So, this pandemic has given me enough time to finish my lovely French Market quilt - California King - at long last. I'm sure I started it for an anniversary present many, many years ago. And it's finally DONE. Now I'm starting a sweet English Country lap quilt as a surprise for a family member. 

I still think it's so funny that I take perfectly good fabric and cut it apart to sew it back together. 

Fitting the patterns together is lovely, and just selecting fabric is so very exciting. When we put so much time and effort into a beautiful creation, the fabric must be fabulous and hold up after many washings and dryings. One of my favorite places for fabric is Connecting Threads, for goods manufactured in Mexico with cotton grown in the US.  

Another lovely fabric - 100% linen - comes from fabrics-store.com. The only drawback is that 100% linen will shrink, so pre-washing is a must. The colors are stunning. I'm holding on to the linen to design a few pieces of clothing. I have a pretty pink and a beautiful robin's egg blue. 

Pictures forthcoming!

Every January, I have two resolutions: No bungee-jumping (no, wait, that's what I give up for Lent), less church=more drinking (which never happens), and WHY NOT FINISH the quilt I started? The reason I haven't finished the quilt is easy. I get distracted by all the other projects I've completed in the year, like thick knit cowls for friends in the cold winter, delicate cowls with lacy heart to wear indoors or in milder weather, little doggie sweaters, a cardigan for myself, potholders in delicious colors, crocheted baskets, little purses, I-pad stripes-and-hearts covers, knit glass cases and I'm sure there are about a dozen more. Then there's my sewing room. I need to organize it. I'm sure you feel my pain. I will get it done - eventually, when my cousin comes over and makes me empty the room completely and helps me set everything back in order. I'm so enamored with the fabrics I've purchased. Sometimes I'll just peruse the collection and dream of the next project. It's always hard to find time to finish everything, so I think it's important to take photos of each finished project so you can see how much time you've devoted to your craft. This year, I'd love to finish that lovely red French Market quilt, another table runner, a twin quilt, and maybe a wall hanging. A girl can dream, right?

Who doesn't love a quilt?

I gave two quilt kits as presents this past Christmas. (I love buying presents for people!)
One reaction was, "Oh, I can't wait to start!"

The other reaction was, "Oh, nice . . . fabric." I then realized she had opened the quilt backing first. I need to establish a better way of wrapping, so as to delineate what the recipient sees first. (sigh) And the packaging was quite simple - I don't even think it was marked "Quilt Kit," so you had to guess what it was, if you didn't see the correct side. A moot point!

I really hope to finish our California-King-sized quilt this year. It's been a large labor-intensive effort. Each time I pull it out to work on it, I admire each beautiful square, the color-coordinated fabric, the lovely Parisian design. (Thank you, Connecting Threads, for all those beautiful kits. Oh, sure, I grumble when you send me another e-mail because YOU KNOW I WILL BUY SOMETHING. At least from the Sale link.)

My New Year's resolution for 2016 is to develop a series of quilts based on scenery in our Village. More about that soon ~

Happy February!

Old Mill Quilts

Fall is always a time to pour over the pattern books and think about plaid and tweed and all those glorious materials that will keep us warm in October and November. I saw the most darling pink plaid at our local fabric store. So how is it that we just LOOK at fabric and feel that excitement about what we could construct? I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm getting ready to design a few new quilts. The inspiration came from new stained glass windows at our local restaurant. The Gates Mills theme offers a host of ideas, especially with traditional homegrown-cotton-from-the-US fabric. We'll see what transpires in the next few months.

Quilter's Candy

January 5
Is it just me, or do you get beyond-excited when you see gorgeous fabric and thread? A passion for quilting cannot be bad! I had to laugh when I saw this brand of fabric: Quilter's Candy - haahahaha. YES, it is candy, is it not?


Connecting Threads has given me permission to add this link:

http://www.connectingthreads.com/fabrics/quilting_fabrics.html

January, already?

My husband always wants the same thing for Christmas: January. Look! Here it is! He got his wish!

I was thrilled to finish a beautiful red-and-black flying geese design twin quilt for our son-in-law, Randy, just in time for his birthday. It was a beautiful quilt kit from Connecting Threads. I love the touch and feel of their fabric, which features cotton grown in the US and woven in North America! Pretty and enduring. How rare is that?

Let's face it, if you're going to the trouble of constructing a quilt, you need it to last more than a few washings. You hope to hand that heirloom quilt to your grandchildren. So I'm always on a quest for well-made fabric and timeless design.