Stats -
Size: 48″x43″
Techniques: Applique
Quilting: Quilted by me on my domestic machine
Category: Applique Quilts
This quilt was never meant to be, but it made itself be almost out of thin air. My mom wanted a simple quilt to keep at her house so that our second daughter would have her own quilt to use there. She quite literally would have been happy with a one yard cut sandwiched and quilted – not much of a quilt at all.
In the interest of saving myself time, I was going to oblige this simple request, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it and at the last minute decided to make this Mod Circles quilt using some of my Simply Color charm pack. Naturally, I diverted from the pattern and chose an unexpected solid from my stash and went into machine applique land. 
Out of the scraps, I cut out tiny petals and created flowers in random circles. A border was added because I simply like larger quilts.
I opted to do something I hadn’t done before and pebble quilted inside all of the circles and free motion quilted everywhere else using my trusty Aurifil thread in grey, which looks like a beautiful silver against the turquoise. As my elder daughter watched me make this, it suddenly became part hers, so I quilted in their names, “Sisters Forever”, and a quote from a book I wrote her when she became a big sister. (I can share more about that if there’s any interest.)
This quilt went from a one yard “barely a quilt” quilt, to one that allowed me to practice new skills and have some fun with.
Thank you for stopping by and voting (if you’re so inclined!). I’ve also entered a second quilt in the festival that you can see here. Be sure to check out all the other amazing entries!
Stats -
Size: 71.5″x”55
Technique: Curved piecing
Quilting: Free-hand quilted by myself on my domestic machine
Category: Home Machine Quilted Quilts
I set out to create a simple, cathedral window looking quilt (Star Gazer by Lunden Designs) for our second daughter. Life has way of not turning out quite like you planned, and this quilt followed suit. We added (my husband collaborated with me) negative space elements, a hefty dose of blue Essex linen, and watched it grow and grow. Looking at the monster (it was supposed to be a baby quilt!) we were stumped by how to quilt it and bring it to life.
There was much difficulty during the length of our pregnancy, and I felt this baby was going to be that flower out in the middle of the desert, that ray of sunshine during the dreary and lifeless winter. I decided to have the stem of the quilt coming up between the “rocks”, meandering its way to the top, where a beautiful flower would blossom. With these ideas in mind, I “free-hand” quilted the flower until I was happy with it and added the rest of the straight line quilting.
Quilting it was definitely a challenge on my Janome 6600P, but I rather enjoyed the challenge, flaws and all. I used Aurifil blue for all the accent straight line quilting, and orange and yellow for the stem and flower. The flower design was inspired by one of the floral prints in Joel Dewberry’s Heirloom.
On the back, I incorporated a hand-embroidered block with her name, and the block I had my brother draw on for the gender reveal.
Thank you for stopping by and voting (if you’re so inclined!). I’ve also entered a second quilt in the festival that you can see here. Be sure to check out all the quilts by talented quilters in the festival!
Midway through December, she *finally* made her grand entrance into this world and stole our hearts.
I hope you all had a relaxing break over the holidays and rang in the new year in style. I got to ring it in with Squish and my Mr. Donkey during a midnight feeding – now that is awesome. Thank you for sticking around while I took some time off to focus on our family. To my new followers, welcome!
Have you been enjoying the Donkey loving celebration that is Donktober? I have! I’m absolutely loving the donkey projects everyone involved has come up with so far and cannot wait to make a few of them myself. I have plans to make my very own Sock Donkey (so much more fitting than a sock money!) for the baby’s nursery.
I’m excited to finally be able to share with you my first contribution to Donktober. Monsieur Donkey and I love games and have dabbled in creating our own. Naturally when thinking about all things ridonkulous, we decided to collaborate and make a donkey game for all of you! Huzzah! With that, I present to you -
Herdin’ Gongkeys.
*
Gongkeys, you ask? That’s how my daughter would say “donkey” when talking about where I work. Naturally, she’s outgrown saying it like that, but we haven’t.
The premise of the game is to herd or corral donkeys, if you will. It’s a lot like dominoes in the sense that you are able to build a fence, or connect your pieces, by matching up colors, instead of numbers. Simple enough, right?
Creating the game allows you a lot of freedom – you can use Citra Solv to create the pieces like we did (Lil Blue Boo has a fabulous tutorial on that), draw them on using paints or Sharpies, or simply print the pieces out and laminate them.
The fence pieces are made out of popsicle sticks and you can have the kids paint them with you.
The game ends when all the donkeys are herded and the winner is determined by choosing a stick at random. You can then play it out however you like by dramatically flipping over each individual donkey until the winner is revealed, or simply laying them out and seeing who has the winning donkey. The game play runs approximately 10 minutes and can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Alter some of the rules, and you can make it easier or more challenging, depending on your audience.
Full instructions and templates are available for download. Download your template here and instructions here. Please note that the names in the PDF are backwards for using the Citra Solv transfer method.
* Wondering where the names of the donkeys came from? Look no further than the Donktober girls. I figured you’d enjoy herding us all, haha.
On a side note to my readers – I have greatly appreciated all the lovely comments left on my Blogger’s Quilt Festival post. I will respond to everyone soon. Life threw us a curve ball and I have not had the time to devote to the blog as I would like.
I recently shared this quilt as it was made as a gift for my 4 year old’s birthday. I’m entering it because it allowed me to test out new techniques, learn a thing or two along the way, and I just love the back as much as the front.
I wanted to play with the Robert Kaufman Cat in the Hat Seuss panel so I decided on wonky blocks. I kept the backing plain, using Kona white, and decided to quilt in quotes from “The Cat in the Hat” on the sashing. I used my beloved Aurifil variegated thread for the quotes and white thread to quilt inside each wonky block. I love that my handwriting is in quilt form and will hopefully last for years to come.
The quilting in the wonky blocks consists of various straight line quilting styles. I wanted to have fun with it (how can you not when working on anything involving Dr. Seuss?!) and did just that. The striped bias binding gives the quilt that extra pop and ties in all the colors.
Quilt Statistics -
Name: A Tale of Seuss
Designed and sewn by: Yours truly
Quilted by: Yours truly
Size: 70″x50″
Best category: Baby quilt / Throw quilt / Home machine quilted quilt
Thank you for taking the time to stop by! Enjoy the festival and all its amazing entries!
Let’s get down to business!
Works in Progress
Baby #2 Quilt - This quilt has been quite the journey. I started off with plans to use the gorgeous Star Gazer quilt pattern by Melissa Lunden, then the quilt evolved into something a tiny bit different. Oh, and with this quilt’s evolution, it also became quite large and not much of a baby quilt. Apparently I cannot make a baby sized quilt, even when I set out to do that very task!
I am currently working on piecing a fun backing. I need to do this asap because it’s taking up precious real estate and I can only ask the felines and child not to walk on it so many times.
On that note, a design wall would be really, really, great right about now. Especially at 35 weeks pregnant!
Donktober Quilt – I was inspired by Erin’s (Missy Mac Creations) donkey quilt and decided to make my own for the children to enjoy. Stay tuned to see the completed top this week. I have greater plans for it, so it will be put on hold once the top is complete.
Donktober Game – My husband and I love playing games when we have some free time. More recently we have been creating our own games to play and we’re currently working on a donkey-inspired game just in time for Donktober. Click here for more on Donktober.
On Hold
Living With Punks Land of Nod inspired Floor Cushion – I am making a huuuuuge one for my brother. It is on the back burner until I have this baby.
Completed WIPs!
Tiny Waldorf Doll and Updated Waldorf Doll- I made my daughter my very first waldorf doll for her second birthday. That doll has a new do now and she has a brand new companion which is part of a larger project I will write more about in the future. The baby has a bell in its hat and apparently is the best cat toy – ever.
Foldover clutch – I am simply in love with these bags by LBG Studio. I made this for myself using my favorite Ginseng by Joel Dewberry print for our recent trip to New York. I love the added owl charm.
New Projects
I have several projects for the nursery, including fabric book shelves, basket liners, closet drapes and more. I’m going to bury my head in the sand now so I don’t get all anxious thinking about everything else I have written down.
Linking it up with Lee @ Freshly Pieced!
Erin at Missy Mac Creations has a great fondness for donkeys. That must be why we get along. The idea for Donktober was brought up in e-mails a couple months ago and I’m so excited to be a part of it! There will be some tutorials (check out this awesome paper pieced donkey by Kristy at Quiet Play), giveaways and naturally, some ridonkulousness. (Shhh, it’s a word. Trust me.)
I’ve got some fun projects to share with you, so be sure to follow along. 
There’s quite a wonderful challenge at Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics allowing you the chance to win a bundle of your choice. Get the details here.
I took a gander and love this Ombre bundle for Riley Blake.
http://pinterest.com/pin/89720217547737419/
Head on over to her shop and pin your favorite bundle then get to repinning to help others out too! I’m more than happy to repin yours too! Good luck and happy Monday!
August has been an insanely hectic month with visitors, an anniversary, birthday and of course, several sewing deadlines. Our daughter is now 4… FOUR!
Here is some of her crafty loot -
A Tale of Seuss
I got to experiment with straight line quilting, which was quite enjoyable.
Because I kept the back simple, I opted to quilt quotes from The Cat in the Hat in the borders in blue variegated Aurifil thread. I simply love how it turned out with the back telling the story told in pictures on the front.
Living With Punks Floor Cushion
I love the large scale and bold prints at IKEA. I made this with a removable insert stuffed with bean bag pellets (can be purchased at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $10 with a 20% off coupon!). I increased the diameter to 20″.
Odyssea Bunk Beds
My father cleverly and resourcefully made her a bunk bed for her dolls and I made coordinating mattresses, pillows and quilts for it using some of my favorite Odyssea by MoMo prints.
Ultimate Doll Set
Bree, from Distant Pickles, sent my daughter one of the most awesome gifts ever! She sent her the ultimate Molly doll gift set. She is Princess and the Pea themed and comes with mattresses, pillow, 5 peas (in case those suckers get lost!), nightgown, tutu, mermaid tale, pirate eye patch, and two skirts. It’s all so perfect because my daughter is quite the girly girl, but also quite the closet nerd and loves fantasy and pirates. At 18″ tall, she’s the perfect size for a preschooler to hug and tote around.
Thank you so much Bree! She loved every part of it.
And, as if I haven’t bombarded you with enough photos, here are the decorations she helped us with.
* On a side note, I figured you would appreciate my wrapping job. Don’t have a box or enough wrapping paper? Double gauze fabric does the trick beautifully.
Apparently I am The Goblin Princess. In an effort to work on counting skills with our daughter, we played a dice game that involved acquiring goblins according to your dice roll, until one person collected them all. I was that lucky person and thus dubbed “The Princess of the Goblins”, much to the dismay of the little girl who is the reigning “Dragon Princess”. Bonus points if you know how to play that game. Writing this, I just realized my husband would be labelled “‘X’ Princess” if he won, hehe. Awesome. He’ll have to win in the near future… *Off to plot*
Now, onto what you’re most excited about, I’m sure. Random.org has selected a winner for the Free Spirit roll up of their choice -
Congratulations Bree M!
Keep the tips coming to be entered into the next tip giveaway! Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
- Juliana C.
- Mali R.
- Caroline P.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Alli H.
- Amy R.
- Caroline P.
- Julie A.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Simone R.
- Julie A.
- Leslie J.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Alli H.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Bree M.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Julie A.
- Rebecca P.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.
- Tina S.
- Juliana C.
- Cheryl G.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Bree M.
- Vicki F.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Julie A.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Caroline P.
- Amy R.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.
- Jenelle C.
- Jenelle C.
- Caroline P.
- Caroline P.
- Jenelle C.
- Tina S.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Heather M.
- Steph M.
- Heather M.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Stephanieeeee
- Amy R.
- Heather
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Julie A.
- Khara
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Julie A.
- Rebecca P.
- Amy R.
- Amy R.
- Tracey J.
- Julie A.
- Jayme T.
- Jayme T.
- Jayme T.
- Rebecca P.
- Rebecca P.
- Juliana C.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.
- Caroline P.
- Amy R.
- Juliana C.
- Amy R.***
- Mali R.
- Bree M.
- Tabatha
- Cheryl
- Robin
- Jen
- Tolmema
- RP
- Trish
- Jen B.
- Devon
- Diana P.
- Julie A.
- Pam
- Debbe
- Kristy @ Quiet Play
- Jennifer W.
- Sonya
- Rebecca
- Gabriela
- Michelle H..
- Michelle @ Needle and Nest
- Binks
- Carly
- Sangeetha
- Lynn
- Gunilla
- Jmniffer
- Melissa @ Lunden Designs
- Deb
- Lindsey @ Happier Than a Bird Quilts
- TraceyJay
- Mindy C.
Despite the hectic phase of our life, we’ve managed to work on some crafty ideas and some have made their way to our new Etsy shop - Fabric Donkey. I mentioned making hazelwood necklaces before, which we really got into after we noticed both my daughter and I benefited greatly from wearing them for two different skin problems. We worked on more designs and they’re all listed for sale there too.
Something you won’t be seeing in the shop for long though is one of the Original Chalkboard Activity Notebooks I made while creating the PDF pattern. I may list the dinosaur one pictured in the PDF pattern in the future if this Littlest Donkey turns out to be a girl. That will be the last of those books that I will be listing, however.
So, take a look around and let me know what you think. I will be getting a button up in the near future too. Yay!
Remember, today is your last day to enter the Free Spirit roll up giveaway! You just need to leave a comment on any blog post to be entered.
Now that I can recall the month old experience of moving without experiencing anxiety, I can finally discuss it. With the impending arrival of the Littlest Burro, we had most definitely outgrown our tiny apartment. It was definitely a hectic time in our lives, with my being out of town twice for an extended period of time, within days of each other, then immediately flying home just to move the very next day. < That right there meant I barely slept a wink.
My mom was able to help us, thank God, but it felt like utter madness with us working literally all day, for 4 days straight. Just picture this. We didn’t hire movers because we’re stubborn and independent like that and we lived on the third floor of an apartment that doesn’t have elevators! *Note* Never, ever, live in a place that does not have an elevator. Actually, never, ever, live anywhere but the first floor, ever.
Being pregnant, everyone was afraid of me doing a thing. Seriously. I could carry down a tote, but I was useless beyond that. My poor husband would go to work, come home, then immediately start carting things down. It would literally take hours because of the stairs and the fatigue that would set in his poor legs. In contrast, unloading a truck load would take 30 minutes. Oh, the time that could have been saved if we didn’t live in such a horrible building!
Anyway, things got interesting when on our last day, around midnight, I see my husband running frantically up the stairs then running back down with a vase full of water. Huh? He got to be a hero for a day by putting out a fire that was starting in the large trash bin. I had no shame by this point (you really do lose your mind after little sleep and constant moving) and snapped pictures of the firemen. They were great and even thanked him for preventing a potential disaster. Aw, yay!
My husband was so tired that he was less concerned about the fire and more about the fact that he had wasted 4 trips running up and down those God forsaken stairs.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the boxes of fabric were probably some of the heaviest things he had to move. Oops.
PS – Don’t forget to comment on any blog post by the end of the month to be entered in the giveaway for a Free Spirit roll up!
This is just a random video that resulted in a work of art I adore that will be framed. It was a fun, quick project that occupied the family while I prepared dinner.
Enjoy!
That would be precisely what it appears to be. Doesn’t look much like a donkey hoof, does it? I’m still in shock, despite the now rounded abdomen, movement (This kid likes to kick straight down. Squirm with me now…) and months that are ticking by.
This is a very much wanted Baby Burro, but it’s still shocking to think of ourselves as a soon to be family of four. It is adorable though and looks just like its older sister. Even my OB exclaimed that Baby Burro looked just like her. Unfortunately we’re still calling it “It” because it’s in a breach position (well, that explains the rather uncomfortable kicks!) with its legs crossed and the umbilical cord running through them. Seriously? Well, at least it’s modest. We were not planning on finding out the gender, but given the insanity of our lives, we figured having one more known would do more good than harm. God had other plans.
One reason to find out the gender was to avoid the creation of two quilts, although I really did want to have a surprise with a boy and girl quilt ready to be used. As it stands, I’m going with the Littlest Donkey’s persistence on this child being a girl, and the single baby dream I’ve had where I did birth a baby girl. Melissa Lunden‘s Star Gazer quilt (pattern can be purchased here) caught my eye when perusing Hawthorne Thread‘s newsletter and I was set on using that pattern.
So, I spent all of yesterday (literally, all of yesterday) cutting out the solids for the quilt. At this point, this baby is either getting a quilt, or a body part that would mean it’s a boy. Oh, and an older sister that will forever call him by her chosen baby sister name. Eek! We’ll see how I feel once this top is put together, haha. (Please note the sarcasm. I’m just one exhausted Mama!)
We’re overdue for a giveaway around here and so I’m making it a bit more special than normal as my way of saying “thank you” for all the awesome tips sent in during my absence. Out of my delicious little giveaway stash that’s reserved for all of you, I’ve picked out some Free Spirit design rolls – Kumari Garden, Delilah, and Parisville. The winner gets the design roll of their choosing.
How to enter -
- Everyone who has sent in tips during this last round is automatically entered.
- Anyone can have their name entered one more time by leaving a comment on this post, or any other blog post (not deal posts) made through the end of this month.
- Gain more entries via sending in tips, of course.
- Spread the word about the giveaway and best of luck!
Happy Weekend!
It’s 1am and I’m finally home. Mr. Donkey had a work trip that we tagged along for before realizing we would be making an impromptu move. We’re back home now but we’ll be frantically moving our belongings into the new place over the course of the next week or so. Naturally, I won’t be spending much time by the computer and won’t be able to update the blog with deals. 
What I will do instead is create a single post where anyone can submit their deal in the comments. That way you hopefully won’t miss out on too many deals during my absence. I promise we’ll have a fun giveaway for the tipsters when I return.
Wish us luck. I’m trying not to hyperventilate or let my anxiety get the best of me as I look upon the mess that is our place at the moment. If, in the meantime, you find yourself missing your Fabric Donkey, may I suggest you consider this?
*A lot* has happened since the break in, so we’re trying to take it easy before even more insanity ensues. (More on that later…) The Paterfamilias Donkey and I have started to make things for our Etsy shop and we started with hazelwood necklaces since my daughter and I were both due for fresh ones to help treat eczema and other skin problems. This is what we *cough* he came up with. I’m in love.
What do you think? I’m excited to play around with more design ideas.
Sorry about the delay. This weekend has been less than stellar, leaving little time for work. Without further ado, your winners.
Congratulations Kim R.!
I would love to win Salt air! I love that collection in scrapbook paper–it would be great to have it in fabric for a beach quilt!
Congratulations Kristy A.!
I live in the salt air, but dream of touching and creating with the Salt Aire fabrics! I live in the US
And last, but not least,
Congratulations Jessica C.!
I have been coveting Salt Air, so I would LOVE to win that! The best thing that happened to me recently is that I ran a 186-mile relay race, and I didn’t die. And I finished my part of it. A huge milestone for me! Thanks for a great giveaway!
I will be e-mailing you all so you can select the prize of your choice. Thank you for all the wonderful entries and the new followers. <3 And thank you Southern Fabric for putting together such an awesome fabric bundle!
Well, what a morning! I have read your wonderful comments and I’m slowly but surely working on replying. I’ll try to reply to as many as I can, given current circumstances.
Let’s review my morning, thus far. Living in a condo, a lot of our bulk supplies are in the garage. I ran downstairs this morning to grab some milk when I noticed the back door to our garage was left ajar, the lights were on and things just seemed… off. I was afraid someone was still there so I immediately ran upstairs and awoke Mr. Donkey to “I think someone’s been in our garage.”
Someone definitely had their way with our garage. Most obviously, our bikes were missing. My car was rummaged through and they scratched it up… probably with the bikes they were leaving with. Even my make up purse was opened. They took my pink pepper spray. I won’t be leaving the house alone anymore. (Call me crazy, but I don’t feel safe now.) I don’t think I’ve ever felt so violated and targeted. It really does feel like somebody is watching me.
On the bright side, that’s two less awkward things to move. Maybe they were trying to do us a favor after all, right? There was no visible forced entry. That’s a little disconcerting.
So, I’ll be spending the rest of the morning going through the garage and making a list of everything that is missing and trying to not feel too violated.
I promise I’ll come back with some winners. Until then, hang in there and forgive me please. Life beckons.
Welcome to Fabric Donkey! Since we don’t have long, what you will typically find here are unsolicited fabric deals at online shops. I keep the site updated with the newest coupons, discounts, free shipping and what I believe to be the best deals found on the web. Stick around – it will save you a dollar or two.
We’re so excited to be participating in the giveaway bonanza again this year and have some special items available for you to win. There are three different prizes for three different winners.
Readers worldwide -
- Up for grabs is a free copy of my very first PDF pattern for The Original Chalkboard Activity Book. I made one for my daughter after being inspired by fabric notebooks and chalkboard roll ups and it was a hit with her and got great reviews, which all sparked this pattern. There are two sizes available in the pattern which are 6″x10″ for the petite version and 9″x12″ for the full size. A special thank you to Bree (from Distant Pickles) for her encouragement and help in putting together this PDF and Erica J (from Kitchen Table Quilting), my pattern tester, who went above and beyond testing this pattern for me.
(The pattern is also available for sale at a discount in my brand spanking new Etsy shop – Fabric Donkey. If you happen to buy the pattern and are chosen as the winner, you will get a full refund.)
- I am also giving away a fun print from my stash. You can win 1 yard of Meet the Gang border stripe in turquoise and gold by Creative Thursday for Andover Fabrics.
Domestic Readers (U.S. only) -
My newest sponsor, Aubrey Marshall, from Southern Fabric has generously offered a half yard bundle (a total of 2.5 yards) of Salt Air by Cosmo Cricut. Southern Fabric carries lines by Moda, Free Spirit, Westminster and Riley Blake and has sold over 75,000 items to happy customers in her 7 years in business.
If you do not win this bundle, do not despair. My readers can save 10% off at Southern Fabric this week by entering fabricdonkey10 at checkout.
Coupon is valid through Sunday, May 27th.
How to Enter
- Please tell me which item(s) you would be interested in winning (depending on what you’re eligible to win) and if you’re feeling social, I would love to hear about the best thing that has happened to you recently. (I’ll share my news later… ) 1 entry
- “Like” Fabric Donkey on Facebook. 1 entry
- “Like” Southern Fabric on Facebook. 1 entry
Deciding which quilt I wanted to enter in the Bloggers’ Quilt Festival was a breeze. It is the one quilt I have completed this year and it has the most meaning of those I have made. It is also one that I ironically, have not shared here because of travel and life simply getting the best of me.
Late last year, my father underwent heart surgery. I was not going to be able to be by his side, so I decided I would make him a quilt he could use while recovering.
It was agonizing knowing he was undergoing this operation and significant life changing experience while I was all the way in Southern California simply twiddling my thumbs. I was being updated by my brother via occasional phone calls on how the operation was going. I remember being told it would take 4-6 hours. Six hours came and went and I never heard from my brother. He later told me it was normal and it would just be a little while longer.
In retrospect, he was trying not to worry his younger sister, who was sitting in a car outside her daughter’s preschool, all alone, thousands of miles away from home in Southern California. I later heard he nearly fainted when the operation was taking longer than anticipated.
My father did come out of the surgery in great condition and had a stellar start to his recovery in the hospital. You want to know the best part? He had a quadruple bypass and no one told me so I wouldn’t worry. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the scars on his arms and legs. My mom did make me laugh when she pointed out the scar on his chest was healing better than my c-section scar from 3 years prior. Thanks, mom!
He loves his quilt. He told me it’s his favorite one that I’ve ever made. He loves it so much he’s afraid of using it. Hah! I got to see it spread on my parent’s bed where it truly brightens up the room. You will often find it neatly folded up and sitting on a trunk. I love the sassy masked ladies throughout.
I quilted it in a gorgeous gold thread (thank you to the reader who suggested that!) which was the perfect balance, bringing to life the prints and a matching red for the back. I did simple free motion quilting and quilted in hearts and the nickname my daughter has for my father.
For those curious, I used Parisville and the Sweet Garden pattern by Carolina Patchworks and luxurious wool batting.
A quilt is meant to be loved and used, but this one is being loved even more by the great care taken to keep it just perfect.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Does anyone have any exciting plans? As exciting as it sounds, I plan to grocery shop tomorrow. I can’t really ask for more recently though because it’s been a rough period in my life and I’ve been taken care of and appreciated. That’s what it’s all about, right? Plus, I was already given the thoughtful gift of a heart with a picture of a fireman cute little girl on it.
With the help of my amazing friend, Bree, I’ve been working on a pattern for the chalkboard notebook I shared on the blog this year. The pattern has full instructions for two sizes and has plenty of pictures to boot to help you through. Naturally, this means that you will get a free copy of the pattern, and any updated versions if any changes are made.
If you are interested in testing the pattern for me, I would greatly appreciate it. The only small catch is that you must have chalk cloth readily available to you because of time constraints. I would prefer testers that fit this criteria:
- Must have the project completed by Saturday, May 19th.
- Must communicate any problems you encounter so I can update the pattern, if necessary.
- Have a blog and share the book you create, citing the origin of the pattern.
- Can take quality pictures that I can use as examples in the promotion of this pattern.
Please e-mail me at fabricdonkey(at)gmail(dot)com if interested and I will e-mail you the pattern as soon as possible.
As exciting as this is for me, I will hopefully have more exciting news to share with you all in the near future. Have a wonderful Mother’s Day guys!
My wonderful friend Bree, from Distant Pickles, has two tutorials up this week at Riley Blake’s Cutting Corners College. The pin cushion is genius and useful and the Warden’s Cross quilt is gorgeous (I’ll definitely be making one). Check them out and maybe show Bree some love at Distant Pickles.
Thank you again so much for sending in all the awesome tips!
Congratulations Tina. Please check your e-mail.
This past weekend has been horrendous and has left me absolutely tuckered out. The Queen of the “Anti-Napping Organization” even gave in and succumbed to a 90 minute nap. That’s just insanity right there. You have no idea how much I loathe napping people (my husband probably secretly resents me for this)… at least those napping around me. And no, that doesn’t include napping children. They can nap away.
I spent the last two days helping clean and set up a new aerial gym. I have mentioned taking aerial classes before, and for those that don’t know, it’s a kind of circus school. Now don’t go imagining clowns and circus. Think more Cirque Du Soleil and tissue, hammock (hellooo Pink’s Grammy performance a few years ago) and trapeze etc. Today I volunteered my services for over 7 hours and I vacuumed, and I kid you not when I say I vacuumed for 2 hours trying to get the mats clean. I was happy to see people taking notice and dusting off their shoes before walking on *cough* my mats. I also got to paint, help move things, let the little girl burn off some energy, and set up my own corner in the shop.
Whaaa?
I’ve delved into making and selling some things locally. Perhaps it will expand to an online shop, but for now, it’s really cool having my own little corner in a shop. I snapped a quick picture after I set up my area. Please excuse the quality of the cell phone picture. My items are in the top box on the left (see Prince Charming staring out at you?) and the softest, cuddliest blankets plus a notebook I haven’t shared yet. Look for that on WIP.
I’ll leave you on a happy note. I’m working on something I’m excited to share with you in the coming week or two. More about that later.
PS – I do realize we’re due for another tip-based giveaway. I will draw a winner this week. Thank you for all the tips – you guys are the best! Keep them coming.
