Fabric Stash Sunday

Call me the fabric whisperer.  Some days, I just have an itch to go to the thrift store.  And those days generally come up with some great finds.  Like yesterday, when I didn't want to wait in line at the post office and detoured to Goodwill instead.  I found these lovelies, all for $6.20!

Half yard of AMH Loulouthi voile
Half yard of each Lizzy House Constellations - 2 patterns
Half yard of each Rashida Coleman Hale Tsuru - 2 patterns
FQ of Michael Miller marbled print
~1.5 yds of minky

Woohoo!  Can't wait to use these fabric steals!

DIY Ikea Sewing Table Hack

I've been thinking about making my own custom sewing table for quite some time now.  I guess having a new house and a whole room for sewing was just the right kick in the pants to git 'er done, right?

The tutorial I used is at From Marta with Love.  You can use any table that has a rail under the tabletop, because that's where the hidden supports for the shelf that holds the sewing machine go.  I decided to follow her lead and bought the Ikea Ingo table for $80.

The only real downside to her plan is that you need a tool called a Kreg jig to add the sewing machine shelf supports to the table frame.  There are 3 versions of the Kreg jig and they cost either $40, $100, or $150.  I decided to go with the $100 version because after watching their video, I immediately dreamt up about a dozen other non-sewing related projects I could make with it.  All stuff to fill the empty rooms in my new house, of course!

I have a Bernina 440 (Francine) with a knee lift, so I let my boyfriend expertly cut the hole on the top for Francine to is in and then I totally botched the hole in the table rail for the knee lift.  He left me alone for awhile, came back, and just said, "I wish you hadn't done that" when he looked at my knee lift hole.  Ooops :D  I don't have a problem with how it looks, so whatevs...

I'm planning to paint this with enamel paint to make sure the top is smooth and lets the fabric glide as easily as possible across the table top while I'm sewing.  So far, so good!  I'm plugging away on my maple leaves!

Katie Jump Rope and Architextures

Have you build yourself a custom sewing table?  Any suggestions for other readers?  What color should I paint this bad boy?  Thanks for sharing!

What is Craftsy?

What is Craftsy? Craftsy is a worldwide craft community offering online classes. It also has a patterns marketplace where independent designers can sell their patterns; a supplies shop with great deals on yarn, fabric, and class kits; and a projects section where members share pictures of their latest craft successes. With over two million members and counting, Craftsy has something for just about everyone, in categories ranging from quilting, sewing, knitting, painting, photography, cooking, and more.  Behind the Scenes: The Making of a CraftsyClass Before filming even begins, hours and hours are spent determining what content will be covered in each class, and how to best teach specific techniques to the camera. Instructors work with an instructional designer to create an in-depth outline of each lesson, and decide how to best prepare props or “step-outs” that show what your project should like at different steps. Instead of a scripted class, instructors follow their outlines on camera to create an authentic and engaging teaching experience. Most Craftsy classes are filmed in one of five Craftsy studios in Denver, CO, assuring that every part of the production process goes off without a hitch. They fly in instructors from all over the world to spend several days filming, then spend several weeks turning hours of footage into a two to three hour class experience that has been watched, rewatched, and reviewed by industry experts. The final result is an HD-quality video that takes you in-depth into specific topics in any given craft category- from cooking and fine art to sewing and knitting.  What IS the Craftsy experience? Craftsy classes are designed to have all the benefits of an in-person class, with none of the drawbacks. Available online and on-demand, you always have world-class instructors at the tip of your fingers. You can retake the class as many times as you want, and the 30-second repeat feature allows you to watch the same section over and over again until you get every technique just right. Watching a Craftsy class is like having a first-row seat with some of the best instructors in the world. Even better, classes have a 100% money-back guarantee. Try online learning today with a free mini-class from Craftsy! Choose from 23 Free Craftsy Classes ranging from drawing and painting to sewing and quilting, from knitting to cake decorating and more.

Jump on the Quilty Box Wagon!

You may have heard about a hot, fun new item in the quilting world - the Quilty Box!  I've been email chatting with Tabatha, the founder and lady in charge, and we have so much in common.  We both love quilting, we both have red hair, and we both are childhood cancer survivors.  That plays a big part in her unique business venture.  She donates 5-10% of the price of a subcription to Quilts for Kids, a national organization that provides quilts to children suffering from life threatening illnesses and abuse situations.  What a better way to brighten a kid's day than with a fun I spy quilt??  Just sayin...

So what's this Quilty Box all about?  It's a monthly subscription to have a curated boxful of goodies delivered to your door.  You can sign up for one month at a time if you're the skeptical type, or if you just can't wait to get your hands on anything quilty related, you can sign up for 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions.  

Each month has a theme, so the items coordinate well.  October's theme was Geometry and the box had a value of over $50 and included a fat eighth set of Minimalista, Julie Herman's Sidekick ruler, a Rock Candy pattern for the ruler, coordinating Aurifil thread spools, needles made in England, and a fun crafty bobby pin for inspiration.  We also received and email with an extra PDF pattern. Do you live in Canada?  You can now sign up for the box too!  Tabatha's website has a blog which has lots of tips for using the goodies from the box.  She's really thought of everything! 

November is shaping up and the theme is Time.  What are you waiting for?  Go sign up for this awesome box of goodies and the opportunity to donate to a wonderful cause at the same time.  If you're a member of the Austin MQG, we have a special discount for you as well.  Just email me!  If you're not a member, you can still get $3.00 off your first Quilty Box courtesy of Emily Thompson and quiltybox.com by signing up through this link.  I hope you enjoy Quilty Box as much as I do!

WIP Wednesday: The one with a zillion maple leaves

I went to my first quilt retreat last weekend with some lovely ladies from the Austin MQG.  It was so much fun!  I learned how to properly use my walking foot, dumpster dove for fabric scraps, and discussed the differences between starch and Best Press.  What a weekend!  I did finish my vintage sheet Planetarium quilt top while there, and I started on my scrappy no two alike Sparkle Punch quilt top.  

Vintage sheet Planetarium top finished! 

Can you spare a square?  Sparkle Punch quilt is officially renamed the Seinfeld quilt.

Sparkle Punch loving on the Planetarium :)

Here's what I'm most excited about lately though: maple leaves!  I've always like the look of the maple leaf quilt, and I finally decided to cave and make my own because of the #modernmaples craze that's struck Instagram.  I've pulled (way too much) fabric to make a nice set of leaves and I'm planning to use low volume fabrics for the background.  I don't have too many low volumes, so luckily Burgundy Buttons is having a sale and I just bought 13 half yard prints so I doubt I'll be running out anytime soon!

The massive fabric pull...

What have you been sewing lately?  If you're in the Austin area, our monthly Austin MQG meeting is tomorrow night at BookPeople.  Find out more info here!

I'm finally sewing again!

Wow... it's been over a month since I've sat down at my sewing machine!  I guess when you move, other things take priority.  Like scrubbing down the insides and undersides of all your kitchen cabinets. How did they get food there??  Or spending all your free time coordinating viewing and delivery of Craigslist furniture.  Or mopping every surface you thought of and then some.


Anyways, what am I sewing?  I'm working on my Planetarium quilt using vintage sheets.  I've separated my sheets into warm and cool colors and the cool colors set is finished.  Just making more quarter square triangle sets in warm colors and then I'll be ready for sashing!  Woohoo.  It feels great to start sewing again!

Fabric Deals and Steals!

I Don't Do Dishes:  Entire shop is 20% off through Thursday at midnight.

Burgundy Buttons: 30% off entire store ends Thursday at midnight.  

Patterncrush.etsy.com has a wicked Halloween sale on Acacia, Nordika, Briar Rose, Catnap, Koi, and others through 11/1.

Happy shopping!

Try Craftsy with an Awesome Craftsy Flash Sale Today

If you're sad like me that you aren't going to Quilt Market, why not perk yourself up with a Craftsy quilting class on sale?  I can't decide between Quilt As You Go Patchwork Bags or Playful Piecing Techniques.  Which will you choose?  If you haven't tried Craftsy classes yet, they are such a unique way to learn new skills.  I've taken the block of the month classes for 2012 and 2013, and I've also had a great time learning new machine quilting techniques with Angela Walters' class.  You pay for the class once, but you can watch the videos any time you want, as many times as you want!  It's like having a personal one on one session with Elizabeth Hartman, Jacquie Gering, or Leah Day, just to name a few!

I promise I'll start sharing more fabric and sewing related content as soon as my new sewing room is organized!  Picking the perfect rug takes longer than I expected...

How about some fabric and pattern sales?

While perusing my morning IG and Twitter feeds, I saw a few sales that would hopefully enable a few fabric lovers out there.

Fat Quarter Shop: 50% off Lush Uptown by Erin Michael with code UPTOWN at checkout.  Today only!

V & Co: 35% off any PDF pattern with code 35HAPPY at checkout.  Not sure when it expires.

Sew Lux: Holiday Hustle QAL kits 10% off.  Discount already taken.  Use my button on the side bar :)

Pink Castle Fabrics: 25% off all precuts and bundles with code BUNDLE25 at checkout all this week

Happy shopping!

Craftsy Flash Sale This Weekend Only!

Craftsy is having a flash sale on some classes this weekend only - Saturday, Oct. 12 - 13 until midnight.  Some of the classes are ones that have been on my wish list for awhile!  I've always been impressed with Leah Day's machine quilting - did you know she does all those cool patterns on a home sewing machine and not a long arm?  I've also been curious to start branching out into sewing with knits, but I haven't because I'm scared it sounds so difficult.  Craftsy has a class for that (and it's on sale too)!  Be sure to check them all out.


 

Sunday Stash Guest Host: Me!

Finding Fifth has let me guest host Sunday Stash - what an honor!

Sometimes I'm late to the party.  I'm a doctor - we're supposed to run late, right?  :D  I don't know exactly why I didn't jump on the Architextures band wagon earlier, because the fabrics are perfect for many projects.  The prints and the colors - love them!  I feel like I had to search to the end of the internets before I finally found a fat quarter bundle of Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander to call my own.  Now, what should I do with it?  I'm thinking it'll be perfect for the Jacquie Gering Stitch & Flip workshop I'll be taking later this month.  I just need a background fabric.  Any suggestions?  If you missed out on Architextures, don't worry.  Carolyn has a new line coming soon called Botanics that promises to be equally impressive!

Lee also sent me this great find - Tula Pink ladybugs!  Thanks Lee at May Chappell!

What have you added to your stash this week?  Show us your pretties.

Munki in the Middle September Block

September was sadly the last month of my Flickr swap group called Munki in the Middle.  We used Munki Munki or Heather Ross fabric as the focus feature of various quilt blocks.  This was a great way for many of us to have a quilt block with Heather Ross fabric we didn't have in our stash.  I've been incredibly lucky with great Heather Ross fabric swaps, but don't let me fool you - I spent a pretty penny on some of my stash too!

Here's one of my September blocks.  Kristy requested a churn dash using a low volume background and a bright churn? dash?  I'm not sure what that part is called :)  I used Katy Jones' churn dash tutorial.  The center fabric here is Calypso and was only available in pj's I believe.  The churn dash is Lizzy House jewels and the background is a Moda Sweetwater text but I can't remember which line.  

What have you been sewing this week?

 

Fabric Stash Sunday #8

Back in February, I had the chance to meet Elizabeth Hartman from Oh, Fransson!  I've long admired her work and have made several of her patterns.  I did the whole groupie thing, fawning over her and had her sign my books and take a picture.  She was great!  

Fast forward to last month or so when I posted a picture on Instagram of KJR ribbon flowers that I bought and said I only needed 2 more prints to finish my collection.  Elizabeth sent me an email telling me she'd send me one missing piece and that the envelope was lonely with just a fat eighth in it, and she'd surprise me with something else!  

Here are the extras that came in the package - quarter yards of these great prints from Violet Craft's Waterfront Park collection.  I told you she was great, right?  I really like the yellow domino dots and think those are going to be a great blender because they come in so many good colors.  Bridgetown is pretty awesome too!  Thanks Elizabeth, for such a fun surprise!

Fabric Deal Friday

I love a good sale and go by the motto, never pay full price!  Here are a couple deals that I've used recently.

For 20% off at Fat Quarter Shop until Sept 30, use the code fatquarterly459.  All of their jelly rolls are already 20% off, so hop to it for an awesome deal!  I just picked up a Lush Uptown layer cake and a Kona color card.

Pink Castle Fabrics is offering 30% off all pre-cuts and bundles this weekend only using the code BUNDLE30.  They're going quickly, so don't dilly dally!  I'm dreaming about the Sketch prints and low volume set.

Happy fabric shopping!

Also, there's a great giveaway today at Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Bonnie & Camille Happy Go Lucky layer cake.  Don't miss out.

WIP: Chair Edition

I've always wanted a French arm chair for my living room, but they can be pricey, even on Craigslist.  When I found this one at a local consignment store for $65, I basically dragged it around the whole store while I was searching out other great steals.  When a fabricaholic is deciding what to reupholster with, things can take awhile....

I finally decided to go with the obvious: Echino Decoro buck in blue.  Obvious, because I'm an eye doctor, and that buck is wearing a fabulous pair of specs.  Here's where I'm at so far.  Everything is stapled and sewn back in place onto the wood frame, which I painted a glossy black.  I just need to finish the chair cushion cover, which is no easy feat.  I bought new foam for the cushion and it's a beast to cut to the proper shape!  Tips are much appreciated!  

People keep asking if this is going in my waiting room at my office.  Um, no.  It's going in my new living room!  And I'm going to call it my throne.  Or Zoey's throne, because the cat seems to be saying, hurry up already, I need something else to get fur all over!  I'm going to need a couple bottles of Scotchguard before this is all said and done!

Craftsy Sale!

Have you tried any of the awesome classes offered at Craftsy?  They offer a wide variety of video classes on topics like quilting, sewing, and cake decorating too.  You can even see the lectures from QuiltCon for free!  I'm taking Angela Walter's machine quilting negative space class now and loving it. I even tried some of the techniques in my Sew Cherry Over and Under quilt that I recently finished.

Right now, Craftsy is offering some of the quilting classes for up to 75% off.  It's so hard to choose between Leah Day, Camille Roskelley, and Elizabeth Hartman.  But the price is right, so go find one (or two or three) that suits you!

 

Finally, A Finished Quilt!

I can't believe how much I'm slacking in the finishing department this year.  I chalk it up to no longer being in a long distance relationship (because he's here now!), my brother moving in with me, and having a more active social life in Austin!  Whatever the reason, a finish still feels awesome.  Especially since this one turned out craze-amaze, to quote the annoying girl in the Jack in the Box commercial.  I'm so excited to mark something off my 2013 Finish Along list!

The fabric is mostly Sew Cherry by Lori Holt and the pattern is jelly roll friendly Over and Under from the book Scrap Basket Sensations.  I've been more adventurous in my FMQ lately and decided the negative space needed some giant mums and the prints would pack a punch with a back and forth loop that creates some movement.  By the time I went through eleventy billion bobbins, I decided that I was tired and just meandered the outermost border.  

For the backing, I used a Martha Stewart sheet from the thrift store.  Unfortunately after I started the giant flowers, I noticed there was a little pilling on the sheet which was supposed to be 100% cotton.  What??  Oh man.  I kept going even though I felt like it was pointless.  After I took it out of the dryer though, you can hardly tell, so maybe I'll be able to list it in my shop after all.  What would you do?  I wasn't planning to keep it, I spent too much time to just give it away, but wouldn't I feel guilty selling it??

Another exciting thing about this quilt is that it actually has a label!  I'd had my eye on some different labels on Etsy when Julie at 627Handworks posted a discount code for the labels from the shop ikaprint.  My labels are so awesome and came all the way from Paris - oo la la!  I can't wait to slap these labels on everything.  
 

On a Whim Sewing

I've been working on Camille Roskelley's On A Whim quilt pattern for awhile now.  Remember that Amy Butler Weekender bag I made using Tula Pink Birds and the Bees?  I used the leftover fabric from cutting out this pattern.  This quilt will turn out as amazing as the weekender bag, I'm sure!  For the corners, I'm using a wine-purple linen blend.  I didn't pre-wash it, so I hope it doesn't bleed!  Yikes...  I have 13 of 20 blocks finished and I'm hoping to have the top finished before I move into my first house next month :D

If you have all the pieces cut, these blocks go together pretty quickly!

Starting to come together

Just keep sewing

And soon enough you'll have a finished block!

I threw in an AMH just because it played well with the others :)

On the AYoLF Q3 front, I did manage to baste my blue and yellow patchwork chevron quilt last weekend.  I still haven't settled on a quilting design, so that's on hold for now.  I only have 19 days left to finish so I'd better hustle!

What did you sew this week?