Happy New Year!

It hardly seems possible that we are a full six days into 2016, but we are. For some reason, it doesn't feel like a new year to me. I'm still cleaning up Christmas and the girls have just gone back to school. I had been looking forward to some quality time in the studio (I have plans! That I am excited about!), but the time has not materialized yet. Soon, I think. Actually, I know. I will make the time if I have to.

2015 was a strange year for me creativity-wise. I think it was a bit of a low valley instead of a high hill. I started the year off just having shelved a large project that had been consuming most of my creative time and energy. Last January, I found myself directionless and now, with the benefit of time, I can say that I was truly floundering. I didn't know what I wanted to do and, even if I had, I wasn't sure how to go about it. I gave myself permission to just do what spoke to me and, surprisingly, that was making quilts using kits and other people's patterns with whole fabric lines where I didn't have to make a single design decision. Those quilts were mostly donated and actually showed up on the blog (here, here and here). A couple of those remain unquilted and there are still some kits hanging around the studio. While I know some people look down on quilters that use kits or make something exactly as they see it in a book or on the cover of a pattern, I do not. There is a place for them. For me, having the decisions made for me allows my mind to rest and lets the ideas percolate. Going through the motions of cutting, sewing, pressing is familiar and satisfying even if I am not the one who put those fabrics together in that pattern in the first place. It's restful and I needed it.

Something shifted in the summer. I will thank my first mini quilt for that. All of the sudden it was not so daunting to design something, especially something so small! And from that little bit of kindling, a bigger fire started to grow. I made six large quilts of my own design in the second half of the year, plus two minis! Not too shabby, huh? I haven't blogged any of them, save the two minis, so I am going to start this year doing just that. I do not want to let them go undocumented. I love having a visual record of what I have made with all the details (that I tend to forget) about the project. Some will turn into patterns for sale. I've been slowly working on that this fall, but plan to ramp up my efforts with the new year. I also sewed a couple of skirts, some shirts and a dress. I began knitting again in September. It all feels right.

Some years I have big goals and plans, but I'm taking 2016 as it comes. My one tenet this year is to work hard: at life, at making, at creativity, at being a mom and wife, at being a friend, at being fully me. It'll probably involve a lot of quilts, some garments, knitting or hand sewing in the evenings, maybe some painting. I hope it will be filled with a lot of laughter, time with my family, cooking good food, reading good books, less driving, more walking. I plan on continuing my daily gratitude practice because it has brought an incredible amount of joy to my life the last couple of months. Or, really, made me see that the joy is there, but sometimes I just need to look.

I have a good feeling about this year. Let's do it. Onward!

I am extremely lucky to have a large space in our home to use as a studio. It's great to be able to spread out and work on projects and leave them in progress if I need to. The problem with a large space? It's very easy to spread out and leave projects in progress if I need to. Also known as: I make big messes. Or: I rarely clean up completely before I move on to the next thing.

I have spent a good chunk of my available sewing/creative time in the last week going through the studio and just organizing my fabric. The main push for this was the color theory/color palette class by Anna Maria Horner on Creativebug. After watching that, I just knew I had to get my stash organized by color if I really wanted it to work for me in the best possible way.

I started slowly, one shelf at a time, sorting and arranging the fabrics where they were. Because some of my stash was organized by designer, it seemed easiest to just arrange each designer's fabric into color order instead of overwhelming myself with pulling everything off the shelves. So, that is what I did. First, Anna Maria. Then Heather Ross. Then Carolyn Friedlander and Lizzy House. Finally, Denyse Schmidt. After many hours, all these designers' lines that I have, in part or in whole, are all mixed up with each other, but still separated by designer. The end goal is to get all the designers mixed up, too, but I am really getting tired of organizing fabric. For now, this is where it sits and I am good with it. It is so much better than it was before. Eventually, I will take the final step and mingle it all together.

And because projects like this tend to snowball, I am also going through the shelves that hold larger cuts of quilting cotton and garment fabrics. I have no need to shop for quilt backs! I also like to wear blue - so many of the garment fabrics are navy or a close cousin. I had no idea how many possibilities there were in my own stash. Sad, but true. Also, exciting! It's like shopping for new fabric with the stuff I already own and I'm excited to think about making quilts and clothes based on what I already have on hand. I also stacked all the quilt tops that need quilting with their backings in one area. I hope that this will get me to finish a few before I start more.

I have found many blocks, piece of patchwork and quilts in progress! I'm excited to revisit some of these ideas and see where they go. Hopefully, into some finished quilts! But also inevitable in a huge clear out like this, I have found a lot of things that I don't want or need any longer. I am slowly going through the pile and have been offering up a few things a day on Instagram. Some of these are items I would just like to go to a welcoming home so they are free. Other things, mostly fabric and patterns, have some kind of value so I am selling those. My goal is to finish this week so I can get back to sewing. There is nothing like a clean space and a fresh palette to get the ideas churning! In the meantime, I will be back this week with a tutorial or two that I finished up before I made the mess even messier. See you soon!

On Sunday, I used this block that I designed a year (or two?) ago to demonstrate paper piecing to my local guild. I'm hoping to find some time this weekend to finish it - those colors are really speaking to me right now. First, I have some commitments to take care of. I've been working away, quietly and not so quietly, behind the scenes, sewing up a sample for Quilt Market. It's been fun and challenging and exhausting and gratifying and mind blowing all at the same time. I will wrap it up today and send it off to be quilted. I'll share when I can - it's a really cool quilt.

In the midst of all of this, my favorite machine broke. Not once, but twice! Seriously, I picked it up from the dealer and had to turn around and take it back the next day. It's been sitting there, ready for me all week, but I can't find a spare hour of drive time in my schedule to go get it. I'm thankful that I have another machine to use, but I was grumbling about how little I enjoy this one. Turns out, we are friends again. I am grateful.

I've been reading. Right now I am in the middle of X by Sue Grafton. Each book in this series is like seeing an old friend after a long time. You just pick up right where you left off! My recent favorite was Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. I read it in a day, or more specifically, a five hour car ride. I loved it. If you are a reader, check out this cute project that Lindsay alerted me to. Books and food. Win!

Has anyone watched Anna Maria's Creating Color Palettes class on Creativebug? Go! Do it! It's about an half an hour long and had my mind jumping in the best ways. I now want to rearrange my entire fabric stash, which, truthfully, could use a good reorganization. I'm also excited to take the time to watch Cal Patch's new class on drafting patterns for knits. The change of seasons always makes me want to sew garments (and knit them, too!). I'd love to increase my skill set at the same time.

Podcasts! Of course I love Modern Sewciety. Stephanie is the sweetest and has great guests. The b-side always has me laughing out loud. Recently, I binge listened to all of the Crafty Planner podcasts. Sandi does an amazing job interviewing her guests. Each episode had me thinking about why I do what I do and examining my process. Good stuff. Any other podcasts you might recommend? They don't have to be craft related - I like good stories, too. This American Life, anyone?

And finally, I am working on getting some quilt patterns out into the world. If anyone would be interested in testing them for me, I would be appreciative. Let me know in the comments and I will email you to discuss!

Enjoy the weekend, friends.

Popping in to let you all know that I am honored and super excited to be a guest on Pat Sloan's American Patchwork and Quilting Podcast this coming Monday, August 24th. The show airs at 4:00 pm EST and you can listen to it live by clicking this link. I hope you tune it!

In other news: both girls are back in school! I'm taking some time to get into some kind of a routine and hope to be back here next week with some pretty things to show and tell. Have a great weekend!

Summer. So lovely and bright, but so hard to get a hold of, if that makes any sense.

Fatty and I went to Switzerland! It was amazing - full of good food, good people, amazing scenery. It was a fast week, full to the brim with fun, but re-entry is always hard. Schools starts next week. Books are purchased, along with new uniforms, a fancy graphing calculator and 14 sewing machines for the arts elective that my friend, Jill, and I teach. Exciting stuff! There have been volleyball tryouts and auditions for the school play are next week. Summer reading is almost complete! It doesn't seem like time to go back, but I can tell that in some ways, we are all ready.

It's been quiet on the sewing front, or I should say, on the show-and-tell sewing front. I did a little secret sewing for my friend, Kim, and her new fabric line, Good Hair Day. More details on that in the next month or two.  The studio is getting cleaned out. Scrap bags and a fabric destash coming up soon! Otherwise, I've been lying low. I picked up a stomach bug somewhere along the way and am still battling it a bit, hopeful that it is almost gone.

I have found myself reaching for my big camera instead of my iphone more these days. There is something about the light that makes me want to capture it as best as I can. Turns out, I had missed using it. I am happy to be doing something about that.

Reading. Always. Loved The Vacationers and The Rocks (affiliate links). Both are set in Mallorca - I had no idea so that was a fun coincidence. Anything you care to recommend?

I found my first two four-leafed clovers on Sunday morning while walking the dog. I am always on the lookout for them, but had never been lucky in the past. Minutes before, I had decided to stop looking. And then I looked down and there they were. I feel like this is symbolic, but of what, I am not sure.

I didn't mean to be away from this space for so long, but I haven't felt like I've had much to share. I've been head down, getting things done. First it was the end of the school year, swiftly followed by the girls leaving for camp. Since they have been gone, I've spent my time between some secret sewing and a nice visit from good friends. I've read a few books and cut out two more skirts. There are myriad quilts in various stages littering the sewing room, but I am not going to touch them or the skirts or anything else for that matter until the secret sewing is complete. I'm hopeful today will be the day.

It's been hot here. I moved the sewing machine downstairs to the family room and placed it so my chair would sit over the air conditioning vent. Brilliant, if you ask me. It's a little bit of a pain to have to walk up two flights of stairs to find whatever little tool or thing I am used to having at my fingertips, but, really, I could not stand to be up in that heat any longer. Bonus: extra steps. Fatty told me that I might as well set up camp in the family room for the entire summer and I think I probably will. There is a TV, streaming music, access to food and drink, plus I get to be around people instead of by myself. As much as I appreciate my sewing space, it is nice to be part of the action instead of all alone.

Lately, when I take Hazel outside before we go to bed, I have been greeted by the most amazing sight. The fireflies are numerous and active. The yard is black and quiet, punctuated by hundreds of sparkling lights. They skirt the ground and hover in the highest trees, flickering on and off, flitting here and there. I stand and stare for a few moments, soaking it all in, appreciating the wonder of what I see. The dog trots up the stairs, and we go in, locking the door behind us. I silently say a prayer of thanks for all that is good at the end of my day.

Oh, hey.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks and things don't look they are going to slow down in the foreseeable future. I keep thinking that if I can get myself to May 9th, I will be able to breathe a little bit. And, heck, I might even be able to sew something. That'd be fun.

In the meantime, the peonies in the yard are inching their ways towards blooming. Of course, the ones at Whole Foods are already flaunting their wares so, naturally, some jumped in my cart. We've got lilacs, too. And I bought some geraniums for my pots. The sun is shining bright and, as always in the week leading up to the first Saturday in May, the general mood is festive around town. I don't like complaining about the weather or the seasons, but, man oh man, I was ready for winter to go. I needed spring.

I don't leave town again until July. JULY. This is very exciting. I've got some projects I'd like to tackle and farmers' markets to visit. School is winding down and I couldn't be happier about no homework on the horizon. I think the girls are with me on this. Actually, I am sure they are.

I've got a few books sitting here that I can't wait to share with you all. Good quilty inspiration! I'm thinking reviews and giveaways once a week on Fridays until I have nothing left to share. So, I guess I will see you then.

I left last Wednesday morning for QuiltCon and was back this morning at 2:30 a.m. Six extra hours of airport time had me very thankful that I packed some handwork from my Alison Glass applique class in my carry on. I started the day with one plus appliqued and finished with only 1.5 left to go. I have a lot to say about this (wool! over-dyes!), but I don't think I can string the words together right now. The whole weekend was great and fun and inspiring and overwhelming and exhausting and filled with friends (new and old) and lots of things to think about and creative exercises to try and more things to make. There is a lot of stuff swirling around in my head and I'm going to drink (more) coffee, wait for the dryer repair guy, stitch the remaining pluses and try to make sense of it all while attempting to ascertain just what groceries are needed and what to make for dinner. Then, maybe, I will unpack. Look for more snippets (or postcards, if you will) over the next week or so as I ease back into my days.