Last Minute Christmas Gifts

Need a last minute Christmas gift for the person who loves to entertain?   Still believe in bringing hostess gifts to parties?   Have I got the perfect thing for you.

Table runners.   Lots of colors.  Choices abound.   Still time to ship by Christmas.

Others available.   Just ask.   If I don't have it, if you ask soon, there might be time to make it by Christmas.   Or hey, party year round with these table runners.

EBay, Legal Quilts and the Lions

My Lions Club is now on EBay Giving Works.    This means folks can list their items on EBay and a percentage of the sale can be donated directly to the Burtonsville Lions.  

To kick off our new fundraising effort, I listed one of my quilts.  Go bid, buy, help an AWESOME organization.

Scrap Time

I have overflowing bags of scraps.   Those pieces left over from cutting pieces for other quilts.   They are too small to throw away.  Surely they can be used for something?   Of course they can.   They work wonderfully in string quilts.   Any length or width can be used.  Odd shapes can be trimmed.  Color coordination be darned.   It's a scrap quilt.   And amazingly it all works somehow when the blocks are sewn together.

This is the start of a string quilt.

I have a few other base blocks good to go.   Anytime I have a few minutes and feel like quilting but not starting a major project, I can work on these blocks.  

I am using the "quilt as you go" method, so I am sewing the batting and batting in the block at the same time.   When all the blocks are done, I just sew them together, bind it and ta-da, done quilt.

The goal is to get reduce some of the bags by the end of the year.   We shall see.

Slight Change in Plans

Since it looks like New England finally started playing football, I am taking the time to update things a little bit.  

Last week my 12 year old car died.   It was not pretty.   There was a whole lot of shaking going on.  Losing a cylinder on a Ford Focus is not good, it's not like they have a lot of cylinders to begin with.


Unfortunately, that meant I had to get a new car.   Immediately.   The day job of being an attorney involves driving.   This week, I have to go to another county courthouse that is not easily accesible by public transportation.  A car is a must.   So off to buy a car I went.   I got another Ford.   A Fiesta this time.   Sadly, it was not red, like my last 2 Fords (Festiva and Focus, notice a trend here?)   See my new car:

So, now I have car payments.   Not too bad, but not what I needed right now.   This necessitated a little change in plans.    Instead of all my quilt sales going to student loan payoff, it will be divided between student loans and car payments.   What will not change is the 25% going to charity.   That will always happen unless I am homeless myself.   Let's keep that from happening shall we?

I also had to raise some prices.   Nothing too radical.   You can see the new prices on the right.   Also, not mentioned over there, but if you are special ordering a quilt, you can request some extras.   Cotton or Wool batting, a speciality backing things like that.   These are additional costs, but again, not unreasonable.  

Got a question about these changes, or just about my quilts in general?   Feel free to email me or make a comment below.   I always love to hear from you.

Big Plans for October

Ya'all know I have been making quilt tops like a fiend.   But why you ask?   Are they commissions?   Well, no, I have been building up my inventory.   You see one of the local Lions Club (not my own) has a flea market on Saturdays in October.    October 11, 2014 I will be out there selling quilts, balls, coasters and mats.   Come out and say hi.   Check out my quilts in person.   Depending on how it goes, I may do another weekend.   Stay tuned for that.

Because I will be selling at the Lions flea market, all charitable donations for this month goes to the the Lions Community Outreach Foundation.    This Foundation helps fund things such as our vision screening in District 22-C.   We even have a brand new trailer that will be going around the District to provide free vision and other health screening.

The 25% of the purchase price from all sales at the Flea Market, online sales and special orders made in the month of October will go to the LCOF.     Even if the quilt is not finished, it will still count.

Our District 22C sponsors a fellowship named in honor of past District Governor and past International Director, Joe Gaffigan for his extensive comittment to Lionism.    Joe was my sponsor to join the Lions.   He has been a great friend and a great support to my law practice and my work in Lions.   Or as I tell him "this is all your fault."    I would dearly love to earn this fellowship.   The requirement is that you have to donate at least $250 (bronze level) to LCOF or another initiative within the District.   It has to be a lump sum donation too.    Oh boy.   But the more I sell, and the more orders I get, the more I am likely to make this goal.

Plus, if I donate $250 to LCOF that means $750 to student loans.   Awesome.

October is going to be an exciting month.    Check back for updates.   See you on October 11, 2014 at the Turf Center on Sandy Spring Road.

Get Ready for Winter

The Farmer's Almanac is already noting signs of a rough winter ahead.   Be prepared.   A nice warm quilt is just what you need to sit inside all snug and warm with your hot beverage of choice (I prefer a hot toddy) while you look at the snow falling outside, and you try to forget you have to shovel that damn stuff.   Order your quilt today.

August Work

Been busy making quilt tops.   Seems everytime I finish a top I get an idea for a new one.   Lots of quilts to choose from.

It is also the start of football.  Fine it's preseason but I will take what I can get.   I quilt while I watch football.   The beginning of August saw the induction of the 2014 class to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.   During the speeches I was stuck by how much cancer has hit the football world.   Claude Humpreys wife passed from cancer 2 years before he got the call he had been inducted into the Hall.   His wife had been his biggest advocate for induction.   Then Jim Kelly was there to see his buddy Andre Reed go into the Hall.   As we all know, Mr. Kelly is fighting cancer right now.   It was in remission but it returned.  

My own family has been touched by cancer also.   My grandfather died of leukemia, my stepbrother passed away from lung cancer and my stepfather from stomach cancer.   Finding a cure for this far to prevalent disease is near and dear to my heart.

Thanks to a generous customer I was able to make a larger than normal contribution to CURE Childhood Cancer this month.   You can find out more about CURE here.  They are highly rated by Charity Navigator.   You can donate directly to them or if you want to be involved in another cancer charity, you can donate through my other blog where you can donate to charity and help make a quilt for charity.   Awesome right?

Legal Quilts Gets Snarky

Over on Previously TV, we were discussing commercials and how the holidays are all run together these days.   This inspired this snarky quilt:

It is called  "Chrismagivingoweensterjuly to school"    I got fabric from various holidays and put them together in no particular order in the center.    

I also had a bag of various length strips that I had bought at a quilt show.  I was waiting for the right quilt because of the various lengths made using them in a planned quilt difficult.   What I did was sort them into dark and light piles (light and dark being relative terms).   Then I sewed each set into one long strip.   The length didn't matter as for this quilt, it was perfectly fine if a new fabric started up in the middle of the row of another one.   Just like the holidays smooshing together.    Same with the dark and light.   They didn't have to be as delineated as normal because blending is the whole point of this quilt.   

Yes, this is my protest against Halloween stuff being in the store ALREADY.   

I have plenty of the holiday center fabric left over if you want a single holiday, non-snarky quilt (I can single holiday snark if you prefer).   

I did not put Hanukkah here because at this time it hasn't been over commericialized like other holidays.   But there is Hanukkah fabric and I would live to work with it (hint, hint).   

Cafe Press Shop Open

Can't get enough of Legal Quilts?   You only need so many quilts?   No problem, Legal Quilts now has a cafe press shop.    All kinds of fun stuff featuring the Legal Quilts logo and slogan.   Get your t-shirt or flask today.   

Same deal, proceeds divided between student loans and charity.

Just click the link:   LegalQuiltsMemorabilia

More items will be added, so check back often.

Working with Collections

My quilts are technically scrap quilts.   I use a variety of fabrics and colors in them.   I just grab whatever seems to belong in the particular quilt I am making.   Not a lot of planning goes into the choosing of a particular fabric.   Oh I might want a certain color or want to play with a fun fabric, but that is about as far as it goes.  I certainly don't pay attention to the particular designer or collection I am using.   In fact, I mix designers and collectors usually.

Recently I made 2 quilts that departed from the norm.   I decided I wanted to work with particular fabrics to see what happened.  

The first quilt I made is a baby quilt using the coordinated fabric from the same collection.   In this case, I used the same design in the fabric -- dragonflies -- in all the colors offered by the collection -- yellow, blue and purple.   Of course, the courthouse steps quilt use colors divided into even numbers (light and dark), you know 1 light, 1 dark, 2 dark, 2 light, etc.   3 does not work well.   But then I had the idea to use the yellow as the center and the border.   This was the result:

Here is a close up of the dragonfly design.

The next one used the same idea, except sometimes the designer uses other designs as part of the collection.   They are all part of the collection, but is a completely different design rather than just different colors of the same design.    For this one, I used Robert Kaufman's Stargazer collection.   The center piece of the planets, the sides are 4 of the cosmos designs.   There is actually a dark blue of this but I worried that the dark blue wouldn't contrast with the black and purple enough so I left it out it (plus that whole even numbered thing).   You will definitely want to snuggle up to the universe with this laptop quilt:

Here is a close up of the fabric for the steps:

I will do more collection quilts.   After all, it does make fabric choice really easy.  

Happy Belated 4th of July

As an attorney  took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution.    As a quilter, I love to play with fabric.   I may have gotten carried about by combining those two things over the holiday.

This ball and block set are a great way to celebrate the holiday.   Normally the ball would be $10 and the blocks $12 for the set, but the holiday set is $18 total.   Don't want so much red, white and blue?   Have another favorite holiday?   I can do the same set for the same price for almost any holiday.   Labor Day may be a little difficult, but almost any other holiday is doable.    Just send me a request through the contact form on the right.  

Ebay Auction - Wallhanging

I put up the Moon footprint wallhanging on Ebay.    25% goes to Wounded Warrior.   Get this cool wallhanging and help our servicepeople get on with their lives.

Bid, comment here.   Enjoy.  

The diamond table runner is also still up for auction.  That one benefits Polaris Project.

Remember every sale benefits a charity.  

First Payments

It has begun.    I got paid by Inbox Dollars (banner ad below, referrals help).    It was a number not easily divisible by 4, so I divided by 3.   2/3 to student loan, 1/3 to charity.    The charity chosen was Greater Good's Girl's Right to Opportunity Worldwide.   Right now donations are matched (hint, hint).   It's not much, but it's a start.

Just FYI, the student loan ticker will also show the regular monthly payments so there won't be an exact 75-25 ratio between charity and student loan payoff.  But rest assured, I will keep my word that any extra payments I make on my student loans will have a corresponding charity donation.  

Housekeeping

I didn't like how the pictures were all jumbled up on the photo gallery.   So rather than figure out how to arrange them better, I just made a separate page for each type of item.   Now you can view a representative picture of the item before placing your order.   The price is listed also so you can easily order.    I still have to figure out how to move the paypal buttons to each page as well on as on the home page.   For now, view the item, then come back to the home page and order.  

No More Excuses -- the Round2It

Today, a dear friend said she would do something when she got "around to it."   So I made her a round2it.   We all have those things we will do when we get a round2it.   Well, for the low, low price of $1, you do can have a roundit.   No more excuses.

Free shipping up to 5.   Any more than 5 and the post office will wonder what I am up to.   Do you need 5 or more?   Have you looked at your 2 Do list lately?   Do you have a friend with a long 2Do list?   The more round2its you have, the more you get done.   Order yours today.  Not all round2its will be the same, color and size may vary, but they all get the job done.

More Legal Quilts

So I have a Facebook page and I am on pinterest (kinda forget to post there).   I also sell some items on EBay.   But Legal Quilts needs more.  

You see I have plans.   Big plans.   Plans for new lawyers and pro bono work.   But I can't implement these plans until I pay off my own student loans.  Boy do I have student loans.   I started Legal Quilts as a way to pay them off.   This is just another way to promote Legal Quilts.

On this blog, you will here more about my quilting.   See pictures of quilts in progress.   And off to the side, see my progress on paying off my student loans.  

But I have not forgotten those who need a little help.    You notice there is a second ticker called Charity Donations.   That ticker will show how much is donated to charity by legal quilts.   What charities?   Oh there are so many.   But I will probably focus on some specific areas:   Cancer (I have lost 3 family members to cancer), literacy (duh I am way overeducated), support for our troops and domestic violence.   And I won't forget my dear Lions.    25% of all proceeds from Legal Quilts and this blog will go to charity.   The rest goes to student loan payoff.  

You notice that there is an Amazon ad on the bottom there.  I hope to add adsense in time and maybe an affiliate program.   Same division of income - 25% to charity, 75% to student loan.   If this goes right, that would be over $50,000 to charity by the time I pay off my student loans.  

How does this work?   Simple, on the Photo Gallery page (hope it works), you can see representative items.   On the main page, you click on the general category of item you would like and place your order through paypal.   When ordering make any specific requests you want.   I can do most quilt patterns (complicated patterns take longer).   I also don't do applique.   But colors, size, etc.   Just let me know.  

Don't want to use Paypal?   No problem, use the contact form to place your order and we can discuss payment.

As always, feel free to start a conversation in the comments.