Dreaming Big

Yesterday, we found out our dear neighbor and friend passed away. He and his wife were together since college and had no children. Please keep her in your thoughts as she tries to deal with living without her soulmate after almost 50 years together. I cannot even begin to imagine her pain. He will be missed by many.

In the years we've lived next door to this amazing couple, he often talked about making the best of every day. He had great advice about planning for retirement early because he worked a few years longer than he should have. He helped us remodel our 1950's tiny house because we wanted to do the repairs ourselves. He helped with projects that needed many hands to make light work. He also reminded us to take time to rest so that you don't exhaust yourself.

So I intend to take his advice and years of wisdom moving forward. I want to spend each day being happy instead of wishing for the weekend or thinking I'll have more time later. We may not have that luxury.

Enjoy the company you have and cherish your loved ones every day. Our time together is ever so fleeting.

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Since my last post, I've been working on a few projects that will be moving me in the right direction towards being a maker. I've been sketching more, drafting more and worrying a lot less about perfection. That's a pretty tall order for this Capricorn!

I finally finished this Hexadaisy pattern I purchased last year. I colored it a while back and never decided on the fabric I wanted to use. After cleaning my sewing room recently, I pulled some of my shot cottons together and knew I already had the perfect colors to use.

Pulling from these two stacks I found the exact the shades I wanted.

Twelve colors were needed and I thought
about using this print text as my background.

Coloring each paper piece was the only way to keep this pattern organized.
There are a lot of small parts to this one.

The hardest part is done!

Once they were sewn together, I did a little happy dance!
This pattern stretched the brain a bit but the results are worth it.

I kept the quilting simple because the design speaks volumes.
I used Aurifil gray and 6 rainbow colors to stitch in the ditch.

The back reminds me of a snowflake. The star in the middle was a cool surprise.
It was hard to get a picture yesterday since it was raining so much!

A thin dark gray binding was added and I love the finished piece.

This was a labor of paper piecing love because it took a lot of planning to get the pattern to fit together just so. I plan to keep this gem for my collection. I haven't decided if it will be a wall hanging or a table centerpiece.

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The Stash Bee is also going well. I was the hive queen for July and here's my post:

 July Hive Pattern

Most of my blocks have already arrived and I'll soon be able to create a Rainbow Squared quilt I've always wanted to make for my own bed. Here's what I have so far:

I have some ideas for this layout but want all blocks to arrive
before I decide on a final plan.

Fun treats from England! It's hot chocolate I am saving
for a day when it's not 90 degrees in Florida.
I love the Royal Mail stamp with
the Queen's profile. So classy!

This fat quarter and washi tape is so cute. 

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I do plan to channel my current sadness into my craft of making things. I will continue to surround myself with people that are also interested in making their big dreams happen. Even if you don't know what your dream is, experimenting and learning new skills is the only way to discover what your bliss will be.

What makes you happy? What do you dream of doing?