I want to share some personal news today! At the end of 2025, we're moving! Michael (my husband) is starting a new job and we'll be moving to Pennsylvania. The plan was for our time in Connecticut to be temporary, so this move has been on the horizon for a while. It's a good thing, but also comes with a lot of mixed emotions! We grew to love CT and our home more than we expected to. It will be really hard to leave our community, home, and favorite spots. We're ready to be closer to family though, and I know it will be for the best in the long run. The emotional pain and stress of packing up our life and leaving is so real though!
I'm sharing this now because this will definitely affect how I am able to show up here in the next year-ish. I already struggle to find a work-life balance while being at home with a toddler, so I know all the work that comes along with a big move will make that even more difficult. I will continue to craft and share through this process because my work and this space are important to me. I would love to take you along for the journey, especially in terms of downsizing/moving a craft space. We'll see what I can manage!
You can expect a destash of fabric, other craft supplies and a sample sale later this year. I'll also be putting together more vintage sheet bundles over the coming months. For now I'm starting small. I am ready to discontinue my printed mini patterns. I'm including a full set of five mini patterns ($15 value) with every order in my online shop of physical products (paper patterns, twill, paracord, beads, vintage sheet bundles, books, etc.) while supplies last.
Now that my news is out of the way, let's dive into what I've been working on lately!
It's been a mix of small new projects and working away on older works-in-progress. I think it's the moving mentality, I just want to get some of these lingering projects done! Funny how much of a motivator that can be.
First up, I tackled a pile of offcuts from my original Keep Turning Quilt. I had a good amount of offcuts from making this quilt, and I've been saving them in a little pile for the last five years. I also happened to have a lot of scraps of the same fabrics I used too, so I got to work! I went super scrappy and improv with these blocks, which I haven't done in a long time. My main goals were to end up with a baby-ish sized quilt and to hide the offcuts a little. I feel like I did okay! Now I just need to quilt it and get it finished.
This quilt has been in progress for SO long. I tried to look back in the archives to see when I started it, but I somehow never talked about it! This is a quilt using the Night Sky Quilt Pattern by Jaybird Quilts and various fabrics by Leah Duncan. I cut it out at least 10 years ago, and I've pulled it out a few times over the years and worked on it a bit. About a month ago I decided I was pulling it out for the last time. Time to get it finished!! I decided to deviate from the pattern and put my blocks together differently. I skipped the sashing between blocks and cut equilateral triangles to fill the gaps instead. It doesn't have quite the same look as the true-to-pattern version as a result. In hindsight, I probably should have just followed the pattern verbatim! On the other hand, this change allowed me to get this quilt top over the finish line, so I think for me it was the right call. It's still going to be a beautiful quilt!
Not the right season for it, but I'm working on the scrap Christmas quilt that I started in December! It's basted and ready for quilting.
It's not all old works-in-progress over here, I started a new handwork project! A cross stitch mushroom sampler. I haven't picked up cross stitch in many, many years. When I saw Katie working on this sampler though, I knew I had a make it! It's a free pattern from Lecien, which you can find here if you're interested: Mushroom Family Sampler. I didn't have any pieces of Aida cloth large enough, so I ended up picking some up from my local creative reuse store. It was off-white, so I dyed it! Honestly, it was easier to dye than I thought it would be. I think I got the color pretty close to their sample!
One thing I've finished recently are these pouches! I wanted to get my daughter's coloring supplies out of the cardboard boxes so I made these pouches with my towel scraps. These are all unlined, super simple, but they do the job! I figured they're going to get covered in crayon and marker anyways, might as well make them from something absorbent and washable! I love how they turned out. I really love working with towels, more than I thought I would!
Yesterday I pulled out a stack of half-square triangle blocks made from Dreamin' Vintage and started sewing them together! Thankfully past Jeni already trimmed them. I'm making broken dish blocks, but that's my only plan. I have no idea how many blocks I'll end up with, or how big the project will be. I just started sewing!
Have a Great Weekend!
Congratulations on the move. It's a lot of work but also exciting! I can't wait to see what you are finishing. Have a great summer!
ReplyDeleteMy home state! Wish I was moving there! Hope all goes well!
ReplyDeletewell doesn't life just throw you new directions every once in awhile. good luck with all the new beginnings coming. and big, deep breaths with all the sorting and packing. you will accomplish it. cheers. (:
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