Patronize Your Local Quilt Shop!

I know, I know ... ordering fabric online is so fast and easy, and in the case of FatQuarterShop.com, it comes so neatly packaged with little ribbons around it. I like the little ribbons, and I don't necessarily want to give them up, but we need to keep our local shops in business! Otherwise, the joy of seeing a fabric in person and feeling the texture and weight will be a thing of the past. I'm very much an instant gratification person, so ordering online is actually torture for me, but there are so few quilt shops in the area (Jo-Ann Fabrics notwithstanding) and most of them aren't open in the evenings, which is when I have time to go.

It's a fine balance I suppose. There is a quilt shop/trim factory outlet about 15 minutes from my workplace, so I sometimes stop in on my lunch break (which is usually spent at my desk, surfing - guess what? - online fabric shops, which is, again, faster and easier than going to the store in person). Their prices are actually fantastic, so why don't I go there more often? There's something about the "thump, thump, thump" as the bolt is unrolled on the cutting table and the unmistakeable "schhhhhhrrrriiiiitttt!" the scissors make as they slice through the fabric that's GOING HOME WITH YOU!

Finally, a Craft!

Have you been wondering when I was going to start talking about crafts? I certainly was, and I write this blog! Anyway, I've finished up a few projects in the last couple of months, but here are two I'm really happy with. The first is a wall hanging (wall not pictured) from a Moda Turnover, the line is called "Swanky." My friend and I challenged each other to make a project from a turnover and a charm pack, so here it is. I actually used the turnovers for the pinwheels, and the charm pack to make the border and binding. I like the "coordinated jumble sale" look I think I've achieved. By the way, did you spot my error? One of my pinwheel blocks is spinning in the wrong direction. Oops.

The second is from the "Sizzlin' Sixties" pattern collection by Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures. Check out her blog here. This one uses a 60-degree triangle ruler to make all sorts of cool blocks. I decided to make a table topper. I used 30s reproduction fabrics, which I'm kind of obsessed with.

Flash Mob!

What's with all of the flash mob dances that have been popping up all over the world lately? I love them! How do you get to participate in one? I would totally do it, in fact, I'm trying to get my boss to let me put one together to promote our company intranet. We have a nice big cafeteria after all. Here's one with the Sound of Music. Pretty cool. One thing many of them have in common is that they often take place in train/subway stations. We don't really have those here. Here's another one, this one ON a train (moving, no less).

Craft Night

My crafting friends and I had our monthly meeting this evening, and we had a blast, as always. The setting was particularly picturesque (the hostess' home is right on Narragansett Bay), and we actually saw some sun for a couple of hours. The fact that we could eat outside was a huge bonus as well!

My craft this evening was a birthday banner for my mom's party - about 36 hours left to go until the big event. I still have to get a cake, but I have an idea of where to go for that. My goal for this party was to make it a great time for my mom, without stressing anyone (especially me) out. I think I've achieved at least half of that equation; hopefully mom will enjoy herself.

I don't have any pictures of the banner handy, so instead, I'm posting a random photo of my cat Max beside a craft I worked on about 10 months ago - my wedding flowers!

My next craft is a mystery, even to me. It will definitely be a quilt, I just haven't decided which fabrics, pattern, etc. Here's a quilt I finished in May for my brother-in-law and his wife (a wedding gift). I need to get better about taking photos of my quilts before giving them away - this is a horrible angle but I was in a hurry, as I was about to wrap it up for the wedding and realized I hadn't photographed it yet. I can tell you that I designed it myself, and used fabrics from the Moda bistro line. It's about 55x70 inches.

Beautiful Blithewold

Hubby and I spent a blissful evening wandering the gardens at Blithewold Mansion and Arboretum in Bristol, R.I. tonight. If my sister is reading this, I'm sorry I didn't stop by! Anyway, it was absolutely beautiful and inspired me to take my gardening a step further. Just look at that astilbe (top left) - like fluffy cotton candy. There's a wonderful rose garden too, and the Web site has some great advice about growing your own roses (I personally am scared to try roses, but maybe next year!).

We were actually there for a reception given by the March of Dimes R.I. chapter, which is a great organization. Good food, good company ... but oh, those flowers! We couldn't resist a lengthy stroll.

Mad Libs

So when was the last time you thought about Mad Libs? Those things are great! Marc and I picked up the "original" Mad Libs the other day and we're having lots of fun with them. They actually have quite a few variations - Star Wars, Ghost Stories, Scooby Doo, etc.

I highly recommend that you pick up a copy - possibly the most fun you can legally have for $3.99!

Hope you have a/an [adjective] [noun]!

Countdown to Party Time!

The surprise party I've been planning for my mom (or "mum" in England) is nearly here, and I'm tres excited about it.

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Ok, so our cat Sealy just typed that by sitting on my keyboard. Clearly I am not paying enough attention to her. Isn't it enough that this blog was named for her? Guess not. Now, she's actually sitting on my left hand as I type. I don't mind this too much, because it's very cold in my house and her tummy is keeping my hand warm. There she is in all her glory just after we moved into our house last year. She quickly declared the property hers, but she has been kind enough to let us continue living here.

It was a cold and rainy night ...

... except it was almost JULY! Summer in New England is never predictable, but this is ridiculous. We've had so few sunny days since the beginning of May (technically not summer, I realize) that you could count them on one hand.

Anyway, what better way to celebrate the dreary weather than with some delicious detective stories by Agagtha Christie? I just listened to a couple of her books on CD - fantastic! If you really want a bone-chiller, go for "And Then There Were None." Creepy. "... seven strangers, picked to live in a house ..." Wait, no that's The Real World. It's actually 10 strangers invited to an island by a mysterious host. Once there, people start dying, and it ain't pretty. There's a reason this is thought to be the greatest mystery novel ever written.