Rain Rain Go Away.

Here we are in sunny South Carolina. Ugh scratch that. Cloudy, raining and dreary South Carolina :(

This is spring break? bummer. I was really hoping for better weather.

 The kids are going stir crazy having to stay inside.

It was so bad tonight, that we did exercise indoors like zumba style to burn our energy.

Well the kids mostly did. I didn't do a lot of moving. Why you ask? well it may have something to do with falling down 6 hardwood steps this morning. I am fairly certain I caught the edge of my pajama pants on the step and WHAM! down I went all the way to the landing.

I have been taking Advil all day to fend off soreness.

My backside is definitely sore.

Since it was raining and I was a little sore I decided a day of sewing was in order.
I have been drooling over the new book by Tara Lynn Darr and I know I have blogged about it before.

Simply Charming.

My first choice ws to make this quilt: Stars over the Mountain.

My actual first quilt from the book ---->>>>>

Grannie's Scrap Box

 quilt or rug?

As I went to take a picture of the quilt top, Elly immediately stepped on it.

She mumbled something about how lovely a 'rug' it is.

I just had to laugh.

 But seriously.....

I love this quilt top.

 I used Itsy Bits by Andover,

Fig Tree lines including Strawberry Fields, Breakfast at Tiffany's, & Fresh Cotton

3 Sister's new line "Grace" and a few other odds and ends that fit.

The aqua's and the oranges just sing to heart.

It was an excellent refresher course in light and dark fabric and how to make a light appear dark by placing it next to an even lighter print.

 I did some hand stitching as well, I put the binding on this baby sized quilt. It's been hanging around the "to be finished" pile for a while now.

I am slowly plugging away at those  :)

Notice the "helpers" foot in the pic?

I just couldn't keep her away.

then again, I didn't really want to.

Why I have been sidetracked

and getting back on track? and when?

Well I have been making small clothes for the dolls for a couple of weeks. It all started with the American Girl doll and birthdays. And actually it's a way to get my girls more involved in crafting. G is the artist. E is a wild 4 year old. It's quite a challenge keeping them both interested in this sort of thing.

At any rate, I have peaked their interest and fabric shopping together is better. Both girls have ideas about color and texture. It's educational for me to see how their minds work.

So here are a few items I have made with their input.

Orange boat tee is made with Moda City Weekend knit and the jumper is Moda corduroy that has been in my stash for a couple of years.

Here's the same cord jumper with a pink City Weekend knit tee.

The leggings were made from old under wear! Seriously.

{yes THEY were washed before I made the leggings}

Underwear are a great way to find small knit prints for doll clothes and leggings!!!

Now about getting back on track with quilting. It turns out that I have been sewing.

I just don't have anything to so for it yet. But later this week?? maybe some bindings and some quilt tops?

I can only hope.

Liz Scott giveaway winner.

The winner is:

# 39

Victoria Paige

Her favorite city is New York. {I love the anonymity of it. Not to mention the food. There so so many great things about New York, it's hard to just pick one.

I think the culture and various cuisines are why it's my favorite city. I'd never want to live there, though. Too much hustle and bustle. }

Congrats! Victoria..... please send me your address and I will forward it to Liz.

HaPpy SPriNG!

HaPpY SPriNg!!!

I just finished this wallhanging this weekend.

It's a panel from Sandy Gervais that is at least 5-6 years old.

I just decided to add borders and have it quilted.

 It sat for months waiting for a binding.

Finally I made the time for it, glad I did.

Today I am working....it's spring break.

I hope to get some sewing in later in the week, as I am going to take a couple of days off.

Much. needed. days. off.

Sunday Stash #6

I love all fabric.

But the truth is, is that I could actually roll around in this fabric line.

Sweet Broderie by Rosalie Quinlan

I love it THAT much.

If I were a shop owner I do believe I would have ordered a bolt of each for myself.

I don't have the space for 32 bolts of fabric.

I have thought about getting rid of the equivalent of 32 bolts from my stash

{oh come on, that's only 480 yards! I have seen bloggers buy nearly 1000 yards in a year. It adds up. A yard here, a charm pack there, it's easy to do if you have the $$}

Anyhow, I settled for 1/2 yard cuts from the Fat Quarter Shop

 {which I also love...no they didn't pay me to say that.....they never pay me....I give $$ to them...

ugh what's wrong with this picture?}

Anyhow, the fabric has been aging appropriately for about 2 months.

And finally I got the nerve or inspiration to cut it.

 I cut 2.5 inch strips to simulate a jelly roll and began cutting a quilt for my mother in law.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I am actually giving her a kit  made with my favorite (for now) all time fabric.

I also cut some squares from my strips for a small project. IF I begin to sew the project, I will show you.

Let's be honest, I am cutting, then beginning sew to sew a heck of lot more than I am actually finishing this year.

So far.

There are still 9 months left.

I'd like to share a secret.....

I don't know about the rest of you but when I see the new fabric lines that haven't yet been released...I get a little giddy. Your mind bursts with ideas and possible quilts and projects that you could make.

But darn we HAVE to wait like 6 months for the fabric.

It dawned on me while I was searching ebay for Blythe doll auctions, that there may be an ebay seller that received the new lines ahead of time.

 I have noticed that Moda has been releasing select numbers of pre-cuts in an online sample spree so to speak.

 I searched ebay and low and behold. There they were.

All the lines I have been drooling over.

Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater

Flurry by Kate Spain

Ready, Set, Snow by Me and My Sister

Grand Finale by Sandy Gervais

and Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree.

I was awe struck, ALL buy it now.

I put several cuts in my watch list. Narrowed it down.

And narrowed it down again.

Finally placed my "order".

Here's what I found: Price was awesome....31.95 for a jelly roll!

Now I know shipping gets you...

but this seller combined my shipping ($8.50 shipped 6 items) and it arrived in 3 days.

Totally worth it.

I just wanted to share this with anyone that might be interested in the new lines at a reasonable price.

Here's my haul....

2 layer cakes,

4 charm packs....

try to igore that they are thrown all over my bed with other basic jelly rolls LOL.

My point is, if you are looking for some of the newest precuts....check ebay HERE.

***Remember my giveaway of Sugar Pop by Liz Scott.

 Leave a comment about your favorite city and why to enter by March 28th.

Discovering Liz Scott & Giveaway

****WINNER CHOSEN****
Victoria Paige.

Thanks!!

Yep I have discovered Liz and Riley :)

She is one of Moda's newest designers. 

 Her first line called Sugar Pop doesn't disappoint.

  It's bold and bright with a 70's feel.

Once Sugar Pop was available I had to get a charm pack for this little quilt.

The pattern I used for this top is called Posey Time

 by Bunnyhill designs {psst it's on sale!}.

Since I was so smitten with Sugar Pop, Paper Pie blog {Liz's blog} and Liz, I decided to ask her a few questions about her designing and what the future holds.

Several charming emails later, we had a plan worked out. I would interview her AND she would provide a pack of 8 fat quarters for one of my lucky readers.

She's THAT cool.

Here's what Liz had to share with me.

Me: How did you get involved with fabric design and how long have you been designing?

Liz:  I am a graphic designer by trade, but have always been a crafter and a maker of things as well. Add fabric addict to the list and now you see where I'm heading. A few years ago I began using Spoonflower.com to print some of my designs and I absolutely fell in love! The service allowed me to upload my designs and have them printed on fabric and mailed back to me. I designed print after print and began selling them in my WonderFluff shop at Etsy. I have been designing professionally for 10 years or so and I have been doing textile and surface design for the past 2 years.

Me:  Where did you draw your inspiration for Sugar Pop?

Liz: I love big, bright florals and 70s style. I also love nature and these are the things I was thinking about when designing the actual prints. The colors, however, were inspired by all things sweet! My love of chocolate is there, as well as the vibrant candy coated hues that you might see in the ice cream parlor and even the bakery.

Me: Is Sugar Pop your first licensed design?


Liz: Sugar Pop is my first licensed fabric design collection, but I am also a freelance graphic and surface designer. I do all sorts of different projects from bedding to stationery.

Me: Can you reveal if you have another fabric line coming?

Liz: Yes I can, and yes I do! I am super excited for this one to be announced in July and to be in stores this coming winter.

Me: Are you a quilter?

Liz: I am a very beginner, newbie quilter. I love quilting and fell in love with quilts in general on m many trips to the flea market and thrift stores. I love the work and the craftsmanship that goes into each quilt, not to mention the love that is so apparent with every little stitch. I work on my Sugar Pop quilt little by little, I savor and enjoy every minute I get to spend with it and focus more on the process of quilting than the actual end product.

If you'd like to be entered for the giveaway of 8 fat quarters of Sugar Pop by Liz Scott. 

 Here's all you have to do:

What is is your favorite city, whether you've been there or not,

either real or imagined, and why?

Liz shared that her favorite city is Portland, Oregon because the nature is abundant, the people are smiley, and there is a lot of creativity happening.

My favorite city is Paris France. I have never been there but it is the first place I want to visit in Europe. I have heard so many wonderful things about Paris.

Tell us your favorite city and why in the comments and win!
I'll randomly select a winner on 3/28/11.

Sunday Stash #5

I don't have much to tell in terms of sewing this week.

It was kind of rough going. I spent quite a bit of time working on a tough dental case that kept me at the office on Friday AND Saturday :(

It was super important though for a very important patient and I am happy to say that it is finished.

So I spent a short time Saturday {one hour while the kids played outside with their dad} laying in bed LOL surrounded by fabric.

 I was hoping inspiration would absorb by osmosis.

That didn't work. So I started to knit another Blythe item. I have it half done.

Maybe some pictures later this week.

Looky what I found

Lizzy House fabric at JoAnn's??? I had to buy it. I have never even seen these prints in person before but I recognized the circle print from Lizzy's post on her newest Andover fabric line.
I bought an extra bundle...anyone interested??
$11 first class shipping included ( U.S. only )

Pot o'gold winners

Comments are now closed for the Pot o' gold giveaway :)

I read over 300 comments and checked all the links about the giveaway. I really enjoyed reading all the different fabric 'tastes' out there. I found fabric lines I never knew of! That was cool. I appreciate all of you taking the time to 'pick' what you would buy. I wish I could give everyone a $50 code. Let me see...that would cost me $18000

and darn I don't have that kind of money LOL.

So I stuck with 3 winners....

Kari of Craft Happy

Simone de Klerk of Quilting and Stitchery Diary

and

AMKreations of The Other Side of Me blog

Each of the winners have been contacted. If there is no response by 3/25/11, I will choose another winner.

Thank you all for entering :)

St. Patty's Day ;)

I tried to finish this.

I did.

I just got sidetracked.

{a million ways}

But in case you can't read the 'un-stitched' part, it reads:

May your blessing outnumber the Shamrocks that grow,

and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

Irish Blessing

And don't forget, this is the last day to enter the Pot o'gold giveaway and use the 20% off coupon code at the Fat Quarter Shop

GOLDGIVEAWAY

 

Have a GREAT day :)

Double digits now

She's 10.

We have 2 girls, both birthdays in March and of course only 3 days apart. If you feel like I am beating a dead horse...sorry about that.

 It makes their day when I blog about them or their dolls.

I think birthdays are super important for them and to document them. 

So back to 10.

Grace is 10.

She's nearly through 4th grade, smart, great sense of humor, loves math and art the best and by golly she's an excellent sketcher. I have even thought about using Spoonflower to print her drawings to fabric (actually I am really really considering it!)

Happy Birthday G! We love you.

 

Authentic finished

Yep it's bound and on the bed. I feel like I have dragged finishing this quilt out hugely!

I just kept getting side tracked.  I am glad it's done though, I do love it along with the chair etc. I am mulling around making throw pillows to add to the decor. I have a bit of extra fabric (7 fat quarters). 
The room needs pictures, mirrors, headboard etc.
 This is the guest room so...I have some time to build up the decor.

p.s. Pot o'gold giveaway is still going. Leave a comment on THIS post.
And don't forget the 20% off your purchase at the Fat Quarter Shop with GOLDGIVEAWAY code until 3/17/11.

This is a Blythe / knitting post :)

I wasn't kidding :)

I haven't named the Blythe dolls (yet).

The mushroom girl above is orginally called Groovy Groove. I bought her from an auction on ebay. From the way it looks, ebay dolls are very expensive.  Groovy Groove normally costs 4X what I won her for! I took a risk because the picture wasn't very good on the listing. I am soooo glad I did.

She's perfect.

My girls love her.

We also had Guava arrive from Hong Kong.

She's already stolen Groovy's jacket.

And Mango tried on Groovy's overalls.

I finished the pixie hat I was knitting last week.

It knit up quick since it is so small.

And I started a beanie for Blythe yesterday :) with some scrap yarn.

So that's my first post with the 3 new Blythe dolls. I do not have any new ones coming, I am checking more ebay auctions though. I'd like to adopt a few more 'used' Blythes.   I feel better about the used dolls as the girls can play with them and I don't feel like croaking if they drop it. I have let them play with them as they wish and sooo far they've done okay.

I figure if we are buying dolls....we should get to 'play' with them too.

Once I take it out of the box...they can play.

I have been sewing up a bunch of clothing for them and found some Skipper sized shoes that pretty much fit their feet.  Seems their feet are a bit bigger than a Kelly doll and  a bit smaller than Skipper  :( 

I could buy shoes on ebay?? I decided to hold on buying just yet. I am hoping I can find some cheaper shoe shoe alternatives like Goodwill thrifting!