Something new

I was gifted this lovely fabric collection at Christmas. I had no idea what to do with it as the pattern was a Lemoyne star. NOT a rotary cut project. It is a jelly roll with yardage for the background and then the lovely print the blocks are on for a border.

I am joining everyone in the Granny Square craze. I LOVE IT!

Tutorial used is here.

I can't help my self, I gotta be working on something!

Should be a pretty good sized quilt.

Why did I start something new? Well the pattern I am working on is coming along. The test quilt made from it came to a grinding halt because I didn't have enough fabric in my stash. No problem right? Wrong, the store I bought the said fabric from is an hour away. Good news? Yep, I need to go to work in that town next week to fill in. Ahhh, it will all work out in the end!

Design Wall Monday

There is a whole design table full of my birthday gifts from a few weeks ago. Plus a few scraps. There is a really cool green quilt with greys just waiting to happen. Tons of inspiration and now for the design to take shape.....

Sunday updates

I have been quilting, shopping, cleaning, and going to parties. It is open house season. I felt great about getting so much done. I have been working very hard, and running a million miles an hour for days.

Then my van stopped running.

It is a recalled item. May take a while to fix. Hubby's vehicle is acting weird.  Sigh, really?

So , since ds needed the car to go to work,  I am home this evening.  I will rest,  do laundry, import books into iTunes and sew. It's way too hot to garden today.

Hope that the van won't be out of commission too long, I have places to go, Highland games to see, work to attend and all the rest of daily life. Hmmm, it is amazing how much I NEED a car.

Simple Living

Simple summer time indulgences:

watching movies with a more relaxed scheduled
reading a book
graduation parties and gifts are a simple card
junk TV for relaxation-I am currently hooked on Cajun Pawn Stars and Swamp people
sitting on patio
less laundry
salads for lunch/dinner
sandals
less hair and makeup prep
more sunscreen
more relaxed weekend travel and hanging out
vacation, most likely a stay cation this summer to indulge on the above!

Tiny Tuesday and happiness project

here are little 5 inch squares from my BOM-Constellation of stars through a local quilt shop. I think the piecing is improved on these little guys compared to previous posts.

One idea from the happiness project is spend a bit o' money on yourself for a special item once in a while. This is something I rarely do. Money doesn't buy us happiness but it can contribute to our joy, inspiration and vision , on occasion. I don't want to call myself cheap but I am frugal... that's why all my beginning quilts are scrappy!

The BOM and this little magazine are a big splurge for me. I have spent very little money on them but they have given me Tons of happiness/joy/inspiration in return. I want to say that this is a great magazine and I read all the articles, looked and all the pictures and learned new things. Check it out, it is the first one that they have put out there. I am a big fan of Quilty and the Internet based tutorials and weekly you tube shows. LOVE IT!

Here is a great book Mom gave me for my birthday and I love it. I am feeling a retro mod theme going in my quilts of the future. I love and appreciate traditional things but I am ready to try some new things now.

Design Wall Monday

Default title upload by motoblur, a photo by vhollowayus on Flickr.

Here are the BOM's for May. I need to get June's blocks soon. I love the batiks, photos do NOT give the depth of the fabrics at all!

The large blocks are 12 inch and the little blocks are 5 inch before sashing. I am enjoying the fact that this is a kit and no heavy thinking involved!

Read a great new Magazine called Quilty. I have read Mary Fon's blog and followed the videos for months now and this magazine was great. I am loving this fresh look and fresh ideas.This magazine is my "style" to a T.  Just what I needed for inspiration!

Simple Living

I have been thinking about keeping it simple. Pictures are from last weekends festival.

 I have a mental list of things that I have been working on to keep it simple:
-hostas aren't a bad choice for my garden space
-I love simple blocks of the month that I can just put together as a break from a complicated quilt design

        -working less is OK and hanging out doing nothing from time to time is a good balance to life

-the best accessory to any look is a great smile, rest and a positive attitude

                                  -not everything is rocket science in my life and getting back to basics is ok

 -it is OK that I don't like to cook, camp, clothing shop
- it is OK to blend ideas together to make something workable for me

My favorite pic of my husband from last weekend. Savoring the moments is essential to a simple life.