Flow Blue...

I am so thrilled to be creating a special request from one of my favorite artists, Michelle Palmer. She loved the one I made for her using her bee fabric (see "Buzz" HERE), and asked me to make a wallet for her using another of her fabulous fabric lines...Flow Blue.

All the parts are prepared now and waiting for me to sew them together. This is how I'll spend part of my day today. I can already see that this will be a sweet one...just like the recipient! 

We had an open house yesterday which went very well. We also have a showing on Wednesday. What that means, of course, is that I have other things on my plate, too. (That's actually the reason I shared our plans with you last week.) 

 

I've made a commitment to purge and pack one part of our home each day. As soon as the boxes I ordered arrive, the program will begin. I'll play while I can, but rest assured, I'll continue to find play time through this whole, exciting process.

Tag will be here tomorrow. He's got a lot on his mind, and he's been looking forward to telling you all about it. I'll be back on Wednesday - and I'll show you this finished wallet before I ship it out to Michelle. I'm off to the studio...

Saturday's Sweet Surprise...

August marks the fifth anniversary for Sandy's Quilt Shop in Harbour Heights, Florida. It's owned by my friends, Kathy Webb and her sister, Nora Baker. (They named the shop in honor of their sister, Sandy, who succumbed to cancer a number of years ago. She always wanted to own a quilt shop.)

To celebrate their anniversary, they have been having regular giveaways at the shop during the month.

On Saturday when we got together for our weekly coffee group, Kathy and Nora told me that I won one of their drawings! Oh, my...I was shocked when I saw all the goodies in my bag...

There was the Clothworks five fat quarter assortment in children's designs. It reminded me of "snips and snails and puppy dog tails". I think they'd be perfect for a quilt for a little one.

I also received a deck of cards with crazy quilt designs on them, and two charm packs from Andover Fabrics' lines, a free pattern and information sheets from Sulky threads.

I was really tickled to see the beautiful fabrics in the fat quarter assortment from Red Rooster fabrics, and everything came in an insulated tote from Kona fabrics.

We've been abstaining from donuts on our Saturday mornings, but I can tell you that I got a whole tote-full of sweet surprises from my friends at the shop. I can't wait to make a quilt with the fabrics.

Thanks, Kathy and Nora for picking my name...and for being good friends. Thanks and thanks again.

A Gift For An Old Friend...

Gosh! It's June already!!! Time sure does fly. Sofie and I created a new set of napkins yesterday. The fabrics are from Red Rooster Fabrics. They're a line called "Heartstrings" by Terri Degenkolb of Whimsicals.

This is a set of four 12" napkins for a friend I'll be meeting with for a day of lunch and shopping. I sure hope she likes them!

Kathy and I met over ten years ago. When I closed my needlework shop, Stitches, she and her business partner purchased many of my fixtures and my cash register for a shop they were opening on the other end of Main Street.

We've kept in touch through the years and Tag and I were fortunate to spend time with her last summer. I'm so glad that we'll be able to be together again for a few hours today. I'm sure we'll have fun finding new items to add to our creative supplies.

I promise to share what I find with you, but for now I'd better finish getting ready. I can't be sitting around in my jammies when she arrives, you know!

More Fabrics For My Farmer's Wife Quilt...

I came across a kit that caught my eye last week. While "window shopping" at a LQS I saw a finished quilt hanging on the wall that I thought was really quite sweet. It had applique' (probably needle-turned - and you know how I feel about that! I did manage to finish a quilt using that technique, so I'm proud that I didn't quit), but this quilt on the wall was so pretty, I had to get the kit.

All these fabrics were included in the "Flutterby" kit.

The pattern is called "Flutterby" by Whimsicals, and the fabric line is called "Heart and Soul" by Whimsicals for Red Rooster Fabrics. Cute, right? The finished quilt was only 45" x 45", and even with the butterfly appliques', I figured it was imminently "doable" for me. 

When I opened the kit, these fabrics jumped out at me. I couldn't help but notice that some of them might be just the right additions for my "PIP" (Pile In Progress) for the Farmer's Wife quilt I'm going to make!

These fabrics are my starting point for the Farmer's Wife Quilt.

Remember, these are the fabrics that started my project PIP. I'll be sure to add more tans and golds, but I think at least some of the new fabrics will coordinate with these. 

Some of you have asked about how I'm going to organize the Farmer's Wife quilt project for anyone who wants to make one of their own at the same time. I think I'll be starting it mid-October (closer to the cooler weather here in Florida), and it will be a Sew-Along. We won't be trading blocks or anything drastic like that. All your work will stay with your own quilt. There will be no deadlines. I know that we don't all stitch at the same pace, but I'll set a goal for myself and you can see if my schedule will fit yours. I'll open a Flickr page where anyone making their own FW quilt can add photos of their blocks. That sort of thing. No one will be pressured or monitored. Fun for all. That's the way I roll at Brynwood.

I'll keep sharing my selections for my PIP, but will fine-tune my fabric choices as I get closer to actually cutting to start the quilt. I'll just keep showing you what I find and see where it goes from there.

Make your week joyful and creative!