From K - Sewing Summit Recap and Photos

Last week Amanda and I were very fortunate to attend the third annual Sewing Summit in Salt Lake City Utah, and I feel like I can't possibly convey what an amazing time we had - but I'm going to try my best in this post!

Oh look, a photo of me and Amanda... like together in a photo! ^

We each took 8 classes and surprisingly only 2 of those overlapped. The first class we both took was Fabric Design with Pat Bravo on Day 1, and we were blown away with her presentation. It was really fascinating to hear what inspires her and what process she uses when designing new lines.

Pat Bravo teaching Fabric Design

The second class we took together was Stash Mixology on Day 2 with Elisa from Stitch Outside the Ditch. This class was easily one of my favourite courses and I learned so much about how you can give your quilts depth and impact. Seriously people, this class was the bomb and Elisa was the perfect way to wake up after a nearly all night sew fest the night before.

Olivia Omega's presentation on Personal Branding was the perfect mix of engaging, hilarious and completely enlightening. I think a lot of us left her course feeling empowered in who we are as bloggers and people... and maybe a few of us debated a way to steal her super cool comic book skirt!

Here's a shot of Shannon, Olivia, Erin and I after the Personal Branding class.

I learned a lifetime of information in Melissa Esplin's Photography course and I hope to improve my photo skills really soon! I apologize in advance for how yellow many of these photos are - the hotel lighting left much to be desired unfortunately.

Melissa posted a summary of her presentation yesterday on her blog and I strongly suggest you check it out - she has some very unique tips that are worth the read.

One of my favourite classes was learning how to make an Equilateral Triangle Quilt with Jeni Baker from In Color Order. It felt so freeing to purposely jumble up my triangles and then sew them together in a completely random fashion. It was the perfect after lunch hands on class and I'm excited to share my progress with you soon.

It was really neat to put real faces and voices to blogs that I love and have followed along for ages. I had more than one fangirl moment at this years' summit. Here's a shot of Katie, myself and Jeni. These girls have truly inspiring blogs and they were some of the very first I started following.

While the classes were fantastic, I have to say though that without a doubt this past weekend was incredible if for no other reason than because of all of the amazing new friends that we met. I have never felt so at home in a room full of strangers before in my life, and after only a few short days I wouldn't consider using the term 'strangers' again. We met so many wonderful people and I would be happy to bring them all home with me (seriously friends, visitors are always welcome!). Few experiences are as fun as late night open sew and the energy and enthusiasm in the room each night was infectious.

Here are just a few of the incredible people we met last weekend:

Amanda, myself (Kelsey), Shannon and Shannon. ^

Middle eastern cuisine for supper - yumm! Amanda and Erin. ^

Late night open sew with delicious delicious iced tea. Me and Shannon. ^

Sara and her incredible quilt. This lady was a basting machine, I only wish I could be so speedy! ^

Lynn, Christine and Kate in class being super studious. ^

Shop hop stop at Quilter's Haven with Shannon, Megan and Anna. ^

Elena (who may just be the world's sweetest person) taught the metal frame purse class and was really encouraging. I'd love to bump into this lady again someday. ^

 

I think Amanda and I averaged about 4-5 hours of sleep each night so we're still catching up on zzz's but it was worth it in every way. I have some pressing deadlines to get cracking on and I hope to have more to share soon (including a 30lb shop hop, yarn and swag post yay!).

From K - Staple Dress in Seattle

When Amanda was visiting two weeks ago we took the opportunity to hit up a couple of local quilt shops. While we were out and about, I found some amazing super light weight cotton and decided it would be perfect for my first attempt at a Staple Dress.

After a couple hours of sewing with pattern in hand, I wound up a little gem of a dress. A week later the hubs and I ventured down to Seattle where we crossed paths with Amanda and her Mr. again (for the third weekend in a row - WHA?!).

The weather was stunning and I was thrilled to sport my new dress for the first time. Amanda helped me decide on the hem length and I think she had the right idea. I can see this piece transitioning into fall easily with dark tights and heals.

I'm also so happy that I made the pocket version of this dress. April's detail into making these pockets really impressed me. They lay to the front of the dress people, the front! This may not mean much to you if you haven't sewn many dresses, but my washi pockets often lay to the back and it's terribly frustrating. That in itself will guarantee more staple dresses in my future.

Amanda's hubby graciously took these pics for me down on Pier 57. We all sauntered back down to the waterfront one evening at dusk to ride the Seattle Great Wheel and the views were spectacular.

Between shopping and quilt shop stops, we also managed to hit up the classics like Pike Market and the Seattle Aquarium! It was a fantastic way to end our three weekend extravaganza.

I'm going to miss seeing that cousin of mine each weekend but lucky we get to catch up again in Sepetmeber, when Sewing Summit rolls around! Anyone else coming to SS2013?

Linking up to Needle and a Thread Thursday over at My Quilt Infatuation; as well as Finish it up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF over at Bedtime Quilting. Come join in on all these linky parties to see some of the other great projects!

From K - Bears and Knitted Firsts

The hubs and I spent this past May long weekend out at our family cabin, and while we were there I had a couple of knitted firsts. Upon finishing up another pair of socks (post to follow), I decided it was about time that I learned how to ball my own yarn.

I followed an excellent YouTube tutorial (found here) on how to use a piece of a paper towel roll to create a center pull ball of yarn.

The first roll turned out fantastic and I was really happy with how quick it was for me to to roll up myself. The second skein I tried wasn't quite as glamorous though, and ended up in 17 balls!

On our drive out to the cabin we drove past a grizzly bear, a black bear, 2 elk and two separate herds of big horn sheep (27 in total!). One of the herds that we passed actually stopped traffic on the highway and the sheep wove in and out of the stopped cars. It was a truly incredible drive through the Rockies and I'm not sure if we could ever top it again, but I know we won't forget it anytime soon.

On our drive home we spotted a brown phased black bear cub scavenging for some supper just off the road. I couldn't believe how close this bear got to our car, this photo was taken only a few yards away (from the passenger side of our car with a cracked window of course!). Spring has officially sprung if the bears are out of their dens!

 

From K - Moroccan Tea and Knitting

This past week I spent 100% of my downtime laid out with a spring cold. In my world, this typically equates to spending far too much time browsing Ravelry, shopping for wool online and a whole lot of tea drinking!

Since visiting Morocco last fall, I prefer my mint tea extra sweet. Wonderful, delicious, Moroccan tea *sigh (here's a shot I took last September while bartering over some treasures in the medina).

When I was able to pull myself away from Ravelry, I made some progress on a pair of socks that I intend to gift soon. One sock down, one more to go!

Since I can't seem to shake Ravelry from my mind, and because I'm always interested, what have you been adding to your project list lately? I'm thinking it might be time for me to venture beyond the world of socks; maybe a scarf, shawl or cowl - your suggestions are welcome! If you feel so enclined, feel free to check out what Amanda and I have been drooling over on our accounts here and here.

I'm off to sip more tea, browse more patterns, and finish that second sock. Wish me luck!

From A & K - NYC Crafting Haul

No trip would be complete without a bit of craft tourism. Although we only had 5 short days in the Big Apple, we managed to hit up two craft legends in a big way.

First up was Purl Soho. Amanda went for the Liberty and Kelsey went for, well, everything.

Although it might look like it in this picture, Purl Soho is not for giants and Amanda is not what you would typically call vertically challenged. We made it to Purl about a hour before closing time and it took us until closing time to decide what lovely things would be following us home.

Kelsey bought fabric to make a new bag and her very first Liberty Tawna Lawn!!

Amanda walked out with 4 yards of a gorgeous Liberty print that she's had her eye on for months now.

Later in our trip we made the trek to Brooklyn on the subway and found a beautifully serene community. We were greeted by an idyllic shower of flower petals and streets full of beautiful flowering trees at every turn. The gorgeous scenery followed us all the way to the Brooklyn General Store.

Amanda was so excited to start sifting through the lovely things at Brooklyn General that she couldn't even wait until Kelsey was smiling to take this photo! Meh, close enough!

This place was WELL worth the trip. Look at these shelves! As a visitor it would be easy to lose an entire day there - this photos is just the yarn selection. There's still plenty of fabrics, notions and patterns to sift through.

Kelsey picked up some voile and shot cotton for a pair of PJ pants, some knitting needles, AND

a healthy stack of delicious yarn.

Amanda found some more Liberty (she might have a problem), a woven cotton, and a bit of gorgeous hand-dyed yarn.

We couldn't leave the city without each picking up a pair of Liberty flats to round out our haul (told you, Amanda has a problem).

All in all, a healthy haul!

From A & K - NYC Adventure

You may have noticed over the past week that it's been a little quiet around here at Everyday Fray. While we apologize for the lack of content, we swear we have a great explanation for our disappearance... we went to New York City!!! Back in the fall, Amanda had a brilliant suggestion to hit up the Big Apple for a girls trip - the three lady cousins and our mamas. Last weekend we took that trip, and gosh did we ever have a wonderful time! We'll be back soon with our regular quilty/crafting updates shortly, but in the meantime here are a few of our favourite shots from the trip. 

We've travelled to a lot of big cities but this one really takes a hold of you. Manhattan is a stunner, and Brooklyn is definitely a hidden gem that I wish we had time to explore more. 

Amanda suggested spring in New York because of her past trips here and it's easy to see why.  There is nothing quite like leaving winter in Canada and landing in a city totally in bloom. Cherry blossoms and magnolias abound, it's hard to imagine visiting this city at any other time. 

 

Three cousins jumping on the Brooklyn Bridge - was there ever any other shot to take here?

 

On the way to a Boardway show in Times Square, Amanda found an NYPD horse and went to say hello.

Time square at dusk.

Kelsey sitting on the John Lennon memorial at Strawberry Fields in Central Park.

Evening view of the Empire State Building from the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center observation desk).

It was so nice to spend a great weekend in a great city with some of our favourite people. A trip to be remembered for sure. That said, we're already dreaming up our next adventure!

From K - Bikini Beach Pouch

We've been home from our Carribbean cruise now for just over a week but sometimes it feels a bit like it was all a dream. Luckily pictures like this one of Mr K on the beach remind me of what a great time we had.
 

When we first booked our trip, this beach in St John, US Virgin Islands was all I could think about. A white sand beach, clear turquoise water, a floppy hat and a swim suit. With this vision in my mind, it didn't take me long to cut into some laminated cotton to whip up the perfect bikini beach pouch.

There are few things more annoying at the beach than having to make the decision to either wear a wet bathing suit around all day, or alternatively getting your entire beach bag contents wet because you decided to take it off. To solve this inconvenience, I made a simple pouch and lined it with laminated cotton.

For the outside of the bikini bag I used an aqua coloured print by Apple Jack by Tim and Beck for Moda. For the lining I chose Honey Violet Mosaic from Honey Honey by Kate Spain. This was a quick project that made the beach extra enjoyable. Don't you love when simple things have the power to make your day?

Now if only the snow in Canada would melt and bring on summer so I can put this little pouch to more good use. In the meantime I'm headed straight for cover under a warm quilt to wait it out.

From K: A Second Kaftan

Last week while showing you my travelling handmade goodness, I broke the news that I was headed south for some much needed R&R. The hubs and I hopped a cruise in the Caribbean and before we left I made sure to add a few new handmade shirts to my wardrobe.

After loving my last Shearwater Kaftan so much, I took the plunge and ordered some stunning Nani Iro from Japan to whip up another. I used my amended pattern templates from my first take of this top, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out a second time.

While it was a wonderful escape for the past 10 days, it really does feel great to be back at home. I have a few more reveals from my travels coming up, and some big quilting plans in the works. After having a bit of a break, I'm really feeling motivated to hit my Janome again!

From K: Llovely Llama Passport Wallet

A couple weeks ago Heather posted a family passport wallet and I literally swooned. How have I never heard of such a great contraption before I wondered? After a couple encouraging emails from Heather, I put in an order for the pattern on etsy (found here) and immediately began picking fabrics from my stash.

 

On the outside of the case I went a little classic and understated - keeping in mind my hubs would also carry this at times, and may want a somewhat sophisticated pallet when going through international customs.

On the inside though is where the real whimsy starts!

Laurie Wisbrun's Llook! Llamas! collection have long been coveted prints in my stash. Considering how llamas are a worldly creature, and I plan to put this passport holder to good use traveling in the future, I figured that there is no better time than now to slice into some hipster llamas!

 

We don't have a family of four, so this might seem ridiculously premature, but Mr. K and I both tend to hold on to ticket stubs, boarding passes and various paper trinkets as we travel, so I have no doubt the other pockets will be put to good use.

 

The pattern provides directions for making both a 4 slot and a 6 slot wallet so it can be customized to fit various family sizes. And for those of you that do need all four or six passport slots, it's worth while to note that there is also a great pocket on the back that is perfect for stashing boarding passes and things that require quick access.

 

Overall I definitely think that pattern is well thought out and I imagine I'll be making many of these for friends and family in the future.

Linked to: Finish it up Friday, Link and Finish Friday, and Can I get a Whoop Whoop?.