Results are in....

Remember this little guy?
I agonized over whether to put this baby quilt into my twins' school auction, & how to value it if I did. (blogged about here.) I ended up submitting it to the auction, & valued it at $60. It ended up selling for $50, & honestly I'm pleased with that. Plus the woman who bought it loved it & though she got a great deal, which made me feel like maybe my work doesn't suck. :)
Our handprint quilt also did well. When I left the auction about 2 hours before it closed, our raffle for the handprints was well over $200, so I'm hoping it made a bit more, but even if it didn't, I feel like our efforts made a decent contribution to the school.
All in all a fairly respectable showing for my first ever venture into any kind of public sale. I don't know that I'm ready to start selling things regularly, but it was a nice ego boost to know that people actually kind of like the things I make. Maybe it will help me shake my novice quilter's insecurity!

Patchwork Insecurity

The silent auction for my twins' school is coming up in a couple weeks, & I had originally told the organizers that I'd give them a baby quilt in addition to the handprint quilt. I wasn't really feeling the project though & didn't make much progress on it until this week, when I whipped up this top.


The patchwork finished at only 30 inches. I've since added a 2" white border & plan to bind it in red, since I feel like it needs something to hold it all together. I'm feeling ambivalent about this little guy, & totally insecure about putting it in an auction. Most of what's in the auction so far is services, (a night out at local restaurants, a beer tasting, salon services, a family photography session), & I feel like my little quit might not draw any bidders & I would be super embarrassed if this sucker went through the auction without a single bid. Or sold for $20.
I know the point is to raise money for the school & I shouldn't worry about my quilting skills, but I can't help it- that's just the kind of nut I am. My plan is to finish the quilt & then see how I feel about it. I guess the worst that happens is I bring home a baby quilt & my pride takes a knock.
So that's where I am this Wednesday-- feeling insecure & linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Kate
p.s. Lisa is feeling much less ambivalent about our pending rag quilt project! Check it out here.

Four Quilts in One Week... Whew!

This was a big week of finishes for us! It's always fun to (finally) wrap up a project that's been lingering in your sewing space, isn't it? It always seems that no matter how much I love a project, there comes a point (usually once I've started the actual quilting) that I just want it D.O.N.E. I do like the quilting part of making a quilt, but once the end is in sight, I just want to sew non-stop until I can throw it in the washer & wait anxiously for the finished product to come out of the dryer.
I got to the what-will-it-look-like-dance-in-front-of-the-dryer twice this week, for 3 quilts. First for my boys' birthday quilts, which I blogged about here.
I can't keep the baby off the quilts, sorry! Here's the back, (which I think my boys like better than the trucks in front. I used a Caleb Grey airplane print from Out & About, even though they originally requested all trucks. Funny how quickly the tastes of a 4 year old can change!)

I quilted both my twins' quilts with a borrowed & kind of janky waking foot, & I had some issues with the fabric puckering on the back. The front came out fine, thankfully, & my boys don't seem to care that there is a pinch or two visible on the backside.
Last but not least for me was this little cutie, which is going to be raffled off at a silent auction to support my little dudes' preschool. (The quilt, not the kid. We're keeping him!)

I worked with another mom on this one-- We collaborated on colors & hand prints, she did the piecing, & I did the back, the binding & the quilting, & embroidered the kids' names by their handprints. (All the non-glamorous, but essential, parts of making a quilt.) I'm really pleased with how it turned out, & I'm hoping it will raise a good chunk of money for the school. It's a Montessori-based co-op, which means that parents participate, both in the classroom & in fundraising, cleaning, and most anything else that needs doing. It's a great way to be involved & our whole family has really enjoyed our first year there.
Not to be left out, Lisa also finished this big lap-sized rag quilt she (& her boyfriend) made for her boyfriend's mom.

This was Steve's first try at making a quilt of any sort, & I think he did a pretty nice job! Besides, how cool is it to have a boyfriend embrace your sewing habit? The most I can get my husband to do is help with basting on occasion, & he squeaks when I ask him to do that. Although he did buy me a sewing machine, so he's not all bad. :)
Have a great weekend!
Kate
Linking up to Finish It Up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts.