2 of my favorite things

I’ve been away for a few days having the best time ever.

 

First spending time together with my awesome family.  We did some biking and sightseeing and other fun stuff…

…and then I got to spend a whole wonderful day shopping for fabric. 

I see at least 6 great projects in this gorgeous pile.  (Most to be done in time for Christmas…oops…there’s that “C” word already)

32 years in the making

At long last the dishtowels we got for our wedding, 32 years ago, are being put to use. I put the last stitch in this morning and now we can enjoy them.  Thanks to so many of you for giving me the courage to cut into them.  I‘m very happy with how it turned out.

View Full Album

And much thanks to my photography assistants ☺ a 3 generation team.

A Quilting Memory

This morning while searching through keepsake boxes, I found a good memory. 

I was about seven years old and my sister, Tricia, five when I noticed an order form in a package of quilt batting for a booklet.  For all of fifty cents – postage paid, it came close to our little budgets.  My mom had been sick and in the hospital and I wanted to do something for her, so my sister and I decided to send away for the booklet.  I know my dad helped to mail it for us and probably even paid for it. 

I was so excited when it came and we gave it to her.  I can still feel the awesome feelings I had.  I also remember being fascinated with the book and looking through it. 

Several years ago, (some 40 plus years later) my mom gave this back to me.  She had kept it.  Today, when I came across it among my other treasures, it was pleasant to just sit and remember for a bit. 

And speaking of rulers…

Take a simple, inexpensive see-thru plastic wall file from Staples

Add a collection of quilting rulers

And get instant organization!  Neat and tidy.

I’m surprised at how well they all fit and how easy it is to see and retrieve the rulers while I’m working.  I love it!!

Oh, and do you like my new thread cabinet?  It’s my very early birthday gift from Mr. Sunshine.  I got this awesome idea from Elizabeth at Oh Franson.  You know how sometimes things just jump out and click with you…this was one of those times. And another problem solved.  Thanks Elizabeth.

Quilter’s Rule!

I’ve had this ruler for years and years and still, when I glance at this, I have to smile.

Half way to a quilt top…almost

Twenty-three blocks finished and twenty-nine left to do….or… three rows done and four left to go. Either way, I’m almost halfway done.  I love scrap quilts and this one (The Road Less Traveled by Lori Smith) is VERY scrappy so I’m free to play around a lot on each block.  A fun process.

Small but Finished.

Oh-oh!!  July is almost over and just this morning I realized that although I’ve been busy sewing, I didn’t have a finish for the One Project A Month Challenge!

So I dug through my UFO stuff until I found this cute little fabric box (by Sue Daly) that I had started almost two years ago but never finished. 

I went right to work and had it together in no time.  So crazy to think I put it off this long since it was fun to make.  And I love it how it turned out.  So sweet!

Now I have another project crossed off my list and more room in my cupboard.  Thanks Kris and Peg for keeping me motivated!

A minute here and a minute there = quilt time

It’s been a great summer but the past couple of weeks have been on-the-run and sometimes crazy!  As you can see by my design wall, though, I’ve been able to find a moment here and there to put together few quilt blocks. Those treasured little bits of time are sure good for the soul.

A Little Variety

I didn’t have much opportunity at the sewing machine this past week but I did manage to squeeze in a little play time with these blocks.  I’m using the same fabrics and same block pattern (by Lori Smith) but rearranging the colors so each block is original. 

So far I like how it looks.

Dishtowel Quilt

I cut into those precious dishtowels and now have them pieced into a quilt.  I used 30’s repro fabrics plus a few others that go well with the whole theme.  I love these colors together with the dishtowels and I’ve had lots of fun playing with them.

The pinwheels are the colors of our wedding, blue and yellow (although ours were much softer).  We chose those because Mr. Sunshine’s favorite color is blue and mine is yellow.  A good match (in more ways than one).☺

Now for borders.  I have a few ideas…

What do you think?

 

 

 

These awesome dishtowels were given to me 32 years ago at my wedding shower.  They were made especially for me by my friend Karen, who I haven’t seen for many years. I adored these when I first saw them.  I still do.  They have sat in the linen closet all this time because I don’t want to dry dishes with them.  So I just pull them out once in a while to look at and then back they go. 

For some reason, they popped into my head first thing out of bed this morning and I wondered if they could be made into a quilt!  A light bulb moment!  The towels aren’t quilt material, but for me it would be just a special quilt, maybe one that could lay at the foot of our bed.

Do you think this is a wise idea?

Any advice?

Scrap Bag

I was sorting through the scrap bins when these two fabrics landed beside each other on the table.  When I noticed them, they struck me as ideal for that new bag I’ve been needing.  I found a third scrap to match and all together there was just barely enough to do it.  So this became my weekend project - made entirely from the scrap bin.  Woohoo!

Mr. Sunshine and I also planned to get some outdoor projects done but the weather wouldn’t cooperate.  This past week we’ve had lots of rain, wind and chilly cold.  So weird for June.  Instead, we spent the time playing indoors with our granddaughters.  Which is way more fun than yard work.