Blogger's Quilt Festival

For Blogger's Quilt Festival,  I've decided to share the vintage sheet quilt I finished in April (sorry for the repetition if you read my earlier post about this quilt). This quilt is the product of two years of diligently searching for and collecting beautiful, vibrant linens from yester-year. This is my 3rd vintage sheet quilt (first here, second here).  Since this one was for my bedroom, I was very discriminating - only my favorite sheets made the final cut. Some of them are the same ones my sweet grandmother used in her home (blues and greens) and I think of her when I see them.

I started working on it last fall and it was on my sewing table for quite a while. At queen size, it is the largest quilt I have made. Machine quilting it on my domestic machine was a bit challenging - I am sure my lines are a little more wonky than straight in places, but I was wrestling with mountains of fabric and bulk (or so it seemed). The design is one I sketched up one day. I used Kona Ash for the solid.

It has been on my bed for almost 2 months, and it still makes me happy.

Country Living

I have been a subscriber of Country Living magazine for years.  I save my favorites copies.  Recently I came across an oldie - September 2004.  I flipped through it for a second and came to the above 2 page spread of residential bliss. A total dream house.  Seriously.  It meets so many requirements on my wish list and particularly nails location.  I don't dream about McMansions, I dream about farmhouses...in idyllic settings.

I also like looking at house plans (it's genetic) . If you, too, like to dream about houses with porches, Stephen Fuller Designs is a fun site full of possibilities. 
This one has always been a favorite of mine.

The May 2011 edition of Country Living (the most recent) had an article on vintage Pyrex.

I happen to have some of the same designs as the ones photographed in the article!

 A couple of items came from thrifting, but most came from family (stuff they were throwing out).  I am always on the lookout for more.  The people at Pyrex really need to find a way to bring back the folksy color!

A few years ago, there was an article featuring a red dresser.  I still remember the story - a lady found it on the side of the road and brought it home with her. It was quirky, colorful and an example of how you don't need to spend big money to furnish your home with character.

 We recently refinished one of our old master bedroom dressers for our 5 year old son.  We used spray paint this time.  I wanted to antique it, but my hubby wasn't on board.  I think he is tiring of the old look.  It doesn't have as much aged character as the one from the magazine but it's a another item to check off the to-do-list.  Sometimes, just finishing something feels like an accomplishment.

The denim quilts I made about 5 (or 6?!) years ago are still hanging in there. One of these days I'll get around to sewing something new for my boys! :)

 Have a happy Mother's Day weekend!

Bliss Quilt

During the past week I managed to sneak in a few quilting hours - sometimes finding the time is the hardest part. I finished the Bliss quilt I started a little while back. Originally I thought I would do some hand quilting on this one, but in the end I changed my mind.

For the back I alternated strips of Kona Tarragon and Aqua.

I am very pleased with the way it turned out - very soft and pliable.  One of the pro's of straight line quilting vs. stippling.

We enjoyed a nice Spring Break and Easter Weekend. We surprised our kids with a trampoline (we put it together after they went to bed) and it has been a huge hit.  I have so many childhood memories of time spent on a trampoline - sleep outs where we would all end up in a big pile in the middle by morning, jumping with the sprinklers underneath, and all the hours spent trying to master the back flip.

We are also in the middle of a busy soccer season.  It's a 4 day a week commitment (for me), and sometimes we are double booked with our two boys, but it is something we really love. My oldest son had an away game in Northern Utah this past week and we were able to visit some of our old stomping grounds in Cache Valley.  

More of the same this week, with lots of yard work thrown in just for fun (I am weird that way).  We are supposed to have temps in the mid 70's by the end of the week.

It's about time!

Soulful

I must still be on a color craving kick, because my latest project has bucketloads.

  This quilt top is made from a jelly roll of Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms, a handful of fat quarters

 from the same line (the prints missing from the jelly roll), with Kona Coal  cut into 1 1/2" strips for the solid.

As for the pattern - it is the same concept I  used on the Love quilt I made last fall, 

only instead of halving the jelly roll strips, I cut them into thirds.  I mixed it up by adding

 9 blocks instead of 1.  Unquilted, it measures 65" square - pretty decent sized.

You may think it a little busy (I have thought it myself a time or two), but really, it just has soul.

 A whole lotta soul.

I am also loving color on a softer scale.

Our nectarine tree is in bloom.  It is my favorite flowering tree of the fruity variety.

And, this was the vista from my son's soccer game this week.

Beautiful.

It finally feels like spring, and that is good for the soul.

Happy Easter!

Spring Time in the Desert 2011

Every Spring we vacation in Southern Utah - it is one of our favorite traditions.  It signifies the end of one  season and the beginning of another. The end of winter and the busy season at work for my husband, and the reawakening of life. Winter is tough on our family.  We are not our our true selves unless we are running free in the wide open, with the sunshine bouncing off our shoulders, exploring the beautiful world we live in.  It felt so good to be free again. Since I love looking at travel pictures (always looking for new ideas), and those of scenic beauty, I thought I would share a few.  All of the pictures below were taken at Pioneer Park above St. George, or in Snow Canyon.

(sis in-law feeling brave)

  

Of course, one of our favorite things to do is play in the sand dunes.  This sand is some of the softest ever - felt like heaven to walk on bare foot.

Can you see my nephew's head in the picture below?

The boys made it to the other side of this slot canyon.  Makes me feel a little queasy just thinking about it.

The people look like ants in this one:

Bring on the next road trip!

And, while we are on the subject of vacations, this is where we found our next home away from home.
I am completely sold on vacation rentals, especially when traveling with little ones.

(to see last year's version of Spring Time in the Desert, go here - we visited Zion's National Park & the scenery was amazing)