creations which has four quilts in it now.  I have some yummy fabric lined up for each of these!

So, as blog posts go I think this is a pretty good first one. Time to get back to this mini so that the binding can get on and it can get into the wash.  I love the freshly laundered feel of quilts, no matter how big or small!

Cheers!

All finished and ready to wash.