Category: Uncategorized

Well, here goes nothing…

Hi everyone! After much thought and consideration (and investigation and trepidation), I’ve put in an application for grad school. My plan is to go back for the fall term.

Going back to school – not an easy choice.


The good news – I’ll still have my shop up and will be selling the ready-made items.

The bad news – all custom orders have to be completed by the end of summer.

So if you’ve been thinking of ordering a t-shirt quilt from me, know that once fall hits I won’t be taking custom orders for a long while.

So let me know and hit that Order Form up sooner rather than later.

Back in Business!

We moved, and one of the best parts is the new sewing set up. That being said, all my sewing stuff was packed up, and I was going slowly crazy running back and forth between two houses. So I’m finally the owner of just one house now – whew!

My stuff is all set up, and I’m officially open again for commissions. I believe I contacted everyone whom I promised I would by now; if I missed you then I apologize.

I’m still undecided about this year’s craft fair schedule, though. 2021 was an awesome season for me, but it really pushed me past my limits considering I have a full time job as a teacher. I’ll post any updates on that front here.

Happy to have a lovely view of the woods while sewing.
Show inventory is no longer stored under the long arm, yay!
I now have separate ironing and cutting areas!
Made myself a pegboard organizer.
I mounted my projector from the ceiling for easier designing.
These things were NOT meant for moving!

One last show, here we goooo!

This upcoming weekend is my last show of the fall. To be honest – I’m exhausted. Being a full time teacher and doing multi-day shows over the weekend, in addition to navigating this freaking pandemic and trying to be a decent mom/wife, has really taught me a lot about my own limits. I found them. Actually, I ran into them face first. Color me surprised.

The shows I’ve done have been great, and I’m proud I tried some new venues for sure. I’m going to have to mull over what next year looks like, though. I had hoped to go back to grad school starting this summer, but I think I’ll wait another year. Covid has made for a lot of stress, and adding grad school on top of it feels more like a fool’s errand than a strategic career move. So it’s just delayed for a little while – not canceled.

So what’s the plan for after this last show? Well, I’ll put up the rest of the items not already listed here and on Etsy. I’ll focus on the commissions I have and get them finished by Christmas, and then I’ll slow down and try to make some smaller items.

For those interested, here are the items I have going into the last show.

Stadium Quilt 4′ x 4′- red/white/gray
Unicorn Quilt
Shabby chic – brown
Care Bears Quilt
Violin Quilt 1
Violin Quilt 2
Doll Quilts 9x
Dinosaur Quilt
Dinosaur Doll Quilt
Firetruck Quilt 4′ x 4′
Train Twin Quilt
Rainbow Mariner’s Compass Quilt
Llama Quilt
Llama Doll Quilt
Rainbow Guitar
Rey and BB8 Wall Quilt
Mermaid
Mermaid Doll Quilt
NASA Twin Quilt
Yoga Sloth Quilt
Yoga Sloth doll quilt
Star Trek Quilt
Mandalorian Wall Quilt 2X
Last Unicorn Wall Quilt
Lantern Corps Quilt
African Print Lap Quilt
African Print Doll Quilt 2x
Bookshelf Wall Quilt 2x
Wine Quilt 2x

2021 Goals – Another Update

A while back, I posted about my goals for this year. I figured I’d do another check in since the one from May. Three weeks from now I’ll be at the first of three craft fairs, so this is it. What I’ve accomplished is set, and everything else will have to wait until another time.

  1. I want to use some second-hand folding shelves I bought online to make a checkout booth. I was thinking about myself as a customer and realized that I really liked it more when the sales person was at a checkout stand. I felt freer to walk around and look. So I’m taking a cue from myself and working on making one of those. Done!

2. I’d also like to get some padded roof pads, so I can place my grid walls there instead of scraping up the inside of my husband’s Explorer again. It would be nice to drive to shows without having grid walls blocking one side of my car. Done!

3. I also need to get a new phone – if I’m being completely honest with myself here. Mine is old, but I’m stubborn when it comes to replacements. Done!

4. Participate in some new shows for the fall 2021. Registered and Ready!

From an artist standpoint, I have a LOT of quilts I want to make and have on hand for shows. Here’s a short list of some of my more creative ambitions.

  1. Star Wars quilts – lightsaber duels, they just sell too well to not have one on hand. Not yet

2. Mandalorian wall quilt – I had the one I made get claimed before it was even finished! Yes – I made four and have 1 left. I want to make 1 more before the shows begin.

3. Sloth quilt – that fabric is too cute to have gone this long without being made in to something. Done!

4. Hocus Pocus quilt – the last one sold fairly quickly, and it was fun to make something in the “crazy quilt” style. I made 2 – one was claimed before they were finished. I’d like to have 2 on hand before hitting the Yellow Daisy Festival.

5. More doll quilts – they are really fun, and I like the satisfaction of experimenting within a smaller size.  Done! I’ll have about 15 on hand, yay!

6. Christmas snow globe quilt – I saw some designs online and am wanting to try my own spin. Not yet

7. Potty Mouth Quilts – I wanted to make a small line of quilts with grown-up words on them. I like the contrast of a wholesome, traditional craft and a vulgar phrase. Maybe something is wrong with me here, but I won’t be happy until I’ve tried it at least once. Not yet

8. Bargello quilts – I made the rainbow and northern lights ones a while back, and I’m geared up to make more. Not yet

9. Mariner’s Compass – I just really like making these. They’re so satisfying. I have one on hand that I made at the beginning of quarantine.

10. I Spy quilt – I have been sorting little 2″ squares for a planned pattern for an I spy quilt with a geometric twist. It’s all bagged and sorted and ready to make.

11. Zombie girl Pin Up quilt – the first one I made was so much fun!  Done! In fact, I made 2.

12. Baseball girl Pin Up quilt – the other pin up girl quilt was so fun, I wanted to keep a good thing going. I have the fabric, but that’s it.

13. Crayon quilt – this was such a cute quilt, and I really want to make another one. They are also good scrap-busters. I have scraps pre-cut to the sizes I need, so it won’t take too long.

14. I’m also wanting to possibly make some adult bibs since there seems to be a need for them. I’d make some pretty, but I’d probably focus on making them silly. A little humor goes a long way. Can’t stop making quilts long enough to try, ha!

Other stuff I HAVE managed to do since the May update – Flower Panel Wall Quilts, wine quilts, ASL wall quilts, Lantern Corps wall quilt, African fabric quilt, and The Last Unicorn wall quilt.

2021 Goals – Checking in

A while back, I posted about my goals for this year. I figured I’d do a check in.

  1. I want to use some second-hand folding shelves I bought online to make a checkout booth. I was thinking about myself as a customer and realized that I really liked it more when the sales person was at a checkout stand. I felt freer to walk around and look. So I’m taking a cue from myself and working on making one of those. Haven’t started this yet, but I AM looking at more steel grids for the booth. I love the triangle stand and want to put them around the legs of the canopy to also hide the tent weights.

2. I’d also like to get some padded roof pads, so I can place my grid walls there instead of scraping up the inside of my husband’s Explorer again. It would be nice to drive to shows without having grid walls blocking one side of my car. Done! This has also allowed me to look in to getting more.

3. I also need to get a new phone – if I’m being completely honest with myself here. Mine is old, but I’m stubborn when it comes to replacements. Not yet – I’m almost ready to cave.

4. Participate in some new shows for the fall 2021. Working on this. I’ve applied to one new one and am already registered for another new one. Will be returning to a third where I always do well.

From an artist standpoint, I have a LOT of quilts I want to make and have on hand for shows. Here’s a short list of some of my more creative ambitions.

  1. Star Wars quilts – lightsaber duels, they just sell too well to not have one on hand. Not yet

2. Mandalorian wall quilt – I had the one I made get claimed before it was even finished! Not yet

3. Sloth quilt – that fabric is too cute to have gone this long without being made in to something. Yes! I’ve made 2 and a matching doll quilt.

4. Hocus Pocus quilt – the last one sold fairly quickly, and it was fun to make something in the “crazy quilt” style. I made 2 – one was claimed before they were finished. I’d like to have 2 on hand before hitting the Yellow Daisy Festival.

5. More doll quilts – they are really fun, and I like the satisfaction of experimenting within a smaller size. I’ve made some matching ones for bigger quilts, but I haven’t made any others besides those.

6. Christmas snow globe quilt – I saw some designs online and am wanting to try my own spin. Not yet

7. Potty Mouth Quilts – I wanted to make a small line of quilts with grown-up words on them. I like the contrast of a wholesome, traditional craft and a vulgar phrase. Maybe something is wrong with me here, but I won’t be happy until I’ve tried it at least once. Not yet

8. Bargello quilts – I made the rainbow and northern lights ones a while back, and I’m geared up to make more. Not yet

9. Mariner’s Compass – I just really like making these. They’re so satisfying. I have one on hand that I made at the beginning of quarantine.

10. I Spy quilt – I have been sorting little 2″ squares for a planned pattern for an I spy quilt with a geometric twist. It’s all bagged and sorted and ready to make.

11. Zombie girl Pin Up quilt – the first one I made was so much fun! I have the fabric, but that’s all.

12. Baseball girl Pin Up quilt – the other pin up girl quilt was so fun, I wanted to keep a good thing going. I have the fabric, but that’s it.

13. Crayon quilt – this was such a cute quilt, and I really want to make another one. They are also good scrap-busters. I have scraps pre-cut to the sizes I need, so it won’t take too long.

14. I’m also wanting to possibly make some adult bibs since there seems to be a need for them. I’d make some pretty, but I’d probably focus on making them silly. A little humor goes a long way. Can’t stop making quilts long enough to try, ha!

Other stuff I HAVE managed to do – Star Trek Quilt, I’m almost done with some Ruth Bader Ginsberg quilts, NASA quilts, mermaid quilt with matching doll quilt. I’ve also been focusing on several commissions.

Goals for 2021

I started to write a reflection of this past year, but, honestly, I’m ready to just start looking ahead.

My hopes for this upcoming year have a couple of layers.

From a business standpoint, I have a couple of things left I want to get for my booth.

  1. I want to use some second-hand folding shelves I bought online to make a checkout booth. I was thinking about myself as a customer and realized that I really liked it more when the sales person was at a checkout stand. I felt freer to walk around and look. So I’m taking a cue from myself and working on making one of those.

2. I’d also like to get some padded roof pads, so I can place my grid walls there instead of scraping up the inside of my husband’s Explorer again. It would be nice to drive to shows without having grid walls blocking one side of my car.

3. I also need to get a new phone – if I’m being completely honest with myself here. Mine is old, but I’m stubborn when it comes to replacements.

4. Participate in some new shows for the fall 2021.

From an artist standpoint, I have a LOT of quilts I want to make and have on hand for shows. Here’s a short list of some of my more creative ambitions.

  1. Star Wars quilts – lightsaber duels, they just sell too well to not have one on hand.

2. Mandalorian wall quilt – I had the one I made get claimed before it was even finished!

3. Sloth quilt – that fabric is too cute to have gone this long without being made in to something.

4. Hocus Pocus quilt – the last one sold fairly quickly, and it was fun to make something in the “crazy quilt” style.

5. More doll quilts – they are really fun, and I like the satisfaction of experimenting within a smaller size.

6. Christmas snow globe quilt – I saw some designs online and am wanting to try my own spin.

7. Potty Mouth Quilts – I wanted to make a small line of quilts with grown-up words on them. I like the contrast of a wholesome, traditional craft and a vulgar phrase. Maybe something is wrong with me here, but I won’t be happy until I’ve tried it at least once.

8. Bargello quilts – I made the rainbow and northern lights ones a while back, and I’m geared up to make more.

9. Mariner’s Compass – I just really like making these. They’re so satisfying.

10. I Spy quilt – I have been sorting little 2″ squares for a planned pattern for an I spy quilt with a geometric twist.

11. Zombie girl Pin Up quilt – the first one I made was so much fun!

12. Baseball girl Pin Up quilt – the other pin up girl quilt was so fun, I wanted to keep a good thing going.

13. Crayon quilt – this was such a cute quilt, and I really want to make another one. They are also good scrap-busters.

14. I’m also wanting to possibly make some adult bibs since there seems to be a need for them. I’d make some pretty, but I’d probably focus on making them silly. A little humor goes a long way.

An update – and a new toy!

It’s been a bit since I posted. After the Yellow Daisy Festival bonanza, I have been concentrating on commissions. But even better than that – I upgraded my quilting frame! I’m so excited. I was able to pay for it up front with nothing but funds I’d earned through quilting. This weekend I’m going to finish my current commission top and give the new frame a go.

It’s a Handiquilter Studio2 Frame. My previous one was a Little Foot 5′ frame. This new one is 12′, so I will never have to juggle around a large quilt ever again. I spent most of my quilting time just rearranging those large quilts around on that tiny frame. I’m also proud that I built this all by myself. I just love working with my hands. Any women’s construction companies around Atlanta? I’m your girl!

By the way, the older frame, the 5′ Little Foot frame, is up for sale. Message me for more info if you’re interested. It’s great if you’re wanting to start out with a mid-arm machine. It fits a HQ Simply 16. Thankfully, my machine fits the new frame beautifully.

My Little Foot 5′ frame. It’s been partially disassembled in this picture.

Here are some progression pictures with the completed frame at the end.

Last Post! Online Market Quilt Showcase 12 – Doll Quilts

The Yellow Daisy Festival Online Market ends today, Sunday, Sept 13th at 9 pm. I’ve been making some posts about the quilts I have ready to go. Each day I’ve featured two or three quilts and tell about their process and what I like most about them. These and other quilts can be found in the Quest Quilts shop on this website or in my Etsy shop.

These are the newest quilts I’ve worked on. Making doll quilts wasn’t something I’d originally seen myself doing, but I bounced the idea off of some friends one afternoon. It was well received, and I had a secret commission immediately for a colonial-themed one.

A long time ago, I made a Jane Austen inspired quilt for a dear professor who was a huge part of the teacher I am today. I had a lot of leftover diamond cuts, and they were fairly period correct. And wouldn’t you know it, Austen was born in 1775! So I took my diamonds and built a small star design. I quickly fell in love and made several more. I’ve sold three total so far, and these three have been waiting around for a doll lover to purchase. They’re meant for 18″ dolls, but they’ll also work well for teddy bears and other such lovies.