Here’s a Unique Way to Capture Your Favorite Things

Do you have a favorite vacation spot or a bucket list destination? Do you have a few favorite things that stir up happy memories?

I began piecing my Shine Bright sampler quilt in October. And I had so much fun stitching together my thoughts of happy places that I finished assembling the quilt top in four months rather than twelve. Here’s a sneak peek of my quilt top. Blues and greens are my favorite summer colors, and the touches of pink in the large rose and strawberry blocks add that summer warmth. And that bee — it’s so cute!

Shine Bright Sampler Quilt with my favorite quilt blocks: lighthouse, sailboat, and summer cottage

The colors of this quilt captured my mood, and I changed a few quilt blocks to capture the essence of my favorite summer locations: Lake Pepin in Minnesota, Mackinac Island of Michigan, and my bucket-list location, Nantucket Island of Massachusetts. The gray cottage and lighthouse blocks are specific to Nantucket.

So the warm Minnesota winter so far and summer-inspired sewing have me smiling. What have you been doing to brighten your winter days?

My Husband’s Favorite Things

My husband loves being outdoors in the woods, and he spends a lot of time clearing dead trees on our property. This winter he’s developing new shop skills and turning those dried logs into art. A few of his recent projects are bowls, including a couple of yarn bowls for his sister.

Maple yarn bowl
walnut yarn bowl
orchid in a wood vase

He made the small bowl with an orchid from a scrap branch of a boxelder tree. He was about to toss it into our wood boiler and then noticed that it could make a unique vase.

I’m having so much fun watching him learn to use his new tools! Have you tried anything new this winter? I feel inspired to branch out and add some new skills myself.

Joyfully,

Tracie