wedding quilt pattern by the purl bee

in an effort to be honest in this little space of mine, i should say right now:

i have not been looking forward to writing about this quilt.

i jumped right into this quilt without really thinking about it beforehand - i had never made, let alone finished, a project of this size before. never cut this much fabric before. never hand quilted anything larger than a place mat before. and never had i worked on something for such an extended period of time.

and then there were plenty of breaks in the process. i got sick of the quilting process and the crampy, achey fingers that were an unfortunate side effect. i didn't want to finish binding it off after discovering that my math was wrong and i hadn't made enough binding in the first place. but i finished it, bottom line.

this 'never have i ever' and 'i'll do it tomorrow' style of quilting led to a few mistakes - i'm not happy with all of my fabric choices. there are some places where my quilting gets a little wobbly and sparse. but i can call it charming and shabby and ignore the little things that only the quilt's quilter would ever notice.

and now we sleep underneath it every night.
frankie jumps on it every morning,
i photograph it in fields of tomatoes,
and i love it in all of its 'first quilt' glory.

lately i've been jonesing for a trip to montana or wyoming. why montana/wyoming, you may ask? well, the truth is i have never been to either of these states, but i have seen the anthony bourdain: no reservations episode in which he travels to "big sky country". maybe its just because of his wit and charm, maybe its because he always eats great food with great people, maybe it is the vast blue horizon against jagged mountain ranges, but i always think to myself - i want to go to there!

welcome to montana print by aswegoArts

the nice thing about this seasonal work life that we are living, is the opportunity for travel and exploration in the off-season. and while johnny has dreams of skiing in the rocky mountains and i would love nothing more than to explore yellow stone national park, the process of getting there could be just as much fun. can you say, road trip!?

but here's the catch: bring only the necessary (which, of course, includes sketchbook, camera, handsewing, and some rockin' tunes) and snuggle up in the passenger seat to enjoy watching the country go by. and one must be comfortable and stylish while doing so, which is why i would choose an oversized sweater, some moccasins, and a giant travel bag to haul a few jersey dresses and a stack of must-read books in.

1. caribou bracelet by labyrinthvintage
2. chunky hand knit scarf by knitfrekkles
3. vintage cocoon sweater by mariesvintage
4. s c a l e by ALittleDot
5. vintage chukka boots by vintageurbanrenewal
6. celestial homesteader tote by beesnetta

where would you go on your dream road trip?
what beautiful things would you bring with you?

and then she was back.

i must say the silence on my end was not so deafening - it actually felt good to learn what is necessary in my "digital life" and to learn what is a distraction. in the meantime, i've started multiple projects, unpacked dozens of boxes, visited the mainland, and dipped my toes in the sand a few times, too.

besides all of that, i am most excited to share the beginnings of a project that has been dominating my free time and attention lately (i don't have very much of either). a month or so ago i was browsing for my usuals on etsy - vintage quilts, ceramic mixing bowls, canvas totes - when i stumbled across a listing for a slightly deteriorated, bright pink quilt. i didn't like the quilt (which is why i didn't bookmark it, and can't find it now) but i loved the pattern of the blocks. and so my project started with a mini quilt mock up. and now i'm on to piecing the real thing.

it's taken some fiddling around with steam setting on my iron, but as i continue to sew and press, the ripples have become fewer and farther between. my points are starting to match up more and more often, often lining up so perfectly that i have to pat myself on the back.

i guess the point is this: challenging myself to a new project, with many components and steps, has made me focus on refining my skills and mastering my machine. i've learned to pin and adjust and pin to get that perfect match, i've learned how important it is to find the straight of grain, i've learned to be patient with the process.

a quilt isn't born over night, y'know.

and now i will promise you this: i'm already compiling some new etsy finds, i have four blocks done for my farmer's wife quilt (part of the fwqal that i am taking part in) and a few other goodies up my sleeve. i will never leave you again, i promise.

and so the quiet will continue on for a few more days - the hazards of living on a very rural island are disconnection and sometimes no way to connect at all. we are working on getting internet into our new (tiny) home and are hoping to have these little technical issues figured out by the end of this week.

until then, i will be:
001. sewing myself some scrappy/patchy canvas zippered pouches.
002. cutting hundreds of four inch squares for a new (super exciting) quilt project.
003. sewing a handful of blocks for the farmer's wife quilt along.
004. enjoying summer-naked-baby filled days.

see you soon!