Too Tired To Blog...

...so I'll just upload some images of the newest items in my shop.







These are just a sampling of the quarter yard cottons I'm now offering.

But that's not all. I've added quite a few new Patches camera straps.
Like these:





And a hard copy version of my Strips and Bricks pattern.



I worked with a terrific graphic designer, Eryn Chandler, to create a professional looking pattern that includes two views of the quilt as well as a fully illustrated pattern. The whole thing is printed on a lovely card stock, so it's sturdy to boot.



OK. That's it for the shop talk. I'll be back soon with new projects and a new sponsor.
Nighty-night!

Changing Gears

That's the name of this year's Austin Area Quilt Guild Show. I'm having a great time there meeting lots of crafty people. I was there yesterday for opening day and today had my wonderful neighbor and friend run my booth so I could "enjoy" all that Yom Kippur has to offer. I'm just going to put it out there: though many find this holy day meaningful and I applaud that, I'm always happiest when it's over.
Tomorrow is another day and I'll be back at the Palmer Events Center in booth 412. Come by and say hello.

Super Quick

Just popping in to announce the winner of the tickets to this weekend's Austin Area Quilt Guild Show.
Our winner is Skye. She commented:

I would LOVE to go as your esteemed guest!! I am looking forward to seeing your beautiful work in person.


Skye, I would love for you to come as my guest too, so please email me (malka@stitchindye.com) your first and last name before Thursday the 16th and your tickets will be waiting for you at Will Call.

Thanks to everyone else who played along and I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of something kind of new, but oh-so special that I'll be offering at this weekend's show.

I Don't Even Know Where to Begin

But, I'm going to take Julie Andrews advice and,"start at the very beginning," because it's actually a very good place to start. I have been super busy the last week. Correction. I have been super busy for weeks, but last week I was super busy in Cleveland, Ohio. This can't possibly come as a shock to anyone because is there any other way to be in Cleveland? But, I was particularily busy in Cleveland taping a couple segments of Quilting Arts TV.



The lovely and talented Judy Coates Perez took this shot of me on the TV in the green room during my taping. The segments will appear in next season's Quilting Arts TV.
I also shot a little promotional video for my new book. See it over there! I am really excited for you all to see it.
The busyness continues, albeit in Austin rather than Cleveland. As I've mentioned before, I'm going to be a vendor at the Austin Area Quilt Guild Show, September 17-19. I should mention that I'll only be at the show on Friday, September 17 and Sunday, September 19. As anyone who owns a Jewish calendar already knows, Saturday, September 18 is Yom Kippur. I have arranged for my very crafty neighbor to run my booth. So, stop by on Friday or Sunday to say hello to me or Saturday to meet Rachel the neighbor. Either way, I hope you'll make it down to the Palmer Events Center because I'm making quite a few new things just for the show.




Loads of stitch in dye bundles.




My Patches Camera Straps.



Quarter yard pieces of my hand dyed and patterned fabric.

Add to these items, I'll have copies of all my patterns plus a new, amazingly professional version of my Strips and Bricks quilt pattern. I'll also be debuting the coaster kits I mentioned previously and showing off some of my favorite quilts, including The Cupcake Quilt.
And, frankly, much more.
So, if you live in Austin, or nearby, or are planning on visiting Austin, you should definitely stop by and not just because I'm giving away two free tickets. Oh, I guess I hadn't mentioned that. Well, aren't you glad you stuck with this post. Yes, indeed, the lovely folks at the Austin Area Quilt Guild have given me two free tickets to this once-every-two-years event to giveaway to one of you. Leave a comment and I'll announce a winner on Sunday, September 12.

The Key to Follow Through

Quick action. Don't ponder it too long or you'll never get it done. For once, I took this bit of advice to heart. I wanted to turn last week's yardage into a dress and I did.



I almost sabotaged myself though. I had picked out the pattern and started that whole process where I imagine how the dress will look when it's all done, what I'll wear it with, where I can wear it to, and, most importantly, how terrific I'll feel the first time I wear it. Because, people, there's nothing like the first time wear. I was caught up in all that as I ironed the fabric when I suddenly started doubting that I should necessarily make a dress. "Maybe I should make a top," I thought. "After all I don't wear dresses that often." Or "maybe I should use the fabric for pillow covers or quilt backing or to wash my bike." I was getting completely distracted from my original plan and that was not only bringing on a bit of anxiety, but making this whole follow through thing really hard. Finally, I said something I often say when I veer off on tangents like this, "stick with plan A." I am a firm believer that 9 out of 10 times you can't go wrong if you just stay with the original plan.



Plan A involved this pattern with a few minor modifications. The original pattern calls for straps that tie at the shoulders. I personally think that's problematic should you ever want to wear a cardigan over your cute, little dress. So, I reconfigured the straps so they would emerge from a buttonhole in the center front and be tied at that point. I even considered using a bead to hold the straps in place, but just didn't happen to have one on hand. I'm going to hold on to that idea for incarnation #3 of this dress.



Yes, that's not a typo, I've made another version of this dress. But, before you rename me Miss Lickity Split of the Sewing Machine(though, truth be told, I kind of like that title), I made the red version back in May to wear to a friend's wedding. The first version uses Anna Marie Horner's cotton voile fabric and is the "B" version of the pattern. This past weekend's dress is the "C" version.
The first time wear of the red version was particularly memorable because I'd gotten the fabric in trade for some tutorials I created for Sew,Mama,Sew. The first time is always special, but all the more so when the fabric is free.

The Cupcake Quilt

I had every intention of finishing this quilt so that I could gift it to some friends on the occasion of their new baby. As time got near though, I realized I wouldn't finish it in time for a big celebration they had planned to welcome their new little one. I opted to make the baby a Strips and Bricks quilt instead. I only had a few pangs of guilt as I handed over the quilt. Maybe it wasn't even guilt so much as just a slight shift of expectation. Anyway, they were very happy with the quilt they received and I was happy because I'm a firm believer in handmade gifts, especially for babies.
As the weeks went by and the original quilt remained unfinished, it started to bother me. Apparently wasting time, money, and resources is an even better motivator for me than a sweet, baby face, so I went ahead and finished the quilt.



Being that the the making of the quilt was originally inspired by a little cupcake, I decided to title it The Cupcake Quilt.



Also, if you like this pattern and think you might want to make one in the future, I'll let you in on a little secret: It's a lot like one of the quilts I designed for my new book.
Consider this a wee little teaser.

One out of 613

So I was searching around wondering how I was going to begin discussing what I think is a very important topic when I happened to scroll down the page and noticed that the are exactly 613 folks who follow this blog. Now, if you're Jewish or even if you're not, you know that in Judaism, 613 is a very significant number. If you were to count up all the mitzvot or commandments mentioned in the Torah, you would get the number 613.
Guess what? Many of these commandments apply even if you're not Jewish. Love your neighbor as yourself. Sound familiar? Be generous to those who are less fortunate. I bet that rings a bell too.
There's a much quoted Jewish text that states, " You're not required to complete the work, but neither are you entitled to abstain from it." The work referred to here is making our world a better place. No one single individual can fix all that's wrong, but we're all obligated to be part of the effort.
I hope to be part of the effort by participating in an online fundraiser sponsored by Alissa of Handmade by Alissa fame.
Many of us are familiar with Alissa through her wonderful quilted creations, but this week her claim to fame has to do with a special project she has undertaken to buoy the efforts of her sister, Cate, who works for the non-profit organization, Action Kivu.
In a recent email, Alissa described the work of Action Kivu and her impetus for getting involved:

The conflict in Congo has taken the lives of over 5.4 million people since 1998. Rape is used as a weapon of war, with estimates putting the number of rapes in the hundreds of thousands.
Action Kivu provides some of the Eastern Congo's victims of violence with the opportunity to rebuild their lives on a foundation of hope, dignity, and economic self-sustenance. Their approach is spearheaded through two programs. First, they run a sewing workshop that teaches women who are victims of the conflict to sew. This leads them to be able to support themselves and their families. Secondly, they pay for children to go to school which is not free in Congo. It costs $40 a year, per child. That's very little money that makes a big impact.
Needless to say, this specific organization, with its link to sewing and women, really strikes a personal chord in me. Our online sewing community is so blessed to be able to pursue our love of sewing as a hobby, career, or just for fun, but for these women, learning to sew will be life changing and give them hope for their futures.
The Action Kivu sewing workshop of course costs money to run and they need supplies - sewing machines and more. They do not need the goods themselves, but the money to buy them.
If you are wondering why we can't just donate our old sewing machines, there are a few reasons. First, getting supplies to Eastern Congo is no simple task and would cost more than the value of the goods. Secondly they need very specific things. For example, they don't always have power so they need trundle sewing machines. Lastly, it's best that they buy the supplies there, putting the money into the local economy. You can imagine that buying a sewing machine helps not only the woman who sews with it, but the person they buy it from and the money trickles down from there.
I am launching this fundraiser to raise the money the Action Kivu sewing workshop needs for their supplies and I hope that you'll join me.
Action Kivu is run in Eastern Congo by a Congolese man, Amani Matabaro, who Cate knows personally and who is amazingly passionate and committed to his cause of helping women and children in his country. As an orphan who lost his parents in the conflict, he was driven to try to do something to help. He currently works as an interpreter for the UN and runs Action Kivu in all of his spare time.
Amani has specifically asked for these things - we will not be throwing this money into the wind, not knowing where it's going. Through photos and emails with Amani we will be able to see the immediate and concrete results of our fundraising.

Alissa's sister Cate put together this amazingly powerful video that introduces us to the conflict as well as to Amani Matabaro.

Action Kivu: Sewing Workshop Fundraiser from Action Kivu on Vimeo.

I was particularly struck by what Amani had to say regarding the distance between the US and Africa. He rightly states that though our countries are far away from each other, we here in the US can do something to empower and better the lives of the people of Kivu. We are so lucky to have that opportunity.
So, I ask you, encourage you, implore you, to click on this link and donate. Be part of the work to make the world just a little bit better.