Hard Work Recognized

Do you shop at thrift stores? 

I don't have many thrift stores near me. We have just 1 locally. A few others if I want to drive 20 min or so. Very disappointing. 

Anyway, my kids love to shop there. I'm not really sure why... But it's a treat when I tell them we are stopping. 

So yesterday after grocery shopping, my youngest and I stopped in for a quick look. They had so many hot finds. An awesome wooden chair with a padded seat that was screaming "BUY ME... REDO ME". It was only $15. I regret ignoring it's pleas. It was a perfect redo item! 

One thing that always breaks my heart is when I see homemade items for sale. Like baby blankets etc. Someone put a lot of work into them and I just shake my head at how under appreciated the item must have been. I have rescued a few quilts over the years. 

Well yesterday in the craft yarn bin, I found a bag of crocheted granny squares and hexagons. 

And even though they aren't necessarily my colors.. I had to scoop them up. Look at all that hard work someone did! 

I'm not quite sure what I will turn them into yet.. Maybe a tote?

I just knew I couldn't leave them buried in a scrap yarn bin. 

Any ideas? 

Put A Name On It

I saw this idea at a quilt store that I visited while out of town last Fall. And since I don't have any girls in my house, I decided to make them for 2 of my favorite girls. 

I used a charm pack from Kate Spain called Terrain that I had in my stash. 

I had to make the pillows inside as well. I couldn't find a pillow insert that fit the size and shape I wanted. 

But... I used a different batting to stuff them and I'm not super happy with the result. I bought something different and it came in a giant box. It says it's "premium" batting. It's horrible. It's lumpy and the more I tried to fluff it, the lumpier (?) it got. So frustrating. But i had a deadline. I was traveling to see the girls this past weekend so lumpy was my only option.

I may redo the inserts and bring them the next time I see them. 

The Kick I Needed

This past Fall I received an email. It was about a meeting with local quilters to discuss forming a local Modern Quilt Guild. 

I decided to go. Just to check it out... hear what they had to say... see what the group looked like.

 

Well, as you can imagine. It was a great group and I was pumped and inspired. So much so that on that very first night, I had become the Vice President of Programs for the Lake Superior Modern Quilt Guild. Yes... you read that right. 

 

We have had a great start. I've met some amazing new friends. And it has helped me cope with all the stress around me. I've been inspired to sew and start looking at fabric again. I can't tell you what a difference it has made. 

We have even schedule our first outside speaker. We will be hosting Amanda Jean of Crazy Mom Quilts for a weekend in April. She will be doing a trunk show for the public and an awesome class for our guild. So exciting. 

How about you? Do you belong to a quilting guild? Does it inspire you?