Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Cabin Fever Anyone?


We sure have had a lot of snow this winter. Recently DH brought these snowshoes down from the attic for me to use. My old snowshoes (the kind with the vinyl) had fallen apart and these were left here by my brother-in-law, so I decided to give them a try. So much fun and so good for getting outdoors after being cooped up in the house for too long. We have so many beautiful sunny days here in Maine. Despite the cold, the sky is bright blue and the snow is sparkling white. Dazzling! Don't forget your sunglasses.


Breaking the trail was a good workout. I make a big loop in the backyard. This weekend DH and I donned skis/snowshoes and went out for the morning through the woods. Whew, it was a great workout. 


Meanwhile, back in the sewing laboratory...here's my busy design wall. I finished month 1 and 2 of the Lynette Anderson BOM on The Quilt Show. Still a bit of embroidery to do on the center panel. I keep forgetting to do it. I used Misty Fuse, which is a very lightweight adhesive for my applique leaves and flowers. I think this piece could be a wall hanging at this stage, don't you? I will continue on with the BOM, however. There will be 12 inch pieced and appliqued blocks around this part, but month 3 has us making the strip above those blocks first. This strip features a crazy pieced heart in the center with flowers made of tiny hexagons on the sides of the heart. I don't really like it that we are making this piece before we do the blocks. I'm not sure mine will fit but the strip is cut extra long to allow for small differences. Month 4 will be a similar banner strip only on the bottom of the quilt. Fun so far and this month won't be so time consuming...at least I don't think so!

To the right of the BOM is the beginnings of my Tacoma challenge banner. We are making a vertical banner 6 inches wide by 60 inches long. Each person has a particular season and colors. I got Summer and the colors are red, orange, and purple. It is coming along and I really like it. 


Yesterday I visited friends in Rockland. We went out for lunch and afterwards we visited a fabric shop on Main Street called Clementine. Not strictly speaking a quilt shop, more of a fabric shop with some uncommon fabrics and patterns. Yes, there are some quilt fabrics but there is more than that. As their website says: Supplies to create your handmade wardrobe, do some home decorating, make a unique event, or craft the perfect gift. 

They have a line of lovely Maine yarn and a selection of nice ribbons and trims. I bought this cotton lace that I will probably dye, organza ribbon (it was difficult to choose which color), and this cream ribbon with a little textured dot. 

Clementine's carries laminated fabric, Amy Butler's 56 inch wide fabrics, lawn, voile, and the fabric that Judith Baker Montano (crazy quilting queen) created called Radiance. That was a big surprise to me as I have only ever seen it in one other store. It is a cotton and silk blend and comes in many beautiful colors. Its hand is just lovely and the sheen is luscious. At $17.95 per yard it is not cheap but compared to silk it is a good price. 



Clementine's has a bin by the counter that is filled with free fabric. Yes, free! Bits and pieces of upholstery and drapery fabric. I brought home this piece of upholstery fabric. So good to get something for free, isn't it? 

I held back on buying more because I am going on the Back Roads quilt retreat to Camp Kieve this weekend. Hurrah! We will be going to Mainely Sewing in Nobleboro, I'm sure, so I will save my fabric purchases for then. 

Happy Stitching!

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