Work in Progress Wednesday

Two new IcanQuilt Reversible Curvy Tablerunners cut out, backings picked and ready to sew.  One modern Christmas trees and one traditional cardinals.  I've chosen batik fabric (shown under the cut out tablerunner) for the back of each. On to the sewing machine.

3 new fabrics for microwavable potato bags.  Chef themed, wine themed and herb themed.
Sorry about the blurry pic.  I tried 4 times to get the shot clear and finally just gave up. :(  These fabrics will be sliced into bags very soon!  Stay tuned when Works in Progress are no longer WIP...but COMPLETE!

Keep Calm 'n Sew Somethin!

WIP Wednesday

Work in Progress Wednesday ~~
A quick peek at a quilt that adorns my sofa (futon bed) in our office/spare room.  This quilt is made from my IcanQuilt it Crazy Reversible Placemat pattern.  Instead of making placemats I chose to make enough blocks for the quilt and set it on point.  Of course the picture doesn't show the vibrance of the colors as well as real life.  I enjoy working with fall colors so this was a fun one for me.

This is my pattern.

 Pattern made into placemats.

WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday

I'm sew excited! I have my VERY OWN RULERS!! Woots!!

 Sandy Kent of Magnolia Springs Quilts  is a good friend I met while she was living in this area.  She took a few classes from me when IcanQuilt Company was just getting started and has been a wonderful supporter of mine throughout the years.  Unfortunately for me, she moved to Texas!!! Sandy has enjoyed using my IcanQuilt Reversible Candlemat pattern and has been gracious enough to sell it to a few shops she is familiar with.  She met Jim, "The Ruler Guy" almost a year ago and thought maybe I should consider him  to make some rulers for my Candlemat pattern.   (That's the WIP part, took me awhile to send that email!)  I just got a sample ruler of the spoke and circle from Jim last week and tested them Monday.  WOWZA!  They work perfectly!  Sew easy to use!  I've placed my first order!  How exciting is THAT??

I tested the rulers on some lovely spring fabrics from a new local quilt shop called Sew What.  I have enough fabric to make one more.  Spring IS coming, right?

Oh yeah, and Jim, "The Ruler Guy" lives in NYS, near Binghamton, NY.  I lived in Binghamton for 5 years in the 80's!  SewHappy to do business with a fellow New Yorker!

The lovely new spring mat...find these fabs locally at Sew What!

Pretty pink fabric on the back!

A close up of the IcanQuilt rulers and The Ruler Guy's card!

WIP (Works in Progress) Wednesday (Yes it's only Tuesday, I'm an overachiever) :)

I have been trying to do a little subtle redecorating in between other sewing projects.  Giving the living room some spots of color. I found some paisleys and some blue that I fell in love with from a collection by Legacy Studios     from Joann fabrics.  This fabric is rich and washed up great so I knew I was gonna love it!  I showed you a "10 minute table runner" and the long custom table runner I  made with the fabric back in these posts.

This weekend I finished a mat for my favorite table.  The table was made for me by the husband of my friend Karen who used to attend my classes.  Jim is an expert woodworker and basically built a home from the ground up and most everything in it.  Karen and Jim are awesome friends, but now live at the other end of the moon map - in Florida.  I think of them whenever I look at my table and I look at it many times a day because it's the first thing you see when you walk in the living room.  I really hope we can visit them sometime in the not-so-distant future. 

Back to the mat.....I chose to do the mat in only two colors, but reversed it to the larger print so I would have a choice with decorating. It's made from my Reversible Candle Mat pattern.  I've made literally hundreds of them and never get tired of making them. (Sorry about the background mess, it's messy in the cave these days.)   :)

 

I have one more table to cover.  (Then I can get the Christmas mat off that table...lol.) I'll be using the same fabric theme but need to pick an easy pattern.  I am covering a space that is approximately 20x20.  I think I'll try some half and quarter square triangles on this one!

PS -I also used those fabrics to do a little project at my Quilt Peeps meeting last week.  We were making a folded star potholder.  Mine was a bit bigger and heavier, but I really like it. I'm anxious to finish it. I only have to put on the back, do a little quilting to hold, and the binding.  Just need to carve out a little time.  (Yup yet ANOTHER WIP not yet finished. :(   I used a pattern I found here at Bronze Wombat. Thank you Jennifer in Austrailia! 

2011 was a GREAT year!

Wowza!  This blog has been sew neglected.  If you look at my January 1st post of last year you'll see that I vowed to do a better job of blogging for 2011.  Good intentions, but after my giveaway on my last (October) post, all blogging came to a halt as I concentrated on sewing for the holidays.  That proved to be a good thing! My sales for the holidays were great awesome.

Because it's almost the end of January 2012, I just want to say how wonderful 2011 was and highlight some of the events...

On the family side of life, our grandchidren, Tucker and Tessa were confirmed in the Catholic faith in May.  Parents, Aunt Mandy and gma and gpa enjoyed a little party after the event.

In June, daughter Mandy received her tenure for teaching.  Yay Mandy!!

McStevie turned 60 in April.  We celebrated that in July by taking him to Toronto (on my big winnings from the Preakness horse race)  to a Yankee game.  The whole family went and it was lots of fun.

Also in July, our Godchild Rachel got married and we enjoyed our trip to Connecticut for that wonderful event!

We got our dream kitchen last summer and have been enjoying it's beauty and functionality.

We had our usual August family week in Saratoga renting "the cabin" (our 7th year) and, of course visited the racetrack, having trackside seats this year and getting to meet Smokin Joe Frasier, may he RIP.

We also worked on another room this summer, our office, which is now Steve's "mancave".  We bought a beautiful desk from our favorite furniture shop, Painfull Acres and have a lovely wooden frame futon/sofa that doubles as a bed for extra guests, i.e. grandchildren.  The room still needs just the right wall decorations, so before and after pics still to come.

In September I did a daring thing.  I got my first and only tattoo.  It was on my bucket list for a long time.  Just a little spool of thread on my ankle..actually, it's my icanquilt website logo.  Since I told no one in my family, now that the shock has worn off, I think they think it's pretty neat cool.

On the business side of things, I released 2 new patterns in 2011,  IcanQuilt it Curvy Reversible table runner and IcanQuilt Reversible Spidy Mat.  Sales have been good for both patterns.

Last summer I acquired a new consignment shop in Potsdam, Maplerun Emporium.  I sell mostly kitchen items there and love working with Mary Hilton.  I still have items at Painfull Acres on consignment and love working with Mary Dufresne there.  Both Mary's are just the best!    Both shops are in bad need of new stock from me.  I am working toward that goal as I sold most stock this last holiday season.

Speaking of holiday season, my Artfire online store SewHappyDesigns had wonderful year end sales. This month I re-opened my Etsy SewHappyDesigns shop and have begun stocking it.  I received my first sale since opening last week.  Yay!  Thank you to everyone who has bought my IcanQuilt patterns, items from consignment shops and online shops.  I have filled many custom orders this year and I love the challenge, thank you to those customers who have given me the opportunity to make something special for them.

2011 sure was a great year and I am truly blessed!  Let's hope we all have a wonderful 2012!

Many blessings to you!

THE WINNER IS...

The winner of the Spidy Mat was drawn on Friday, September 23, at 10 AM.  The winner was my online friend Aislinn Marie who has a shop named Serenitygrove on Artfire.  Check it out!  

Congrats to Aislinn Marie! 

The Spidy Mat is on its way to you!

Time for a Giveaway!!

OMG it has been FOREVER since I did a give away!  I need to get that straightend out PRONTO.

See this lovely little Spidy Mat?? (It's a shame the picture doesn't show how those little blue and orange crystals AND the clear center one sparkle in the light.)  Those cute eyes light up in the dark and the thread that is top-stitched around the outside is GLOW IN THE DARK thread.  WOWZA this was a fun pattern to create.  Barring catastrophes the IcanQuilt Reversible Spidy Mat pattern should be out shortly.   I have had it in the works since last year at this time and have created a bunch of these in all kinds of spidy fabrics...they aren't hard to find this time of year.  The great part is that you can put something else on the reverse side so that when Halloween is over you can use it through the fall if you want. 

Click on the pic to enlarge

Click on the Pic to enlarge for detail

This one has the (optional) center piece that was fun from another "spidy" fabric and reverses to an orange fall leaf fabric.  I like to put a candy dish on mine through the month of October and then my trick or treat candy basket on it the night the goolies and goblin "littles" come out.

OK sew...this is how you enter to win this little mat:
You get 1 entry for leaving a comment on my blog.
You get 1 entry for following my blog.
You get 1 entry for going to my IcanQuilt website and liking my SewHappyDesigns on FB
You get 1 entry for going to my IcanQuilt website and liking my IcanQuilt Company on FB (my pattern Co.)
You get 1 entry for checking out my SewHappyDesigns Artfire shop and leaving which item is your favorite in your comment. 
You get 1 entry for leaving in your comment a suggestion of an item you would like to see me make and list in my Artfire shop.  (I make many items that I don't list there, so this entry will be very helpful to me.)

Now if you already follow my blog or are a SewHappyDesigns or IcanQuilt Company fan, be sure you let me know so that I will count that entry.

I will be drawing the winner on September 23rd and you will receive it the last week of September.  Plenty of time for your Halloween fun!

Good Luck and Thank You for supporting handmade!!!

Blessings~
Cindy