The Blog is Moving!!!

My new blog site is finally ready and I'm in the process of making the move! The new site is http://www.kcquilts.com/blog/ and I have already published my first post there. After about a week or two all of my archives from here will be copied over to the new blog. I'm just not sure if they will also remain here or if Blogger will immediately delete this site. So... I will be in this weird transition state for a while to make sure that everyone who checks this blog finds out about the move in time.

Please change any bookmarks, links, and/or blog subscriptions you might have. Thanks!!

Pretty in Pink

Yesterday Simon finally decided to take a nap (as opposed to passing out in his high chair or on the floor), so I was able to get some work done on the custom baby quilt I'm making. I'm not usually a fan of pink, but I was giving the instructions that I should be able to stand back to look at the quilt and see mostly pink. More specifically, "dusty pinks". I'm really enjoying the way it's turning out. It's pink, but in a sweet (rather than sickening) way. It's pretty in a way that will suit a little girl , or even an older girl, beyond the baby years.

Since this is a custom job, and not one I'm making to give away, I've found that I'm taking a lot more care in making it. I finished piecing the top last night and discovered that I had put one of the blocks in backwards! My first instinct was to just leave it and call it a humility block. Most people wouldn't even notice it unless they were looking at it closely. Then I stopped deluding myself and admitted that most people would notice the block and, furthermore, would have no idea what a humility block was in the first place. Thankfully, the block in question was in a corner and easily accessible.


It was my first time taking apart a finished quilt top and then putting it back together. I was afraid that I might make a royal mess of it, but it turned out just fine. Sometimes I just don't know what I'd do without my trusty seam-ripper!

Decisions

Last weekend I went to church at the parish closest to my house (not where I usually go) and saw an interesting notice in the weekly bulletin. Apparently, their parish school hosts a craft fair every November and they are still looking for people to occupy booths. It's not free, but about half the cost of other local craft fairs. My first reaction upon seeing the add was, "No way!" But then I started thinking about it: how I would set up a booth, the scrapbook I would make of my work to display, all of the crafts I would make to sell, and especially the advertising I would get for my custom work. The only problem is that I have serious doubts about my ability to create enough inventory by November. Unless Simon starts sleeping on a consistent basis, I just don't have the time to produce enough things to sell. This week I haven't been able to do anything!

My husband's office building allows family members of people who work there to display and sell handmade items for free outside of their cafeteria during lunchtime. This is probably something that is more ideal for my purposes. I can have just a few things to display right around Christmas time and hope that some people are desperate for gifts. The only problem is that the people at a craft fair are looking to buy crafts (not to mention, looking to support their church) while the people at the office building are just looking to eat lunch.

I've also thought about opening an Etsy shop. With Etsy you can add stock as you create it, which is great for someone who doesn't already have a large inventory. The problem there is getting people to find your Etsy shop and then want to buy things from it.

So, I'm torn. Do I commit to the craft fair and hope I have enough things to sell and won't be totally embarrassed? If I knew someone who would want to share a booth with me that would be helpful, but I don't. If I commit, would that be just the push I need to start making things at a faster pace? Or will it just make me freak out from now until November 18th? I suppose there's only one way to find out.

Back in The Groove

The blogging groove, that is. After a week in West Virginia, I am glad to be back home. Saturday evening I finished cleaning my sewing room and I am ridiculously excited about how neat and organized it is. I still have no pictures. I should fix that. It's not much to look at, really, but it's so nice to have it done. Now I just have to work at keeping it clean. Details.


I bought this fabulous alphabet fabric at the quilt shop I visited in West Virginia and have already started cutting it up. I'm going to put different colored borders around each letter and carefully piece them onto a background fabric - color to be determined. It will be a challenge to piece - lots of measuring and graph paper! It also won't be done for quite a while. This one is an intentional UFO.


The letters are all different colors - the letters in my name just happen to all be blue. I was having a hard time figuring out a word with each letter used only once to use in a picture. It seems to obvious now.

I've changed a few things around on the sidebar. You can see some new Flickr groups I've joined and some minor changes to my profile. I'm very excited about the Year of Color group started by Amy over at Happythings. I now have some additional incentive to actually break open that instruction manual for my new camera. I've been meaning to do it for quite some time, but the time never seems to present itself.


Speaking of time, I'm probably not going to have a lot of time to sew this week. I'm trying to teach Simon to fall asleep on his own, which is involving lots of crying on his part and attention on my part. I feel awful letting him cry, but he was crying when I was holding him and rocking him to sleep as well. Basically, he's crying either way. It's no fun.

Davis, WV

I am stuck in Davis, WV this week. It's basically a ski resort town, but I don't ski and it's July. There's not much to do here except hike and relax. The only problem is that it's hard to relax while keeping an eye on a nine-month old.

Anyway, I looked up quilt shops in West Virginia and the nearest one was over an hour away: the Elkins Sewing Center. Actually, the nearest anything is over an hour away. I went to the shop anyway, and was so glad I did! I found fabrics for a quilt I need to make this month for a friend. I've been looking for just the right fabrics for the past several weeks and had been unsuccessful.

I do not have the capabilities of posting pictures here, but I most likely will when I get back. Back to relaxing I go...

Friday Update

I have two projects that I'm currently working on that I have to finish today. First up is a minimoopy bunny for the baby shower this weekend. It's so close to being done that I can taste it!


Next is a zippered pouch that I'm making for myself. I figured that it was about time I stopped using ziplock bags to pack things when I go away. I'm going to pack in style, baby! I've have this fabric for several years. I always thought it was very nice, but totally impractical for a quilt. And it may be impractical for a quilt, but it's perfect for a zippered pouch!

Three Quilted Bags

These bags are my latest creation/obsession. I made the blue and orange one a few weeks ago for myself because I decided that I wanted a new purse - one that was both pretty and functional (i.e. has a pocket for my cell phone so I can answer it before it kicks over to voicemail!). After making it and using it for a while, I decided that I could make it better and set about writing directions for a quilted bag pattern that had dimensions I liked better. Specifically, I wanted it to hold a few more things and I wanted the straps long enough so that I could carry the purse on my shoulder.

There's another reason I kept making bags, totally unrelated to the fact that I wanted to improve the design of the purse itself. I have so many fabric scraps and love the idea of using them all. I keep thinking of fabulous color combinations that I can create and my fingers are just itching to make them happen. I want to make a bag that is mostly white with hints of pink, but that one will have to wait until various other projects are completed. I wish I had the idea for that one before I made this bright colored one. I love bright, rainbow colors and have lots of scraps as a result. I thought that making a purse out of them would be fabulous, but it's actually a little loud for my taste. I think I need to work on being subtle ;).

I'm entering these bags in the July Whiplash competition under the "skill" category. The craft I am particularly skilled at is quilting, and these bags certainly reflect that. For each bag, I first had to create a quilt before turning those quilts into bags. I pieced many different scraps together into one large piece of fabric, basted it onto some quilt batting, and then quilted a design on it with my sewing machine. Each bag has its own, unique quilting design.


I wanted to give the blue and orange bag a modern feel, so I quilted a series of circles and triangles onto it at uneven intervals. The green bag made me thing of spring, so I quilted a flower and leaf pattern on it. I had a really hard time coming up with an idea for the rainbow bag and finally settled on the sun, because you need the sun to make a rainbow.

I'm still using the blue and orange bag as my purse (when I'm not using a diaper bag!) - I always keep the first of anything I make. That way, I don't have to admit to my mistakes to anyone other than myself ;). My mother-in-law has already fallen in love with the green bag and offered to buy it from me. I, of course, can't take money from her so I guess it's going to be a gift. That leaves the rainbow bag as the only purse without a home. In the meantime, I think I'll hang it in my sewing room so I can admire it on a daily basis.