It's a miracle! Sewing at Last

For the first time in over a month I actually sat down at my sewing machine and did some sewing.  I

 try to sew some each day, but this year that just hasn't happened.  The last couple of  months of school were just exhausting, I have never been as glad as I was this year that school was out for the summer.  Hopefully this summer I can get some sewing done. My plan is to finish up some projects.  The little quilt to the right is from a kit I purchased at Sweet Home several years ago.  I thought it was bigger when I bought it!!  After finishing it and getting it quilted I sat it aside and never put the binding on it, today I put the binding on it and stitched most of it down while watching TV tonight. 

Although I haven't been sewing at the machine I still try to do hand work each night.  I have more projects started that I care to count, the latest one is Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses.  Last week I finished this pink and green block, along with the blue and gold one below.  These are my two favorites so far. 

 

Earlier this week I tried to get my yard work and some other big projects finished so I could spent the next couple of weeks sewing.  Tomorrow I hope to finish Christmas Reel, I really want to get it finished and get it quilted before Christmas.  Then I think it will be time for an easy  project that doesn't require a lot of thinking.  I have several fat quarters that I am thinking of doing a Turning Twenty, that is a really simple pattern but it goes together very easily and is a great use for fat quarters.

Two great books

As you know I absolutely love books and the last two that I read are the best, in very different ways.  Marie Bostwick's new Cobbled Court series, Apart at the Seams is  the perfect take me away book.  Gayla finds that her husband had at one time wanted a divorce and she just can't imagine that he was unhappy and would tell her this in a memo!!  The cad!!!  She moves into their cottage in New Bern and becomes a part of the Cobbled Court Quilt Circle.  Once again quilting comes to the rescue and helps Gayla reconnect with herself and with her husband.  This is a really good book, one that I would definitely recommend.

Natchez Burning is at the opposite end of the reading spectrum.  This is not a book that you can just relax and read for enjoyment.  I have waited on this book to be published for the last three years.  I love anything written by Greg Iles and had read that he was working on this book, however he was involved in a horrific car accident that interrupted his writing, he is lucky to be alive.   This book involves the 1960's, the KKK and how events from that turbulent era still can affect us today.  This book has special significance for me since I was born in Mississippi and lived there until my early 20's.  I personally didn't have any contact with people like this but I have heard stories about people like this all of my life.  This is the best book I have read this year.    What good books have you read this year?

Blocks Two and Three

Here is block number 2 for POTC.  I think that I am getting the hang of this EPP.  I have realized that you shouldn't work on it after you have had a glass of wine, that really makes your stitches not look good!!!!

Block # 3 of POTC

Patchwork of the Crosses

 After a really bad winter here in Atlanta, we have skipped Spring and moved straight into Summer.  The temperature for the last few days has been almost 90.  The hot weather has really made the roses take off, I got these yesterday afternoon while DH was working at the garden.  I had been helping out and decided to take a break, there are some beautiful rose bushes and some iris's around where we have our garden.

With all of the gardening, working with wool, and the extra  time we are working at school to make up for the lost snow days has put a damper on my sewing.  I have managed to start a new project, Patchwork of the Crosses a blog along project from Little Quilts, several of my friends are doing this and I decided to try it.  This is the first English Paper Piecing that I have ever done, I would have been finished with this first block a week ago, but I took it apart and put it back together, I didn't like the way that it looked.  I think I will enjoy EPP after I do a little more.  It does take a little bit of getting used to.  I almost have a second block done, look for it in a couple of days.

Check it out.

There hasn't been much sewing at my house the last month or so I have been knee deep in wool, literally.  As most of you know I started dyeing wool a little over a year ago and decided that I am going to try to turn it into more of a business.  Welcome to Pig in a Blanket  my online store and blog for all things wool.  I am really excited about this.  I finally decided on packing for my charm squares, love my twill tape with Pig in a Blanket printed on it.  I finally got my labels and bags for my pre-cut circles and scrap bags.  After going to the Sue Spargo workshop several weeks ago, I decided they was  definitely a market for pre-cut circles.  I hope I am right!

I have already had success with the wool scrap bags, if you are into wool applique or hooking you can never have too many wool scraps.  Please take time to check out my store and see what you think.  I am sure that I will be making some changes to it and trying to make it better and definitely adding product to it.  I wanted to go ahead and take the plunge and get some things out there and see what the response was.  Wish me luck.