Giving Is Better Than Receiving

I recently closed down my Etsy shop. After 14 months, I had generated very little traffic and made zero sales, so I decided that I didn't want to bother keeping up with it anymore. Not to mention, if I sold the quilts that I had listed, I didn't really have a plan to replenish the shop with new stock. It's not like I have a lot of time on my hands to churn out sale quilts on the side. ;) (More on that later.) 

After I closed my Etsy shop, I had two lap quilts and two baby quilts to play with. I thought about just using the lap quilts right away (after all, they had been folded in a bag in my sewing room for almost a year and deserved to be used!), but instead I decided that I wanted to give them away. I looked at the Cuzco Crossroads quilt and immediately knew who I wanted to give it to. Our pastor's wife works very hard in the children's ministry and for our church as a whole, not to mention she has her own three kids to take care of and worry about. I wanted to give her something that would let her know that her hard work doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. She had mentioned a few times in the past how much she liked my quilts, so it was extremely easy to make the decision to give it away. 

I don't say all of this to brag or make myself look good. I just wanted to share the special moment that I had this weekend that reminded me about the importance of gift-giving, with no strings attached, and the reason why we quilters do what we do in the first place. There's no better feeling than giving someone a piece of your heart that you know they will use and cherish forever. (Wow, that sounded way sappier out loud than it did in my head... you get the idea!).

Right now my attention is focused on finishing four wedding quilts in four months. I can't wait to start sharing my progress here on the blog! I'd like to keep the quilts a surprise until the couple has seen them, so you'll have to wait until April 9th, May 28th, June 11th, and July 23rd to see what I've been working on. 

Cuzco Crossroads Quilt

I have another quilt finish to share with you all! I'm calling this one the "Cuzco Crossroads Quilt" because the fabric line is Cuzco by Kate Spain and the pattern is called Crossroads from the Moda Bake Shop.

 I love the striking geometric pattern and the contrast between the white and the vibrant colors.

 The swirling clouds quilting pattern really blends the sharp corners and adds great depth to the quilt.

I auditioned a few different binding color options, but the gray really seemed to tie everything together without distracting from the colors in the quilt.

This quilt is now my third official Etsy listing! I had a lot of fun making this quilt, but the blocks were pretty time-consuming. Aside from cutting out all of my pieces in the beginning, it took me 45 minutes to an hour to piece each block. This was definitely a factor in my final price determination. I still have a hard time putting a price on my quilts, but I can only hope that the person who purchases them will truly appreciate the time, effort, and love that went into each and every one of them. Etsy sales or not, I'm going to keep making. I can't wait to share my newest projects with you! :)