Stitching slowly

Hello all! It feels like fall around here at last, and I am ready for sweaters, hot tea, and some lovely fall flowers.  As it gets a bit cooler, I'm reminded that one of my big plans for this year was to make a quilt for our bed. With everything that's happened this year, I got no further than picking out a pattern and some colors. I would get on it right away but I'm so behind on everything else. Oh, well! I guess it will wait, won't it? No chance I'll freeze with all the rest of the quilts around here.

I'm still feeling a little discombobulated from all the changes in our lives the last few months, and the stitching is going slowly still. The sewing room is still a mess, but it's getting better. And I came across a panel for another baby book that I've stitched up:

These are the cutest things, ans so easy to make.  I haven't put all the pages together yet, because this time I'm hand stitching the turning openings closed and I haven't had much time to do that yet this week. It will be done before Friday, though, so a tiny girl can chew on it this weekend.

I did use two layers of thin batting again, and I like how that turns out. It's nice and soft but substantial enough for a little one to grab on to easily.  If you ever make one of these, be sure to wash the panel first, because they really do shrink.

The other thing I've been working on is finishing up my nephew's quilt. I'm further along than this picture looks, because I've also been putting the sides together as I go. When I finally finish the center, it should go together really quickly.

Other than that, I've just been trying to organize the sewing room. I've been following my own Spring Cleaning advice as I go and once again I've gotten rid of lots of old stuff. Not fabric, though!

This picture just cheers me, and there's so much room for expansion! It's like a license to shop or something. That bottom shelf is mostly empty, after all, and we wouldn't want that fabric to be lonely.

That's where I am this week! I'm hoping to have a nice finish this weekend, and I'm also greatly anticipating the arrival of the plumber tomorrow.  You almost never look forward to something like that, but I really need some clean clothes, so I can't wait until they get here and replace that valve.

Happy stitching, folks!

Let's build some barns

Hi everyone, and thanks for all your kind thoughts on the blog anniversary!  I'm happy just to still be around. 

Today I have something a little different to share--a book review!  Quiltdiva Julie has written a lovely, lovely book about her free-pieced barn quilt See Rock City called Build A Barn, No Pattern Construction.  This is a fantastic book that also includes instructions on how to make your own free-pieced barns. It even has it's own blog HERE.

Where to start with this review?  Well, the book is just beautiful.  Many quilt books are beautiful, but this one has heavy pages, rich color, and really good pictures.

This book is more than a "pattern book."  A lot of it is taken up with the very engaging saga of Julie's own barn quilt.  It went through a bunch of stages, including being sent off to the longarmer, only to be 'recalled' by Julie because she wasn't pleased with it.  I've sometimes had fantasies of doing that, but I've never felt strongly enough to actually do it!

I was really interested and pleased to read the story of all the troubles she had with the quilt and how she got to the finished product.  Who among us hasn't had a "problem child" quilt?  I usually give up on mine, so I really appreciate knowing how she worked through it and ended up with a much better product than anticipated.

After taking us through the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of her own quilt, Julie offers instructions and guidance on how to build your own barn quilt.  There are a LOT of great, detailed instructions, supplemented by very helpful drawings and soothing words for those who are afraid to try free piecing.  It's like having your very own teacher at your elbow.  I really appreciate this, because I am one of those scared people.

All in all, Julie has produced a wonderful book.  It was a joy just to read! The story of See Rock City is very entertaining and the book is worth it for that story alone.  The instructions on free piecing are a bonus.

So what did I do after being inspired by this book?  Well:

Hey, I'm good at quilting, not drawing!

This is supposed to be an old farmhouse near our first house in Wisconsin. I may or may not build a barn, but I am sure to build some more houses!  The great part is that the barn-building techniques translate fairly easily to other types of free piecing.  The section on roof lines was very helpful to me.

For the record, Julie didn't ask me to write this post, and I'm not being compensated in any way, but I am very inspired!  If this sounds like something for you, you can buy the book on Amazon HERE.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and I hope you're inspired to build your own barns--or houses, or skyscrapers, or chicken coops!

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