The Mint Needle

I'm so excited about today's post! For the first time in forever... I get to write about a project I started and finished all in one week! Yahoo!! After all, it is the National Sewing Month. Even though I have multiple projects started.... I couldn't help but feel overly distracted by the colossal pile of 6 inch strips sitting on the cutting mat. (They have been there for too long.... literally months.) I decided to finally take the plunge and get it done! Little did I know, how quickly this project would get completed. The 6 inch strips varied in widths. I stitched the strips together, trimming any excess to create a 6 inch block. I placed my blocks in alternating directions, sewing rows first. That's it! I used a very light fabric with a pastel dandelion motif as the backing. It goes perfectly with the multiple colors on the front. I'm still nervous when it comes to the actual quilting part so I did the typical straight lines on my Singer at home. Wh...

September has arrived and as my girls say, "only 21 more days till fall is here!" Like everyone else, we're so excited.  And even though it was 82 degrees outside, the girls insisted we crank up the a/c and make hot chocolate:) It was a great idea! I've missed this blog and sewing so much. I must've miscalculated time constraints because even though the girls are back at school, I haven't had much time to sit and catch up on sewing. But, that doesn't mean ideas aren't brewing. I've headed back to some Recollection fabrics in hopes of using up those gorgeous scraps. So far, it's looking good. The whole sewing room is packed with mini-piles of potential projects. (None of which include Christmas gifts, or fix-its for the family.) And I suppose it's okay since I vowed to everyone that starting next week, specifically on Tuesday, I will be leaving for vacation. They can reach me upstairs where I will be sewing and giving my creati...

Hello friends! I feel like it's been forever since my last post. The girls are officially back to school and I'm slowly getting back into the routine of things. Home projects and work (the paying one) has taken up so much of my time, that I literally can't remember the last time I got to sit and sew. Since Autumn is right around the corner, I've been spending any free time making plans and progress for next years gardens ~ both flower and vegetable. Am I going to sound crazy when I say I really can't wait for cooler weather? I'm just so ready to call it complete and head indoors! But the prime fruits of all this labor should not go unnoticed. Take for example the lovely elderberry (sambucus nigra). Those flowers turned into some gorgeous, deep purplish pink pods. And even though I could've made pie, I opted for some simple syrup ~ a little daily vitamin for the family! Here's how I made it:) I started off with a pint size of elderberries. Wash...

Oh my, has it really been so long since my last post? I guess so.... Well. Summer is moving rather quickly and we're already getting prepared for the back to school season. Do I dare admit I chuckled a little when I wrote that?  On Instagram, quite awhile back, I posted the start of a really pretty quilt pattern. A shattered chevron layout with the 'arrows' off center. Even though it was extremely easy to make and piece together, I didn't complete the quilt top till this past week. And I'm going to tell you why. When I buy fabric, I usually get it because it's on sale or it's one of those 'gotta have it' moments. Is it horrible that I'm admitting not all my fabric purchases have a purpose or project planned? Talk about a fabri-holic.....  Anyway, I originally purchased navy kona cotton just 'to have' with the possibility of starting something new. Little did I know I was going to learn a tough lesson... I did start something but a...

Every year I do a little post, in pictures, about our flowers. Like a kid, I'll run outside with my camera when a new plant blooms or the light hits something in a such a way, I never want to forget it. So far, these are some images that have shined worthy of making garden memories. These are the infamous buzzards that I caught an image of flying one night. Every dusk, like an alarm, you can see them by the dozens flying back to their nests. It's an amazing sight. I'm pretty sure this is a variety of mint. If i'm wrong, please correct me! Here's a great example of a plant going wild. Originally, this lovely green was planted in the front border. Little did I know that it would spread like wild fire. Before I knew it, I was pulling the plants out literally launching them into the grass like weeds. Would you believe that some of those pulls rooted along our driveway. Years later, a hill now carries a very sweet aroma:) I love the way these colors c...

Don't you just love it when scraps from projects lead to "other" projects?  Well, that's exactly what happened here.   A few weeks ago I posted this little number on my Instagram. And.... I've finally decided to blog about it! I had a bunch of ten inch squares leftover from a flying geese quilt I started to make. (Yes... more triangles....)  Looking at the small pile, a dozen ideas went through my mind. Then.... I realized, this is the perfect time to 'wing it'.  Having no idea of what image I would end up with, I stitched random prints together, face to face, on all four sides. Then, using a rotary cutter and ruler, I to cut an "X" across the closed square. Once opened, four beautiful, half triangle blocks were ready to get played with! I loved doing this because it super easy and you get quick results!! Placement is the best part of any project. And, it's the one my girls love the most. They said it's like putting ...

Hello friends! Has it really been this long since my last post? Time is flying! There's so much to show you! Today's post is a cross between check out this project & sharing these just because . Super fun & colorful, these pillows are perfect for any space! All you need are twelve 2.5" strips. Separate them in two piles, sewing 6 strips together. If you're using the same fabric twice, keep them all in the same pile just staggering them. If you re-use the same fabric in the other pile, you risk having the same prints next to each other.  Once your rows are sewn, cut 3 inch strips. I didn't take a snapshot of my peach and purple pile but you can see below how I positioned and flipped the strips once they were cut and placed together. I finished them up by adding white fabric to the sides and trimmed away any excess to create a 16 x 16 inch pillow. For the backside I used the fold over method with a contrasting fun owl print...