almost irish.

so i remember it like it was yesterday.

i was standing in target.
my cell phone rings.
unknown number.

note: let's be honest.
99.9% of the time i hit the ignore button on unknown/private numbers.
this time, for some reason...not so much.



me: hello
irish voices: hi rachel!!! it's sherry & terri from irish quilting magazine.
i almost faint. for real.
me: oh hey yall.
of course i said hey yall. not. even. joking.

sherry: we wanna pick up your almost irish design for publication.
me: *crickets chirping*
sherry: are you there rachel???
me: *clears throat* yeah. sorry about that.
just so you know...people are staring at me because i'm jumping up & down in target.
sherry: HAHAHA. you're in target???
me: yep. HAHA.

my thoughts: good going rach.
you basically just told an editor of a magazine that you're a loser.
hi-5.

sherry: *still laughing at me being a loser*
rachel: *i'm doing that nervous OMG laugh*



we proceed with our convo.
iron out due dates.
make plans to meet for lunch at fall market.
& i even said that i could stay on the phone with them all day just to listen to their accents.
yeah. huge dork. i know.



so here we are 9 months later.
lookie at my quilt.
IN freaking IRELAND.
*faint*

almost irish can go down in the books as my 1st ever published pattern.
i may or may not have cried the first time i saw these pics.
just sayin'.
:P



*sigh*

it's totally okay that i'm jealous of my own quilt right?!?!
i mean it's been to ireland. and without me.

*blows raspberry*



oh & look...SHEEP!!!
real, honest to goodness IRISH SHEEP.
be still my heart.
♥

i think they love me quilt.
score.



quilt stats:
fabric = rouenneries by french general for moda.
size = 80 1/2" square
quilting = rhonda morrison

and guess what?!?!
kits are available HERE.
single issue are available HERE.

just sharing the irish wealth.
:D

so what do yall think???
me loves it.

note: no sheep were harmed in the making of this quilt or photoshoot.

irish flood quilts.

it's NO secret that i ♥ ireland.
it's our homeland...our roots.

knowing this, yall will understand why this is SO close to my heart.

yall might {or might not} have heard about the flooding in ireland.

it's said that it's the worst occurrence in the past 800-ish years.

the south & west ends are effected first, followed by the midland areas.

500-600 homes have already been effected.
the news in county cork displaced families at a staggering 18,000.

it could be weeks or months before many residents can even estimate damages.

i know!!! heart breaking!!!

so here is where we can come in!!!

we can take our hobby and put warmth back in ireland for the flood victims.

how can yall help???

yall can make & donate disappearing nine patch blocks.

yall can make & donate charity quilts.

yall can donate backings & battings.

yall can donate longarm quilting.

easy peasy stuff.

i am colaborating with irish quilting magazine for this cause.

these ladies are the best of the best and are already putting things into action.

any blocks, quilts, backings & battings can be sent to me.

{in case you can't send international mail.}

or you can send them directly to ireland.

i realize that it's the christmas season...

please just take a few minutes to consider helping.

a disappearing nine patch block takes about 5 minutes to make.

that 5 minute block will warm someone's heart EVERYTIME they see it.

♥

pattern resources:

disappearing nine patch tutorial here. {& here.}

lap size disappearing nine patch quilt tutorial here.

irish quilting flood relief quilt pattern here.

if there are any questions, i will update this post.

question #1: when is the deadline???

we currently don't have a hard date.

i know that we are aiming to do this as soon as possible though.

question #2: can i donate towards shipping costs???

absolutely!!! any and all donations are appreciated.

i can write you a reciept too for tax purposes.

question #3: can i just send blocks???

yes!!! your blocks will be made into a quilt top.

{either by myself or the ladies at irish quilting magazine.}

question #4: what address do i send my blocks/quilts to???

if you are sending to me...

i will give you my address upon request.

{i don't want to publish it on my blog.}

if you are sending to ireland...

irish quilting magazine

flood relief in action

berowra djouce

roundwood

county wicklow

ireland

question #5: can we donate completed quilts that aren't disappearing nine patch???
finished quilts do NOT have to be disappearing nine patch quilts.

please feel free to donate whatever type of quilt you are lead to donate.

please take a button and spread the news!!!

a little of this & that.

here's a little work in progress.

this will be the makings of a doll quilt.
cute huh???

more details later.

and for those inquiring minds...
fabric in pic=riviera by connecting threads.

oh and remember THIS post???

well voting closes friday.

just to refresh yall...

i designed a quilt block for a challenge issued by irish quilting magazine.
the challenge is now a competition between 14 blocks.
and the best part is...yall can vote on which block wins!!!
{hint hint: my block is easily SPOTTED!!!}

so please go vote!!!

and one more thing...

thank yall SO much!!!

my grand opening was such a success!!!

p.s. i quilt: the shoppe needs restocked already!!!

:)

extra! extra! read all about it!

yep.

you read it here 1st.

my name in irish quilting magazine!!!

i may or may not have cried.

and i may or may not recall a hysterical phone call to my hubby at work.

but yeah...there i am.

me. rachel griffith. in print.

and for those inquiring minds:

i blogged about this project HERE.

and then HERE.

so here's the deal:

i designed a quilt block for a challenge issued by the magazine.

the challenge is now a competition between 14 blocks.

and the best part is...yall can vote on which block wins!!!

{hint hint: my block is easily SPOTTED!!!}

st. patrick's day

happy st. patty's day yall!!!

this is SO not how my st. patty's post is supposed to be.

yall know me...i planned out the coolest paddy's post EVER.

but i'm just not well enough to do it.

i swear we, the grittith fam, will be celebrating paddy's day in style.

just later.

i can't miss it.

oh and melanie is starting to get sick.

so yeah...3 sick kids...and a sick wife...my poor hubby.

hold. the. phone.

hold. the. phone.

you are not going to believe what i came across today.

get this:

i can own a piece of ireland for only $50.

seriously.

wanna know how???

i bargained with a leprechaun of course.

i kid i kid.

in 2003 these two lads, john & thomas, started a company called buyireland.com

and basically you purchase a square foot plot of rural ireland from them.

{of course you can buy more than one if you wanted.}

with your purchase you receive:

a certificate of ownership

deed of assurance

photographs

and directions.

talk about a unique, thoughtful and inspiring gift.

{boy did i get carried away there for a second!!!}

i seriously think that this is awesome.

i think it might be a little too close to my birthday to ask somebody for it.

but i still want it nonetheless!!!

p.s. there's only 12 days until my 26th birthday!!!

{and momma will be here in '13 and a wake up'}

yes please.

so this is my newest 'gotta have this' irish thing.

{well i've been wanting it for a few months.}

i think that this is my favorite claddagh ring of all time.

i do have a claddagh ring...i mean come on...i'm irish!!!

but it's very, very traditional...meaning plain jane!

and when i saw this baby at fallers of galway...

i knew i just had to have it.

the price is perfect...at only $45!!!

and what's best...

the shipping...all the way from ireland {yayyy}...is included in the price!!!

seriously i checked.

i called galway this morning {no lie} to find out shipping charges!!!

now i'm a sucker for irish accents.

i really begged wanted them to pass the phone around.

i seriously would have talked to any lad passing by.

i'm not hard to please.

*wink wink*

it made my morning to call ireland!!!

now...will i get this for my birthday...that is the question.

well just have to watch and see and find out.

update: i called my ma-inlaw and told her:
i was gonna die without this
this is what i REALLY wanted for my bithday.

update again: me & my big fat mouth!!!

sorry momma.

i'll seriously act surprised!!!

i ♥ you more than all the green in ireland!!!

p.s. there's only 19 days until my 26th birthday!!!

{and momma will be here in '20 and a wake up'}

artist appreciation day :O)

don't you wanna stay here???

is this not the most charming irish cottage EVER???

true story: i was searching 'irish fabric' earlier today via google.

{i have a nasty habit of searching 'images' instead of 'web'}

and all the sudden this SUPER cute irish living room picture pops up.

i, of course, HAD to see more.

boy was i in for a BIG surprise.

this SUPER adorable irish cottage was on my screen.

can i live there??? i wish.

it's a dollhouse.

that's right a dollhouse.

is that not amazing???

:O)

the maker's name is kathy. and she's SO talented!!!

i browsed around at her other work...all just as stunning.

i especially love her miniatures inspired by the harry potter series.

not to mention i LOVE her 'four days before christmas' house!!!

it's detail is out of this world!!!

well i could NOT leave my computer without emailing her.

just to tell her how much joy she brought to my fabric hunt. lol.

and quess what...she emailed me back.

she told me i could share her work with you guys.

how cool is that???

please, please, please check her out.

you can see her AMAZING work here.

{she has alot more pics of the cottage on her site, i just picked my favs.}

p.s. don't you just love that little quilt rack???

quilter's irish death: the story

well you already know this is a beer.

"created by the brewery's founder, quilter's irish death is an imperial sweet stout with a big malt body and balanced bitterness. over half a dozen malts combine to make this one dark, smooth, and hi-octane ale... the name is a necessary reminder that despite the surprising approachability, this beer weighs in at a hefty 7.8% abv."

so no quilting under the influence!!!

but what's the story???

i'll tell you...

jim QUILTER {a brewer of irish decent}

formulated the recipe for this one of a kind ale.

and he figured it would be the death of him.

hence, quilter's irish death was born!

seriously.

want to know something else???

our new favorite 'beer guys' have been talking with our own pat sloan!!!

they even worked out a nifty deal for us quilters.

head over to her blog to get in on the action.

and if you haven't...check out iron horse brewery's website.

you HAVE to see their other beers...they have the best names.

and let's help get the word out about these guys.

they deserve it!!!

they did, afterall, get a TON of email from us quilters.

it's the least we can do!!!

:D

quilter's irish death

what does THAT mean???

well it's simple. it's a beer.

oh yeah...a beer.

it's real. {it's only in 2 states, but it's out there.}

have i had it...NO!!! do i want to...YEPPERS!!!

thanks to pat sloan i found out about this beer. {thanks pat!!!}

and these guys are...iron horse brewery.

i've been all over their website...which is nifty.

i've read their story...which is interesting.

i've even emailed them!!! i swear it.

here's what i said to them:

i'm dropping yall a line so i can get situated!

:O)

i'm very curious about getting my hands on some of this quilter's irish death.

#1 i'm irish.

#2 i'm a quilter.

#3 i just need it. {refer back to #1}

mmkkayyy.

for the love of all things irish...please contact me.

rachel

fyi: the reason i opened my email that way is because of something they said on their 'find our beers' page. i wasn't trying to be rude. lol.

look for a quilter's irish death update on monday. promise.

i heart ireland

seriously i do.

cutest thing happened the night before last.
the hubby said, "what do you REALLY want for your birthday...from me?"
as i layed there looking at him i guess he must have seen the shamrock shaped lightblub light up above my head because i didn't even have the chance to answer.
he just smiled at me and said, "honey, i can't send you to ireland for your birthday. but maybe at tax time!"

my birthday is september 22nd. less than 2 months away. why can't we go to ireland???
{wink wink}

so if i can't have ireland in all it's splender, i'll wish for the next best thing:
a trip to an irish pub and a copy of tour ireland with pat sloan.
sounds good to me.
{tax time is only 7ish months away!!!}

you can find pat's tour ireland book here.
{hint hint hubby. or hint hint momma}
:O)

if you could drop everything and go...where would YOU go???

inquiring minds want to know.

irish quilt=great success

okay yall. here is the moment that we've all been waiting for. the irish quilt is finished!!! yayyy. i put the finishing touches on it yesterday afternoon and by last night, mandie was here to get it. she walked in, i made her close her eyes and i stood in front of her with it open for her to see. she cried. i cried. it was a beautiful thing. to her, this was the 1st quilt ever made/given to her. for me, this was something that will always have a piece of my heart with it because of jimmy's death. it was a very emotional gift giving session to say the least. she loves it. she said it was nothing like she envisioned. {she said her mind imagined lots of white and green fabrics.} this is by far, my most favorite quilt that i've done. and i'm super happy to FINALLY unveil the irish quilt in it's glory. enjoy. {and this is my bestest friend mandie by the way.}

quilt me...i'm irish

okay...so i have come to the realization that there's a reason why i was dragging my feet on the irish quilt. i'd like to think it's because god knew that i would need something to occupy myself this weekend. {today is my cousin jimmy's funeral...in georgia. and i'm sad to say that i could not make it home on such short notice.} so i decided i should try to keep my mind busy by working on the irish quilt. in the past few days i have completely finished the applique AND i finished the quilt label last night. {the 1st one i've ever made i might add.} and so far today i have attached the quilt label to the back, sandwiched it, and pinned it with quilter's pins. so, i'm SUPER excited to tell yall that the irish quilt is ready for quilting. i'm not happy for the reason i've been compelled to work on it so diligently, but i am VERY happy that it's getting done. and in my next bog, yall should expect to see the LONG awaited pictures of the irish quilt...yayyy.

close...but no cigar

so yall know my irish quilt. {better yet my best friend's irish quilt} here's the lowdown in case you don't know...my bestest gal pal in the whole wide world told me that for her 30th birthday ALL she wanted was an irish quilt. i found the perfect pattern that had this lovely irish proverb appliquéd around the border, and i started the quilt without a care in the world. well i got discouraged after st. patty's day passed, then i hit an awesome weekend stride when i got the WHOLE quilt top assembled and all was looking great in my little quilting world. well, i'm not one to be afraid to tell you when i don't know how to do something. and let's face it, machine applique is SO not my forte. i've been meaning to take a class, but haven't. so, i committed myself to hand applique this proverb: "may your home always be too small to hold all of your friends" along with 3 shamrocks. yeah, so that didn't last long. first of all, it took me 3 1/2 hours to cut out all the letters and shamrocks from fabric. and i have spent, what seems like forever, doing the hand applique and all i've got done are the letters "m" and "a" with 1 shamrock. now, i'm committed to my quilting, but i don't want to be working on this quilt until the cows come home. know what i mean? so...i started brainstorming, because i'm not giving my best friend a beautiful quilt with crappy machine applique on it. and here is what i think is the solution to my problem. my best friend's name is amanda, but we call her mandie. so i was thinking that i could finish those "m" and "a" letters to spell out "mandie"...and then go ahead and put the 3 shamrocks as planned. i know that either way, she will love it. i just don't want to continue to be intimidated by the irish quilt. i swear the quilt calls to me like a foghorn, "rachel...come quilt me!" so here i am, asking yall what to do. {so i can finish this beast of a quilt and start all those other quilts with a clean conscience.}

luck o' the irish weekend

o-righty then. i'm excited to share with yall that i actually got lots-O-work done on my irish quilt this weekend. {thank heavens!} in a previous blog i told yall that since st. patty's day passed i was so unmotivated to work on the irish quilt, but this weekend i must have stumbled upon a good ol' four leaf clover because i was very motivated and had a blast. i transformed my fabric into a wonderful piece of art, and i think that i love this quilt more than any i've done so far. {it must be the irish in me.} good news is: quilt top is completely assembled, applique is on. so all i have to do is layer, quilt and bind. bad news is: this is a gift for my bestest friend and i have to say farewell to my most favoritest quilt. lol. {note to self: add making another irish quilt to my list.} pictures will be posted soon!!!! {i told myself i wasn't aloud to post a pic until it was done...as motivation to myself.}

irish luck...not so much

my bestest gal pal in the whole wide world said that all she wanted for her 30th birthday was a st. patty's quilt.
of course i was all too willing to tackle this, being i'm the ONLY quilter she knows.
but i have honestly been so unmotivated since the good ol' green day has passed. boo.
that's bad on my part.
i do have all the fabric cut and ready to go, but i keep finding excuses to not work on it today. geez.
like right now i should totally be working on it, but i told myself that i HAD to check my email, myspace, allpeoplequilt.com, etc.
bad rachel bad.