Comforts of Home-Little by Little

Little by little, I am finishing my Comforts of Home! Here is an updated pic.

New Fabrics-Studio E

This week some of the fabrics and items I ordered during my trip to Portland in March arrived. Studio E is a relatively new fabric manufacturer. Their fabrics are high quality, similar to Moda, Red Rooster, Etc. They also have pre-cuts, the Studio E version of a precut is a package of rectangles that are 5 inches x 9.5 inches.

What really caught our eye at Portland was a "bed scarf." (Think over-sized tablerunner here) The pattern is made using mostly their pre-cut rectangles, plus some large applique for the fern leaves. The result is gorgeous, and it can be made in any size to fit any bed. A bed scarf lays across the foot of the bed, or if you make the smaller one it works perfectly as a tablerunner.

The fabric line is called Fresh Aire. You'll notice I've only stocked the fabrics necessary to make the scarf/runner. Kit prices for the scarf will be up soon!

Also from Studio E, a new quilt kit in stunning black and white. See Charleston Gate under quilt kits.

Watch for new Studio E fabrics to arrive over the next few months!

First Grade Mafia

This past Monday was my daughter's 7th birthday, and all week she's been trying to decide who to invite over for her sleepover. Today on the way home, she and her sister were discussing possible invites, when a girl we'll call "Suzy" came up. "Suzy" was no longer in the running, after she had apparantly helped herself to some of Kylee's LPS's.

It turns out that my daughter had taken her "LPS's" (Littlest Pet Shop toys) to school, and "Suzy" had apparantly taken a few. Five, to be exact. "Suzy" claimed they were lost, so she couldn't give them back.

I instructed the girls to make me a list of missing LPS's so I could call "Suzy's" mom and ask if "Suzy" might have borrowed them. While they were making their list, I heard the following tid bit of conversation.

7 year old says to older sister: "See, that's why I wanted to invite her. So I could rip her arm off and you could throw her outside."

And that's how I know my daughter's in the First Grade Mafia!

New Quilt As You Go Book from G.E. Designs

G.E. Designs has a brand new quilt-as-you-go book coming out in the next few weeks, "Fast and Furious." The book is full of great looking patterns, from baby quilts to bags to runners, you'll find pictures of all of it at Gudrun's blog. Check out www.gequiltdesigns.com for a link to the G.E. Designs Blog, or visit www.gudrun.typepad.com. Watch for the book to arrive in store soon! If you haven't tried quilt-as-you-go, and especially using G.E. Designs patterns, you will be surprised at how easy and how time saving this technique is!

Hurry, Hurry! Last Day to Vote!

Today is the last day to vote! Then, as soon as I finish with finals I'll be starting my Anna Tunic. See the post below from a few days ago to view the fabric choices, then vote for your favorite! I promise to post a picture. (assuming I manage to make the right size and it fits me!)

Comforts of Home-Almost Done

Here's another thing I forgot I'm doing before the hop tomorrow, finishing the top to my new block-of-the-month! Here is a picture of how far I got last night, to be finished tonight!

Crunch Time!

It's crunch time, the I S.E.W. Shop Hop starts TOMORROW! I have all kinds of stuff to do, and I'll probably spend the day running around like a headless chicken. I have copies to staple, quilts to quilt, samples to hang, my kids' music concert to attend, a soon to be 7 year old's birthday to plan, a final essay, final paper, class discussions and group project to finish, and to top it all off I have to finish painting the outside of the shop! Yes, only I am crazy enough to insist that the shop be painted before the Hop, and only my parents are crazy enough to agree to help me.
(OK, maybe my dad only agreed because my mom agreed. What was that he kept muttering, something about forced labor?)
Now, if the weather had cooperated, and if I had considered that the poor building hasn't been painted in 20 years or more and bought 3 times more paint, it might have gotten done already. Instead, it's 1/2 done. So, just in case I don't get to it today, when you come for the hop tomorrow, make sure to come from the South. Then just pretend that the entire building looks that nice, and pretend you don't see the old robin's egg blue trim peaking out from the North side. (Yes, robin's egg blue, from the 70's!) The day I don't have to go to the shop and see that trim will all be worth it, even if I end up being the one on the ladder, in the bucket of the tractor. Yes, it seems even my dad has his limits, and for some reason he won't let me run the tractor.....