You <3 it, too? Check out the tutorial to make your very own. Thanks Purl Bee!

I am completely obsessed with this dress! Would be perfect for upcoming getway to san diego…

Other zig zag projects I adore:

The designer, Nettie, actually sells the quilt kit for this Mendocino Zig Zag Quilt available on Etsy. Her blog is pretty cool, too! Check it out.

Also adorable is this zig zag mini quilt by Malka Dubrawsky, artist and blogger. My favorite part is the quilting — it really makes the zigs and zags pop!

From Left to right:

Top row: In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World’s Most Famous Fashion Magazine, available at Amazon by clicking here; Max Studio Rally Boot, available at PiperLime by clicking here. Middle Row: Zebra Kilim Stool, available at Cost Plus World Market by clicking here; Hudson Straight Leg Jean, available at Shopbop by clicking here; Dior Lip Maximizer, available at Sephora by clicking here. Bottom Row: Jaime Joseph Green Chalcedony Ring with Diamond, available at Twist Online by clicking here; Etsy Notecard Sampler, available at Etsy by clicking here

I am quoting my good friend Jean’s blog from about a week ago. Her quote of the day was, “…what you keep in your small apartment is a statement about your values.” – and I think I value old world charm. Okay, that’s a slight joke. The original article that the quote is pulled from is all about how to minimize materialism in today’s world. It’s a great source of inspiration, and I recommend reading it just to humble your material cravings for a minute.

PRD and I are sharing a tiny apartment. And it is important to make wise choices. Less space means less choices which means you better make smart ones. And it’s been awhile since we’ve lived here, and I still haven’t done any decorating. Sometimes I feel a weird pressure to have a perfect apartment, like it’s expected of me – but to be honest, that might be because my last apartment was really rockin’. An accent platinum gray wall with a great, enormous yellow floral couch, lavender in metal tins flanking either side of an antique mirrored mantle. Doesn’t it sound like a slice of heaven? I wish I had a picture…

Which brings me back to chandeliers. Maybe that inspiration is the place to start. If you know of a great place for chandeliers, lemme know!

We’re looking at the possibility of using some crazy quilting techniques for an upcoming project. The piecing is already underway, so what we really need is a book that gives detailed instructions on each of the different types of stitches. I found a pretty good website that has illustrations and step-by-step instructions that are pretty helpful, but what I would really like is a bound book, so if anyone has suggestions on good ones, comment here!

For reference, the website is The Embroiderers’ Guild website, you can access their encyclopedia of stitches and instructions by clicking their logo below!

Anyhow, 8 hours straight, yikes! It was good fun, but my fingers were killing my by the end of the day from being poked by needles, which is why I am in some major need of bag balm.

According to Wikipedia, Bag Balm was originally created as a salve for cows’ udders. Created in 1899, Bag Balm now has a variety of uses and is available at ski resorts and most drugstores. Bag Balm is also popular as a post-tattoo skin soother. Not according to Wikipedia, but according to me, it’s also popular with quilters. My poor hands need reprieve!

If your hands are in need of some soothing too, and you can’t make it to the drugstore, you can click here for the 10 oz size. The purse size (1.0 oz) is also available on Amazon.

I’ve decided to create a new “feature” for my blog. The feature is titled CRAVE, and each CRAVE post will relate to some quilt gadget or toy that I’m really jonesing for at the current moment. Let’s start with EQ6.

EQ6

Suz and I have always planned quilts with a pad of graph paper, some crayons, and colored pencils. I love the elementary, basic feel of planning something out using your two hands, I find that it really helps me to conceptualize/understand my project. And trust me, I know that you don’t need fancy software to make a beautiful quilt. But, I am coming up with more and more of my own designs and this shiny new product caught my eye. Most of you have probably already heard of it- Electric Quilt software has been around for more than 10 years.

Here is a description and a photo of the product taken from the EQ website:

“While EQ6 is the newest and most advanced version of our best-selling Electric Quilt software, it’s also the most user-friendly. This incredibly full-featured quilt design and drawing program has been especially designed with beginners as well as advanced designers in mind. Use it to design quilts, draw blocks, scan in fabrics or select from over 20,000 blocks, fabrics, colors, embroidery, photos, threads, quilt layouts and borders included in EQ6. Use EQ6 simply to try out colors, or print patterns in any size…”

Additionally, EQ6 has 100 new features, and is a substantial upgrade from the previous version. With a $150 price tag, I am wondering if I can realistically afford the product AND if I do spend the money, will EQ6 really be that beneficial to me? On the upside, the price is commensurate with other software (unrelated to quilting) on the market, so it’s not unreasonably priced. In a perfect world, one where money grew on trees, this puppy would be mine.

(Then again, I would need a new computer first, but if money grew on trees, who cares about the price tag?)

Comments on any experiences or opinions on the product are extremely welcome!