Today's post is a bit of a hodge-podge of various things that have been on my mind and cutting table.
First of all: THANK YOU!! Thank you so much for all those who helped with the Hurricane Disaster Fundraiser last week. Thanks to many of you I am donating $2,425 to assist with hurricane relief. SO MANY THANKS!! (As of today, all of the quilts and books have shipped!)
If you missed that fundraiser, don't stress. Just contribute to one of the many reputable organizations assisting in that effort. (There are some really good ones listed in the post and the comments.)
Sewing, on the other hand, has been a lot less productive. Here's a little of what I have been working on. I've started my Halloween bunting blocks using some fabrics from my stash + this year's Riley Blake Halloween prints from Carina Gardner.* (You can see them up close in this post.) I'm using the cream dot from Eek Boo Shriek as the background. I'm making a Halloween variation of my Summer Bunting pattern. (Credit for the awesome idea goes to Kate L. I stole it from her. 😉 )
I will confess to some discouragement over the past week. I was scheduled for a couple of sew days away last week with big plans to get a lot done and instead got a fever and round 2 of the stupidest cold/flu that ever there was. I feel like it's stolen the last 2 weeks of my life away, on top of some other ongoing health issues, (which frankly, is probably why it's taken be so long to kick this bug.) So what was supposed to be a fun, productive, relaxing getaway, didn't get to happen. 🙁 But I'm not bitter, or anything... Okay, maybe a little. 😉
Another bit of pretty on my cutting table (also a casualty of the severe lack of sewing over the past month) is this adorable bundle of fat quarters - this is Amanda Jean's (aka Crazy Mom Quilts) latest collection, Emma and Myrtle, for Connecting Threads.
This collection has such a soft, pretty, vintage-inspired color palette.
So many cute prints in some of my favorite colors. And some REALLY great low-volume background prints too. (All the heart-eyes for that plaid as well!) You can find the Emma and Myrtle collection, including kits, precuts, and yardage at the online Connecting Threads shop (for a really great $, I might add!)
In other news, sponsor Green Fairy Quilts currently has all of their Jelly Rolls marked down to $27.55!
Green Fairy Quilts is an online fabric shop that specializes in precuts galore such Fat Quarter Bundles, Jelly Rolls, Charm Packs, and Layer Cakes. You can even preview and pre-order upcoming collections before they hit stores and they will be delivered to your door as soon as they are in stock. In fact, all future collections thru March 2018 are available for preorder for 20% off.
Green Fairy Quilts frequently has great sales. To keep up to date on their latest sales, sign up for their newsletter here.
That's all for now, friends. Have a great weekend. Hopefully next week will bring much more excitement to share!
*FTC Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting Diary of a Quilter when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. ?
dondim
Being sick feels like such a waste of time, but it is such a learning time. You have lots more compassion now for those who get laid up now, right? I am still needing to allow myself a slower life due to my health challenges. Grr! Last night, our Relief Society met with two other Relief Societies to make personal sanitation kits for the Days for Girls organization that started here in Utah. They have distributed 800,000 kits so far. That means 800,000 girls can now stay in school or go to work instead of sitting on their beds with one piece of cardboard a day trying to stem their personal flow. All of us left last evening in such happy moods knowing we had done something good for someone else. We had brought more knowledge to girls who live far, far away from us. 25% more knowledge because those girls can stay in school that much more. I certainly don't have the strength to go to Houston to strip out a house, but I can do other helpful things. I so loved your last post! I hope you feel much better soon. If you get rich with all these little commissions, terrific. You would share your abundance with others anyway you could.
Amy
I LOVE the Days for Girls program! So awesome that you got to help make kits. And so true. We all can't do everything, but we can each do something and it makes a difference.
Thanks so much for your kind words. xo
Clare
Hi Amy, I too have been sick and am suffering from a long recovery. It is sooo frustrating and tiring. My brain has all this stuff it wants to do and the body can't co-operate. Maybe a time to dream and plan and breathe.
Amy
It's so frustrating, isn't it? Just today I finally feel like myself again. And instead of taking it for granted, I feel SO GRATEFUL! But I do think the forced rest helped in other ways. I had a hip that had been bugging me too and it's feeling better as well. So, silver-lining.
Hope you feel well soon yourself!
Amy
Lilian
Take nice, long, deep breaths. It helps to calm and cleanse. Feel better.
Amy
It does! One of my frustrations when I'm sick is that I can't exercise like usual. But I did start doing more Yoga and I've loved it! I really feel a difference. I'm definitely making more time for that in my life.
Colleen Stone
Quick question on your Halloween version of the Summer Bunting pattern. Can this be made with a layer cake?
Amy
A Layer Cake + a matching Charm pack would work!