It’s Been Quiet, But No Books Here!

I’m conscious of the fact that things have been a bit quiet around here lately other than the weekly Sew Cute Tuesday posts and maybe one other. Two if I’m lucky! Normally a quilt blogger being quiet has turned out to be due to secret sewing for a book or a fabric design deal. Well, nothing at all exciting like that around here! Instead, my “exciting news” is that my daughter has been settling into Japanese preschool really well, and I am loving my quiet mornings. I have spent the past month getting myself into some good habits of getting all my jobs and chores done in the mornings before I have to pick her up instead of spending that free time sewing and creating. Today she starts full time, and the bus times mean I will have 8-2:15 to myself. I hope that these good habits I’ve gotten into will mean that half that time will be put to good use sewing and creating!

But first task is to whip this messy space into shape. I cannot create in chaos – too much clutter for my mind to cope! I started on Monday and have started making a big collection of things to destash, some of which has already popped up on Instagram. I’m doing a deep cleanse and culling hard, hoping to make the physical and mental space to get back to sewing and tackle the harder WIPs to finish like actually quilting my Easy As ABC quilt – the size is scaring me off it!

Well, I suppose there is one piece of actual sewing news just out this week – this pretty little 12″ pillow has just been published in the latest Fat Quarterly issue! Issue 17 is all about precuts, especially 2.5″ mini charm packs. This pillow uses jelly roll strips, but you could certainly use a mini charm pack for it too! I was going to gift this pillow, but I still can’t quite bear to part with it sitting rather prettily next to my sewing table. The quilting is what has me hooked. For starters, the 40w thread is just so beautiful! Just the smallest bit more thickness from a 50w really does add so much more texture and visual aesthetics! I used a lightly variegated yellow Aurifil 3920 for most of the rings, with a couple of pops of pink Aurifil 2530 scattered across it. I could sit and stroke it all day!