Saturday, February 21, 2009

My First Completed Quilt

I have to toot the horns of Alex Anderson and Liz Aneloski. If it wasn't for the straight-forward no-nonsense approach found in Super Simple Quilts #1, I may have never made my first quilt. Now that the quilt is finished, it will soon be delivered to its new owner, who is a 1-month old very important delivery herself.

It took me three years to approach quilting because I didn't think I had the discipline or perfectionism to get a project done properly or without losing interest along the way. I am the queen of quick, easy projects – in the past my crafts had to accommodate my short attention span and desire for somewhat instant gratification.


There is a myriad of explanation missing from Super Simple Quilts which is precisely what makes it such a great book for a beginner like me. It tells you what you need to do to create a quilt you like the quick, easy, and stylish way. The hardest part is choosing your fabrics! And that's still really fun because you don't even have to decide which of the three quilts in the book you're going to be doing until you start cutting. I used fabric from Piece O'Cake's fabric line, Elanor's Picnic. As to which fabric would go where - I changed my mind a hundred times and had to consult a few of the experts in my office. Despite lots of mistakes - some i fixed, some i didn't - I am very happy with my final result. (And I am already working on my next quilt top!)

Monday, February 16, 2009

Etsy Shop Open!

My Etsy shop, Spaz-made, has been open since Christmas so I think I will finally go ahead and blog about it. "Why wait so long?" you ask. The thing is, I probably never would have opened shop if it wasn't for the fact that I just moved into a super small new space and I can barely find room for storing craft supplies let alone finished crafts I don't really have space or use for. My store inventory is currently residing in our little aluminum shed out back. I have always wanted to have a store on Etsy but I was never happy with the way it looked and what it's name was. It's amazing how as soon as I am feeling pressured to get rid of everything I don't need, I come up with the perfect design and a name I like: Spaz-made. Since I am one and it is! I have already sold two items, can you believe it? Here are some pics of the other items in my store...



everything currently in my store falls under the wooden box category. I had a great time using Hambly rub-ons, papers, and acrylic overlays in these projects, as well as good old acrylic paint, spray enamal, and a lot of sandpaper!






Check out the rest of my handmade items at www.dspaz.etsy.com. Mention this blog post and I'll give you a break on shipping! and if you buy three items, I will pay your shipping! But only if you live in the USA. Sorry.