Sew Unique Creations

We had a blast today - and took a much needed break from “work” - I went on my daughters 3rd grade field trip to the zoo!  It was an awesome day weather wise and we had so much fun!

Here’s me above - picture courtesy of my daughter!

Here’s my youngest cutie-patootie above!

And here is the fun group of 3rd graders I was in charge of!  Thank goodness they were good kids!  We all made it back home safely without me losing one of them in that huge zoo!

It felt awesome to be out in the beautiful weather and just enjoying being a “kid” again!

Have a great day!

Well, through all my nervous-ness getting new things ready for International Quilt Festival this past week and the upcoming Quilt Market next month in Portland - I had many doubts that my new pattern and kits for framed quilt blocks and/or “quiltlets” (as I call them) would go over.

They went over - very well in fact!

At festival we introduced 5 of these framed/quiltlet designs and sold out of most of the kits and had to reprint patterns one evening when we got home from the show - that night I was up till about 2 AM putting more patterns together!

Here’s a cover of one of the patterns:

This is only one of them.  I spoke with a few of the people that bought the kits and they liked the idea.  I did hear a few people say “What will I do with that?”  Hmmmm - well as for me I decorate my walls with these little pieces!  I also take the “quiltlets” and decorate my end tables and such!  They make nice “quickie” gifts also!

Here’s another one:

The kit for the above pattern in the brown and red color way sold out Friday and Ihad to assemble more that night!  That color way is so pretty!

So, if you haven’t been to the website in a while, I welcome you to go check out our newest designs and kits!

www.sewuniquecreations.com

You might just find something you like!

Oh!  And before I forget - The Sturbridge Village Scarlet collection of fabric arrived last Thursday morning just as I was heading up to the show - so I had UPS put the boxes and all right in the truck so I could take those to the show!  The Cambridge Collection also arrived last week just in the nick of time!  You can view both those fabric collections on my website also!

And since a lot of you were not able to attend Chicago Quilt Festival last week and receive the “BLOG” discount - you can join in on the fun too!

Use the code    IMABLOGGER    in the Promotional Code box at the bottom of the shopping cart page when you have finished making your selections and you will receive 20% off your total order prior to shipping and taxes (tax is only charged for Illinois residents!)  The code will expire on  April 25th, 2008.  That gives you a little more than a week to shop!

Now - go have some fun!

We survived Chicago Quilt Festival!

We had such a blast at the show and met so many of you friendly bloggers!  Here’s a snapshot of our booth setup before the show “officially” opened Thursday evening.

The show opened Thursday night and we had a nice steady flow of people come through. Friday was scary - there were so many people it was just completely crazy!  Saturday eased up a little and Sunday was a very leisurely day to walk the show.

2 of my children came to help in the booth and I do have to say that they did a pretty good job!  Both were amazed at the amount of people that came through and when they walked the show they were shocked at the many different styles of quilts out there!  They are so used to my own things, they didn’t realize the other type of quilts that are made!  Dear hubby helped at the show on Sunday which was awesome because he was there to help me pack it all back up too!

We are still busy unpacking and organizing here after the show, so I will leave you with this picture.  This is what happens when you let a ten year old use your camera.  Need a say more…..

Would you like to see what I’ve been up to today?

The above picture is the “pile” of stuff I still have to pack into the trailer!  It’s already over 1/2 full at this point!  I’m in trouble!

Here is a picture of the trailer loaded.  I still have 3 more rubbermaid bins to put in there plus I have to pack the back of the SUV.  Notice the tire - I know someone will comment on that ugly thing but I have learned the hard way to pack that thing with every trip and always - always pack it by one of the doors for easy access!  Some day I’ll tell you about the ride from you know where on the way back home from Pittsburg when I blew a tire in Ohio and it was pitch black outside between exits on the highway!  Geez….

So far, I have 21 more bolts of fabric to put in the back of the truck, all my “office” type goodies, the cash register, the cooler, the lunchbox, the cutting mat and all that stuff and any other fabric I cut up this evening.

I’ll be oughta here in the morning heading up to the show to set up!  I’ll take the camera - this will be interesting!

Don’t forget the 20% off discount code to say to us at the show - it is the word “BLOG”!  that’s good for the Chicago Festival Show!  (I’ll come up with something for the website after this show! - you know I will!)

I’m busy - busy - busy getting ready for International Quilt Festival here in Chicagoland which opens Thursday of this week!

The trailer is nearly packed - thank you husband and kids this past weekend!

The models are neatly stacked and ready to go.

The kits and fabrics are patiently waiting to be displayed.

And my nerves are rather calm right now!  I’m excited and busting at the “seams” to get this show on the road!  (in all honesty - I was seriously doubting myself last Friday - but I’m over it now!  LOL)

So - just a quick reminder for all you bloggers in the area coming to the show:

 If you are “looking” for the “secret code” it will be the word BLOG.  Are you confused??????  Well, if you come stop by our booth at Chicago Quilt Festival this week (we are booths 2251 and 2253) and say the word “BLOG” we will give you 20% off your total purchase at the show! Now that’s not so confusing is it!  LOL  We’ll have all the fabric at the show, patterns, kits and tons and tons of pre-cut fat quarters too!  Come stop by and say “howdy”!

If you stop by the show Thursday evening you’ll be blessed with meeting my son - he’ll be there helping me in the evening.

On Friday and Saturday you will be greeted by my daughter - the appointed helper on those days.

And, if you stop by the show on Sunday - be sure to give the man running the cash register a hard time - that will be my husband!  Make him really work hard ok!!!! LOL

And of course I’ll be there to busy cutting fabric - at least I hope!

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.                                                                                  Harold Whitman

I found this quote at “Notes From A Cottage Industries” Blog this morning.

I love it.

And this is all I’m saying today

Above is a picture of what my 9 year old youngest daughter made. She has been taking quilting classes for about 4 months and this is her latest project! Isn’t that adorable!

Now, I’m a little sad with this project also. My dearest wee one decided to make this baby quilt for her teacher who is expecting a baby in May. I’m sad because this is my daughter’s very first quilt and it will be given away. I’m very proud of her for even thinking to make something as great as this for her teacher, don’t get me wrong, but I’m torn because I can’t keep this for her in year’s to come to look back on.

I had thought about making another identical one and presenting that to her teacher and “stashing” my daughter’s actual project away. But that could only cause problems in the future when she is all grown up and the questions would start to come as to why I did such a thing! You never know!

So, sadly, we are wrapping this baby quilt up this evening for my daughter to take to school tomorrow and give to her teacher. I am extremely proud of the work she did on this - even though it brought tears to her eyes once when she had to rip out stitches and she began getting frustrated with her sewing machine!

I’m also very proud of her for thinking of someone else other than herself! There is a lot of time and effort in this quilt and it does this mommy good to know that I’ve taught my daughter to be giving and caring and not selfish in the least bit - well, at least most of the time! LOL

I wonder if the school would allow me to sneak in and take pictures tomorrow!  Hmmmm.

This is a rather odd post - but here goes.

I’ve had a comment and a couple emails and a few phone calls about putting together kits for the little quilt that I designed for American Patchwork & Quilting (June 2008 issue)

Here’s your chance to order a kit!  We just updated our website to include the kits and the link is here:

Dash Of Summer Quilt Kits

Believe it or not, I got some fabrics yesterday on my journey out to stock up on different colors for the upcoming Chicago Quilt Festival.

Most of my purchases yesterday where whites, creams, blues and reds!  (oh and I got the most gorgeous funky green - you know the color - “that” green that you see in a lot of the older quilts!)  (oh and a couple of bolts from the Turkey Red line by Windham too that are now discontinued!!!!!- I was tickled to death!)  Anyhow, several of the blues, all the reds and the creams would look great in the “Dash of Summer” project as AP & Q called it.

Here is my call to fame - 3 very - very unproffesional looking photographs (LOL - I never said I was a good photographer!)  But, in an effort to spare myself embarrasment for the “odd” looking pictures - we are getting ready for Chicago Quilt Festival and my home is literally  - not a home anymore.  It is now known as a mini warehouse/ quilt shop.  Everywhere you look there is fabric, rubbermaid totes full of fabric bundles and fat quarters, totes full of patterns and display stuff all over the place!  Sounds like heaven doesn’t it - well, it is!  LOL  (I just dread packing all this stuff up into the trailer and the truck to get it up to the convention center - it’s going to be a tight squeeze!)

Here goes - don’t laugh!

are you impressed?  Fabric stacked up in a rubbermaid bin!

Here’s a closer shot

and another

Now, the above shot shows some navy blues, which would look okay, but I wouldn’t include those in the kits.

plus some shirtings from the Civil War Backgrounds -

and the 19th Century Backgrounds collection:

and this blue from the Merrimack Collection:

and this red as the inner border from the Civil War Classics Collection:

oh gosh, a lot of the reds from the Civil War Classics Collection of fabric would work too!

and this blue from the Rocky Mountain 3 Collection:

and this one too:

and this blue from Sturbridge Village Blues:

and maybe this one:

and this one for sure:

Then their are 3 other new bolts of creamy whites I bought not shown above that will work very well in kits!

Hmmm, yep - I think the kits are a great idea so thank you everyone for your emails, phone calls and comments!

Plus, I have all the fabric for the pink and brown quilt that American Patchwork and Quilting shows also!

Toodles!

Tara