Tongue-tied Thursday

Not much to say, but I wanted to share some glimpses of my week:

I've been very introverted for the past few days, but I think that's okay.

Hope you're having a great week!

P.S. If you haven't already heard, the Boston Modern Quilt Guild is calling for quilt blocks. This is going on my short list of things to do!

Winner, winner!

And the winner of the Micro Mod giveaway is #4, Jo!

Thanks to all who entered. I've emailed you, Jo!

I'll be back tomorrow with some crafty goodness!

Musings on Micro Mod

I am so happy to be part of this Micro Mod blog event. I admire Alexia Abegg and Rob Bancroft for their partnership. Not only are they married, but they work together, and that's a difficult thing! You may not know this, but Elliott and I met as coworkers.
I couldn't help but think of him when I started writing this post today. On Monday, we will celebrate our first wedding anniversary!

I had several thoughts on what I'd like to make first with my Micro Mod prints. I traded with a guild mate for a few half yards recently, so this was a perfect excuse to cut into them.

Then I bought Ayumi's book, Patchwork, Please and landed on a plan.

I made the Polka-Dot-Cafe Apron, using two Micro Mod prints (tick tock and Vertigo) along with several Kona solids (Cactus, Berry, Crocus) and Essex Linen in Grey.

I just love how the colors pop in this design!

Yep, it's a winner! I didn't mean to do it, but my outfit was color-coordinated with the apron yesterday!

Feel free to join the Micro Mod flickr group over here with any projects you make! And be sure to check out the other blogs in this event!
April 2 - Alexia & Rob Green Bee
April 3 - Kelly at Kelbysews
April 5 - Amanda at the Craft Junky
April 6 - Rachael at Imagine Gnats
April 8 - Heather at alamode
April 10 - Holly at Bijou lovely
April 13 - Alexia, Michelle & Rob Green Bee
April 17 - Faith at Fresh Lemons
April 18 - Katie at Swim Bike Quilt
April 19 - Deborah at Whipstitch
April 24 - Jenny at the Southern Institute
April 25 - Amy from sukie don't ya know
April 26 - Jen from Betty Crocker Ass
April 27 - Sara from Sew Sweetness
April 28 - Krista at Krista Withers Quilting
April 29 - Katy from I'm a Ginger Monkey
April 30 - Amber from One Shabby Chick
and on May 1 - Alexia & Rob Green Bee GRAND PRIZE

What's the grand prize, you ask?

Oh, you know. Just: A fat quarter stack of microMod by Rob Bancroft from Cloud9 fabrics, the entire Green Bee Patterns collection, a microMod sewing bag, and a Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine! (Grand prize open to contiguous US residents only.)

So definitely, drop by on May 1st for that goodness!

But for now, I have a little giveaway, too!
Alexia and Rob were kind enough to offer a Fat Quarter bundle of Micro Mod and a Green Bee pattern!

I chose the Amelia dress, since I am planning to make one soon!

To enter, just leave a comment (only one, please!) telling me your current favorite patchwork.
My eternal favorite is wonky stars, but I want to make an entire quilt of those apron squares now!

If you are a no-reply commenter, please leave a way to contact you!

I will take comments until Tuesday morning, CST.

Thanks for entering, and thanks to Alexia and Rob for this fun event!

Comments are now closed. Thank you!

Stash Bash recovery

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Last week, I drove with three of my HMQG buddies to the Stash Bash, hosted by Frecklemama.
It was a 13-hour drive, but pretty enjoyable, considering the distance.

I didn't get much sewing done, but I finally managed to assemble my Wonky Bee polaroid blocks! I've had these blocks for about a year. I just love them, and my procrastination paid off! Since I waited so long, 23 came out, which is perfect. I used the gray camera print to help assemble the blocks. (You can find it here and here).

I also started some fun new wonky star patchwork, just because.

I worked on a few other things, which I'll share soon!

Most importantly, there was the social aspect.
Meeting new people, seeing old friends, these are the most memorable parts of a retreat.

I got to spend time with my favoritest friend, Amanda. We had a blast together, and she was so sweet to share her screenprinting process with us. She also brought all of her screens and let us print anything we wanted.

I printed this fun shirt! I also printed a tote bag; I'll share that soon!

I was also thrilled to meet Beth, of Stash Fabrics. She lives in the Atlanta area, and was so kind to be one of the Stash Bash sponsors. We had a great time together, and I loved being able to tell her, in person, how much I appreciate her sponsorship of my blog. I hope to hang out with her again soon!

While I didn't get much sleep, and am still slightly recovering, I always appreciate this kind of opportunity. I learn so much from my peers, and I can't express the kinship I feel after a weekend like this one.

FO: Maya Blouse

Remember this? I shared it last week, with the promise of some modeled shots.

I was tempted to do more jumping shots, but not this time (but it will happen again, because it was fun).

Instead, you get a goofy smile.
My sister always gets the best of me.

Again, this is New Look pattern 6010, in Leah Duncan's Maya fabric.

I highly recommend this pattern, and intend to make a couple of others (although short sleeves might be best for Houston climate).

I haven't shared this here yet, but I purchased a new sewing machine at Quiltcon. It's the Janome 8900QCP, and they were selling classroom units for a steal. So, I did (thanks to my sweet husband).

The new machine is 99% of the reason I can now successfully sew buttonholes.

I don't know what my problem was on the old machine, but a buttonhole was never successfully produced.

Now, I don't have to avoid them!

I'm pleased with this blouse, and even wore it this weekend to my grandmother's 88th birthday celebration.

When asked how old she felt, she replied, "I feel like a question mark."
She's still got spunk.