Dare to be different...

Recently, I got into one of those moods that in my child-bearing years I called "nesting." It's the mood that makes me want to clean and organize. Sometimes I think it comes now at a time when everything around me is in chaos, and I need to bring order to something...anything...in order to cope. Whatever the reason, the result is calming. 

I started with the bottom drawer of my sewing dresser. I absolutely love neutrals. Always have...in decorating, dressing, and quilting. So, I took all of my neutrals from everywhere in my studio and stash closet, folded them neatly, and set them in order by tone or design.

Next, I attacked what I call my leftovers. I rarely use patterns for my quilting. Generally, I purchase the yardage I think I need, make as many squares as I can from what I have, then put a quilt together. The result is a pile of strips, scraps, and completed squares with no home. So, I went through all the mess and organized all my leftovers into bags. I have an entire box full of these bags. Here are a few....

Now, I come to that Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric that I already made two twin quilts and a baby quilt from. I started off with twelve half-yards of the collection. I purchased a cream background fabric and went to work. Even after all those quilts, I had a leftover bag! Over the past three days, I took everything in the bag and threw together another nineteen squares. Well, at this point, I knew I needed twenty to make a 4X5 block quilt, but I just didn't have enough to pull off another one. So, after some thought, I decided to throw a big circle into my quilt of squares and rectangles. I chose an inset circle....

The result is a quilt I am calling "Dare to be Different."

Late February...

You know that feeling you have after a wonderful meal...full and content? That's how I am feeling as February quickly comes to a close. I finished the "Metro Goes Au Naturel" quilt, prepared the backing, and am ready to take it to the quilter. When the sun comes through my windows, it tends to drown out the true colors of my photos. This quilt is full of incredibly rich beiges, cool greys, and expresso browns set in black.

Here are the final borders...

Although I really don't want to buy more fabric and start new projects other than from my stash, I realistically admit that there will be times when I wimp out and buy something I have become visually attached to. One of the new Westminster fabrics that Cloth and Bobbin got in recently was irresistible to me. I found three coordinating fabrics and came home ready to dig into one of my new books called Japanese Taupe Quilts.

This book has patterns and instructions for 125 9" quilt blocks including 65 patchwork blocks, 40 applique blocks, and 20 combined technique blocks. Crazy, but I've toyed with the idea of working through the book one block per week which would only take me a little less than 2 1/2 years....but think of what I would learn in the process!

The first block I have completed with this fabric is called the "Overlapped Mountain." I think it stands beautifully on its own, but when you have a row of them, the interlocking nature of the block is really fabulous.

As of this moment, my thoughts are to make eight of these blocks set around a single block in the center....maybe applique? We'll see...

Saturday mornings...

Friday nights, as I crawl into bed exhausted from the week, I smile knowing that tomorrow morning I can sleep in. There are no alarms, no school to oversee, and no place to rush to. I can wake up when my body tells me I've had enough. I can roll over, grab my book, put on my glasses, and read. Saturday and Sunday mornings are like this. I love them!

Yesterday morning, I was in bed reading when my 25 year old son came up the stairs and asked if he could bring breakfast to me. Shock??? I said I'd come down and join him in the kitchen. This is what he served me...

It's hard to explain how special this was. He said it was nothing compared to all the meals I have prepared for him. Ok, moms, you can all go "awwwww..." I do have great kids. We all have our problems, our ups and downs, but I must say that I am really blessed with eleven wonderful children.

After breakfast, I spent the day working on the Marcia Derse quilt. I move back and forth between sewing and ironing. For some reason, my sweet Mr. Darcy finds it comfortable to sleep under my craft/ironing table. All, day, he keeps me company. He is one of those companions that follows me everywhere. When I move, he is at my heals. When I work, he is never far from me.

By eleven o'clock last night, the quilt was done. I was tired but satisfied, and I knew that Sunday was another wonderful morning when I didn't have to face the day until I really wanted to.