A Brief Respite

It's been a long time since I posted on this blog. The summer has already gotten away from me due to work obligations. I feel like I've missed out on so much including time to sew because it's been so busy. I need to work on that work/play balance to make time for things that give me pleasure like sewing.

I do have a few items I'm working on including my Stash Bee hive blocks quilt and some mini quilts for the American Made Brand (AMB) challenge. I can't post images of the later since one of the rules is to not post to any social media or blog.

AMB Mini Quilts

To know me is to guess that my AMB minis will involve rainbows of some sort. Over the years, I've bought various shades I thought were pretty and now I have over 40 different shades of AMB colors to choose from. I plan to use as many as I can. (Plus, I'll have the excuse to buy more next year when the "fabric fast" is over.)

A little bit of everything going in my AMB quilt.

Stash Bee

I had my hivemates make paper pieced economy blocks so I would have uniform blocks to make something fun for myself. Here are a few my friend, Julia, sent over:

She used her precious Tula Pink fabrics because she knows I love them, too.
Quilty friends are fantastic!

I have faithfully made blocks for my Stash Bee hivemates that I'd love to share with you.

June's block were envelopes for a love letter my hivemate is
quilting for her husband.
It's a giant 16in block and pretty genius design!

July's Union Jack were a fun challenge.
(I didn't like having to unpick on the first one, but the second one was a snap.)

IG Swaps

My next challenge has been to take a break from Instagram Swaps. They are SO addictive! I completed the last of my swaps in June and couldn't be more thrilled.

Here is what I sent out to my partners:

Nerds Craft It Better Swap:
I was paired with someone who loves Wonder Woman as much as I do!

Paper pieced Wonder Woman logo

Wonder Woman logo then made into the
front of a pouch.

Inside is super fun!

Back of pouch has a little
Wonder Woman flavor, too.

Here's what I received from my partner:

Simple treats, a homemade HP wand and Aurifil.
So perfect!

I unwrapped the rolls above to find these!
Three mini quilts that I can hang together or separately.
They already have a place of honor in my room.
(Plus, mini pins were tucked inside!)

Cotton+Steel Mini Swap:
Deciding on a design and cutting up the precious fabrics I've hoarded took some doing but I am very pleased with the results. (My partner is pleased, too.)

I enlarged the Julie Hirt Mercury block
pattern to make my partner a playful star.
I added in some shot cottons to add subtle color.

For the back, I used "Games we play" because it's so fun!

Check out what I was given in return:

A viewfinder mini quilt! It's so wonderful!
Plus, a cute wristlet pouch and a fist full of C+S selvages.

Can you understand my addiction now? I mean, really? Getting back some great projects from folks that put in time and love the same way I do makes me smile each time I see them.

Rescued:

In May, we said goodbye to our little dog, Evie, who provided us with 16 years of joy. That took its toll and I've had a hard time getting over that loss. (It's been a hard year with so many losses in my family.) I certainly didn't feel ready for a new pet any time soon. Fate had other plans.

Here is the newest addition to our family:

Meet Artemis!

Arti is such a cutie!

This photo of her at the shelter stole our hearts and we had to go meet her. She was scheduled to be put down the next day due to lack of space.  Just as expected when we arrived, she was sweet and playful. We were able to take her home that same day.

[This gorgeous photo is courtesy of Pawsitive Shelter Photography. This non-profit group works tirelessly to get tons of photos of pets available in Central Florida for adoption.  Please consider purchasing a calendar from their campaign HERE. Our very own Artemis happens to be on the cover and is featured as Miss September!]

She's loves a good belly rub!

At a hefty 50 pounds, she is the biggest dog we've ever owned and has kept me sane in the last few weeks. Although we rescued her from a high-kill shelter just before her time was up, I think she also rescued me this summer.

What have you been up to this summer so far?

Blogger's Quilt Festival Love

Hello All!
I am excited to post in another finished piece in this fall's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

This is my first attempt at a mini quilt and I think I might have a new little addiction.

I am calling this mini: Junctions.

It's made with 21 different shot cotton colors, a neutral gray background and a simple black back/binding. I wanted the colors give the appearance of crossing over and under each other. I hoped it resembled the blended look that shot cottons provide up close when the different colors meet.

I also used 8 different color threads to highlight the rainbow of colors used to intersect each other. I used 6 colored bobbins for the main lines and a black bobbin for the grid work design that fills the negative space on the front. (Hip hip hooray for Aurifil!)

Here's how it was made:

I drew a design with a pencil, a ruler, and freezer paper. Then once I liked the way they crossed, I made it permanent with a marker. (I also made a copy, just in case I messed something up.)

I pulled out my shot cotton collection to decide which colors would be placed where and used markers to represent each color. Post it notes saved the day and kept me pretty organized.

Next comes part when you have to decide how to cut out the paper into strips that can be used to paper piece my design.

My new best quilting friend: the Add-A-Quarter ruler!

I really like the colors on this strip just by itself.

Putting the strips back together now.

Slowly getting there.

The struggle was real to make these line up.
(I made peace with my seam ripper.)

Now the part most paper piecers love: ripping the paper off of the back.
(Stress relief after a long day!)

Quilting Time!

Made good use of my washi tape.
(Thanks Stashbee Hive mate!)

Quilting Complete!

Put a black binding on it because I can!

Rainbow binder clips for binding.
And *gasp*...

I finished the binding by hand!

Those of you who know me well, know that binding my hand is not something I prefer to do. Since this one was so tiny and cute, I decided to make her pretty by finishing her the right way.

Here she is all dolled up and ready for her debut at the Blogger's Quilt Festival:

Junctions

(Close up of the woven shot cotton colors.)

The back is pretty fun, too.

This mini quilt measures 16.5 by 20.5. It was made with various shot cottons and quilted using various Aurifil colored threads.

I already have some ideas for my next project and am thrilled that I still have a lot of shot cotton colors to use! Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by!

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?

She shops, she scores!

I am never one to brave the crowd on Black Friday for any sale. I am just not a fan of the traffic and potential rudeness that occurs because something is half off. So I shop online when I see an email or an online sale that is too good to pass up.

This year, Craftsy won! Their fabric sale last weekend was Ah-mazing! (I went a little nutty but I blame it on the cold I was getting.)

It all arrived in the mail on Tuesday and this was my first chance to share my goodies with you.

More Shot Cottons - Yes, please and thank you!

Can't resist more Kona!
This Silent Film set will work well
for my black and white quilt I'm designing.

The only pearls I want are "Pearl Bracelet" fabric from Andover.
Lizzy House makes me happy.

Riley Blake's Small Dots in Rainbow colors.
Couldn't resist!

Tula Pink!!!!!
I love this Acacia line and can't wait to play with those charms.

 So this is part of my stash. I'm waiting for the rest to arrive later this weekend. I look forward to a new year of great quilting projects. I certainly have lots of fun things to play with now.

Perhaps Santa will bring the camera that I've asked for so I can post better pictures next year?