The Bakery Fabrics

 This early morning, after a night of Bud Light Lime-a-rita and Bunco, my two friends and I sneaked out of the house with kids and husbands still sleeping and we hit up ihop.  After breakfast we headed west to Belle Fourche to visit one of my favorite fabric stores.   

The Bakery Fabrics is housed in an old bakery downtown, and the owner is awesome and always helpful.

 The selection is one of the best I've seen. 

 The displays are adorable and attractive.  I always stand at the huge flour bin petting the fabrics

 The building is seriously historical, last time I was in I was given a peek into that huge oven and it was awesome.  

 The kids fabrics are awesome.  

 Today I picked stuff up, walked around, found something else picked that up, put everything back because I couldn't decide, then I picked up something, carried it around, put it back when I saw something else....and this went on and on.  I finally picked up a couple fat quarters and a charm pack.

Since I'm still in the thick of my huge Ruby bow-ties quilt I decided I would just enjoy one charm pack of vintage modern and call it good.  I've seen the peeks of marmalade online and I think I'll need some of that as well!  

I only have about 10 quilts worth of fabric waiting to get their turn. I need to get a move on!  Summer means longer days, longer days mean the monster needs naps again.  

longer days + naptime= time 2 quilt

Right?! yep.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Its that time of year again.  I love looking through the bloggers' quilt festival!  Talk about LOADS of inspiration and fun things to look at!

I wasn't sure I had a quilt to share, but then I remembered I DO have a quilt that I love and that means a lot to me.  

This is my patriotic barn raising.  While I was working on it I called it my homefront quilt.  As my husband was getting ready for a six month deployment I was gathering these blue and red fabrics.  While he was packing his big green bags, I was washing these fabrics.  Once he left, it took me a few days to pull myself together, then I started this quilt.  It kept me sane, gave me something to do, made me a little less weepy.   We didn't have a patriotic quilt yet, and being in the military for ten years, that seemed silly to me.  

It took me about a month to finish, and right in time for a visit from my folks.  I knew I wanted to take it to Mt Rushmore to take photos of it. (with the other visitors we had during the deployment the monster and I ended up visiting the monument a whopping 5 times! My three year old would say," Mt Rushmore AGAIN?!")

 The monster and I got through the deployment fairly well with lots of Skype with my hubs and lots of visits from family.

I love the backing and binding.  

This quilt will always remind me that I am stronger than I think.  

Union

 Last month I went to visit my family in Michigan.  It was a short trip but somehow or another we started talking about family, and my mom pulled out a genealogy my aunt did in the 70s of their grandparents, great and great great grandparents.   It said in the papers that my grandpa's great grandpa was born in Ireland and moved to Ontario when he was 4, then moved to Detroit when he was 19 to enlist in the civil war.  He served in the Union.  

I had this quilt in strips at home when I found this out. 

I had mentioned to my friends while piecing this quilt using Civil War Reunion charm packs, that I was happy the one print said Union, since I'm a northerner and all.... and we won.... and here I am with a three times great grandfather that was indeed a Yankee. Yay! 

 So here is my civil war reproduction quilt which I really love, and makes me wonder if I'm a quilt black sheep for loving civil war reproductions and modern bright fabrics.  Is there a special grouping for "like almost anything quilters".  I hope so.  

It's Not a Tumor

I woke up this morning with an odd feeling in my abdominal area... I freaked out a little and thought maybe I have a tumor or appendicitis or something horrible.  But then I realized my 'abs' were sore from pin basting so many dang quilts yesterday.  FIVE.  

I'm going to need some Bob Seger to quilt this pile!

Time to Mop

 Somehow while I wasn't paying attention four quilt tops have stacked up.  Needing to be basted.  So I guess its time for me to get out the mop and baste these babies.

my giant star with a polka dot backing-love

My civil war snowballs

my dresdens-love love- and my local quilt shop DID have punctuation for the backing :)

My sampler from HELL.

 Pretty much all I have in the thick of assembly is my Ruby bowties.  I have a couple ABU bags almost done, I'm going to finish them today and then I can get these bowties made into block.

My mom asked me to make a table runner so I have this small project waiting too.  I think it will only take me a few minutes since its just solid top and backing.  

I feel productive all of a sudden :)

In Love

I pulled out some old stuff recently in my back and forth quilting habit.  I am getting really antsy about buying some pretty new fabric.  But I have a cabinet with a dozen projects worth of pretty fabric waiting for their turns.  I need some quilt concentration so I can get my behind in gear.  

So I grabbed a little baggie of my punctuation dresden blades.  Some already made, some just cut, and a few charm squares still needing to be cut. I started with the ones that needed to be sewn.  As I sewed I remembered how much I loved chain piecing these.  Then at sewing night with Kristen (Bri is in Hawaii. pftt), I pressed the points, and got the rest of the charms cut.  By this point my heart was fluttering, and I was asking myself why I had this project shelved for nearly a year.  I thought about my dresdens all the time.  I would find one way or another to steal away a few minutes here and there to work on them. I just had to see them and touch them.  When I laid all of the blades out yesterday I realized I LOVE this quilt.  I haven't LOVED anything in a long while.  I have been enthusiastic but not in love.  

I need to get a backing.  I can hardly wait to get this baby finished.  Its a gift, but not a secret because I was so excited I sent a photo to the recipient.  Last time I was at one of my local shops they still had a good supply of punctuation, so maybe I'll find some. I will be happy to gaze upon this top until I get the backing and binding.  I could look at this quilt all day.   

I also managed to finish my "I'm a quitter" mini quilt.  Its the four blocks I made from the Farmers Wife before I quit.  It's a pretty mini quilt or table runner or whatever, its just going to take me awhile to get over my failure.  

This that and the other...a confession

 Well, how about this....I made something.  Something useful at that!  My reader needed something pretty to live in and travel in.  

 Besides this reader cozy, I have been almost completely scattered and unproductive. 

 Probably because that mess in there is really cramping my flow.  I need to get my poop in a group.  I have 5 mug rugs done for the shower favors(5/40), so that really is something, but it makes a giant mess when I work on them. My cutting table....

 ..is ridiculous. (see that failed reader cozy there? boo)

I have been working on my civil war snowballs, and my ruby bow-ties.  But there is no good excuse for this mess.(I need to find that other flip flop) I really have been flipping back and forth.  I'll do 5 snowball blocks then switch and work on 15 bow-ties, then do a mug rug or two, then get frazzled and run away from the sewing room wondering where I might score a piece of chocolate.  I need to concentrate!!

Might be time to crank up some Bob Seger and get in gear!