Gift sewing on retreat!

I am a little late showing these but.......................... I finally got a little farther with one of my New Year's promises to myself.  I wanted to get some quilty/sewing gifts in the bank to cushion the holiday sweatshop panic that starts over here every November/December. 

Aprons!!  Five in the bank, whoop whoop!

 

Remember this tutorial I mentioned before?  It is so easy and is also Perfect for showing off  fun fabrics.  Who do you see down there, huh?

Lizzy House Castle Peeps in blue!

Aneela Hoey on the left!  

 

Check out this fun find below!  Alexander Henry, I believe it's called Flea Market.  I found it at JoAnn's.  Whaaaat?   Yessireee, I was minding my own business and piling my cart with juicy DS fabric bolts when I got confused and thought I had wandered into another quilt shop.  I'm no expert but I do think I can tell discount fabric from quality and this is soft as a feather.  And cute cute cute.  So at this point if anyone knows what is up with JoAnn's, let me know because I have always found them to be a great way to stock up on notions and such as well as bolster my stash. I know their fabric prices have gone through the roof but keep in mind all of the coupon action.  Now please don't go getting all up in arms about supporting the LQS and independent online shops.  I support the online shops plenty and love them.  There are 2 LQS within 30 minutes driving distance from me.  One doesn't have fabrics that I like to use and the other is well known for being snobby to customers they don't know.  I don't look for bad service and I am very forgiving for 'off' days but I have gone in there with a smile on my face more than once and felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman shopping in the fancy boutique.  

 

Anyway, check out the pink I put with the Alexander Henry fabric.  It's made by Stof and it's called Quilter's Basic Dusty Style.  I found some a year or so ago in blue, tan, and cream.  It has sprinkles of other colors in it and I salivate every time  I pull it out.  I almost cried when I used up all but some pitiful scraps of my blue.  But guess what!!  On our way to the Double O retreat, the Wild Threads always hit some quilt shops.  This time we went to Wilson's in Hagerstown.   OMG!  I found this pink Stof on the shelf.  The ladies in that shop are SO nice.  Seriously,  they are awesome.  They make a point to know you.  One of them obviously heard one of my friends call me by name and when she called me Lisa, I was ready to hold hands and skip down the fabric aisles with her.  When my kids were little and we took them to the playground, my husband and I always told them to try to make a new friend.  And that's what I like to do at quilt shops.

So, back to my story.  I was clutching the pink and asked if they happened to have any of the blue.  My new friend said,  "I'll be right back Lisa."  She peeked in the back and came out with a brand new bolt.  She said it wasn't checked in yet but they would do it right away and bring it back.  Hmmmm,  I started thinking, do you, maybe, think you have any other colors?  Jackpot!  Two greens and more of the cream.  Praise be! I kept them busy in the back checking bolts in.   I will need to show them all to you soon.  There was also a maroon that I passed on and of course now I regret it.  Darn.

 



 

Above is a better view of the aprons in lovely DS.  I am officially out of the green floral on the left and it truly pains me.  I really love it.

Below is the apron that we gave to Colleen at Double O.  

 

Pure by Sweetwater.  And by the way,  we got more of these fabrics and others in that line while we were in Wilson's.  Some of the Wild Threads made a great runner for Colleen to match the apron.  She is such a sweetie, it's fun to surprise her with something.  

 

Wow,  I am such a name dropper.  It's from reading all the awesome blogs I have on my reader.  I feel like I have become so well-versed in what fabrics are available.  I don't think this is snooty, I mean to say that it makes it a little easier to find fabrics that I like sometimes because I know the designers that appeal to me.  When I got the Alexander Henry fabric above, I would have bought it if it had said 'Melvin's Factory' on it.  It was soft as butter and pretty and screamed 'Made just for Lisa'.  I only mentioned Alexander Henry because I never expected to find that brand in JoAnn's. 

I gotta wrap this up now because......I am heading to New York bright and early tomorrow for Quilter's Take Manhattan.  I need to go get a mani/pedi and grab a few things so I can get packed.  Cocktail party at Victoria Findlay Wolfe's loft tomorrow!  I'm so excited.

Bye bye!