I just wanted to drop in with a short post today because I've started something new. I can hear you now--what? Don't you have enough stress? Yes, but this is not stressful. This is making me feel really good and giving me a small challenge and something to do. Because I don't have enough to do, you know? We're kind of in a holding pattern, waiting to close on the new house and still showing the old house. I've packed most of the kitchen, most of the towels, most of my clothes, and all of the decorative stuff in our house, so it's weird here. Also, most of the fabric is packed, so why not do something that isn't a regular project? That's my rationalization and I'm sticking to it.
Before we go any further, here's the beginning of the new project:
This is the start of a summer scrap quilt designed by Kevin the Quilter, and you can find the intro post HERE. It doesn't have a name yet, but my version does have a decent story behind it.
You might remember that a couple of years ago I made two string quilts for my nieces, who loved them. I didn't make one for their brother, my nephew, because I didn't really think he'd enjoy a floral quilt. But now he's 20 and no longer living with the folks, so I told him I'd make him a couch-size quilt for this winter. Then I asked him what color he would like, thinking he'd say "blue" or "green," which is what I'd expect from a 20 year old guy. He said "orange," which I completely did not expect. Orange!
My nephew happens to be about 6'4'' and about 300, so a couch size quilt for him needs to be a bit bigger than his sisters' quilts. Enter Kevin's scrap quilt, which should finish around 70 by 80. This should be a good size for my nephew, don't you think? And it uses just two colors, plus Kevin swears it's very easy, with only three clues. Sold!
I don't have a lot of orange, and the yardage is packed, so these first 4-patches are just from the scraps I had in the bin. I did go ahead and order some fat quarters from The Old Country Store, and I might have added a couple other things to the order, too. So that will be very exciting to get delivered, won't it? I don't know yet what color to put with the orange, but I know it won't be white. What color would you put with orange for a 20-year-old nephew who's studying to be a gunsmith?
That's all I have for now. This morning I was out walking and got a full face of pollen from the tree shown above. It has weird flowers, and I've since learned that it's a silk tree, which can be an invasive species. There are a couple of these in the park and just as I was coming past it a stray breeze picked up and blew a whole bunch of crud right at me. I really hope it was pollen. It may have been that or maybe the heat, but I've had a headache all day. So now I think it's nap time for me.
Hope you're all having a good week and staying plenty cool. Stay away from the weird trees and be sure to have lots of cool drinks! We're going to be over 100 for the next few days here, so I'll be doing the same. Right after my nap.
