Love Giveaways?
Me too!
What I love most about giveaways is the sentiment involved in the fabric received from fellow quilters. It is, to me, a way of celebrating the community of quilters that has grown from our ability to share online. Using fabric received from a fellow quilter, in a handmade item such as a quilt, is forever a reminder of this and really makes it that much more of a treasure!
I love scrappy-goodness, and especially when a bit of whimsy is added.
My current project has some fussy-cutting involved. It is a cover for a cookbook I am gifting my mother for MOM's Day. Almost done now, and I plan to share the finish on Friday. I think Mom will appreciate the large-type print, and the variety of recipes (from the NY Times) is perfect.
This Plum Chutney recipe caught my eye. What I miss I think most about living in the Pacific Northwest is the abundance of food to put up. (what, it is not the rain?). If one is not lucky enough to have their own Italian Prune tree, bags of them will appear on doorsteps each season, from neighbors up to their eyeballs in them! I think I have made prune everything over the years. Most years, I'd put up peaches, pears, green beans, tuna, applesauce, corn, PRUNES!, cherries, & berries...
Oh yeah, the giveaway..
Followers of my blog may recall I celebrated a birthday not too long ago. (thanks for your patience!)My idea was to grow a small collection of some of my favorite print, 49 of them to be exact!
The stack weighs 1.4lbs and includes a variety of sizes and styles, some vintage, some modern, and quite a few out of print desirables. This prize may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy scrappy quilting & fussy cutting, you will be thrilled! These deserve a closer look..
I keep a bit of almost every fabric that comes through my studio. Finding deals is one of my favorite hobbies. I buy online, at my local LQS, through guild sales, and quilter's destash sales. I try to keep my Etsy Fabric Shop fresh with new listings each week, always hoarding a bit of each piece!
How to win? Please leave a comment! Tell me what you are making for Mother's Day, or perhaps there is a favorite fabric in this bundle? Maybe you want to tell me whether you have been to Vegas, and did you visit Quiltique, or another LQS while here?
Followers may leave an additional comment for a second entry - please let me know how you follow:-)
Giveaway closes Sunday, May 10th, at Midnight - 12:00 PST & the winner selected by Ty, The Randomizer ;-)
If you are visiting from Sew Mama Sew's HUGE giveaway, thank you for stopping by! If not, you will want to check it out!
Because I expect a lot of traffic to this post, I would also like to take this opportunity to share some of the barn blocks my husband made last year. We are considering picking this up again, and I thought you, the quilty community, may have some input!
Although both these red & green blocks did sell online, (through my Etsy Quilt Shop), they were not quick sales and Ty has not been inclined to make more for the profit he received. These are 24", made of rebar, & I think they sold for $90., plus $40shipping. (wow, right? these were heavy, and both shipped across the country). He is in the process now of making a new one using a metal backing that is not solid, therefore not quite as heavy. I like it better too because it has a textured pattern that I think will look nice painted. We sold several smaller ones at the local art show as well, Friendship Blocks with no backing. These are much lighter to ship, however this size takes almost the same amount of time to make and seems more of a patio décor, or even indoor, since it would not be as visible on an exterior wall of a home or barn. We both like this size better, however we did learn quickly at art shows that 'smalls' are what seem to move. The Card Trick, and this Chinese Puzzle with no back did sell at the show, $135. each I believe.
And this white one did not. I think the blocks with backing were priced at $150 for the show and really should be near that price to be a realistic enough profit to motivate Ty to pick this up again. This white one is actually my favorite and I have it on the front of my home. My home is a light color though, so it does not stand out well & I need to paint it. I would prefer to paint the house though and I suppose that is why I have ignored it. Ty will not make any with this type backing again as it was too thin to weld easily. It does give you an idea of what he is making now though - very similar and I think I will paint it white as well, & photograph it somewhere else, haha.
This last photo I found shows the Churn Dash unpainted. We both like this look yet we were not sure others would. Ty has also finished his (other) rebar art with a clear coat to keep the rebar color, yet prevent rust. As well, there is a product he has mentioned to me than creates rust. These options involve a bit more prep-work and therefore would price higher.
Feedback I can share with Ty is appreciated!
I really want to post a few of these at my Etsy site!
Any opinion is welcome: Colors, block patterns, with or without the metal backing, and affordability.
Ty would like to eliminate the chain as well. The top sits a bit forward of the wall and he would prefer it flush, without the chain. Perhaps screwed on..
Thank you, Thank you, and Good Luck with all the giveaways!
Are you wondering why my scraps were in my Pool Room?
I am so excited about the barn blocks my husband and I have been working on! I finished painting two of the Churn Dash blocks, and will soon be adding a 'Barn Blocks' section on my Etsy shop as part of it's makeover. These are two of my faves so far:
24" Barn Block made of Rebar and Sheet Metal
I snapped a photo & added Ty as a shop member today....
Ty enjoys working in his slippers, as do I :-)
He is into modern furniture & metal wall art - http://tekilounge.blogspot.com/
The blog is new, so he would LOVE a comment if you make it over there!
Of course, I am still stitching as well! Yesterday I stumbled upon some purty blocks made with the new Stashbuster's QAL at Linda's Quiltmania. Never one to avoid a new distraction, I jumped right on the bandwagon and whipped up the first two blocks. Her tutorials were easy to follow, and I love the modern designs.
Block from Week One, (I made them a bit bigger @ 16")
These are not joined cuz I decided to add a few more & complete a baby quilt.
Block from Week Two; I am going to make three more - blue, yellow, and green - for a baby quilt.
Check out Linda's Flickr group to see what other quilter's are coming up with! If you follow my blog, you know that I often enjoy mixing vintage with modern, and this group seems to have a mixture that I will feel comfortable posting with in either style:-)
Self-threading needle makes tucking tails a breeze, right at the machine!
First I made these little mugrugs so I could play with threads and patterns. You can probably see where I ripped the stitches from the upper right one, not liking the design I stitched in. I tried several patterns before I settled on the simple wavy lines. I am getting more accustomed to my Juki. It is faster, and the pedal touchier than my old Bernina, and I am still working to improve with consistent speed and stitch lengths.
These coasters were photographed on the Mondrian-inspired coffee table Ty made this month...
Piet Mondrian inspired mugrug coasters, 6" Sq
Ty is busy preparing for Art in the Park, a HUGE Fine Art show coming up in Boulder City, NV.
RU curious what is up with the Coca-Cola Crate?
Poster pic ripped from website
He does a lot of unique furnishings, and the little green side table is one of my recent favorites..
I also love these...
Today he is busy making a resting bench. The seat is gorgeous redwood. Likely, it will be appreciated by at least a few of the 100,000 people expected to attend.
What I am most excited about are the quilt/barn blocks he is producing...
I will post a bit more about these soon!
Regarding Quilting this week, I am preparing a Carpenter's Wheel block Tutorial.
And, I have to admit my NewFO projects look the same as last month (!)
Pretty even though there's been no recent progress... Hang tough, but maybe don't hold your breath...
It has been a busy month, and a busier one coming up, but in a great way!
