NQR (Not Quilting Related)

Okay, so I know this is a blog for a quilt shop, but I also know that most quilters also do other crafts. So I thought you might like to see...

... my very first crocheted baby blanket!

No, I'm not pregnant. Nor do I know anyone who is. I started this project about six months ago or so, thinking maybe I would have it done by the time my first child is born (like, in the next 10 years or so). So I finished a bit ahead of schedule. But isn't it adorable! I'm very proud. Even though you may have noticed that I photographed it folded up instead of laying flat to hide the fact that it's not quite square. But I'm guessing my first child won't care. And isn't the doll bed adorable also? My grandpa made one each for my sister and I when were little, and my aunt made the little "mattresses", pillow, and blanket.

As if finishing my first crochet blanket wasn't exciting enough, look what knocked on the door this week.

The joy of finishing a project, only to be topped off by the delivery of girl scout cookies. Does life get any better than this? I'm going to celebrate by flipping through a few quilt magazines, trying my best not to smear the pages in Thin Mint chocolate-y goodness.

Girly stuff

Don't these blocks just scream femininity? (try saying that five times fast)

One of the quilt guilds that I am a member of is doing a block of the month titled "A Tribute to Women." Lips & hearts are the blocks for January and February. The top set of blocks are the ones I did following the "rules" of using white and light blue backgrounds. I thought the fabrics by Moda designers 3 sisters (including the new Sanctuary line) would make a nice, pretty quilt. For the second set of blocks, I decided to shake it up a bit by using black backgrounds and bright red lips and hearts. The red batik I used for the lips looked just like a glossy red lipstick (to me, anyway). I love them. I'm going to continue to do two sets of blocks for the rest of the year - one following the rules and one not, but I think I already know which one is going to be my favorite.

Remember this quilt? Well it's getting dangerously close to completion - only a few more nine patches to go, so I'll soon be able to add it to my stack of TBQs (To Be Quilted).

black & white & red all over

This is my friend and her very first quilt! I've been trying to get her to make a quilt for awhile now, but she refused. She had sworn off sewing after making a wool suit in 4-H. I assured her that making a quilt top is nothing like making a wool suit, but she persisted. Then she had a few days off over Christmas, and with a little persuasion and help from her mother she turned out this little beauty! And she says she wants to make another one. I'm so proud.

Christmas is over...time to stitch!

The gifts have been given, the dinners eaten, the relatives are leaving... now it's time to take a deep sigh of relief and get back to what you've truly been wanting to do - quilt! And not for your sister, or your niece, or for you cousin's newlywed daughter... for yourself! The quilt above is a fun and easy little number. It's great for brightening those cold winter nights and for allowing yourself to mindlessly chain sew. (And it would make a great gift...just don't give yourself a deadline.) This one's been on my design wall for quite awhile now, so my goal is to get the top finished in the next couple of weeks. The fabric is Serendipity by P&B Textiles, and the pattern is called Serendipity by Verlinda Magby.

Ribbon Cutting/Cookie Feed

Here we are doing our ribbon cutting last Friday. It was pretty cold outside, but quite a few people still showed up to witness the cutting and have punch and cookies. And boy, did we have cookies. As a matter of fact, almost a week later there are still some cookies left. They are safely stored in the freezer for when I lose the pounds I gained the first time. Anyway, back to the picture. From left to right are Bruce Fairbank of Labette Bank, Kanak Patel of Commercial Bank (representing the Chamber of Commerce), my husband and business partner, Byron Stokes, myself, and Mayor Lewis Smith. As I said, it was chilly outside, but many of my friends and acquaintances came out to show their support, and a good time was had by all. I truly appreciated the event and everyone that attended.


But on to quilting...



I whipped the binding down on this little number last night. (Please forgive the amateur photography.) It's made of the Aunt Purdy's Parlor 5" charm pack by Kansas Troubles for Moda. It went together pretty quickly, and it's small enough (24" x 24" finished) to quilt at home if you want to. It would make a great little wall hanging or table topper.

Lots of things in the works right now, but I'll try to show you a quilt next time!

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome to the blog for Around the Block Fabric & Quilt Shop! We are very excited, because a blog is such a great way to keep up with what's going on in the shop between newsletters. You won't have to wait to find out what the latest and greatest products are... we'll tell you right here! We also hope to use this blog to tell you about other great quilting resources on the web including designer and manufacturer websites, free pattern sites, and anything else that just looks cool.

Latest and greatest product number one is this adorable apron pattern. I made it up in fabrics from the Free Spirit line Utopia, but you could pair up any two coordinating fabrics. The best part is, it only takes 2 yards of fabric (one yard for the fron and one yard for the back)! The pattern is by Vanilla House Designs (http://www.vanillahousedesigns.com/). I saw her and her patterns at quilt market in Houston in October, and I just had to have some.

Thanks for visiting the blog, and check back often!