It's starting to feel a little bit like a sweatshop in my sewing room - I've been working on a lot of the same thing the last week, which is a bit unlike me. I'm trying to plow through my end-of-the-year preschool teacher gifts as well as some of the recipients on my Pay It Forward list.

I love Anna's great Divided Basket pattern. Have you made one yet? I highly recommend it, Anna's patterns are so easy to follow. I've officially made four of these baskets now, and I love each one dearly. I guess that's what happens when you use fabric you love. :)


The first one I made was for Marla, as a part of a post Stash Bash swap, using some of Ellen Luckett Baker's first line for Kokka, Stamped. I really love the colors in this one, and I was so pleased with how easily the whole thing came together. Seriously, I think the fabric and interfacing cutting took more longer than the actual sewing!



Then I decided to cut into some of my favorite Ruby Star Sparkle by Melody Miller for a PIF (pay-it-forward) gift. I only had a half-yard, so on the back side of the basket, the phones are upside down, but I think it's kind of endearing that way.

I wanted to do one more PIF (pay-it-forward) gift basket, so I pulled out a stack of Anna Maria Horner fabrics, and grabbed the one on top, a cut from Innocent Crush. As soon as I picked up the stack, I knew who this basket would be for (but I'm not telling yet!!). Because Innocent Crush is a quilting weight fabric instead of a canvas or home dec fabric, like the pattern suggests, I used two layers of interfacing for extra stability - Pellon Fusible Fleece, as the pattern calls for, and a layer of Pellon Craft Fuse, another fusible that I tend to use a lot of. It worked out quite well, so I will definitely do that again if I use a quilting cotton for this pattern.


The last basket I worked on put some new fabric to use - a cheater Kokka patchwork fabric I got in Portland at Bolt. I saw Susan, the owner of The Quilt Asylum, walking around with this bolt, and she was generous enough to let me have a half-yard off of it. The lining is an Aneela Hoey print from Sew Stitchy, which I thought would make a cute lining for this divided basket. It would make a great scrap basket, don't you think? I've decided now I definitely need to make one for me if I wind up giving this adorable one away.



What about you? Do you like to sew the same project again and again? Have a great Wednesday!

Many of you commented last week about my surprising rule against fat quarters, and I realized that while I wrote this post a while back, I apparently never published it. Whoops! So, here it is, my Dear John letter to fat quarters. Have a wonderful day!

Dear Fat Quarters,

It's not you, it's me. No, that's not true. It's you, it's totally you. I can't put this off anymore. I simply have to break up with you, because there's just not enough of you. Seriously, 18" x 22" is just not enough for me anymore. Because every time I make a quilt, or a pouch, or a bag, I go to reach for you, and you're just too small. Or worse yet, I cut into you, thinking I can make it work, and I can't. And then I get crabby, and there's just no need for such madness!

So I'm calling it quits. No more fat quarters for me.

Instead of falling for cute displays of you in quilt shops (I'm talking to you Modern Domestic!) and grabbing piles of fat quarters, I'm going to stroll right on by you. I'll pick up a bolt instead, and get a nice big half-yard cut, because a half-yard is just so much more usable in my stash than a measly, tiny fat quarter.

So, when I pass you by, don't look at me, Fat Quarter. Because you'll just be disappointed. There's no longer a place for you in my stash.

xoxo,
E

P.S. -  I'm talking to you too, Fat Eighths and Charm Packs and Jelly Rolls. Persona non grata!

P.P.S. - It's entirely possible probable that I will break this rule. For Oakshotts, at the very least...and maybe uber-expensive Japanese fabrics...

Quilty people are the best people, aren't they? Every time I get to go to something like Quilt Market or Stash Bash or what-have-you, I'm reminded of this. Everyone was so kind and welcoming! I got to place lots of names with faces and I got to see lots of great people I'm lucky to call friends in Portland.

On Friday, I got to sit in on the Portland Modern Quilt Guild's regular meeting, which had a presentation on the new MQG membership model by Alissa Haight Carlton as well as an amazing trunk show by Jacquie Gering. I adore Jacquie, and being the tall girl I am, she asked me to help Jen hold her quilts, which was so amazing. Being up close and personal with those quilts was just incredible. And hearing Jacquie speak about her quilts, gosh... I'm not sure I can put into words how hearing her speak and share her passion made me feel. Suffice it to say, it was something I won't forget for quite some time.


And I can't forget to mention Jamie...she lives in the Portland area and was kind enough to drive some of us about here and there. Her sense of direction caused quite a bit of laughter, the kind of laughter that nearly brings you to tears. I will never look at a bike lane quite the same way again, Jamie!! Thanks for the rides!

It was such a kick picking up my nametag and attaching a sneak peek of my book cover to it! It was positively surreal to talk to people and have them ask about my book. It made me kind of swallow my fear of talking about myself, and I had some great conversations with people as a result of that beautiful little conversation starter.


Speaking of my inability to talk about myself, there's something kind of big I've been up to that I haven't really shared here on my blog yet. Since the end of January, I've been on a bit of journey. A journey to become a healthier, fitter me. I've never been a thin person, other than when I was a young child. I've always been heavier, in part due to my love of baking and also because I've always despised exercising. But something happened to me in January. I decided I wanted to make a change. I didn't like what I saw in the mirror and the way that I felt. I've half-heartedly dieted over the years, but there's something different about this change I've been making. It's not a diet. It's a lifestyle change, as cheesy as it sounds. I'm not just changing the way I eat for now, I'm doing it forever. And it feels good. I started doing Weight Watchers first, and after seeing some good results in the first eight weeks, I added in some exercise, starting with the 30 Day Shred. I spent 29 days doing the 30 Day Shred, and now I'm doing the Hip Hop Abs video series, and having a shocking amount of fun with it. It doesn't feel like work when I constantly see the scale moving and feel my body changing. I'm usually a pretty private person, but sharing my successes and seeing the success and accountability of others on IG using the #sweatnsew hashtag is really inspiring and keeps me going. I'm talking about you, Terri and Becky! My journey is not yet over, but I'm halfway to my goal, which is a great feeling.

This whole change in me made going to Market a really interesting experience - lots of people noticed that I looked different, which was both flattering and mildly mortifying at the same time. Sometimes I even have a hard time seeing a change in myself, so I thought I'd dig up some pictures from last Market to compare to pictures from this Market. Left side is last year, 40 pounds heavier, and right side is this year, with the lovely Cindy of Live a Colorful Life. Don't you love her gorgeous Little Folks raincoat?!?!



So, this is my last Spring Market post for this year. Next week, I'm planning to get back into my sewing room and start making a dent in my ridiculous wip list, starting with end-of-the-year teacher gifts! Are you making teacher gifts this year? What are you making? I'm still undecided, and running out of time! Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!