I had to show you!

Look at the ridiculously adorable header that Lee has worked up (she might make changes, but I really love this)

In aqua

or orange...

I usually go for the aqua (shocker, huh?), but I think I might really like the orange this time...

Progress on Quilt Hope In:

Heartline is working with us now to get the funding logistics sorted (we'll have a link on the Quilt Hope in blog -- in progress), and we're trying to decide how to link the paypal funding so as to minimize charges/admin costs.  

Anyway -- I was just excited about these really cute headers and wanted to show you. 

(We also have our first fabric bundles donated from SewLoveFabrics... and I'm working on gathering some more -- for our giveaway, I hope to have fabric that y'all can win that you will then use to make quilts for the Moms and Kids in Haiti.)

Oh, P.S. -- If you knit or make a bag or something, we'll happily accept those donations too...any high quality fabric/yarn goodies will be accepted.

P.P.S.  If you have some beautiful, high quality quilting fabric you'd like to destash to our cause, email me.

P.P.P.S

Speaking of orange and aqua...

I'm working on finishing up my Modern Swappers and Pillow Talk Swap 4 projects.  

I decided to hand-quilt one of my pillow covers, originally thought to be for my Modern Swappers partner... but my PTS4 partner has similar taste.  

I've caused a bit of a stir in flickr land... oops. 

Yes, I did use my Go! cutter to make this... the Rob Peter to Pay Paul die.

you see...the thing is...

...I'm making gifts.

So I don't have a lot to show you.

But I have a problem bigger than that.

New machine + other sewing obligations = major itch to start something new.

BUT, having Christmas gifts, like this one below to sew, aren't my only hindrances.

I also decided this past weekend that I would reorganize all my fabric and sewing materials.

Here's what it was:

And then those big totes were all tucked away in to the closet... making them hard to get to.

But today -- that didn't hinder me.
I managed to lug them out, crawl around them, and take them "si-side" while Steiger ran around in the mud that is our back yard.  (thankfully, only one small piece of fabric fell prey to his little muddy fingers)

Along with my own quilt along quilt, I want to get started on Cara's Urban Lattice Quilt Along quilt.

I'm going to be making the "manly" size for my man... and I'd like it to coordinate a bit with my our chubby stars.

These are my solids...I'm actually going to mix my neutrals I think (like this, or this, or this)... I hope it works well!



And these are my prints.



Kona Charcoal will be my contrast lattice.

Also, since we're in the "see what happens" days, and yet Jay doesn't want to find out the gender of our next babe early, and I'm determined to give him his way this time, and yet if Steiger was any indicator, I can expect to feel pretty crummy and not like sewing for a few weeks, I'd love to get started on my "if it's a girl" quilt.

In pink and purple.  ♥

True story -- c. 1986...

Mom and daughter (me) walking through mall.
Enter punk rock kids with screamin' mohawks and hair in all kinds of technicolor

Mom: "Tracey, you wouldn't do that to me would you?"
me: "No Mama; I'd make mine pink and purple."

I've decided that any possible daughter we might make needs to have a quilt made with pink and purple.

Quilt Hope In (coming soon)

For background -- go here.  and then here.

photo from here

Right now Lee is designing our button and banner.
I've got emails out to the person in charge of fundraising at Heartline, and a few fabric shops who I'm hoping will donate some fabric bundles to help us get started.
I started setting up the etsy shop.

My plan:
A long-term quilt shop, ran by us, with all the money going to them.

6 week old baby - 3 pounds; photo from here

This place has a hospital, women's program (that includes sewing lessons!), and children's home, among other things.

A worthy cause indeed.

So...maybe you've got some fabric that you didn't know how to use.
Or maybe you've been busy making one of those 100 Quilts for Christmas.

Final details are coming soon.

For those willing to help -- thank you!

P.S. If anyone knows about getting accounts linked with non-profits linked with paypal and all that jazz... please email me!

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27

so grateful.

Hello Gorgeous.

It's still not quite real to me that this is mine.

I had outgrown my old machine for the second time (the first time was a couple years ago), and was looking. 

But, as many of you know -- 19 month olds don't pay so well, so I wasn't sure when I would be able to get a new one. 

A few upcoming custom projects (that will be too big for my old machine to quilt) became the catalyst.

I had originally thought I would get the Juki TL-98Q, (and even got to borrow one for the weekend to quilt this little number from Debbie...yes, she let me borrow it... quilters are good people). :)

Even though I liked the machine, I wasn't in love.

Before I make any major purchases, I like to try to do my research, so I had my mom take S and I to Sacramento to try some more machines out.  

My friend Amy had told me about her babylock, and I had tried an Espire that I really liked at our local sewing machine shop.  The girl at the place in Sacramento was great, and gave me what felt like a really good deal (almost the same as I would have paid for the floor model Espire at our local store).

My mom said, "Box it up."

My mouth dropped.  

I coughed and sputtered and got that giddy, clenchy chest feeling.

It's my birthday and Christmas gift for the next 10 years, or for as long as it takes me to to make and sell custom quilts until it's paid off. 

I said it before, but it is the closest I think I will ever come to that wedding dress shopping feeling again.

Thank you Mom.

All tucked in to my sewing space. :)

I have already finished one quilt on it that I delivered to my mother-in-law as an early Christmas gift (you can see it in progress in the picture above (Shirley -- if you're reading this, I'm going to have to get pictures of that soon, or you can send me some if you'd like...I was in a rush after I finished it Saturday morning). :)

The extension table is great.  So much better for quilting.

Overall -- I am one grateful girl.

Jay having time off + Healthy family + New sewing machine + time with a friend + 2 finished projects + pie + Grandparents who babysit + Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, & Ron Weasley = Perfect Thanksgiving week.

♥

P.S. I'll be selling my old machine if you're interested -- it's actually the "Heart Truth" version pictured here, but the same in everything except color to the Janome DC2010 -- it's a great machine for everything except free motion quilting on big quilts -- I'll be a little sad to send her away)

done in time

I put it in the mail for my sister-in-law this morning (apparently, they already have their tree). :P



The design was an amalgamation of Allison's Easy Double Hourglass (but done with jelly roll strips instead of 2 1/4" strips) and my "Fruitcake under my tree" pattern.  And then I added a mitered border (mitering corners on an octagon is not as straight forward as right angles... by the way... but it still worked).



I didn't do the math specifically; I just had to bisect the angle where the setting triangles and blocks met to make the border like this.

The fabric is from the 12 Days of Christmas line, by the lovely Kate Spain.



For the quilting -- I went to a class called "Beyond Stippling," last weekend with Debbie of One Stitch Off. :)  Debbie actually let me borrow her Juki after the class so I could finish it up!  (Thank you again Debbie!)
The quilting was done free motion in a holly leaf pattern, that I was really quite proud of actually.





I ♥ this tree skirt a lot, and didn't want to send it away.



But I did.

I hope you love it Sharon.

(It was freezing out this morning when I took these, so I didn't get the best shots/have the best light -- but it works!)

_____________________

A few closing words:

* I am still working on gathering logistics for some kind of quilt shop where the proceeds go to Haiti's orphans.  (If you'd like to donate some benevolence in the mean time, you can go see what Heather and the gang are up to with Modern Relief.)  I think we'll call it "Quilt in Hope..." Any other suggestions?  (Lee at Freshly Pieced is going to design our logo). :)  Be making/saving your quilts for donating though. :)

* My mom took me shopping on Monday.  I didn't get a Juki.  I got this.  It is probably the closest I will ever come to feeling like I felt when I went wedding dress shopping.  Pictures coming soon.

* Happy Thanksgiving friends.

*If you're in the mood for some Black Friday cyber shopping... Accuquilt is having a sale. :)

I want your quilts (and watch this space)!

Last night, while Jay was snuggling Steiger to sleep (he's better at it than mommy is), I was sitting and aimlessly staring at the computer.  I clicked on Allison's (cluckclucksew Allison) blog, and she had this post.  And then I clicked on her link.

She linked to the blog of a family working in Haiti.

And then, when Jay came back out of Steiger's room, I was quiet and crying.

SO.....

I couldn't rest until I figured out a way to help.  (I also couldn't stop crying).

_____________________________

Nine years ago, I came home from teaching in Taiwan for my Christmas vacation.  At that point, I honestly believed I was coming home to say goodbye to friends and family, because I didn't know how long I would end up being in Asia.  My "plan" was to learn the language (I was good; I literally "picked up" Chinese), and figure out how to get in with the Chinese government somehow (I was ambitious too), so that I could work with improving the lives of orphans in China.

It didn't happen.

I can't lie that I felt a little bit despairingly last night after reading that post, that maybe I had chosen the wrong life path.

I listed a quilt for sale last week, that (I believe) has a buyer waiting to get to a secure internet connection to buy it.  The money was going to go towards a new machine.

A new machine will have to wait (or get a generous loan from Steiger's grandparents).

I have some more projects that I made just because I like creating beautiful things (even if they have no intended purpose), that I plan to sell.  BUT -- while I'm waiting for logistical information, I wanted to tell you all of my plan so you can join in.

We might not have a lot of disposable income, but I do have some quilts and I do have the world-wide web to help me find those people who might want, not only a pretty hand-made gift, but also for that money to go to big and little babes in a place with way too much suffering.

So I don't have all the details yet, but I will!

(And in the meantime, Allison sent me a link to this orphanage... if you're feeling so moved to do something right at this moment).

bee blocks in the mail

Well... most of them have been picked up by now.  

For Amy -- Christmas Dresdens

For Kelly -- we got to pick our block; she's making a quilt for her Grandparents' 50th Wedding Anniversary (they were married on Christmas day)

I did LOTS of little 1" squares (196 to be exact)

I was trying to add some symbolism with this block -- 

I'll explain my thinking -- 

- I decided they needed some good old fashioned patchwork

- the bottom is mostly aqua (we'll say that represents Grandpa), and the top is more pink (we'll say that's for Grandma)... the idea isn't perfect because I had more aqua fabric than pink, but the idea is that though they may have started separately, you can no longer tell where one life begins and the other ends... also...

- in 50 years, one collects so many little pieces of life all sewn together.

And another Dresden for Kelly -- it's beautiful in Bliss

This one is for Cat and the Fresh and Funky Bee.

The tree was made a la "Girl on a Swing", with my hand as the trunk.  Summer was the season I was depicting. 

These pinwheels within a pinwheel blocks were for Cherie...in the adorable 12 Days by Kate Spain.  

And finally -- a little house and little tree for Sue in our Bee Splendid group.

*phew*

I'm waiting on fabric for one more set, and then have a few more to sew, but then I'm done for the year!