A Little Sunshine Does the Trick

The sun has been out & temperatures are mild. AHHHH. Spring is really here to stay. My favorite white violets (with purple throats) are up---I must have been so excited, I forgot to snap a pic!!

Have a wonderful week in the sunshine!

Heather

Manatee Love

The highlight of the recent family vacation (accordingto one munchkin) HAD to be the trip to Bradenton, Florida to see THE manatee, Snooty.

These gentle giants became a bit of an obsession with our middle child, thanks to a library book checked out last year. 

Visiting a 'famous' manatee at the South Florida Museum's Parker Aquarium was a dream come true. 

We watched him eat (and eat and eat) romaine lettuce, kale, sweet potatoes, broccoli & carrots. Snooty was born in captivity & has been raised by humans. The other 2 manatees pictured are part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Network rescue program. They'll be returned to the wild next winter.

Spring is in the Air

 After some much needed rain this past week, the daffodils are in bloom & many other perennials 

are beginning to pop up. It's too nice to stay inside...maybe I'll get some sewing done at the local quilt club tomorrow evening. That would be a nice first outing for the featherweight!

Best Wishes, 

Heather

A FWQAL Block

OK, so I flipped through the Farmer's Wife Book this afternoon,
thinking I'd better get some fabrics ready to go for another block
someday---When the Century of Progress Block caught my eye. 

I was explaining fussy cutting to munchkin & I thought why not show you instead of trying to explain it...we also talked about adjusting patterns so the pieces in the center were combined to make the corners of the inner square larger, decreasing bulk in the center. 
You can do THAT? Oh, yes, you can!

Piece.

Heather

Vacation Spot Surprise

Mr. Fabulous is one smart cookie. Before heading out to the beach our very first day away, he drove us straight to a little quilt shop & watched the munchkins for me while I took a quick look around. Of course, I found a few goodies including these Aunt Grace 30s reproductions. THAT'S the way to a quilter's heart, isn't it? Surprise Fabric Shopping!!

I found a couple black and whites for RSVP blocks, some red just because & some blue with white polka dots possibly for the Farmer's Wife Quilt....we shall see....but I rarely say no to polka dots.                                           

Piece, Love & Fabric Shopping, Heather                                                                                                 

                               

A Few Days at the Beach

 Spring break sunshine made beachcombers out of us at a barrier island. 

We played in the sand, found seashells and relaxed, just enjoying each other's company.

 

   

We picked up several bags of shells and a little sand, too. I found a few gorgeous shells that were  occupied, so we gently returned them to the sea. 

For now, I've placed the seashells in glass vases...

until we find some containers with lids that I can seal. I love sand at the beach but not so much in the carpet. I hope you're able to take some time to enjoy life with your loved ones.

Happy Easter from our family to yours.

Heather

RSVP Block

It's been a wonderful week with some fun in the sun, photos to follow soon. 

Today, I whipped up a quick block for RSVP using 

Jinny Beyer's Centennial Pattern (FREE). 

The templates are available for a 12 inch block here. 

My block came up a little short since RSVP likes 12.5 inch square unfinished. 

I added a little matching polka dot border to get it to their preferred size. 

I wonder if I was supposed to do scant 1/4 throughout 

or if anyone else runs into the same issue. 

In any case, block number one is done!

Now, if I could just master the photo editing on the apple I'd be set.

PIECE.

Heather

Fun Mail!

Fun mail arrived this week----a beautiful selection of 30s reproduction prints 

may just make it into the Dear Jane one of these days. 

Munchkin already says she's 'got dibs' on the yellow. 

I adore supporting her fabric habit.

Piece.

Heather

Butterfly at the Crossroads

Butterfly at the Crossroads (#14 of the Farmer's Wife Quilt) was a quick finish in soft, spring colors. Which reminds me...the bulbs should soon be in bloom. Daffodils are up about 5 inches or so and one already has a bud forming. Hopefully, the weather will soon catch up with this springtime optimism. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Piece.

Heather

SHIPPING SALE!

Good things come to those who wait....

It's that time of year again: ERICA'S SALE DAYS!

Free US Shipping & 1/2 Price INTERNATIONAL Shipping on orders $75 or more (excluding tax)!!! It's good through 3/25/13, so get your shop on.

To find the 30's reproductions fabrics, be sure to click on the fabrics link at the left side of their first page and go to Old Fashioned. I had a very difficult time finding these my first visit but knew they carried a great selection of 30's prints, having shopped at a vendor site during a local quilt show. Going to the shop is definitely best, but when I can't get over to South Bend, having them online is helpful. 

A little plug for my 'local' shop-----it's a wonderful spot. Needle & Thread in Valparaiso, IN has some amazing flannels, GORGEOUS floss, wool, tons of patterns & a nice selection of 30s fabrics as well. It's the perfect spot for gifting civil war reproduction prints and for the material I use for RSVP charity blocks most of the time, too. Friends who love batiks are amazed when they step into the separate room of jewel toned goodness.  Have some themed fabric you're on the hunt for? You'll probably be able to find it here. This is my go-to shop for just about everything. Best of all, the owner & staff have always been FANTASTIC! 

If you can't find what you're looking for, just give them a call. 

Happy Shopping,

Heather

SUNNY SATURDAY STASH

Some of the latest additions to the still growing 30s collection, thanks to a recent trip to South Bend. Erica's is THE place to shop 30s reproductions.

I've been looking at Jane again...no promises but it's been nice to pick up some supplies for it, 

should I get the urge to start putting the top together.

Wishing you a SUNNY SATURDAY &

Happy Piecing, 

Heather

RSVP BLOCK REQUEST 2013

If you feel like digging out some black and white fabrics, RSVP is requesting 12" finished blocks of your choice in B&W. Please send an email for details if you'd like to participate. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. For links to free patterns used in the past, be sure to check out the fall color post and to view previous blocks donated, check out this post & the final raffle quilt photo here.

Piece. Heather

FWQAL Block & New Kaffe Stash

I managed to find a few more pieces of Kaffe for the FWQAL project...

hopefully they'll inspire me to  play in fabrics and make a block every once in a while.

Today's block is the Broken Sugar Bowl (#12 in the series). Now that I've seen this fabric together, I'm wishing I bought a bunch of yardage....DH LOVES the colors, which are not as blue as they appear in the photo. The solid is a bright teal and absolutely stunning! 

I might just have to hunt some more down one of these days.

Wishing you a Sunny Sunday & Happy Piecing,

Heather

Portable Perfection

 

This little beauty is the latest addition to the sewing room. I'm not keeping track of the number of machines I have stashed in there but admit I do have a few...none as pretty as this one, though! I'm super excited about my new-to-me beautiful featherweight. It runs SO smoothly and is incredibly quiet. I find the noise of machines so distracting that I have never actually brought one along to group quilting. I've been OK with slow hand sewing and great conversations but now, I can speed along with some chain piecing while chatting....and can't wait to test it out in a group setting!

Piece.

Heather

 

In My Life

IN MY LIFE

It's been far too long since I've posted...I hope to be sewing, piecing and getting my groove back soon.

Some of my fondest memories as a child involve music. Dad introduced me to the Beatles, Neil Diamond, Heart, ABBA, James Taylor and Simon & Garfunkel. 

We jammed out to Black Dog with his hot pink 8 track Led Zeppelin album and sang Stairway to Heaven in his basement workshop----because men didn't have man caves in the '70s, they had 'workshops' where they tinkered and introduced their daughters to tools and other mechanical stuff...a land of motor oil, WD-40 and wood glue. Just being invited into the mess was an honor. 

Of course, I had to earn my keep by holding a flashlight or finding the right size socket wrench attachment and had to know the difference between a flat blade screwdriver and a Phillips...but those were the moments when I saw him in his element, the king of his castle passing on vital knowledge to the next generation and I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

We talked at great length about the finer things in life: classical, jazz and the blues, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Muddy Waters, Cab Calloway, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and more. Sometimes we discussed current events, more often the inner workings of our family unit. He encouraged me to have a voice (a decision he possibly regretted by my late teens), to have a strong work ethic and to take on every challenge with gusto.

In My Life was a song with special meaning to my dad, the song we danced to at my wedding. I'd like to take this moment to say I love you more, Dad.