A New Friend

I have a dear old friend who has taught me a lot in the past few years.  She was also my grandmother's dear old friend and we became kindred spirits from the beginning.  We have spent many hours together creating some beautiful things and it's been an honor to have her in my life. 

I've also made a new friend recently.  We've spent some time getting acquainted this weekend while working on my mother's patriotic quilt and I think she is going to be a welcome addition to our little club. 

Her character is solid and the talents she brings are undeniably beneficial to our relationship.

 

She even has some wonderful accessories that she's offered to share.

 

We've rearranged our space a bit so everyone has a place where they will be most comfortable.  

 

I truly believe this relationship is the beginning of something magical.

Patriotic Quilt Back WIP

I've been ignoring the patriotic quilt top on my design wall for about a month now, but it's time to face the challenge of the back and finish this thing. 

I've got my plan and I've got my fabric laid out ready to start cutting.

I even conveniently ignored my hesitancy to do paper piecing again this year to achieve the perfect 5-point star (I need 5 of them for the back). Paper piecing is a skill worth having and it pays off when you need it.

I'm hoping to make some real progress this week and hopefully have a quilt back done by Sunday. 

Mail Sack

I can no longer say that I only know how to quilt.  I now know how to make one bag, which I hope will translate to other bags and patterns.  I finally finished up the last bag that I was working on (I made 5 total) last night and now I get to share my creation.  I'm only showing one of the bags since the other 4 are Christmas gifts and I don't want to completely ruin the surprise.

I learned how to make the Mail Sack from Pink Chalk Studio.   I made a few alterations to the pattern, like having a single piece of fabric for the exterior and adjusting an inside pocket to compensate for a shortage in the interior fabric.  Overall, I think these bags turned out well and I can't wait to give them away from Christmas!

Hiatus is OVER!

Okay, my break lasted a couple weeks more than intended.  I was just tired and hit a wall...a break was much needed.  I came out of hiding and dusted off my sewing machine by signing up for a purse making class at Sew Memphis, a local modern fabric store right in the heart of Memphis.

I taught myself how to sew with quilting, but had not learned how to do other things like follow a pattern (that is not a quilting pattern) or how to insert a zipper.  I think the main thing that got me back to sewing was the prospect of learning something new.  So I signed up with the intention of possibly learning how to make a purse that I could then recreate as Christmas gifts for my nieces.  The purse pattern we used was the Pink Chalk Studio Mail Sack. 

I was intrigued by the pattern and decided my nieces weren't the only ones receiving one for Christmas.  I can't go into too many details since they may be reading this, but I'm making 5 of them.  I have 2 done and 3 work-in-progresses.  One of them is mine and I will share that one when it is complete.  Stay tuned.

I also attended our local MQG meeting yesterday and got to see Kelly at My Quilt Infatuation in action piecing her Bento Box Quilt.  Let me tell you, it looks great in person and she is FAST!!!!  I'm always amazed at how quickly she can create a quilt.