Online Shopping

I have been on the computer non-stop the last few days. Mostly working on my final edit of the book. Yippee!!!  I have to get it to the printer by Monday if there's any chance I'm going to have it by market.

When I take little breaks from the editing I tend to browse the online shops a little too much.

I may or may not have just picked up these beauties (picture from Amazon.com) Along with some fabric, of course. No, the fabric did not come from Amazon. I stumbled upon a cute Etsy shop The Sproutz Store!  They have a great selection of current fabrics and seem to always have a sale going on. The coolest thing is that they live in my town and agreed to let me pick my things up instead of ship. (so I could have it NOW!  :o)  Oh fabric, how I love thee.

Now to get this book done so I can SEW!!!

Just a couple reminders:

 Voting ends on March 31st for the Block Contest. If you haven't voted do it NOW!!!  The winner will be announced on Monday, April 2nd!

Also, SEWING SUMMIT 2012 tickets go on sale Tuesday April 3rd at 9am (MST). Mark your calendars, set the alarm on your phone, tie a string around your finger for petes sake cuz you do not want to miss out!  :o)

Lastly: Pre-sale of my book will begin next Weds! More info. coming soon.  :o)

P.S.- I've turned off comment moderation- I love signing on and seeing the kind words you leave. I'm sorry about the word verification if it's a pain, but if you're willing to endure- I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks.

Craving

I think I may have mentioned before how the creative process works for me. For those new to this blog I'll go over it again. This is how it works:

I wake up first thing in the morning (sometimes the middle of the night) with an idea.

I usually do go back to sleep- I need my beauty rest  :o)

But when I finally get out of bed it takes every part of me to focus on the task at hand (i.e.- getting the kids to school and tidying up the house) before I head to the computer and get to work.

No, I don't start with actual matters that need tending too. I start with that crazy idea that woke me in the night. And....I usually don't stop until I have fabric in hand.

Sometimes I meet a road block like having to order from the internet and then waiting a few days before it arrives. But that's ok because then I have time to get those other matters taken care of. :o)

Well, one of these "awakenings" happened the other day. Although I think this time it happened in the middle of the DAY. Weird.

Anywho- I've tried and tried to set it aside while I get important things done. And I've been partially successful. A little of this and a little of that. Perfect balance.

This whole idea started with these- Cotton Couture solids for Michael Miller Fabrics. I mentioned them in this post about 'I can sew a rainbow'. Well now I'm OBSESSED  and it's only been a week!

See how these creative moments work!?

I literally can not stop thinking about these gorgeous solids. I've designed 3 or 4 patterns already (one of them is still a little if-y, but the other 3 are golden) Now I just have to figure out how I can get them done and patterns ready by market because, well, that's what I do.

Sigh.

So today, I went to lunch with some girlie friends. After getting some not-so-great directions and a mixed-up address I finally found my self at a fun little place.

CRAVINGS BISTRO in American Fork, UT

(find out more from Lucky Red Hen- linked above)

(it's right on Main street ya'll!)

Grilled Cheese for grown-ups.

YUM!!!

I ordered the #2) A.B.C. sandwich

Granny Smith Apples, Candied Bacon, and Caramelized onions (except I didn't have the onions on mine so the 'C' stands for Cheese! :o)

Wow. It was DELICIOUS!!

So delicious in fact that I re-created it for dinner at home. Not as good when I make it in case you were wondering.

Anyway, it was fitting. Cravings for lunch and cravings for fabric.

FRIDAY!?

Is it Friday already!?  GAH!  This has been a busy week!

On Wednesday I had the privilege of going to the Utah Valley Quilt Guild meeting and doing not 1 but 2 presentations! It was a BLAST!!! You can read about it HERE. 

On Thursday (actually late Wed. night) I officially and publicly announced my upcoming book. You're going to hear lots more about that from me for the next little while.  :o)  Thank you all for your wonderful comments and encouragement. I am SO EXCITED!!!

Today we're going to PARTY!!!  Kidlet #2 turns 10 today!

10!

Here he is with his very best friend. My guy is on the right going for the shot. :o)

I decided to post this picture because it describes him perfectly. This guy LOVES basketball.

No really. He thinks about basketball 24/7. He plays almost every moment he can. Now that the weather is nice he can play outside. However if it's raining or snowing it doesn't matter because he has a pretty nice hoop inside too! I

This guy had bad ears when he was little and didn't talk much until he was 2 1/2. But of the few words he did say 'BASKETBALL' was among them. After learning "mama" and "dada", "basketball" was his first real word. I guess it was fitting that he was born in the middle of March Madness.

Not only does he like to play the game, but he likes to research it too!When he's not playing he's watching and amazes his Dad and I with all the stats he knows about players.

Today for his birthday party he decided he wanted to have a basketball game. So we've invited several friends to come play at our church gym after school. That's all this cute boy wanted.

He is one of the most compassionate and caring boys I know. He is always concerned about others' feelings and wants to make sure everyone feels loved and accepted. He is so kind and sweet with little kids too.

He is also a very talented artist and when he's not shooting hoops you can find him drawing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIDGER!!!

(that's his nickname :o)

Lastly, I got an email the other day about troubles with posting comments. I've turned off the word verification but had to turn on the comment approval to weed out the nasties. I hope this makes it easier for you. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it this way. But we'll try for a while and see.

Making it offical!

I have been working on this baby for quite a while and it's finally time to announce it to you all! My first book will be making it's debut at International Quilt Market this spring (May!) I am super excited. In April I will be listing it in my Etsy shop for pre-orders.

YEA! :o)

I can SEW a rainbow!

On friday I told you I was sewing a project in honor of National Quilting Day and St. Patrick's Day. Well, I stayed up late last night and got up early this morning just to finish the quilting (but no binding yet).

I'm calling her 'I can SEW a rainbow'!

She got that name because I kept singing 'Red and Yellow and Pink and Green, Purple and Orange and Blue. I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too!' the whole time I was putting her together. :o)

This quilt came about because I've had a Kona brights charm pack laying around for months. I've layed out the squares several times but each time I ended up just shoving it all back in a box because I wasn't sold on the layout.  

Fat Quarter Shop (dot) com

Then I went to a retreat a few months back and saw a project Amy was working on. It was so beautilful!!!



Amy Smart @ Diary of a Quilter



I had never sewn a rainbow quilt before, but Amy's quilt definately gave me the desire to do it.

Skip to last week when I was walking through my local mall. I've talked before about how I'm inspired by things everywhere. Lots of the time its clothes that I see!

American Eagle

I saw these board shorts in a window display and LOVED them for their inspiration. And then the wheels in my brain started turning.  

I combined the Kona charms with the rainbow of Amy's quilt with the color blocking of these shorts and the rest was history. I couldn't wait to get started and luckily I had 2 good reasons.

  

 I used ONLY fabric that I had on hand. Most of the squares came from the charm pack. I also used a few Sandy's Solids. My favorite solids came from the Cotton Couture fabrics that I used. I don't think I've ever sewn with them before (Really!?) The colors are gorgeous and the fabric is a perfect weight. A little lighter than some of the other solids I've used so it was nice to work with. Solids are HOT right now and these are my new favorites! (and I'm not just saying that because they're from Michael Miller :o) I'm definately going to use them from now on.

 

The only row I'm not thrilled with is the purple/violet. I only had a few solids to choose from in my stash. I thought about running to my LQS but decided to use what I had. There's more contrast than I wanted but it adds personality and depth to the quilt- I just wish the fabrics blended more.

My final piece of inspiration came from HERE. I love her quilting. I have always wanted to do some heavy quilting and this was the perfect opportunity. I used several shades of thread on each color row. I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Now I just have to figure out what to bind her with! Any suggestions?

Feelin' Green?



From ModaBakeShop- Luck of the Irish table topper

Tutorial HERE!

Tomorrow is National Quilting day, did you know? It's also St. Patrick's Day. You should plan to wear green and go to your favorite local shops because there's bound to be some fun sales. I know there's a good one at The Corn Wagon. :o)

I'm celebrating National Quilting Day by making a quilt. And I'm celebrating St. Patty's Day with the quilt I am sewing.

Can't wait to show you on Monday!!!!

Are you sewing anything special for St. Patty's? Oh, do share!  :o)

Piece of Pie

Yesterday was Pie/Pi day (3-14). I really wanted to post this yesterday but I was otherwise incapactiated. Ok, not that bad. But I did manage to catch the nasty cold that teh rest of my family has had for the last week. I mean, all I did was cater to theri every need including lots of snuggles and hugs. Make me wonder how I managed to get it!? (sarcasm- love it!)

I'm feeling somewhat better today much in part to my hubs picking up where I've left off the last couple days. Thanks hubs!!!

So in honor of PIE day- I prefer to celebrate this way since I'm not mathematically inclined in the slightest- I wanted to remind you about the

Pie Plate Patterns

SUPER SPRING RETREAT

April 18-21

It's gonna be a party ya'll!

 (said in my best Paula Dean accent  :)

I'm teaching CLAMBAKE 

 and it's not too late to register!

Hope to see you there!  :o)

Storytime Fun

At the local elementary school where my children attend, the PTA does a fundraiser towards the end of the year. The past few years they've made story baskets for each class then auctioned them off. A little over a week ago I was asked if I was going to donate a quilt again. AGAIN!? I didn't even remember that I had donated one last year! :o) I think it was one from my stash that was just sitting. Anyway, even though my plate is overflowing with work these days I agreed to donate another quilt.

Each teacher picks a book as the theme for their basket. The basket is filled with fun little items that correlate with the book. Once I found out the title of the book, I knew I didn't have anything to go along with it. So I started searching for fabric. I finished the quilt for my daughter's class on Friday and decided that I should probably make one for my son's class too. (CRAZY!) Again, a quick search of the Internet and calling a few shops and I had the second fabric in my hand. I just barely finished sewing the binding on and it's off to school this morning.

I didn't get a picture of the first quilt, but this is the fabric I chose:
 

Dino Dudes- Michael Miller



to go with this book: 

(click for more info. from AMAZON)

I managed to snap a quick pic of the second quilt this morning (in horrible light) just before I sent it off to school with my boy.

I decided to go simple and sweet. Wholecloth print with a simple border. The other quilt was done the same way with a fun lime green fabric for the border.

This is an up-close picture of the Monster print:

 

Monsters- Michael Miller

This fabric is SO FUN! I really like the dinos too, but the Monsters go perfectly with many of the prints from Hall of Fame! I used the Red numbers on the border, the blue turf on the bunding, and the yellow spots for the backing. 

(click for more information from AMAZON)

Now that those are done- back to my regularly scheduled quilt related work. :o)

(Don't forget to VOTE for your favorite block!)

Runner Up!

WOW!

I can't tell you how hard it has been to narrow down the blocks to my favorites. That's like asking me if I like Ice cream or Ice cream. :o)  We went through and picked our favorites, then had to trim that group again and again. I wanted to pick 5 for you to vote on- but I just couldn't do it.

So here we have- the top 8!  :o)

Bending Pins

This block is so cool! I can just imagine a whole quilt filled with these and the shadow play that would appear. Great Job!

Melissa

The angles and color choices in this block made it a sure pick. I've already raided my stash to try more improv piecing in this colorway. Awesome!

Mom2RyandSis

I don't do angles. At least not like this. This block is so pretty, and not just because of the fabric choices. Again, a quilt filled with these blocks would make the most amazing patterns. Wonderful!

Patchwork Duck

Love! Love! Love! See the litte fish in the middle and the owl on the top edge? Great use of color and fabric choices. Gorgeous!

Sandy R2011

Who doesn't love wonky houses!? As soon as I saw this block I had to look at the rest of the quilt. I want it!

Delightful and Fun!

Sherry L S

This is a very pretty block. The colors and prints just spoke to me time and time again. Beautiful!

tubakk-quilt

This block is on fire! The contrast in the colors and the wonky shape is eye catching. I have only worked with batiks once, but this block inspires me to do it again. Amazing!

WandaFish11

I keep looking at this block over and over. The colors, the angles, the design- perfect star power. Superb!

ok friends, you know what to do. I've added a poll to the top right column of the blog, Cast your vote for your favorite. The voting will continue through April 1st and the winner announced on April 2nd.

The winner with the most votes for their block will win 1 yard of each print from the Hall of Fame fabric collection, designed by ME for Michael Miller.

The 2nd place winner will recieve a Fat Quarter Bundle of the same fabric.

The 3rd place winner with recieve a 10" square pack of Hall of Fame.

All other contestants will recieve a 5" square pack along with a Crazy Old Ladies quilt pattern.

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered! There is some amazing blocks on that flickr page. I know I'll be peeking back often for inspiration!

p.s.- want to see a gorgeous quilt using Going Coastal? Check out Heather's blog HERE!

Thanks, Heather!

Charging

My camera died. Well, just the battery. The thing is since the battery stays charged for so long I don't have to charge it that often. But now that I do I can't find the charger! I have looked EVERYWHERE. I hope to find it soon or I just might have to order a new one. So in case you were wondering why I haven't posted- that's why. No pics. : (

Did you know registration for

is coming up soon?

I know you're going, right? 2 full days of classes and some of the most awesome teachers. I'm still pinching myself that I get to be among them.

Check it out and make sure you get your ticket. Last year was such a success I know this year is going to sell out fast.

One more thing-

Today is the LAST DAY to enter the block contest. Finalists will go up Monday for your vote. Remember what the Grand Prize is? Hmmm, guess you'll have to go remind yourself. : )

See you Monday!

Thank you for all your sweet comments on Lacey Gracey. The tutorial is on it's way. Hopefully it will be up and running by the end of the week. :o)

Guess what I'm doing today?

Yes, Binding. Ugh! I know I've mentioned before how little I enjoy binding so I'll spare you the complaints. I have 3 quilts to bind today and I will NOT go to sleep tonight until they are done!  :o)

Don't forget about the BLOCK CONTEST!

Friday, March 9th is the last day to enter. There are some amazing entries so far!  Click on the link to learn more about the contest and to see what the Grand Prize winner will recieve. (hint: it's almost 30 yards of fabric!) 

Alright, time to go bind. :o)

Unexpected Inspiration

Just last week I shared with you a couple stacks of fabric that I had planned to make mini quilts. Well sometimes something unexpected can change those plans. A few days after that post I was doing some online shopping when I came across this picture:



maurices.com



As soon  as I saw it I knew just what that bundle of fabric was going to make.

I'm calling her Lacey Gracey.

I used the stack of varying greys and added a few that I came across at my LQS because they were so perfect- Puttin on the Ritz (grey) by Bunny Hill Designs.

Each section of fabric has a different quilting design. I wanted to continue the feeling of different laces and ribbons.

I LOVE how it turned out!

It's definately bigger than a 'mini' quilt but still quite small. It's a nice baby size though.

The different laces I used were actually from the local Walmart. The wider of the 3 was a by-the-yard cut while the other two were spools that I bought. I really wanted to head to the antiques shop for some vintage lace but I was more anxious to just get sewing.

So what do you think? Would you like a tutorial on this little cutie? Let me know because I took tons of pictures of the process.  :o)

For your convenience

I know I kinda left you with a cliffhanger the other day- but that's how things go. Don't worry, you won't have to wait too much longer to see what was in my FedEx package. All in good time. :o)

I spent the better part of last week cutting fabric. Lots of fabric. And this is what I have to show for it:

HALL OF FAME precuts!

I know you're just as excited as I am. Seriously. It is so much easier then the fabric is already cut and packaged up for you!  And what's great about these is that the 10" squares and the 5" squares come with 58 pieces of fabric (2 of each print!).

They're for sale in my Etsy shop right now!

I only have limited amounts of each so if you're interested- you might want to check them out soon.