Procrastination ...

So ... I didn't get any sewing done today.  Long, boring story.  But it involving a LOT of this ...

But I guess you could say that my PSA for the day is "Procrastination is not your friend."  LOL  :-)

Anywho ... did (eventually) get some quilty things in the works that I am excited about.  A sneak on a new project kit coming next week ...

Learning my way around EQ7 again ... anyone else use it?  Stitching up the sample for the kit tomorrow ...  Right after another FQ photo shoot session.  New Fabric ... love these and these maybe more. :-)

Happy Sewing!  :-)

WIP Wednesday : FSU Quilt Progress

Happy Wednesday!  I am sooooo enjoying my first day of freedom ... I mean, summer vacation.  :-)  Haven't  gotten any sewing in yet today, but I did get some done last night and will hopefully be basting and quilting tomorrow. Over the weekend, here's where I was on the FSU quilt ...

It certainly isn't the most complex pattern/design I've ever used (or even the best quality fabric), but its exactly what the mister wants.

All the rows are now together and I'm working up the nerve to get this quilted on my little Bernina tomorrow.  All 63 x 72 inches of it.  :-)  After I crawl around on the floor to pin it all.  And move my machine to the dining room table for the event.

What's your favorite quilting-a-big-quilt-on-a-little-machine tip?

I also got into my paper crafting stash last night and whipped up a little set of cards for a friend and thought I'd share here ...

... since y'all are so berry sweet, too! :-)

Happy Sewing!  :-)

FQ Photo Shoot

Happy Monday!  :-)

So, yesterday me and our FQ bucket had a serious photo shoot.  We have quite a few precut fat quarters laying around and we decided to bundle them up.  Some of my favorite last chance bundles ...

Summer House - these colors are so up my alley

Half Moon Modern - the scissors are too much fun

All these bundles had their moment in front of the camera.  :-) 

You can still save 15% on everything on the last chance page with coupon code "BOLTEND"

AND ... Flea Market Fancy is on sale this week!

I also got to play a little with some new pretties - Blitzen by Basic Grey came in on Friday.  I think I need to make my own tree skirt with some Blitzen and pronto.

And oh my goodness, those snowmen are too stinkin' cute!  Don't ya just want to start whipping up some stockings or something now?!

I have another "photo shoot" scheduled for Thursday after Serenade by Kate Spain and the awesome Riley Blake Chevrons hit our doorstep!  :-)

Happy Sewing!  :-)

Mini Quilt Swap

Hey y'all!  Did last week blow past me?  Geez ... sorry I left y'all hanging for a few days.  Last week was busy, but fun ... saw West Side Story at our performing arts center, watched my students graduate, and so many other things here and there.  But, I have two more workdays and then I am free for a few weeks.  Very.excited. :-D

Anyway, I wanted to share about the mini quilt swap I participated in that was hosted by Kris of Dandelion Quilts.  My partner was Darlene and we exchanged mini quilts.  I must admit I had a hard time getting started, but decided on a pattern from Simplify and used my charms from the Red & Aqua swap hosted by Kelsey not too long ago.  Here's my finished product ... 

I figured red & aqua was safe ... a classic combo that many quilters enjoy.  I really like how I quilted it with the diagonal straight lines.  (With the help of my trusty FriXion pen.) 

Unfortunately, it was rainy when I took these photos.  I used some Half Moon Modern for the backing.  And I had some yardage of the one red dot print so I used it for the binding.  Loving dots and stripes for bindings. 

Well, I kind of hated to have to mail this one off, but fortunately I received this awesome mini from Darlene. Love the California Girl that she used!  The colors and prints are so pretty.

Love the little polka dot blocks in the sashing, too.  :)

Thanks so much, Darlene, for the awesome mini quilt and Kris for hosting! 

See y'all tomorrow.  Promise. :-) 

Bolt Ends (Sale Info)

Hey y'all!  We're clearing off some shelves to make room for some new pretties.  And that means its time for another "pick up the pieces" sale!

Just enter "BOLTEND" in the coupon code at checkout to save 15% on everything in our Last Chance section of the store.

Happy Shopping!  :-)

Pouch Swappin'

Hi there!  I am excited to share one of my recent swap projects with you today.

I have been stitching along with the do. Good Stitches girls for quite some time and the Faith group decided to have a little pouch swap for fun.  I got Deb and she had this mosaic on Flickr.  All the photos in Deb's mosaic were beautiful, but I especially noticed the photo of FMF.

Instead intricate piecing, I decided to go with a simple, well-constructed pouch with a little help from Michelle Patterns (Keyka Lou). I used the Inset Zip Clutch pattern and as always, the pattern was well-written and easy to follow.  In fact, I felt my first attempt at this pattern turned out nearly perfect.  And I didn't want to mail it off, but I did!

I love that the zipper sits down inside the pouch a little - a nicer finish with no crazy, bumpy corners. And fussy cutting the bouquet print as well as the seeds was the right way to go for sure.

I included a few little scraps from my left over FMF fat quarters for Deb as well as a few other surprises. One of the best parts was getting a message from her that when she got this she was so excited she was jumping up and down and telling her husband it was the one she wanted!  :-D  That totally made my day!

I got a pretty sweet gathered pouch from Jenn of Knit.Craft.Sew...

She cleared nailed it with the pink, green and dots!  ;-)  And I love this awesome lining print ...

Thanks so much Jenn!  :-)

I have a few more swaps to share about, but I will save it for another day.

Happy Sewing!  :-)

Weekend Sewing

Hey there!  It was a busy weekend around here .... birthday celebrations, graduation festivities, and the usual weekend stuff (laundry, etc).  But, I did manage to get quite a bit of sewing done.  Here's a peek at what I was working on ...

Finishing a mini for a swap (details in a full post later this week).  I used by charms from Kelsey's Red & Aqua Swap.  I think it turned out pretty good.  And the FriXion pen was helpful in marking my lines.  :-)

And ... the long-awaited FSU quilt got underway.

A little background on this project ... I married a 'Nole.  And he's big into Seminole sports, t-shirts ... anything FSU basically.  I went to NCSU but I've converted a little.  ;-)  Anyway ... I've been picking up FSU fabric over several trips to Tallahassee for football games.  And lately I've been getting comments like "I've been waiting 5 years" and "don't make anything else until you make my quilt" and ... my favorite ... "that's nice, but it doesn't look like an FSU quilt."  LOL

So, since his birthday is tomorrow, I officially got started.  :-)  When I came downstairs with the first row you would have thought he was 5 years old on Christmas.  So, my goal this week is definitely to finish the FSU quilt!  :-)

What are you working on right now?  I'd love to hear about it.  :-)

Happy Sewing! :-)