recently.

well, hi!
i know it's been a while. (5 months?!)
i've recently made a deal with myself, to get this blog back on track.
i know it's mush faster to post to instagram, but i do miss writing here.
and i honestly miss using a real camera, too.

in case y'all aren't on instagram, here's what i've been up to for the last few months.

see that picture at the top of this post?
well, that's a quilt top i FINALLY completed.
i can't wait to show y'all the whole thing once it's quilted.
it's a new design in my pattern line.
it's coming soon!

i've also been working on another quilt!
this one isn't completely pieced yet, because i keep changing the layout.
y'all do that, too, right? (;

i actually made something seasonal (& on time!) this year!
this is probably my favorite fall runner of all time now.
i'm biased. it happens.

i FINALLY got to play around with these pretty fabrics!
i'll show y'all more about these later this week!
promise.

i started this quilt for a friend of ours, in ohio,
their sweet son, the same age as our youngest son, has been in and out of the hospital.
since we're not there in person, i figure a quilt is the next best thing.

i've been working on my modern maples quilt! YES!
there's only 5 more blocks to go!
i think i can, i think i can, i think i can!

oh, and i FINALLY got around to putting the binding on this fall scruffily quilt!
as i type this, it's being loved to death on our living room couch.
i haven't even had a chance to wash it yet.

so you see, i've been doing pretty good.
i still have my rough days, but i'm chugging along.
chugga chugga choo choo.

anyways, like i said, i'm really going to make an effort to bring this ol' blog of mine back to life.
people still read blogs, right? LOL.

i have other pics to show y'all, but i don't want to throw everything out at once.
should you be interested, there's more via my instagram. (i'm @rachelgriffith)

it's nice to see YOU again!
xo, rachel

sashay.

i've been working hard on a new pattern release.
i have four new patterns in all.
i'll share the first two with y'all this week.
the last two will follow along soon.

up first, sashay.

this quilt is layer cake friendly.
if y'all are anything like me, i like to hoard, i mean, stash layer cakes.
so, grab your favorite layer cake, some coordinating fabrics, and a background ... boom. you're done.

this quilt does use a template, which is in included, but don't let that put you off.
it's simple to piece and goes together smoothly.

i love this design and i'm hoping that y'all will, too.

quilt stats:
size = 70" x 70"
fabric = happy go lucky by bonnie & camille for moda
quilting = darla padilla

so, if you're looking for your own sashay pattern:
the pdf pattern is available HERE. (ships via email after your purchase.)
be sure to share your sashay quilts on social media using #SashayQuilt. i can't wait to see what you make!

xo, rachel

thankfulness. (& a giveaway!)

y'all seriously made my heart happy with all of your encouragement, loveliness, and well wishes.
although, i couldn't personally respond to every email or comment, please know that i read every single one.
y'all really are the best readers a girl could ask for.
so, thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

also, i'm having a giveaway via instagram! (i'm @rachelgriffith)
today is the last day, so come check it out if free fabric is your thing. (;

xo, rachel

baby steps.

so, here's the truth, i've been battling some health problems.

i have suffered from anemia for years, thanks to an iron deficiency.
with each pregnancy, it became progressively worse.
i felt it getting worse this last summer/fall, but i tried my damndest to push through it.
that's what we moms and business owners do, right?

well, apparently, i was pushing too hard.
or maybe i'm just a stubborn southern woman.
either way, there finally came a day, when i just had to cave.

on top of having iron-deficiency anemia, i've been hard on myself.
i've been disgusted with my inability to just be myself.
(why are we so hard on ourselves?)
my body wouldn't let me get off my couch to cook supper, let alone, run a business.
needless to say, i was in a dark place, emotionally, as well as physically.
and that's the truth.

as most of y'all know, i stopped teaching, blogging, and hanging out with you via social media.
behind the scenes, i stopped quilting all together.
quilting is just the surface, really.
and at the end of the day, the things that mattered most, i really felt like i was failing at.
like being a good wife, mother, and friend.

i am behind on everything under the sun, BUT i'm writing to tell y'all that i am seeing a light at the end of this tunnel.
thanks to a new medical course of action, i'm starting to feel more and more like myself.
i'm thankful that we seem to have tapped into my anemia when we did and have things turning around in the right direction.
and furthermore, i'm super thankful for every single one of you that has reached out to inquire about my family and i.

i'm trying to take baby steps here and get my feet wet.
even if it is, just dipping my toes in the shallow end.
so, if you're waiting on an order or an email, please know that i haven't forgotten about you! mean it!

xo, rachel

almost five christmases later.

if y'all follow along via instagram, chances are, you know that i spent yesterday making these lovelies.
(i'm @rachelgriffith if you're interested.)

miss lindsey was born in september of 2010.
i'm sure some of y'all remember this.
(yes, it's really been that long ago!)

well, back in 2007, i made stocking for everyone in our house.
when lindsey was born, i told myself i needed to make her a stocking, too.
here we are, almost five christmases later, and that baby FINALLY gets her stocking.
mother of the year award goes to ... ;)

xo, rachel