What I'm Working On: Indie Quilt

I have been hoarding my stash of lovely Indie fabric by Pat Bravo ever since it arrived in my mailbox many months ago.  I knew I wanted to make a quilt for my bed with it, especially after seeing Maureen's.  But I wanted to take my time with it, making sure that I think it through enough beforehand so that I love it in the end.  The fabrics are a mix of florals and geometrics in gorgeous jewel tones. To ground them (and make it a bit more "manly") I am pairing them with a navy Moda Bella solid.

I've been saving ideas on a Pinterest board and collecting some fun coordinating accessories to tie the quilt in to the rest of the room.  The hard part is that I don't know what the room itself will look like--by the time I get this project finished, we will be moving to a new house/town/state thanks to the good old US Coast Guard.  But I want to have it ready to go when we get there, wherever there may be.

Birch-inspired prints by Alaskan artist Katie Sevigny

I snagged two of these awesome wall hooks in the clearance room at Blackbeary Bog in Homer.

I started cutting the fabric this week.  I don't want it to look too planned, but I am just not the type of person who can dive in with no plan at all!  I am basing my design on the Uneven Coins quilt in Block Party.  But I want my "coins" to be large enough to showcase the large-scale prints of the fabric.

 I'm going to try out a method for making the strips that I found in my new book from Tula Pink.  I think it will be a real time saver.

The plan is to make 5 columns of "coins", each column quilted as I go using the method I learned in Rachael's stocking pattern.  Wish me luck!!

Handmade for Newtown

I am proud to be participating in an online auction to benefit the families of Newtown, CT.  Organized by imagine gnats and casa crafty, and hosted by From the Heart Auctions, 100% of the funds raised will go to The Newtown Parent Connection.  
To bid, just comment your bid amount under the photo of the item you'd like, and be sure to leave your email address associated with your PayPal account.  The auction runs NOW through January 18.  The item donor will also be paying for shipping.  There are some really awesome items to bid on.
I donated by linen and cotton nesting bowls.  Here are a few of my favorites donated by other crafty bloggers:

Sunset Birds by Jenny Bartoy

Pillow cover by Cori of Let's Eat Grandpa

iPad cover by Kelley of casa crafty

Color Me Crayons quilt by Fat Quarter Shop

This is the direct link to the auction photo album.  Click here and get bidding!

News and To-Dos

The holidays are over and we are all back into a normal routine over here.  My sewing area ended up in disaster after the flurry of gift-making last month, so I spent the afternoon yesterday organizing my fabric stash and finding the surface of my desk.

I have decided to turn my focus this month from making things for others to purchase to making things for myself and my family and friends.  I have quite a few projects that I have been putting off, and now's the time to get them done.

Back to my trusty to-do board I went.  I love having this right next to my sewing desk, reminding me of my ideas.

This is my favorite to-do...

I know...that doesn't really sound like it's for me--but it is!  I love Sew Sweetness, and Sara comes up with some awesome ideas.  Plus I get to pull from my stash.  AND involves using this fabric, yay!

And that's all I can say about that until the pattern is released.

Now for the news bit:

I am also participating in Handmade for Newtown, an online auction by imagine gnats and casa crafty of handmade items and craft/sewing supplies to benefit the Newtown Parent Connection.  I'm donating my very favorite project that I have yet to part with: my linen and cotton nesting bowls!  I'll let you know when the auction is live.