What I Did on My Spring Break

I am so lucky to get a Spring Break at my job.  This week my goal was to make something everyday.  Here's what I did:

Day one - I have always wanted to make a needle book.  I recently bought a beautiful quilted needlebook at the Santa Barbara Arts and Craft show from Lady Cordelia, so it was her inspiration and this tutorial that helped me.  I gave this one to my best friend for her birthday.

  

Day 2- I've had a spread of orange chenille that I've been saving for a while to make a rag quilt.  I never got around to it, I think due to the color.  Now my daughter has started making these adorable chenille animals and she asked if she could have it.  I kept a small piece and made this for my etsy shop:

It has a little tiny ragged edge that I hope will show better when I wash it.  I showed it to my daughter to see if it was good enough to sell and she loved it so much, she asked to keep it for her sweet baby.  How could I say no?  I'll just make another for the shop.

 

 

Day 3 - I wanted to try another needlebook but this time I wanted to make it bigger.  The result was way too big so I took it all apart (yes I did) and cut it smaller.  I Frankenstein-stitched it back up and noticed the squares were no longer equal.  I thought it was still nice. Here's what needlebook II looks like:

front

 

back

inside

 

I sent this one to my sister in law as a surprise "just because" gift.  Next one I make will go into my shop.

 

Day 4 -  I didn't actually get anything made today but I cut and laid out a rag quilt I've been wanting to do for over a year. I was making a queen size black, white and red quilt for a customer and I gave her two layout options with two different red fabrics.  The red she didn't pick was the one I loved.  It was a black, white and red hawaiian quilt print and I've always wanted to make that quilt so here is the layout:

All ready to sew

Day 5 -  I made a quilt top a few years ago and I had put it away without finishing it because of a comment someone made that was more along the lines of constructive criticism.  (More about that later.)  I thought it was the right time to finish the quilt.  Unfortunately I didn't have the same fabric to finish the binding so I opted for a similar solid color.  It's not completely done but here's the progress:

The one thing I didn't get to do was make the yellow nesting/stacking block.  The fabric didn't come in time.  That was the one thing I needed to get done for the birthday party today.  Oh well...

All in all, I think this was a terrific Spring Break.  Can't wait till Summer Break.

Fan Letter to Lady Cordelia

  Dear Lady Cordelia,

    Today we spent the day in Santa Barbara doing one of my favorite things - strolling along Cabrillo Blvd. looking at the arts and crafts.  My daughter, Summer, told me that one of her blogging friends would be there selling quilts.  When we found you towards the end of vendor line up, I immediately fell in love with your quilts. I most definitely would have stopped at your site even if we were not looking for you, as your quilts were so eye-catching.  I was not as familiar with you as my daughter was since she's been reading your blog for a long time but after seeing your lovely quilts, bibs, bunnies and needle wallets, I became an instant fan.

What I really like about your quilts is that when you look at the individual fabric colors and patterns you wouldn't think that they would all go together, but every quilt looks so perfectly beautiful. The stitching was both intricate and interesting.  The fabrics were not only vibrant but so soft that you wanted to touch them.  I was so inspired by your quilts that all I could think of was going home to sew and make a smooth quilt like yours.  I wanted to buy one of your quilts for my new grandbaby (and I still might) but I'm a quilter and I aspire to create something close to what you do.  I will definitely be favoriting your  etsy shop dreaming of pastures.  I'm so pleased with my new needle wallet that I bought from you today.  It's so cute and exactly what I needed.  I love it!

I apologize for going on and on.  I tend to be a "gusher" about things that really appeal to me.  I was so nice to meet you today and I hope I will see you again in Santa Barbara and on your blog.

                  Sincerely,   Flo (Summer's Mom)

                     

Saturday Sharing Day!

       

It's Saturday!  The first day of my Spring Break!  This day is full of possibilities  : )

I'm linking up today with Pigtales and Quilts for her " It's a Saturday Sharing Day!"

I'm almost done with a new project I started 3 days ago.  I started with Riley Blake's beautiful fabric collection, Apple of My Eye.




I'm using the Sew, Mama, Sew! excellent tutorial for nesting/stacking blocks.

And here is what I have finished so far:  

Here's the 3rd block in progress: 

  \

I was only going to do the three big boxes but now I'm thinking I should do all four.  I'm thinking I should do the fourth in yellows.  What do you think?



Just finished box 3:

I'm thinking yellow box 4 ...

Update

I made the smallest yellow box and I think I made the right choice:

To Do List Done ...Almost

Here it is the 18th of March and I am happy to report that I have finished  3 of the 5 "to do" things on my list and I've added one more thing as well.

Here is what I've done:

 This quilt went to a teacher friend.

This quilt was shipped to Florida.

This quilt is going to France.

I managed to add two more rows to the scrabble quilt but I haven't finished that yet and I haven't made anything yet for my etsy shop.

I did buy some lovely Riley Blake Apple of my Eye fabric here to make these.

They will have to be done by the 30th of this month for a 1st birthday party.

So you could say I'm halfway done with my March To Do List.

Liebster Award

I've been awarded the Liebster Blogger Award from a fellow blogger, Anna @ LifeSewCrafty This is a fun award, given by bloggers to bloggers as a way to acknowledge and network other 'little' blogs... and by 'little', I mean those blogs with less than 200 followers. Thank you so much Anna,  for honoring me with this award.

This is a way for all of us to discover new and up and coming blogs and bloggers, and to make new 'virtual' friends!

So this is how it works.

If I choose to receive the award, which I have!, I have to answer some "get-to-know-you" questions that Anna has asked of me. Then, I nominate 11 of my favorite 'little' blogs, and ask them to answer 11 of my questions - and they link back to me.

To participate:
1. Thank and link back up to the one that nominated you (me).
2. Answer 11 questions asked to you by me.
3. Tell us 11 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 11 of you favorite blogs that have less than 200 followers.
5. Ask them 11 questions.

Here's what Anna wanted to know about me:

1. What is your "crafty" outlet of choice?
I love rag quilts.  I love thinking about them, looking at pictures of them, hunting for fabric for them and sewing them.  I even like cutting them.

2. Who taught you the basics?
My mom started sewing dresses for me when I was little since I was the only girl in the family.  She showed me everything about the sewing machine and patterns but I don't sew dresses only straight lines.
 
3. How many siblings do you have?
I had three brothers but one died at age 42 of pancreatic cancer.

4. What is your favorite food?
I'm not a big food person.  I have to remind myself to eat and there are so many things I don't like...I usually eat the same things everyday.  I always eat 1/2 of a peppermint patty every day.
 
5. Do you have a designated crafting area (Picture)?
Yes I do and I love it.  It is the sunniest room in the house with a window on the world.

6. What's your favorite color combination and is that reflected in your home?
My favorite color combination for quilts are pinks and greens but in my house I like more blues and greens.  I just started making and displaying some of the rag quilted items I've made- pillows, quilts, table runners.  I don't know why it took me so long.
 
7. Who is your favorite artist?
I would have to say my mother in law, Marty Rogers, who is becoming quite famous.  Everything she does evokes such pleasant emotional responses from me.  I love her watercolors!
 
8. Do you have any pets?
Do I have pets???  More animals live in my house these days than people.  I have 2 Abysinnian cats and 1 tabby and I have a toy poodle and a chocolate lab.  My blog and etsy shop are named after my poodle Zeedles.

 
 









9. What would you do with a surprise day off?
I would make a quilt and visit my grand daughter!  That would be a good day!
 
10. If you could choose anywhere in the world to visit, where would you go?
I would want to go back to Hawaii.
 
11. Did you graduate from college? If so, in what field and are you currently using your degree?
Yes I did.  I recently got my teaching credential and I am a reading and math specialist for K-5th grade.

Here are an additional 11 things about me:
1.  I've been married for almost 34 years.

2.  I have 4 grown children and I was an attachment parent before there was a name for it. 

3.  I love cats, licorice, fabric, quilting, gardening and teaching. (not necessarily in that order.)

4.  I follow Dave Ramsey's plan.

5.  I am a terrible housekeeper but a really good cleaner.

6.  I believe kids should memorize their times tables.

7.  I know how to do Facebook, Etsy, Pinterest, Twitter (although I don't get it), texting, email and Instagram.  And like Anna, I hate talking on the phone so contact me through any of these sites.

8.  I love anything to do with technology and computers.  I could hang out on the computer all day. 

9.  I am a two-time cancer survivor.

10.  I have a famous movie star brother but don't ask, I won't tell.

11.  I have the most excellent perfect grand daughter in the whole world. 


Nominating 11 other blogs was hard for me since I'm so new at all this but here is my list:

Summerplayshouse 

O Sew Rags

Never too hot to stitch

 Little Bits and Pieces

My life in quilt...

Loves to Quilt

Moonbear Designs and Quilting

Little Mama Hen

Poppy and Poochie

Linda’s Lines and Loves

The Colorful Life of gh Quilting

I liked Anna's questions so I will use her's. (I hope that's okay Anna)

1. What is your "crafty" outlet of choice?
2. Who taught you the basics?
3. How many siblings do you have?
4. What is your favorite food?
5. Do you have a designated crafting area (Picture)?
6. What's your favorite color combination and is that reflected in your home?
7. Who is your favorite artist?
8. Do you have any pets?
9. What would you do with a surprise day off?
10. If you could choose anywhere in the world to visit, where would you go?
11. Did you graduate from college? If so, in what field and are you currently using your degree?

My March To Do List

I am joining Pigtales and Quilts for the Monthly To-Do List Linky Party

My To Do List for March is:

1. Finish the baby blue bordered t-shirt quilt Started in February

2.  Finish the black bordered t-shirt quilt started in February 

3.  Start and finish the black and white rag quilt for the lady in France

4.  Finish the scrabble rag quilt

5.  Make something, anything for my etsy shop

Sewing Room AFTER Shots

 All the thread are swept up.  All the stray fabrics are folded and put away.  The pictures are hung. The table and shelves have been dusted. The ironing board cleared. I am so ready to sew!  Your motivation worked Sewingbymoonlight

WIP Goals for February - unmet

While I didn't have as many goals as Never too hot to stitch, my WIP goals for February were to finish four quilts.  

1. A baby blue bordered t-shirt quilt for a teacher friend's son:

(I finished the top last night)

 

2. Black bordered t-shirt quilt for a Florida friend:

(I only finished the top...)

3. The Scrabble Quilt just because I wanted to make one:

I only added 2 rows

4. The Chevron Striped Baby Rag:

The only thing a completely finished this month

except for this:

which wasn't even on my goals list.

I came up a little short project-wise for February.  I'll try harder in March.