THE INTREPID THREAD

 I order a lot of my quilt fabric online.  Recently I made a purchase from The Intrepid Thread on Etsy.  I don't usually post about my online purchases (mostly so the hubs doesn't find out about all of them...ha!) but this was the perfect transaction.  Julie was on top of everything. She sent me a message almost immediately after I made my purchase to let me know she received my order and would be mailing it out the next day.  It arrived 2 days later and was packaged very nicely.  It's so good to know that if there is yucky weather and my package gets wet that my fabric will be protected.  I am just loving this Half Moon Modern bundle!

Picture courtesy of The Intrepid Thread

She also added these cute little squares of fabric.

The one on the right will be a perfect addition to the I SPY quilt I plan to make this year (well, at least it's on my 2012 list!).  Thanks, Julie!  I hope you will check out The Intrepid Thread next time you are in need of fabric.  With close to 900 listings (including a sale section) you are sure to find something you want need.

In case you're wondering, I was not compensated in any way to write this post.  I just wanted to share my pleasant buying experience with you.   Happy shopping!

Smiles~Beth

Edited:  I forgot to add this photo of how perfectly Julie cut this zig zag fabric (which makes for no waste when I go to use it...yay!)

SUNKISSED {A FINISHED QUILT}

Almost a year ago I jumped right into the Bloggers' block~a~palooza quilt along hosted by Quilt Dad.  I stayed on track, for the most part, but when it came to the back of quilt I went blank.  I had a ton of fabric left over but none of the pieces were big enough for the back.  I didn't really want to buy more either.  I also wanted to incorporate something very special into the quilt but didn't quite know how.  The quilt was supposed to be a gift for my Grandma Dee's birthday in August but that came and went.  I was determined to get it finished by Christmas and I am happy to say that I did (who cares that it came fresh out of the dryer on Christmas Eve morning, it still counts!). 

Fabric is Sunkissed by Sweetwater for Moda along with some Bella Solids

You can view close ups of each block and find links to the patterns here, here, here, here & here.

I decided to piece the back with mostly solids I had in my stash and added some windmill blocks.  I just love windmills and I think this fabric line suits them perfectly. 

You can see a close up view of the windmill blocks here .

I wanted to add something very special to this quilt so I rummaged through a bag of old hankies my Grandma had given me a while back.  They were mostly her mother's.  I was a little worried about cutting them up but I am glad I did.  Now they can be seen and appreciated.

Please pay no attention to my very wonky quilting lines, I was a little rushed!

I am happy to say that my Grandma loved it!  And it felt so good to finally be able to give it to her.

Linking up with

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

DIY CANVAS PRINTS

Some of you know that I watch 2 little boys a few days a week.  They are 2 very sweet little guys.  I starting watching them when they were only 10 weeks old.  We consider them family, along with their Mom & Dad, and are very blessed to have all of them in our lives.  Luke & Cole's parents always treat me so well around the holidays and this year I wanted to give them something very special in return.  It took me a while to come up with something but once I saw this tutorial on Pinterest by The Sassy Pepper I knew it would be perfect.  Actually, I am so happy with how they turned out that I am going to make some for myself. 

I used my Silhouette, some vinyl & black acrylic paint to make the "a few of our favorite things" canvas. I want to note that although she recommends using matte mod podge I used a gloss.  It was what I had on hand.  When I make more I will definately take her advice and use the matte.  Don't get me wrong, they turned out beautifully, they are just a little shiny and in certain lights show imperfections.

A big thanks to The Sassy Pepper for this easy and fabulous tutorial!

Smiles~Beth

AN OZ TOTE BAG

My mother-in-law is going to Hawaii in February.  I know, what a lucky lady.  For Christmas, she asked that I make her a special bag to take along on the trip.  Originally she wanted me to use a Hawaiian print but I couldn't find any I liked.  Plus, I thought it might make her look too 'tourist-y'.  Luckily I have quite a bit of stash (ok, so I might be a fabric hoarder) and was easily able to locate (what I think is) the perfect print, Oz Poppy Field in black by Sanae for Moda.

3 pockets great for water bottles, keys, etc.  1 pen pocket
Lining is Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in grey & Oz Flower Basket in red

Zippered pocket
Pocket lining fabric is It's A Hoot Eggs by Momo for Moda

I was happy to make this special bag for a very special lady.  Looking forward to seeing pics of it in Hawaii too!

Linking up with

Smiles~Beth

LOTS OF JAMMIES (CHRISTMAS GIFTS)

Every year since I started sewing I have made the boys Christmas jammies/pj's.  They are always made of snuggle flannel.  This year I discovered some fabulously soft flannel at JoAnns called Plaiditudes.  It washes up wonderfully without balling and somehow gets even softer after each wash (so soft that I even bought some for myself!!).  And they just happened to have a perfect plaid for Christmas jammies...yay!  In addition to those I had a few special requests by my nephews for their own pair. Some even asked for matching shirts :)

You can't see them but those Christmas jammies looked great paired with these plan tees (can't believe I didn't get the jammies in the pic...geez!)

For Logan
I made the soccer ball with Silhouette soccer_C00212_20387 & Silhouette fabric paint

For Zach
I used Silhouette skull_C01416_17986 & Silhouette fabric ink

The jammies were all a hit. I have another pair on my list for one of my nephews who has a birthday coming up in early February (he had requested a monster shirt for Christmas but immediately knew he wanted some jammies for his birthday after seeing his brother Zach's set).  It always amazing that these boys look forward to their handmade Aunt Beth gifts.  It makes my heart happy :)

Happy Tuesday!
Smiles~Beth



EPIC MONSTERS ROBOTS & MORE {FOR CHRISTMAS}

I hope everyone is having fun so far in 2012!

I had wanted to get pics posted of these before Christmas but just getting them done was a big enough accomplishment for me...ha! 

For Connor

For Brandon

For Kyle~made with my Silhouette and Silhouette fabric ink

For Luke

For Patrick (he specifically asked for a robot shirt)
Made with Silhouette orange_robot_C00080_31857
& heat transfer vinyl

For Gage
made with my Silhouette & Silhouette fabric paint

For Logan

For Cole

For Owen

For the hubs :)
Made with my Silhouette & Silhouette fabric ink

I will be posting more Christmas gifts this week!

Smiles~Beth

A NEW YEAR!

Well, another year has flown by!  I honestly can't believe it.  2011 brought our family many blessing and some fabulous memories.  Of course, there were the occasional bumps in the road but they only made us stronger (or just caused me a few more gray hairs...ha!!). 

This is usually when I would set a few resolutions for myself.  This year is no exception but I prefer to call them goals instead.  I will continue a few from last year like eating healthier and being more active (I got a little off track over this long Christmas break!).  I will also try to get more quilts done.  I have several WIP's that are going straight to the top of my list!

I hope your New Year is off to a fabulous start!

We brought in our New Year celebrating another Christmas and then playing Catch Phrase with my in-laws and our nieces and nephews.  It was perfect! 

Do you have any new goals for 2012?

Smiles~Beth