validation

i tell myself
that i create for myself.
that i just want to make beautiful things,
and it does not matter if people like them.

i tell myself this.
but it could not be further from the truth.

i want people to like what i make.
i want them to HAVE to have a lucends product.

i want them to be moved
by the fabric
the color
the design
or my story.

it is easy to put
my product online.
i don't see the reaction,
good or bad.
it is passive.

it is harder to apply to a show.
first, there is the process.
will they like it?
will they accept me?

then the actual show
will i stand there all day
and not make a single sale.
will people think my stuff i ugly?

today, ph and i spent
the day at artist row at the public market.
it was a perfect fall day.
sunny, crisp, perfect.
and i was validated.

the response to my work
was very positive.
i made some sales.
i gave away alot of business cards.
i met some great people.
i had some awesome conversations.
and i am inspired to keep creating.

thank you to all who support
my creative endeavors.

athena's clutch

athena texted me one day

that she needed a clutch.

a clutch to hold her

phone, credit cards and stilla lipgloss.

then she started sending

me pictures of what she wanted.

i let it simmer in my brain.

she thought i was ignoring her.

after several attempts

this is what i settled on.

i sent her two, both in her fave fabrics.

one with interfacing

one without.

they were just

what she had been dreaming about.

they will be coming soon

to the etsy shop.

finally....

i created a bag that i love!

i hope you love it too.

you can find them in 

the shop.

the ideas are flowing
so more will be added weekly.

caught up

i am finally caught up on all of my virtual quilting bees.

and this feels sooooo good.

now i can focus on finishing up

some of my projects

and work on some new ideas 

i have brewing in my head.

bits and pieces bee made two of these blocks

pins and needles bee

pins and needles bee

3x6 bee 4th quarter. made 6 of these in different colors

if.....

if you missed lucends at the RMSC Holiday Bazaar
or if you live out of town.
you are in luck.

i am loading the remaining
of my inventory onto the
lucends etsy shop.

better still, i am offering
you dear readers
a coupon code.
from now until dec.7th 2010
enter BLACK10
and you will earn 10% off
your entire order.

all the inventory will be in
the shop by black friday.

so i hope you will take a look
and
give the gift of handmade
this holiday season.

craft hangover

i did not think it was possible, but i have a craft hangover.
a serious one.
so serious that i can not think about sewing
much less actually sew today.

i hope this hangover
doesn't last long.
i have bee blocks to make
quilts to put together
and holiday gifts to make.

but i am hungover.

overall, the show went well.
i sold 53 items
or 47% of my inventory.
the response to my work
was positive.

so, all in all a good experience.

i am working on listing
the remainder of my inventory
on etsy.
and should have a holiday shopping
treat for you all soon.

thanks for sticking
with me during my
sewing frenzy.
i am looking forward
to returning to
my regular blog/sewing routine.

xoxo

handmade holiday (aka holiday bazaar)

obsession

i have an obsession.
ok.
i have several obsessions.

my most recent
fabric hexagons.
which turned into
hexagon garland.

they will be for sale
this weekend
at the RMSC Holiday Bazaar.
if you live in the rochester area.
i do hope you will
pay us a visit.
we are in booth #611.

loot

mom and i had a great time in nyc.

with the exception of the extra

40,000 people there to run the

NYC marathon.

we went to the new purl store.

it was heaven.

it was perfect.

it was inspiring

and it was crowded.

here is some of the loot

i could not live without.

handspun cashmere

echino oilcloth

chunky zippers

sewing maniac

wrapping up

i have been working away at getting caught up on some projects  before we leave for vacation next week.  i don't like to come home to unfinished projects and i need to focus on creating for the holiday bazaar when we return. i have lots of sewing to do!

last night i finished attaching the binding on riley's cowboy quilt. i am very pleased with how it turned out. i am giving it to riley's momma tonight ( we are having a girls dinner out, no kids, no husbands, just us).

bean thinks that the quilt is really swell and knows that his buddy riley will love it.

a close up of the center blocks.

so, athena and i were a little obsessive and driven about finishing the blocks for our friendship quilt. i am   not sure who was pushing whom, but all 20 blocks are complete. the goal is to have them sewn together by the time she and stella arrive in NY at the end of september and we are going to quilt them while she is here. now, this may be ambitious on our part, we will have a 7 month old and a 9 month old. but hey, a girl has to have some goals. all of the blocks are pictured below. blocks 1-10 are the ones i made and 11-20 are the ones athena made. this is going to be one  amazing quilt.

my two favorite blocks. block 1 and 10. both are athena's nod to my cooper. the very reason that we are friends and making this quilt. xoxo

far far away

this is the beginning of a new quilt
using heather ross' far far away 2 fabric.
i love it.

i love it because athena and i
are having a quilting bee
between the two of us.

the basic idea is that we each make two blocks
keep one and send the other.
at the end will have enough blocks
to have the exact same quilt.

well, the same components.
i am sure we will lay them out differently
and use different colors for the sashing.
or maybe we wont.

we are also writing a little diddy
about why we chose each block.
this one is called southern belle.

we are calling the quilt
the friendship quilt.
athena is my gift from cooper.
and i thank him every day
for sending her my way.

though we live far far away
from each other.
and have never met.
i feel like i have known
her my whole life.
i can not wait until her
visit to NY in the fall.


stay tuned.
this quilt is going
to be AMAZING.

meet liberty

its finished! my liberty of london quilt. and i love it so. it is 100% girl. it should be noted that i did not like the color pink until i was well into my thirties. it is currently living on the bed in our guest room. this bed belonged to my great grandparents. my mom had it refinished and gave it to me, there is also a matching dresser. my great grandmother was quite the seamstress, so i think she would be quite proud of me. ( she was a wallace, the same wallace's that chace was named after).

i actually assembled and attached the binding on this quilt. it was not nearly as difficult as i thought it would be and it only took me two days to do. doing this step myself saves me lots of money, which means i can make more quilts. christina did a fabulous job with the quilting. she is so fast with her turn around. i hope to meet her someday.

speaking of new quilts, i received fabric yesterday for a new project. i think it is going to be a good one. i will give you a hint, it involves breathing new life into something 37 years old.

liberty of london quilt

in honor of our country's independence from great britain, i think it is only appropriate that i share with you my liberty of london quilt top. i recently developed an obsession with fabric from the famed liberty of london fabric maker. and then they came out with a line for target and well....i was in deep by then.

i am really happy with the result of this quilt. from a technical standpoint, it may be my best yet. all my squares line up. this small detail makes me very happy. i think that the colors work well together and using the white for the sashing and borders makes the fabric stand out and pop. after all this quilt was designed to showcase the fabric.

so now i have to make the back and then send it off to christina to have it quilted. this time around i am going to assemble and attach the binding. should be an adventure. stay tuned.

oh and i hope you are having a lovely independence day!

branching out

here is my latest sewing/quilting venture. i had some of that darling scarlet fig fabric leftover and thought it would be perfect for a pillow. i decided to use my501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks (That Patchwork Place)as inspiration. i found a block that showcased the whimsical nature of the fabric and went to work. to be honest, i was totally winging it, which was freeing and uncomfortable at the same time. i usually have a plan when i start cutting fabric, especially fabric that i love.  but this time i just let creativity be my guide. ok, i had a rough sketch in my head.

anyway, i decided to try quilting the front all by myself. i used my walking foot and everything. it wasn't so bad. but then again the front was only 16 x 16 inches. we are not talking a whole quilt here!
i put a zipper in the back, not perfectly, but it looks pretty good. zippers are tricky little suckers.

but overall i am quite pleased with the result. i think i just might make a few more. i have fabric that would be perfect!

oh liberty

if i were to travel to london in the near future, i would visit the liberty of london store and spend way too much money on fabric. their fabric is the expensive kind, but i do love it.  i was lucky enough to receive a gift card to purlsoho for my birthday. i immediately ordered some liberty of london in shades of pink for my next quilt.  i decided to use a block that showcases the fabric. these are some of my favorites. the question is, how big do i make it?

creative wall

whenever i finish a big project i tend to hit a creative wall which sends me into a funk. i feel totally lost and don't know what to work on next, despite the fact that i have a list of design ideas and inspirations in my iphone. for some odd reason my hands become immobilized while my brain runs on full speed. it is a terrible predicament, terrible.

this happened to me yesterday. the bean was sound asleep and i felt like i needed to take advantage of the work time, so i grabbed some scraps and started creating. and the above placemats are the result of that endeavor. it is a great way to use your scraps.

what do you think?

i may make a few more and put them in the etsy shop.

donkeys and wellies

spending so much time in greece, it is hard not to fall in love with the donkeys that live on the island. and wellies, well who doesn't love them? i recently discovered this site. i think i want a pair in every color. so when i discovered this fabric from scarlet fig, i was smitten. i just had to have the fabric. my mom loved it too and asked me to make a bag for her cousin who shares our love of donkeys.

this weekend i was able to get the bag made thanks to a napping bean and grandma pat, who came over on saturday for a few hours so i could sew. i have made this bag several times, but this time i used cotton webbing for the handles instead of fabric. i think that they will be sturdier. now to get this little gem in the mail before i decide to keep it for myself.