Extravaganza!

This past weekend was the Needlework Extravaganza in Statesville.  Basically, it's 40 vendors selling all my favorites - fabric, thread, ribbons, patterns, yarns, embellishments, sewing machines - it was like one big candy store!  I was there before they opened. Being seasoned vendors, they had the doors opened early for those of us SO anxious!  I finally got a quilt ladder, and not a moment too soon. The gentlemen who makes them is retiring and this is his last show in the area. I know he will be missed but he has been doing it for 40 years so I wish he and his wife a very happy retirement.

This larger one was made from orange batik and the center with yellow batik fabric.  I used silk leaves and clumped beads in the center.



I made this one smaller using a very lightweight grey polka dot fabrick.  I added some silver embroidery thread to the center, some large beads and dangled smaller beads.  I finished it off with black fabric  flowers.

 I picked up a template to make these sassy little flowers.  As soon as I got home I started to rip fabric strips, sew, glue, and them embellish.  I liked it so much I did another on Saturday!  These are going to make great little gifts and will sure adorn many a handbag.

More Secrets Revealed

Elyse has been soaring in her crocheting abilities and surprised me with this beautiful scarf.  I'm just so proud to wear it! In honor of her craft, I made her a roll to hold her crochet hooks.  There's also a place for a tape measure and small pair of scissors.  No more looking in the yarn bin for those hooks!

 

A fun not too intense gift to make was this cubicle quilt.  It's only about 9 x 11 and very bright.  Hopefully it will cheer up Elyse's roommates new cubicle!

A bit of a stretch for me to sew this past Christmas was a handbag made from Ultrasuede.  I think the expense of the fabric made me nervous, but I couldn't have been happier with the results.  And best of all, my daughter loved.  Hmmm, wonder if I'll ever make one for me?!

Not a Secret Anymore

I finally got a second quilt made for my son. He wanted something bigger than the last one that he could put on his sofa.  And voila!  It was originally intended for last Christmas, buy hey - he didn't know that last Christmas!  It's all batiks from my stash - wow!  So my doesn't my stash of batiks look any smaller?  As a quilting buddy of mine says, "this stuff just keeps on having babies!"

Each strip was cut individually because I was working from small pieces and each side of each crazy log cabin was a different size.  There are also some rows of 1" squares and the border is in 1" squares. I wish you could see the quilting. (If you double click on the pic, it should enlarge and you can see some of the stitching) A long arm quilter custom quilted it and it is really amazing.  Merry Christmas son!