Just Do SOMETHING!

I feel very 'on fire' about something today, so wanted to share. I just want to encourage everyone to start TODAY finding out how you can help someone, some organization- especially with the holidays starting. I know we are all so 'busy', but there has to be something you can do if you plan now. For me, the obvious choice would be to sew something since I do that 24/7- well, maybe 20/7! :) I found an organization here in Ventura County called 'My Stuff Bags' based in Westlake Village, CA. A customer of mine sent me a link to http://crafthope.com/ both of these organizations provide blankets for people in need. They can be a quilt, or for My Stuff Bags they give a tutorial on a fleece blanket. It would be a great project for the kids- no sew. If sewing or crafting isn't your 'thing'- find something that is. My goal was to use scraps from my blankets to sew up blankets for foster kids and I am the first to admit I am sorely lacking. I only have 3 in the pile, but hey, it's a start! Once I get to 5, I will send them off and I just pray they will be a small source of comfort to someone. There are so many people who will be without this season. However you are blessed, share it with someone. Some people give money, others talents, others have just their time to give, to serve. If we all do our part, we can help so many! I was so wonderfully reminded in church yesterday, "There are many different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." 1Corinthians12:6

Love Plum!

I have been collecting plum and purple fabrics to make a throw for my shop and when I got Amy Butler's new line, Love, I completed this. There is something about purple that just makes me happy. When my garden is in full bloom, most of the flowers are a shade of purple. I have a dark purple and lavender rose. There is the obvious lavender and mexican sage. When my red flame grapes are in season, the color is amazing. You can see my wintering grape vine in the photo as well. I will be listing this in my shop later today.

Random Patchwork

This is what I worked on today. Do you ever feel like the day is over and what did you accomplish? Well, this is show and tell for me! I am making XXL patchwork and minky throws for the sweetest person! This is number one. It is flowers & fairies in peaches, corals, greens and a little purple. When I started putting it together on my (just cleaned) floor, it looked blah, so I ran upstairs and pulled out the new Amy Butler line that has corals and greens in it as well as the melon background with white flowers (don't know the designer). It added the pop I wanted and balanced the colors. I am really happy with it now and am excited to sew it up! This is one of the many times that having a HUGE fabric stash "pays off"!! You can see my notebook in the corner. Its my low-tech way of figuring out a pattern. Every blanket seems to be a different size, so I sit down with my graph paper and map it out. This way if I get off track, I can check the arrangement after seams are sewn and pressed. I often sew a little, do laundry, sew a little, help with homework, etc. I would go batty trying to keep myself on track each time. I do think after 40 its harder to do that! :)

Pumpkin Patch Break

Okay, I'm still trying to figure out the photo thing on blogger, so sorry

scattered! I am always inspired by a trip to the pumpkin patch with the kids. When they were in preschool and kindergarten the class went every year and I got bored of it all. Now I look forward to it and appreciate it because I can venture on my own and so can the kids. I can catch some pics of them posing and natural. The colors are always beautiful- greens, oranges, yellows, browns. Even the Cheapy camera- didn't get one yet- takes great photos there. It was a nice break from the busy-ness of life.

New Amy Butler Fabric Combos

I just got the new Love fabric from Amy Butler a few days ago and had so much fun seeing what other fabrics I already had that would match. The first picture is a beautiful fabric called Momento with a dark plum background. It looked great with Anna Maria Horner's Dance Floor & Patty Young's Gothic Arch. #4 is called Sunspots and is similar to her older Full Moon Dots, but more playful. In the pic on the right, I love the Periwinkle Paradise (large middle floral) paired with Momento again in midnight above and Cypress Paisley below. It looks great with Jennifer Paganelli's Kat Stripe in blue and Sally in Orange as well as Anna Maria Horner's Mingling Rose in ice- and there's those Sunspots in tangerine. It's so fun to add a new fabric line to the mix. I was glued to Twitter over the weekend looking at all the quilt market tweets and pics. New fabrics that are amazing from Heather Bailey, Paula Prass, Anna Maria Horner and more!

I Need a New Camera!

Behold one of the most beautiful & vibrant quilts I've made and notice how it doesn't look vibrant!! I broke my cheapy camera- which worked pretty well- I dropped it! :( This is my daughter's cheapy and it is cheapy! So, I've started shopping for a new camera and want to know if you like yours! I have been partial to Canon. I owned a SureShot in my college years and bought a Rebel just before I really used digital. I am thinking a digital Rebel or PowerShot. What's your opinion??