{ And the List Goes on......}

Sometimes I don't know what's wrong with me. I keep telling myself that I will not buy any more fabric until I've made a quilt using fabric I already have. Then what happens? Another amazing fabric line is released and I get suckered into purchasing it in one form or another.

The latest fabric crack is Best.Day.Ever! by April Rosenthal for Moda. How great are these colors!

They make me happy just looking at them. The line isn't officially being released until October but one of my favorite online fabric shops, Stash Addict Quilts, was offering pre-cuts. I ordered a Fat Eighth bundle and some coordinating Moda Bella solids from Fat Quarter Shop, another favorite place to shop.

So, my {To-Do} list  just got bigger. I already know the pattern I'll be using, Seaside Stars by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter.

I think I purchased this pattern two years ago but was waiting for just the right fabric. I 'm sure I finally found it. Now I'll have to decide where to slip this project in the line-up. It may be a good quilt to work on during the gray days of winter. Ya think?

{ Come Sail Away }

My sweet niece Sarah is beginning her career as a teacher next month. She'll have her own third grade class. {Better her than me!} It seems that each teacher chooses a theme for their classroom and she decided on a nautical theme.  She also decided that she would love to have a specially made quilt from her Auntie to use on her rocking chair in the reading corner of her classroom.

The next day I went on a mission to find the right fabrics in the colors she requested. I came across Barnegat Bay by Studio 37, for Marcus Fabrics at the Fat Quarter Shop. Great prints and the exact color palette she wanted. I purchased the fat quarter bundle and fabric for the backing and binding and got started.

I finished up last week and took it out for some photo time this past weekend. I'm very pleased with the finished quilt and I'm hoping she'll love it.

{That sailboat had perfect timing.}

I usually just hand write my quilt labels but I wanted something a little bit special for Sarah's quilt. I found a quote from Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go! and hand embroidered the label. I like the extra special touch it adds to the quilt and I'm sure with a little more practice I'll be really happy with the results.

Come Sail Away is ready to be mailed to her new home in Florida, along with a copy of  Oh, the Places You'll Go!.

{ Celebrating Father's Day with Cookies }

My husband is always complaining that I make cookies for everyone else but him. He "never gets any cookies". Of course that's not true. I always sneak a few from whatever batch I'm making so he can sample th

I had every intention of making him a special BBQ/Father's Day collection of cookies. I looked around at all the amazing cookie decorators for inspiration, ordered some new cookie cutters and got to work last week, baking and decorating.

There's still a few burps and farts going on with these cookies. I stuck my finger in a beer mug and tried unsuccessfully to fix it and I really need to work on my lettering. I think I need a stiffer royal icing so the letters don't blob together. I'll work on that for the  next batch which I'll be working on next week, Fourth of July & BBQ cookies to take to TN.

{ What happened to quilting and knitting? }
I'm still doing both. I've been working on two pairs of socks and a plus quilt for my niece's classroom. It's almost done and  I'll post some photos after I send it to her. I don't want to ruin the surprise.

{ Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my! }

Well, actually it was more like lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and monkeys. Zoo animals were the theme for Ronin's 2nd birthday party held over Memorial Day weekend. Last week was very busy around our house ( guests in from out of state for my son's graduation) so I couldn't start baking/decorating until Tuesday night.

I used tutorials from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle for the giraffe and the leaves. She makes everything seem so easy but, let me tell you, those giraffe spots were hell.

The cookies were a hit, especially with Ronin. He helped himself to a lion. I wish I could have grabbed a photo but he's not still long enough.



I'm still practicing the cookie decorating thing and usually enjoy the process. No strict deadlines is really a plus. Now I'll have to check the calendar for the next holiday or special occasion.

{ Sock Therapy }

We've got some fixing up happening in our apartment, an upcoming college graduation with family coming in from out of state, and some scheduled furniture delivery that requires removal of the old furniture first. { Really heavy old furniture} I needed to start a new pair of socks right away to help me relax in the evening.

I decided on a new pattern, Charade, which is free on Ravelry and a yarn that I hadn't used before. It's from Hampton Artistic Yarns .  I purchased it at the Long Island Fleece & Fiber Fair last year and was waiting for the opportunity to use it. It's a super soft hand dyed, hand spun superwash merino blend. The colors are beautiful and it even has a little silver bling. It was really hard  sliding off that yarn band and winding it up.

I had a bit of a sizing  problem with the pattern and had to rip out several hours of knitting, but I made an adjustment and started again. I love this yarn! Luckily in two weeks the LI Fleece and Fiber Fair is returning to Hallockville Museum Farm and I can pick up another hank. { Buying it online is not as much fun as seeing it and petting it in person }

I've been doing some quilting too but I can't spoil the surprise. Post with photos to come soon.

{ Quilting and knitting don't add inches to my hips }

Besides working on two different knit socks, I've been doing some cookie baking. Two baby showers, Easter, and a communion are all requiring I spend more time with my Kitchen Aid than my Singer. The cookie baking/decorating is fun, and tasty, but I find I'm missing the relaxed state I'm in when I set up the sewing machine and pop a good dvd into the player. I really enjoy quilting, every aspect from the cutting to the binding. Guess I love the final product, a lot. The quilt gifts  are appreciated and loved when they go to their new homes. I have three on deck....one for me, one for my sister as a Christmas gift and the other for my niece's classroom. I really need to find more time to sew.

That said,  here's some of the cookies from last weekend. Inspiration from The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle and Lizy B .

{ Weekend Cookie Baking }

We have a new baby in the family. A sweet little boy. I spent some time making cookies this past weekend. This cookie decorating thing is still an ongoing experiment. Some aspects of the decorating process are coming easier to me than others. I definitely have to work on my writing skills.

PS: See the little green heart with yellow polkadots in the front? I dropped it and there's a dent. I didn't catch it before I took the photos. I did switch it with another heart. Just buried that one way underneath the others. {shhhhh}