Reds Completed

I love how my red blocks turned out. It's such a fun color, and I'm guessing these little blocks are going to really make my quilt shine when it's finished. These have actually been finished for quite some time now... at least two weeks, I believe. I've also included a little sneak peek at the yellows. They're finished, as well. I just haven't had a chance to snap a photo of the stack yet.

The Scrap Attack Quilt-Along party is coming up in just a few short weeks and I know there's no way I'm going to get this quilt top finished in time. I was really hoping to finish by the end of the month but there are just so darn many of those tiny squares to sew and not enough free time to sew them. I was a little disappointed at first, but if I'm perfectly honest I also felt a little relieved to let go of the pressure I was putting myself under. Now I can finish it at a more leisurely pace.

That said, I still really want to participate in the party, so this past week I whipped up two scrappy baby quilt tops. One is for my sister-in-law who is expecting her second daughter and the other is for donation. I'll post about each one later this week, after I've had a chance to take some photos.

You can find this post linked up at:

• Sew Happy Geek

A Pretty Little Dress

This pretty Tina Givens fabric showed up in my mailbox about a week ago, courtesy of the lovely Erin of Billy Button Design. I found Erin's blog through the Fugly Fabric Party back in February. She was giving away several fabric bundles, and I was lucky enough to snag two one-yard cuts of not-at-all-fugly Tina Givens prints.

I took one look at this pretty cream, yellow, purple and gray print after ripping open the package and immediately knew I would use it to make a teeny-tiny newborn dress.

I should note that this is my very first attempt at making a baby dress. I always wanted to sew for Miss C. when she was a wee babe, but never found the time or energy. She was a very needy baby and I was a first-time mama. Combine the two and one doesn't exactly feel up to doing much sewing!

That's said, a dear friend of mine (the same one for whom I made the yet-to-be-revealed quilt) is very pregnant and just passed her due date a few days ago. I thought she could use a little something sweet to dress her baby girl in after she comes home from the hospital, so I whipped up this dress a few nights ago using the (free!) Infant Peasant Dress pattern from Sew Much Ado.

Though I love the dress pattern as-is, I decided to switch things up just a little bit by using a coordinating print for the sleeves instead of making the dress using a single fabric. I think it added that little extra *something* to make the dress just perfect.

It's rather silly, I know, that I can't bring myself to reveal her other gift before giving it to her while blogging about this one before it has even gone in the mail. The quilt is just so special and took me so long to make that I just can't bear to stick it in the mail or spoil the surprise online. So it sits in its pretty wrapping, waiting for her little girl to arrive so I can deliver it in person.

But I can't wait on this sweet little dress – it's going in the mail tomorrow. Who knows, maybe it will arrive the same day as her baby girl!

You can find this post linked up at:

• JAQS Studio
• Happy Quilting
• Petals to Picots
• The Vintage Farmhouse
• Love Affair With My Brother
• Sew Happy Geek
• Quilt Story

Leaning Tower of Pieces

If you can believe it, I've finished 158 blocks! That leaves me with... oh, only 56,700 to go!

Now that I've powered through the pinks – 41 blocks – I'm on to the reds. I've finished 22 of them so far and am hoping to finish the last 10 or so tonight.

And to think I still have green, orange, yellow and (maybe) purple left to go!

You can find this post linked up at:

• Petals to Picots
• Sew Happy Geek
• Quilt Story

It's all gone.

Well, almost.

Today I donated over 95% of my fabric stash to Goodwill.

Don't be sad, though. I didn't love or even like any of it. Truth be told, I really have no idea why I've been holding onto this massive hoard of fabric.

I was tired of the "maybe somedays". "Maybe I'll use this fabric so-and-so gave me to make a donation quilt." The heavy guilt was beginning to weigh on me. I'm always grateful for the gifts I receive, but so much of this fabric was not to my taste and I was tired of trying to find a use for it. And then there's the odd compulsion to collect - I couldn't let go of even the smallest scraps. It made me frustrated and at times paralyzed my creativity.

There was something so liberating about letting it all go. I kept a few of my favorites and the best scraps have already been cut up for my postage stamp quilt, but really there isn't much left.

I feel so much better now.

So tell me, how does your stash make you feel? Is it full of designer lovelies that make you smile when you see them? Are your fuglies bringing you down? Do you ever feel the guilt?

You can find this post linked up at:

• Love Affair With My Brother

Aquas Finished!

Another 37 blocks completed and I'm on to the pinks. I really enjoyed sewing up all of these pretty aqua and teal blocks. I think they'll be a lovely addition to the quilt.


Here's a sneak peek at the first pink block. I have so many lovely pink fabrics to use. These blocks are going to be lovely!

Fugly Fabric Party

***UPDATE*** 
Thanks for stopping by! All of my fuglies have been spoken for. Be sure to check out the rest of the fuglies over at Charm About You. 

I probably have more than my share of fugly fabric. Most of it was given to me by kind souls who know I like to sew... but maybe don't have the same taste in fabric as me. I've been trying to use it up or give it away, but I think it's been breeding because there always seems to be more hiding in a bin, a bag or underneath a project.

Thank goodness for the lovely Lucy over at Charm About You. She's hosting the Fugly Fabric Party and I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to give away some of my fuglies.

I've got two fugly fabric bundles up for grabs. I would love to swap for some of your scraps or something that you're not using in your stash. I'm working on a postage stamp quilt and would love a sandwich bag of some smallish scraps (they must be at least 1.5" square to work with my project) in the following colors: yellow, orange and red. You can check out my posts on the blues and corals I've worked on... or even see my ginormous pile of tiny squares for inspiration. 

So, now to the good stuff. The first bundle is made up of designer prints and while I think they're nice... they're just not me. Here's what's inside (clockwise, starting at the left):

• Ritzy Stripe in Sky by Amy Butler (there are two pieces approx. 15 x 27" and 10 x 15") - this is more of a decorator fabric weight
• Prairie Gothic Dusty by Jane Sassaman for Free Spirit (approx. 14 x 29")
• Olive Rose in Bright Blue by Valorie Wells (approx. 17 x 29")
• Knot Garden in Gray by Amy Butler (approx. 11 x 27") - another decorator weight

The second bundle is far more fugly. Not everything is designer (as far as I can tell), but you'll get a lot more yardage. I keep telling myself I'll use them for donation quilts (I'm not really into the browns or blacks), but honestly I still have a ton of fugly stuff to work with in my stash so I'm not sure I'll ever get to them. I'm fairly certain all have been pre-washed. Here's what's inside (starting at the top and working down):

• Bloomsbury Square by Fabri-Quilt, Inc. (approx. 26 x 43")
• Tulip Nouveau #2874 by Ro Gregg (two pieces that are approx. 9 x 36")
• No name on the selvedge (approx. 2 yards)
• Shangri-La by 3 Sisters for Moda (approx. 2 yards)
• No name on selvedge (a little less than 2 yards)

Shipping internationally is likely going to cost me too much, so I'm going to keep this U.S. only. Leave a comment if you're interested in a swap. In your comment, let me know which bundle you'd like and please include a link to a photo of your scraps or other fabric goodies that you'd like to swap. I'll keep this open until both bundles are gone.

You can find this post linked up at the Fugly Fabric Party. Be sure to stop over there and check out all of the awesome fabrics up for grabs! 

Twenty-one blocks stitched and stacked...

And the corals (a.k.a. peachy pinks) are done! Woot!

I'll be moving on to the aquas/teals next. I'm still not entirely certain that I'm going get the top finished in time for the party in March. Even if I don't finish in time, taking part in the Scrap Attack Quilt-Along has really kept me moving through these blocks!

You can find this post linked up at:

• Love Affair With My Brother