Creativity Day 7 - Adding the Finishing Touches

Actually yesterday was supposed to be day 7 but sometimes the ideas just take a bit longer to actually turn into realities.

When I was sewing my paper pieced sections together it came to me that this would make a cute tote so as soon as I was done with the circle I took it apart and started working on my idea.

The little tote has a a lining with a double pocket on the inside, one open pocket and one with a zipper to secure valuables.  The tote itself has a magnetic closure so that everything says out of sight inside the purse.

This project has taken five days to complete but now I have some new found knowledge and inspiration for future projects.  I have learned that using my computer to design can be fun and inspiring and making a Mariner's Compass quilt block is no longer as intimidating as it used to be.

Tomorrow starts my second week of my Creativity Project and I hope my readers continue to drop in and comment or share ideas with me.

March 20th - National Quilting Day

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."

Dale Carnegie

In 1991 the National Quilting Association passed a resolution to make the third Saturday in March National Quilting Day.  I love a celebration and as a quilter I had to see what others had planned for that day, here is some of what I found.

In honor of National Quilting Day, The National Quilting Association,  has designed a free pattern that celebrates our troops that are so often away from home these days.  The pattern is called "Let's Tie One On" and features a tree with a yellow ribbon tied around it and is designed to use up your fabric scraps.  http://nqaquilts.org/nqday/nqday2010.php

On ehow.com,  there is a list of ideas on how to spend the day.  Celebrate in a number of ways from sewing to shopping, quilting with friends or alone, make March 20, 2010 a day to remember. http://www.ehow.com/how_2198713_celebrate-national-quilting-day.html

If you happen to be in the Harrisonburg, VA area, the Virginia Quilting Museum is sponsoring a National Quilting Day Tea, sounds like a great way to spend the day.   http://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/eventTea.html 
Wish I could be there.

As I surfed the web I found that from coast to coast quilters will get together and share good times as they celebrate a craft that spans the ages.  If you find that you are too busy or can not make your way to one of these celebrations spend the day checking out some of my favorite sites for free patterns and inspiration for your first or next project.

The Quilter's Cache, is a great place to find free quilt block patterns and loads of tips and tricks for quilters of all skill levels.  http://www.quilterscache.com/

At Quiltville, http://quiltville.com/index.html you will find patterns to use up all those scraps as well as tutorials and other helpful information.

The Fat Quarter Factory, http://www.fatquarterfactory.com/Free_Patterns has free patterns to help you use up as few as 1 charm pack to as many as 12 charm packs in one quilt.

Free Patterns, http://www.freepatterns.com/ if you quilt, sew, crochet, knit or do other types of crafts there are patterns for you here.

Quilter's Paradise, http://www.quiltersparadiseesc.com/Calculators.php is the place to go if you need help calculating how much fabric you need for a particular project.

These are just a few and if you know of others please post a comment and add a link to your favorite websites that offer free patterns and other helpful info.