Shop Sale! Verona, Chevrons and Breeze!

We are having a shop sale! Verona, Chevron Cottons and Breeze are all on sale. Patterns and notions have also been marked down. Come take a look at sewbellefabrics.etsy.com!

Strawberry Jam

Today the kids and I went strawberry picking at Pantall Fruit and Vegetable Farm in Columbia, Tennessee. We picked 7 pounds of beautiful, ripe, red berries. Well, maybe more if you count the berries we ate! They do not spray the berries at this farm and they only use organic material for fertilizing. I love that the kids can pick these healthy berries themselves and learn about where our food comes from.

This afternoon I made my first ever batch of strawberry freezer jam! It is setting now and will be ready to eat tomorrow afternoon. I hope it turns out OK. If not, the jars look really pretty!

Blue Fabrics for Sew Blues Bee

I am so excited to have joined the Sew Blues Bee online quilting bee. It is the most chatty bee I have been in to date with so many interesting quilters from all over the country. I think it is going to be a lot of fun! Each month we will do two blocks for two different bee members and, as you may have guessed from the name, the blocks will all be blue. I love seeing everyone's selections of blues and how they vary from each other. I did some fabric shopping this morning to pick out a few blues and I love what I found! Now to pick a block....

Neutral and Not Bee Blocks

I am a member of a fantastic online quilting bee on Flickr called Neutral and Not. Each month a block is chosen that contains one neutral color and one not neutral color. It has been fun to see what each quilter chooses for each color. I just finished the block below of strips in purples and greens that was simple to do and will make a very striking quilt:

Neutral and Not April

The previous month was stars of our choice with gray as the neutral and several shades of purple for the not neutral. There were some incredible stars made! Check them out on the Flickr page. Here is mine that was quite basic compared to the others:

Neutral and Not March

My month was February and I chose gray as my neutral and aqua as my not neutral. I asked for wonky log cabin blocks and I got some really nice ones from the group! Here is mine and several that I have received back. The picture does not do them justice!

Neutral and Not February

A few blocks I received so far!

This block, from January, is one of my favorites. Each block had to have tree branches and a silhouette of a bird. So cute!

Neutral and Not January

And last, but not least, my very first attempt at a Dresden Plate block in chocolate brown and green. I am not sure it turned out so great but I am proud that I tried!

Neutral and Not November

I am looking forward to the next months of this wonderful bee!

Sincerely,

Susan

Breeze by Rosemarie Lavin On Sale Now in the Shop!

We're having a sale! All of the fabrics in Breeze by Rosemarie Lavin have been marked down! This includes individual cuts as well as bundles. This line from Windham has beautiful browns, teals, purples and greens. There are more traditional floral patterns as well as modern interlocking and knit look patterns. Mums in Cream (second from the bottom) has to be my favorite pattern in this collection. Here are all of the fabrics in the line: 

A quilt made from these fabrics would be beautiful! There is a free pattern for this quilt called Lanterns in the Breeze on Windham's site that I am thinking of making myself!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Happy Easter!

Sincerely,

Susan

We're Digging Spring

I really love spring here in Tennessee! It has been so warm and sunny for the past couple of weeks. As a northerner, I don't think I will ever get used to being able to do yard work in early April! This week I had the kids come out to help me dig up a new flower bed. When I told them we were going out to dig, my daughter promptly got changed into one of her favorite sun dresses from last year (too small) and her beloved green froggy boots, a great choice for a digging outfit! She absolutely loved digging in the dirt looking for slugs and worms. Every little creature she found was "cute" and was given a name. Oh to be 3! Here's hoping spring continues to be as beautiful as it has been!

Riley Blake Chevrons - Here Today and Gone Soon!

I just received a small shipment of Chevron Cottons from Riley Blake on Thursday night. I have been drooling over them ever since! I have been thinking about what I would make if I bought some for myself and what fabrics would I match it up with. I am thinking about a peasant dress for my little girl with navy Chevron Cottons and Dots in Rouge from Verona for trim. BUT...the chevrons are selling like hot cakes! I am already sold out of yellow and I have only 1 yard left of orange! I have some navy, red, green and pink left and I am expecting some gray and aqua to arrive in the near future. Such a great fabric line to have in the shop, I can't wait to get some more in! What is your favorite Chevron Cotton color and what would you make with it?