Owl Quilt Part 1

Today's post is by Tanya.

I have been trying to figure out how to sell quilts on Etsy.  We have sold a few rag quilts, but no pieced quilts yet.  I decided to make two baby quilts, one pieced and one rag out of the same fabric.  I chose the owls and jacks from Ten Little Things.  Both quilts are relatively simple and have the same green flannel for the back.

  Owls seem to be a popular item for babies right now.  Here are pictures of the rag quilt that is finished.  The pieced quilt top is finished and basted and waiting  to be quilted.  I was going to show a comparison shot, but I guess I didn't take a picture and I am too lazy to go take one. I guess another post about that one.  This one will be added to our Etsy store in the next few days.

How do you take your pictures for your blog or online store? Do you have a photo booth, a special stand for hanging quilts, have someone hold them up or what? Do you use special lights?  I would appreciate suggestions, especially ones that won't cost a fortune.  We have a pretty good camera, a tripod somewhere, editing software, but haven't had much luck with inside pictures other than closeups or folded quilts.

There is over a foot of snow on the ground at our house and the high tomorrow is 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Outside pictures are out until it warms to at least freezing. I already work out in the cold, so I don't necessary want to go out in it anymore than I have to.

I need more strings.

Well I guess I don't need strings, as much as string blocks.  I went to try and organize some of my sewing room today (since I was making the kids clean and all I figured it just seemed fair, I did also.   It started with the great intent to clean up some of the mess.  I saw all the strings laying around, some of which I bought in a bag of scraps for 3 bucks and some are scraps from projects I have done.  I made 4 initially.  Then I found a few more strings that looked good and made another 11.  So I showed Tanya my nice pile of string blocks (these are 6 1/2 squares) and she looks over and says they look too red.  Hum, I like red?  Maybe I should have used more variety. I ask her what I should have done and then she just looks over again and tells me she really does not like random.  So what do I do now, she hates them?  Oh I know.

Yep you guessed it, I just made more blocks.  My feelings is you can't make every one happy all of the time.   Over the years I have learned Tanya does not like all my wise choices (or even my unwise ones). I will keep using up all those silly scraps up that I have until I run out of them.  Overall the layout plan I am going for will be something like this.

This is something I whipped up in EQ7.  Its 9 x 12 blocks (total of 108 blocks). Seeing as I have around 30 blocks it won't be any time soon.  I will from time to time add blocks to my collection.  The blocks today that I made ended up in my homeless block box (Yes I have a box with a lot of various blocks in it now). It might take me 6 months to finish this one, but its at least started today and a little of my cleaning is done.  Oh and for any one that was wondering, while I was distracted the kids did not clean and the house is still a mess, oh well there is always tomorrow.

I will end with this cute picture of Julia. Tanya was trying to get a cute picture of Julia and out of all of her toys it was her shoe she chose to play with.

Link a Finish Friday #49

It is now time for Link A Finish Friday.  Today I would like to start with a big thank you to Fat Quarter Shop who has offered to Sponsor our Link A Finish Friday with Prizes.  This month's winner (January) will win a $15 gift certificate to spend on Fat Quarter Shop. 

Please remember to thank our sponsor by visiting their store at http://www.fatquartershop.com/ their blog http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/ and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/FatQuarterShop

First Friday Finish from Bungalow Bay Quilts

A Finish from Domestic Defict Disorder

First Friday Finish from Quilting & Other Craft Therapy

Are 3 of the quilts linked up last week.  

So for the rules.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.

2) Add a link to your finish blog or where ever you show off your finishes (Not limited to quilts but I like them the most).
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.
4) Monthly random winner picked from all of the months linkups to $15 gift card from Fat Quarter Shop.

Not required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.

Color Blast Quilt

I have created a pattern for my Color Blast Quilt.  I would like those that are interested to download it and then let me know what they either like or dislike about it.  One of my New Year goals is to make more pattern so this is a first try and I need all the advice I could get.  Any way keeping it simple.

Download it here.

Winter Quilting Challenge

Today I finished the center of my Winter Challange Quilt  This is for the SLMQG or rather the parent guild, but I am participating.  We plan to add 2 borders to this to make it a smaller lap quilt.  I was able to cut it all out yesterday and assemble 8 of the rows at Sewing Saturday.  Tanya helped design this quilt and picked the solids (black and yellow) that we added to the challenge fabric.

After getting the center done, Tanya insisted I start quilting on Rebecca's Christmas quilt (yes its late, maybe by February I can finish it.  It is HUGE so it will take me some time.  I guess twin size to most is not huge, but it is the biggest things I have yet tried to quilt on my machine.

Lastly today its time to announce the winner of Link a Finish Friday   I also added a easy link at the top to have a easy way to find the current linky.

Last month we had 118 link up 

dec 27th 29 entrys
dec 20th 33 entrys  NUMBER 11
dec 14th 29 entrys
dec 6th 27 entrys


I used my sql skills and my son clicking the button to pick the winner


 set @maxRandomValue = 29 + 33 + 29 + 27
set  @minRandomValue  = 1;

Select Cast(((@maxRandomValue + 1) - @minRandomValue)
* Rand() + @minRandomValue As tinyint) As 'randomNumber';

Winner was 67/118 which worked out to number 11 on the 20th.  Or A Friday Finish by Jo's Country Junction.  Below is a picture of the winning quilt.  We will contact them and get their prize out.  Thank you to all that linked up last month.  Note the linky is always open for you to enter on.