Sunday Stash

Last week I got one of my Christmas packages in from the Etsy shop Our Epoch and if you aren't on a fabric diet then you should go and check out her store.  Good prices on some recent releases like Acacia by Tula Pink and Bungalow by Joel Dewberry at $6.75 a yard it will be the best price you will find.
But what I got was her awesome deal on Buy One Get One Free Art Gallery Fabric Bundles, I am a huge fan of Art Gallery, there saying is Feel the Difference and boy do you, love, love the feel of AGF.

So I got myself 2 Fat Eighth bundles.

I am using the lime greens and pinks/purples for my feathers quilt.

Along with Kona Avocado, Lime,Dark Violet, Magenta and Violet

My inspiration using the Play Crafts Palette Builder

I also purchased the needed background fabric for the feathers quilt from Our Epoch, it is Moda Crossweaves Brown, at $5.50 a yard.

The brown reminds me of when you leave black pants in the sun and it turns yellowish

Along with the backing for the quilt.

Bungalow by Joel Dewberry Lavender Chevron, colors are as pictured.

So if you go check out these good deals from Our Epoch, tell Andi that Mara said Hi!

Linking up to Sunday Stash at Sarah Quilts and if you go over there and leave a comment you are entered in a giveaway.

Some fun swaps happening

Creating and Sewing is fun, but there is only so much stuff you personally need or that you know someone else needs and this is where a swap comes in handy and fun.  You get to create something for someone else and at the same time get a handmade item for yourself by someone else creating a friendship.
We are pretty hard up on cash right now so I can't really mail anything out,but here are some fun swaps that YOU might want to participate in.

Triple Zip Pouch with Stephanie at Quarter Incher is happening again, it was so fun last time.  I made and sent this for my secret partner.

 Go here to find more information.

Round 3 Secret Tote Bag Swap is starting soon, sign in so you can get the information as soon as sign ups are allowed.  I participated in Round 2, the theme was Nature, and sent this package out,

you can see the feathers back here

 And got this one in return.

So very pretty.

I might just join the Secret Tote Bag Swap one again, the theme this time is Geometry and I am thinking hexagons, speaking of hexagons there is also a new EPP Swap Group on Flickr, I would love to join but I already have an commitment for that date and don't want to stress myself out, especially when it comes to doing something with English Paper Piecing.  They are swapping pouches this time around and Sign-ups are going on right now.

Will you be joining in any swaps this year, or know of other swaps?  Speaking of, there are a few more spots for the Purple Charm Swap, just in case you want to join in on the Pantone Challenge of the Year and need to stock up on a variety of fun orchid/purple colors!

A New Year Goals and Plans!

Okay, let's get down and dirty.
The plans for the New Year, I need to make some kind of money while enjoying and being able to create.  My husband is not very understanding about my "hobby", they don't really have hobbies here in Greece.  So what am I going to do, well, I am making something for my SIL and she is going to "buy" it, then I hope to make a Zibbet account, it is like Etsy, but free, I need the free part right now.  SO that's the long term goal for the year.

Plans:

1.        Every month I plan on following along with  

The "Classic meets Modern QAL"
2.       Every month I plan on making a block for the

 Aurifil Designer of the Month
3.       Every month I plan on making something from a

 Craft book Sew Along.
4.       Every month I plan on meeting the challenge over 

at Le Challenge.
5.       Every month make a bag from

"Big City Bags" also a Sew Along.
6.       I want to make 4 Quilts this year, mmm... should be interesting, maybe one will be from the Feathers QAL
8.        I want to make some more clothes for my daughter and maybe some for my son.

January Goals:
Finish my messenger bags for my nephews, and make a valentines table runner all using the Easy ABC's patterns from Blossom Heart Quilts and linking to her final linky party on January 13th.

Can you guess what this is going to say?

Finish my sewing project that I am making using the book "Modern Bee" and making something using the Mosaic Tiles block for the QAL, that is due February 14th, but I would like to finish it early.  This is going on over at Craft Buds and there are some good prizes to have, so if you haven't heard of it yet, check it out, there is plenty of time to get something done.

A start to my Mosaic tiles blocks only like 20 more to go 

Also it would be great if I got something done for the After Christmas Sew Along that is going on over at Sew Much 2 Luv, another fun and great way to get some sewing done.

Wishing you the best for the new year, I gotta go and cut some fabric, bye.
Mara

Linking to a Lovely Year of Finishes.

A Year of Finishes

I did pretty good!
I signed up a little late to the party just 2 days after the January goal setting deadline.
February, March, April and June goals and finishes were posted on my other blog GrecoMara, but my husband got tired of me talking about my sewing projects so I made this blog, Secretly Stitching and did the goals and finishes for May, August, September and October.  In November we were in the States and in December I was just to plan lazy to get my stuff done, but I did have 2 unscheduled finishes for that month. 

A December Finish

A December Finish

February Goal
February Finish

March Goal
March Finish

April Goal
April Finish

May Goals
May Finishes

Junes Goals
Junes Finishes


August Goal 
August Finishes

September Goals
September Finishes

October Goals
October Finishes

I have realized that I am not a quilter, nor do I want to be one.  So much hard work and the only one that really appreciates it is you and other quilters, at least in my family no is like woooo WOW, look at that, they like my zipper pouches and small projects, so that is what I will continue to make.
I will write my goals in my next post.
Linking up to A Lovely Year of Finishes 2013 Finale Party.,
But through my flickr acct. because I couldn't get my mosaic to come onto my blog account, was driving me insane, not only am I not a quilter, but I also am not a computer tech.

Fancy Tiger Fabric Shop, Denver, CO review

I would like to review some fabric shops that I went to while in the States, just for fun and in case you want to go.  First stop for me was Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, Colorado.  www.fancytiger.com

1. Fabric - ***** (5 stars)   This store has an Amazing selection of fabrics, anywhere from Moda and Robert Kaufman to Japanese prints and a whole rack of Liberty prints (that I fondled, but did not purchase at $40 a yard).  They also have books, patterns, buttons, rickrack, felt and yarn.  Really an amazing amount of fun things to buy.

   

   most of it is grouped by color.

2. Price - **** (4 stars) The fabric price is like the other stores I went into, $11 a yard.  I am giving it 4 stars for price because they didn't have any "sale" fabrics, not even a small bin of remnants.  They also didn't have FQ's which I found really weird, except for the few moda and kona bundles and by few I mean like 5 or 6.
3. Place - ***** (5 stars) Right on a main road with FREE parking on the side, Easy to get to and not very far from downtown Denver.

   

   The famous place to take your photo.

4. People - **** (4 stars) The staff was friendly and deserve 5 stars, they went out of their way to help me find Alison Glass's sunprints even getting online on the computer to look at the photographs so they could find the right fabrics.  A 4 because I had contacted the shop prior to going and was informed that they had all of the sunprints when in fact they only had the feathers and had just gotten her Clover Sunshine line in.  Also during checkout, the cashier charged me double for a piece of fabric, if I hadn't been counting my pennies, I probably wouldn't have noticed the $5 difference, but when you get 5 yards of fabric at $11 a yard it is pretty easy to do the math, so I caught the discrepancy at this shop.

   

   Took this picture in Taos, NM, in a sunny car.

Extras - ***(3 stars) I came to this shop looking for Allison Glass's fabric for a charm swap and I specifically went on Tuesday night, since that is the shops Open Craft Night, a free event that lets you come and craft together.  I was hoping to cut my charms while there and lucky for me the kids were exhausted and sleeping in the van while I shopped.  But I was told that they would charge me $10 for me to borrow the cutting mat and rotary cutter, that's a whole yard of fabric!  So I didn't cut there and instead the very generous Melissa who was in charge of the swap cut the fabrics for me.  A real minus in my book. Let's move on to the fabric!

 From the top:  Sunnyside by Kate Spain for Moda.

This is a blue grey color

Second from top: Collage by Carrie Bloomston for Windham Fabrics

Purple with Hot pink and the newsprint in Black and White.

Those 2 were 1/2 yard cuts.

Next is a fun print that I just got because I want to make my kids a fabric bookcase, have you seen those?  It should look pretty cute with this fabric.

Apple Jack ABC's by Tim Beck for Moda

Beautiful bright yellow, picture does not do it justice, I love it.

Crazy thing, I just looked up this fabric and they have it for sale here, but I also bought a piece from the same line at a different fabric shop on my trip and didn't even realize that they are the same line, how fun is that.

Next 3 bottom pieces are all Allison Glass and were 1 yard each, but I sent in the bottom 2 to be cut into charms for the swap.

And here is a lesson for you, this

is her Corsage print, but it has 2 colors and is a part of her Clover Sunshine prints, where as the "Sunprints" Corsage prints are tone on tone, like these.

Beautiful bright vivid colors.

Linking up to Sunday Stash, but on Monday morning since my computer was giving me a hard time yesterday.

Today's Happy Mail, A Great End to a Great Year.

Today was a beautiful day for mail, after the post office was closed for 3 days last week and they will again be closed tomorrow and the day after, I am so glad I got these goodies today.
First my Sew Mama Sew Win a beautiful handmade gift from Anita of Daydreams of Quilts, I love handmade gifts the most, okay money is good too, hehehe!  But handmade is really wonderful, having something that someone else has made, just feels good.

Anita also included a handmade card! 4 ropes of twine, a cute zippered pouch and the largest mug rug I have ever seen.

The pink mug rug has become a doll blankie for my daughter's dolls, but I get to lay claim to the pouch, look at this awesome rainbow zipper!

She does a fantastic job on the binding and I love the labels, she has an Etsy shop if you need anything.

Next in the mail was 2 books I ordered from Amazon, kind of a Christmas gift to myself since my husband never buys me Christmas gifts, oh and by the way today is our 7 year anniversary of when I moved here, I came to Greece on New Years Eve in 2006.

This is showing ALL 5 of my craft books, today I got the "Sew Classic Clothes for Girls"(it was 50% off at Amazon UK) and "Hoop-La" ( I am thinking of making a business doing crafts with hoops), both seem awesome so far, was a little confused with the Sew Classic one and I might need to read a few other clothing instructions since it is more for intermediate and advanced sewers than beginners in clothes.  The "Handmade Home" I won from my good friend Shirley of Simple Sew, it's an interesting book and she talks alot about up-cycling which I like, but the author is like an extreme upcycler.  "In the Studio with Angela Walters" is good you can see my review here.  And while state side I picked up Sara Lawson's of Sew Sweetness "Big City Bags" book, I was excited about it, but now not so much I like her PDF patterns better, more picture :)

I'm going to join in the Craft Book Sew Along over at Live Love Create for this new year, I have lot's of inspiration!

Also in the mail were the charms from the Allison Glass Sunprints Charm Swap.

I purchased my fabric for this swap, while in the States, I had communicated with the fabric shop before I went and asked if they had her fabric and they said they had all of the sunprints, but when I arrived they actually only had her feathers and had just gotten in some of the Clover Sunshine prints.  I was a little bummed because I had been looking forward to getting some of the X and + prints (top right corner) only 1 other person had gotten them and our swap mama knew that I had wanted to get them and look at that she sent me 2 pieces that are larger than 5" square, they say trim on them, so sweet, Thank you Melissa.  And not only did she send me something extra, but she also cut the charms for me, since when I went to the shop they were going to charge me $10 to cut my fabric in their back room, even though they were having "open sew night", doesn't sound to open to me. (more on the shop later).  I thought I had gotten 2 fabrics that were already in the swap but actually the lilac corsage I got is different from the other lilac corsage so that's cool and the lilac feathers are so pretty that I don't mind having 4 squares of them.

I think I will use some of these in a new swap going on flickr, it's for mini quilts with the group Super Swaps, the talent in this group is amazing and the swaps are always beyond awesome, deadline to sign up is  January 6th, you should come join!  I made one mini quilt you can see it here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!