Two of my granddogs, Ellie and Tully

For the last several years I've been selling dog bow ties (along with cat and people bow ties) at local markets. I also sell dog bandanas, but I haven't yet listed those online anywhere yet we'll just forget I mentioned that.

Finally, finally, finally they're listed in the shop too. It has been a long time coming and I'm super excited.

The bow ties have a velcro piece in the back to attach to the dog collar. And they come in three sizes - Small, Medium, and Large. AND dog bow ties are not just for the boys, girl dogs look pretty terrific in them too.

A quick click on each image will take you to the Etsy shop listing.

All dog bow ties can be found by clicking here.

 

I'm kind of hooked on these little flags. 

 

Really, all things 4th of July are doing it for me right now.

Be prepared for some some super fun Independence Day themed throw pillows coming very soon. I haven't quite figured out my throw pillow plan, but I do know it has a lot to do with some postage stamp quilted stars (God bless anyone who does a postage stamp quilt ... those tiny pieces take forever to make into something of a reasonable size!).

And dog and cat bow ties. And, as always, I have more ideas than time. No surprise there. :)

The pillows can be found in the Jude Harbor etsy shop, one star here and thirteen star here.

 

 

Two years is a really long time not to post. I had the best of intentions too! 

 

I do have an excuse though, I really do, aside from blogging no longer being an in thing. As my kids have grown up and gotten older (they range in age from 15 to 30 now ... I have no idea how that happened) they've started moving out and being all adulty. I love it, I really do, I'm amazed at the awesome people they've all become and I love interacting with them on a whole different level (they're all really, really cool and each is so unique).  As they've left the nest the house has started to feel big, I've had empty bedrooms in this house that raised six children. I turned one bedroom into my sewing room. 

 

As I looked at the remaining empty bedroom I realized it was finally time to embark on a new adventure - foster parenting. It had always been in the back of my mind as something I wanted to do but the timing was never right. Until now. 2 1/2 years ago I began the process to become a foster parent and two years ago, right after my last post, I accepted my first foster child, a wonderful energetic 15 month old boy named Aaron. About a month later I accepted a 5 week old little girl, Annie. My foster son stayed with me for about 10 months and my little girl was with me for almost 23 months, she headed home just over 2 weeks ago the day after she turned two. 

 

I'm now taking a break from fostering, I'm not sure for how long - it's going to be a while before the hurt of Annie's departure heals. I'm staying busy now sewing and trying to catch up on everything (yard work, yikes!) that I didn't stay on top of the last two years.

The stars have been listed in the Jude Harbor Etsy shop. There are more new listings to come. I've been doing local and not-too-far-away markets with so, so much new stuff - now it's time to get it online too.

 

Oh  my gosh, I didn't mean to disappear for months again.

Over the last few months I've been focusing on in-person events and shows, mostly building inventory and getting my 10' by 10' booth "just right". I never, in my wildest imagination, could have grasped how much time and energy and money could go into such a small space! Of course, it's still not exactly right and I'm guessing the reality is that it will never be perfect, but it's getting better. If you follow Because I'm Me on Facebook or Instagram you've probably seen many booth pictures, and also many pictures of products I'm selling face-to-face that aren't available online. I'm working on bringing more of those products to the shop - hopefully more very soon, but if you're interested in something you see just message me. Oh, also follow the Facebook page for locations of upcoming events.

 

So here I am with some new bow ties, just added to the shop.

These fun bow ties are available with the added Easter bunny or chick for both adults and kids. And cats, each bow tie comes with it's own collar with breakaway clasp. And .... our first bow ties in the shop for dogs! The dog bow ties have a velcro closure and they simply attach to your pup's collar ... easy peasy.

 

The gingham and dot bow ties can be happily mixed and matched with these large-scale gingham print bow ties, in pink, green, and soft blue. These fun bow ties are also available for adults, kids, cats, and dogs.

 

As we approached fall market season, and after spending a minute in the grocery store where the world suddenly resolved around pumpkin everything, I thought it'd be fun to make some fall-themed keychains.

Of course, once made it made sense to add them to the online shops too. So I did.

These are so fun, and kind of make me forget I'm in Florida where it still reaches 90' most days.

These keychains, and more, can be found in the Jude Harbor stand alone shop and Etsy shop.

Happy fall, y'all!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1068612444/baby-girls-floral-quilt-whole-cloth 

 

Another new whole cloth quilt. This one is just so sweet and soft for a little girl.

Y'all - this fabric is from Hobby Lobby and I love everything about it. Hobby Lobby isn't always my first go-to for fabric, but they've got some great finds at really good prices (I've been told their fabric is 30% off every other week, I'm not sure if that's true - I just check the website before going in).

Priced at just $79 this quilt will sell very quickly! You can find it in the Jude Harbor shop and the Etsy shop.

While I love, love, love piecing quilt tops and the whole quilting process I thought it'd be fun to try making some whole cloth quilts with some fantastic fabrics I found (at Hobby Lobby).

This is the first quilt made - boho plants and flowers on two coordinating shades of pinkish coral. I quilted it with loopy swirls, a favorite of mine, and the binding is a fabric I had in my stash.

 

The time saved not piecing the top allows this quilt to be priced lower - just $59 for a 35" by 42" quilt.

Available here.

So will I give up piecing quilts for whole cloth quilts? No way, but it's fun to add something new to the repertoire.