Hello, friends! How is your summer going? We have been spending every bit of time possible at the beach and outside! It’s been glorious, and it’s almost making me forget how brutal this past winter was.
Since we’ve been mainly out of the house, my sewing has been happening a bit here, and a bit there. . . I did manage to squeeze in time to work on this month’s do. Good Stitches blocks. And I am proud to call them my first finish of July!
I was hoping to have finished my hand-stitched, hand-dyed quilt to share with you today, but alas, it is called slow stitching for a reason!
I’ve also made some progress on my improv blocks. I’ve sewn a few together to show you here. Any ideas on what they are going to be???
I’m thinking I may add a bag or two to my to-do list, just so that I can accomplish a finish in a shorter period of time. I picked these fabrics based on a bag made by Victoria Findlay Wolfe that my mom went bananas over. It’s the Market Street Handbag by Kenzie Mac and Co. My mom’s birthday is end of August, so I’m hoping to get it done in time to add it to her pile of presents!
In other news, my oldest son broke his arm. So instead of camps, he’s become his mommy’s constant companion. I think my quilting is rubbing off on him, because when my husband asked him tonight “Should quilts go on a bed, or on the wall” his answer was, “Well, Daddy, that depends on what kind of quilt it is. . .”
I hope you are having a beautiful summer so far, and since I have admittedly not had as much time as I’d like to keep up with all that you have been working on, please tell me, what sort of things have you been sewing? Do you find that your sewing patterns change with the seasons? I’d love to hear!
Linking up with Finish it Up Friday and TGIFF!
Kelsey
July 11, 2015 at 7:42 amThat slow-stitching is looking lovely. I am looking forward to seeing the final project. I’ve been dreaming of stitching tops and dresses, so yes haha I think my pattern moods change with the seasons!
Michelle
July 11, 2015 at 9:58 amEep! Thanks for the heads-up about the bag pattern. I love VFW’s version. The chunky hand quilting really makes the bag. Just what you want to sign up for, right? More hand stitching!
Jayne Willis
July 11, 2015 at 10:40 amOMG! Your son…cute, cute, killer cute, but his answer about quilts is just plain priceless!! So, I was wondering what your improv piece was going to be and now I think I can see it! I won’t spill the beans. I can’t wait to see the bags you make. Quick or quicker finishes are always a welcome change. Almost instant gratification! Keep up the beautiful work on your hand quilting piece, it’s going to be gorgeous!
Audrey
July 11, 2015 at 11:35 amOh, wow. I can’t wait to see this bag! And your handstitching looks awesome! And your oldest is precious! I think I could comment on everything you’ve talked about, but I’ll leave it at this. Hope you’re doing well! 🙂
Sarah
July 11, 2015 at 2:51 pmSpending time on the beach sounds great! Until I get there usually… We’re not really summer people. 😀 Sorry your son broke his arm, but he does look pretty adorable there! Lately, I’ve been trying to focus on sewing more for myself – I spent the last few months making quilts for so many other people, I figured it was time for myself. 😀
Have fun! Wear sunscreen! 😀
Lisa
July 17, 2015 at 3:04 pmI posted this week for the blog hop so I’ve been working a bit more on blogging than quilting. Tomorrow I go to a Modern clamshell workshop so I’ll be working on that. I love your hand stitiching and yes it is slow. The improv is intriguing to me because it looks really planned and I think of improv as unplanned.
Sarah Goer
July 18, 2015 at 9:43 pmI love your son’s answer! I’m so sorry to hear that he broke his arm. That’s a bit miserable for him, I’m sure.
I enjoyed some time to myself when my youngest started school this Spring. Ironically, I did less sewing and quilting in those few months than before she started school, because I was using my new found time for a variety of other things that needed to get done. Then Summer hit and both kids are home. We’re having a great time, but the majority of my sewing this Summer was to meet swap deadlines. Then there was my son’s birthday and party keeping me busy. Now, I’m making slow progress on a number of projects, but once school hits I’ll have to work on a schedule for myself to allow more sewing time and also carve out some time for non-sewing projects. I’m eager to move some quilt projects (particularly old ones) into the finished column. At the moment, my priority is enjoying summer with my family. (And doing just enough sewing for keeping my sanity.) 🙂
market street handbag. - Leland Ave Studios
July 24, 2015 at 5:00 pm[…] thing I am going to try when I make my next version (using these fabrics) is to use a wider binding. I’m hoping that it will help to cover any stitch lines that stray […]