Sunday, March 23, 2014

Busy Week

Hi!  This has been a busy week.

I drove to Long Island on Tuesday, then got my hair done and took Mom shopping on Wednesday.  On Thursday, I dropped off my quilt for the Long Island Quilters Guild show (my FIRST time entering any judged quilting show), took my parents to see Dad's sister, Aunt Eileen, and meet my cousin Liz, who's mother-in-law, was a quilter.  Liz had a number of items to give to me.  A vintage Singer and some fabrics were gifts from Leona's estate, and there are a few quilts Liz wanted finished for her family.  More on that after I unpack all of the stuff.  Then I took Mom shopping again, and got to meet my new Great Nephew, Brayden.  Brayden's puppy is Howard.




Friday was a more relaxing day, and I got my nails done and satisfied a craving for New York style pizza.  SOOOO good!

Saturday, Christine and I went to the quilt show.  Although I didn't get a ribbon, I was pleased with the judge's evaluation.  My goal for this year was to improve my piecing, and she said this quilt was good.  I know I've improved since I pieced this top.  She did say the quilting design was excellent, and loved the metallic thread.  I knew I had some issues with the tension, but that's typical for metallics.  Most of the issues were before I switched to Superior thread.  I'm MOST excited about another friend's daughter picking my quilt and the silver thread as her favorite at the show.  Thanks, Ryan!!  I'm so glad you loved it.  Christine and I also celebrated our upcoming birthdays at Cheesecake Factory!  Yum!

Of all the photos I took at the show, the one of my quilt was not that good.  Shaking my head.  

Today I took Mom shopping again.  I really needed something from JoAnn's, but they just redid the store here, and I couldn't find what I needed.  It was a mess, and lots of fabrics were not where they belonged, and lots of other things were not stocked.  I hope they get it back to being a good store.  When the renovate stores, it's not always an improvement.  I'll have to look again in Scranton this week.  Then I went to go pick up my quilt.

I've been working on this Zig A Zag featuring Mango Salsa strip pack from Island Batiks.  I'm almost 1/2 done assembling the top.


I did quite a bit more after this photo was taken.  I was hoping to have the top done and pinned before I return home.

I'll be sharing the quilt show quilts and more about the machine and Leona's quilts soon.
Thanks for stopping by! 



Saturday, March 15, 2014

World Wide Quilt Day



First, I'm linking up my latest finish to GoGoKim's blog.   Click the picture above to see who else is celebrating a finish today.

I finished the Strawberry Ribbon Twist runner.  It's so cute!  My friend, Bernie, had this fabric, and I grabbed some for a runner or two before they closed their store.  I had wanted the fabrics for a while, so I'm glad it's finally a finished item!  This will be for sale in my Etsy shop.


Yes, there's still snow in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. More is melting every day, but there's a possibility of more to come.  But, I have strawberries to remind me Spring is coming!


I used Aurifil 50 wt Mako for piecing and quilting.  The quilting uses variegated red, white and blue, color 3852.  I wanted some blending, but also some color in the quilting.  I'm working on my feathers, so this has a hand guided feather wreath, as well as feathers in the borders.  I just drew a circle for the wreath.  


Isn't it sweet?  I'm happy.  I'll be working on more stuff later.  Maybe the Hunter's Star quilt blocks.  I have 14 so far, and need 30.  Or maybe I'll play with the new Island Batiks from the ambassadorship!  I also have more runners like this ready to sew.  I designed them, and enjoy playing with fabrics and colors.  Each one looks a little different.  I think it's fun!  

Go see who else sewed today! 

Thanks for visiting. 


Monday, March 10, 2014

My first official Ambassador box!

I have been waiting for DAYS!!!  I got an email from Island Batiks and UPS saying the box would be arriving on Monday, March 10.  YAY!!  Then, I noticed the box would weigh 10 lbs.  Um, how much fabric weighs 10 lbs???? That's a LOT of fabric!  Some of my friends estimated between 20 and 30 yards.  YARDS of #IslandBatiks Ambassador fabrics!!  Some could be revealed today, and others could only be teased until May, when others will see them at Quilt Market.

Of course, this morning, I was supposed to go drop off dance costumes.  But I didn't fall asleep until after 6 a.m. and the headache that usually accompanies insomnia has not made this a JUMP for Joy day, even if I wanted to, because this BOX is filled with AWESOME stuff!!  I'm quietly celebrating, though.

Outside my door this morning was a box.  A nice size box.  I picked it up, brought it into the cutting table, and slit the tape carefully.


A letter explaining the program and fabrics, and some packing paper.

OOHH, some color under the plastic!

I love color cards, especially ones with real fabrics.  Look at those COLORS!! Great shades, and really pretty designs.  I do LOVE playing with "blender" type fabrics.

This YUMMY bundle of 1/2 yard pieces is called Tanzanite, and could be found NOW in your favorite stores that carry Island Batiks.  What? Your store doesn't carry Island Batiks?? Ask them why not!  I'm working on a Hunter's Star quilt in purples, and I'm pretty sure some of these will be added in to that quilt.  I'm also thrilled that the SKU numbers are included, so I can look for more.  So vibrant!!

So, how much was in the box?? 25 yards PLUS of beautiful fabrics.  My mind is spinning with possibilities.  Two of the groups are more Holiday themed, and also have metallic accents.  What does 25 PLUS yards of Island Batiks look like??

I KNOW you can't see all the prints.  This is just a tease for what's to come in the next few months.  Watch for projects from me, as well as other Ambassadors.  More will be shown at Market, too.

Who wants to come over for a play date??  BUT, you WON'T find these beauties mixed in with my regular fabrics.  They are in a special area, and protected until the inspiration hits and I can reveal more.  In the meantime, I'm planning, and working with other Island Batik fabrics I've purchased.

Being an Island Batiks Ambassador is already more fun than I had hoped.  Thanks again for choosing me, and for letting me play with these collections.

Thanks for visiting!


Okay, one more tease!!


Friday, March 7, 2014

The newest Pirate Shirts

I was delighted to work with my most recent customer for pirate shirts.  He requested 2 shirts, one in Christmas Green Bella Solids by Moda, and the other in Moda's Bella Solids Admiral Blue.

Since I used that "store brand" red fabric a few months ago, I'm reluctant to try solids that are not name brand, and Fat Quarter Shop had Moda Bella on sale, so it was easy for me to refer him to this site for their color selection.  He chose the colors, and I offered options for embroidery stitching along the placket, as well as colors for the leather ties and eyelets.

After the discussions, he picked bronze metallic thread, bronze eyelets and brown leather ties on the Christmas Green, without sleeves, and gold metallic thread, with black eyelets, leather and long sleeves on the Admiral Blue.  I did prewash the fabric, because I wanted to make sure any shrinkage happened before the shirts were made.  I added a Shout Color Catcher, just in case, but it came out beautifully white, which means Moda's colors don't bleed.  I'm sure he'll get lots of comfortable wear out of these shirts.

Here are the finished shirts.





Know anyone who may want to be a pirate, or enjoys Renaissance Faires?  This client plans to wear the green with a kilt, and the blue will be under a pirate coat, or occasionally with a kilt.  I'm hoping he shares pictures.  Look for the deposit on custom Pirate shirts on my Etsy store!  

Connecting with Quiltsy's WIP blog.  Thanks for visiting.  

ARRRGH, Matey!!  



Monday, March 3, 2014

Big, FUN news!


It's Official!  I'm an Ambassador for Island Batiks fabric company.

I'm SEW excited to be selected for this new program.  I've used Island Batiks fabrics in a number of my quilts, and I do love the colors and the texture of the batik.  The prints are beautiful, and the quality of the base fabric is really good.  It's a nice tight weave, not flimsy like some other brand's base fabrics.  You know the ones, that fray if you look at them.  I like a fabric that I know will hold together when the quilt is used and loved.  Island Batiks offer such quality.  

What does an ambassador do?  Well, I hope to make others aware of this brand, and get others to buy it.  I'll share (as I usually do) which brands have made the fabrics in a project.  I'll also have give-aways, and promote Island Batik's give-aways, too. 

What do I get from this?  Fabric to share, use and play with!  I think this is going to be a really fun relationship.  

So, go to Island Batiks on Facebook., like them, and follow along on this journey with me.  
They are involved in the National Craft Month give-aways, so look through their page to find the info on winning this week's prize, and watch for more to come!  

My current project is using Island Batiks fabric bundle in purples.  Look for more photos soon.  I do have 10 blocks done (this shows 5 1/2).  


If you need info about Island Batiks, just ask!  Thanks for visiting!