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!

Ginger and Jelly Rolls

I am staying at my dear friend Ginger's house this summer and I just talked with her on the phone from California and told her how much I miss our summers of endless knitting and talking on the beach. I told her about the new obsession of making quilts and how I lay them out on her bed to see how they will look. She has a perfect summer bedroom here in Maine with a window looking out to the ocean. Sigh. I already can't wait to see her next summer. If she were here, she might shake me out of my obsessions as she has in the past over exercise or knitting.

But she isn't and I have teamed up with Deb from PDQ Photo in downtown Rockland where she quilts in her tiny hidey hole when she is not printing pictures. She is my quilt tutor. When I couldn't miter, she showed me everything you would ever want to know about mitering. When my stitches bunched up, she made me go home and bring her the thread I used. She insists that I am not threading my bobbin the right way! After the Lobster Festival this weekend, she is going to show me how to sign my quilt appropriately with a template. More on that later!

In any case, here is my daughter, Aretha's Jelly Roll quilt made from Amy Butler's Love line. Aretha insisted on the pink. I am thinking green might have been better, but hey, the consumer is always right! And the Jelly Roll sure looks good on Ginger's bed!