TO LOSE WEIGHT.....

Good advice for us all!

DARLA FABRIC BABY QUILT WITH BORDERS ADDED

This weekend I added the Darla fabric borders to the quick little baby quilt I'm making for my next grand-baby. I was going to use the Darla red dot fabric for the backing but now I just don't know. There is so much white border and so much of the Darla light green fabric in the quilt that it might just be too dark for the backing. I'm kind of leaning towards the Darla red and white picnic damask. If I use that fabric for the backing, should I use red or white thread.......decisions, decisions. At any rate, this has been a fast and easy quilt to make and my only problem is having time to work on it. I think I'll scallop the edges....

Thanks to everyone who responded with suggestions for the borders! Let me know what you think about the backing.

UGLY FABRIC SCRAP LADY LIBERTY QUILT

As you know if you have followed this blog at all, when I moved I found photos of quilts I had made in the past and sold. I was so happy to find the photos even though they were taken prior to my having a digital camera and were not very good.

This fabric scrap Lady Liberty quilt was made with fabrics that I had for a long time and never used or only used occasionally. I think it shows that with the addition of black and white, you can put lots of colors together that wouldn't normally be chosen for a quilt top. I used both the dull colors (like gold) and the bright colors (like yellow). My palette was pinks, turquoise, green and yellow mixed with black and white prints. This pattern is especially good with tiny pieces. This quilt was sold to a private collector but I want to make another soon. I love how it turned out.

And (this is for Jason), don't forget that you can supplement your fabric collection at 44th Street Fabric!

COMING SOON! HOUSEWORK WHENEVER FABRIC!

We LOVE this fabric and we LOVE the sentiments--Housework Whenever! Coming in May to 44th Street Fabric!

DARLA FABRIC LAMPSHADE MADE BY CLEVER GINA!

The very talented and clever Gina, of Gina M Studio, used Darla fabric from our shop to make this gorgeous lampshade! How awesome does that look? We love this fabric and all the coordinating ones because it's so versatile!

Good job Gina!

ANOTHER OF BEV'S QUILTS-A LANDSCAPE QUILT

Here's another picture of a quilt I've made that I found when I was moving. This is my one and only attempt at a landscape quilt. It was pretty fun to make and I've always wanted to do another one but I just haven't had time. I wish I could find close-up pictures of it. The gold and beige leaves are done with silk ribbon. This one was sold to a private collector.

NEW FABRIC FREE FAT QUARTER WITH EACH YARD OF FABRIC FROM MICHAEL MILLER

Some new fabric in the shop from Michael Miller Fabric! Fun pinks and purple! Get a FREE FAT QUARTER with each yard of fabric you buy!

GINA'S LATEST PAINTING! SO CUTE!

I love blogging! It's the cyberspace equivalent of the fridge for posting my childrens' and grandchildren's art work, activities, etc. Here's Gina's latest painting (and I must say, the photo does not do the colors justice). It's very large and she sold it right away--before Mom got her hands on it. Nice job Gina! You can see Gina's work at her Etsy store or at my house (lucky me).

BABY QUILT WITHOUT BORDERS QUICK TRIP AROUND THE WORLD

Okay, here are the pictures (not very good ones-sorry) of the inside of the quilt top fabrics for the new grandbaby (ONE of the quilt tops-lol). This is a quick one made from Eleanor Burn's Quick Trip Around the World pattern with fabric from 44th Street Fabric's Etsy shop and/or website.

The fabric is from Tanya Whelan's Darla line in reds and greens. What I think I'm going to do to finish it is do a small red and white polka dot inner border and a second large border of the large red rose on white background. I think I will scallop the border. The backing will be the red and white Picnic Damask fabric.

This is a fast, fun little quilt to make. Took me about 2 hours so far and that includes fabric selection, cutting, pressing and stitching. Easy Peasy. I'll show you more as it goes along.

Bevs Scrap Log Cabin Quilt

As you know if you've followed this blog, when I moved I found some photos of quilts I have made in the past that I no longer own. The pictures aren't that great and I wish I had more closeups but I was so glad to find them!

This is a scrap quilt I made from all homespun scraps. No matter how small the scrap, I would cut them into 1.5" strips or squares. I sewed those together into log cabin blocks. The biggest challenge for this quilt was squaring the blocks. I had not realized how the different weights of the homespuns would distort. I think I calculated that there were over 2600 pieces in this quilt. I doubt if you can tell from this picture but I quilted it on my Bernina in big wavy circles. This quilt was displayed in a gallery and sold.

Customer Conversation for April with DressReHERsal!

This month 44th Street Fabric is featuring one of our favorite customers, Lisa, owner and designer at DressReHERsal, her Etsy store! We were lucky enough to interview Lisa about her business and her fabulous designs. All of us were raving about these pics of Lisa's designs made from some of the fabrics we offer in our Etsy store and on our new website! We think the little model is adorable too!

OUR INTERVIEW WITH LISA:

Lisa - we just love the gorgeous clothing you make for your Etsy shop! When did you first start sewing and why?

My grandma taught me to sew when I was 8 years old. In college I made extra money by offering dorm room make-overs. I was also known as the girl who can do alterations to just about anything.

What is the inspiration for your designs?

My inspiration comes from my children. My son is 8, and he goes to private school. The school was throwing away uniforms that were missing buttons, etc, and I decided to take them home and turn them into purses, headbands and lunch totes. I ended up raising money for the school out of items that would have been thrown away. When we found our we would be having a baby girl, I started making her clothes, bibs, blankets. Once she arrived we would go out wearing her adorable outfits and people would stop us on the stree asking "where did you get that?" I got stopped so often that I decided to put a few designs on Etsy. My business took off almost immediately. Less than a year later, I have sold over 1000 items on etsy and to other stores and online boutiques.

Why did you decide to open an Etsy shop?

I decided to open an Etsy shop as an outlet to my creative ideas and to make a little extra income on the side. I had no idea the doors that would open once I put just a few designs on Etsy.

What is your favorite thing about Etsy?

I like Etsy because it is a great place for people to find that unique outfit or gift. It has also given me exposure as a designer of childrens clothing as well as a photographer. Dress ReHERSal is in over 20 stores nationwide and my daughter Emily (20 months) has been modeling for a few online boutiques as well.

As a small business owner, what have been your biggest challenges in starting a new business?

As a small business owner, my biggest challenge has been the competition. Unfortunately, there are a few women out there who want to get ahead so bad, that they will go out of their way to bring down the competition. Although I have made many friends amongst other clothing designers and Etsians, someone very close to me tried to sabatage my success for her own financial gain. Thanks to the loving support of my husband and friends, and the great shops who I had already been working with, they were not steered away by this person. This incident made me a stronger and a bit more guarded with the way I do business.

What do you have planned for the future of DressReHERsal?

I once was looking into taking my goods to the Atlanta Market to show to all stores and boutiques. But, after a bit of thought, I have decided to maintain the loyal customer base that I have and continue being a "One man Band". There is a certain sense of pride in knowing that I single handedly design and sew every item for my Dress ReHERSal clothing line. In addition to Etsy, I also do local craft shows in the Summer and Home Shows in the Winter. My line is pretty well known in Raleigh, NC.
In addition to Dress ReHERSal, I also work part time as an Account Executive. With the economy being in the current state that it's in, I find it rather interresting that my sales continue to be steady. I suppose kids are always growing and they always need new clothes. I like keeping my prices low, but providing the same quality piece that one would get from a high end shop. We live in a fairly large city, Raleigh, NC. It is amazing how many times I have run into children wearing my clothes. At the local pumpkin patch, my son pointed out "look mom, that little girl is wearing one of your skirts!" At the Easter Egg hunt, my husband said he felt like he was with a celebrity because so many mommies asked me if they could get my card - several girls were wearing some of my Spring Line and the moms were quick to point to me as the Designer. Another friends emailed me pictures of her daughter in Disney, wearing one of my custom capri sets, standing between Mickey and Minnie Mouse - she said she could have sold 50 of the capri sets, if she had my cards with her. It is so rewarding and gratifying to know that there are women out there who go just as bazerk about buying my clothing as I do about making it!

Tell us one fun thing about you personally.

Something about me personally. I am married to my high school sweatheart and we have two wonderful children. Michael 8 and Emily 20 months. I get so much love an support from my husband and my kids.

Thanks Lisa!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JASON!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JASON CEO and Owner of 44th Street Fabric! Today is another big day for us because we are launching our website: www.44thstreetfabric.com! Please stop by and take a look! It is still a work in progress but kudos to Jason for all his hard work on the set up.

To celebrate, we are giving you FREE SHIPPING IN USA WITH A PURCHASE OF 3 OR MORE YARDS OF FABRIC!!! This offer is for purchases from the website ONLY and does not apply to purchases from our Etsy store. Offer is good through April 19, 2009. Be sure and check back often because we will be offering more specials to celebrate the launch of our new website throughout the month of April and May!!

ANOTHER OF BEV'S QUILTS-WATERCOLOR HEART

People have asked me to post pics of quilts I have done. This one is a watercolor base (2" squares) with applique and beading. It was heavily quilted with metallic thread. Unfortunately, I cannot find the pictures of the closeups since I moved. I'm sure I'll run across them eventually. I really want to make more watercolor quilts but they require a flannel board for me to audition squares and I just don't have room for it--even in the new, bigger house. Oh well, someday......

NEW DARLA FABRIC--YUMMY FOR SPRING!!

These awesome Darla fabric combos by Tanya Whelan for Free Spirit are just a few of the new Darla fabric we received! Bright and happy colors for all your projects! Stop by the shop and take a look! We LOVE Tanya Whelan fabrics and so do our customers!

Oh, and I started a baby quilt for Jason's new baby! I'm using all the wonderful pinks and blues from the shop--a quilt for the baby made from Daddy's fabric! I'm doing pinks and blues because we don't find out the sex of the baby until later in the month. I just couldn't wait! When I get far enough along with the baby quilt, I'll do pics and you can let me know what you think! I'm so excited--this will be grandbaby #7 and we haven't had a baby in the family for 9 years! We almost gave up on you Jason but WTG!