December Packages Ready!

December is my month in the Pretty in Pink Bee and so today I spent some time preparing my packages.  I've asked everyone to make me a star block (two if they have time) any size up to 12.5" unfinished.  The people in this bee are a creative bunch and I really look forward to what they come up with!

The fabric I chose was Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow in Berry.  I just love pink and green together!

Also, since December brings the holidays, I added a little something for everyone.  Enjoy!

Bee Blocks and Soul Blossoms

Ravishing in Red Bee Blocks for November

Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler

Eating Right

Okay, so now that I am all booked for Panama I am newly motivated to eat better and hopefully lose some weight.  My biggest challenge is snacks.  I don't tend to eat between meals (and often skip meals altogether) and this obviously is not working for me!  Does anyone have any suggestions for healthy snacks?  If I have to resort to carrot and celery sticks every time, this endeavour will be an epic fail!

And, because fabric diets have no calories...some fabric love:

I Remember

Today is Remembrance Day, a day that has always made me feel a little melancholy. I take this day to not only pay tribute to our fallen soldiers, but to think about the people in my life who I have lost and the family stories that fade with every day that they are gone.

This year, I am thinking about my grandparents. My grandfather who fought in WW2 and came back with secrets his family wouldn't know about until years after his death, and still don't fully comprehend to this day. My grandmother, who selflessly put aside her dreams to care for her ailing husband, only to spend her last few years alone, struggling for every breath as a result of pulmonary fibrosis.

Today, my Remembrance Day is for you. To Alex and Kathleen whose lives were forever touched by WW2, and who in spite of their challenges, were able to build a life and family together.

A good account of what Remembrance Day represents:

CBC News - Canada - Remembrance Day: Lest we forget

Fabric Love

Yesterday I had some fabric arrive in the mail that I ordered from Hawthorne Threads.  I just love buying fabric from there, the website shows off the fabric so well, and the shipping is reasonable for me.  It is amazing how much fabric can fit into one of those flat rate envelopes!

These red and blue fabrics are the ones I really set out to buy, but if I am paying the shipping, I always like to fill the envelope, you know?

With these I plan on finishing my first "bee" quilt.  Back in May I had everyone in one of my bees make these blocks for me:

I had sent out all of the red and aqua fabric I had for this quilt and unfortunately, I didn't receive one of the blocks back.  So, this now being November, I gave in and bought some more red and aqua fabric so that I could finish the block, and ultimately the quilt, myself.  I can't wait until I can finally enjoy this quilt!

Does anyone else have a project that they have on the back burner for one reason or another?  What reasons do you have for stopping work on a project before it is finished?

Getting a Start on Christmas

Made some soap last weekend for Christmas gifts, and maybe a few bars for my annual supply.  The soap always turns out so pretty, if I do say so myself....

Dresses, check!

Invitations are out, location is booked, and bridesmaids dresses are ordered.  Check, check, check!

Somehow I am having more fun planning this wedding, than my own.  Ah, the joys of spending someone else's money!  LOL.

The dress we chose for the bridesmaids was from the Cynthia Rowley Bridesmaid Collection for The Dessy Group.  The colour we chose was "Apple Slice."  

Great timing!

Yesterday I posted that I was having trouble with getting the points to line up on my pillow.  I had some great suggestions for 'saving' the one that I already made, and I think instead of entirely ripping it apart I am going to embrace it for what it is and keep it.  But since the intended recipient was my Modern Swappers partner, I just want it to be more perfect so I will attempt it again.

Fortunately, when I went on Flickr this morning I saw that someone else had made a pillow similar and the points matched up!  Also fortunately, she was kind enough to make a tutorial for her pillow that I think might help.  Especially since the suggestions she gave for sewing it together were already mentioned by Kelly in yesterday's comments.  Apparently I need to hear it in stereo for it to sink in!  LOL.

Anyway, I'm hoping to make another one this weekend, so wish me luck!

Points? What Points?

Yesterday I was flipping through my Stitch magazines and saw the Pi Pillow in one of the Spring Issues.  I thought it looked pretty darn good, and so I immediately put together some fabrics and cut out the wedges.  I laid the wedges out on the table and everything was going well.  I might even have given myself a mental pat on the back.

Picture of the Pi Pillow from the magazine

This morning, I woke up and my first task of the day was sewing all of those wedges together into what was promising to be a cute "rustic" pillow.   Unfortunately, even with careful pinning, the wedges did not line up at the end.  Instead of looking like the beautiful pillow in the picture above, I got this:

...and here's a close up:

So if anyone has any suggestions about how to get those points to line up, please share your expertise, as I could really use the help!