Addictions

One of the blogs I read is Perpetualplum's, who repurposes found objects to make jewelry. I made my way to her Etsy shop and found a necklace I just had to get for my grandmother's birthday (in April...). Therefore, I had to get an Etsy account. BIG mistake (but GREAT necklace!) I proceeded to look at fabric shops and found a great deal on 1.25" cotton webbing to make key fobs a la Melanie. I got fabric to make 2 quilts (I'm going through a Moda phase, right now.) I was so excited to get some Cotton Blossoms designed by Camille Roskelley and her mom. Also got some Portugal which matches someone's decor perfectly. I will be severely limiting my Etsy adventures in the future.

In the spirit of limiting my Etsying, I would like to mention that Melanie (Above All Fabric - see the button on the right side of my blog...) is having a give away to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of her store! Nothing like some free fabric to satisfy those cravings that get me in trouble! Go check it out! I also enjoy buying fabric from her - great service and some really good deals. (But don't buy the end of bolts - those are mine!)

Above is proof of my crafting gluttony...another rag quilt, this time for my sister-in-law, Monika.

Below is the quilt I'm making for her. It is pieced and basted and ready for some serious hand quilting action if I'm going to make it before the baby gets here. Wish me luck! (She's due around Valentine's Day!)

For a split second, I thought I had run into trouble with the white minkee blocks, but thanks to my feed dogs, all is well. I have to kick my shouts out to Fons and Porter for this one. They're the ones that taught me that if you have a stretchy fabric or a section that's a bit too long when your trying to match seams....all you have to do is put the long and/or stretchy fabric on the bottom and sew at a moderat pace, and those feed dogs will magically scoop up the extra. It totally worked, and I must say that this is the best piecing I've done to date. Maybe everyone knows that trick, but when you learn as you go on the internet, you may miss some things....I also used pre-sashing which I learned from their show. So much better than using long strips.

Now, take a good look at the pink minkee rosettes she picked out for the backing. Now, take a look at this:

That would be the exact same minkee in the form of a girl's shirt at Walmart. Yes, Walmart. Never would have thought to make a shirt out of minkee. They had every color imaginable. It really is amazing what you can find there!