The Mint Needle

Hello dear friends! Before we say goodbye to 2017, I wanted to do a little post on my latest project.  Making table runners like the one below! At first, you'd think it's a complex piece. Right? Not at all! This was one of the quickest 'sews' I've ever done and I'm so excited about it, I just had to share! The best thing to use are fat quarters for this projects. You will need to cut 12 - 3 inch squares of fabric choice #1,  and 12 - 3 inch squares of  fabric choice #2 Cut 12 - 3 x 5 1/2 inch rectangles of fabric choice #3 Cut 12 - 3 x 5 1/2 inch rectangles of fabric choice #4 Draw a diagonal on your 24 three inch squares. Line them up on one side of your rectangle fabric and stitch on the drawn line. When it comes to cutting, trim a quarter inch from the stitched line, like the picture below. Press your seams open. Ooh la la! Love pressed seams! When you lay your block out like below, it will...

OH how excited and happy I am that I've been able to enjoy some sewing time! My schedule is slowly returning back to normal which means all of those ideas and works in progress are coming together. The pieces of fabric that have been measured, cut, and ironed were finally stitched to make some really adorable aprons. Ones that I've been longing to complete. Here's a look at some finished products! Now.... part of me is debating, very seriously, should I start creating patterns for these aprons? Many people are unaware, but I've never used patterns for ANY of my aprons. Always creating from the mind and just having fun, cutting away, there is no "template".  It would be such a delightful thing to have other people share in the constructive process just like I have. What do all of you think? Patterns yeah or neh? Happy Stitching till next time friends!

Every time I come back to this little space on the Internet, I can't seem to grasp how much has passed since my last visit. Oddly enough, I didn't even get a chance to write a post for September....  & it was such a beautiful month for us!  But here we are at the end October and only weeks away from Thanksgiving! Even though there is a plethora of things I want to catch up on, I'll try to stick to the basics! My latest project, drum roll please........... my take on a Halloween quilt! Now I'm figuring that most of you might not even think it's "halloweeny" but I sure do! I see these  colors and for some reason, candy wrappers pop into mind. It's not very large measuring only 40 x 52 inches. All you need is 2 solid color fabrics and 5 pattern fabrics. The half square triangles measure 3 inches in size.  Make 48 half square triangles (hst's) of each patterned fabric with your solid color.  The purple ...

There is a steady, non-avoidable change in the air. The grasses are turning straw green, despite all the rain. Leaves are looking tired from the wind beating on them. And the fruits. They are all about to ripen or have already done so. I love this time of year. Fall is slowly making it's way and even though the girls are heading back to school this week, part of me is excited about the different type of calm that will be arriving.  Pleasant surprises are continually popping up in the gardens around the house. For example, we had no idea that the lovely succulent we purchased blooms! Look at the gorgeous coral flower! And.... I assumed I had finally met my batch of bad seeds when I thought I planted cucumbers and wasn't seeing any fruits of my labor.... Then, one day this little guy appeared.  The next couple of days, I found this acorn squash. Now, I'm pretty good at labeling all my seeds but I can't understand why one looks...

The summer has been treating us well and I hope the same goes for all of you! We enjoyed a beautiful vacation in Destin, Florida! And what a great feeling it was to watch my girls use one of the strip quilts as a beach blanket:) The colors of those gulf blues and greens inspired me to dive right into purchasing Amy Butler's Soulmate collection. You can check out more right  here ! I'm still debating on what to make. Another quilt.... an oversized shoulder bag..... There's too many things I can picture with this stunning and vibrant fabric! Our garden is producing at a steady pace. I should say, except for the zucchini. The rains came and the zucchini... grew and grew and grew. But that's okay!  You can find this delicious zucchini bread recipe  on Your Cup of Cake.  It seems to be the go to recipe of the summer! The family can't seem to get enough! And our peach tree has finally taken off after years.....  Hooray! ...

Hello dear friends! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, it's a beautiful Sunday morning. I hope you are enjoying the soon to be summer season. I know we are! The girls are getting bigger & everything is becoming more "go, go, go" . "Play dates" have become "hangouts" and just like that, my hubby and I realize how fast time is passing. On the gardening front.... We've planted simplistically this year. That's the fancy word for "I didn't go crazy with veggies". To be exact, I only got a couple tomatoes, a couple peppers, zucchini, beans and salad. It may sound like a lot but the pics should speak for themselves. The best feeling ~ most were started from seeds! As for crafting...... Oh how I wish there were more hours in the day. I finally quilted this little triangle top and I can't stop smiling over the way it came out. Let me also mention, how nervous I was sticking it in the washing machine....