My Stockings Won 3rd Place at MQX!!!!!

Woohoo!!  My family and I just came home late last night from an amazing week at Walt Disney World!  We had just the most wonderful time and were able to accomplish just about everything that had set out to do while visiting...and the icing on the cake?  While in Disney I discovered my Heirloom Stockings won 3rd place in the Wearable Accessories category at MQX Midwest!  YAY!!!!!!!!!!  I am so excited!!!!!!  This is the first ribbon I've won for a project that is entirely my own, and to win at MQX is such a huge deal for me.  Not only is it a national level show, but it's one that I've dreamed of participating in.  So many of my quilting idols are regulars at this show - and teach there too!  So it was just surreal to see photos of a ribbon hanging by my stockings!!

I cannot thank the amazing Janet Stone enough (best of show winner I might add!!!) for taking these photos from the show for me...so that I may share with you all!

Below is a shot of Emerald Tapestry - I'm SO bummed that it got such a deep wrinkle in it from shipping!  I'm still new to sending these out, and still trying to find the best way to send them for good presentation.  Same with the stockings...I think in the future I may send them stuffed so they aren't SO flat when they arrive...still, I'm pretty happy!  Emerald Tapestry did not place in the small whole cloth category but I'm still excited that it was accepted and in such amazing company with well known talented quilters.

Here are some of the photos I have shared on this blog in the past of the stockings to give you an idea of what they actually look like.  Sometimes with the lighting and angle of straight on photos you lose some of the detail that makes these quilts so amazing!

I am beyond thrilled to have won my very first ribbon at my very favorite quilt show!  All week after each day of Disney craziness I was dreaming about the current quilt I'm working on and hoping to have ready for MQX East...eeeeep!

I'm still recovering from our week of fun so I'll share photos of our trip on my next post.  Happy quilting!

Disney Obsession!

I took off a few weeks from quilting this September to work on costumes...and I've been sticking to my schedule!  We'll be all set for Halloween this year...

My youngest is going to be Anna...when she first decided she wanted to be Anna there was NO Frozen merchandise really anywhere...over the past few months it has begun to trickle into the stores and you can now get costumes for $16-$30...but we have a big family.  So I make just about all of their costumes (unless it's something really crazy that I cannot figure how to make without totally butchering it...)

The bodice of the dress was gifted second hand fabric from a friend, and the  blue faux satin was $2 a yard from Wal-Mart.  I also bought the gold ribbon trim from Wal-Mart and the pink ribbon, as well as the pink faux satin.  All in all I think this costume cost me about $8.  That might be estimating high!  :)  I painted Frozen-ish inspired flowers down at the bottom of the skirt but they didn't turn out all that fabulous.  I used acrylic paints and then covered them with sparkly nail polish.  So they aren't AMAZING but they are kind of hidden in the skirt so they will show just enough to give it some sparkle when she walks.  I'm not really a dress maker so I'm thrilled with how this turned out!  Costume making is one of our favorite family traditions!  :)

The best part?  My daughter told me when she put it on that she wanted to wear it forever....oh my goodness that just melted my heart!  SO SWEET!

Daddy is going to be Ralph from Wreck it Ralph this year and I've already bought most of what we need for his costume - still hunting for overalls...REALLY hoping I don't have to make those...what a pain...but I did make the cookie medal from the movie that Vanellope makes him.  I used inexpensive black foam and then tried to paint it like the cookie in the movie.  I had some leftover pink ribbon from Anna's cape that worked perfect for this.  I just finished it this afternoon and I plan to cover it/seal it with Mod Podge and then flip it over and paint the back.  In the movie the back of the cookie says "To: Stinkbrain".  LOL  Details are my favorite part of making costumes!

I also am working on Drizella and Anastasia costumes for my oldest two daughters...basically because I'm a Disney nerd.  I finished my oldest daughter's Drizella dress but still am looking around for what I'll use for the bow...I'm thinking maybe pipe cleaners behind some blue ribbon?  We shall see.  I haven't started Anastasia yet but have all the fabric ready.

Also haven't touched the Elsa dress, it's in pieces still but I have big plans! I was really trying to think of how I would make those sleeves of hers and I found this awesome cosplay blog were a girl had taken white tights and attached them to the dress!  LIGHT BULB!  I can do that!  Such a great idea!  So I'm on the hunt for white tights today...

So that's where I am with costumes and will likely have a few more to share over the next week or so!  Still have to get going on Maleficent and Cinderella!  Eeep!  ;)

Hope all are having a wonderful start to the fall!