Throwback Thursday: Liberated

Being in the mountains reminds me of this quilt I photographed here a few summers ago.  

one of my favorites

I thought a quilt version of Throwback Thursday would be in order since I am vacationing with my family and not getting much sewing accomplished.  

love the colors

You can read more about this quilt here if you'd like.  Hope you are getting time to sew and/or enjoy your summer.  Thanks for stopping by,

Wonderful Wednesday: Fun With Leo

It's been awhile.....

Happy!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Shop Hopping

Anyone participating in the Row by Row Experience?  I like the idea but so far the two states I have visited, Mississippi and Montana, have no quilt shops participating.  That hasn't stopped me from paying them a little visit though.

Visitor Map

Even though this quilt shop isn't participating in that shop hop, I was able to represent Orlando on their U.S. map of visitors.

Main Street Quilting

 A few purchases of fabric and Aurifil thread were made there.

I preordered Savor Each Stitch and had it shipped here to Montana.  Enjoying the nice weather (and a brownie),  I read through half of the book.  Loving it so far!

reading material

 I also stocked up on a few quilt magazines to read while sitting outside on the deck.

Leo and his parents are here for a week and they were kind enough to bring me the Row by Row Experience pattern from the Quilted Strait in Port Gamble.  I don't believe this is how the shop hop is supposed to work, but I did recently visit the shop (and would again if I happened to be there during the specific times) so I think that counts.

My daughter-in-law also brought back some lovely fat quarters from her trip to Paris.  

I have also done a little bit of sewing these last few days, but since that sewing is for a gift, I can't share it quite yet.

Thanks for stopping by!  

Happy stitching,

Happy Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!

an oldie but a goodie

Enjoy the day with family and friends!!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Really Random Thursday: Montana

Last week's post was all about my trip to visit the parental units in Mississippi.  This week I'm on vacation with my family in Montana.  

false advertising

It's a good thing I have already read the book and seen the movie because contrary to the screen, this movie was not available on the flight.

growth

 This sign makes me a little sad.  One of Montana's draws for me is the lack of people ;-)  Of course, the state is just so beautiful it stands to reason the word would get out. 

multitasking

The USA had a good run in the World Cup for a while.  During that time I would watch the game on my laptop (couldn't get TV to work) while sewing and glancing out the window at the glorious view.

Ugh!

Our family went on a hike yesterday.  Not the best time to see this on your camera screen, especially after taking some awesome wildflower and family shots.  Times like these we can all be grateful for the cameras on our cell phones.

birthday hike

Wore my Patchwork Threads shirt.  Gives a whole new meaning to "Make It" when you're out of shape and attempting to climb a mountain.  I did it though.  The 5.65 miles doesn't seem as impressive as the 94 flights of stairs my Fitbit stats showed for the hike.

the boys are WAY ahead of us girls

Sometimes the view going down is just as spectacular as at the top. We finished our hike before the storm came through.

dandelions everywhere

 Today's hike is the first one of the season, but I've been taking morning walks and appreciating the beauty and lack of humidity.  The cooler temps and lower humidity sure makes exercising much more enjoyable than Florida's summer heat.

Linking up to Really Random Thursday.  {Oops...no Really Random Thursday going on until August.} Thanks for stopping by!

What's Up Wednesday: Organization and new projects

Not too long ago I moved my sewing room upstairs.  I'm still in the process of arranging it exactly the way I want it which means organizing fabric, machines and tools.  One day soon I will share a full reveal.

loving my new pegboard

In the meantime, I will say having this new pegboard is helping with the tool organization.  Rulers, rotary cutters and scissors are neatly hung on hooks and within easy reach; I love the Ikea "bowl" that keeps my Flatter spray right next to my iron; a magnetic strip holds the latest pattern I'm working on along with other items; several Longaberger baskets are put to good use holding pens, binding clips and odds 'n ends; other hooks hold washi tape, patterns I want to make, a mini AAQI quilt and even mini charm packs.  

free pieced letters

As far as sewing goes, I started another project using the Word Play Quilts book.  I have a few letters pieced already.  We'll see where this goes.

siggy blocks

Pulled out these siggy blocks from last summer.  I'm playing around with layouts for this quilt which needs to be completed by next week...yikes!

What's up with you this Wednesday?  Thanks for stopping by,

Quilty Gifts

Going through photos, I realized several gifts received and a couple given have not made an appearance here on the blog.

hand quilted beauty

These goodies traveled all the way from Japan.  Yumi, an honorary Orlando MQG member, hand quilted this beautiful mini quilt for me and stitched these fun hexies.

the back

I love how Yumi stitched the label information on the back.  Yumi's artwork is now hanging in my sewing studio.

lovely

This fabulous Japanese fabric was given to me by my guild buddy Julia.  She picked this up while visiting her grandchildren in Japan.  I can't imagine ever cutting into this, it's so special.

handmade goodness

Instead of cutting up perfectly good fabric and sewing it back together again, my friend Donna creatively cuts up paper and assembles it into beautiful paper goods.  She made three sets of custom note cards, envelopes and boxes.

Swap buddy MaryAnne sent me this cute sticker just because I admired it on her Instagram feed.  Quilty friends are just the best!!!

quilt charm 

 I'm always on the lookout for fun quilty-themed happies to have on hand for gift giving.
I found this tiny paper pieced quilt block turned pendant here and have given a couple as gifts.

wrinkled tea towel

This cute tea towel was spotted at Anthropologie.   

quilt block shirt

Who wouldn't love one of these shirts from Patchwork Threads?!  I ordered a few as gifts....after buying one myself to make sure they pasted muster....I'm considerate that way ;-)

tiny pincushion

tiny pincushion with attitude

Of course handmade gifts are always appreciated.  Just wish I devoted more time to gift making.  These tiny pincushions have been a fun, quick gift to whip up, especially paired with a button.

Happy July!  Thanks for stopping by,