Jelly Roll Race Quilt - Now THIS is fun and easy!!

Thanks to a friend, I wandered over to take a look at the Youtube videos from Missouri Quilt Company.  What fun!  First, I just have to say that I love Jenny!  She's fun to listen to and is filled with great ideas!

While I was sorting through fabrics for my eBay listings and Etsy shop, I watched one after another of her videos.  Here's the one I just HAD to try first:  The Jelly Roll Race!  Take a look and see what I did with it!

Jenny starts out with a neat and tidy jelly roll in the video.  Jelly Rolls are sets of 2 1/2" X 44" strips usually within a fabric line.  As you can see by the pile, I didn't have a nice, neat set.  I was scrounging through my fabrics for all the black and whites I could find.  My plan: use the Pink Lemonade Tonga Treats to see what you can do with them.  I figured you can't POP more than pink with black, right?

So I took a handful of the triangles from the Treat, unfolded them, ironed them and then cut them in half and in half again to make 4 squares from each block.

I was left with a sweet little pile of colorful, eye popping squares!  Next, I attacked the black and whites - ironing, trimming and cutting them into 2 1/2" strips.  Some of them were scraps, so they weren't 44" long - that made for some tweaking in the design as I sewed.

 

It was time to start sewing.  I placed the pile of pinks on my right and the pile of strips on my left.  I started with a pink and a strip and sewed the ends together.

Again... and again... and again...

And again... and again.. and again... (I would imagine you are getting the picture now.)

Once I had my mountainous strip (it was one single row at this point), I found the two ends and sewed them side by side.

All the way till the very end, which were, as Jenny suggested, twisted.

Here's the pile behind my machine as it was coming off.

The next step requires you to REPEAT the same thing: take the two ends, place them side by side and sew them together.  Each time you do this, it gets 1/2 again as short!  Whoo hooo - you are flying!

You go from the strip, to two rows, to four rows (above) and eight rows (below).

Then, it's time to go crazy and sew those ends together, too.

What you get, is THIS:

Thanks so Mr W - he's my quilt rack! 

A patchy-mix and match of fun colors!  Don't the batiks just MAKE the quilt?  I LOVE it!!  Next... a binding and then it's ready to finish and send to it's new home!

Here is Jenny, from Missouri Quilt Co.'s video.  She does a GREAT job of explaining how to do this.  Can't wait to finish mine!

Who wants to try this next?
Carrie

And the winner of the Tonga Treats is....

...aren't you so excited?!?!?! 

Drum roll please...

How cool!  Let's all clap for her and find out what she's going to do with them! 

In just a wee bit you'll see my Jelly Roll Race quilt... more excitement ensues!

Carrie

12 Hours Left! Giveaway ends at MIDNIGHT!! Tonga Batiks 4 U!

Okay... with my excitement about changing up my Facebook page I ALMOST forgot about the giveaway!  OMG!  How is that possible?

At midnight tonight, the contest for a set of Pink Lemonade Tonga Batik 4" squares ENDS!  Monday morning that gorgeous pack is heading out to a new home!  "Adopt-a-Fabric" so to speak.  Will it be you?  ONLY if you take a moment and enter.  Here they are ... one last time:

If you've never tried a Rafflecopter contest before, here's what you need to do:

• If you use Twitter, you can tweet about it and leave the tweet address AND/OR follow me on Twitter @QuiltingKitlady
• If you use Pinterest, do the same
• A Facebook follower? Like us your in
• Just leave us a cute 'lil ol comment below and yippee!

NOW THE KEY IS .... to click on the +1/+2 that you see in the Rafflecopter box - THAT is what enters you into the system!  If you have ANY trouble, message me, let me know what you did and I will ADD YOU in!

Thanks and have a super-duper day!
Carrie
a Rafflecopter giveaway

HELP! Profile = Project? Shop name? My smiling face?

Thank you all SOOOO much for your comments, messages and input!  I will definitely go with fabric on the cover... but now I need to decide:

Profile image:

 1. Project (like the purple pillow up there now)?  
   
2. Fabric image with "Whitt's Kits" over it?

3. My sign that I use when I'm at Market or craft fairs:

4. My smiling face WITH or WITHOUT "Whitt's Kits" along side?

It comes down to what do you like to see? 

• Does the project give you ideas for yourself and what you could do with fabric?
• Does the image of fabric with the company name help you know what it's about?
• Do you like to see the person BEHIND a company?  Do you like knowing there IS a real person?  Do you wonder what the heck I look like?  Hehehe!

So here's where I need your help.

Could you either leave me a comment below on the blog or the Facebook page or zip me a message there or email with either  #1... #2... #3...#4?  I would REALLY appreciate it!!

Thanks soooo very much!
Carrie

Need your artistic advice: Images for FB page!

Hi, Everyone!

This is such a warm, generous community and I need some help/advice/thoughts on the images I should use on my Facebook page.  I want to make some changes and I'm wondering what you think.

Currently I use the following images:

This one, a pillow I designed and made is my Facebook profile picture.  It's a project I made, in my favorite color with fabric I sold. 

This is my cover photo: a quilt I designed by slicing blocks, in my school colors of blue and yellow (gold) that I used to sit on at games.  It's colorful, my own creation, but I feel like the photo is a bit blurry on my Facebook page.  You can see them here.  Take a peek and see what you think.  Then, consider some of my other ideas below!

So, here's what I am wondering: do those "work" as the profile picture and the cover photo?   When you see them, do they catch your eye?  Do you think "oh... fabric..." OR should I go in a totally different direction to speak more to fabric themselves, vs finished projects like this little ditty I created in PicMonkey?  It would go in place of the blue and yellow quilt. 

OR should I go with something that shows more of the Etsy/Ebay stores names, it's more of a header than a photo? 

Or is that too busy?  Should I work on a single image that shows fabric?

OR how about using that colorful fabric as a background for my profile image, like this?

I can play around with the size of the black overlay, print type, size, etc, too, like this:

I kind of like the rainbow fabric background.  What do you think?  I could go with a single piece, like this, as well:

If you have a chance today, could you stop by my Etsy shop or my Ebay listings and look at the fabric: would any of that be "perfect"?  Should I use just one (like the yellow above), multiples (like the "banner" I tried) or stick with a project? 

I would love to hear from you via email or comments below.  Over the weekend, I'm going to "go for a change" so let me know today or tomorrow what you think!

Leave me a comment or zip me an email and one of my of my fans will get a special thank you!!

Thanks oodles!
Carrie
PS.  DON'T forget to enter the Giveaway for GORGEOUS Tonga Treats!!

eBay & Etsy.... decisions... decisions... Part #1

I've been selling on eBay since May of 2002 - a very long time.  I took a hiatus for a year or so, the fees were making it not as viable and I was in a place where marketing it was too much work.  My Etsy shop is fairly new. 

I am toying with where to put my energies: either or both.  I thought it might be of interest to those of you on who don't sell there to learn a bit about how it works - maybe you'll want to try it yourself!  Or... maybe you'll think we're crazy and let it go!  :)

Today I wanted to share with you what it takes TO list and sell on line - I call it:  "Part 1" .

Ebay, Etsy, all on-line venues have some things in common:

• IT TAKES TIME!  
• For me, it's a trip to the wholesaler (2+ hour drive, one way) to pick up and pick out fabrics.  Oh... darn... too bad, right?  The traffic around Boston can be a bit sticky, so it's all about timing: when do I leave so that I am after the worst traffic going in and on my way home before it gets bad again (assuming there isn't a special stop off at Ikea...)
• There's the sorting and organizing of bolts and "end-of-bolts" when they arrive... 
• Selling on either (or any other) site requires you to have images of your items - that means setting up how you are going to take good quality photographs because we BUY based on what we see.  I prefer shots using outdoor lighting... but the 6 months of winter we have (...just kidding... sort of...) makes that hard.  I've seen people create some pretty cool places inside to take pix - that might be in my future.
• The act of listing is also time consuming.  Whether you are filling in forms on Ebay OR Esty, you and typing things in and checking things off.  You have decisions to make even there: what category will attract attention?  What name/title/etc will get people to take a second look?  What key words should I use to get the most draw from searches?
• Storing your items in an organized way, so you can find what you are looking for once it's purchased, takes time.  A couple of times (OMG... I am so embarrassed when that's happened!) I've lost something I listed - it's fabric...I've got it everywhere...sigh... I am working diligently on this one and we are trying to set aside a space dedicated to my fabric/craft word.
• Communicating with potential buyers with questions or buyers who want to order something in addition or are asking about shipping, takes a bit of time.  Communication is sooooo important and I try to make that happen as fast as I can.  That being said, I have a "regular job" Wed-Fri during the week and Mon-Fri from mid August to October it's field hockey after school and mid November to mid March it's basketball, so sometimes questions have to wait for answers.  We live in a society were instant information is the norm.  Sometimes I do have to slow it all down.
• Once you sell something, you have to process it: locate the item, get the packaging, go into PayPal to print shipping, attach it to the package and bring the whole thing the the post office (which is closed for lunch mid day, locally, and at 4:30 in the afternoon at the end....I know this because....).
  

• You are dependent on others to decide they want what you have.  Do the folks you reach out to have the money for what you have to offer?  Is it in their budget?  Are they in the mood to shop?  Are they willing to buy based on your photos and description alone?  In my case, is there a quilt shop nearby?  If so, buying on line might not work... unless my pricing is better, which is what I shoot for. 
  

• That brings you to the whole pricing piece.  How does one price their materials and work?  How do you put value on creative endeavors?  My fabric is pretty straight forward: it costs $X, the market will support my charging $Y.  It's my baby, so I can run sales when I want, set my prices at what seems fair and overall be in charge.  That being said, why I pay in the first place regulates how low I can go.  The projects I make and sell though?  That's a whole 'nuther kettle of worms, as the saying goes.  There are all sorts of formulas out there for that, but in my mind it comes back to what will the market support?  I also think it might depend a bit on how you were able to spend the time it took to create the item.  Were you knitting while watching TV or chatting with friends?  It might be easier to make a decision on the value of something you made that way vs something you gave up a piece of your life for. Then again, maybe not.  If you do sell items, how do you go about deciding?  I am curious.

So there you have it: Part 1 - What does it take to sell on line, in my experiences.  If you've sold on line, leave us a comment to tell us about it.

If you do, I will ADD you to the drawing (I can do that!) and if you want to do any of the others, great!

If you are new to the site today, I am having a drawing for a gorgeous set of batik squares.  You can enter below - drawing is Sunday night.  :)

Thanks for being a part of my blogging world!
Carrie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come one, come all! Just a few days left to win GORGEOUS Tonga fabric!! Woot woot!

I am DYING to see who wins these and what incredibly cool project they have in mind to make with them! Perhaps its YOU!  Maybe you have NO IDEA what you'll do, but oh my, they are stunning and they'll make something just sooo lovely!  Don't you think?

But like any prize, you've got to enter to win.

Maybe you haven't ever tried using Rafflecopter?  It's pretty darn easy, if I say so myself.

If you look at the box, there are options - do as many or as few as you'd like.  Each one has directions - follow them and you're in!

ONCE YOU DO WHAT IT SAYS ----> CLICK ON THE +1/+2 TO ACTUALLY ENTER!! 

THEN IT ENTERS YOU!!

• Do you use Twitter?  Tweet about the contest OR follow me on Twitter.  (@QuiltingKitlady)
• Are you a Pinterest junkie like me?  Share the giveaway on Pinterest.
• Do you use Facebook?  Just be a follower!  "Like" the Whitt's Kits Fabrics & Crafts and BAM!  You can enter!
• Just say "Hi" on the blog!  Leave a comment and you are in!

You can do any or all of the above.  Odds are pretty good for winning right now... just sayin'... One lucky follower gets this wonderful set of FUN fabrics!  Oh yah... love it - you've got nothing to lose! :)

Come on... try it!  :)
Cheers,
Carrie

 a Rafflecopter giveaway