Monday, October 31, 2016

Modern Maples Quilt, and some cozy flannels...

I know, I know.  It's been forever since I blogged!  It's something I would like to do more often, especially with our house remodel going.  Because who doesn't love a few Before And After photos?
Speaking of before and afters... this quilt could count as one of them.  ;-)
TWO years ago (Oct. 2014) ... I pieced this Modern Maples Quilt.  
(this is the flannel I DID NOT LOVE - bottom left corner of photo)
ONE year ago (Oct. 2015) ... I bought some flannel from JoAnns to use for the back.  But I never LOVED it.  One year later, it was still sitting in my closet... untouched.


I even basted it with the batting and all...  I kept asking myself what it was that was keeping me from finishing it, and I finally realized it was the backing.  I tend to feel guilty if I don't use every last scrap of anything, and this flannel was no exception.  But here's what I decided:  it's better to learn from a mistake, and move on, than use something you don't like and never love the finished product.  I learned a bit of that from Marie Kondo's book: "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up".  It's a very freeing thing.  (You should try it, if you haven't already!)
Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel
THIS YEAR (Oct. 2016) ... a sweet friend of mine bought some of this Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel, and it was love at first sight for me.  It was exactly the look I was going for: something cozy, that didn't scream "fall".  If there's one thing I'm learning, it's "go with what you love, not what you think others will think is good or something that you perceive to be 'in-style'".  This flannel was it.  It's not that different from my original flannel, but just enough to completely change my heart.  The texture on it is so much better, as are the whites.  They're creamy, without being dull.  

Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel
Anyways - you should go take a look at those Mammoth Flannels.  They have a bunch of really good ones!  (Here at Robert Kaufman Fabrics, or Fabric.com, just to name a few.)

Quilting it proved another valuable lesson in *only* using brand new needles to avoid lots of skipped stitches, and lots of frustration.  I talked about it more over on Instagram (I'm @RedRainbootsHandmade over there, too).  This quilt taught me a few good lessons, and it has now been claimed by my family as a favorite.  After all, who can resist cozy flannel when the weather begins to cool?



- Quilt Info -
Modern Maples Quilt Pattern: by Amanda of Hey Porkchop! from the book: Pretty In Patchwork - Holidays.
You can also find the {free} pattern HERE.
Backing is: Mammoth Flannel by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.  I used this one (here) from Fabric.com.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Barn Quilt Sale: July 15th @ 5pm (mountain time)

In case you're interested, we've got another Re-Stock sale coming up...
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WHEN?  July 15 @ 5pm (mountain time)
WHERE?  www.redrainbootshandmade.bigcartel.com (click HERE)
WHICH?  Both lines of barn quilts will be available at this sale (Classic and Bonnie&Camille), limited quantities.

For colors, styles & pricing: (click here) =)
Classic Line: (click here)
Bonnie & Camille Line: (click here)
For Instagram info:  @RedRainbootsHandmade
                        and customer photos:  #RRBHbarnquilt
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Thursday, June 16, 2016

Bonnie and Camille Barn Quilts

The new line of Bonnie and Camille Barn Quilts will be making their debut this friday (5/17) @ 5pm (mountain time) over at my shop (here).  These new blocks are on a solid white background, with slightly distressed edges.  (I love them!)
Bonnie & Camille Barn Quilt
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They are available as singles, mix and match, or in sets. 
The square barn quilts measure 11" x 11", and the rectangular barn quilts (spools) measure 9" x 11", AND they come with a keyhole drilled in the back for easy hanging!
Camille (of Thimbleblossoms) was so sweet to help design these, and I'm head over heals.  I love the Classic Barn Quilts as well, as most likely will continue to sell both types at times, over in my shop. 

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Barn Quilts

Lucky in Hazy Skies
Have you ever seen a Barn Quilt?  They're really popular out on the east coast where I grew up.  It's basically a huge quilt block, painted onto a massive piece of wood - like 8' x 8' - and meant to be hung on the side of a barn.
Ohio Star in Black
Flying Geese in Aqua
Sara, a very talented friend of mine, made a small one a few months back, and I was completely smitten.  I was dying for one.  So I called her up one day and she gave me a few tips to get started.  I made one, and it was love, pure and simple. 

So then I had this crazy idea:  I should make them to sell - as indoor decor.  Because if I had wanted one that badly, I figured there might be a few quilters out there who would love one as well. 
(And...you see... besides being terribly cute, I had this extra motivation:  We've been living on sub-floors for the past 5 years, and I'm truly desperate to earn some extra money for wood flooring.  =)  So I figured it might be worth a try.)
Gold Rush in Gold Shimmer
Last friday I had my first flash sale over in my Etsy Shop, and in a matter of 10 hours I had as many orders as I could fill in a month!  It was crazy.
(picture from this past sale)
I'm pretty much in-love with these Barn Quilts.  And it seems like a lot of other quilters are too! 
Each Barn Quilt is 11" x 11", and though solid wood, is lightweight enough to hang on a wall, or prop up on a shelf. 
There are 4 different styles:
1 - Lucky
2 - Flying Geese
3 - Ohio Star
4 - Gold Rush
And 6 different color options:
1 - Navy Blue
2 - Hazy Skies
3 - Gray Smoke
4 - Gold Shimmer
5 - Aqua
6 - Classic Black
And then you get to choose if you want a natural edge, or stained.  It's pretty fun stuff!
They are sold as individual Barn Quilts, or in Sets of 3 or 4.
(set of 3)
(set of 4)
Lucky in Navy
I'm doing the hustle over here to get all these blessed orders filled, and I'm loving it.  And I already can't wait for next month.
 

 
FYI...
My next Flash Sale is 4/15 @ 5pm (MST) over in my Etsy Shop (here). 
Listings will go live right at 5pm, and I will be taking a limited number of orders, so if you're thinking you might want one (or four!), be sure and mark your calendar so you don't miss out.  
They go fast!

Sew Together Bag SAL // Week 5: Finishing It Up! (last zipper + bindings)

Ok - Technically I should have waited a week for this, but I just couldn't help myself!  We need to get these cute Sew Together bags fin...