Farewell, Summer…

So, yes, packing up my life, moving across town…to the western ‘burbs actually…but it’s not healthy to be all work and no play, right?! And, besides, I have obligations to swaps and such that I signed up for before I knew I’d be moving this autumn…

So I pulled out my fabric last night and whipped this up for my swap partner in the Good Ol’ Summertime Mini Quilt Swap:
The blues in the ocean all came from my “blue” scrap basket, and I did the free form curved piecing to give the effect of waves rolling in. I’ve loved that cabana fabric ever since I first saw it, and until now, it just sat in my stash basket ’cause I couldn’t think of a use for it. Then this swap came along…
Now, my Iowa summer bears no resemblance to this quilt whatsoever…yes, we do have beaches here and there, lakeside beaches, but I haven’t made it to one of those in years. This is how my summer “in my head” looks. dreams of being in a lounge chair on the beach with pretty, bright colored cabanas dotting the horizon. If only… Need to add a label tonight and send it off in the post tomorrow! John, your blocks are next!

Happy Hour

Still packing, selling off and giving away extra stuff we won’t have room for in the new place, and working six days a week–but I did sneak in a little sewing time last night….my Happy Hour! I’m working on a shop sample from the Atkinson Designs book above. The cutting for this quilt took less than an hour, quite possibly the easiest pattern I’ve ever used (of course, I usually gravitate towards the challenging ones, and since this is a shop sample, I didn’t choose it!) The fabric is from the Kiwi line by Timeless Treasures:
I’m using the solid lime green in the top photo for the binding. I managed to get all 20 blocks sewn up in no time at all last night…I also finished quilting this, a mini quilt for my Guild’s small quilt auction at the October AQS Show in Des Moines:
and, finally, an update on my new studio. My sweetie picked this number up for me on his trip to the Twin Cities last week, and we assembled it together on Sunday (and he installed a ceiling fan for me):I love Ikea, and I’ve been admiring this Expedit bookcase and desk set for a long time. This will be my new sewing table. I think it’s big enough to have my Pfaff on one side and my Featherweight on the opposite side. I’m loving the idea of filling up all those cubby holes with books, fabric, and other goodies!