Just a Festive Craft Market

My friend Alison and I have been quilting together on either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons for a couple of years now. Last fall, we decided that we should try to sell some of our quilts. We designed a webpage, made some quilts and posted them on it. More on that in another Blog Post.

THIS blog post is about the 'stuff' that I have gotten ready for the Festive Craft Market at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Bible Hill, NS in November 2012.

This, I might add, sounded like a REALLY good idea when we thought of it in July!

I have stopped posting new things on the webpage, as we signed a contract saying we would have enough things to keep our booth full for two days!! TWO DAYS! What were we thinking??

Alison has made a million small things. So many small things that she is getting sick of it. I don't have pictures of her things - she has also made a sale, as a fan showed up at her house and purchased some of her items.

I have been finishing things. I want to tell you that these were not UFOs (UnFinished Objects, in case you aren't a quilter). They weren't buried, they weren't dusty, they were piled up. We also have 2 partners in this quilt business - they make quilt tops and I quilt them. One of them is quite prolific! I have SEVERAL quilt tops from them.

I spent a LONG time making bags this year. (More on bags later too!)

So I was elated to get to actually quilting. :-)

I decided I'd better finish the things that Bern and Mandy gave me in March. (See that was THIS year!) I had finished one of them already!! So I had 3 more.

First I did Bern's Birds and the Bees. Here it is:

 The reason for the name is that the fabric is called Le Poulet Rouge (the red hen) - and it has pictures of chickens and bees on the various pieces. Sure enough... The Birds and the Bees.

I thought I ought to be giving Mandy and Bern equal time - so Mandy's Chopped Apples was next. It is below.

 Mandy collected the apple fabric over many years - and she collected and collected. Finally she decided she ought to make it into a top. Isn't it pretty?

After that, although I have 4 tops of my own done, I figured I'd better do another one of Bern's. This quilt was made for a colour blind boyfriend who jilted her. Ha! Do you think he is going to get this lovely quilt? I THINK NOT!! In any event, Compromised Values is depicted below.

 I added the border to the quilt. I think Bern had meant to add this short piano keyboard border. In any event, she had a couple of pieces of it done. I had fabric left over, but I decided when I got the border made that it really was all the quilt needed. It isn't huge, but it is kind of pretty. (Much prettier than I thought it would be when Bern showed me the fabric initially. She and I took the Lover's Knot course at the same time. Mine is hung in the spare room on the wall above the headboard of the spare bed. I did NOT arrange my colours as well as Bern did hers!

Finally, my guilt expiated, I decided I should quilt one of the three things that I had made - ready to go for the show. Except. I watched this funky tutorial on the Missouri Quilt Co. youtube channel and there was a video to make a Christmas Tree Skirt. Picture me rolling my eyes. There was nothing for it, I had to make one. So here it is, all quilted and bound.

 I'm really happy with it - I quilted holly leaves and berries on it, and I think it is gorgeous. So, look, something Festive for the Festive Craft Market.

I still have three things of my own ready to quilt. SO. I decided I'd better get them done. First is this.

This is a quilt made entirely of batiks. I called it Batik Sunset. (or alternatively, I mis-call it Batik Sunrise. My friend Kate suggested I should call it Sunrise, Sunset - and that would have solved my problem, but it was too late - the label was already made!) This quilt is actually much brighter and I'm going to post a picture taken with the sunset setting on my camera - the only issue is, that while the colours are truer, the picture is a little blurrier... anyway, here is the blurry picture.

This picture is before the binding was put on.

I still have a lap quilt called Hugs and Kisses - the top is made and the backing and batting are cut out and ready to go - hanging, in fact, over the railing of the quilt frame.

I have a Sampler Quilt that I am not sure I want to sell - I will ask a million dollars for it at the show - it is all houses, and I love it - I still, however, have to put the three inch border on it.

Yesterday I made a Convergence Quilt - this will be a table topper.

I now need to make some small things! Mug Rugs, Cat Mats, wall hangings and Advent Calendars. I daren't plan too far ahead - it is a bit overwhelming! However I am still having fun! I'll post more Crestive Faft Market stuff as soon as I get it done! LOL
Just Crestive Faft Market...