working with neutrals

The lazy weekend I allowed myself meant I was able to turn this stack of neutral quilting fabrics into a set of 8 string quilt blocks over the course of Sunday afternoon.

I hit up a few fabric stores after work on Friday and was thinking I would make something a little more soothing than usual.  I was going for something along the lines of a Stitch in Dye’s low volume quilts using Film in the Fridge’s string quilt block tutorial. I don’t think I achieved the aesthetic I was aiming for, but I really like the final product all the same.  I pieced 8 blocks total and I will create 2 mini quilts to use as wall hangings.  There’s a big blank wall in our bedroom that could use some brightening up.

The weekend also brought some happy-fabric mail my way. I can’t wait to start working with all of it. I already have charm packs of both the Wonderland and Arcadia, but it’ll be my first time actually cutting into any of my pre-cuts.

sewing machine cover

So, I totally finished the vintage sheet patchwork project before the weekend even started.  Yay! for Friday night sewing.

It all started when I saw this lovely vintage sheet sewing machine cover by Sparkle Power.  I knew I needed my very own.  So I raided my vintage linens stash and got to work.  I went with buttons & elastic instead of ribbon ties just because I know I would never take the time to actually tie the thing.  The buttons make it much more likely that I will actually use the thing.  I really enjoyed the project because it was quick and I was able to play around with pairing up the vintage linen prints.  There’s even a tutorial if you’re having problems figuring out the logistics of the project.

The mister & I allowed ourselves a lazy weekend since there were very few errands to run and not much around the house needing urgent attention.  We saw the A-Team remake, which was actually more entertaining than I thought it would be.  And I had plenty of time for sewing, including the start of a new quilt project, which I’ll photograph at some point if I can make myself take a break from sewing string quilt blocks.

weekend sewing

I have a few personal patchwork projects to work on over the weekend. I hope to work in a bit of sewing time between tedious yard and house work.

The vintage sheet project just needs a few finishing touches, but the hexagons are taking much more time than I imagined.  At least I know now what I’ll me making with them.

favorites

This is currently my favorite thing to look at in our house.

It’s a ceramic clog that I picked up at an estate sale.  I just couldn’t resist the tulip-esque motif.  It just sat around on the buffet for months while I contemplated where to hang it.  Then I brought home the plant from the garden store and couldn’t figure out what pot to plant it in.  I saw the clog and just knew.  I love it more now than I did when I bought it.  It currently lives in a corner of the bedroom, under a custom collage I received from Dawbis in a trade.  It is one of my favorite spots in the house right now:

success with greens

Last night’s dinner of colcannon and 40 cloves of garlic chicken involved quite a bit of dicing and chopping.  It was my first foray into cooking with leeks and kale, both of which I am happy to say I enjoyed.  Thanks to Jess for sending this recipe to me.  I subbed kale for the cabbage & omitted the nutmeg.  It was delicious and I am glad to have more ways to work greens into my diet. Also, I cannot wait to enjoy the leftovers. I mean, look at that pool of butter in the middle. So decadent.

I’ve also been fairly successful with the plants in the front of the house.  There is a nice fragrant smell when you walk up the sidewalk and lots of the plants are flowering, including the lantanas that I planted barely a month ago and thought had died from neglect during my surgery recovery.  There are at least 3 different colors of lantana bloom and I think they’ll look really nice when they completely fill in the window bed and start intermingling.   And they’ll require much less help from me once they’re larger and established.  The butterflies love them and the cat loves to watch the butterflies out the front window. Most of our lantana are sterile, due to their inclusion on several invasive species lists, but I must have accidentally thrown unsterile pot into the cart at the nursery, because the plant below definitely has the berries necessary for propagation.

And in crafting news, sign up for Doll Quilt Swap 9 started this week.  There’s a handy little form this time around, but participants will be chosen by lottery, so even the early birds aren’t guaranteed a spot.  I have to admit, I’ll be super bummed if I don’t get to participate.  Researching your partner is so much fun.  I love pouring over the Flickr favorites and coming up with a color palette and design.  It also doesn’t hurt that I have received two amazing quilts from folks assigned to me.