It was quiet in the studio this past week. Since we started the "window" project in the guestroom last weekend and I was waiting for a quilt kit to arrive, I did spent time in the kitchen and doing some spring cleaning in the rest of the house.
First though... let's take a look at this week's feature. Gwyned shared her story of how a package took a 2-week scenic tour around the country as well as her latest block in the Butterfly Sanctuary BOM.
This block had 71 pieces in it! It is beautiful. Head over to her blog to find out why the block is not square. She shares the link for the BOM, in case you are curious enough to want more details.
Follow the link above to find all of the stories tagged that have the recipes in them.
I pulled one meal straight from the freezer on Friday afternoon and popped it in the insta-pot with a stainless-steel pot and pressed start. After the initial cooking cycle, I switched it to the slow cook setting to let it simmer until we were ready to eat a few hours later. YUM!
Backing up one day... Monday evening was an enjoyable time at the softball game. Hanna opened a birthday gift of a polaroid-like camera from Aunt Beck and Uncle DD and had a ball with it!
I laminated the best of the photos into a photo booth strip and have it proudly displayed on the fridge. <3
Thank you for the prayers!
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Emma hit an infield home run during the game, and it was fun to cheer her on as she rounded third base heading for home. Whoop! Whoop!
Another day was a much-needed day of dusting and vacuuming. When Shelby was still with us, I was much more diligent about cleaning... I decided that I had neglected the deep cleaning chores for long enough. Still waiting on the quilt kit... I wasn't too terribly distracted. LOL!
One final day was in the kitchen as I baked assorted muffins and cookies. I am restocked in the snack department. ;)
FINALLY... I wandered to the studio to play with the fabric pull I had for the April Audio books I enjoyed.
I won't review each one here, but would be happy to share my thoughts on any of them you might be interested in. Just leave a comment (with your email address) and I'll send you an email and my thoughts.
Map of my Heart by Susan Wiggs was my 15-minutes before bed slow-read. And The Chilbury Ladies Choir was finished on May 1.
A sweet friend recently sent me a book by Sandra Dallas from his mother's collection ~ A Quilt for Christmas.
I nearly forgot that block #7 of the Little House Sampler Sew Along was published! You can find the story with the link to the pattern here. Only two more blocks... and both of them will be released this month. :)
That sums up my week. The wait for the quilt kit is finally over. I need to have this baby quilt to my customer by the end of the month.
I don't usually use kits for quilts... this one was just what the customer was looking for. Her grandson's nursery is in a safari theme, and this was perfect!
You know where I can be found.
Before you go, tell me...
Do you like using quilt kits?
Or, are you more of a "curate your own kit" quilter?
Leave a comment... I'd love to hear from you!
Keep Piecing,
Melva
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I love how you're making those 9 patches to go with each book's cover, Melva! Such a good idea. I read Map of the Heart and enjoyed it very much. So glad you had that time with your grand kids - the photos that Hanna took are priceless! Have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteThose meals--fabulous. And I like what you call them, Melva. Glad to hear about your wonderful day at the softball field. I haven't read any of your April books. I want to recommend Julie Klassen since I heard her speak at our library last week. Her books are about mystery, drama, inspiration with a bit of clean romance. I'm not a fan of kits, but sometimes they work well with the situation.
ReplyDeleteWoo Hoo on Emma's home run! It sounds like you have had a busy week. I have always been interested in the InstaPot. I have heard some campers take theirs along with them on the trips. I may have to look into one. Have a great week, Melva.
ReplyDeleteHooray for the fun at the ballgame! I'm more of a create my own quilt kit although, I have purchased several and/or been given several which I still have! If that was what your customer wanted, then it was the perfect solution. That is the great "pro" of a quilt kit!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteI am honored to have the shout out, Melva. Thank you! Loved the Photo Booth memory strip, especially the photo of you and your young friend (Hannah?) beaming. As for quilt kits, I don't think I have ever used one. I simply prefer to do my own thing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a productive week outside the sewing room, which means this week can be all about the stitching time. That's a very fun kit. I'm not a big on kits. I've bought maybe two over the years. The first one I hated the pattern, but fell in love with the fabrics. I've made two quilts from that kit, with enough for a third still left.
ReplyDeleteI curate my own. I've acquired a few kits from destashes or at rummage sales and I've taken them apart to use the fabric in other projects.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy about your family time! Hanna took some great photos. My goodness you are so smart with those make-ahead meals. I like quilt kits that I see offered, but I usually can't afford them. You pay so much for the kit and still have to buy the backing and batting, so they aren't feasible for me. But when I win the lottery . . . !!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the freezer meals, I do that especially when traveling. Awesome you for to see Hanna's game and take photos with her.
ReplyDeleteI like to pull fabrics from my stash. I'm always worried about a 'wrong' cut from a kit. :)
ReplyDeleteI might have been tempted to buy that kit too. But I have a never-ending stash of fabrics so I try to use what I have. When I go on retreats (2 a year) I always make up my own quilt kits, generally easy patterns like Fabric Cafe's 3 Yd quilts. It's exciting to watch grand kids succeed at their sport. Good for you for cleaning I'm sporadic at best.
ReplyDeleteI must check out your freezer meals! I used to do those years ago and loved it. Time to get busy and do it again. I do that for myself here in the little house, sort of. Every time I make a meal, I eat, then I divide the rest of the dish into serving sizes and freeze for later weeks.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure those freezer meals are very handy - such a great idea!! Your new block is lovely. I have bought several kits for quilts in the past, but have I made any of them - that would be a NO!! I'm actually going to donate some to my guild for our big quilt show next month. Hopefully they will raise a little money for the guild. Glad you were able to spend time with your grands. Thanks for sharing with us at Monday Musings.
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