Charming Bits and January Goals
Last week I traveled to Texas with my mom to visit my daughter, sister, uncle and aunt. What a whirlwind trip!
On Saturday my uncle and aunt brought us to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Since everyone but my daughter was raised on a farm, we enjoyed the sights and smells of the cattle and horses. The opening ceremony with the Six Flags over Texas was thrilling as the all the riders wove their horses through the flag bearers.
On Monday my sister brought us to the Magnolia Market in Waco. My favorite buildings were the Seed + Supply Store and the Bakery. Thanks to my mom I didn’t leave empty handed; she bought me a gorgeous coffee table book of plants. After looking through the book, she plans to buy a copy for herself. My sister bought the seasonal cupcakes for us to share once we arrived at her home. (The cupcakes are fabulous! Beautiful and just the right amount of sweet—pleasant, not overbearing. We enjoyed the Red Velvet with Peppermint, S’mores, and Lemon and Lavender.)
I shared a few more photos from Magnolia Market at my Instagram account, @joyfully_tracie.
Charming Bits
My sister recently moved to the historic city of Gonzales, Texas. The homes in her neighborhood are stunning beauties from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. (I shared a mini walking tour on Instagram). Before my sister made the big move from Wisconsin to Texas, I made her a quilt as a housewarming gift. The pattern is Charming Bits by Pumpkinberry Stitches, one of my favorite quilt shops in Minnesota. I actually bought the kit because I fell in love with the store sample; however, the pattern simply calls for one charm pack and a solid background to piece the top.
I stitched a small feather design with my domestic sewing machine. I’m not an experienced free-motion quilter; yet, I think the resulting texture is beautiful.
I think it looks charming in her historic home.
I even carried the quilt across the street for a glamour shot in front of her neighbor’s cottage, which is attached by a breezeway to a stately Southern mansion now serving as a Bed and Breakfast.
January Goal Update
Earlier this month I shared my finished Jelly Roll Twist quilt. Hooray, my first finish of 2018!
During a bitterly cold stretch of days, I hunkered down and also finished piecing a Simple Diamonds flannel quilt for my son. I hoped to quilt it before I left for Texas, but my cute pooch who photobombs so many of my pictures wasn’t feeling well. Instead of quilting, I spent the day monitoring him and the evening at the emergency veterinary clinic. Thankfully he recovered after receiving anti-nausea medication and subcutaneous fluids. All to say, quilting Simple Diamonds will be my goal during February.
The Vault of Happiness
I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I store my fabrics in a small cupboard that I nicknamed my Vault of Happiness. So how much fabric moved in and out of the vault this month?
Fabric Used
Jelly Roll Twist Quilt: 7.2 yards of fabric
Fabric Purchases
Squiggles quilt along with Christa Watson
- Abi Hall’s Hello World: 2.5 yards
- Green Grunge: 1.5 yards
- J is for Jeep charm pack: .5 yards
Backing for Simple Diamonds: 4.5 yards
Total purchases: 9 yards
Hmm, my little cupboard door won’t close all the way, so now that I’m back home in the Bold North, I’ll spend some quality time with my sewing machine before the excitement of Super Bowl LII takes over. Our state is pretty excited to showcase the new U.S. Bank Stadium and all that the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area has to offer.
I’m linking up with the following fabulous quilters—check them out!