the one where i cried over a zipper.

i have this little tradition.
on the first day of school, my kiddos take a little gift for their new teachers.
each of their teachers receive a friendship bag with blank index cards, a sharpie marker and some candy.
it's my way of kicking off the school year with a "thanks for teaching my kid. sorry if they end up being the class clown."

because i'm me, i wanted to top their first day of school gift.
sometimes i'm my own worst enemy.
what's up with that?

so, i made grand plans.
i wanted to make them all a zippered pouch.
enter a girl that has never put a zipper on/in anything in her entire life.

don't get me wrong, i buy zippers.
and they just sit here. looking pretty.
lame, i know.

well, here's what happened.
i picked out some delicious fabrics and matching zippers.
easy peasy.

i picked out a tutorial to follow, cut my fabrics and then i tried.
i really tried.
but i just couldn't do it.

was it the tutorial's fault?
no. well, maybe.
was it my zipper foot's fault?
no. well, maybe.
was it my own darn fault?
more than likely.

either way, i was so extremely frustrated, that i was in tears.
over a flipping zipper.
a woman that has been through birthing 4 babies.
and one of those babies was an ounce short of 10 pounds!!!

so, my kids didn't have awesome zippy pouches for their teachers on the last day of school.
because i'm a procrastinator of epic proportions, the teachers got hugs and a "i'll see you around, maybe."
way to go me.

stupid zippers.
i'll tackle you soon enough.
just watch and see and find out.

xo, rachel

fat quarter quickies winner.

the winner of the fat quarter quickies giveaway is ... deb.

congrats to you, deb!!!
email me: rachel at psiquilt dot com

thanks to all of y'all that entered.

xo, rachel

fat quarter quickies blog tour.

welcome to the fat quarter quickies blog tour, y'all.

after the announcement of my book, fellow martingale author, kathy brown, was kind enough to share an ebook of her newest release, fat quarter quickies.
(thanks, kathy. xoxo)

fat quarter quickies is a collection of quick and easy quilts.
with this book, you will learn to efficiently cut fat quarters into smaller units for any quilt pattern that features precut strips and squares.
and we all love working with those precut sizes, don't we?

i was asked to share my favorite project from the book.
i instantly fell in love with sail away.

it meets all of the rachel criteria: lots of white/cream solid, pops of color AND simplistic.
winner winner chicken dinner.
PLUS, it's just so very pretty.
*sigh*

i pulled some fabrics to make my very own sail away quilt.
it's going to be dreamy, right?

fabric = bliss by bonnie & camille for moda

no blog tour would be complete without a giveaway:
one lucky ps i quilt reader will win their own fat quarters quickies ebook!!!
just leave a comment telling me how many fat quarters you think you have in your stash.
{winner will be announced wednesday.}

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

june 17th
sew unique creations

june 18th
pam kitty morning

june 19th
spun sugar quilts

june 20th
martingale

june 21st
moda lissa

june 22nd
silver thimble quilt co

june 23rd
jaybird quilts

june 24th
ps i quilt

june 25th
the teacher's pet

happy touring.

*comments closed. winner will be announced shortly.*

xo, rachel

sew sweetness winners.

the winners of the sew sweetness giveaway are ... ali, ellyn and samantha.

congrats to all three of y'all!!!
email me: rachel at psiquilt dot com

thanks to all of y'all that entered.

xo, rachel

sponsor giveaway: sew sweetness

it's sponsor giveaway day.
yayyy!!!

today's sponsor is sew sweetness.
i had the chance to meet miss sara (briefly) at fall quilt market.
she's just as cute and sweet in real life as she is on her blog.

well, sara has her own pattern company called sew sweetness.
see her entire pattern line HERE.
warning: her bags are adorable.

i'm currently in the process of trying my hand at her aeroplane bag.
these are sara's completed bags. aren't they adorable?!?!
you can fit a sewing machine in this bag.
no lie.

for today's giveaway, there will be THREE different winners!!!
each winner will have their choice of THREE sew sweetness bag patterns!!!
sara is generous, isn't she?!?!

to enter: check out sew sweetness bag patterns THEN come back and tell me which THREE would be your choice should you win.
(winner will be announced sunday.)

ps. if you're a tula pink fan, you should check out the tula pink city sampler sew along that sara is hosting on her blog.

*comments closed.*

xo, rachel

the newbies.

stay tuned for more details.
but in the meantime, feel free to tell me which one is your favorite.
;)

xo, rachel

connecting threads winner.

the winner of the connecting threads giveaway is ... kelly o.

congrats to you, kelly!!!
email me: rachel at psiquilt dot com

thanks to all of y'all that entered.

xo, rachel

original sewing & quilt expo.

i'm happy to announce that i'm a faculty member with the original sewing & quilt expo!

what's this mean exactly?
well, it basically means that when the show travels to your city, i'll be one of the teachers you take a class from.

what else does this mean?
i'll have more of an opportunity to work with YOU, my readers, in real life.
yayyy.

i love the teaching process.
this is probably why i always wanted to be a home ec teacher.
;)

i'll be teaching a handful of classes at the shows.
each class will feature a quilt designed by me.
and i'm oh, so excited to meet and teach y'all.

so, please visit my new teaching & events page and see if your city is listed!

xo, rachel

sponsor giveaway: connecting threads

ah. sponsor giveaway day.
you love them.
i love them.
and my sponsors love them.
:)

today's sponsor is connecting threads.
they are a family owned company that cater to quilters by offering exclusive fabrics.
they also offer popular notions, patterns, books and more.

we all have our favorite notions, right?
notions that make quilting much easier and enjoyable.
things we can't imagine quilting without.

well, the good folks at connecting threads want to share some of their favorite notions with us.

lookie at the new olfa splash rotary cutter.
i had the chance to work with this cutter this past week.
it cuts like butter.
and it's aqua.
perfection.

i love a good thread set.
this salt and pepper thread set is so perfect.
i swear i use more white, cream and grey thread than any other color.
these spools are 1,200 yards each.
now that's a lot of stitching.

to be honest, i haven't used an omnigrid ruler in years.
my first ever ruler was by omnigrid, which i still have, but never use for some reason.
i tired this omnigrip neon ruler and i rather like it.
it's a real good size at 6" x 12".
(99.9% of the time, i use a 6" x 24" ruler.)

confession: before last week, if my rulers ever started to slip because of excessive use, i'd use a bit of clear finger nail polish on the back side.
i'm happy to report that those days are long gone.
these dritz grip discs are such a nifty notion.
they're easy to use and they're transparent.
winning.

i LOVE wonder clips.
they are one of the very best notions EVER.
if you haven't tried them, you must.
like today.
i mean it.
;)

so, now that i've told you about each of these notions, would you like them for yourself?
connecting threads wants to give one lucky ps i quilt reader a notions prize pack.
(everything pictured in this post.)

to enter: visit connecting threads and find something you'd like to add to your stash.
it can be fabrics, threads, books, notions, etc.
THEN come back here and tell me what it is.
be specific.
(winner will be announced tuesday.)

*comments closed.*

xo, rachel

mmmm.

these new goodies landed on my doorstep.
i'm already trying to plan their fate.

what would y'all make?
i'm open to suggestions.

xo, rachel

a joyful soul fabrics winner.

the winner of the a joyful soul fabrics giveaway is ... michelle.

congrats to you, michelle!!!
email me: rachel at psiquilt dot com

thanks to all of y'all that entered.

xo, rachel

your favorite solid.

do y'all use a lot of colored solids in your projects?
or are y'all more of a white/cream/grey/black kind of user?

also, what's your favorite solid EVER?
the one that makes you freak out when you're running low.

tell us the color, the company and why it's your favorite.
example: i love white bella solids by moda because it goes with EVERYTHING!!!

i'm a curious girl.
so, thanks in advance.

xo, rachel

sponsor giveaway: a joyful soul fabrics

first: thanks for the love on my latest sneak peek.
the number one asked question via email and instagram ... is it going to be a new pattern?
yes, and it's coming soon!!! :)

second: it's sponsor giveaway day.
and i know how y'all love those!!!

today's sponsor is a joyful soul fabrics.
joy, a naval wife, is the woman behind a joyful soul fabrics.
she started her business to offer great fabric (like amy butler) and build friendships.
a winning combo if you ask me.

so, have y'all ever heard of a fat quarter club?!?!
basically, you have 12 fat quarters automatically delivered to your front door every month.
and it's yummy fabrics that you already have on your wishlist.
now that's the kind of mail i love to receive.
(y'all can sign up for the fat quarter club HERE.)

for today's giveaway, one lucky ps i quilt reader will win ...
12 happy go lucky fat quarters by bonnie & camille for moda PLUS the fireworks pattern by thimble blossoms.
($44.00 value.)

*these 12 fat quarters are the june fat quarter club collection.

to enter: tell me what you'd make with these happy go lucky fat quarters.
winner will be announced tuesday.

in addition to the giveaway, a joyful soul fabrics would like to offer y'all a special sale.
enjoy 20% off your purchase of at least $50
*before tax and shipping, excluding gift certificates and club memberships.

simply use "psiquilt" during checkout.
the code expires in one week.

(comments closed.)

xo, rachel

another sneak peek. :)

xo, rachel

time flies.

my goodness, the school year flies, doesn't it?
today is the last day of school for the griffith kiddos.

the top pic is the first day of school.
the bottom pic is from this morning.
*sigh*

as of today, i'm momma to a middle schooler, a second grader, a first grader and a potty training 2 year old.
that's just bananas.
and i feel old.

tomorrow begins the get into the summer groove song & dance.
it always takes us a bit of time.
how about y'all?

also, i know i'm a day late, but ...
the winner of the fabrics n quilts giveaway is katie q.

congrats to you, katie!!!
email me: rachel at psiquilt dot com

thanks to all of y'all that entered.

xo, rachel

sponsor giveaway: fabrics n quilts

so, i know it's been a while, but it's sponsor giveaway day!!!
yayyy!!!

today's sponsor is fabrics n quilts.
shannon has been a long time sponsor of ps i quilt, folks.
she's super sweet and i'm convinced that if i lived in tennessee, we'd be the best of friends.

y'all have heard of flats by angela yosten, right?
it's a really cute fabric line, but it's also a way to make modernized paper dolls.
read more about angela's inspiration behind flats HERE.
(hey, angela. xoxo.)

well, fabrics n quilts wants to give one of y'all an awesome flats kit.
it includes everything you need to make your favorite girl (or boy) some adorable dolls and pets.
the kit includes 4 panels, 1 1/2 yds of fleece, 1 yd of velcro & 1 spool of 50 wt aurifil thread.
(valued at $55)

to enter:
tell me, did you play with paper dolls as a kid?
also, go become a fan of the fabrics n quilts facebook page.
(winner will be announced wednesday.)

comments closed.*

xo, rachel

craftsy winner. (& a reminder.)

the winner of the craftsy giveaway is ... cj.

congrats to you, cj!!!
email me: rachel at psiquilt dot com

thanks to all of y'all that entered.

also, today begins the impromptu along!!!
so, come join us via #impromptualong hashtag on instagram &/or the impromptu quilt along flickr group.

xo, rachel