10/9/15

Beautiful Day

The day started out in the loveliest of ways with these beautiful and interesting cloud formations at sunrise:


It seemed to cover the sky in all directions, and so it couldn't be captured in just one image.


While I'm usually up before sunrise, I was up especially early this morning. I think I was excited to be having breakfast with Erik the Birthday Boy, and I had this block for the Live, Love, Teach quilt on my mind. I thought if I played my cards right, I could finish the stitching before I needed to get ready to leave. And may I say, mission accomplished! (Pun totally intended.)


Keep in mind that these blocks are only 6-1/2 inches when finished, and you'll have an idea how carefully I needed to stitch this one to maintain the details in the little mission with its closely spaced lines. 

When I reached that point I needed to get ready to leave. Erik and I had such a nice morning, and he seemed truly surprised by his quilt. I'm never sure how much he reads my blog, but based on our conversations, he must read it at least some of the time. Anyway...he liked it. I might be adding a sleeve to it because he was talking about hanging it on the wall of his "Man Cave". There were a couple of other errands to run, and then I came home and took a nap. I might get up early, but I still need my sleep! 

After that, I got to work finishing off the block for the Live, Love, Teach quilt that still required a border. Here is the original block:


And here's my interpretation rendered in fabric, floss, and crayon:


I used a scrap from a former quilt binding for the border. It always makes me feel pretty smug when I find a use for those cut-off pieces of quilt binding. This being the 29th block, there's quite a stack of them now.


In yesterday's mail, I received this 10 fat quarter bundle I won in a blogiversary celebration for Kate's Life in Pieces blog. Kate and I started blogging just a few months apart, and may I just say "Yay for Us!" for sticking it out five full years. She also included a pretty spiral notebook and a pad of sticky notes.


So, thank you, Kate! And Happy Blogiversary!

For the next half hour or so, I read the excellent advice contained on these fabrics, to-wit:





"Think Young" is especially good advice on the occasion of one's eldest child's 36th birthday, don't you think?

And by the way, do you carefully untie the ribbons from these fat quarter bundles and save them? If it weren't for these, I wouldn't even have a ribbon collection. Occasionally, I even use them.


In fact, I used them on the Mom Cats quilt top I finished off yesterday.


Yeah, it makes me feel sort of sneaky when I get every last little bit out of a fabric company.

And for today's sewing, I finished off the Vintage Kitchen quilt top.


I just love that Michael Miller Home Ec fabric at the top and bottom. I'll use that on the back as well. The blue sashings are the cut off edges from another quilt. That's just another way I get to feel smug when I can put to use the edges cut off from a quilt that's been quilted. I'll use it for the binding as too.

So that's my day. Mike is on his way home, and so it's time to get going on dinner. It was a lovely day from start to finish. This weekend I'll get to work quilting the Dream Machines quilt.

8 comments:

Sher S. said...

what a fabulous day for you! Glad that Matthew liked the quilt and what a nice idea to hang in his man cave, that makes it special. Love the little blocks for Lisa, each is so unique. Your win for the blogiversary are wonderful fabrics, I haven't seen those around.

Donna said...

I save all my ribbons and binding and reuse them too! Your quilts and blocks are gorgeous!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I can appreciate those tiny stitched on the Mission block. Lovely bundle of fabrics and sure you will find something to bless them with. I save all those ribbons off of bundles, too - my ribbon supply. We had a couple days of heavy rains, but the weekend is suppose to be glorious - great as there are a lot of season activities thru the valley and the leaf peepers should be out.

Barb H said...

I really like your Vintage Kitchen quilt. It reminds me of my days in Home Ec. Nowadays it's called FACE (Family and Consumer Education) but it's still Home Ec to me. Saving the ribbons--hadn't thought of that but I'll begin right now by fishing out the ribbon I threw in the wastebasket yesterday.

Claire said...

That home-ec fabric is just too perfect for the vintage kitchen blocks!

Kate said...

So glad you like the fabric bundle and hope you find a fun project to make from it. Sounds like you and Eric had a great morning together. It's always nice when our kids like the quilts we make for them. Vintage Kitchen turned out beautifully. My home ec room looked pretty much like that, except we didn't have to wear those dresses, ours were a lot shorter as I recall.

Cath said...

All lovely finishes and great win too!

Brown Family said...

I do untie the ribbons, but the cats steal them for toys!