Quilt Sale

Do you need a great baby gift at a reasonable price. Here's your chance to get one! My mom is the chief baby quilt maker at Down the Street Creations, and she's got some new ones that will be unveiled in the next couple of months. To celebrate the new production, we're offering 20% off select baby quilts currently in our inventory, and 25% off the little Pumpkin quilt. There's an additional 5% off if you purchase both toile quilts. (The prices have been marked down.)

Take a peek and see!

Quilting Confessions

Ok, I confess, I haven't really made that many quilts. And I hadn't bought a jelly roll until last month. I made my first quilt in, um, 1984. It was a queen size lone star quilt, that I hand quilted. I made at least 3 more quilts that were also hand quilted. And then I stopped, because hand quilting just took so darn long.

But I love quilts, and love the piecing and the design, so I've gotten back into it. But I'm a planner and a matcher. I first stepped out of my comfort zone with my Sunburst quilted wall hanging that I strip pieced. And with the jelly roll (so yummy), I had to throw matching to the wind.

What's a jelly roll, you ask? Well, it's a collection of fabrics, all cut in 2-1/2" wide strips across the width of the fabric (42-44" long). The one I bought had 30 or so fabric strips, and no two were the same. I planned my design, but I had to just trust the colors to find their place. Full disclosure: I bought a book with patterns using jelly rolls, but I can't find it, so my design is based on one in the book, but is probably not exactly like it. And I'm making a table runner instead of a full size quilt.

The picture shows my first 4 blocks, and the part of the jelly roll that's left. Only 4 more, but with a twist, if that's possible. You'll have to wait and see. I'm pretty happy with my fabric combinations, and hope when they're all put together they have a real Bohemian effect.

More confessions to come...

Needle vs. Safety Pin

Have you ever been backing up and heard a sickening crunch? The sound that makes you curse... out loud unless there are kids in the car. I heard it today while I was sewing! Immediately everything came to a screeching halt. I had been quilting with my BSR (Bernina stitch regulator foot) on, and was blithely meandering along when the crunch happened. The quilt in question had been basted with safety pins.

The needle was pulled out of the machine, and I could see that I had hit the safety pin. As I disentangled the thread and metal, I realized that the needle had won! It had gone cleanly and completely through the head of the safety pin!

Here's a peek at the quilt. It's lap size, and has been a lot of fun quilting in spite of the needle/safety pin battle. And now, I've run out of thread. This is the largest quilt I've made in the long time, and the largest one I've ever machine quilted, and I'm pretty pleased with the way it's turning out. I hope to have it in the shop by the end of the weekend.

Did you know....

that it's time for an Etsybloggers blog carnival post again? The topic I've chosen this time is a "did you know... that March is:

* Irish American Month
* Music in Our Schools Month
* National Craft Month
* National Frozen Food Month
* National Irish American Heritage Month- designated by Congress in 1995.
* National Nutrition Month
* National Peanut Month
* National Women's History Month
* Poetry Month
* Red Cross Month
* Social Workers Month

and we're being asked which one means the most to us, why, and how do we celebrate.

I'm going to tackle a few here, in no particular order.

Music in the Schools Month means so much to me because both my children were active participants in music. Kyle played the piano and the trumpet, keeping up with trumpet until he graduated from high school. Laura played the piano in elementary school, and has played the clarinet since 6th grade. She is graduating in August from the University of Georgia, after having played in the marching band for 4 years, and in concert bands every spring. AND, she's not a music major, but has found that music has enriched her life in so many ways, including introducing her to her boyfriend.

She's somewhere in this picture!

National Peanut Month means a lot to me because I live in the state of Georgia, and the recent salmonella tragedy that originated in a peanut processing plant here, has hurt so many of the other Georgia peanut farmers and peanut plants. Shame on the Peanut Corp. of America.

National Nutrition Month also means a lot to me because I'm a Weight Watchers leader, and encourage healthy eating as a part of my job. I am going to mention it next week at my meetings when we discuss making eating out fit in our lives.

And finally, National Craft Month means so much because it is a part of my identity. That is what I do, and I celebrate that everyday, all year long, and encourage others to find their artistic selves through arts and crafts. Today, March 21, is also National Quilting Day, and currently, I am focusing on making quilts. There is just something about putting scraps of fabric together in a pattern that is so satisfying, and I find I'm enjoying it more and more.

A quilt made by my Mom (available in my shop, click on the picture)

Almost forgot, National Women's History Month because, well, I AM a woman.

March is especially rich in honoring things that mean a lot to me, but I have a sneaking suspicion that every month has something or someone to honor.

It's Finished!

The Sunburst quilt is finished and I opted for the wall hanging. It's about 45" square and has a hanging sleeve on the back to make it easy to hang.

What's a hanging sleeve you ask? That's a fancy term for a pocket on the back. Slide a dowel through the sleeve/pocket and rest it on nails or a screw in the wall or even a hook. The dowel supports the weight of the quilt so over time, you don't end up with odd stretched places. The larger the quilt, the more important a hanging device like the sleeve becomes. If possible, it is even advisable to rotate a quilt, though not all designs allow for that.

Click on the picture to head over to the listing on etsy. There you'll see more pictures. I hope you like it.

Get to Know a Quilter... WarmnFuzzies

As you may have guessed by the name of one of my shops, Elle Quilts, that I do have a thing for quilts. There's news about that shop, but it will have to wait for another post. One of the problems that I think quilters have in selling their quilts and other quilted items is that the general public really has no idea what goes into the making of a quilt, and the talent and skills necessary to make a quilt. Really, how hard can it be? Sew some fabric pieces together, do a little stitching on the outside and, bam, you've got a quilt.

I'd like to introduce you to some quilters, and some quilt techniqes and designs in my new "Get to Know a Quilter" and "Get to Know Quilts" series.

First up, Tiffany of Warm 'n Fuzzies. By the way, she's the one to contact if you make quilts and want to join the Quiltsy Team on Etsy. Tiffany first learned her basic sewing skills in 4-H when she was 10 years old. This stay-at-home mom of two boys, has been quilting for almost 15 years now, since my oldest son was born. She is entirely self-taught, never having taken a quilting class. She watches quilting shows, buys books and searches the internet. Have you ever seen an Amish quilt? Tiffany had always admired the Amish and their quilts, but couldn't afford to purchase one. She bought a sampler quilt quilting book and taught herself.

She says, "My very first quilt was completely done by hand and I recommend that everyone learn that way because it is very accurate when pieced. I used cardboard templates and scissors. The first person I showed it to, when it was finished, was a veteran quilter and she could not believe it was my first quilt and that I had never taken a class. Now it sits at the bottom of a stack of quilts because the colors are so 80's and it doesn't go with anything else in my house."

Tiffany and I share an interest in the Cathedral Window quilts. This is a unique quilt style that does not have what you might consider traditional quilting. Tiffany describes it well when she says, "They remind me of origami with all the folding." I've made one block, and decided I didn't have the patience. However, Tiffany has made many, many blocks, and turns them into gorgeous pillows in her shop.

Not a style that many people might choose, Tiffany has modernized it for her pillow covers, removing the traditional ruffle, and using beautiful batik fabrics. Her covers are made entirely by hand, though she has begun using some machine stitching to connect the squares. I've included this close up photo of one of her pillows. All the stitching that is done around the colored squares is done by hand. She estimates that it takes about 7 to 9 hours to complete one 18" pillow cover. One great thing about the cathedral window style is that it is a great take along project because it is done by hand. Her pillow covers are supposed to be in a how to book that will come out next year.

Tiffany doesn't limit herself to just this one style, however. Visit her shop and you'll see that she also makes other traditional quilts, many for babies (like the one pictured here). You'll also find market bags, and pot holders, and she also takes custom orders.