Quilt Con post 2

It has been a heck of a spring break.  If you follow my Instagram you saw that my lovely child and I went to DC.  It was both of our 1st time and it was just wonderful.  My girl was among 3 other students that participated in the wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery.   Words can not describe the pride I felt at this event.  I may do another blog post on it but this one is quilt con 2, so on to the display quilts.   The 1st one won and the people's choice award is the Lincoln Quilt.  The pictures that are side by side are the same quilts just close ups.  Enjoy!

Quilt Con post 1

My 1st Quilt Con was an overwhelming success!  Me and my bestie Brandi went together.  We met up at the dreaded Atlanta Airport (I can't with that place always a delay, like a 4 hour one).   So it was late when we arrived in lovely Savannah, GA.

 
So this was us when we arrived at what is quite possible the best hotel in the world the Marriott!  I mean we loved it there and it was not that it was the nicest place the people that worked there were extraordinary!   We arrived on Tuesday night and we worked as volunteers on Wednesday for 8 hours.  We helped with the goodie bags and hand quilts.  Volunteering was great fun and we met a lot of folks that way.  It was a lot of work though but we are hard workin girls so it was fine.  So below are some pictures of our time.  I will post pictures of the actual show quilts in another post. 

Charity quilt

lots of charity quilts

our quilt hanging friend Sonaleeteena

It rained!  Alot!

From our place to the convention center

huge barge

HUGE!

registration line on Thursday

blue means volunteer!

I think this was northcott booth, maybe

I made a block

 We ate like champs!  I mean like sumo wrestlers!  I have to say we had the best girls week ever!  So much fun and so relaxing!  Stay tuned for Quilt Con post two and oh I have some HUGE news!

Travel Handmade

So Quilt Con is coming right up.  To say that I am excited is the understatement of the year.  I am so hopeful for this trip.  It is a girls trip with my bestie from grade school.  It is a reunion with friends I have made in the quilting world from blogging, social media, and retreats.  It is what I hope will be an inspiration overload.  I also am slightly hopeful that there could be some opportunities for exploring other business options.  Lets just say I am going with an extremely open heart and mind.

So what does one take to a quilting and sewing convention?  Well handmade items of course.  I am you might have gathered love making bags, so I have a LOT of bags hanging around.  One bag I am planning on taking for hold all the goodies I can find will be the one I made and blogged about here.  It is gigantic and should hold a ton of goodies. 

I also am in the process of making a wallet and sunglass case to match this lovely cross body I made just for quilt con. 

This is one of the bags in the Crafty Gemini Bag of the month.  You can info about that here.  This one is the kelly cross body.  Well I will be out of pocket next week at Quilt Con eeekkkk!!!!  I will be posting on Instagram so be sure to follow along.  Sorry this one is short and sweet but I have a ton to do since I have done very little to get ready.  I am flying out Tuesday.  Please if you see me there say hello and lets chat!  Blessings to all this week!

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Inspiration

I don't know about yall but sometimes I am just not feeling it.  I think this is one of those times.  I have been destashing as yall know and that has been good.  I really thought getting all that fabric out and sorting through everything would inspire some creativity well not so much.  I have so many WIP like so many I refuse to count and actually put a number on it.  I think I want a long arm so very badly that I can't get past the quilting part.  Like I refuse to do it without a long arm lol.  Lets keep in mind I have only laid hands on a long arm one time.  So I have been working very slowly on projects and that annoys me even more.  I am however going to QUILTCON!  I am so super excited about it and just know that there is no possible way I can't be inspired at that event!  If you are going let me know and maybe we can meet up.  This leads me to my topic of retreats for inspiration.

I have been to 4 retreats and let me just say they are the best thing since sliced bread.  I live extremely rural like google aint even getting you out this far.  So to connect with fellow sewers and creative people is just a blessing to my soul!  I have been to Sew South twice and blogged about it here and here.   Let me just say I love love love this retreat and Jennifer is like the sweetest ever and I consider her a friend.  I hope to be attending again very soon.  I also attended a Missouri Star Quilt Company Retreat.  This retreat was with Vanessa from the Crafty Gemini and Jenny Doan so yeah it was way fabulous.  Then last summer I attended a Crafty Gemini retreat in FL.  This is where I played on the long arm and was smitten.  I will post some photos of these retreats since somehow I failed to blog about them.  Please follow me on Instagram to follow along with the Quilt Con goodness. 

My 24 hr start to finish 1st time long arming quilt.  Notice the super tired person!  Crafty Gemini Retreat

Missouri Star Retreat!  Fun bunch of girlies right there!

So if you are able I would encourage you to attend a retreat or have your own with your friends.  It is a wonderful inspiration and fellowship.  Don't forget to let me know if you are going to quilt con and follow my instagram to keep up with all the fun!  Blessing to you all!

Winner

And the winner is.....

BetsyJanuary 17, 2017 at 9:11 AM

I already follow you on Bloglovin 

Miss Betsy I have sent you an email!  

Thank you so much to everyone and their scrap storage ideas.  I think I am only going to keep good sized scraps and try to once a month cut them into usable squares and shapes.  We will see if that ever gets started lol.  

I had planned to discuss some quilting retreats today but to be honest my head is hurting and I am just not up to it.  As you may know I have chronic migraines so its just part of it.  So instead I want to show you what I am finishing up for this week.  I have yet to open my etsy.  I really think my heart is not in it yet.  I am trying to get some inventory in stock so to speak so I am not super rushed or anything. Less stress!  This is my phase of the year.  So I made this lovely quilt...

This quilt is a free tutorial from Vanessa at the Crafty Gemini.  You can find it here.  It is super easy!  I think it would be a good one for anyone.  Great size too for just everyday lap, larger baby or toddler.  I decided to do something I haven't done before and that is tie this.  I used lammie fabric on the back which is kinda thick and soft, so I didn't use batting.  

This is the yarn I chose.  I knitted the small child a headband with this and had some left over and it matched perfectly.

I decided to only tie in the little background squares.  More on that white tread below.  Awesome tip!

I used a tapestry needle which may have been a bit large but I can't see to thread anyhow.

such a pretty background

And there you have it.  I did of course trim the yarn.

 

 I plan on binding this is a lovely aqua and will post as soon as it is finished on my instagram 

Please follow me over there to keep up with quick things and pictures.  

So this really awesome like mind blowing tip!  That little white thread above is what I used to thread my yarn with.  I got this tip from Mary Fons on this youtube video. 

Have a great week all.  I start a new job tomorrow (same job title and pay) at a different location and area.  So basically I have never worked with these people.  It is so close to home so I can't complain!  Thanks to all the folks who entered the giveaway and talk to you next week!

 

Giveaway

Ok here is what I have decided to giveaway in celebration of the clean sewing room.  It is a layer cake with pattern, FQ bundle, and a big scrap bag (not pictured) you can comment here.  Tell me how to organize my scraps or whatever and if you follow let me know with an extra entry.  Make sure I can contact you if you win.  Open till 21st!  Thanks

Sewing room reveal and giveaway to celebrate!

Finally and I do mean finally back in the sewing room.  3 long weeks without sewing was not good at all!  So here are the photos of the room.  Keep in mind the room is 8'x8'. 

walking into the room.  Also on the left going to put shelves

the outside wall with the juki

Love the peg board.

This is in the corner behind the door.  I need some shelving here as well. 

 I love it and the lay out.  Now don't think it will ever stay this way, clean I mean.  Also don't think this is where all my sewing stuff stays.  We have a spare bedroom and a basement lol.  The spare bed room looks like this. 

 So the closet is stuff that is staying and the entire rest of the room of fabric are thing for sell on my ebay accounts (sdd1997 or woodrow16haands)  This undertaking has been huge.  I actually am having decent success at getting rid of all these lovely fabric items I need to go to a good home. I have also decided to get rid of some scraps as well.  I am terrible at using scraps at all! 

I know people sell scraps for a LOT more than that but I am on a purge spree so there you have it.  

I even have a finished project to show.  As soon as I got moved in I had to get something going.  

This bag is HUGE like so huge.  I kinda love it though.  I used flex foam and went a little rough on the whole thing put it is basically super similar to the patter I just didn't follow the directions like at all.  

So now a give away.  I will be giving away a scrap bag and a mixed designer fat quarter bundle.  I haven't gotten everything together but it will be a good sized group as you know 2017 is apparently the year of letting go, at least of fabric.  Leave me a message with you scrap organization tips if you like.  If you follow you get an extra entry just let me know.  Make sure I can contact you.  Comments will end the 21st and I will pick the 22nd.  Thank you all so much!