Hi friends,

Hopefully you've got all your Halloween crafting finished (ah, for a perfect world, eh?) and can take some time out for a little bit of "me-time" and fun crafts (or maybe craft-blog reading) this weekend. Here are some things that caught my eye over the last little while....

• The Sew Mama Sew blog's scrap-busting contest entries are out-of-this-world inspirational. I loved this patchwork bias tape!
• These granny square slippers from the Purl Bee tickled my fancy. I only got about 8 squares in to that afghan I was planning...I feel an crafty conversion coming up!
• I've been enjoying a new (to me) craft blog recently. Check out The Long Thread (lots of great Halloween ideas there, too).
• I think that Canadian store Room6 might be just what the doctor ordered for those of us who love crafty e-shopping but hate paying shipping, handling, exchange and duty.
• Wouldn't this bag be great to carry your movie snacks in when you go see Where the Wild Things Are?
• I love giving homemade calendars as gifts – but this WhipUp 2010 calendar looks pretty cool!
• Who says garland is just for Christmas? This fall leaf garland is sharp – a great idea if you're looking for decorating ideas for you school's or church's fall fair. (Via wisecraft.)
• I love doll quilts but hate piecing those tiny squares...here's a way to make piecing tiny squares easy.

Alright, I think that's it for now. I'm sneaking away to NYC for the weekend (!!) but don't worry – I'm leaving you in capable hands. Look forward to a super interesting guest post from Tina on Monday and be prepared for a virtual field trip!

(And there's still time to enter this week's contest. You've got until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19!)

Hi friends,

I've got a few random things to share today, so grab a handful of bits-n-bites and here we go!

• Ai at Granted Clothing (remember the David Suzuki sweater?) emailed me today to let me know they've launched a new website, and added to their collection. I love the Links Motif sweater and the Retro Hockey Toques. Actually, I'd take one of everything! See more from the collection.
• If you're thinking about tackling the Leaf Motif table crafts from our October issue, you might be wondering which felt is the best to use. Here's a handy guide to the difference between wool felt, wool-acrylic blend, and acrylic felt.
• I don't like to think about it, but mitten season isn't too far away. One of my favourite Canadian knitters has created a pattern for "flip-top" mitts and she's sharing it for free!
• I love these wonky patchwork stars. I'm envisioning tiny stuffed Christmas ornaments...
• ...speaking of wonky patchwork, I love these little houses. (Here, here, and – wow – more here.) Wouldn't a row of these blocks make a cute valence for your kitchen?
• Don't forget that I've got another set of Creativ Festival tickets, and a copy of Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt, to give away this week. For your chance to win, leave a comment on the giveaway post telling me which prize you'd like. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 4; a winner will be posted on Monday, October 5.

That's all for now. Have a great night!

Hi there,

It's been a crazy day here today – I spent the morning as a hand model for an upcoming craft story (more about that later!), and now I'm up-to-my-eyeballs in food stories for our much-anticipated Christmas issue that need to be copy-edited. Sadly, that means I don't have much time for blogging today. I've got high hopes for tomorrow, though...

...in the meantime, check out this neat animation showing how a sewing machine works. I've always wondered what was going on beneath the throat plate. (Via make something.

And don't forget to enter for your chance to win a pair of tickets and class passes to the festival (or to enter to win a book, if you live too far away to attend). Leave a comment on the contest post telling me which prize you'd like.

Hi friends,

I've had a wicked case of quilter's block (no pun intended!) lately. I started a quilt back in the spring, but I wasn't happy with how it was coming together, and I got stalled. I was spending so much time thinking about what was wrong (I didn't like the colours, or the background, or the fussy cutting required, but it's hard to admit that you bought 31 fat quarters (I know!) for a quilt you're starting to hate) that I couldn't move past it and start something that was right. Have you ever been there? It's so frustrating!

Finally, this past weekend, I got fed up and decided to stop thinking and start sewing, hoping that something would work out. First, I took a trip to The Workroom, my favourite local source for fabric, notions and inspiration. There I picked up two metres of Kaffe Fassett's shot cotton in lovely shades of dark blue and a lighter, sort of chambray blue. I love the softness of the fabric and the way the colours shimmer in the light. Waiting at home I had a precious fat quarter of Nani Iro double gauze in a cute floral print. I washed and dried my fabric (I don't like the idea of throwing a just-finished quilt into the washer only to find out – surprise! – that one of the fabrics shrunk more than the others) and then I got to work.

I've been seeing lots and lots of log cabin quilts in blogland recently, so maybe it's not a surprise that that's the direction I went.  It's a classic shape but there's lots of room for interpretation, and best of all – no fussy cutting. The block you see above is the first one I made; I sewed up another last night that I like even better. That's another good thing – these babies are fast! If I keep at it, I might even have a finished quilt top by Thanksgiving. I recommend this block if you're looking for a good second quilt project – it's manageable, but also fun!

Here are some of the places I found log cabin inspiration:

• A search for "log cabin quilts" on Flickr turned up more than 5,000 photos, and they're stunning. But be careful, too much time poking around those pages and your quilting time will disappear!
• Adelaide's birthday quilt, over at Soulemama, which uses the somewhat unusual method of foundation piecing/quilting the fabric onto the quilt batting, as illustrated in Patchwork Style. (I went to Chapters and picked up a copy last night – what a cute book!)
• Denyse Schmidt Quilts is a go-to for me any time I'm thinking about a new quilt, and the Two-Tone Drunk Love log cabin quilt really piqued my interest. Too bad that the templates have to be photocopied at 400% – practically impossible task for me with my lack of photocopier-mojo!
• Blair at Wisecraft has been on a log cabin kick lately and wow, these are beautiful. She's got an enviable eye for colour. (Sunny center, bolster pillow, patchwork colour study)
• And of course, there's this lovely grey-and-brown block from Karyn of The Workroom.

Photo from Design*Sponge

Hi friends,

I've been thinking a lot about letter-writing recently, so perhaps it's natural that these argyle notecards from Design*Sponge caught my eye. I think they're cute as is, made with recycled magazine pages and a metallic marker, and easy enough for kids to do. Then again, I think they'd be even cuter with scraps of fabric and a bit of machine-stitching! You could even whip up a whole bunch and package them as sets (maybe with a brand-new pen?) for a cute, relatively inexpensive gift.

Hm, that might be something for my weekend to-do list...

Hi friends,

Just a quick post today before the day gets away with me. This tutorial showing how to make a scratch-off lottery ticket just made my day. (From ArtMind, via Whipup.) If I thought I could get away with it, I'd be begging off work with a "headache" to go and try them out right now.

Hope you have a great day. (Oh, and isn't this cake fantastic?)

Hi friends,

Remember when it was custom to bring an apple for teacher on the first day of school? That's immediately what jumped to mind when I saw this:

From Craftapalooza, via Whipup.

Visit Craftapalooza to find the tutorial and templates. Via Whipup.

(Also, rickrack? Awesome.)

Have a great day!

Hi folks,

I'm up to my elbows in ribbon and glitter glue today but I wanted to take a quick break to point you toward this neat quilt-along project over at The Sometimes Crafter. Christina, her mom and her friends wanted to spend some quality time together and they wanted to learn to quilt, so voilà, this sampler quilt sew along was born. Each month, Christina posts a new tutorial and participants get busy crafting the next quilt block. When they're finished, they'll have 12 blocks, enough for a quilt top!

I have always been intrigued by the idea off making a sampler quilt, but put off by the traditional look of the blocks (not that there's anything wrong with traditional blocks, they just aren't to my taste for my home), and that's where the genius of this project comes in – this project has a thoroughly modern look. I especially like the flying geese colour wheel block from July.

Following a quilt-along is a great way to learn new techniques at your own pace, and Christina's tutorials are clearly written with lots of great photos. The fact that there's a different block each month helps keep you motivated to keep going (as any quilter would tell you, a little momentum can help a lot!). 

Have you ever participated in an online quilting bee or quilt-along? Did you like it? How did your quilt turn out?

Hi friends,

I'm sure that all crafters have faced this dilemma at one point or another: how much room is there for your crafts in your home decor?

I've got a big blank wall in my apartment and I need to do something with it. I'd like to make something to fill the space, but I'm having a hard time narrowing down the options. Here are the challenges:

• I live in a studio apartment, so whatever goes on that wall needs to look OK for bedroom, living room, studio and dining room;
• it's a big wall (about 8" by 12"), so I need something with "presence" that's also affordable;
• the wall is opposite a window, so I need something that either won't fade or will look fine if it does, or something that will be easy and (and cheap!) to replace.

My first thought was to hang a quilt on the wall, but after the hours of piecing and quilting, I'd be upset if the fabric faded. My second thought was to do a needlepoint, but considering that cost is a factor (and that I've already waited a year and a half), something like those wonderful Charley Harper tapestries is out of the question.

So right now it's down to these ideas:

• Stretch some of my favourite fabrics in embroidery hoops, like this, and hang them up.
• Make large prints of some of my favourite photos and hang them up (but I'd prefer something craftier).
• Try this idea, passed along to me by Lisa Fielding*. She sent me an email on the weekend and said: "I was just in a knitting shop in Burlington [Spun Fibre Arts] and noticed this on the wall – they've framed a bunch of swatches in complementary colours. Thought it was a neat idea."

I like it, and I have to say that the swatches are in the lead right now. What do you think?

*Remember the picture of Lisa's dog, Douglas, in that handsome bow-tie? If you have a haut dog, too, you might want to check out Lisa's Etsy shop, Longfellow's, where you can buy a handmade bowtie for the special canine in your life!

PS I still haven't heard from Carla, who won last week's giveaway. If you're out there, Carla, check your inbox (and maybe junk mail folder?) for an email from me. Or just drop me a line to claim your prize.

Hi folks,

How did it get to be 4 p.m.? I'm just popping in to say that those of you who are looking for great kids' craft ideas (and judging by this week's contest entries, there are more than a few) should check out The Crafty Crow children's craft collective. I like the stuff Bookhou has got going on, too. There are lots of ideas over there, so you're sure to find a few to carry you over until school starts up again! And of course, Canadian Living's always got your back: check out some of these great ideas.

Have a nice night!