Back to it

Here it is the end of summer where I find myself like I have every year for the last 16 years. The girls go back to school and I deep clean and organize a few things that were put on hold during the summer months. I eventually sit down in the over sized office chair, spin it around to sit squarely in front of the computer, and then stare at the screen for a few days.  Wanting to encapsulate the last few months into words, I sit here and surf the Internet instead. And play a billion games of solitaire.

One daughter returned to college. The other entered her senior year of high school. First apartments. College tours. Passports obtained.  Quilts made. Coaches met. Trails hiked. Lakes paddled. Cars repaired. Gardens harvested. And many hours sitting in the living room waiting for one or both to arrive home in the dark stillness of night.

The above quilt is from a pattern called "Stripe Me Lucky" by Michelle McKillop for Jen Kingwell Designs.  It is one of my favorite quilts I've ever made. It's scrappy and you know how I love a scrappy quilt. And that zig zag border is just so cute. I collected dozens of 100% cotton striped shirts from thrift stores for this quilt in order to have a variety of striped fabrics. Honestly, that has changed they way I think about buying fabric.  I've got a keen eye at the thrift store now looking at clothing as possible quilt fabric.  This winter I'd like to amass a good variety of corduroy and try something new. We shall see. 

I also made this solid 2x4 quilt (it's a free tutorial from Film in the Fridge and this is the third one I've made.) That new apartment needed a new quilt and my daughter wanted it to coordinate with the quilt I made her for her dorm freshman year. She picked the fabric and helped pair them up for each block. She also kept me company and opened safety pins for me while I basted it. Love is stitched into each and every seam. 

I also made this quilt after seeing @jaceynotjc on Instagram making similar blocks. I loved, loved, loved making those blocks and can totally see myself making more in the future. The color palette was a fun departure for me. I used brown in each block and didn't use any red. The end result feels very vintage to me. 

That's summer. In a nutshell. With so many of the delicious details brushed aside that make summer special. Like the music of the crickets floating through the windows. The fireworks exploding over the sunset lake. A crowd of people eating popsicles to remember Papa. And the notes left on my bathroom mirror telling me thank you for this and that. 

Fall is my favorite. But summer is pretty alright too.

-dana