Sale Item of The Week on Etsy

This week's sale item in my Etsy shop is this beautiful quilt set (includes twin/throw size quilt, throw pillow and two shams) for $265 (marked down from $295). I cannot take credit for these beautiful pieces as my friend Cathy Lee made them. She owns a quilt shop in town and has asked me to help her sell some of her shop samples.

This set is made from Moda's Origins line. I think the colors are so fun and it would look great draped over a couch, chair or bed.

Good news, my charitable item of the month sold yesterday!! I'm so happy to be making that donation to St. Jude's tomorrow. Thank you to Sarah who purchased that item!

I hope you have a great week!

Berenstain Bears Quilt

Remember the Berenstain Bears? I used to love the books when I was a kid. Moda just released their Berenstain Bears themed fabric line and it's called "Welcome To Bear Country." I couldn't resist creating a little rag quilt with the fabric. It's absolutely adorable!

I've been quilting away this week and I'm currently working on a queen size rag quilt. It will be a sample for a custom listing on Etsy. I will be working on more rag quilts and some fun embroidery items too!

Have a great weekend!

Custom Memory Rag Quilt With Photos

I've been working hard on this custom rag quilt with photos and it's finally finished. I made one using my own photos and I think it turned out really well!

I have created a listing on Etsy for a custom quilt with photos, and I think it would make such a wonderful gift! I think it would be great for students going off to college, moms, grandparents, and pet lovers. I also think they would be a neat way to remember a special occasion such as a wedding, birthday or vacation.

Creating a quilt like this is a very lengthy process but the end result is worth it. This quilt is just an absolute treasure. :)

Have a nice evening!

Etsy Sale Item of the Week

This week's item-of-the-week on Etsy is this little Lily & Will rag baby quilt. It's the first baby rag quilt I ever made and I just adore it! It's being offered at a special price of $40 with free shipping. This offer will expire this Sunday at midnight. 

This week I have a huge pile of quilts to do and a custom pet portrait in the line up as well. Going to be busy! :)

I hope you have a lovely Monday!

First Long Arm Customer

Yesterday I worked on some quilt tops for my first long arm customer! It was a lot of fun and a learning experience as well! Note to self: never try to do 3 quilts in one day, it's a killer on the back! :)

I started offering long arm quilting services on Etsy a couple weeks ago, but as it turns out I'm not allowed to offer such services on Etsy. Their policies state that services can only be provided if the end product results in a new tangible item and even though quilting meets these requirments, it's still not allowed, at least for now. I was really disappointed by this because there was so much interest in my quilting. So hopefully they can change their policy at some point or business will come from somewhere else.

If you have a quilting need please feel free to e-mail me or contact me through Etsy or Facebook.

Today I will continue working on these quilts as the customer has asked me to sew binding for her as well.

I hope you have a great day!

Charitable Item Of The Month

This adorable baby rag quilt is my charitable item-of-the-month for February. 100% of this sale will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This offer is good until February 29th at which point I will select a new item and a new charity.

This cute little quilt is made using fabric from the Fox Trails line by Riley Blake. It measures about 23 by 30 and is backed with a soft yellow cotton flannel. And it's also very reasonably priced at $45. :)

Giving Back

"Bleeding Hearts"

In an effort to give back I will now be offering a "charitable item-of-the-month." I will choose one item from my shop (most likely an original painting or quilt) each month and offer to donate 100% of the sale to a selected charity.

Some of the charities that I have selected are: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, American Red Cross, Wounded Warrior Project, Feeding American, ASPCA, UNICEF, Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society.

I have been trying to figure out how I can make a difference with my art and this is what I have come up with. I think the reason we're here is to not only help ourselves but others as well. We can all be a blessing to someone else, in some way.

Tomorrow I will choose my item for the month of February.

Etsy Item of The Week

"Shades of Pink" 5 by 7, Watercolor Painting

This small watercolor painting is my item-of-the-week on Etsy this week. I'm offering it at the sale price of $55 with free shipping. It's the only tulip painting I have left! It's actually the first one I ever did. I like it a lot and it makes me long for spring! :)

Along with my "items of the week" I've decided to offer an item of the month to donate to charity. I'm working on a list of charities and I will post more about this tomorrow.

Happy Monday!

Bear & Lee

"Bear & Lee" 5 by 7, Pastel

I was working on this custom pet portrait today. It was a lot of fun to do, especially that little kitty in the background. The photo given to me for reference was not ideal and I had a little trouble working out the lighting. Unfortunately it was the only photo of Bear that the customer had. I tried to make it work and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

I just love these pet portraits. I might try some wildlife in watercolor this week. :)

Looking Back

Taking a look back today at some of my first pastel paintings. It's hard to believe that only 2 years have gone by since I began painting in pastel. I was quite intimidated by the medium when I first began but I'm pretty comfortable with it now.

"End of Day" - My first pastel painting
"A Day Away" - My second pastel painting

It's kind of fun to look back and see how far you've come. I haven't been working on my painting skills nearly as much as I'd like, because the sewing part of my business has been growing. But growing as an artist is still very important to me. I tend to be very hard on myself, but I can honestly say that I'm happy with my growth so far.

I can't wait to see where I'm at in 10 years! :)

Baby Rag Quilts

I have been having so much fun making these baby quilts! Now come on, if you were a child wouldn't you just LOVE one of these? I would!

This quilt is made from the Dessert Party line by Robert Kaufman fabrics.
This quilt is made from the Meadow Friends line by Moda.
This quilt is made from the Fox Trails line by Riley Blake.

I title these "baby quilts" but they're perfectly large enough to be cuddle quilts, or throw quilts for older children. I have plans to make some rag quilts for adults as well.

Have a great weekend!

Dance Of Shadows

"Dance of Shadows" 8 by 10, Pastel Painting

Available Here

If you're thinking that this scene looks familiar, you would be correct. I painted it about 3 years ago in watercolor. In fact it was one of the first watercolor paintings I ever did, and it now hangs in my kitchen. Well, I had been wanting to try the scene in pastel so I finally did. It was great fun to do, and a lot more work in pastel, that's for sure. But the color pay off was worth it.

Scanning this painting certainly did not do it justice. The painting is so much prettier in person. I'm quite happy with it and it's available for purchase on Etsy.

I hope you have a nice night!

Long Arm Quilting Services

 I am now offering professional long arm quilting services! Quilting will be done on my new Tin Lizzie 18 long arm machine.

Pricing:

The cost for edge-to-edge free motion meandering is $.01 per square inch.

To figure out the cost, multiply the width x length (of your quilt top) x $.01 = Total

Example: 70" x 90" = 6300" x $.01 = $63.00 (plus shipping)

This cost is based upon you providing the backing fabric and batting. If needed batting and backing fabric can be provided at an additional charge (I use Warm & Natural 100% cotton batting).

*Please note there is a $35.00 minimum (per quilt)

Design:

You can choose between a big stippling meander (as shown in the 1st photo below) or an all over loopy meander (as shown in the 2nd photo below). This is all done free motion.

You can let me know what color thread you would like or you can leave it up to me. I generally use neutral thread colors.

Other Services:

Binding services can be provided upon request.

Hand sewn binding - $.25 per linear inch (this includes assembling binding, machine sewing on top and hand sewing on bottom). You provide the fabric.

I can also attach binding with mitered corners to your quilt by machine so your quilt is ready for you to finish by hand. The cost for this is $.10 per linear inch.

Tips:

*Please make sure that your backing fabric and batting (if not provided by me) are at least 4" larger than the quilt top, on all sides.

*Please make sure to trim up or square your quilt top and backing.

*Make sure all seams are secure and all excess threads are removed.

You can contact me through Etsy to submit your quilt top for quilting or you can e-mail me at - angela292@hotmail.com

I accept Paypal, personal checks and money orders. If you send a personal check, I will ship your quilt once the check clears.

Turnaround time is approximately 1 - 2 weeks.

Please don't hesitate to message me through Etsy, or contact me by e-mail with any questions you may have.

Item Of The Week

This week's item-of-the-week in my Etsy shop is this sweet Sophie baby quilt. It's offered at a reduced price of $75 with free shipping, until Sunday at midnight.

My baby rag quilts have been a hot item! I've sold several and received requests for custom quilts as well. I'm working on a pile of them this week for my shop. I'll share some of my new ones soon. :)

Have a lovely evening!

Item of the Week

"A New England Lighthouse" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

This week is painting week, so I've chosen a pastel painting as my item-of-the-week on Etsy. It's on sale for $45 and will ship for free! I have to say that I just love this little painting. I've even entertained the thought of keeping it for myself, but I don't have a place for it at the moment. I think it would look adorable in a kitchen or bathroom.

For a bit of good news, I just sold "Contentment" at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery! It's a recent pug painting that I did. Hopefully it's a sign of many more sales to come!

Have a wonderful week!

In My Sewing Room This Week

One of my goals for the new year was to find a better balance for my art and quilting. Therefore, I've decided to alternate weeks, and I spent this week in my sewing room. I started the week out by making a custom rag quilt for an Etsy customer. Then I made two baby quilt tops and got those onto the long arm machine (which you can see in the photo above). I still have to hand sew the binding on those. Today I think I will work on another rag quilt. I'm enjoying the slightly larger ones, and I think others would as well. They're a great deal of work, but worth it!

I'll post photos of these quilts soon. Have a lovely weekend!!

Item Of The Week

This "Little Apples" baby quilt is my item-of-the-week on Etsy! My rag baby quilts have been selling quickly and I think it's only a matter of time before someone snatches this adorable quilt!

My item-of-the-week is an item that I offer at a reduced price and it includes free shipping. For this quilt, it's an $18 savings! The reduced price is $85 (regularly $95). And after doing some research on Etsy, very similar quilts sell for nearly $200 or more! I believe in pricing my work (artwork included) reasonably.

So if you know someone who has a baby or will be having a baby, please check out my baby quilts! They make incredible gifts!

Have a great week!

A Pugs Life

"A Pugs Life" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

In an effort to get my groove back I've been working on this painting the past couple days. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. I was however, disappointed with the way that it scanned. This particular piece looks so much better in person. The overall softness has not been captured in this photo.

This painting is 5 by 7, and the painting surface is Ampersand Pastelbord. I used all pastel pencils for this piece.

I'm thinking about a landscape for my next painting.

Have a great weekend!

Goals

"A New England Lighthouse" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

Available Here

It's that time of year again - time to start thinking about setting goals for the new year. I recently found my list of art goals that I'd set for 2011. There are many that I didn't meet (such as the number of paintings that I wanted to accomplish) and some that I did (such as my financial goals related to my art). Even though I didn't meet many of my goals, I still believe in setting them. Goals give you something to strive for and even if you don't achieve them, you're still moving forward.

For this year I'm not going to set a goal for a certain number of paintings that I want to do. Instead, I've made a resolution to find a better balance for my art and quilting. I think I've come up with something that will work. Instead of trying to paint one day and quilt the next, I'm going to alternate weeks. One week I'll paint, and the next I'll quilt. It should work rather well.

I'd love to hear your art related goals for the new year!

My First Art Show!

"Cosmos" 5 by 7, Watercolor Painting

Available Here

I booked my first show yesterday! It will take place in the River Room of the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery in Stillwater Minnesota. I will be doing it along with one of the owners, Randy. I had originally thought about doing it myself but the space is pretty large and I wasn't sure I would be able to fill it. Perhaps next year I could take on a solo show! So anyway the show will take place for the month of December, this year. I have lots of time to prepare, but a lot of work to do!

One of my goals for this year is to do more things like this. I'm relatively shy and don't like talking about myself a whole lot, but I know in order for my business to grow I have to step out of my comfort zone a bit. This is the first step!

I took a bunch of new work to the gallery yesterday and brought some back as well. One of the pieces I brought back is "Cosmos," shown above. Check out my Etsy shop for some more new stuff!

Hope you're having a great week!