Quick Trip

Nonnie

 A quick trip to Maine has me tired out.  It's always exhausting when I venture to the Northeast to visit the family. This trip was particularly special, because it was for a surprise 80th birthday party for my great-uncle. The party was a great success, and Nonnie was actually very surprised (or so he says). Family and friends showered him with fun gifts, certificates to his favorite restaurants, and the good ol' standby: scratch tickets.  He was thrilled. He wasn't quite as thrilled about the crown I brought for him to wear.

Scrappy Bowl #2

During my visit I had the pleasure of getting together with my grandmother and a few of her friends during their weekly craft group. They asked me to bring along a project or two, so I showed them how to do the zipper pouch from one of the free Craftsy tutorials. Then I showed them how to do the Scrappy Bowl that I raved about in my last post. They loved it equally as much as I do, and they were excited to use the method to make all kinds of fun things. This bowl was more shallow than the last. I guess it's all in how you mold it as you go along. I used a jelly roll this time since I had just picked one up at my favorite place to fabric-bargain-shop, and my scrap bin was 1500 miles away. Mardens is a surplus and salvage chain (only in Maine, I think). They have a rather large fabric section in Calais, and their prices make you feel like a thief in the night when you walk out the door.  It's incredible. I always load up when I visit. Even with the cost of shipping it all home, it's still an enormous savings. So if you're ever in Maine, Mardens is a gem for any fabric lover. 

My Favorite Kind of Mail

Upon returning home to Mr. Sexy Pants, Miss Keef, and the world's best cheese...I was excited to find a package that had arrived during my absence. My first shipment from SewLuxFabric.com did not disappoint! I found a box full of carefully and beautifully wrapped Moda Fat Quarters to delight me. I was fortunate enough to meet Chrissy, co-owner of SewLuxFabric at Sew South Retreat in February. She and her mom run a fabulous online store full of high quality fabrics. They have a great free Loyalty Program with which you can earn credit towards more fabric  They also have a wicked cool Moda Fat Quarter Club where you get a coordinating bundle every month. It's a great way to build a stash with beautiful matching fabrics (especially for someone like me who is coordination-challenged). I can't wait to see what these lovely Fats turn into.

More to come soon on a couple new projects. Until next time...sew something wonderful :)