What! It's JUNE? How did that happen?

I really can't believe that it is June already, the middle of June even!  Where have all the days gone?   Since I thought I would start to be a good blogger in January, it's fitting to get it together in June, right?  


I had a major kitchen disaster in January, so my house has been in various stages of repair/remodel and is just nearing the finish line!  New cabinets, counters and floors.  New paint...everywhere.  Once my carpets are cleaned today I can start to put it all back together, I will be so happy!

No matter what stage my house has been in, I have managed to keep sewing as much as possible (although right now I cannot find the cord to my machine, maybe someone hid it?).  I made my Mom this super cute pillow from this tutorial  http://comfortstitching.typepad.co.uk/comfortstitching/2010/01/raw-edge-applique-tutorial.html .

I also had my first sale on ETSY!  A wonderful lady from Montreal asked me to make her a version of the hexagon quilt in some AMH Little Folks voile.  What a wonderfully soft and silky fabric to work with!  The colors were beautiful and I think she liked the end product.  Here's a copy of her comment, I am so amazed that she took the time to leave such a long and glowing comment on my shop page, thanks so much Caroline!   Callanit says:

I just can't say how much I love this quilt, and I couldn't be happier. I asked Shirley to make a hexagon pattern (which I adored on her Etsy store) but using different fabrics. She agreed, and the result is just so beautiful! Very very well-made - all of the sewing even, with no pulling, (not so easy with voile) and the quilting design perfectly suited to the patterns in the fabric. Shirley made a pieced back as I'd requested, and it is truly lovely enough that the quilt is reversible. I also asked for the edges to follow the hexagon shape, without thinking of how much extra work it would be, and the binding is just lovely and even (all done by hand). I asked Shirley to follow her own taste/judgement in piecing the fabrics, and her sense of colour and style is impeccable. She used a light-weight batting (perfect for the voile) so the quilt is beautifully summer-weight and big enough tp use as a blanket. Shirley also included several little gifts in the package, including TWO CUSHION COVERS made from scraps of the voile and the same Kona Snow as she'd used for the quilt backing. They are so pretty, and go so well with the quilt, it took my breath away. The price was so low for all this work that I feel embarrassed - I imagine that as Shirley gets more established on Etsy her pricing will go up - so get your orders in now, ladies! - but this quilt was truly a labour of love and I am honoured to have it. Shirley also made and attached a "provenance" label to the quilt, which I will leave on as I expect this quilt to become a family heirloom and last for generations. It's truly that well made. And I will be a repeat customer FOR SURE.

There is also a hexagon quilt made with a jelly roll of Betty Dear, I didn't pay attention when I made it and it needs one more row of the hexies, when it's folded in half they don't match up, drives me nuts, oops!  It's pretty anyways though.

The back.

I've got a lot more, but too much for this time.   For now, I'm off to find that cord, and I guess finish a little painting and carpet cleaning so I can get back to the important stuff, like sewing!

Catching Up in Pictures

Here's a photo story of what I've been doing lately and I'll try to do better in the future!

 I just finished my Santa Wall Hanging!  This is an Aunt Martha's iron on transfer set; I've started another one in color too!

 "It's a Hoot" fabric by Moda works up into a nice little girls quilt, this was just a charm pack and less than a yard of pale pink Kona solid.  The backing is a cute ladybug flannel (gotta de-stash!).

 Another Aunt Martha's pattern, there are seven of these cute little guys.

 I had some scraps of this fabric left over from some cute handbags I made last year.  I mixed them with the light and bright pinks so they will match my step-daughters red couch.  Her birthday is in November, the perfect time to give a "holiday" themed item.

That's it for now, but there's a lot more to come!

Wow,

I've been such a bad blogger. It's really hard to believe that summer is ending already and I never wrote a thing about it! The family had a great time......

We went to concerts:

28 so far actually, so I won't bore you with ALL the pictures!

I do think we've run out of bands we want to see, or haven't already seen, for a little while so I guess it's time for fall?

My daughter came home from Florida for two weeks. We went to the coast and to SilverCreek Falls and Downtown Portland. Then there was the Gretchen Wilson concert after the Bull Riding and Barrel Racing in Molalla with all of her friends and family (it's her hometown).

And in between all that, I did manage to get some quilting done!

This one is done in red and aqua with the tiniest bit of black with white polka dots. I ran out of white and realized how hard it is to match white, so I used the little bit of pink in the outer border.

Originally I was going to use the black and white floral for the backing, but just as one large piece. My son thought I should piece in some of the colors from the front, so here's what I ended up with. Almost like it better than the front...almost.

I've got a lot more catching up to do, but I'll save that for later!

Rose Room Quilts has a GIveAway!

This is a great one! Rose Room Quilts is hosting a giveaway of a fat quarter bundle of Daisy Doodle fabric in honor of the opening of their new Etsy shop. Head on over and check them out, the giveaway fabric really should be mine, but if not me, it should at least be you!

I just love the colors and the polka dots! The lime, turquoise and grey make such a cool combination.

Another GIveAway you can not miss!

Oh my, you can enter another give-away for the AccuQuilt Go! over at a la mode fabric. How lucky can we get? Go check out her site, she's got some great tutorials, leave her a comment and maybe you'll get lucky!

A fun give-away!

Head over to FreckledWhimsy for the chance to win an Accuquilt Go! This looks like such a handy tool/toy to have. The giveaway ends tomorrow so hurry!

Done!

My modern Hexagon quilt is done! As usual, if you keep going on something that you're not sure you like, you're bound to fall in love with it eventually. Now I love it. I think it turned out a little manly, except the backing maybe, since it's black/white floral. But my son thought the backing was perfect, so I think it's still masculine.
I just did an allover swirled design on the quilting and really like how it turned out!

Since I have about ten more tops to get quilted, I'm going to let this one go in my shop, so head on over here to check make this one yours!