New Inventory

What a weekend!  I had to work on Saturday morning and Sunday evening.  We had cub scout activities all day on Saturday and a camp out on Saturday night.  And I had a booth at a small festival in town on Saturday.  I needed to clone myself!!

Since the booth was in the same town as last month's booth, I felt like I should have some new inventory in case some people wandered by who had seen my stuff before.  I hung new/different quilts to form my booth walls, and added fabric composition book covers to my inventory.  I made one for my sister two years ago, and she loves it and encouraged me to make more.  

These are the ones I made a couple of years ago.  The one in the middle went to my sister.  The other two sold at other booths last year and earlier this year.

Of course, I couldn't remember how I made hers!  Figures!  Back to the drawing board.  First, I made two using some orphan blocks and this tutorial.  I love how her covers turned out, but I was dissatisfied with mine, partially because I wanted a thicker, softer cover.  I ended up inserting some batting into these, which worked out OK, but I went looking for another tutorial after making these two.

This one sold  before I even finished setting up my booth!

The next tutorial that caught my eye was this one.  Rather than use fusible pellon, I used batting.  I love the way there is a lining AND no need to topstitch around the outside.  That is really what I wanted to avoid because topstitching through many layers never seems to turn out looking neat for me.  First, I made this one using some more orphans - scrappy 4-patches this time.  I liked my modified construction method, so then I moved on to other fabrics.

First, I used some lettered fabric and the crown and British fabric that I got from a scrap bin from a store in Atlanta.  I've been dying to use this fabric, and I like how the journal turned out.  If nothing else, it lets people know what these books are or can be!

Then, I pulled out a little panel that I've been wanting to use, surrounded it by black, and embellished it with some embroidery in orange.  It wasn't my intention, but it seems rather seasonal to me, don't you think?

Is that a crow or a blackbird?  How can you tell the difference?

I thought the day was going to be a great success because one of the top two journals sold before I even finished setting up my booth, and within 15 minutes, I had also sold two of my flannel travel neck pillows.  However, it turns out that the event wasn't publicized at all (!?!) and hardly anyone even passed by.  Oh well.  It was a free event for me, so I came out with a profit, and I still have plenty of inventory for THIS WEEKEND'S event, which I KNOW has been publicized extensively.  Live and learn!

A friend caught a photo of me setting up my Scrabble Tile earring (while WEARING a pair, of course!)

Calle del Algodon

Calle del Algodon - do you know what that means????

Street of COTTON!!!  I was wandering around the historic part of Quito that houses the Centro Comercial, and happened upon this street sign.  Above the sign was...

...wait for it...

A QUILT BLOCK MADE FROM TILES!  (Sorry, no photo.  When I am wandering around alone, I never bring the camera - don't want to mark myself as a tourist any more than necessary.)

I thought for sure, I had found heaven on earth.  I looked down the street to see storefront after storefront of FABRIC!

But it wasn't heaven on earth.  It was like purgatory.  A teaser for what could have been.  There were lots of beautiful fabrics, but NONE were 100% cotton.  Not a one!  I felt everything that caught my eye, and got very good at asking, "No tiene tela de cien por ciento de algodon?"  Unfortunately, they all shook their heads no, and proceeded to show me some lovely knit or shiny cotton/poly mix.  Oh well.

In between the fabric stores were tucked little stores of trim and thread and buttons.  I was drawn in and pored over the buttons for quite a while before settling on these big black ones that remind me of wheels - I can see using them to embellish a kid quilt.

The coin is a dollar coin, placed there for reference - these are big buttons!

And then I saw the perle cotton.  Lots and lots of perle cotton.  I've been wanting to buy some, but I haven't found it anywhere near me, and it seems silly to me to pay postage for it if I buy it online.  So I inquired about the price.  Sixty-five cents for a ball of 95 yards of #8 perle cotton!  I've never bought it before, but that seemed like a steal to me!  I was drawn to the variegated ones, so I picked out five to buy.

I've never heard of Rose Brand, but frankly, I don't care!

Back in my room, I looked online to price them, and I'm finding them for anywhere from $2.29 to $3.50.  Can I just say I'll be headed back to that part of town to pick up some more in solid colors!  Some for me, and some to share in my little "help me figure out how to quilt this" giveaway.  If you've not yet put your two cents in, I encourage you to visit that post and comment.  Not only will there be chocolate covered coffee beans, but now there will also be #8 perle cotton for the winner!  And I'm not done shopping yet!

I did pick up some more trinkets to share around the office at home and put into some Christmas stockings - some colorful leather change purses

I'm not sure yet which one I'll save for me.  Maybe the black and orange?  Or maybe the green and brown?

and some more earrings (I love cheap earrings!!!).  These are made from Tagua, some kind of nut or seed that is indigenous to Ecuador.

I love the ones with the trees!

OK, off to bed to do some more quilting before I sleep like the dead.  The air is thin here at 10,000 feet above sea level, so I yawn A LOT and sleep very well.  Just three more nights until I get to sleep in my own bed!

Crunch Time!

I wish I were spending more time in Blogland, but it is crunch time for me.  I entered my Pick and Choose quilt in the county fair this year, but it isn't done yet! 

I started quilting this quilt LAST summer, and I'm STILL not done!  Granted, I've finished several other quilts in the meantime, but SHEESH!

I have to turn it in on Monday morning.  I am quilting every chance I get.  I took the kids to the pool yesterday, and sat in the shade quilting while they were swimming.  We watched Eragon last night since we listened to the book on CD while driving all over creation on vacation, and I sat there with my LED neck lamp in our darkened movie theater so I could see to quilt while watching the movie.  I've been carrying my quilt back and forth to work every day so I can work on it during my lunch breaks.  I'm going to be known around town as "that crazy quilt lady!" carrying a quilt with me everywhere I go, but I have got to get it done!

Other than that, no sewing per se, but I did make some Scrabble tile earrings for myself and my sisters and my mom while on vacation this year

E is for ERIN!  Well, for Ericka in this photo since that is my sister's ear, but we're identical twins - that's what my ear looks like, too!

and got so many favorable comments about them from complete strangers while wearing them, that I spent some time last weekend making more (13 pair!) and put them in my ETSY shop. 

My head is spinning with all kinds of new and exciting projects I'd like to be working on, but first, I MUST FINISH THIS QUILT!