It's time for the July monthly report. See past reports here.


This month my sewing was focused primarily on two projects. The first was to piece backings for my indigo courthouse steps quilt and my kaleidoscope quilt. The second was to make a present for my brother for his birthday. I'm happy to say I succeeded in both efforts! I got both quilt tops/backings in the mail for longarm quilting and I made my brother a Maker's Tote. Hoping to share photos of that project soon.


I also picked up an old work in progress again, what was supposed to be an all green quilt. It's been so long since I started cutting it out though, that I changed my mind about what I wanted. It will no longer be all green. I'm adding in purple and turquoise, because why not! I have about half the blocks pieced, but I still need to do a bunch of cutting for the other half.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in July:

July Fabric
Used up: 3 yards
Brought in: 6 yards
Net: 3 yards
Year to date: -37.75 yards

July Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: -1823 yards

I bought a good amount of fabric this month! I ordered some double gauze fabrics from Bunny's Designs. She's closing her shop, and I wanted to show some support. Be sure to check her instagram too (@bunnydesigns) for updates. When we were back in Ohio at the end of the month we stopped at the Polka Dot Pincushion and I picked up a few cuts of Kitty Corn by Urban Chiks*. It's so cute!


The dahlias have really started kicking off! They're so satisfying to grow, I've been cutting blooms every few days. I love to start the day by taking a walk through the garden after breakfast. Exciting to see how things have changed overnight.


We were able to finally go home for a whole week! We hadn't been back in Ohio since December 2019. And Michael hadn't been back with me in the summer since 2016 I think? It was so nice to be back home. I even took two quilts with me for photos, which really felt normal!



Thought I'd leave you with some snapshots of my parent's kitties (Sanders & Chester), on my quilts.

Have a Great Month!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

June Monthly Report

It's time for the June monthly report. See past reports here.

I can't believe we're already halfway through 2021! I know things have been pretty quiet around here this year. Most of my posts have just been my monthly reports. I wish I could promise that more regular posting was right around the corner, but I'm not sure it is quite yet. It's been a tough year so far personally, and I'm just trying to keep my head above water lately to be honest. I know that I will feel better both physically and mentally, but it's just going to take some time. I still love blogging, but I've also become more private over the years so it's a bit of a balancing act. I actually have a good number of finished projects to share (including three quilts!), but haven't been able to take photographs of everything. Michael is going to help me try to get some photos this weekend hopefully. We'll see. Thanks for sticking with me through this lull in posting!


Most of my sewing this month was focused on this courthouse steps quilt made using fabric I've indigo dyed over the years. I made three or four blocks for this quilt last year but then let it sit. So this month I cut out all the pieces for the the remaining blocks, sewed all the blocks and got the top put together! I am now working on the backing, but it's almost done, just a few seams left. I'm excited to get this one done!

I haven't gotten an indigo dye bath going yet this summer, but hope to at some point. If you're interested in indigo dyeing, I have a post about it here: DIY Indigo Fabric Dyeing Tutorial


I made a few drawstring bags this month, including this strawberry inspired one! This is the snack size from my lined drawstring bag pattern. I got lucky and was able to use a set of extra strings that I made when I shot the video tutorial last year, bonus! It's finished off with some beads because why not. The strawberry fabric is by Heather Ross*, tie fabric by Carolyn Friedlander*, and unfortunately I don't know who designed the green accent fabric. Beads and pattern can be found in my online shop here:

Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Round Wooden Beads


I can now share this make from May, a bucket apron I made for my Dad for Father's Day! It fits around a 5 gallon bucket. I thought it would be useful in the garden, he can throw weeds in the bucket and keep tools in the pockets. I used leftover binding scraps from a quilt I made him a few years ago, paired with some plain canvas. I followed this tutorial with some adjustments.


I shared a similar shot of my double gauze quilt in my last post, but wanted to actually talk about it here. It's now finished and it got plenty of use on the couch last month! Just need to photograph it.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in June:

June Fabric
Used up: 24 yards
Brought in: 2 yards
Net: -22 yards
Year to date: -40.75 yards

June Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: -1823 yards

Happy with my totals this month! I finished a quilt along with a few other small projects. I also shared a decent stack of fabric with a friend, so all in all a good mix. I bought some Dana Cotton/Modal* knit fabric this month to make a few t-shirts! I made a t-shrit with it years ago and it has held up so well. Hopefully I don't let it linger too long. I haven't made any clothes in a long while. No yarn related finishes, but I have still been weaving and I picked up a languishing shawl project which has been fun to knit on again.



June was the month that I finally returned to the thrift shops!! I missed going so much. I love to buy secondhand and see what kind of treasures are waiting to be found. Here is a mix of a few things I've found in my first month back! No vintage sheets, but a few pillowcases. I can't leave behind this style vintage towel either, they're one of my favorite things to thrift. A few metal goodies for the sewing room and a little sewing chest of drawers that needs some serious TLC.


This month we also went to our first flea market here in CT which was fun. Picked up a record and some vintage ornaments. I absolutely love this style ornament so I was thrilled to add so many more to my collection. Can't wait to display them on our tree this year.

Have a great month!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Email Subscriber Update

Hello! This is a quick post specifically for those of you that have subscribed to receive my blog posts via email. Unfortunately, the service that I've been using for this feature since I first started my blog is being discontinued at the end of June. I am working with a new service to seamlessly (hopefully!) transfer over your existing email subscription to their service. If all goes well, you won't need to do anything to continue to receive my posts in your email inbox!

The new email delivery service is called "follow.it". When you receive an update that I have published a new post, that is who the email will be from, so don't be alarmed!

I'll be publishing a new blog post sometime during the first week of July (7/1-7/7). If you don't receive an email letting you know I posted, you may need to re-sign up for emails using the new "Follow by Email" form that can be found at the bottom of any page on my website (incolororder.com). Or simply respond to this email and I'll make sure you're added back onto the list. I'm hopeful that won't be necessary and all will transfer over as planned! Fingers crossed.

Thanks for your patience as I navigate this change with you! And thank you for following along with my blog :)

May Monthly Report

It's time for the May monthly report. See past reports here.


This month's report is going to be brief. I didn't do a whole lot of sewing in the month of May. It was busy, but just no sewing-wise. We got our second shots of the COVID vaccine, and celebrated our newly vaccinated reality by seeing my parents for the first time in a year and a half! I took basically no photos while they were here, but it was great. I also spent lots of time getting the garden planted and arranged for the season. I'll probably share a dedicated post on that soon. Nothing too complicated, just want to document it a few times this season.

One of the few things I did sew was a new set of grow bags. I'm using cotton this time around. For more on what I used last year/how I made them/my choice for this year, see this post: DIY Fabric Grow Bags


I finally figured out a good storage system for the wooden beads I carry in my shop! I bought this plastic organizer at a thrift store earily 10+ years ago. It's held so many different things over the year, but it's working great for the beads. Glad I held onto it.


The first month in a while that I didn't finish a weaving! I did start a new one though and I'm enjoying it. Just didn't get super far on it!


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in May:

May Fabric
Used up: 3.125 yards
Brought in: 6 yards
Net: 2.875 yards
Year to date: -18.75 yards

May Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: -1823 yards

Had a good mix of fabric in and out this month. Used up fabric for the grow bags and for my Dad's Father's Day present (which I obviously can't share right now!). I did buy yardage to back my kaleidoscope quilt.



The big non-sewing project that I worked on in May was making an outdoor sofa! I wanted to make one last year but it was tough to get out and source materials. So this Spring I was really determined to make one. We needed somewhere comfy to hang out during the warmer months. We get pretty much full shade all day on our deck, so it's a great spot for a couch. I used these plans from Ana White, and bought the cushions, covers and stain from ikea. The stain matches our other outdoor furniture from ikea, and I think it looks super similar. Very pleased with how it turned out. It stretched my skills nicely but never felt overwhelming which is nice. We've already used it a bunch!

A little taste of the garden this year. Always growing marigolds.

Have a Great Month!