Winner, Shop Update, A Sale and DQS9 Sneak Peekity Peek and an Arcadia Fabric Giveaway!

WELL HELLO!!!!

Yes, I vanished again!  That was soo unintentional!  Summer was a blast and I just was short on blogging time.  We really enjoyed a casual, old-school summer....no summer camps...just hanging at home, hosting visitors, visiting with family and lots of time in the pool!

Then, suddenly the kids headed back to school and I thought, did 10 weeks really go by?  Crazy!  They say time flies when you are having fun, right!

Given my long absence, I have alot to catch up on.  I have to announce the winner of the last giveaway, I have some shop news to share, I share my Doll Quilt Swap 9 quilts (received and sent) and finally, I have a new giveaway for you all!  So this is a long one...get your coffee and sit back and read on....

So let me finally announce the winner of the giveaway from my last post back in July.  As usual, I used the random number generator to select the winner:

Here are your random numbers:

49	

Timestamp: 2010-09-02 14:53:39 UTC

Comment #49 was from Nancy Sue:

Hello from the Washington DC/Maryland area! Summertime for us, leads to camping in the nearby mountains, but this heat wave has been rough. It's not even cool there either. We have set up a tent and tunnel indoors this past week. My 2 year old is having a ball, but we can't wait til this heat breaks. Thank you so much for the giveaway of the yummy fabrics and Magazine (to read at the campsite :)Hope you are feeling better soon!

Posted by: Nancy Sue Phillips | July 21, 2010 at 09:09 PM

Congrats to Nancy Sue! 

Nancy is a new quilter and does not blog or have a flickr account yet, but I am hoping that the giveaway goodies will inspire her to try some quilting/sewing and get online to share her projects with us!   Can't wait to see your work, Nancy Sue!

Next up on the list...shop update.  Well, the online shop is overflowing with gorgeous new fabrics.  My favorites right now are the Shot Cottons from Kaffe Fassett.  

                       

These fabrics are just divine...they are woven and have the softest hand.  And I love the effect the weaving gives...so much dimension and texture built in to the solids.  I have some pastels and some earth tones up and lots more are on their way to me.  You can find yardage and bundles and I've even started putting together some mixed print and solid bundles.  A few are up here in my Etsy shop and I'll get those plus more onto the online shop soon.

You can browse all the new fabrics here.  And of course, you can always click around in the Etsy shop for goodies if you prefer to shop on Etsy.

I do have a promo going on right now.  This is for the online shop only...not on Etsy (sorry Etsians, but I can't do any automated sales on Etsy and it is just too confusing to calculate discounts and do refunds.  I tried that once and it was a mess!).   Use promo code SewSept2010 to get 10% off your entire order. Code valid through the end of September, since it is National Sewing month.  Happy Shopping and Happy Savings to you!

Now let's talk Doll Quilt Swap 9 (DSQ9)!   You all will remember the quilt I made for DQS8.  It was so well received by swap participants and my swap partner that I decided I definitely wanted to participate in Round 9.  I love the DQS8 quilt so much, I am actually working it up into a pattern. I want to make it again for myself!  And it has gotten alot of flickr love, so I am hoping some of you would like to make it for yourselves as well?   For DQS9, I was tempted to do something similar.  But figured that would be lame.  One of the reasons I like these swaps is I try to use it as a way to force myself to do something different..explore some new technique and play with some different ideas that are swirling around in my head.  Inspired by some of my vintage quilt books, I decided it was time to make some sort of a strip quilt.  I debated, because blogland and flickr are definitely flooded with these types of quilts. But I could not resist the trend.  I made a sketch and then set in to put together some fabric combinations.

I narrowed down my fabric choices to these two bundles.

             

            

Both combinations got lots of flickr love when I posted them (check out the love here and here).  In the end, I decided to use the Arcadia fabric collections because I thought it would be fun to make a quilt using a full collection.  Usually, I mix and match lines, like I did with the second combination shown above.  You all know how much I love doing this...always excited to do some new combinations.  I have never worked with so many pieces of fabric from one collection, so this was my chance to do something different. 

Here is the final quilt.....

                         

                         

              

The front is pieced from 36 strips of fabric from the Arcadia collection.  Then the border is an organic linen fabric from Europe. The binding is a lovely hand batiked dot fabric in the most gorgeous shade of orange.  And for the back, I used one of my all time favorite Japanese prints, which I still can't bring myself to put up in the shop. 

So this is a strippy charm quilt I guess you could say?  I decided to call it "Centered".  And I have to say, I like how it turned out.  Now to wait to see if my partner loves it as much as I do.  Here's hoping.  I also made her a matching little Organic Cotton market tote that she can use shopping or for toting projects around.  I had some strips of fabric left over after cutting out the blocks, so I thought I'd put them to use. 

 

Now, let me share this incredibly adorable quilt that I received from Beth of Weepereas.

 

Yes, I know...adorable, right!!  This just made me smile and I can't wait to hang it on my studio wall.

And look at the adorable fabric basket she made for me.  I could not have asked for a more perfect quilt!  Love, love!  

I am feeling pretty lucky with my new goodies.  Now, you could be a lucky girl as well.  I decided to host another little giveaway today!  I will send off a bundle of Arcadia strips to 3 lucky blog readers!  Each bundle contains one 4" by 21" strip of all 36 arcadia prints.  

So, yes, you'll have the entire line! You could piece these fabrics in stripes and create the concentric diamond pattern like I did, or you could use them to make a stacked coin quilt, a rectangular or random charm quilt, a ticker tape quilt...the list goes on and on. 

Now to enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment here on this post telling me what you'd do with the fabrics.  You can feel free to tell me about any other projects you've been working on as well.  Have you worked with  the Arcadia collection before?  Let us know...and share some links to what you've made so we can all be inspired!

I'll leave this giveaway open for a week.  So you have until next Thursday, September 16 to enter.  Good luck!  And I am looking forward to reading your comments. :)

Before I go, let me share this cute Treasury, created by emmigracekids on Etsy.  She included my ruffle skirt...thanks Cassie!

Alrightly then, you all have a blessed and productive day.  Remember to be Happy and Creative!  I'll see you back here soon!

Hugs,

Sheree

Comments

[Mama Urchin]

I love strips. Log cabins especially. I think those fabrics would be a cute fall skirt or dress for Katie. Glad to hear you had a great summer.

[val miller]

love the DSQ 9 quilt! Love the fabrics! I think a patchwork pillow or baby quilt may be in order if I was the winner : )

[Chris]

Love the Arcadia fabrics you used & dont remember ever seeing that line
I'm thinking a zigzag quilt...or maybe pinwheels ...

Chris x

[Sequana]

Love that little quilt you made.

I have lots of solids around here now; I'd probably add the Arcadia to make a very mod type quilt.

[Mary Grace McNamara]

I'd probably make a bag with the strips, or maybe a table runner or topper. First I'd just leave them alone and look at them for a while though!

Love the doll quilts both sent and received.

MGM

[Patty]

I love Arcadia! I would make a stacked coins quilt with it.

[Lee]

I love working with strings. I would turn them into a string quilt of some sort. Since they are already cut it would go so quickly!:)

[jmbmommy]

I saw your quilt in the group and just loved it, but did not make the connection between it and your blog (I am so ridiculous sometimes!) That said your quilt is just lovely. I love the colors and the way you showed off the fabrics in that block. The one you received was one of my favs too!

[Katherine]

I'm thinking I would make a scrappy journal cover or a cushion cover from these yummy fabrics.

Great doll quilt, Sheree! I love how the quilting shows up so clearly on the pieced back. It's so charming.

[Angelina]

I made my Mom some kitchen accessories out of the little stash of arcadia that I had - I'd probably make a few more goodies for her christmas present if I were to win!

Thanks for the chance!

Angelina

figure8angel[AT]gmail[DOT]com

[Shelley C]

I'm sure your doll quilt partner will love the quiltlet you made..it is darling!
I like the Arcadia line, but have not worked with it, and would love all those strippies. I think I'd use them in a purse of somekind. Mix in some linen as well then I'd make a coin quilt with the rest. Thanks for entering me.

[Ravenhill]

So nice to have you back! I hope your summer was fantastic!

The fabrics you have put together are gorgeous as usual... I would love to win and I dream about making lots of patchwork pillows with them...
emily xo

[Jenny]

i still havent used the arcadia i got from you a while ago! im working on log cabins so arcadia strips would be fabulous...also thinking of joining the hexigon band wagon, so strips would work fo rthat too! love your Doll quilt!!

[Sarah ~ Magnolia Surprise]

I'm thinking that a patchwork pillow for my craft room/office/granddaughter playroom would be nice. And maybe some little gift bags!

I love your quilt and the way the colors work together! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

[Elaine]

Oooh! I'd be tempted to try a log cabin quilt or a strip quilt like you did!

[anne]

Oooh love this fabric range, what to make, what to make. A coin quilt, or maybe a square in a square, what about a strip quilt or a log cabin, bento box, a half log cabi,.......what is a girl to do.......Thank you for sharing.

[Bryanna]

Love your new doll quilt! Great fabrics! I would definitely put the arcadia stripes to good use as part of a string quilt! I just learned how to paper piece and and dying to make one!

[Katie B]

Oh, goodness. I love Arcadia! Your doll quilts are gorgeous (love last year's too!). I recently finished up a quilt using Arcadia, and I'd love to make another quilt using this hard-to-find fabric!

Here's the link:
http://kakorner.blogspot.com/2010/09/arcadia-done-and-im-in-love.html

[Jennifer]

Yummy! That little red and white quilt is just adorable, and the basket is so cool, you lucky girl!

[Sang]

I've been on a pillow kick lately, so a couple of cushion covers are in order.

[Tess]

How beautiful are these prints? As soon as I saw the quilt you made with them I thought: thats the way to go: a strip quilt or perhaps a bright cheerful bento box. Love love love.

[Paula L.]

I would love to make a stacked coin quilt; the prints are lovely!
Thank you for the giveaway!
ap_lemos at yahoo dot com

[Crystal Stanworth]

Hi Sheree! I've been really enjoying the Arcadia i got from you a few months back. I've gotten one of the projects posted and I'll have more in the next week. awesome fabric. http://frivolousnecessity.blogspot.com/2010/08/busy-posting-day-some-finishes-finally.html

[Charmaine Taylor]

I really love that Arcadia line of fabrics. I would pair them with some Kona solids and make a quilt for my guest bedroom.

[Valerie]

Aren't those lovely, I'd make a couple of fun fall throw pillows for the living room!

Lucky you receiving the Aunty Cookie quiltie, much coveted indeed!