The happy campers return

Mother's Day weekend was spent camping with Martina's Girl Scout troop.  It was the first time Martina and I had ever been camping, and it was great fun.  I love the outdoors, but when all's said and done, I like to be safe from bears and other wild animals, have access to running water, flushing toilets and such.  The trip to Live Earth Farm in Watsonville, CA was the perfect way to ease non-campers, such as Martina and myself, into communing with nature.

The previous weekend was the monthly meeting of the Bay Area Modern quilt guild, which I always leave feeling so inspired.  Afterwards, I felt the burning need to buy fabric, start a new project, and organize my stash.

The urge to buy fabric actually came before Saturday's meeting.  An hour before, to be exact.  I carpool with Julie of the Intrepid Thread, and I met her at her shop.  I purposely did not bring money in a paltry attempt to avoid buying fabric.  While we were waiting for the third person in our carpool to arrive, I saw Rhapsodia from Art Gallery Fabrics.  I fell hard. After the meeting, back at the shop, I found myself telling Julie "Paypal me, please."  I left with the beautiful bundle below.

I feel compelled to admit I had no intention of buying Rhapsodia.  I'm a huge Art Gallery Fabrics fan, but I thought I'd wait for the release of Indie for my next major fabric spree.  A SAHM has to carefully consider her purchases.  When I saw Rhapsodia face-to-face though, it was over.  This collection is gorgeous, and the photos online just don't do it justice.  I bought 1/2 yards of my favorite prints from the collection, plus enough yardage of this print to make myself a summer dress.

Last Sunday afternoon, I started cutting fabric.  Not Rhapsodia, which needs to be petted and admired for a while first, but Poetica.  (Remember this post?)  Martina bought a FQ bundle as soon as it was released.  This quilt at the BAM quilt guild meeting, made with Bespoken, was the push I needed to start her quilt.  Poetica has been petted and admired long enough.  Here's a sneak peek at what it will become:

Half of the blocks are done, and the remaining will be done in coordinating colors of Pure Elements.  Fingers crossed that I'll have the quilt top done by next month's guild meeting. 

As for the stash organization, that fell to the wayside.  Sleeping bags, flashlights, mess kits and a tent had to be acquired for the big camping trip.  Maybe this week.  Maybe.

Finish-a-long: Q1

I thought I'd share a couple of notes my children posted on the refrigerator during the holidays.

Notice the difference in their tones.  Antonio was firm, but polite, in his note.  Smiley face and stars to generate a positive response.  Martina skipped the subtlety altogether.  The "thank you" is tacked on merely as an afterthought.  I guess they figured the time had come to stop asking me nicely when their projects would be finished and flat out demand that I finish them!

Rather than making a New Year's resolution to finish all of my WIP's, which just begs failure, I'm joining the Finish-a-long at Quilter in the Gap.

Rhonda had the brilliant idea of hosting a quarterly contest to encourage quilters everywhere to finish outstanding projects.  Projects we loved enough to start, but whatever the reason, we just didn't seem to get around completing.  The week before each quarter, we post a link to the projects we intend to finish during that particular quarter.  At quarter's end, we post a link to each completed project. 

At the top of my list for Q1 is the Mod Mosaic charity quilt top made for Project Linus in December 2011, fabric courtesy of Patricia Bravo (blogged here).  The backing fabric is in the bottom right corner.  This project needs to be sandwiched, quilted and bound. 

Next up is Antonio's Urban Chic quilt top, which I pieced in June 2011 (blogged here).  Backing fabric is in the bottom right corner.  To finish I need to sandwich, quilt and bind it.  My guy's been so patient.  I really should be a good mommy and finish this quilt. 

Finally, I have a baby quilt to make for my neighbor, whose baby boy was born on Christmas Day.  I have a stack of HST's and extra fabric leftover from this charity quilt I made earlier this year for 100 Quilts for Kids.  Since my neighbor admired the quilt so much, I'm going to make her the same quilt, minus the fabrics with pink tones in them.  To finish, I need to make more HST's, piece the top, then sandwich, quilt and bind it.

That's all I can handle this quarter.  There should have been another quilt on this list (the one Martina demanded I finish).  But since writing the note above, Martina has lost interest in her finished quilt top and has requested a new one.  It's to be a Mod Mosaic quilt using Patricia Bravo's Poetica in the Seafoam Symphony palette.  Thank goodness that collection isn't on the market yet!  Poetica is slated to be released in February, so that gives me a little time to finish up these other quilts.