Thursday, September 30, 2010

In My Hoop



I love to be snuggled on the couch at night watching all the new shows. But I just can't stand being so inert (LOVE that word). Embroidering is such a pleasant way to pass the time idly ... yet be productive. After many nights you have something pretty starting to fall from your hoop. That, and having a ready gift later, is just an added bonus.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

I got a little distracted at work today .....

....  and starting planning a new quilt with my highlighter.  That ever happen to you? 

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Camper Quilt

My niece Lisa and her family just love, love, love to camp.  In fact, you can never find them at their house on the weekends spring through fall.  Last year when I first forayed into online fabric shops I found the Michael Miller vintage camper line.  I was so excited I threw a half yard of each fabric into my cart and purchased them that day even though I didn't have a plan.  I just .had.to.have.them. to make something ... anything .. for Lisa. 


I decided to make a quilt for their camper to use for all the sorts of things you'd use a quilt for on a camping trip.  Picnic blanket, chair pad, leg warmer on a chilly morning while drinking coffee by the creek, camp fire seating, table cover, pillow, etc, etc.  Well, my quilting is apparently not going to coincide with the yearly cycles very well (hence my autumnal brown and orange quilt that I finished this June while everyone else was breaking out the summer brights) because it would have been much nicer to give this to Lisa at the beginning of the season.  But I have no doubt they will be camping again this year and all of the next years coming up.  Lisa's birthday was last week so I kinda missed that target too but decided that quilt making/giving just can't be on a timetable. It's impossible.  Life is too unpredictable!

There's Lisa in her stylish sunglasses and capris!  All she is missing is her vodka tonic. 


I went with a snowball block (process post here) so I could showcase the larger scenes on some of the fabrics and Kona tomato for the accents and binding.  I wanted to give it a vintagy red theme since Lisa is a cool girl that loves stuff a little funky.   



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Fall Cleaning

I love this time of year.  Something about the beginning of September just feels full of possibilities.  I have this incredible urge to finally clean the house, throw out all the piles that have collected around the edges, and start everything fresh.  Doesn't fall cleaning make so much more sense than spring cleaning?  I mean really, you are going to be snuggled in the house for six months ... don't you want it clean and comfortable? 

The combination of the hottest summer in recent history, two vacations, my son collecting items for his college apartment and all of us working full-time led to an almost explosive situation of dust, clutter, dog hair, unexplainable sticky spots and smells. 

Friday night we got Carson all moved into his apartment and I was  up bright and early on Saturday to start my fall cleaning.  I purged, purged, purged!  And  it felt GOOD!  I sorted out piles of old mail and papers, threw out a heap of mending I was never going to get to, chucked a couple unfinished projects I felt guilty about every time I moved them.  My recycle bin was overflowing with magazines and catalogs and my donate pile was delivered to various places immediately. 

Sunday night it felt so good to sit on the couch and plan some new projects while every surface was clear and pledge-wiped.  I'm working on a new quilt and hopefully I'll be able to get some sewing time in now that the nights will be getting longer.

top secret project waiting patiently to be sewn together
Labor Day weekend heralds the beginning of my favorite three months.  Fresh apples, fresh haircuts, sharpened pencils, casseroles in the oven, pumpkins, mums.  What could be better?  Now excuse me while I run the the store for a sparkling fresh notebook and a set of really cool pens.
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