do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} Quilters Needed

If you've been keeping up with my blog or read my previous post you know that I am part of a flickr group called do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee}. I have had so much fun participating in the last 2 months' bees: 

October 'Hope' Blocks

September 'Hope' Blocks

Currently the group has three circles: Love, Hope, and Faith. Each circle benefits a charity and each month the members of the bee make two blocks from their stash (or fabric provided by the quilter) under the direction of that month's Quilter. Everyone sends their blocks to the Quilter by the end of the month and then the Quilter has one more month to piece, quilt, bind and send the quilt off to the charity. Sewers commit to making two blocks a month. Quilters also make two blocks a month but rotate months with the other Quilters to finish the project for the circle.  

I am one of the Quilters in the Hope group so for the past two months I have made blocks for the quilts other Quilters have designed. In January I will design a quilt, communicate the details to the other ladies in the group, collect the blocks from everyone, combine all of the blocks together to make a quilt, and send it off to its new home where it will be loved and cherished. This has been a wonderful way for me to meet new people, try new patterns,  and also give back to the community. 

Two new circles will be opening up soon but they are looking for more quilters!. If you're interested in joining us please head on over to our Flickr group and sign up today! I hope to see you over there!

do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} October Blocks

Just a few pictures of the October Blocks I made for the do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} flickr group:

Uploaded to flickr here

Uploaded to flickr here

Uploaded to flickr here

You can read more about this stash buster block at Little Miss Shabby. There are two great versions of this block for you to try. I hope mine don't stand out too much from everyone else's blocks. I didn't have many matching scraps on hand so I went with what I had to work with. Most of these are leftover from the nursing cover I made for my sister last Christmas.

Happy Quilting!

Favorite Fabric Stores

I haven't talked about fabric shopping in awhile so I figured it was time for an update. As my taste in fabric has developed, so have my choices in fabric stores. I started off shopping mostly at Hancocks-Paducah and Fabric Depot. Both are still great stores to shop at for more traditional prints and batiks, and both offer great discounts but for modern prints I've had to look elsewhere.

First up is Quilt Home. I love this store and can't say enough great things about it. They have a great selection of Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Heather Bailey, Erin McMorris, Heather Ross, and so many more great designers. They even carry designer specialty fabrics like laminate/oilcloth and pre-quilted.  I think I have bought a yard or two or three of almost every AMH print they carry to stash away for clothing and quilting projects.

I always take a peek at their daily specials section to see what's on sale. They offer free shipping on orders over $50! I never seem to have trouble filling up my cart to take advantage of that deal. I also love that they take the time to write a personal message on the invoice of each order. I definitely recommend signing up for their newsletter and reading it weekly. They always have great feature articles about designers or new lines and offer great discounts.They also do 2 great giveaways each newsletter!

I've also really enjoyed shopping at fabricworm (the are also on etsy here). I don't find super awesome deals at this shop like I do at Quilt Home but I do love their selection and their mixed bundles are so cute! I love the color combinations they come up with and the way they mix different lines together.

fabricworm is very good about blogging when they expect new lines to arrive or when out of stock items are back in. Unfortunately the first time I shopped with them, my package arrived opened and emptied. I am sure my beautiful Lizzy House Castle Peeps and orange scrap pack are stuck in Post Office limbo somewhere (makes me want to cry) unappreciated and lonely. Hopefully they will end up in a good home eventually! Happily, fabricworm was more than willing to re-cut and ship me my order again at no charge to me. That definitely made me want to shop with them again!

 

Last but not least, I am happy to announce that I found a local quilt shop I actually like and who actually likes me! The Artful Quilter in Burke, VA is filled with beautiful fabrics and friendly ladies just dying to know what you're working on and bend over backwards to help you. It's a little further out of my way than the shop I was going to but it's totally worth the extra 10 minutes. My most recent trip with fellow NOVA Modern Quilt Guild member Kate was very successful! We both brought home at least 5 yards each of Amy Butler Midwest Modern in aqua and cream (my all time favorite fabric) because it was on clearance and several other smaller cuts of various designs.

Happy Quilting!

The New Face of the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild

Check out the new face of the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild!

Our About Us page features useful information about Modern Quilting and The Modern Quilt Guild.

The Photos page will feature work from all of the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild members.

The Events page lists upcoming events for the next 3 months.

The Contact page allows potential members to contact us through the webpage.

 

In other news, I also purchased matching business cards for our guild from Moo.com:

Aren't they cute?!

I hope you like the changes!

Happy Quilting!

Calling All Crafters: Help With Making a Wrist Wallet

Hey fellow crafters--

I am having trouble figuring out how to make a wrist wallet. Have any of you seen patterns out there for an item like this:

It has a hidden zippered pocket for small items and cash and fits over the hand and on the wrist without snaps, buttons, or any other type of closure. In other words it's one continuous loop around the wrist. My step-mom Laurie saw them in a magazine and was hoping I could make some but I just can't figure it out! Help!