Quilt for baby Austin

For quite some time now I have been trying to use up fabric from my stash before going out to buy lots of new material. I happened to have just enough left from making a quilt for Jared two years ago to put together this quilt for Cortney's new baby boy, Austin.  First, strips of fabric were sewn together, then triangles cut out of those strips. Next, the triangles were rearranged before being sewn back together. The center section is hand-quilted and the outside border is machine quilted. I found a fun diamond pattern on my machine to use between the center section and the outside border. I may finally be getting the hang of finishing off binding because it didn't take nearly as long this time as it usually does. 

This weekend we concluded Ryan's Spring break with a trip to Idaho Falls so I was able to stop by for a quick visit with Cortney and the new little guy. He is tiny and precious. Hopefully we will get to see them again this summer. 

Sewing Space

For as long as I can remember, my motivation for sewing has often been thwarted by the hassle of pulling everything out and making a huge mess in our limited living space. Now I have a big pantry with a door that closes and it dawned on me a few days ago that I could probably fit a small sewing desk in there. The thrift store had just the right thing, so for fifteen dollars and after half a day organizing, a messy crowded craft space was transformed into a relaxing sewing room. No more using the full-size ironing board as a storage shelf for ongoing projects, no more piles of fabric and batting bags on the floor, and no more dragging the sewing machine around the apartment. My goal is now to work on at least one project a day, even if it is only for half an hour. Let the sewing begin.

Before

After