I indulged

When I saw Chicopee in my local quilt store, it was even more beautiful than all the pictures I had seen.  I didn't have the funds to do some serious damage on the line, so I indulged in a jellyroll. Jellyrolls are the easiest way to get a little piece of every fabric in a line. They consist of forty 2.5" strips and are rolled up soooo beautifully like this one. 

It took me almost two weeks to get up the guts to cut it, but half square triangles were calling my name. After all the chopping, here is the end result.

I think I will be using Kona Snow as my background....since I have an abundance of it, o and it's beautiful. Look for a HST tutorial later this week when I start piecing!

just a peak

Here is a little window into my life. This is what I look at on the weekends....it's shrimp season.

My Dad throwing the cast net (I have the privilege of driving the boat)

Everything gets to be thrown back except the shrimp, it was a good day for starfish

commercial shrimping has bigger nets

And this is what I am looking at today, and tomorrow, and the rest of the week.

My injection site

Needless to say, not a lot of sewing happening while I am stuck out here. However, I have a whole weekend to myself. (this is not a common thing!) I will have tons to share, as well as a Bubble Jet Set review this weekend!

challenge of the Week

I haven't had anything new to post because I have been fighting with this wedding quilt alllll week. I have never tried to make a quilt with photos in it before. I got the special PFD (prepared for dye) fabric, made it printable by cutting it into 8.5 x 11 sheets and ironing it on to freezer paper, but I can't get the ink to stay locked on. I used an inkjet printer like the internet suggested, but it keeps rubbing or dusting off, even after a heat set attempt. And if you put water to it, poof, it's gone.

Printed photos before I destroyed them with the wash test

I did read about this stuff, Bubble Jet Set. Does anyone know if it works? It, I think, is going to be my next method of attack. Other than that, any suggestions? Since it will be a quilt and a wedding present, it has to be able to be washed. I would hate for it to be gifted and then one day have no pictures on it! Advice is welcome!

Here is the quilt I am making. Alyssa at Pile O' Fabric did such a beautiful job with the quilt. It absolutely stole my breath and I knew it would be perfect for a wedding present. I got these wonderful Kona solids at my local quilt store.

Kona Snow, Kona Ash, Kona Coal, Kona Medium Gray, and Kona Black. Lucky for me, I store carries every color Kona Cotton offered!

On another note, the ColorWheel swap filled up in what to me was record time! I am very excited to get started assigning colors and organizing the fabric as it comes in. I have two people who have agreed to be alternates, should someone drop or send fabric that gets disqualified. But, if anyone else would like an alternate spot, do not hesitate to message me. Thanks again everyone for signing up!

ColorWheel Swap

Ok everyone, after some amazing feedback, I have settled on some swap details! Lets get swapping!

This swap will be a rainbow swap using fat quarters. If you have never participated in a swap, don't worry. I will do my best to explain everything, and feel free to ask any questions that come to mind! I will probably be capping the swap at 56 people, but will take a few extras as alternates in case some people drop out (which is not uncommon). Should we not reach 56, I will have to bring the cap number down in multiples of 8. Tell all your friends so we can get full and swap tons of fabric! Also, since this is the first swap I am hosting, I am going to limit it to the US. I'm so sorry to anyone international!

To participate, you just fill out the form at the bottom of this page. I will leave sign ups open until October 10th, or until we reach our limit. On Friday, October 12th, I will send out color assignments to everyone who signed up. Once you receive your color, you are responsible for sending 8 fat quarters that are predominantly that color. For instance, if you are assigned red, you don't want to send a multi colored floral, you want to pick fabric that 'reads' as a red. You are welcome to send 8 fat quarters of the same fabric or 8 different. As long as you send in 2 yards of that color, you are qualified to swap.

Participants will have 6 weeks to send in their fabric. Once I recieve them all, I will create a package to send back to you that has one fat quarter of each of the 8 colors we are using (your own rainbow!).

Feel free to grab the button on my sidebar and post it on your blog! The more the merrier!

COLORS:

The 8 colors for this swap will be:

-red
-orange
-yellow
-green
-blue
-pink
-purple
-grey

You will get your assignments once the sign ups close so please wait until then to buy fabric!

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS:

-You must submit 2 yards (8 fat quarters) of the color assigned to you. *please cut them! I'm not sure if I can cut nearly 500 fat quarters*
-This fabric must be quilt shop fabric. Please no Hancocks, Michael's, Joann, Walmart, ect
-The fabric must be modern. If you do not know what constitutes 'modern fabric' please feel free to message me or start a thread in the flickr group. Everyone will be willing to help.
-No solids, please send print fabric only.
-Please put your fabric in a ziplock bag inside your envelope with an index card that has your name and address. Should something happen to the package, that is the easiest way to ensure the post office will get it back to you.

POSTAGE:

To participate, you will also need to include in your package, a prepaid, stamped, self addressed envelope. Padded envelopes or priority mail envelopes work best for shipping fabric. If you are not sure how much postage you will need for the return trip, have your post office weigh the return envelope with the fabric you are sending. What you receive back should be the same weight. If you use the priority mail envelopes, "if it fits, it ships!" Please make sure to send an envelope that will fit 2 yards of fabric.

THE HARD STUFF:

In order for everyone to get the most out of this swap, I will have to be a little strict about the rules. So, if your fabric does not meet the quality (100% cotton quilt shop) or type (modern print) of fabric, it will come back to you. That may sound harsh, but it is the only way to make it fair to the other 95% of people who send in the appropriate requirements. There is nothing more disheartening than receiving bad fabric in a swap, I know. Lets all send in fabulous fabric so we can all get fabulous fabric back!

CONTACT:

Please please please use a working email that you check often when you fill out the sign up sheet. This is also how you will receive your color assignment and the address to send your fabric to. Should something change where I need to contact everyone, I will need to be able to get in touch with you via your email.

FLICKR:

Here is the link to the Flickr Group for the swap. Feel free to post pictures of the fabric you are sending as well as pictures of anything you make with the fabric you receive. You are also welcome to open threads on any topic or ask any questions you need answers to!

I am very excited about this swap and can't wait to get started! If you have ANY questions, do not hesitate to ask! I will gladly answer them. Thank you for participating. I hope you enjoy!

Secret Obsessions

I thought I would share a little tid bit about myself since today is Sunday. Sunday probably means a lot of things to a lot of people, but for me, it's all about football. I am obsessed with pro football. Haha. My favorite thing to do on a Sunday is start a great sewing project and just listen to the game. 

It all sorta started as a way to bond with my dad. He is a NY Giants fan, so naturally I am too. But then I got in a fantasy football league at work. Now, I can't get enough. Haha. So on Sundays, you can envision me sitting at my sewing machine with a football game on in the background and some great football food ready to eat. 

Also, here are September's bee blocks. 

Shall we Swap?

While the organization and planning wheels keep turning on the quilt along that will hopefully launch in a couple months, I thought it would be fun to host a swap! However, I would first like to get some opinions. I know there are a million ways to run a swap, so I figured reader input would be a great way to gauge interest on this one!

The main thing I need help deciding on is the amount of fabric to swap. I know most often people host charm swaps, but it is not always my favorite kind. Feel free to take the poll below as well as comment on the kind of swap that would most interest you! I love to hear ideas!

So lets talk options.

Option 1: Basic Charm Swap - participants would be responsible for buying a yard of fabric, cutting it into 5 inch squares (I think there are 56 in a yard) and in return they would get back 56 five inch squares

Option 2: Layer Cake Swap - similar to the charm swap, only with 10 inch squares. You would send 12 if it is a 1 yard requirement and get 12 in return.

Option 3: Fat Quarter Swap - participants would be responsible for sending 2 yards, cut into 8 fat quarters, and would get 8 fat quarters in return

I personally am drawn towards option 3 because I use a ton of fat quarters in my stash. However, I am just hosting, so let me know what YOU would like to participate in!


Once I get all your feedback, the full details of the swap and sign up form will be available. Stay tuned!

Win free Fabric!!

****Ah sigh, a little too late I suppose. I didn't realize the deadline had changed! Anyway, keep a look out for awesome promotions like these! When I find them, I will post about them (on time!)****

Everyone! If you have not heard, there is a promotion going on over at Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. All you have to do is pin a bundle of fabric from the store on Pintrest, have it repinned as many times as the fabric is worth (so 25 dollar bundle needs 25 pins) and you win that fabric, for free!

Here is the bundle I so hope to win. Please follow this link to my original pin and repin for me.

If you have entered as well, leave me a comment and I will repin yours! Let's all help each other out!

The full contest details can be found here. If you haven't entered already, do so!

I have to admit, I don't find a lot of time to play on Pintrest, but this contest has reminded me how fun it is! There is so much beautiful stuff out there. If you aren't a member of Pintrest and would like to be, send me a message or comment and I will send you a Pintrest invite!

Again, please please repin me and I will repin you! Thanks!!!!