Sunday Stash: The All Lizzy House Edition

I may not have been doing a ton of sewing lately, but I haven’t let that keep me from acquiring some new fabric. And it’s all by the amazing Lizzy House. Natural History is one of my favorite lines in ages. I’m already doing that thing where I kick myself for not buying more. Which is totally insane, seeing as how I have more fabric that I can use in a lifetime. (Especially with me sewing so little of late!)

But I did buy a pile of my faves. Full yards of the blues, 1/2s of the greens, all from my fave LQS.

The dinos and the minerals make me soon happy. One of my grandpas was a geologist, and they make me think of him. The stars are for Annie my astronomer. And the whales for Henry, my marine biologist.

And then… I was drooling over the new mini pearl bracelets, and low and behold, an FQ bundle appeared on Massdrop. I’ve made a few purchases through them, and have been very satisfied so far. I’m waiting for another package to show up, that I can’t wait to show you. If you haven’t signed up yet, and you’re so inclined, you can sign up through my link and I might earn rewards. Meanwhile, aren’t they soon pretty?

My only regret is that there’s not a better purple. But you can’t have it all… I’m hoping this line will be followed by a mini TONAL pearl bracelet release. That would be perfect.

I think these pretty fabrics are helping me get back into the groove. Stay tuned to see what I’ve gotten up to. Linking up with Molli Sparkles and Sunday Stash.

A Sunday Stash PSA

I have had a wonderful few days.  My husband and I celebrated our 15th anniversary with an amazing dinner out,

my girlfriends and I checked out the stunning, amazing, breathtaking Chihuly exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens,

my family took in Guardians of the Galaxy (awesome)

and hit the Denver County Fair (disappointing this year, for the first time ever).

And the next day we went out to brunch, with bottomless mimosas.

 

And that’s where the Public Service Announcement comes in. Don’t drink multiple mimosas and then go to a fabric shop having a 40% off everything moving sale.

Um, 26 yards of fabric, 4 spools of Aurifil, a pattern, and 2 packs of Kaffe Fasset shot cotton charm squares.

WHAT?

First, 6 yards of plain white went straight to be prepped for tomorrow’s adventure: indigo dyeing! Annie and I will be joining a fab friend to try it for the first time.

And possibly due to my happy brunch buzz, I let the kids pick out fabrics.

Annie:

Science themed organics, crowns, and Tardis blue solid.

Henry:

Ninjas, throwing stars, bow ties and bacon.

Mom: (she was the one who took us to brunch, isn’t she awesome?)

And finally, me:

Cute animals- expect to see the hot pink in my Tula blocks ASAP, a fab blue print, a fun purple halloween print, and 3 yards of the amazing Maude Asbury Xmas print.

And the rest…

I needed some grey Aurifil (I had just started my last spool), and the blue is for Annie’s Tardis quilt- not yet started. And purple? I can always use more purple. As for the Swoon pattern, I had been seeing amazing swoon blocks all over the interwebs but never got around to getting the pattern. So now I have it. And you can never have too many Kaffe shot cotton charm squares. Maybe I should have bought another pack?

And, not pictured, Annie found a spirograph set which I agreed to get for her.

The fabric was all 50% off, and everything else 40% off. So this looks obscene, but, at least it was a good deal.

Right?

Please say yes…

(Linking up with the fab Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash…)

 

Sunday Stash, Wherein I Too Succumb to Cotton & Steel Mania (with bonus yarn)

I’m not certain I have ever seen a fabric launch as widely covered by the quilt blog world as Cotton & Steel. I admit, I quite like the line, but goodness, it’s crazy out there.

And yet.

I wanted some for myself (especially the basics/blenders- I’m crazy for those!) I had a brilliant plan. I had a 20% off one item coupon for Fancy Tiger, so why not use it to buy a FQ bundle? Here’s why: they hadn’t actually got any in 😦 They had the entire line…

…but not any of the precut bundles.Since I had arrived in the store ready to splurge, I did go through and pick my absolute fave individual pieces:

I could have bought that diagonal dot print in every color, I love it that much. But, I wasn’t THAT ready to splurge. Which turned out to be a good thing, because…

Right there at the register was the leftover yarn from the Stephen & Steven Tour 2014. (For the third consecutive year, I missed Stephen West’s teaching and tour stop at Fancy Tiger. I am starting to believe that he checks my vacation schedule before booking time in Denver…) Several friends went to the trunk show and/or took classes, and offered to pick me up some of the exclusive yarn. But it is VERY spendy, and I responsibly declined their offers. And then, over a week later, there was some just waiting for me. And I still had that 20% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket (or actually, on my phone, since it was from an app.) So when that gorgeous skein called out to me, I was able to answer it.

The yarn is Galaxy by Wild Hare Fiber Studio and the color way is called Neon Zebra, and it is shot though with metallic silver. I have spent the last 2 days petting it. I cannot wait to find the perfect project for it…

Here’s hoping your week was full of delightful stash additions! (Linking up with Sunday Stash…)

Sunday Stash: the Fancy Tiger Party edition

I’ve been trying very diligently to NOT buy fabric or yarn. Primarily for budgetary reasons, but also because after moving everything to the new sewing room, and refolding it, and being able to see it ALL, I truly know I don’t need any more. Perhaps ever, but at least for the foreseeable future…

And yet. Designers keep making pretty new fabrics. Amazing new shades of yarn show up on the shelves. And I lose my resolve. Especially when Fancy Tiger is having their annual Anniversary Party. For the first time in years, I was NOT camped out in front of the store hours before opening to score one of the famous swag bags- we made a decision as a family to go to the Renaissance Festival- and I didn’t realize the date confusion- and I wasn’t about to tell the kids “oh, sorry, mom needs to go shopping…” And it was a good choice, and we had a blast!

It was a cub-ray-zee day- after spending all day at the festival, we had to get Annie back to theater camp for her final performance of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum… we dropped her off, and had time to sneak over to Fancy Tiger before the show! So, no swag bag, but I did do a bit of shopping…

With every purchase of $20 or more, you got your pick of a custom knitting or sewing kit. After examining the contents, I went with knitting. I later realized that had I made Rich buy part of my haul, I could have had one of each. Ah, well…

I came away with the knitting kit and a wonderful new FT t-shirt. Their shirts are always adorable, and super duper soft. There was also a new skein of yarn:

The Manos Del Uruguay Alegria is some of the softest yarn ever- even softer than Malabrigo. And the neon of this skein makes me smile so much. I think it might become a Westknits Spectra, with black as the solid. Cheerful for gloomy winter days…

And of course, there was also fabric. You’ve seen two pieces of it already, in my last batch of Tula blocks.

Michael Miller Neo Dots in grey w hot pink (I want it in a lllll the color ways now) and also Lizzy House Pearl

Bracelets in tonal purple… Another one I’d love to have in a llllll the colors.

And the last piece of fabric? Henry actually found it for me!

Isn’t it hysterical? It’s part of this collection by Windham. I never make bags, but this is screaming to become one, don’t you think?

Then we just had enough time to race back to the theater to watch Annie as Vibrata, the courtesan.

(She’s the one with the yellow sash…)

What a day!

Linking up with Sunday Stash to see what you’ve all been buying…

 

Sunday Stash- now with books!

No new fabrics around here this week. And extra funds might have been expended on tickets to Godzilla for later tonight…

But, I did add a book to my stash, and also enhanced an existing piece of fabric. What? Maybe this will help explain it…

My new book is How to Catch a Frog by the one and only Heather Ross! She is touring to promote this book, a collection of tales from her unconventional childhood and artistic life, and this past week, she was in Denver. I’m never one to pass up a book signing by someone I like, and even less so the chance to meet a crafty goddess. So with a good friend in tow, I headed out to hear her.

Heather read two stories from the book, and she is clearly a wonderful writer- I highly recommend it to anyone… During the Q&A, people asked about her life, and of course, her fabrics. Interesting fact we learned: she had been looking at a partnership with JoAnns to reproduce one of her lines- but they said no, because it was too naughty. Which line? Mendocino! The topless child mermaids were considered to risqué. Also, Medocino is her favorite of her own lines. And lucky me has a bunch of that one in my stash.

But my faves are her older fabrics- the matryoshkas, gnomes, dogs and others from West Hill and her other oldest lines. And so like a total groupie, I took a piece with me, and asked her to sign it. And she did!

I’m such a silly girl. I have a collection of 8 small frames that I’ve been thinking of filling with some of my favorite fabrics and hanging on a blank spot on a wall in the studio. Maybe this specially autographed piece will be one of those?

Linking up with Sunday Stash…

Sunday Stash, with bonus yard sale score

Over the past few weeks, I’ve piled up quite a few pieces of pretty fabric, but haven’t told you about them. This is sort of the April catch-up Sunday Stash post- and if you hang out to the end, there’s a surprise!

First, the pinks:

I’m trying to add some more pinks to my City Sampler blocks- #9 is still hanging out there all alone, and that needs to change.

Next, the Tulas. Because apparently, there’s always new Tula here.

Acacia, Saltwater, AND Foxfield all in one. And from 3 different sources to boot.

Then, the AMH. Because I always need new Anna Maria Horner, and Fancy Tiger just got in her new line…

I love the whole line, but these birds called out to me…

And then, I am SOOOO happy about these next pieces…

Yup, Lizzy House’s Constellations in both light and dark blue. I thought I had totally missed my chance at the dark blue, and had looked for it online several times recently to no avail. And then I happened to visit Leigh Laurel Studios…where she mentioned that Sew Fresh Fabrics still had it in stock! Hooray! The darker blue is intended for the Tardis quilt that I am apparently going to be making with Annie. And I think the lighter will find its way into my City Sampler blocks…

And finally, the unicorns.

Because unicorns. And because Annie loves ponies and horses. And because the colors are fun.

And if you’ve made it this far, you can see my one final Sunday Stash item. This item is totally NOT fabric. This item is around 60 years old.

 

Yesterday was our neighborhood’s annual yard sale. We tried our luck, and sold some of our stuff. The rest is loaded into the back of my minivan, ready to get donated… When it got boring to wait for customers, the kids headed out to check out the other sales. Around the corner from our house was this little guy, sitting in a driveway with a $25 price tag- Annie texted me photos…

I totally have no need for it. I’m not sure I have the skills to use it. And $25 would be 2 yards of new fabric. But, I really wanted it. I love to look at vintage machines. They’re so nifty! And I’ve never owned a Pfaff. When it came time to pack up our sale, I went to see if I could bargain with them. They agreed to take $15.00 for it. And so I have a new, old machine. The absolute best part is that they still had the entire original manual, encased in protective plastic sleeve. The manual itself is a treasure. The machine works- light comes on, pedal and needle work, etc. We’ll see if I learn to use it, or just keep it as decor.

Sunday Stash: All Tula All The Time

This lovely fabric became mine right before we left on vacation…

A bundle of lovely, lovely Tula Pinks. From top to bottom: Acacia Raccoon in Blueberry, Salt Water Sea Debris in Aqua, Fox Field Pony Play in Dusk, Fox Field Happy Dot, and Fox Field Foxtrot (my favorite fabric in years and years…)

I dithered around when Quilt Home was having their Tula sale, and by the time I decided to place an order, half the fabrics I wanted were sold out. Bad for me, better for my budget. The top 4 fabrics came from Quilt Home, and the bottom, the fabulous amazing signature Fox Field Foxtrot print, came from a local store.

And I only got one yard of it.

Because I hadn’t been into this shop in ages- they carry delicious modern fabrics by all the designers I love, but I remembered them as a bit pricey. And I remembered right- $12.99 a yard for the Tula! Ouch. They had the whole line, but I couldn’t afford any more at the moment! Sigh.

Meanwhile, I have this excellent pile of Tulas to go into many projects, but especially my City Sampler blocks.

Hope you had a wonderful stash week! Linking up with Sunday Stash.

Sunday Stash: blenders… and news!

Working on Meow Mix has pointed out the holes in my stash- especially yellows and oranges. (And it has also confirmed that I loooooove purple.) I need more fabric like I need a hole in my head, and yet, when I got an email from Fabricworm with a good coupon, I placed an order… which contained yellows, and of course, more purples… I was thinking blenders. I need more blenders. Don’t you kind of always need more blenders?

(But stay tuned until the end for a total impulse buy, which is part of a very exciting pending project.)

Violet Craft Waterfront Park Domino Dot in Starfruit and Joel Dewberry True Colors Wood Grain Yellow…

Violet Craft Waterfront Park Domino Dot Jewel, Anna Maria Horner Field Study Fine Feathered Whisper, Studio E Modern Age Chevron Purple

Joel Dewberry True Colors Herringbone Pink, Anna Maria Horner True Colors Crescent Bloom Fuschia

Anna Maria Horner True Colors Haystack Bouquet Moss

Timeless Treasures Sewing Machines Multi (Not a blender at all!)

But it is intended for such a wonderful project- read on.

I am lucky enough to have a room dedicated to my sewing. It used to double as an office, in the time before we all used laptops and tablets for everything, but for the last few years, it’s just been for sewing. And storing fabric and yarn, of course! Over the past few months, as I’ve been getting my sewing groove back, I’ve been thinking about ways to better utilize my space. The furniture in the room is a miss-mash of leftovers, most of which do not work so very well. The book shelves I use to store my fabric have shelves that are too deep, and it’s so hard to look get the fabric out and use it. And then putting it back away neatly takes sooooo much time. I have a “design wall” (felt backed plastic tablecloths tacked to the wall) but my cutting table and ironing board make it hard to use them. My cutting table is oval in shape, and takes up more room than it needs to.

So what to do?  I started searching Pinterest and the interwebs for crafty space inspiration. I’ve long wanted to use Ikea Expedit bookcases, and when I mentioned that in passing to my husband, he let me know they were being discontinued! Noooooo… Time to speed up my plans! A quick trip to Ikea netted a few pieces, in black instead of white as the white selection had already been decimated. I not so subtly hinted to Rich that he should start putting the Expedits together right away, but he pointed out that maybe I should finish my overall plans first.

I hate it when he’s right…

But he was, and it has worked out really well. Part of why we chose our current house was the finished basement. It has a guest room, as well as the laundry room, and one large room that became the playroom. We stashed most of the kids’ toys down there, and also a TV and some comfy furniture, so they had their own space to enjoy and also mess up… But at nearly 13 and 10, they don’t really use it anymore (we moved in when they were 3 and 1.5 years old.) I sat down and talked with them, and they agreed that it would be okay for me to turn the playroom into my sewing room!

It’s about twice as big as my current sewing room!

And even though it’s in the basement, we have a tri-level house, and the basement has windows. So, double the space along with light? Hooray!

The big move is planned for mid-April. When my office (a school) is closed for Spring Break, I have 7 days paid time off! (Plus a weekend in there to boot.) I’m planning on spending nearly all day every day of break setting up the new room. I am so excited!

And all of that still doesn’t mention what the sewing machine fabric is for. Curtains!! The colors work perfectly with the carpet and wall colors already in the space. Cute machine curtains will totally set the mood…

Do you have any tips for storage or setting up a workspace that have made your sewing experiences better? I’d love to hear them!

Linking up with Sunday Stash.

Sunday Stash: Space, the Final Frontier

It’s another week of non-quilt shop quality fabrics… but man, oh man, are they fun or what?

I was at JoAnns picking up some random things, and Henry spotted these. We’re doing our best to raise our kids up as geeks, and last year, we started streaming the original Star Trek series from Netflix. If you haven’t gone back and watched it since you’ve been a grown up, I heartily recommend it. The kids still prefer Doctor Who, but they quite love these guys, too.

These fabrics are probably destined to be pillowcases for Henry. With maybe enough leftover to make a knitting project bag for me? Because I truly love the one on the bottom…

Linking up with Sunday Stash before I settle in to watch the Oscar red carpet… Hope you had a fabric-filled week!

Sunday Stash: Solids and then some…

I’m back today with my biggest installment of Sunday Stash yet- but I feel like I need to justify my shopping by pointing out that most of these pieces of fabric are 1/2 yard cuts…

The Fat Quarter Shop has Moda Bella solids at 20% off all month long, and I really needed a few new colors. Aside from fleshing out my stash for my Tula Pink City Sampler blocks, I need them for the Catvent quilt I’m about to start.

First up are the pinks and purples: Shocking Pink, Berrylicious, Freesia, Amelia Lavender, and Terrain Iris (1 yard of this one).

Next up are the greens: Amelia Green, Grass, Honeydew, and Pistachio.

Now on to greys: Silver and Graphite (1.5 yards of it- it’s the Catvent backing fabric.)

Of course, I couldn’t stop there, so I added some Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets- also on sale- in: Green, Lilac, Grey, and Black (1 yard of this one.)

Finally, two tiny pieces of Tula that should blend beautifully into my City Sampler blocks. Acacia Midnight Hummingbird and Acacia Raspberry Diamonds.

Now, to finish quilting my giant skull, so I can start cutting into these! Hope you had a week full of wonderful fabrics!

Linking up with Sunday Stash.