Getting ready for my first fair

I haven't blogged much recently because I've been very busy getting ready for a craft fair this weekend.

I've never been in a fair before, so I was afraid I wouldn't have enough items to fill my six-foot folding table, but as I arranged them all last night, I realized my problem is that I'm running out of space, which is a good problem to have I think.


I've made table runners, table toppers, pot holders, Christmas stockings, a messenger bag, baby/lap quilts and matching doll quilts. I'm still finishing up a few items, but I'll have close to 50 available on the day of the fair and all but three are priced between $5 and $30.


On top of those low prices, I'm offering 20 percent off to anyone who mentions this blog when purchasing.

The fair is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25, at Ben Franklin Crafts, 2500 52nd Ave., Moline. It's behind SouthPark Mall. I hope to see you all there.

Matching baby and doll quilt for sale

I found a cute charm pack of contemporary pink and brown fabrics, combined it with a coordinating jelly roll and a cute white print to create a matching baby and doll quilt.

They are both for sale at www.stephaniesoebbing.etsy.com.

Finished in the nick of time

I know, Christmas was almost a week ago, but life hasn't slowed down yet.

My quilted gifts were very well received and nobody had any idea that two of them were started less than a week before Christmas.



Most summer days my grandpa can be found on a fishing boat with a pole in his hand while my grandma sits beside him with a book, so they really loved their fish-themed lap quilt.


And the whole family was shocked when they asked when I started "Flower Patch" for my grandma. They were pretty impressed that I started and finished a quilt in three days.


Last, but not least, my cousin got engaged about a week before Christmas and informed us his new fiance was coming to Christmas. She's a teacher, so I cranked out a quilted messenger bag to hold her school papers. I finished it at 1 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Then I wrapped all the presents.



She thought it was store-bought until my proud mother said, "Stephanie made that." I considered it a pretty good compliment.

Good thing I checked my list twice

I was in the process of checking my list twice last weekend when I realized I forgot to get a gift for my grandmother for the SECOND year in a row. I'm a bad grandchild.

She's very difficult to shop for. My mom once found a gift she'd gotten her stowed away in a closet with the tags still on it years after it was given. The only want to really make her happy is to give her pictures of the family (which my mom has already taken care of with photos form my wedding this summer) or make her something.


I already cranked out a table runner at the last minute last Christmas, so on Saturday afternoon I found myself at the fabric store picking out fabric to make her a lap quilt in less than a week. I picked up two charm square packets and 10 fat quarters to make a 45" by 54" four patch lap quilt. The charm squares made it pretty easy and I used strip piecing to make the four patch blocks so I had the top pieced and basted in a day.

I'm also finishing another lap quilt for my other set of grandparents. Somehow I've managed to burn the candle at both ends and am now sewing the binding on both quilts. Now I just can't wait until I have kids old enough to help with the wrapping, since my husband claims incompetence in that area.