Happy Halloween!!!

Finally...

I knew I wanted to make a baby quilt.  But it took me forever to come up with a plan.  Do you ever just draw a blank?  The baby is a little girl (expected in November) and I want the quilt to be sweet.  I remembered a fat quarter bundle I won a while back in a giveaway.  The selections are from Piggy Pirouette by Benartex.  When I opened up the fat quarter bundle, I discovered that there had been some fading on the folds.   So I opted for a square in a square plan and did a lot of fussy cutting to eliminate any faded areas.  (I had hoped to try something different from several quilts I had made in the past, but maybe next time.)  I am also using some fabric I found in my stash from Basic Grey...a pink with a splash of yellow grunge design.  Perfect!  The project is cut out and I am ready to sew.

:o)

Making Progress

I have the blocks made for my quilt in progress.  These are my favorite fabrics:

 

And here I go with the layout...

 

I am really starting to love this quilt!

:o)

A Splurge

Part of the time I was in New York City last month, my daughter was feeling under the weather.  So we didn't get to go out and shop.  We had fun hanging out at her apartment and web shopping.  Since I saved all that money by not shopping in the city, I got us each a treat...the new Kona Cotton Color Card with the new 28 colors included.  I will say the card is not laid out as well as the old ones.  But it does the trick and we have both used it already!

 

:o)

New York Finds

I forgot to show you what I bought at City Quilter in New York!  I found these to add to my New York fabric collection.  This one is a grayscale night scene with some sparkle in the windows.

 

This one is a bright depiction of many different places of interest in NYC.

 

 

I am not sure where this NY fabric will end up.  (A few bits went into my grandsons' I spy quilts found here.)  But I am drawn to all things New York as I have many fond memories of trips to New York with my daughters (one lives there now) and with my whole family.

 

I love this Flea Market Fancy and wish I had bought a couple other pieces in this line.

 

 

I also found a backing for my Japanese taupes quilt.

Gotta think of a name for that quilt...never really named my quilts but this one needs a name.  Any ideas?  This backing fabric is not a Japanese taupe but is perfect anyway.  (Oh, I had a Japanese taupe type backing fabric I bought in Washington but I miscut.  $!$!  It happens.)

My daughter took me to the Garment District and took me to a couple of places I had missed on previous trips.  Pacific Trimming is amazing.  I never saw so many trims, cool buttons, and high quality zippers.  The prices were very reasonable.  She also took me to Mood Fabric which is a must see if you are ever in New York.  We hit some other places but those two jump out as noteworthy.

What a blessing sewing is!

:o)

Procrastination

Two weeks ago I was overwhelmed by upcoming events..trip to NYC, houseguest coming, garage sale coming, baby quilt needed started...all good things but crammed into a short span of time.  Like a great big magnet, my sewing room refuge pulled me in to a quilt I had planned a few months ago.  At least this was productive procrastination, right?

My maternal grandmother had a huge influence over me as I was growing up.  She was so awesome.  Yes, she sewed and taught me a few sewing things.  But she taught me a lot of about life and shaped who I became in many ways.  I am lucky enough to have some pictures that belonged to her and hung in her tiny living room.  She loved things to be very simple, and she loved these Asian themed pictures.

They now hang in my loft above a guest bed

 

 and above an antique settee

 from my husband's grandmother.
.

I thought the bed needed a proper quilt of with Asian influence and found these wonderful Japanese Taupes when I was visiting in Washington last spring.

This fabric must be magnetic too because when I entered my sewing room, I went straight for the stack in my sewing cabinet and a quilt began.

:o)