Swoon

Well, I can't help myself this February break.  I have been working such long hours, I haven't had a chance to be creative with my fabric.  All I can muster up enough energy for at the end of the day is to look at other people's projects.  When I read my friend, Rhea's Blog about the Swoon quilt, I knew I had to give it a try.  I love Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line and I started playing around with the colors.  Not sure how happy I am with the first one, but sometimes you don't know til you give it a whirl.  I had such a hard time with the visual spatial aspects of putting it together on the first square, but the second one was much less effortful.

As an aside, I had the pattern on my desk at work and one of the other psychologists asked me if I was learning a new intelligence test.  I said, "No, but learning this quilt has been a humbling experience!"  I like the second colorway a bit better.  I think this is the kind of work where you just have to make a bunch of squares and see what looks good!  I photographed the second on some rare snow we got this week!

Love Letters

 Well, I am a little late for Valentine's Day, but not too late for Leap Year!  I spent the entire day yesterday, well actually two days without a car, home bound with the dogs and look what kind of creativity I got up to!  First of all, as soon as Melody Miller's Ruby Star Shining came out, I ordered up a 1/2 yard of each and I am so glad I did, because it is so hard to come by these days.  So here is what I made.  I use my Ink and Spindle bag pattern and made a handbag with lots of zippered pockets on the inside for glasses, cell phone and wallet.  Then I experimented with putting a zipper in on top-I  think I am done with the magnetic snaps-doesn't quite do it for security purposes!  I have to say that I wanted this bag in the turquoise/orange colorway, but after I cut the body of the bag, I became forgetful and cut the bottom out of the same piece!  Thus leaving me with too small a piece for the body which then became a basket (see below).

Now the basket is also an Ink and Spindle pattern and this basket is going to be a gift for my great friend, Pat who loves to watch romantic comedies.  Being a guy, that makes him tip top in my book.  I am going to put a bottle of wine and my new favorite romantic comedy- The Switch with a bag of microwavable popcorn.  It all fits perfectly in this basket.  The only problem is that I love it so much that I don't want to give it away, but as I told my daughter growing up, it is important to remember to give away the things you love the best to the people you love the most.

Finally, and I am not done yet with my Love Letters-I think I can still squeak out another bag and a zip pouch, I made these nesting bags for my friend Betsy who will be at the same March Birthday dinner.  She is traveling up a storm, so these Amy Butler Origami zip pouches could be very useful and the Love Letter part might bring her good luck in the dating department.  My typewriters seem a little low, don't they.  Should have fussy cut a little better!