Material Obsession

Not the fabulous blog/store/books from Australia, but the kind that makes you want to work on nothing else until you have finished something with the material that your obsession revolves around. And just what fabric is so inspiring as to make me forget all else you ask? Behold...Strawberry Fields!

I was in the middle of a no-deadline commission quilt when I got a layer cake of it in the mail the last week of March. From the moment I opened the package, I wanted to do nothing but make something with it, NOW. I freaking love strawberry fabrics. Slap a strawberry on it, and I'm all over it. The colors are just perfection! It's so ridiculously gorgeous in person that my friend Pattie, who got her layer cake before me, told me "it's so pretty that I want to lick it!" I completely agree. The non-quilting people are now horrified, but you quilters out there know exactly what we mean, don't you?

I spent an evening deciding what project was worthy, then I had to run it by my SewMod friends, to verify that my choice was indeed the worthiest project and that my chosen background fabric was perfect.
We decided on the Coventry star pattern by Brenda Riddle of the Acorn Quilt and Gift Company.

And that gorgeous grey polka dot is from my all time favorite line, Ava Rose by Tanya Whelan. I actually had to order more, 5 yards was not enough! I'm actually making the quilt larger than the pattern, to fit the full bed in my guest room. Which also means I need to paint it since it's currently lavender and green. Yes, I am redecorating an entire room because of a little layer cake.

Since I started this quilt I've wanted to work on nothing else. I totally want to take a week off of my day job just to work on it! I've been designing another quilt to make with it, but have to wait for the yardage to hit the stores before I can make that one. Big, huge bummer. I know it's just 'til May, but that's just too long when you are completely obsessed!

I had finished about 40 blocks, but then had to get busy making a couple of grocery bags for the school raffle my bff Donna is running. Of course, just because I want to be working on something else, I  screwed them up and now have to make another set. I can't let Donna and the kids down!

And to add another worthy cause to my list, my quilting buddy Dori sent a note about some children left orphaned by the tsunami in Japan, where her daughter's friend is from, so I had to help out and get some quilts to the children (to be posted at a later date since it really deserves it's own post). You can read about it here. Fair warning, have the tissues ready.

And to put my obsession on the back burner even further, the hubby has been working on the basement which means that I've had to be upstairs since the tan dogs (Robbie and Daisy) are terrified of, well, everything to do with construction. Since I've waited almost 10 years for the basement/sewing room to be done, I don't want to discourage him, so my original spurt of sewing has been delayed until my retreat in two weekends. I don't know if I can last that long!

I put some of the blocks together to see how it was coming along. Yummm, it's lolly pop licking gorgeous!

Happy Quilting!

Vicki

Holiday photos

Yesterday's post was all words, today's will be all photos!

My new dog, Magic in the snow, eating the snow, etc..

The lovely flower arrangements my sister made for the tables.

Christmas lights in a small neighborhood on the way home from Tammy Tadd Designs last Sat.

The fabulous quilting book that the Christmas Kangroo (aka: my most wonderful of all sisters-sister) brought me all the way from Australia!

I totally can't decided which to make first!

The cookbook that I got the amazing horseradish cream sauce and baked carrots recipe from.

Who has the best sister ever?

I do. My sister has been traveling overseas for business lately and has brought me some wonderful treasures.

The lovely blue and yellow olive branch and leaf motif fabric is from her weekend visit to France and the chocolates sitting on the fabric are the best chocolates ever created by humans, Leonidas from Belgium. Leonidas has a lovely selection of chocolates, including a wonderful assortment of hazelnut / chocolate combinations. You can actually get Leonidas in the States, but we have decided that, while it's really good from the stores here, it reaches "food of the gods" status when it's fresh from Belgium.

I'm thinking that the fabric will become one of my shopping bags, so that I can admire it's beauty at least weekly.

She also brought me this darling jar of a Nutella-like chocolate spread, because the jar was so darn cute, and Nutella-like food will never go to waste!

She is going to be in Australia over Thanksgiving this year, so I'm hoping that there will be wonderful Australian quilting items in my stocking year for Christmas. Of course, I did send her the link to the Material Obsession website and a list of items that I would enjoy, just to help her along.

The Material Obsession ladies were ever so thoughtful as to provide information on how to reach their store via public transportation! Aren't they thoughtful? I suppose if I can't go with her to Australia, at least I can have some wonderful quilting things from there!