Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Blogging Change

Hello everyone,

After much deliberation, I have decided to start blogging exclusively on my other blog called Tiffany Sews. This is a more personal blog. I will still talk about things going on at the shop, but I will also blog about my life and projects I'm working on that are not necessarily for the shop.

So follow me to my other blog... it will be fun!

Storybook quilts

A customer came in this morning with a really great idea I just have to share.

I get lots of requests for really specific fabric, usually involving some sort of theme or character (i.e., curious george, barbie, pinocchio, etc.). This fabric is almost always nonexistent. Well, if you can't find it, make your own!
This customer came in with this book. (I love that it's a vintage book! Check out the price.... $0.39!).She chose some pages with images she liked and went to lunch while I scanned and printed the pictures on fabric sheets. (I use the Electric Quilt sheets that you can put in your inkjet printer. I think the quality is a little better than Printed Treasures, plus you get one more sheet per package than Printed Treasures for the same price.) My favorite picture is the one of the beds - the "mama bear" bed has a quilt!The lighting doesn't do them justice, but they came out adorable! She's going to use them in a baby quilt for her yet-to-arrive granddaughter. Too cute. Too. Cute. The vintage book is very cool, but you could use any book, including coloring books. Garage sales and the library would be a good place to find books also. I'm going to call my mom tonight and have her send me some of the old books she's kept. Even though my sister and I drove her crazy with them. Then I need to make a mental note to hang onto them and introduce them to my niece and nephew so they can drive my mom crazy all over again. It's the least I can do =).

Friday, August 17, 2007

As promised...

... here is the nurse bag!

And the other side.
I tried to get a good picture of the lining also. The fabric is white with different doctors and nurses. Plus we added a couple of pockets because, well, you just need pockets.
We have some kits available at the shop and online (just $11.50!). I just love that fabric - the nurses are so chic! And they have a little bit of attitude, which makes them that much more endearing. Because as anyone who is related to a nurse knows (hi mom!), nurses have definitely got a little attitude. I think it's a survival skill - they need it to get through the day (or night!).

In the quilt guild I belong to, we are doing Eleanor Burns's Underground Railroad book as a block of the month. These are the blocks I have finished so far.

The book calls for red, green, blue, and brown fabrics on tan backgrounds. As you can see, I decided to substitute purple for red. I didn't realize how much that changed the look of the quilt until I got all of the blocks up on the design wall. I like purple, so it will work out for me just fine. But I also like red, and kind of want to make another set of blocks in using red. But I also don't like purple and red together, so I couldn't use both sets of blocks to make one large quilt. And I'm also not too keen on the idea of making two practically identical quilts. I did buy some pink reproduction fabric last year when we started this project with the intent of making a set of block using pink instead of red. Then maybe I could mix those blocks with the purple ones? Hmmm. It's a dilemma I probably won't ever have to solve, because the chances that I will ever get around to making a second set of blocks is slim to none.

We (the quilt guild) are having a work weekend tonight and tomorrow to make donation quilts for victims of the recent flooding. Everyone was instructed to bring orphan blocks and fabric to donate, so it will be interesting to see what we come up with. I'll be sure and take lots of pictures... if I remember my camera!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Back to School Bags

This week is back to school time in our neck of the woods, and we just happen to have the perfect back to school bags for your favorite teachers and students!

This first one came out soooo cute. I am very excited about it. I already have grand plans to make one for every teacher I know, plus a couple more for teachers I don't know yet but will surely meet someday and want to give them a bag. (I know, this will never happen, but allow me delusions of grandeur for a moment, okay?)


It was designed for teachers by a teacher (Cindy). The fabrics are from the Cool School line by Loralie Designs. This is the same company that makes the adorable nurse fabric we carry (which reminds me - I've never blogged about the nurse bag! That'll be the next post...). This bag is large enough to carry a notebook (computer or otherwise), and there are pockets all along the outside of the bag to keep everything organized, from keys to cell phones to extra pencils. And when you add a panel of letters by Lakehouse Dry Goods, you can personalize the bag for your favorite teacher! We put "teacher" and "abcd" on ours to make it generic, but you could easily put "Mrs. Whoever," or "1st grade" - you get the idea. The letters were attached using Steam-a-Seam 2. Then she just top-stitched just inside the edge of the squares. This is also known as raw-edge applique.

My next bag would be perfect for either a teacher or student. I made this one for my sister who is in college studying to be a music teacher, so it will work either way.


She had mentioned that she liked this fabric (who doesn't?), so I made her a bag. It was supposed to be a Mother's Day present, but I'm obviously a little late. The start of a new school year seemed to be the perfect excuse to: a) get the bag done, and b) pretend that "back to school" was the reason I made the bag in the first place and not that I'm 3 months late with her Mother's Day present. This bag is also large enough for a notebook and school books. There are three pockets on the inside. I put some needlepoint canvas in the bottom to give it some shape. For the handle, I wanted something really strong that would hold up to carrying college textbooks. So, I went to my local discount store to the camping aisle and picked up a luggage strap. I can't remember how much it cost, but it wasn't much...less than $3.00. I cut it to the length I needed and covered it in fabric. It turned out really well, and it will be nice and strong.

Well, I haven't made much progress on my to-do list, but I'm going to work really hard on it this week. Maybe by the end of the month I'll be able to check off all those items and make a new list! That's the trouble with lists - by the time you finish one, it's time to make another and start on it.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Bewitched

Yesterday I channeled my inner Samantha, and with a twitch of the nose (and 6-7 hours of face time with my sewing machine), this...

...was magically transformed into this quilt! (The lighting in this photo is not so magical, but you get the general idea.)
Here's a little closer look at the panel and the pieced borders,
and an even closer look at the machine-appliqued moons. My machine-applique has come a long way if I don't say so myself. I'm really excited about it. I usually don't get much applique done because of the time involved. I enjoy the hand-stitching part - I find it very relaxing. What's not so relaxing is preparing the pieces to be appliqued. I'm still working on finding a technique that works well for me. But yesterday I discovered a new stitch on my little blue Kenmore sewing machines that works really well for applique (as long as you're not doing very small pieces. The stitch length and width on these machines is not adjustable). So thanks to Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 and an endless supply of thread colors, you may just see more applique from this quilter!

The Halloween fabric is a line from Clothworks called Mummy Mambo. We've got the whole line in the shop and on the website, plus kits for the quilt pictured above. I've got some more ideas for this line, so stay tuned for more Halloween projects!

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Weekend

This weekend I quilted this,
(Here's a closer look.)attached the binding to this,
started crocheting this (from this book that I splurged on last week),
and watched this at the movies.

All in all, not a bad weekend. Not bad at all.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

I love you x-block, XXX OOO

I couldn't believe it when I opened my blog and realized it's been a week since I posted last. A week! What could I have possibly been up to keep me away for so long. I don't have any finished projects to show for my absence - that's for sure. So I ran frantically around the shop snapping pictures of anything and everything I can remember touching in the last week. So, here goes....

First, Dottie came over on Saturday and taught her X-block class to three eager students (including me). I wasn't the most attentive student, and I did have to run out of the classroom a few times to help customers (my hubby bailed on me to go play wiffleball), but this is what I have to show for my efforts.


I am so excited about how it's turning out. The blue fabric is just perfect for the water. It was very exciting to watch the little turtles and fish take shape in front of my eyes. To think they all basically started out as nine-patch blocks.... And I splurged on a few new quilting pantographs, one of which looks kind of like waves, so I want to get the top done by the time my new pantos get here.

This is another thing I love about the x-block quilts. One of the students in the class had a whole bunch of this fabric that she wanted to use up. It had been purchased for a quilt backing, but didn't make the final cut. (Get it? Final cut! I know, I'm a goofball). So, what to do with 8+ yards of this fabric?
Well, combine it with two other fabrics (pulling the colors from this problem fabric), and viola!


An entirely respectable, dare I say cute, quilt top! I love how the geometry of the original "problem" fabric is sort of echoed with this pattern.

The other student in the class did a wall hanging from the Metro Blue fabrics by Marcus Brothers. She hasn't brought the finished product in to show me, but I know she will when she completes it. Right D.?! She had most of the blocks done before she left on Saturday, so we got to see them on the design wall. Definitely worth waiting for her to bring the quilt to show us. I think I speak for the other two when I say we truly enjoyed having Dottie as a teacher. She is wonderful resource, not only for x-block quilts, but for all things quilting. I can't wait to have her back.

Let's see, what else is going on around here? I finally quilted this Yellow Brick Road quilt that I made the blocks for back in January.
I just put the borders on the other day, and decides the quilting couldn't wait any longer. Those striped strips along the bottom are going to be the binding. I know, I know, I should have cut it on the bias. But I'm too lazy, plus this way the stripes will be going the same direction as they are in the quilt. So there. That's my design justification for being too lazy to make bias binding.

And just when I was losing all hope of ever seeing her again, Cindy came back from vacation today! I tell ya, when they (whoever "they" are) say, "You don't know what you got tell it's gone," they're right. (Wait, is that a Bon Jovi song? Nope, I just googled it. It's Cinderella.) Cindy was sorely missed around here, and I'm soooo glad she's back. She jumped right back in and got to work on this:
This will be the center of a quilt from the Laps from Fats for Family & Friends book. The quilt in the picture is gold and blue, so Cindy's version will definitely demonstrate a different colorway.

So that's most of what we've been doing around here. And just so you know, and to sort of commit myself to completing these things, here is my to-do list for the next, let's say, 2 - 4 weeks. In no particular order (because I like to have choices and forcing myself to do things in a particular order takes the fun out of it):
  • Finish baby quilt for friend having baby shower on Sunday! And show you all when it's done
  • Finish the x-block turtle quilt top
  • Put the binding on my Freshcut quilt and the Yellow Brick Road quilt (pictured above)
  • Make some headway, if not finish, this quilt top
  • Quilt all the tops I have on hand - the customers' and mine (yeah, right)
  • Walk the dog at least 4 times per week

Okay, now my goals are written in stone, per se, and you can help keep me accountable. Good luck.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Wow

While perusing my favorite blogs this morning, I ran across this link to the winners of the Sydney, Australia 2007 Quilt Show. All I can say is "wow." Can you imagine doing that much applique?! And the quilting...it's just as detailed. You must check out the back of the quilt. It's as gorgeous as the front! You would definitely have to put me in the looney bin after making a quilt like that. My brain would be mush.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Class updates

Just a quick reminder that it's not too late to sign up for the X-block class this Saturday, July 28. The quilt below is called Venetian Tiles, and is yet another one of the possibilities you can make with the x-block technique.

If there is room, and if I can convince my DH to help me with the shop, I'm going to participate in Saturday's class also! I don't plan to be in there the whole time, but I am very excited about the quilt and these fabrics that I picked out this afternoon! These fabrics might just be enought to keep my rear firmly planted in front of the sewing machine all day.


For those that have asked or silently wondered about the Random Access class on Saturday, Sept. 8, these pictures are just a portion of the Tony's finished quilt top. (It's absolutely humongous, but don't worry - you don't have to make yours that big.)


The general idea of the Random Access quilt is that you start with one fat quarter for each block you want to make (if you want 20 blocks, you need 20 fat quarters). You cut them all up and put the pieces in bags. As you sew, you blindly (this is the random part) pull pieces from different bags. The rule is that if you haven't already used the fabric you pull out in your current block, you have to use it. I know some of you may be feeling faint at the idea of not painstakingly matching the fabric for each block as you sew. But that's exactly why you should take the class. Fabrics don't have to match perfectly, and this quilt will be a good exercise in letting go of your control just a bit and letting the quilt take over.

And just in case you might wondering if I even make quilts anymore, here's my proof.

Well, it's not a whole quilt, but it's the third block for the Rosebud Lane block of the month. I think this is my favorite one so far! My goal is to have the whole quilt top finished by the third Saturday in August. Now that I've put that goal in writing, maybe I'll be more inclined to stick to it.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

X-blocks are coming to Around the Block!

If you don't know about this technique, it's a very cool, very simple way to get a ton of quilts out of just one block. That's right, I said one block. Patricia Pepe is the genious behind this technique, and you can read more about it and see more quilts on her website.

Around the Block is holding a class on X-block quilts on Saturday, July 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The class will be taught by Dottie Lankard. Dottie is one of a group that won the Hoffman Challenge in 2005. Needless to say, she's an excellent quilter. You don't want to miss the opportunity to learn from her.

Here are just a couple of Dottie's X-block quilts (sorry for the terrible photography):


Call or e-mail us at the shop to sign up!

That's (Quilt) Show Biz

Hello everyone! Hopefully there are lots of new people reading this blog, because Around the Block was a vendor at the Jubilee Quilt Show in Dewey, Oklahoma this past weekend. We had a wonderful time and met lots of new people. It was also good to see my fellow quilt shop owners, catch up with them, and talk about the joys and sorrows of owning your own shop. We don't get the chance to visit very often!

Besides the people, it was a lovely show. Lots to see, for sure. Here are a few of the quilts that caught my eye.




We (the DH and I) rewarded ourselves after the show on Saturday by going to the movie theater to see the new Harry Potter movie. I hate having preconcieved notions (good or bad) about a movie, so I'll just say this: If you liked the others, go and see this one. I'm not going to give anything else away. With that said, I am highly anticipating the release of the 7th and final book (which now that I think about it might be today?). I've read all the others, but it's been so long that I'm going back and re-reading books 5 and 6. I tend to read very late into the night which I've discovered is not good for retention.

It was a very fun but very exhausting weekend. It was topped off by our air conditioner quitting on us. So I've been doing very little at home - I even broke a sweat unloading the dishwater. My dear hubby is on the case though, so we're hoping it will be fixed by this evening when we get off work. Otherwise, I may be spending quite a bit more time at the shop!

Monday, July 9, 2007

Our "magical" week

We're back from vacation and diving headfirst back into quilty endeavors. But before I tell you about that, let's recap the vacation, shall we?

Our first full day in Florida, we went to Daytona Beach. I'll spare you those pictures. I will say I was suprised by the extreme lack of attractive people. Afterall, it's Daytona Beach. You expect bleached-blonde, slender girls and muscular guys to be as abundant as seashells. Not the case. On the bright side, I didn't see anyone in a Speedo.

Not too far from Dayton Beach is the Ponce Inlet, where the Ponce de Leon lighthouse is located. Since we were all pretty sunburned by 2:00, we left the beach and stopped at the lighthouse to look around.

Views from the top of the lighthouse, which you access by climbing a very curvy, very steep, very tall set of stairs.

Imagine my excitement when I discovered quilts at the lighthouse! These pictures are from the caretaker's residence. I had to take pictures through the glass since the house wasn't open to the public.


After we left the lighthouse, we headed for Orlando. The next morning we began our Disney parks marathon. Three parks in three days. In July. My husband did a little research and informed everyone that we were visiting Disney World on the third busiest week of the year. The busiest week is Christmas, and the second busiest is spring break. I still think I would take either of those weeks over the one we chose simply because of the heat. It reminded me of physics class. When the temperature rises, particles start moving faster and bounce off of each other. That's how I felt - like a particle, uncontrollably bumping into people as we trekked through the parks.

Not to say we didn't have fun and see some really neat stuff. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. My husband and I thought it was hilarious that the tram drivers and ticket takers would say, "Welcome to _______. Have a magical day." So it sort of became an inside joke to describe everything as "magical."

The first day we went to Epcot. My favorite part of Epcot is the "countries." Epcot has a lake surrounded by a street. Other streets offshoot from the lake like sunbeams. Each offshoot represents a different country, where the buildings, restaurants, and people area all meant to make you feel like you are in that particular country. We visited them all, but my favorites were Germany, China, and the UK. Here is a picture of one of the gardens in France.

We ate in Morocco. It wasn't the best food I've ever tasted, but it was interesting. We had some hummus, which I had seen on tv on the food network but had never tried before. I'm glad I tried it. I would have preferred Japan or China (I really wanted my husband to try some sushi), but some other members of our group didn't want "that stuff," so Morocco was a good compromise. My husband's cousin had a margarita in Mexico. She said it was good, but it was way too hot for a cocktail for me.

The next day we visited MGM (which I highly recommend, especially if you like movies), and our last day we went to Magical Kingdom. Having learned our lesson from the previous two days, we opted to wait until the late afternoon to go to the park. We arrived at the parking lot a little before 4:00. The first tram we got on caught on fire. It wasn't engulfed in flames or anything, just a small electrical fire. By the time a 2nd tram arrived and we took the ferry to the entry gates, it was about 4:15. I doubt the Magic Kingdom was any less crowded at 4:15 than it was earlier in the day, but it was certainly cooler. We rode some rides, and I got my face painted with a Tinkerbell inspired look. I was probably the only 20-something gal in the park with a painted face (except for the employees), but it made me happy so I didn't care.

We were killing time, taking a tour of Mickey's and Minnie's houses, when we came across this room in Minnie's house.

Who knew Minnie Mouse was a quilter? I never really was a big Minnie fan, but I have a whole new respect for her now. Her quilt hanging on the wall even has a blue ribbon.

We took the obligatory picture in front of Cinderella's castle. We stayed late for the fireworks, which were definitely the best I've ever seen. After manuevering through the traffic jam that ensued after the fireworks and picking up a few souvenirs, we headed home.

I would definitely go back, just not in July. For now, I'm ready to get back to quilting for awhile.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Funeral & Florida

My, my, how time flies. It's been over a week since I've blogged. Things are very busy around here. My grandfather passed away last week (hence, the shop was closed yesterday for his funeral) (thank you, by the way, for all of your kind words - it's always good to know people are thinking about you at a time like that), and we are getting ready to go on vacation, so there is lots to finish up in the next couple of days.


Mostly a lot of this... (yes, that's a seam ripper in the picture)

Remember this quilt? Well, I finally got it all assembled and snuck it on the quilt machine thinking I would get it done pretty fast. I should have known better. It's been on the machine for the better part of a week, and it has to come off so I can quilt a couple of things before I leave.


On a brighter note (for me, anyway), a brief google search uncovered no less than seven quilt shops in the orlando, fl, area. Would I sacrifice a day in Disney hell with the in-laws to go quilt shop hopping, you might ask? Absolutely.


The shop will be closed Monday, July 2 through Wednesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. But never fear, my fellow quilters, we will re-open on Thursday, July 5 with Christmas goodies to share with you!

In the mean time, here are a few tempting new books that just arrived:














From the Laps from Fats book, I'm really liking this quilt:

You may just see a sample of this one in the shop, Christmas in July or not, because I don't know how long I'm going to be able to stay away from this one. I'm a sucker for samplers... what can I say.

Have a lovely holiday, everyone! We'll see you next week!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Toothbrush Rugs - Beyond Oval

Don't get me wrong, I still love the oval toothbrush rug. It's classic - simple utility at its best. But with so many other patterns available, who can resist using this technique for other rug shapes and projects.

The baskets are, well, they're just darned cute. And unlike the rugs, you only need 2 yards of fabric for these. Now, if you don't have 2 yards of fabric laying around, you can hardly call yourself a quilter. I probably know a few people who have more fabric than that shoved in the glovebox of their car.


Once again, Cindy's busy and capable hands made the baskets. She's starting early on Christmas gifts (don't you wish you were her friend or family member) and plans to fill the baskets with the recipients' favorites (chocolate, girly lotions, you get the picture).

This is the beginning of the dog bone- shaped toothbrush rug. I think this is a very clever idea.
1) It's made of muslin, so you're not spending a bunch of money on fabric for the dog's rug.
2) My dog weighs somewhere around forty pounds and can be a very eager eater, sloshing water and dropping food all over my floor. So this rug is going under her dog bowls.
3)Plus, it will just look cute under there.

We had a nice Father's Day yesterday. We made the drive to my father-in-law's house and had lunch. That side of the family is pretty big (as in lots of people, not physically), so any time we get together there is plenty of food and conversation. Other than a brief muggy spell, the weather was cooperative. We sat under the tree in their back yard and watched our dogs frolic and the boys toss a football around. The football landed in the tomato plants a couple of times causing my father-in-law's blood pressure to momentarily rise (which made the rest of us laugh). It was a pretty nice Sunday afternoon.

My dad is travelling for work right now. He's on the east coast, and I totally forgot when I called him after 9:00 p.m. that it was after 10:00 there. I got his voicemail, so I assumed he was already asleep. Mom's with him, so she probably wore him out shopping all day. I'll try again this evening. Until then, Happy Father's Day, Daddy! You're the best!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Up the wall

I like wall hangings. They're another good way (besides this) to make a quilt without...well without actually making a quilt.

This, naturally, is one of my favorites. I got my degree at K-State, and this flag lets me show my quilt-y and purple pride at the same time. The powercat is a licensed logo, and it's a big no-no to reproduce it without permission. If you're ever in Manhattan, KS, you'll see lots of powercats displayed backwards (facing left instead of right) in an attempt to get away with copying the design. So when I found this pattern about two years ago in Wichita, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Now we have these patterns in the shop, so you can feel just as lucky as I did! Oh yeah, and if you're a fan of that other school in Kansas, there are flag and quilt patterns with their mascot also.

Here is another wall hanging I did right after I opened the shop.

Right now it hangs in the entryway to the shop. It's done in blue and brown 1800's reproductions with reproduction shirting prints for the white. Each piece is just 1" wide. It took longer than I thought it would b/c of the small pieces, but it still went pretty quickly by using strip piecing. The pattern is called "Martin's Pennies." It's a good way to use up scraps in case you're one of those people that has extra fabric lying around =)