MY NEW ETSY SHOP

Over a year ago, I got the idea to open a shop on Etsy.com to sell quilts and other handmade items.  I made some quilts to sell, and stopped at Hancock's at Paducah to buy fabric for a sweet little jewelry holder that I wanted to make:

I bought enough fabric to make 60 of these items and started sewing.  Many, many days later, I was finished, but never pulled the trigger on the Etsy shop.  I sold a few of the pouches at a flea market last year, but the rest have been set aside for the day that I might get around to opening my shop.


Well, today was that day, and my shop is open!  So far, only the jewelry holders are listed, but after Thanksgiving, I plan on doing my photography and listing my quilts.

You can visit my shop by clicking here.  There are nine different colors to choose from.

I told my sister, Diane, about my new shop and she posted it on her Facebook timeline, and a few minutes later, I had my first sale!  I'm very excited!

STORM AT SEA QUILT

I had a lot of fun today playing with my Quilt Pro quilting software and designing this quilt.

I've been trying to come up with a design that I could use to make a quilt with all of the purple, yellow and orange scraps that I have collected.  I know the colors above are different than those colors, but it still gives me ideas.

A favorite tree of mine growing up was the Autumn Purple White Ash, which we used to call a "Purple Grandma Tree."  We had one in our yard on Sycamore, and when I moved back to that house as an adult, the tree was gigantic and the star of the yard in the fall.  We planted two of them in the yard on Oakwood, and there are three of them across the street from our new home, so I get to see them all the time.  The leaves turn purple and gold.  This is a Autumn Purple White Ash tree in all of its glory:

QUILTING 101 - KATHY & DIANE LEARN TO QUILT

I had the fun of teaching Kathy and Diane to quilt tonight.  I told the story that I started quilting because my older sister, also named Diane, started quilting and I did not want to be left behind.  My sister told me at the time, back in the early '90s, that when I stopped quilting, she would buy all my supplies for half price.  Little did she know that I would end up being a professional quilter and quilting teacher.  

As usual, both of my students were delighted with their finished blocks and are pondering which quilting class to take next.  Of course, I suggested my Quilting Trend: Machine Quilting & Binding.

Students so far this year - 4

QUILTING 101 - DEBBIE & SANDIE LEARN TO QUILT

I made a vow that this year I am going to take a photo of every one of my Quilting 101 classes at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store in Orland Park, Illinois.  I taught my first class of the year tonight and, as usual, we had a great time and both of my students, Debbie and Sandie, did a great job, as you can see by their quilt blocks and the smiles on their faces!  Okay, one of the smiling faces is mine, because Debbie was a little camera shy tonight, so I stood in for her and let her snap this picture.  This block is called "Hole in the Barn Door" and it's the block I use to teach rotary cutting, perfecting the scant 1/4" seam, interlocking seams and block construction.  Year 2013 is off to a good start!

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES - CLASS OF 2012

I did not start teaching Quilting 101 until mid-year, and I think I missed taking a photo of a couple of classes - but here they are (almost all of them) - Quilting 101 Class of 2012.  Lots of quilting joy to you in 2013 and beyond, Ladies and Gentleman!

This year, I will really try to take a shot of each class, so the graduation picture of the Class of 2013 should have a lot more faces!

A NEW LITTLE QUILT THAT I JUST WHIPPED UP

I saw a quilt that was similar to this on Pinterest, and I had the day off today, so I decided to make a little quilt out of some of my stash.  It took me all day, and I quilted it on my Pfaff, not on the long arm.  I think it came out pretty cute!

DECEMBER 2012 QUILT

21" X 21"

QUILTING 101 STUDENTS

Tonight I taught my first male student!  He did really well, too!  His block came out to exactly 14" square, just like it was supposed to.  Before class, I asked him what made him decide to take the class, and he said, "I have a sewing machine and I'm bored.  I might as well learn to sew!"  Before taking my class, he took Sewing 101, and his teacher told me that he did really well there, too.