Stash Enhancement!

I haven't been able to sew in over a month, but I did buy a couple of things last week to add to my stash and they arrived this week.

First, I splurged on some additional Vintage Modern stash by Bonnie & Camille.  I love this entire line (which rarely happens) and definitely want to make an entire quilt from it so I needed to get some more to make sure I had enough (love that rationalization lol). 

Coincidentally, the book mentioned below has a quilt made from Ruby by Bonnie & Camille, of which I have a bit, and that line plays perfectly with this one, so that may be the quilt to make.  We'll see.  Just look at all of this yumminess:

I bought this from Kris of Lavender Quilts off of Etsy.  Check out this cute packaging and scissors she included with my purchase:

Secondly, I finally got Kim Brackett's new book, Scrap-Basket Beauties.  What a great book!  I looked through it cover to cover last night and I immediately found a handful of quilts that I must.make.now.  This is Kim's third book and they are all great!  You should definitely run out and get at least one of them if you have scraps or 2 1/2 inch strips to use up. 

A Good Mail Day!

Last week when I noticed that Connecting Threads had put their Essentials thread sets on sale for 40% off, I ordered two of the neutral sets, as well as the black/gray set.  While I was shopping, I also found a book that looked fabulous based on the preview pictures and the price was right at less than $13.  All that put me 5 cents shy of $50 for free shipping.  Yes, 5 CENTS.  So I ordered a half yard of a batik as I've heard great things about Connecting Threads fabrics, but had never tried them. 

Today my box arrived.  The threads are wonderful, the batik fabric is awesome, and the book is even better than expected.  A few weeks back I also bought Carrie Nelson's second Schnibbles book when I was placing an order off of Amazon so I threw that into the picture too.  Oh, and my issue of the latest American Patchwork and Quilting finally arrived today.  I was getting antsy after seeing it on several other blogs.  It is a good issue, but I only found a couple of quilts that I'd like to make.  I did enjoy reading the contribution by Thelma of Cupcakes 'n Daisies blog fame and her quilt is amazing!



Happy Birthday to Me!

Yes, it is my birthday today...43 years old.  I have a thing about the number 3, I hate it, so I told S that I may just tell people that I'm 44 for two years and skip 43 lol.  As a little birthday gift to myself, I bought these yummy batiks from Jackie during her sale last weekend.

Of course I had help with them when I started getting them ready to wash.

Echo simply moved to the pile once I pulled the pieces out from under him that he was laying on in the above picture.

On an unrelated feline note, I have an orange and white cat that has started coming around, usually in the back yard. He drinks out of the pool and hangs out a bit from time to time.  This morning I was laying in bed when I heard the most awful sound.  It was cool outside so the windows were open and apparently Echo and Tyrone were looking out the front window when the orange and white cat showed up outside the window.  To say that Tyrone wasn't happy to see him would be an understatement!

A Good Week in the Sewing Room and Look What Arrived!

I had a very productive week in the sewing room, but don't have anything really exciting to show for it.  I got the backing made for Chocolate Covered Cherries and also got the batting cut so that quilt is now ready for basting.  The rest of the time I spent pressing my new dot fabrics that I purchased back in November and cutting a strip from each for my dot quilt.  I am now ready to start sewing on the dot quilt, so I should have some actual progress pics to show soon.  During the pressing process, I also finally admitted that my iron is indeed going, so I ordered another one off Amazon that will hopefully arrive soon.

Speaking of Amazon, this arrived this week:

Woo hoo!  I tried so hard to win a copy during the blog tour, but alas, I didn't win.  This new book by Kim is everything that everyone has said about it and more.  Awesome, awesome quilts in this book!  I had thought I knew which one I was going to make first, but when the book actually arrived, I changed my mind and I think I am going to make the cover quilt, Picnic, using the Kaffe Fasset fabrics that I started collecting last summer.  So add that to the "must do soon" list, along with the zillion other projects that are already on that list lol.

I needed a bit more in my order to qualify for free shipping, and forgetting all about the power cord I need for my new postage scale, I ordered this:

I truly loved the music that was popular when I was in high school, so as they come out with CDs of some of this older music, I have been picking them up when I need something extra on Amazon to get free shipping.  I have been listening to this CD since it arrived and it is great!  As a side note, I forgot about the power cord AGAIN when I ordered the iron and ordered a book to get free shipping.  For the exact same price as the power cord I might add LOL.

Burgundy Buttons also got the Max & Whiskers yardage in, so I ordered the background piece that I needed for my applique project as well as a few extra cuts of the bone prints that will work with some of the other pet fabrics I've collected for a different pet quilt.

This weekend will be filled with lots of tax work as well as some yard work, but I'm hoping I can squeeze in some time to start sewing on the dot quilt.

The Mother Lode of Fabric Arrived Yesterday!

I have gone on a bit of a buying spree lately, to ahem, put it mildly.  One of the shipments was delayed, so everything showed up yesterday.  I almost had to make two trips from the mail box because the stack of priority boxes was so big!  The unusual thing about these purchases is that I have a plan for everything.  Normally I am either just stash building, or collecting fabrics of some type for a future quilt.  Not this time.  All that means is that I need to get using this stuff right away.  No pressure or anything LOL. 

The first order I had placed that got delayed was for these two cute little fat eighth bundles from Moda.  I think it was genius when they came up with these bundles.  Fat quarter bundles are just too much for so many of us, and a fat eighth bundle is more usable than two layer cakes.  Oh, and I got both of these from Judi & Clint at Green Fairy Quilts.  This was my first order from them, and I will definitely order again.  After my budget recovers from these latest purchases!

The first one is Max & Whiskers by Basic Grey.  Did you know that this fabric line is also available as scrapbook paper, which Basic Grey also designs?  In fact, I think they started out designing scrapbook paper and then extended that into fabric.  In any event, here is my little bundle of Max & Whiskers.  I plan to make an applique quilt with it, already have the layout, etc. pictured in my mind, but will leave you wondering until I actually get around to making it.

The second fat eighth bundle I got is Lovely by Sandy Gervais.  Sandy is one of my favorite fabric designers, but usually I'm drawn to her autumn and dot fabrics.  For some reason, I was really drawn to the color palate of this line even though  floral prints are not something I work with a lot and there are quite a few in this line.  My plan for this bundle is a Schnibbles Times 2 quilt by Carrie Nelson, pattern still to be selected.

And now to the really big purchases.  I am not a coffee drinker, except for occasional coffee shop splurges, but that doesn't stop me from loving coffee themed fabrics.  Especially those by Deb Strain for Moda.  Last summer I found some of her Bistro line on sale, so picked up some pieces in the blue/tan colorway.  On Saturday while avoiding on a break from work, I was poking around the Burgundy Buttons site just for fun.  Note to self...if you stop just "poking around" you will probably stop making so many purchases!  Anyway, I found the Java fabric line by Deb Strain on sale.  Within 30 minutes I had selected a pattern, another Carrie Nelson pattern, Radio Flyer, figured out that the FQ bundle had the perfect amount of fabric for it, found border and binding fabrics from the line also on sale, and placed my order.

And then I realized that A) I really didn't like the two major colorways of the line all mixed together, which meant I didn't have enough fabric for the quilt, and B) I couldn't figure out where the orange and green really fit in with the rest and wondered why they were even in the line, particularly the orange.  To me, that is really out of place.  So now I was stuck with a pattern I wanted to make and not enough fabric and remembering why I make scrap quilts and not quilts from specific fabric lines!

I thought about it for a bit and then started wondering what my chances were of getting more of the Bistro fabric line, even though it came out in October 2008.  When I am looking for older items like this my first stop is Ebay and once again, Ebay came through.  What are the chances of finding an entire FQ bundle of Bistro on Ebay, just when I needed it, on sale and with free shipping?  I figured it was meant to be and bought it immediately.  Both orders arrived yesterday and here are the fabrics in all of their loveliness.  I actually like the Bistro line better overall, but there are also some great fabrics in the Java line that I can't wait to use.  Java is on the left and Bistro is on the right.

The current plan is still to make Radio Flyer with the Red/Black/Brown colorway and use the red yardage you see for the outer border and the brown fabric below it for the inner border and binding.  Then I want to make a second quilt with the Blue/Tan/Cream colorway, with possibly some of the green from Bistro thrown in.  The green and orange in the Java line are definitely out at this point.  The oranges will fit in perfectly with my autumn fabric stash and the greens can just go in the general stash.  The blues are different, with the Java blue having sort of a teal tint to it, but I think they can work together when mixed with the tans and creams.  So that is what arrived in the mail yesterday and my plans for it.

If you want a better look at both lines, here are links to them on the Moda site:

http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_java.pdf

http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_bistro.pdf

I've also still been plugging away on getting fabrics ready for the dot quilt, so I'll have a progress update on that soon.  As well as the pictures of my finished bedroom.  I got so busy, I forgot that I had never done that post and I got a reminder about it last week.  Soon, I promise.



Hey, I THOUGHT About Quilting...It's a Start!

Yes, it's true!  I actually thought about quilting last week.  Didn't do any, but I thought about it LOL.  Mainly when these gorgeous fabrics arrived from Jackie.  She had a great sale on batiks and I couldn't resist.  I had seen a lot of these in a local store awhile back, but at $10.59/yd, I just couldn't justify getting them.  But at $7.25 a yard, including lightening fast shipping, I had to get some.  Love, love, love them!  Now to get them washed and into the stash so they can be used.  Whenever that is *sigh*.

Echo also enjoyed the quilt on my table yesterday.

And Sassy was up there too, until I came by, and then she had to roll on the floor and talk to me.  No idea what she was saying, but she seemed pretty happy lol.

And speaking of happy, in response to the comments on my last post, yes, I am very happy right now.  A bit stressed and overwhelmed at times, but very happy :-).





Crazy for Dots & Stripes!

Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know that I have a thing for dots.  I have quite a collection of dot fabrics, but am always on the lookout for more.  When my sister bought me a gift certificate for Fat Quarter Shop for Christmas, I was pretty sure that I was going to use it for dot fabrics since FQS has a great selection.  I've had the GC since July and have been waiting patiently for a good sale.  That day arrived on Black Friday when FQS offered twenty percent off everything.  Perfect!  That was just what I was waiting for and I didn't hesitate to place my order LOL.  I have also gotten really interested in stripes lately after I used one for binding one of my sister's Christmas quilts, so I ordered quite a few stripe prints as well.

The GC was for $200 (purchased for only $160 during the special sale in July), which qualified my order for free shipping.  When all was said and done, I owed $25.  Not bad at all, especially when you see how much I got, which I bet is what you are waiting for.  So without further adieu, here is my loot from the FQS.  Of course it was beautifully packaged.  I didn't take the fabrics out of the individual bags yet because they are easier to store as they are right now.  You'll have to trust me that the bags with stripes are full of great stripe fabrics.  I got 51 different cuts of fabric ranging from 1/2 yd to 1 yd each.



But that's not all.  You had to know that, didn't you?  Dawn and I hit a local quilt shop on Friday as well and I picked up a nice stripe fabric at 25% off and a couple of dot fat quarters.  That filled up my punch card, giving me $25 in store credit, so I went back the next day and between using a 40% off coupon and my credit, I picked up 5 yards of this gorgeous batik for less than $8, including almost $3 of sales tax, so basically 5 bucks.  The other fabrics are the ones I got on Friday, plus a couple of Kaffe Fasset fabrics that Dawn had added to her order for me.

And of course the cats have been up to their usual activities.  Sassy recently learned how to get to the top of the entertainment center and she somehow does it very quietly so you can't catch her before she gets up there *sigh*.  Once she's up there, she stays towards the back where she knows you can't reach her.  Here she is just an hour or so ago hanging out with her kitty friend that lives on top of the entertainment center. 



And here she is standing on her house, desperately trying to reach the curtains, which thankfully she can't or I'd probably find her hanging from them. 



Echo has also spent time on the house since I moved it in front of this window.



Tyrone helped me changed the furnace filter this week by testing the ladder for me before I used it.  He is quite adept at climbing ladders.

Echo was helpful too...he closely supervised the quilting of my sister's Christmas quilts.

And Sassy tested them for softness afterwards.

And here she is apparently using her back leg as a pillow.  She has the weirdest sleeping positions of any cat I've ever owned.







Stash Enhancement!

Ok, so after I did my previous post about not getting anything quilty done recently, I remembered that I have spent some time buying fabric over the past couple of weeks.  How could I forget that???  The first purchase was from Hancocks of Paducah.  No special reason...just had the urge to buy fabric, so I ordered some Kaffe Fassett and Philip Jacobs fabrics.  Some were back ordered, but I've received most of them. 

Shortly after I received my package from Hancocks, Jackie had a great post market sale with 25% off everything in her store.  Well, who could resist that?  Certainly not me LOL.  So I ordered a bunch of small cuts of mostly Kaffe and Jacobs fabrics, with some batiks thrown in for good measure.  Here's my haul from the last couple of weeks, minus the fabrics from Hancocks that haven't arrived yet.  Oh, and yesterday I ordered a couple of Moda Saltbox Harvest layer cakes from Fat Quarter Shop at 50% off.  I love that fabric line, so was waiting for a sale to pick some up.  Fifty percent off certainly met that criteria!

Dark Kaffe & Jacobs fabrics:



Medium Kaffe & Jacobs fabrics:

Light Kaffe & Jacobs fabrics:



And all of the batiks:





Progress on Christmas Gifts and a Little Stash Enhancement

I spent yesterday at Dawn's and actually did some sewing!  The last time I did any sewing was also at Dawn's house.  It seems when I'm home lately I'm either working on work or working in the garage lol.  But yesterday I got started on my sister's Christmas gifts.  I got two of her table mats cut out and pieced.  Both of them are made from patterns, something that is rare for me, and I followed the directions exactly, which is even rarer for me LOL.  Usually I design my own quilts or at the very least, rewrite the instructions for somebody else's design to make it more "me friendly".  But not this time.  I followed the instructions for both patterns to the letter.

Here's the first one.  The fabrics were kitted up with the pattern at the quilt shop in Devils Lake, ND, and I thought they did a fabulous job with the fabric choices.

This quilts is from this pattern by G.E. Designs.  It's designed as a Quilt As You Go pattern, but I wanted to be a bit more creative with the quilting, so I just pieced the top as instructed and will baste it and quilt it the traditional way.  My sister wants one more topper in this pattern, with different fabrics, so you will be seeing this design again, probably soon.

I also pieced this little table topper.  It is from this pattern by Atkinson Designs.  This is a great pattern that is pretty easy to piece if you are careful with the bias edges and follow the instructions exactly.  As a bonus, it comes in 3 sizes.  I made the smallest size.

You will also be seeing this pattern again as my sister picked out one more set of fabrics that she wants made up in this design.

And here are the new batiks I got last week that I mentioned in my last post.  All southwest designs, of which I don't really have many in batiks, so they will be a nice addition to my stash.

And the cat backing I got for 40% off and a random dot fat quarter that I found in the $1.25 bin.  The dot fabric is a Michael Miller fabric and the cat fabric is from a new line by Red Rooster.





Confessions of a Fabriholic

I figured before I show you all of the fabric I bought before and during vacation, I better fess up to some other stash enhancing that I've done this year that I never posted about.  I just finished washing all of the fabric I've bought so far this year and let me assure you, it's ALOT.  We are already in a drought and I don't think I have helped the situation one bit.

Given that I have gone a bit overboard with the buying this year, I have challenged myself to a "no-buy" goal from now until the end of the year, when I will use the GC my sister got me from the Fat Quarter Shop when they had GCs for 20% off over the 4th of July holiday.  Given that I already have the GC in my hot little hands, and have had it since I arrived home on July 9th, I'd say I'm doing pretty good so far having not even been tempted to use it.  Have I mentioned that the GC is for $200????  But it only cost $160.  Great deal, huh?  I kicked in $10 and the rest came from my sister.  I am making her more table runners so the GC is what I got in exchange.

Are you ready?  Here goes.  This is everything else I've bought this year that I haven't already posted about.  You might want to grab a cup of your favorite beverage and maybe take a bathroom break too as this is going to get a bit long.  What can I say?  Some people can't resist shoes while I can't resist fabric *sigh*.

During tax season I finally broke down and bought one of the Fat Quarter Shop's grab bag boxes that I'd been eyeing for quite some time.  These boxes contain 12 pounds of fabric.  That's alot of fabric in case you were wondering.  They were on sale for 58.49, so a pretty good deal for that much fabric.  FYI, they are REALLY cheap right now for anyone that is interested - $41.99, plus $10 shipping.  I removed some fabrics from the box for my post tax season giveaway and this is what I had left.  As you can see, most of what was in the box are good size pieces of fabric.

The darks:



The mediums:

And the lights:

I'm not sure when I bought these batiks, but it was on one of mine and Dawn's quilting days when we stopped by the shop near our houses.  I think she needed something and I was supposed to just be along for moral support, but of course I had to get these, because I'm weak I tell ya.

Then along came a sale at Burgundy Buttons, which is a great on-line shop.  I found them through Ebay, but you can buy directly as well.  Anyway, this older Moda bundle was on sale for $60.  It's Soiree by Lila Tueller.  It fit right in with my new infatuation with "modern" fabrics.  It's the first and only fat quarter bundle I have ever bought.  So far *grin*.

And then there was the quick stop at the Quilted Apple in Phoenix while I was across town for a chiropractor appointment.  These lovely items came home with me.  A couple of yards of black dot fabric for a potential border, a batik, and two rolls of 6 inch strips.  They sell the rolls of strips for $5.00 and there are 12 different fabrics cut 6 inches by WOF.  Great for a scrap quilter like me.

Hmmm, what else.  Oh yes.  The pre-cut sale at Fabric World right before Easter - 25% off all pre-cuts.  I have also developed a fascination for Layer Cakes, so off I went.  I was really weak at this point as Easter weekend this year was right before the end of tax season, so I really needed something fun.  I got two Layer Cakes and two Charm Packs of Butterfly Garden:

And two Layer Cakes and one Charm Pack of Blush.  The charm pack was used almost immediately, so it did not make it into this picture.

Finally, I loved the Blush line so much that I decided that I had to get some coordinating yardage of my favorite pieces so I could make a decent size quilt or two from this line.  I know, a scrap quilter wanting to limit themselves to just one line of fabric in a quilt.  I couldn't believe it either.  Here is the yardage I purchased from Fabric Shack, my favorite on-line shop.

I think that's it.  Congratulations if you made it this far in the post!  Soon I will post the sequel to my fabriholic confessions when I show you all of the fabric I bought before, during, and unfortunately after vacation, although the after vacation fabric wasn't much and most of it was the backing for the kit I won from Carrie.