Where Did December Go???

It’s been too busy of a month for much crafting and sewing. I do have this onesie I finished for a friend’s first birthday:

 

and I made up a fun Stocking Stuffer Christmas game in which I made up the rules and 10 stockings to stuff.  Unfortunately for this blog, I was too flustered to get them done in time for Christmas to take any pictures. 

Today, finally getting a day off, I got back into the sewing spirit and checked out a new quilt shop!

Hayloft Fabrics, in Morgantown, PA, absolutely surprised me.  I walked up a staircase in the supermarket of a rural Pennsylvania town and ended up in a loft full of fabrics, notions, patterns, and books.  This photo doesn’t do it justice.  With the supermarket over the loft’s half wall, I perused a great selections of fabrics along the edges of the market.  Definitely was worth the trip!

Prairie Points and Hexagons

This was a Sunday of firsts!  The first time I used transparent poly thread, the first time I made hexagons and the first time I made prairie points!  Very excited about all three, I’ve been anxiously plowing through my Prairie Flower Pincushion pattern and kit I got on my trip to Olde City Quilts, and by the looks of my stitches, I’ve probably been moving a little too quickly.

The kit came with two charm packs of Moda’s Verna, 1” hexagon templates, batting and the printed pattern.   After pawing over a couple of the samples in the shop and enjoying the summery colors of Verna, I decided that maybe I really did need another pincushion.  (And, my 93-year-old Pop has a girlfriend named Verna, so I figured it was more the coincidence!)

At this point in the evening, I’m a little too tired to  finish, but stay tuned…do you think I’ll have a new pincushion tomorrow??

A Storybook Ending with Rumpled Quilt Skins

As a creature of habit, I travel familiar roads.  And so, as one of the many things I've done this busy week, I made my way back to Pennington Quilt Works!  Enduring the traverse through New Jersey proved well worth it for a little bit of pre-Black Friday shopping!

I just love this shop!  Surrounded by a great selection ranging from modern to batik to reproduction, you'll find PQW's shelves stocked with fresh fabrics, not stuff you know has been hanging around for years...and years...  Even the "bargain bin" is filled with good picks!

After probaby an hour's worth of debating and considering between what I could afford and what I could manage to make before Christmas, I chose a few items. I did some Christmas shopping, but I also picked up something fun for me!  (to make eventually...)  They're truly adorable, quilted stuffed animals called Rumpled Quilt Skins by Kathy Barbaro.  (She's on Etsy!!)  Made with batiks, these have a charm that you don't find in an everyday child's toy.  I only purchased the giraffe, but I can't wait to add to my collection!

If you decide you've got to have these too, the sales associate informed me that their pattern maker recommends adding an extra 1/8th yard to the fabric requirements.  Better to be safe than sorry! 

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A little side note, I stopped at a small Italian restaurant just south of the quilt store for lunch, on the opposide side of Royute 31 from the shop...don't go there.  Among other restaurant faux pas, I was served the exact same salad before my panini as was served beside my panini...weird.