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Still Open
I’ve been getting the question a lot lately, are you still open? Yes! I am in the process of closing my little shop, but will be open until all inventory is gone! I recently did another price reduction, so if you haven’t looked in awhile, Now is a great time! Most everything is 50-80% off, or more! It’s a great time to stock up on precuts and yardage. Inventory is moving fast, you won’t want to wait!

Store Closing
It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. I've had some major changes in my life and as a result, have to close my little shop. It breaks my heart that it has come to this. I have enjoyed my little business and all of my customers. I want to THANK YOU ALL for all your support over the years. I will truly miss you.
I will be discounting inventory over the next few weeks, in order to close out the store. I have also found some older bundles that were misplaced and doing my best to get everything listed in the store. I don't know how long it will take to sell everything, so PLEASE, tell your family, friends, co-workers, quilting group, anyone, everyone!

Again, Thank you to everyone that has purchased from store, and for especially for my loyal customers. You have all been so kind. I have enjoyed seeing your projects. I have loved getting emails asking if I really still have a certain bundle because you have been searching everywhere and haven't been able to find it. I have loved getting to know some of you through the block of the months. Thank you. Thank you!!!

Sarah

P.S. Everything is up to 50% off. I am still doing mark downs, so check back often! www.fabricseeds.com






Office Will Be Closed

Just a quick note that our office will be closed August 14 - August 21. Orders placed during that time will be shipped no later than August 22. 
 

Thank you for your continued support of my little shop!
Have a great week! :)


Sarah



Start Of Summer

Sooo ...
School got out, and we hit the road! I've been traveling solo with my kids for the past week and a half. I got home a couple nights ago, and yet to unpack. It just seems like SOOO much work! 

Instead, I've been picking cherries!! It might be more work, but so much more fun :) 
Today, I'll be turning these delicious fruit jewels into jelly. Unpacking can always wait :) 
I might even get to that quilt I started cutting 3 months ago....



Spring Sample Spree!!!
It's that time of year again .. the waiting, the running, the pushing, the grabbing. 
Yep! It's SAMPLE SPREE!!! 
And since the Quilt Market was just down the road from me this year, I took full advantage!!
I do still have a few bundles, books and totes to list, but the majority is listed on the site.
Here's a list of (most) the new bundles ...


Plus, receive a collector badge from Camp Moda with every order!
Look how adorable!


Ready to start shopping? Visit the store here.





Pink & Gold

My girl has been asking for a couple weeks now to make a quilt. Last week I pulled out all my bins and let her have it. Here are her picks. Most are scraps. And pink.
Turns out I have A LOT of PINK!


After she pulled all this fabric out, she says "so do I get a little box too?" 
"why?" I ask.
"Because," she says, "I'm ordering a quilt!"

Wait .. 
who's doing all the work here?!
Haha! I know it's me!
At least she'll help with piecing, right??


Speaking of  boxes, I still have some of the limited edition Moda small tins. You can still get these free with any purchase over $30.00. That is, until they are gone.

You can also purchase them here, in case you need more than one ;)







Easter Aftermath

I woke up this morning to snow. First day of Spring Break, and it snows!!
Good thing it was nice weather for Easter, because the rest of the week is looking about the same as today. And in regular kid fashion, Easter is now all over the floor today. 


I can't complain. I've been quilting all day myself. 
And watching movies.
It's been a good day :)







Last Day

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to save 15% on your total purchase with code SPRING at checkout. 



Don't forget! You receive one of these adorable limited edition Moda tins with purchase of $30.00 or more!



Click here to start shopping!


Rainbow Unicorn Monday!

It's Spring!!!
Here's a SALE to celebrate!!


But, wait!
There's More!!

But seriously - how cute are these little tins!!
You know you're gonna need one :) 

And the best part -- it's free with any purchase over $30.00 
(after discount - while supplies last!)

Click here to start shopping!





Irish Blessing

May you all have a blessed day!
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!






Heart Quilt Wall Hanging
I had the opportunity to quilt this fun jelly strip heart quilt a few weeks ago. 
My customer gave me free range on the quilting. I had fun sketching this one out. 


I used a light pink thread, which is a little difficult to see in these pictures.


AND .. Since you can see it a little better on the back ...



 I loved quilting this one!
Sometimes it's hard knowing what to do on someone else's quilts (or even my own). This time, it came really easy to me. LOVE when that happens!!! If only it would happen more often :)




An Impromptu Wedding
It's starting to warm up a bit around here. The snow is nearly melted. It didn't seem appropriate to keep my Winter wreath up any longer. But, I'm not quite ready for my Spring wreath. I needed something in between.

SO ... 

I put this new 'wreath' together last night


Plus -- I was lucky to find all the supplies for 65-80%!! 

I took my little girl with me to help pick flowers. Instead, she gathered up as many flowers as she could hold and practiced walking down the aisle. When we got home, she orchestrated a practice wedding, so "she won't be nervous when she really gets married" She even wrote out vows! She enlisted her brother to be the pastor, who had been protesting the fake marriage, saying it was illegal. haha!
It was a beautiful wedding ;)









Christmas Dress
I started this dress last Christmas (2014). I found this tutorial and free pattern. And totally copied it. 

Except ...
As you've heard me say here a few times, I am no seamstress. Clothes making is usually very stressful for me. I get confused in the directions, the language is foreign to me and majority of the time end up calling my mom (multiple times) or have her do the 'tricky' part.


I thought I was doing pretty good with this dress - until I sewed the sleeves. I must have missed something while reading and re-reading the instructions. Also, I'm just not that good. My first run at it ended up making the sleeves look like armor. I really should have taken a picture! I was so frustrated with it, I gave up!


And there it sat. Balled up in the corner for a year. I would look at it every once in a while and think to myself 'I really should finish that'. But as soon as those armor sleeves showed themselves, I was out!
I finally talked myself into tackling it once again. After unpicking nearly the entire bodice, I got the sleeves on and looking decent. whew!


The rest should be a breeze, right?! Practically yes! I did have one other little hiccup though. There was supposed to be a band just under the bodice. It was there. My girl tried the dress on, and I did not like it. More specifically, I did not like the band. It made the dress look too big for her. I suppose I could have shortened the bodice, moving the band up. But I was feeling a bit of a time crunch with getting the dress finished, and just took the band off. 


Then, there was the zipper. I can do zippers. Just not this one. 
The elusive invisible zipper. 
I'm not really sure how it's sewn different. That's just what I'm told. And the diagrams that come with the zipper confuse me more than sewing on these sleeves. Luckily, my mom is an expert and had it on in no time.


Despite my incompetence to dress-making, this really is a beautiful dress. I love the way the shoulders are exposed, giving it a simple elegance. If I were to make this dress again (I really would like to), I would adjust the bodice and band to fit her better. Taking the band out made the skirt just a little tighter around. The poof is still there. However, when she sits down, we have to constantly adjust the skirt so she is properly covered. I might also make the skirt just a bit fuller, too.


This little girl loves to get dressed up!
Makes it all worth it. Even if it did take me a year to get it finished ;)


It's not the dress, it's me -- I cut out a dress last Summer -- and that's as far as I got.
I'm hoping to get to it before the end of this Summer. Sometimes it seems so overwhelming to think about it.
Then it's done, and I'm already planning the next one :)





Um, Hello February!
WOW! The last couple of months seem like a blur. I was surprised to see the last post I did was to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. The holidays were busy, as usual. Although, looking back, it doesn't seem like it anymore :) My boy's grade did a production of the Nutcracker. This was the 28th year for his school! Even more amazing -- the teacher that started it all is still running the show. I helped teach the Penny-Whistles their little dance. The kids practiced everyday for 6 weeks. All the kids did amazing! Plus, it was so fun to watch!!

I haven't done much sewing in the past couple of months, but I did manage to make a Christmas dress for my girl. I still need to take pictures of it. Shortly after Christmas, I got hit with Asthmatic Bronchitis. Basically, the bronchitis is causing me to have asthma. I have never had asthma, so this has been new and sometimes scary. I have been to urgent care 4 times in the last month, 2 of which were because I could not get enough air. The scary part! There were a few times during a coughing fit that I truly felt as though I had forgotten how to breathe, and maybe I was doing it wrong. I had to think about every breath. I'm currently on a pretty high dose of prednisone, keeping my breathing in check, and making me a bit more productive.

I have been able to quilt a few things the last couple of weeks. Pictures coming soon!! Of course, I do have something to show you today too :) A customer brought me these adorable Valentine's table toppers.


I love these scrappy hearts. They are all appliqued for extra cuteness! 


I stitched around each heart, next to the edge.


Squiggly lines going through the hearts. It was nice and relaxing. 


To switch things up a bit, I changed the direction of the lines on the second top.


I don't know about you, but I am fully inspired to do some Valentine's sewing!


That's it for today. 
I'll be back soon with some quilts and that Christmas dress I mentioned :)








Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
My kids are making the pumpkin pie this year. Wish us luck!




Out Of Step


Out Of Step. 
I feel like I've been a little out of step lately. Trying to balance this new school year with 2 kids and homework, finding time to keep up with the store, housework, gym time... uh, the list could go on. The Holidays always bring on a new overwhelming sense of stress. amiright? 
I'm pretty much a step behind. I know I will catch up. One step at a time. 
Maybe a few extra gray hairs :)


This pattern can be found in the list of free patterns offered by Robert Kaufman.

As soon as I saw it, I needed to make it! I have never done an all solid quilt. I pulled a bundle I had been saving from Art Gallery fabrics and got to work!


I started this quilt at the beginning of the year. I shared a few progress posts here, there, under there and over there. Although I had the top finished, and every intention to complete the quilt at the time, it got placed in a pile and forgotten. I rediscovered it a couple of months ago, found the perfect backing and binding for it in my stash - something I had bought years ago and was saving for an unknown project. I had just the right amount! 
 

I mostly quilted straight lines, following the flow of the quilt. I had started to fill the 'maze' with lines, but after the first section, decided it was too many lines. So, I unpicked 2 rows. Even with all the turning required, I had it quilted in about 4 days. I filled the extra spaces with offset triangles.
I am so in love with how it all turned out!



I asked my little girl to hold my camera while I put the quilt out on the ice. Naturally, she snapped a few shots of me.  



Frozen lakes make me nervous. But, I couldn't resist the forming ice.
I stayed on the bank, and hoped it was frozen enough to support me. But if not, then at most I would only have a really cold boot. :)


I love all the texture the light shows. 


I wouldn't mind having a wintery picnic. right. here.


Just look how gorgeous this lake is!


Oh! I nearly forgot! I had one last hurdle to jump before getting this quilt done. I did a bias binding, which I've done several times before. For some reason, I had a bit of a rolling problem with this one. It might have been that I didn't have it lined up just right when I turned it over. I may have even stretched it a bit while pressing. I thought I could get over it; maybe it would fix itself in the wash. 
I was nearly finished with it, and decided I just didn't like it. I could do better. So, I took it all out. I used a few more (or all of them) of my Wonder Clips, and started over. It turned out so much better!
There was still a small amount of rolling, but barely noticeable. I'm sure after a wash or two, it won't even bother me :)




All Hallow's Eve - 2015

I am so excited about this year's costumes. They were easy to make, fun to put together, and cost was low or free :) 

My boy finally wanted to be a pirate! 
I was given some fabric a few years ago that I have been saving just for his pirate costume. The shirt is made from the same fabric I used for my girl's pirate costume last year. I barely had enough! The pants are made from a stretch material. It was a bit hard to work with. My machine kept skipping stitches. I tried a variety of needles, stitch and thread combos. At last, the only thing that really worked was a straight stitch with a sharp needle on the highest speed setting. Once I got that figured out, it all went together quite quickly. 

I borrowed the coat from my mom. It's a coat she made for a George Washington costume for a school project when my brother was a teen. The arms are a little long, so they are just tucked in a bit. I think it really pulled the whole look together.


Every pirate needs a little gold! 
My boy picked out the color for the sash. It was originally going to be a vest, which was no longer needed after finding the jacket. I like the sash much better :)


I didn't have a pattern for the boot covers. I just wrapped felt around his leg for size, then added a cuff at the top; and, lastly, a curved piece for the shoe top.


The ring was a last minute addition. He got it at his school Halloween party. 
Absolutely perfect!


I had an unbelievably hard time finding a pirate hat. I went to several costume shops, with the only hats available were for teenagers or adults. I basically gave up on finding a hat. 
A few days later, I just so happened to walk down the party aisle at Target and they had a pirate party section, with a pirate hat as a favor. The best part -- it only cost 2 bucks!


Argh!



There was no question what my girl was going to be .. a mermaid! Her biggest dream right now is to be a real mermaid. She even swims like a mermaid! 
We were on our way out from Joann Craft Stores one day (in July) and happened to see the fabric that would be perfect for her mermaid costume. I can't even tell you how excited she was!


I wanted her costume to be a good reflection of the natural flow of the fabric I was using. I couldn't find any pattern that I was really in love with, so this costume is entirely made up. I'm surprised at myself that I was able to pull it off. Clothes making is not my forte and I struggle with it quite a bit. I've gotten better over the years, but most the time still have to call my mom for help. 


This is my favorite costume so far. I made every part of her costume. 
Her costume makes me want to be a mermaid, too! She looks like she should be attending prom, or walking down the red carpet, instead of trick-or-treating. 

The top was fashioned after one of her halter tank tops. After I finished it, I wished I had made the back a little higher. That thought sat on my mind, until I ultimately made a last minute costume change (more on that in a bit).
One of my favorite parts of this costume is the arm bands. Not knowing what the weather might be on Halloween night, I needed to come up with some way to keep this little girl warm. I made the arm bands long, to cover as much as possible. I especially love the little fin along the side. 


I struggled mostly with the tail. It was the first piece I made. Not only did I battle the skipping stitches, but I also had to make up the skirt. Basically I wrapped the solid blue around her little body, making it form fitting. The fin was then gathered in. I love the flow of the fin when she walks. 


 I made her little starfish earrings. 
I also found these little jewel stickers to add a little more sparkle to her ensemble.


Her headpiece is 2 parts. The first being the double pearl headband.
The second, and more obvious is the flower arrangement. I've made quite a few flowers for her to wear in her hair, but these are my favorite! I'm so happy with how they turned out. I picked beads for the center that resembled sea glass. 
And then there's that starfish!


The last couple of days here have been getting colder. Not wanting this little mermaid to be frozen, I quickly made a little cover-up for her. I used the sequin material and lined it. I just hope it's warm enough!!
This was another first for me. I fabricated the pattern myself and had it sewn together in about half an hour. I'm still in shock!




I will definitely be making it again! .. with a few adjustments :)

They had a fun time trick-or-treating this year. They are much more about collecting the candy than they are about eating it. When I pulled out their trick-or-treat bags, they were still full of candy from last year!
The highlight this year was getting an orange from someone :)

I hope everyone had a great Halloween!










Getting There
I finally finished up my kids' costumes last night, just in time for a trunk-or-treat tonight no less.
The headpiece for my girl was especially stressful. After a few failed ideas, and several trips to craft stores, I finally came up with a solution on attaching the starfish.


Or, so I thought. I didn't seem to take in account the weight of the starfish. The piece is a bit heavy, and droops to the side. So now I'm rethinking the position. But it looks so pretty!! I just hate to move it!


I'll get pictures of the costumes later tonight ... I hope! Definitely before Halloween!! 


On a side note ... The rest of the Canyon pre-cuts have finally arrived, along with Basic Mixologie. You find them, along with all the other new arrivals, here.  

Have a great weekend everyone!




Fancier Foxes
This post is looong overdue! 

A few months ago, I made a Fancy Fox quilt for my newest nephew. My kids fell in love with the foxes. So much so, that: 1) they didn't want me to give the quilt away. 2) they wanted to make their own fox quilts. I've been posting pics here and there of their progress. Although - it's been a few months since they finished their tops. Summer came along, and like all other projects, we (I) took a break on the quilts. I finally got them quilted in August, and even took pictures a few weeks ago. I'm a bit behind with showing them off. I'm still trying to find a happy medium with how to spend my time while the kids are at school. Lately, I've been sewing up their Halloween costumes. Which, I'm happy to say, are nearly finished, and should have pictures to show y'all in a week or two. 

Making these quilts with them has been such a great experience for all of us. The kids really took to concentrating on their stitches, and even challenged themselves to go at a faster pace. They sort of made a game out of timing themselves to see how long it would take to sew 5 squares, or how many they could get done in 2 minutes. 

They were very particular about what they wanted, putting their personalities into their quilts. They picked everything, from fabrics, placement, accessories, backing and quilting. Which has been funstrating (fun+frustrating)! I think it's a good trait they have, but can also be frustrating when what they want isn't really available. My girl was much more giving in her decisions. If it was the right color, that's all that mattered. 


My boy on the other hand, was a little more picky. He wanted each fox be different - not just in color, but also in print. He has always known what he wants, and always figures out a way to get it. I had to pull out every single bin of fabric I have, with a lot of rejections, before he found a fabric for each fox. In the end, he decided it was okay if the patterns were similar (but still not the same), especially when it came to dots. Even thought it's just a quilt, I'm glad to see him not waver from his determination. I know he felt very accomplished when he was able to find 42 different fabrics. He could have given up after the first bin and just settled on what he had, but he wouldn't have been happy.  



Trying to decide on a background was nearly as daunting for him. After many mind changes, a couple quick lessons on color theory and contrasting, a trip (or 2) to the Riley Blake warehouse, he found the right color of grey he could be happy with.




So how did we make these foxes fancier? Of course the glasses were a must. My girl didn't like the glasses that Elizabeth Hartman made to go along with her pattern. She thought they looked too boyish. So I came up with some other, more girly glasses. Paisley also wanted to add bows. Which I love! 
This is my favorite of her foxes.








My boy also wanted to add glasses. And mustaches.
I came up with a few mustaches for variety. He only wanted the short, nearly straight mustache.
I think it makes the fox look quite sly.


It didn't just stop at glasses and mustaches. He also wanted a hat, which then led to a monocle.
This is my favorite of his foxes. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out!

This might really be my favorite of all the foxes. He looks so dignified!


Paisley wanted a simple wave quilted across hers. She picked a very pale purple thread by Sulky. It has a been of a glimmer to it, just like her :)




She couldn't decide which Michael Miller Basics purple dots she liked better, so I pieced them in a gradient (I should have made some of the strips wider).


Argyle wanted his to be quilted in flames. He found a red/yellow/orange variegated thread in my box that was perfect for the flames.


He also pulled about 13 different fabrics for his backing. I did my best to incorporate all that he had, but when it came down to it, had to leave a few out. The pieces just weren't big enough. I made the back up as I went a long. I don't usually do improv piecing. I had a lot of fun with it, and am seriously considering making a top in the same fashion. 



I don't know who's more proud of their first quilts (and tremendous accomplishment), me or them. The quilts are shown to just about everyone who comes by our house, have been on their beds since the moment they were finished, traveled with them in the car, been to movie nights, a hospital appointment, talent night and shown off to their school classes. 



I am amazed at their tenacity during the whole process. 
I'm glad to be able to share my love of quilting with my kids. 
I'm happy I could teach them.

I am extremely proud of them. 




September Newsletter
Wow! Can you believe it is September already! School started last week for my oldest and then again this week for my youngest. The rest of the week has been trying to get into a schedule while the kids are gone. I've had big plans for a cleaner house, gym time and finishing up my huge stack of quilts. However, trying to budget time for each in a 2.5hr slot is seeming near impossible. Especially trying to do any work after the gym :) 
 
But you didn't come here to listen to my scheduling problems. 
I bet you just want to see pretty fabric, eh!
 
 There's been a few new arrivals to the store over the past couple of weeks.
 
First up is the the newest of the additions:
Cheddar & Indigo from Penny Rose Studios. 
How gorgeous are these blues and golds! 
 
I'm thinking I need a vintage-y style quilt made out these delicious fabrics!
 
 
Next is Modern Paper Background by Zen Chic.
I should have gotten my act together and joined in the low-volume plus block swap hosted by my friend Lindsay of  Craft Buds, but one thing I lacked was low-volume prints. This is a perfect collection to have for any low-volume quilt. Modern Paper Background is available in all pre cuts.
 
 
Lastly, the lastest Sample Spree from Moda arrived a couple of weeks ago.
 
You'll find yummy collections from Simply Colorful II by Vanessa Christensen in blue, yellow and purple colorways:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prairie by Corey Yoder:
 
 
 
Gooseberry by Lella Boutique:
 
 
 
Canyon by Kate Spain:
 
 
And...
Tucker Prairie by One Canoe Two:
 
 
With all these beautiful collections, the gym and housework may just have to wait ;)
Sample Spree includes fat quarters, layer cakes, charms and jellies. You can check them all out here.


Back To...

Today, I'm getting a backing ready for this quilt top I made some months ago (still this year, so it's not been too long - like some of the other unfinished quilts in my stack!) I'm planning on getting it up on the frames this weekend.


Also, my little girl started Kindergarten this week. Both my kids are now in school, which means I have a few hours off to myself. Trying to find a schedule so far has been a bit hit and miss. I'm sure by next week, it will all come together. 
I wasn't planning on doing the whole sign thing for their first day of school pictures, but when I saw these clapperboards, I just had to do it! The 'Take' section I am using for what they want to be when they grow up. 'Prod. CO' is for their name. 'Director' is the teacher's name and 'Cameraman' is their school.


They are loving school, but not loving getting up in the morning. 
I can't blame them, I don't love waking up early either.
Any tips for balancing time while the kids are at school? 
I have a long list of should-do's and only a couple of kid-free hours.



August Sample Spree!!
Arriving tomorrow are Sample Spree items of:          








I still have a few Hello Darling items available, too    


To place an order, click here for all the Sample Spree items available!



Bundling Up

In the past 3 days, all I have managed to do with my newest project was to cut fabric.


And, then stack it.


Isn't it pretty?!


I may even be able to cut it for piecing by the end of the week.
But, really, I'm in no hurry. 
Plus, It's nice to look at :)


Outfoxed

I was going through my stash the other day and came across my bundle of Outfoxed by Lizzy House. As soon as I pulled it out, I spotted my Art Gallery bundle of Pure Elements in Spice Shades. I've been saving both for an unknown project. 


Inspiration hit immediately.
I mean, it's like they were made for each other!


I'm not sure if I'll use all the pinks, since the Outfoxed bundle is more purple and orange. 

With my wanting to make a good sized quilt, I still needed something extra; something to fill in the gaps. So, I started pulling from the Cotton + Steel Basics, and came up with this...


Again, it's like they were all made for each other. 
I can't wait for this new quilt to come together!
However, I may have a few late nights ahead of me :)






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