finishing

Untitled, originally uploaded by carolanne.graham.

For New Years, I avoided the sure to fail vow to finish off my works in progress.  What quilter/knitter would do such thing?  It always ends the same way.   Someone, who claims to be on your side, designs something off-the-hook adorable like this.  However, I wisely decided on a manageable Christmas gift for my friends; one that could be easily repeated.  I knitted 10 hats, plus a pair of socks which were a huge mistake because my fingers were so sore on Christmas morning that I had to take an Advil with my Mimosa.  The hats were the perfect Christmas project.  Working on them made me so happy.  Not surprisingly, the little pile of successes renewed my courage and I stared down my unfinished projects undaunted.  I resolve now to look at each one individually, instead of as a critical mass of Attention Deficit symptoms.  Two are now off the list and the last quarter of a red sock is in my cross hairs.  Stand by for the slide show.

katherine may

For those of us who know and love Johanna's English Paper Piecing class, we know how much fun Katherine May is having here. What I notice first is that she does not impose relentless precision on her structure or design. Take a look at the rest of her work. She brazenly combines fabrics; something with which I have always struggled. However, I have started feeling a less deliberate style of quilting bubbling up in me. Despite the potential, I have never explored the economy of quilting. Most people I know un-apologetically proclaim that their hobbies are "expensive". I live right next to an amazing Value Village in Toronto and I know that it is loaded with untapped potential. I wonder what I could make if I used only recycled fabrics? I think I will devote a little space this month to finding recycled wonders; and then I shall decide what to do with my current fabric budget. Ha!

sneak peak

I had a heads-down fall; as we sometimes must.  I am working very hard on several projects for my career (present and future) and also for sewing. This is a sneak peak for a class that is under development right now.  I have a few more blocks to complete and then I undertake the epic task of writing directions.  I will come clean about a disappointment that I had this summer. My indigo crop failed miserably. Toronto was incredibly hot and I am no longer working from home.  This means that the necessary coddling of my plants could barely be squeezed in between work and life. In truth I several issues that needed coddling and it left me as parched and dehydrated as my plants. I suppose loading myself with goals this fall felt like a logical way to overcome the disappointment.  I don't think that life will ever seem long enough for me to accept that balance is worth achieving.  More star snaps to come this week...

making the most

Source: anthropologie.com via Carolanne on Pinterest

I think that all of us who lovingly toil over our quilts, in whatever technique, deserve a cape! 

if I were in charge

Source: trendtablet.com via Carolanne on Pinterest

If I were in charge of the Eaton Centre I would swap out all of the current geese hanging from the roof for spectacular indigo ones like this!

regent park women and families quilting group

Source: cbc.ca via Carolanne on Pinterest

I take the streetcar through Regent Park on my way to work every day. For those of you not from Toronto, Regent Park was initially planned as social housing and poor design made it one of Toronto's no-so-safe places. Like the artists who devoted over 870 hours to this stunning piece I prefer to see it this way. Occasionally I walk home from work and I love seeing the little gardens that the residents keep. There are tons of noisy kids playing together and people talking to their neighbours. Say what you will about it, the Regent Park community is an exceptional place. Listen to the CBC interview here and read the Toronto Star article here. 

Source: nicoleklee.blogspot.ca via Carolanne on Pinterest

I stumbled across Nicole Lee's blog a few months ago; in search of a kindred quilting spirit. Not only is Nicole a talented quilter, she is also a dedicated sock knitter. Where have you been all my life? She had only just started working on this amazing quilt with fabric from Shabd. True love at first sight. So often pattern imposes a conflicting narrative on a quilt. I had been looking for fabrics that would bring greater independence to my work. I hadn't considered sourcing from a dyer, but this piece inspired me to pick up a few remnants myself. Mine are much smaller than than Nicole's which has lead to an unfortunate and very serious case of "yardage envy".  I can't wait to see this completed.

Bonus: if you follow regularly, you occasionally get to see pictures of this totally awesome cat.