Saturday

On typical Saturdays I take my girls to the Farmer's Market for veggies and gluten-free baking. Today was not typical....The Pixie slept in and both girls wanted to hang out in their pj's for a few hours. So I let them.

By the time they had been sufficiently fed, dressed, and allowed to have unreasonable tantrums it was too late to hit the farmer's market. We still wanted to go shopping, so we went to a fabric store we don't usually shop at because they were having a sale. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I have no idea what these are but they're pretty and they were immediately chopped up and added to stash.

The other three huge cuts were purchased with the House Of Love in mind. Remember House Of Love? I has been waiting to be finished for months. I still love it.

These are destined for backing and binding. What do you think? Will it look good? Do you have any great ideas about how to quilt it? I have no clue....help!

I've been on a roll with blocks for Rambo Bright...the total number of large blocks is now 37 out of 49.

 I have also been toying with the idea of starting a long term piecing project....so long term it would take a year just to make the top (one block per week).

 Or maybe I could get a little feedback from the couple who will be receiving Rambo Bright. Maybe they hate it and I have to keep it.

 Perhaps I should consider entering it into a quilt show. I think all local quilt shows happen in the fall, though.

 I may just content myself knowing that the recipients thrive on colour because they are crazy artists. They will love the quilt.

 If I end up showing off this quilt it will be brought to my LQS for brief admiring. And more pictures will have to be posted here, of course.

So, what do you think? Love them? Hate them? Passively indifferent?

Saturday's Free Confession of the Week: I have a new addiction. I can't help myself. It's kale chips. Cheezy Chipotle Raw Vegan Kale Chips. Ask me for my recipe if you dare. You'll get addicted, too.

A Quiet Sunday

For a day of rest, we sure did a lot of work today (so no sewing - except I bound one more ratty towel as a relaxation exercise). My mom came home after a few months abroad and we spent a good proportion of the day unpacking and getting her dog and my cats used to each other again. The kids need a little while to readjust to having Nanny back, but I'm sure by the end of the week we will have sleep schedules sorted out.

This pile of fabric has been gathering dust on the bin under my ironing board for a couple of months. It is mostly poly/cotton broadcloth, but I love the way the stack grew just so. I can see the quilt in it. It'll be a wall hanging, or maybe a series of wall hangings....either way I am inspired. I want to reach for my rotary cutter right now, but it is bedtime - and that's fun, too.

For some grandparent eye candy today, my girls are snuggled into Nanny's temporary bed (just until we can get her room ready).

Did I post yesterday? I know my brain was not entirely on the subject because I did not include Saturday's Random Secret Confession. So here it is:

Sometimes my reality does not run parallel to the actual truth, but they're still both correct.

Good Ideas #1

I've spent the last few days furiously quilting in between wiping bums, warming Dora noodles, cuddling, and shopping. I even took the time on Thursday to visit my best friend and bring her some "medicinal" baking to help her get over her cold.

Here is the good idea of the day, and it's one that I've used for years.

Obtain an ugly, used sheet.

And then Cover Your Work! I have three kitties and you can imagine how much hair flies around the house - and how much they looooove to "test" new quilts after the household has shut down for the night. My ugly sheet, used as a dropcloth, has saved many a project from fur infestation. I just go ahead and cover most of my machine, too.

I am loving the FMQ pattern I chose/designed for this quilt. I teaches me speed and shape control, and ensures that I am spatially aware of where my stitches are going. I'm so impressed with myself that I might even try quilting free motion feathers.

In a perfect world this would be bound and hidden by tonight, since the Pixie has figured out that it's gonna eventually belong to her. I want it out of sight before she wakes up tomorrow. Heck, she was already trying it out this afternoon - cuddling when I stepped away from the machine, and putting her favorite blanky onto it to check for colour and cuddle match. She loves it so much, I almost don't want to keep it from her until Christmas.


But I will. Tough Mommy Love has to rule here.

And since it's Saturday, here's the random secret confession of the week: I have a teeny, tiny fabric stash. As a quilter, it's almost embarrassing - only one basket and one bin full of quilting cotton, plus a cardboard box with flannelette and a sack of scraps. When I mentioned my minimal stash at my LQS on Friday, I was overwhelmed by the lady behind me bragging that her stash is so large she had to take over an entire room in her house just to store fabric!

To anyone who knows me - rest assured that I will never have a stash that large. I'm just too cheap. I prefer using what I collect.

Although at times (and like any obsessed quilter out there) I do stack fabric together just to look at and pet.