A Happy Surprise from Kate Spain

Lookie what I got in the mail from the lovely, generous and thoughtful Kate Spain.  It's the cutest mini charm pack ever!!  Wait?  What?  Lemme back up a sec.  I was reading the Intrepid Thread and Julie posted that Terrain by Kate Spain had arrived in her shop.  So, of course I was excited, and of course I left a comment.  Well, Kate was reading along too and she sent all the commenters a surprise in the mail.

Thank you Kate!  Thank you Julie!  I have a big, huge smile on my face today.  You guys are the best!!

Here are some of my favorites from Terrain.  The colors in this entire line are so pretty and saturated.  Love!

Leaves in Foliage

Footpath in Bloom

Forest Floor in Bloom

Quilting In The Garden 2011, Alden Lane Nursery

This weekend I went to a local quilt show called Quilting In The Garden at Alden Lane Nursery in Livermore, Ca.  I look forward to this every year.  They hang hundreds of quilts from their majestic Oak trees.  It is such a beautiful sight!!  This year they had over 200 quilts hanging in every nook can cranny.  Here are some of my favorites.

Quilting In The Garden 2011

# 99 Ocean Daisies by Becky Perry

# 193 Generations by Madge Fordyce

#9 Jewels for the Night by AnnaBelle Horgan

Would you like to see more?  Click on the slide show below to view all my photos from this year's show.  You can also view them individually here.

Quilting In The Garden 2011, Alden Lane Nursery, Livermore, Ca

LINKS:

• My photos from Quilting In The Garden 2010
• Alden Lane Nursery
• 2010 Photo album from C & T Publishing 

Block Making

At the beginning of the Modern 4x5 Bee, before we got partners, before we pulled fabric, we each put together an inspiration mosaic of our favorite blocks.  A little something to get the creative juices flowing.  Here are some of my favorite blocks that have been made by others.  You can click on the links below the picture to see each block on flickr.

1. tutorial: scrappy stars, 2. Scrappy Plus Block--Do good Stitches, 3. do. Good Stitches - June, 4. Pillow Talk Swap 4, 5. pillow talk swap received!, 6. favorite colors, 7. DQS10 full frontal, 8. www.flickr.com/photos/caribousmom/5849987922/in/gallery-l..., 9. Bee Mental Blocks, 10. WIP: Christmas Quilt, 11. Blythe-Size Bee - Wonky Stars for Pippa, 12. 3x6 bee block - process post

After I pulled the fabric for my Modern 4x5 Bee buddies, I got stuck.  There were so many fabrics I wanted to use and it's hard to fit them all into a 12" block.  I knew I wanted something scrappy.  Inspiration struck while I was sitting at Starbucks, drinking an Iced Vanilla Latte, helping my five year old with his homework and waiting to pick up my three year old from Preschool.  There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.  ; )  In the spirit of sharing my process I will show you my messy sketch.

I like this block because I can use lots of different prints, there is a lot of movement and interest within the block, and I love the crisp, chunky, cross/plus/x, in the middle as a resting place.  Since I don't have buckets of coordinated scraps I am making scraps one strip at a time from yardage.  I know there are some of you laughing your heads off right now.  Making scraps?  Lady, are you crazy?!!?

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.  Tomorrow, I'm headed to one of my favorite local quilt shows at the Alden Lane Nursery in Livermore.  This year's featured artists are Rob Appell and Verna Mosquera. They hang all the quilts from their huge Oak trees.  It is so beautiful!!

Finished! 100 Quilts for Kids

How am I supposed to follow up a blog post about a $600 quilt?  With a charity quilt of course.  ; )  There were some really good points made in the comments yesterday.  Comments about how your pricing affects others, different products might have different profit margins, and most crafters and quilters don't sell their quilts wholesale.  Most importantly remember that you make quilts because you LOVE it.

So here we go.  Hot off the sewing table... "Charming Sherbet Pips".

I loved making this quilt!!  The charm packs were so cute on their own I didn't need to add anything.  Hey, some days you're a cook and some days you're a chef.  Today, I enjoyed being a cook.  I could just sit down, sew, and let my mind wander.  It felt wonderful.

I used this quilting guide for the first time and it worked great.  Just slide it into your walking foot, and presto, a straight line guide that goes beyond the width of your foot.  Yahooie!

As soon as I saw this cute scarf print I knew I would use it as a binding on a quilt.  I also attached the binding with my machine instead of by hand.  *gasp*  I know!  It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought and I finished a lot faster.  On the other hand, there was no snuggling underneath, watching (or listening to) a good movie, rounding the corners and finally a finish.  Different tools for different days.

My daughter was eyeing this laid out on the table and thinks we should keep it there, "Mama, it makes the table so pretty".  She's right, but this quilt is destined for the 100 quilts for kids project going on now at Swim, Bike, Quilt.

The end.  : )

The $600 Baby Quilt

$600 Quilt

It has crossed my mind to sell baby quilts.  I love making them and I'm starting realize there is not that many babies in my life.  What is a quilt making lady to do?

I've never sat down and formulated a business plan, set a price structure or an opened an etsy shop.  Nothing as organized and official as all of that.  It's more of a what if game I play inside my head.  This is the kind of game that keeps me awake at night.  Not all nights, but some.  

Yesterday in my google reader, a blog post popped up by some of my favorite fabric artists, Ink & Spindle.  It was all about pricing your wares.  They explained a pricing formula taking into account, cost of goods, artist's time, wholesale prices, retail prices.  It all sounded very structured and well thought out.  I found myself nodding.  It made a lot of sense.

Just for fun... I ran the numbers for a simple patchwork baby quilt.  Following the formula, my quilt would need to be priced at $600.  $600!  I value handmade.  I love making quilts.  I don't know if the world is ready for the $600 baby quilt.  Even if it is a gorgeous, boutique, one of a kind, baby quilt.  ; )

I think the missing part of the equation is what is your target customer willing to pay?

Some food for thought that's for sure!

LINKS:
Blog post, The Formula by Ink & Spindle

Book, Craft Inc., by Meg Mateo Ilasco

NOTE TO SELF: I have that book.  Time to reread it!  Sheesh.