hello houston.

we're in houston yall.
{we = me & vanessa.}
consider yourself warned.

♥ rachel

gearing up.

it's that time folks.

the time where apparently the days seem hours shorter, everything happens all at once, and your children, without fail, get sick.

i've been living on starbucks {& mountain dew}, utilizing my trusty sample helpers and probably driving my husband absolutely insane.

yep. i'm gearing up for market.
so yall stay tuned.

♥ rachel

impromptu.

i give yall impromptu :)


so i loooove this quilt.
and by loooove, i mean loooove.


i love that both the white AND the prints are equally showcased.
score.


oh and she's SO easy to piece that she's bed sized.
yep. bed sized.

so that quick & easy quilt you've been wanting for your bed - this is it.
promise.

she takes one layer cake plus yardage so she doesn't break the bank either.
score again.

patterns are available for preorder HERE.
{shipping in november.}


and i know this pic has lighting issues thanks to the trees, but me likey.
me likey o'lot.

qulit stats:
size = 90 1/2" x 90 1/2"
fabric = treasures & tidbits by piece o' cake designs for robert kaufman
piecing = lani padilla
quilting = darla padilla

if you are a shop that is interested in purchasing my patterns you can contact me directly or you can contact your united notions rep.

♥ rachel

savvy.

i give yall savvy :)


i might be a tiny bit biased, but i'm loving this quilt.

i just love the way the colors & shapes pop, don't yall???
*big, dreamy sigh*


savvy uses the 90' double strip ruler by creative grids for quick & easy construction.
if you're not into specialty rulers, a template is also included as an alternate option to the ruler.

and even though you need a template or ruler, it's still an easy peasy quilt to make.
promise.

patterns are available for preorder HERE.
{shipping in november.}


quilt stats:
size = 65 1/2" x 65 1/2"
fabrics = summer house by lily ashbury for moda
piecing = lani padilla
quilting = darla padilla

if you are a shop that is interested in purchasing my patterns you can contact me directly or you can contact your united notions rep.

♥ rachel

the new girls in town.

stay tuned for more details.

♥ rachel

smooth.

don't yall just love it when everything flows smoothly?!?!

kiddos are in school.
baby is napping.
hubby is at work.
dinner is prepped.
laundry is done.
and itunes is playing your fav band.

it's just you & your fabric.
and you're free {& in the mood} to be ubber productive.
*sigh*

oh and things go SO smooth that you even forget to blog.
ooops :P

i don't know about yall, but i needed a day like today.
they don't come often enough.

ps - build a quilt workshop classes are now posted.
if you're one of my students, go have a lookie doo.

♥ rachel

georgia.

i give yall georgia :)

georgia is always on my mind.
and by always, i mean always.

it's home. my roots. and my family history.
<3

on top of being raised in the great state of georgia, there was another georgia in my life.
my great grandmother.
{my daddy's momma's momma.}

her name was georgia, but everyone called her georgie.
well not me. she was mal to me. {pronounced mall.}

i used to spend the summer with her.
she taught me how to make biscuits from scratch, how to make homemade jam, how to hang laundry out on the line & how to snap beans for supper.

she amazed me with what her hands could do.
she was the real deal...the epitome of all things good in my book.

she was also a legit do-it-all-by-hand quilter.
i never learned any quilty things from her, but my mawmaw says she did extraordinary things.


my mal is the very reason i picked up quilting.
honestly.

i try to remember the quilts in her house.
the one i try the hardest to envision is the one that was on her bed.
i don't remember the pattern at all, but i think it was made using old clothes or feedsacks.
i can't even visualize it clearly, but i can remember seeing blues and reds.
and i remember sleeping there with her.
{mal & pal had seperate bedrooms.}


i was almost 12 years old when mal died. she was 91 years old.
i will never, ever forget her & how she was the female patriarch on that side of the family.

when mal passed away all her quilts were devvied up to be given to all us grandkids.
it's heartbreaking to say that my quilt {along with my sibling's quilts} were somehow misplaced before we were old enough to have them.

i wonder frequently what "my" quilt would have been.
it's kind of fun not knowing, but what i wouldn't give to have that quilt.
or any of her quilts for that matter.

to honor my mal, i wanted to have something quilty named georgia.
so georgia the pattern was born.


georgia is a pattern that i guest designed for it's sew emma.
for those that don't know, it's sew emma is fat quarter shop's new pattern company.
{get your own georgia pattern HERE.}

quilt stats:
size = 80 1/2" x 80 1/2"
fabric = ruby by bonnie & camille for moda
quilting = darla padilla

this quilt just touches my heart. alot.

do any of yall's great grandmothers {or grandmothers} quilt?!?!
do you have any of their quilts?!?!

oh and yall should scootch on over to the jolly jabber.
psst: giveaway giveaway giveaway :)

♥ rachel

to hide or not to hide???

i'm curious...
do yall store your quilts with the front facing out or do yall hide the fronts???

here's my two cents:
mostly our quilts sit {or hang} with their fronts facing out.
but then again, depending on the quilt, i might store them with the backing facing out.
oh and if i travel with my quilts, i always fold them with the backing facing out.

note: my kids have their own quilts plus we have quilts that we all use & abuse.
{livingroom quilts, quilts we play peekaboo with, quilts that build tents, quilts for football, etc.}
but we do have some quilts that are my "working girls" that travel to shops & such.
and those are "no touchy" for the kiddos. lol.

so which do yall do???
and why???

♥ rachel

rachel's beef tips & noodles.

rachel's beef tips & noodles.

here's what y'all will need:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs frozen beef stew meat
1 big can {26oz} cream of chicken soup
1 envelope lipton soup mix <--i use beefy onion OR savory herb with garlic

1 cup water
1 package cooked egg noodles

the making part:
mix cream of chicken soup, lipton soup mix & water in bowl.
place frozen beef stew meat in crockpot.
pour soup mixture over meat.
cook in crockpot on low for 6 hours.

add the cooked egg noodles to the meat & gravy right in the crockpot.
{makes for easier clean up.}

hork it down.

this meal is a must in the griffith house.
it's one of mr griffith's favorite meals of all time.
the meat is oh, so yummy & tender.
and i just love to sop up my gravy with a piece of buttered bread.
mmmm gravy.

note: you could add mushrooms if you wanna, but we no wanna.
well, mr. griffith might wanna, but mrs. griffith don't.
:P

oh, and this is THE perfect meal when you don't feel like cooking.
OR if you've been quilting all day. <--ask me how i know this. HA.

hope y'all enjoy.

xo, rachel

scrap republic blog tour.

{comments closed.}
1st winner = deserae
2nd winner = sonia
3rd winner = jen
4th winner = cori
5th winner = marisa
email me: rachel {at} psiquilt {dot} com

welcome to the scrap republic blog tour yall :)

my good friend, miss emily cier {aka the mastermind behind carolina patchworks}, is back with another book!!!
woot, woot.

scrap republic is flat out awesome. for real.
it's the perfect book for peeps that love color.

the quilts in the book are scraptastic, but emily is SO cool that she gives yardage requirements in case you wanna aim for a more controlled quilt.

hands down this is a book that i would recommed to all my peeps.
so trust me that yall want need it!!!

today i'm gonna talk to yall about the color white.
and i'll argue with anyone that says white isn't a color - cause it SO is.
*wink*


the best white thing EVER, in my book...a newborn baby all wrapped up in teeny tiny hospital clothes.
*swoon*


the 2nd best white thing, in my book...snow.
i believe that snow is god/nature's way of making us fully aware of all the other colors/things around us.


the 3rd best white thing, in my book...a clean creative slate.
any color + any placement = endless possibilities my friends.


the 4th best white thing, in my book...white fabric.
i really think that white fabric makes the quilting world go round.
and white doesn't have to be white persay.
it can be cream, ecru, ivory, snow, buttercream, feather, bone, meringue, eggshell, natural or porcelain.


the 5th best white thing, in my book...white dishes.
food is just WAY more appealing when it's served on white.
idk why, it just is.

in conclusion: white is SUPER refreshing, speaks volumes given the proper accents AND is the color that binds all other colors together.

no blog tour would be complete without a giveaway:
5 lucky ps i quilt readers will win their own scrap republic goodie.
up for grabs...
- scrap republic from c&t publishing.
- scrap republic eco tote from c&t publishing.
- bag o' scraps from robert kaufman.
- roy g biv essential cotton thread from connecting threads.
- mrs. roy g biv quilt pattern from carolina patchworks <--the pattern that inspired the book!!!
just leave a comment telling me what your fav white thing is.
{winner will be drawn october 14th.}

and don't forget to visit all the peeps on our blog tour:
{they'll also be having giveaways!!!}

october 3rd - white
rachel griffith - ps i quilt

october 4th - pink
kathy mack - pink shalk studio

october 5th - red
kimberly jolly - fat quarter shop

october 6th - orange
jake finch - generation q magazine

october 7th - yellow
pat sloan

october 8th - green
connecting threads

october 9th - blue
scott hansen - blue nickel studios

october 10th - indigo {grouped with black/brown/grey in the book}
john adams - quilt dad

october 11th - violet/purple
allie heath - robert kaufman

so happy touring!!!

ps - don't forget that i'm gonna be on the radio today with pat sloan.

♥ rachel

american patchwork & quilting radio.

i'm going to be a guest on american patchwork & quilting radio with pat sloan. <--say whaaaat?!?!

yep. i'm pretty darn excited.
in fact, i'm not even sure "excited" covers it.
i'm a little on the nervous side too.
:P

so yall do me a favor...
tune in tomorrow at 4pm est and listen to me chat with pat.
yall can listen live HERE or subscribe via itunes.

fyi: i'll totally be sporting my comfy clothes. i suggest yall do the same.
AND thanks to my cold, i'll probably be forced to embrace my demi moore voice if it's still around.
*wink*

♥ rachel