The Compulsive Quilter

The holiday fiasco is over and I thought now would be a good chance to show you this cute little kitty bed I made for a very loyal patron. Isn't it cute? It's a simple 20" round black and white kitty pillow with the perfect fish on top. Any kitty would love to lounge on this. I nearly slipped some catnip in here for a little extra encouragement for the kitty to lay here.
I also made a matching dog bed for a very big dog. Of course, true to form I forgot to take a picture of the bed with the matching cover on it. But trust me when I tell you it is cute.
Well, thats it for now. I'll be back soon with lots of other cute stuff I'm making.
Oh! By the way, I have finally purchased a domain anme for myself and set up a website. Please visit when you can! JodieMo.com

This Christmas season is nearly over and business here at JodieMo Bags has been off the charts ( hence the reason for no new blog posts). I would like to extend my thanks to each and every one of you for following me here at The Compulsive Quilter. May you and your family have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thank God September is over! I have never been so happy to get a month behind me. I am much more relaxed now and I find that relaxation breeds new ideas in my head.
I have been toying with a wristlet design in my head for a while. And after a quick perusal of my fabric stash I finally found the inspiration I was looking for. My Nannie's stash. My Nannie is 84? 85? I'm not sure, but she is as sharp as a tack and I think I get a lot of my creative urges from her. She owned a dress shop in the 70's and 80's and recently bestowed upon me her very extensive stash. As you might suspect, there was a lot of vintage fabric that should really stay in the past, but there where quite a few yards of some really good stuff too. And since the crappy month of September was not as lucrative as I had hoped, I am really starting to dig through it all. I came across this red and green fabric and this brown polka dot fabric that I thought would be perfect for a little wristlet. I added a few pleats to the brown stripe and put it all together with a zipper. I love it. I think I am going to dig a little deeper into Nannie's stash to see what other treasures are in there.

Oh Halloween! How I love you! Especially now that I have small children of my own to dress up as I please. I custom ordered these adorable Peter Pan and Tinkerbell outfits for my twins and they turned out great! They are really well made and sturdy and I think my kids will enjoy them for quite a while as dress up clothes.
Oh sure, I could have made them myself, but I'll be the first to tell you that clothes aren't my thing. And by the time I had bought all the stuff and the patterns and fit them to my children, I would have spent the $40 it took to have someone else make them for me.
So if you are in the market for some cute costumes for your kids for Halloween, I highly recommend Sandyland Creations!

Well, just to keep you all updated, the festival that I had been working long and hard for was a complete wash...literally. Saturday was nothing short of a downpour for most of the day. Sunday didn't rain on us but there was rain all around us and that I believe drastically affected the crowds. Add that to the fact that we are in a recession and what you end up with is a whole lot of not much. On the up side I met some great new vendors, learned a lot about tents and their ability to keep you dry ( or not dry in my case), and even met a blog reader! I even got a couple custom orders. So I guess not a complete wash, and I have plenty of stuff for the upcoming Christmas season.
Right now I am concentrating on spending some quality time with my kids who I have been pretty much ignoring for the last 2 weeks before the show, and spending some quality time with my broom and duster who I have also ignored for much longer than 2 weeks. Ta Ta for now! :)

Have I told you about my sewing machine? No? You are one of the few. It's a running joke in my family about how much I love my machine. My kids will often say ( with help from the hubby) "Daddy loves Mommy, Ella loves Daddy, Jack loves Thomas ( the Train) and Mommy loves Pfaff!"
I do love my machine. It is a Pfaff 260 and has been passed down to me from my mother who got it from her mother who got it as a gift from my grandfather on Nov. 11, 1961. Actually, I have 2 of them. My Mom bought her own sometime ago, but lucky me ended up with both of them. You really don't get more vintage than this machine. It was the top of the line in home sewing when it came out and I can totally understand why. It is a cast iron casing with all metal gears. I think it is actually classed as a semi-industrial machine and has been used for many years in garment factories.Really, the only thing that has ever been done to it is a belt change ( the first of which came just a couple years ago) and a motor cleaning ( done only last year). You could say this machine is one hell of a workhorse. My grandmother sewed nearly all of my mother's and aunt's clothes on this thing and even made herself a beautiful leather coat.
I do have a few fancy stitches. They are totally reminiscent of the 60's style and I love them. It can also do monogramming and embroidery just don't ask me how. The one thing this machine doesn't come with is a computer program to do all the work for you and I really appreciate that.I once took a beginning sewing class and was totally offended when the lady teaching the class audibly scoffed and snickered when I told her that "my machine doesn't have a automatic buttonhole setting, it's a 1961 Pfaff " I did however fell redeemed when I went to a quilting class ( at a different establishment) and a couple of the ladies in there had their vintage portable Singer machines with them.

It was during these classes that I realized that not having all of those fancy buttons and settings has really taught me how a sewing machine works and has made me a better sewer in the end. So for any of you out there who are looking for your first machine or a workhorse to really knock out some sewing, look around for a good old-fashioned Pfaff. After a good oil and clean, she'll run forever.

4 shoulder Bags
5 large totes
5 quilted purses
4 handbags
3 pleated bags
8 wine bags
7 lunch totes
6 pillows
10 cuffs
12 zip pouches
6 kids' backpacks
15 Halloween and Christmas Gift bags...
I feel like I'm missing something....oh yeah!
YOU!

Hope to see you out at the craft fair this weekend!!! Booth 136!


P.S. Thanks to Jess, my partner in crime, for the great pics of our booth at the Hatch Market a few months ago! ;)

One week from today is the start of The Shakerag Festival in Peachtree City, only my second craft show. Really, my first busy craft show. The Shakerag Festival is in it's 34th year and always draws a good crowd, so I am really excited.
Therefore, I have really been trying my best to build up some extra inventory and of course everything in the world has happened in the past 3 weeks so now I am really feeling the crunch. So, my poor sewing room has bore the brunt of my creative chaos and I actually had to take an evening and tidy up because anything and everything was getting lost the second I walked through the door.
Some really great perks of that though is that I discovered that the self-induced fabric diet I have been on lately has been paying off since I am pretty much left with only solids and small print fabric ( this means I get to do some major shopping soon! )
I also found all the zippers I have purchased in the past just in time to make pouches and lunch totes.
On the downside, my scrap pile has really gotten out of control. See that trunk under all the fabric? It's full of scraps too. I'm not sure what to do with all of this. And don't say "make a quilt" because I also have 3 quilts in various stages of completion that I haven't been able to work on in months. I'm thinking the big pieces will get organized and all the little stuff will make great beds for the kitties. Maybe they will quit sleeping on my fabric if I make them a bed.
Oh. I also made my own new business cards because I didn't realize I was out until it was too late. I think they aren't too bad for some do-it-yourself cards, but ordering some better ones is definitely in the near future.

So, that's it for now. Maybe my sewing machine has cooled off enough for me to get back to work. I hope to see some of you out at the festival!

SO I made my own tags for my bags today. Don't they look good!? They were really easy to do. I thought they would be great for labeling Christmas and birthday gifts or for using to label all of your kids' stuff for school without using a Sharpie.
All I did was get a roll of cotton twill tape ( which I had laying around and I'm not sure where it came from exactly) and some printable Iron-on transfer sheets. ( Go to an office supply place they are much cheaper than JoAnns or Hobby Lobby). Then I designed my tags on Photoshop ( but Word would do fine). I made them to fit onto my labels. Then I copied my logo many times to make rows on the 8 1/2 x 11 sheet. Make sure you space them far enough apart to cut. Flip the image so it is backwards. Print out the sheet on the transfer paper , cut into rows, then iron onto your twill tape. Voila! Tags! I got about 30 out of a sheet.

When I first started my Etsy shop in March of last year I started with a whole different line of products, a whole different mindset, and a whole different time schedule. The kids had just turned 2 and they also were still on 2 naps a day and my husband was still working for a company that liked to work him 80 hours a week. I was merely a mom of twins who had just emerged from the fog of early motherhood and found herself in a town with no friends or family, a husband who was never home, and a desire to find something to do besides change diapers and talk to babies all day.
A year and a half ago my grand plan was to make quilts to sell. Beautiful quilts with lots of machine quilting and intricate piecing. I would do little things too to fill in the gaps; coasters, pincushions, placemats, etc. The problem was that I was running out of spare time. The kids had dropped their second nap, my husband had quit his job and was now job-hunting, and I had taken a very part-time job with my neighbor and now friend Jessica who does beautiful wedding photography. I was suddenly busy! Then one day I came across a pattern in a quilting magazine for these cute little grab bags where the handles looped through each other. An hour and a half later I had my first one and by the end of the day I had made 2 more. I had found the perfect craft for me. I could still be intricate and beautiful but on a much smaller scale. I soon swapped my focus from quilts to bags and started watching the sales trickle in. Slowly at first and then more and more. I added my bags to the gift shop of my parents winery ( Thanks Mom!) and just recently participated in my first craft show. Now I find that spare time is again very hard to come by, but not because of my kids, it's because of you! I am busier than I have ever been and it is a wonderful feeling.
So because of all this and because very soon I will be adding some very professional tags to my products and maybe even an actual ".com" address, I am changing the name of my little side business to JodieMo Bags ( thanks for the suggestion Jess!). I think it fits much better with who I am now and I hope you don't mind. Thanks for all the support!

Today is one of those rare days when the weather is really nice, the temperature is perfect, and the breeze is softly blowing. It's the kind of day to nap in a hammock. Unless of course you are a kid, the its the perfect day to got to the park. Which we did even though me and the kids aren't exactly healthy right now.
Here are some pics from this morning. I hope your day is as good as mine so far!

Right now I am working like a crazed woman getting ready for an upcoming craft fair here in town. The Shakerag Craft Fair in Peachtree City. If you are in the area please come by! The dates are September 19th and 20th! If you need me before then, you can find me in my sewing room.
See you soon!

The problem with toddlers who go to school is that it's hard to find backpacks that are their size. I came across this pattern awhile ago in a magazine and I thought it would be perfect for my little ones who go to a Mommy's Day Out program. It's big enough to fit a folder, a change of clothes and a small lunch bag, and small enough for them to carry all by themselves. It's a really simple pattern although a little time consuming. The bag is quilted all over then sewn together with 2 front pockets and drawstrings that double as straps.

I attached the name tag because everything has to have their name on it and because I had a little hinkey in that spot.
Now I just have to make Jack one.

A few years ago my father-in-law passed away and left us an apartment full of "vintage" things. Among them was a matching pajama set. I would never be caught wearing those PJ's but the fabric was perfect for a bag. So, here it is!

HEY! The treasury I curated made front page!!!! If you hurry you can see it now!!! Picture coming soon!

Why is it that inspiration always hits at the most awful time? It hit me last night at about 10:30, just as I was ready to climb into bed. The thing about inspiration is that if you don't get up and follow through with it or at least get started then it will all disappear by morning.
So anyway, here it is. My Button Down Bag re-purposed from one of the hubby's old work shirts. It is my new favorite. It's big and roomy and perfect for the woman who has to carry a lot of stuff. Look for it in store soon!!!!

I have been trying for weeks to get a treasury. Finally, I scored one. Please go by and check it out and tell me what you think and support these beautiful artists!

On a recent trip to the library ( don't you just love the library?) I picked up the new book Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol. A very cute book with lots of good ideas in there. The first thing that jumped right out at me is this cute little Elf Hat. Don't you think this will be perfect for winter? The hat that I made would fit my daughter much better than my son, but she was not in a cooperating mood this afternoon. I think you get the idea though. The directions called for using wool felt, but being the quilter that I am I thought some cotton and batting with a lining would do the trick just as well! I think I'll make a few more in different sizes in the near future!

I think anyone who has children has sacrificed countless hours of sleep, suffered immeasurable amounts of pain, and generally kept their sanity together with a shoelace. And all of those people would say that it was worth every minute. But even the most saintly of those parents have exacted some kind of revenge for the sacrifices they have made.
That was me yesterday. As I carried my cranky, temperamental children to their room for a much needed late afternoon nap, I cracked my left pinky toe on a monstrous Thomas the Train ride-on. I hobbled to their room, child in hand, screaming in agony. Smiling through the pain, I kissed them and laid them down to sleep. And what thanks did I get but a barrage of demands to try to avoid naptime, " I want Duice, where's Bankie, Oh no Teddy Bear!" I limped around the house gathering all of their demands and laid them at their feet. They were asleep within 5 minutes. 2 hours later, it had come time for them to get up, otherwise they would never go to sleep later. It was like trying to wake the dead. I wiggled and petted them and made soft noises. Nothing. Then I got the camera because they always wake up when I start taking pictures. Even the annoying click of the shutter couldn't rouse them from their slumber. So then I brought out the big guns. I googled "1812 Overture" pointed the computer speakers in their direction and cranked it all the way up. I then watched and laughed as they were jolted out of sleep by the crashing of cymbals and just to top it all off I turned on the vaccum cleaner too. As they stumbled out of their room sucking thumbs, I hobbled away with my broken toe and a smile on my face. Vengeance is mine.

The start of a new school year is just around the corner and I can almost hear the collective sighs of mothers everywhere breathing a prayer of thanks. Because even though we love our children and we love spending time with them, I think most will agree that much more gets done in daily life when they are in school for the majority of the day. Now, my kids aren't in school yet, but we do pay a small fortune to send them to a Mommy's Day Out a couple times a week. Last year was their first year to go and my first experience packing lunches for toddlers. Who knew it could be so time consuming! Especially at 7am before a full cup of coffee. But this year I'm ready and I've designed new lunch bags for them. Here are 3 that I have just finished for a friend of mine. Well, two of them are hers and the other is for sale.
They are washable, insulated and have a zipper to keep everything in! Oh! And they are really cute too.

Look what I made you. :)

I feel horrible. I haven't sewn a stitch in 2 weeks. I have been busy having too much fun with my kids. The weather has been beautiful! Low humidity, warm and lots of sunshine with a soft breeze. The TV hasn't been on in days and nobody seems to notice. I just can't help wanting to frolic in the sunshine.
We had a playdate with a neighbor and friend today. She's older than my kids so she has been a godsend today! I haven't had to entertain anyone. I just sit back, relax, and make hot dogs for everyone. I love a good playdate.
So my friends, I'm sorry I haven't done new work. Maybe it will rain one day soon. :)

I ran across this brand new cool website today just for Etsy Shop owners called Soopsee. It's basically a place for you to put all of your promotional activities and your shop listings onto one website easily. It's SUPER EASY for the html challenged like me. You can go here to visit the site I made in about 30 minutes.

It's free to open an account and only $15 to buy a domain name for the year.