I need Monk!

How can I loose 2 yards of Kona orange! ?!  It is somewhere though not were the rest of my fabric is!  I don't know if I ever told the tale of the etsy store that messed up my order.  This past October I ordered a scrap bag from a now defunct fabric store.  I also ordered a yard of orange Kona at a special price.  Well 2 weeks go by and I get the orange but no scrap bag.  So I convo'd with the store and and realized she sent me two yards of the orange.  Well I wanted my scrap bag and the invoice was correct. So finally they said they would send it to me.  And then nothing for a month.  I convo'd nothing.  I checked the feedback and saw a lot of negative feedback and orders paid for but not received.  It was getting close to the limit for filing a claim so I left negative feed back on the scrap bag only and filed a claim  I think what was most disturbing was the negative feed back the owner had written on some of the customers.  Very mean spirited and a little paranoid and ranting.  I waited until the last minute to file a paypal claim as well.  I wanted to give the person every opportunity to make it right.  It was only around $6 but it was an order not filled.  Do you know you can loose your etsy privileges if you don't handle complaints?  And Paypal will strip you of your account!  Believe it or not I did get a refund through paypal at the very last minute.  I had the convo as my proof and the invoice. So I closed my etsy claim.  That will teach me to order from a store I don't know through the blogs or flickr.  Though I did check the original feedback before I ordered and it was 99%.  

Todaythere was an awesome sale at Karen Gray's.  She carries Westminster fabrics.  She had her $6 wall fabrics (older lines) $4.95 a yard!  Christmas fabrics $3.95!  rayons $9.95!   Valorie Wells linens and decorator fabrics $13.95.  fat quarters $2.30!  books 1/2 price kits 1/2 price!  It was an awesome sale!  Between  my etsy sale money I bought some fabrics to fill in some color needs.  

I also spent the day rearranging my studio.  I needed to put my BL Sofia desk behind my big desk so I could just swivel and do my embroidery.  If I need to machine quilt I will move it to the big desk for more room.  I also made things less cluttered looking.  I hate clutter and  it was getting on my nerves.  Dad would be proud that I hung the green shelf all by myself. I put my sewing notions and box collections from various relatives on it.  I also found the perfect place to hang my Victorian clothes dryer.  And if you look in the picture below you see a round object under the shelf.  That ia a cleat plastic sewing box.  I have my wooden spools in it.  I figured out how to put it on the wall.  I used packing tape to hold it closed and a nail with no head which fit in one of the spool holder holes.  Yeah!  I also reorgainzed my thread and embroidery threads.

Ok so I am tired and rambling.  Good night!

Keep dreaming...Colleen

Have you seen DS Quilts new Aunt Edna at Joann's?  Lucious!

Quilt BLoggers Festival!

I'm so excited to participate in the Quilt Blogger's Festival!  What a great way to see all the wonderful creativity out their!  As I am a reborn quilter this year I don't have much to choose from , but...I do have a quilt I am loving to death!  It is the one I am being selfish with for a change and keeping!  (Why do we always giveaway and not keep our quilts?)

Scrap Happy as I like to call, it is my first quilt using thoroughly modern fabrics.  My stash is definitely stuck in the 1990's. I packed everything away when I moved in 2000.  Illness (cancer) and lack of space (small town home), and then later lack of time (work AND grad school) had pushed quilting into hibernation.


This summer I renovated my second dump room bedroom and created a studio again.  If I can just figure out that darn design wall problem...
  







 

Scrap happy is made from Westminster fabric in scrap bags from an awesome quilt shop Karen Gray designs .  I have always LOVED other peoples scraps!

Design is important to me and I documented the pattern as I went along. Figuring out the measurements to make the scrappy strips.

The border fabric was a great graphic floral print from Joann's, that I also used on the back.  I just LOVE the backing fabric, unfortunately I can't remember(or find the selvage ) where I got this fabric from.  I would love to find some more!  Let me know if you recognize it!

I love this quilt so much I dont even know what to do with it!  I slept under it a few nights, folded it all pretty, and now its hanging on the wall!  I need to make finish a few more quilts to give me more to play with!

Thanks for stopping by and keep checking out all the great quilts in the Blogger's Quilt Festival 2010!

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Quilt Treasures

One of the best things about setting up my craft/quilt studio this summer has been the rediscovery of the treasures I have collected over the last 20 years.  One afternoon I opened THE trunk. 

The trunk is one of those dark blue with brass fittings college trunks.  And yes I did take it to college where I live on 9th floor of Morrison Dorm at UNC.  I don't think college students buy trunks anymore, I haven't seen any in the stores for years. Now the trunk had been opened a few times over the past few years or so, but mostly to stuff ( in a gentle way) things in.  I decided to sort them one afternoon.  I found the first quilt blocks I ever made (ugh! not showing you those).  There were also some great UFO quilt tops waiting to be finished. 

This cat head wall hanging was an exploration of black, white and gray fabrics.  I always wanted to finish this for my sister - maybe I still will. 

The blocks with the fancy Hoffman turquoise metallic print was from a Q-xchg swap (I found a lot of blocks from exchanges-it was a great way to learn!)  We were all given a selection of coordinating fabrics and had to make a 12 inch block.  I would love to set these on point to make a wall hanging. 

This third one was my first real attempt at a watercolor quilt.  I wanted to make it as a baby quilt for someone at work.  I was still in my disorganized/health recovery phase of my life so I never finished it.  I love buying charm square packs on ebay in different sizes and color themes.  This uses 4 inch squares.  I have a coordinating deep red tone on tone fabric for a border and a pretty large blue  flannel for the back.  I love how in watercolor quilts you can actually use the back side of fabric to get a lighter color shade yet still have the effect of the print.

 

Inside this treasure trunk was a treasure of vintage quilt blocks and tops.  I love old fabrics!  It is so much fun to tramp through flea markets and antique stores and uncovering these gems.  I decided to pick my favorites and use them to decorate my new studio.

I loved the candy colors of the 1940's and the traditional pieced patterns.  I also love the other dark colors and patterns of the turn of the century patterns.  Here are some closer views.

I found these wonderful 12 x 12 green metal frames at AC Moore's on sale.  I backed them with muslin.  I wish they had some larger square frames as I have some lovely pieced stars that are quite large and would look lovely hung.  I wonder what other ways I could hang them?  Well sewing calls!

Keep Dreaming...Colleen

Craft/Quilt Studio Renovation

So for the past 2 weeks I have been scrapping wallpaper( a lovely tiny blue flower) and scrapping wall paper. Monday morning I spackled and sanded and painted the walls a lovely pale blue. I was kind of limited in paint colors as the carpet is a medium blue and I was NOT going to replace it. Tuesday I painted the trim white.

Then..... I was so excited to take my new sewing desk out of the Jeep where it had been living since Saturday. I have to explain that the 'new' sewing desk is actually a Habitat Restore find. It is sturdy with lots of drawers for sewing stuff.
Did you notice the lovely green and white top? You too can have such loveliness...it's contact paper! It goes perfectly with the green and blues with pops of turquoise color scheme.



Did you notice the eclectic knob mix? They have a TON of designer knobs at the Habitat Restore so I picked my favorite ones.


This is the one on the middle drawer...I also have a cool yellow ceramic cat...I mean it is part quilt studio and as you know you cant quilt without a cat. I just have to figure out where to screw it...

More later on the reno...as the Great Clean out of Summer 2010 continues.

Keep Dreaming...:o) Colleen

New Directions

I have decided to take this blog in a new more positive direction. I will include projects, trips, reflections, and information on how I am positively living my life. I am going to start with the story of my Craft Studio(I can hear Kelly my sister laughing now). I am taking a dump/extra bedroom and organizing the bits and pieces of my crafting/quilting life that have gotten lost along the way. I will be organized, yes I will! more to come later...
Keep Dreaming...:o) Colleen