shameless self promotion . . .

I entered this little pretty in this week's contest over at the Quilting Gallery!  The theme this week was appliqued quilts, and when I read that, I immediately thought of this one. I made it for one of my sisters, Julia!

Julia lives in a very rural part of Virginia, and she loves her little farm.  Especially the ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens and roosters!  The name of her place is Dutch Treat Retreat, hence the name of the quilt:

Ruling the Roost at Dutch Treat Retreat

Picking the fabrics for this was so easy ... I *loved* the rooster prints and especially the wire coop print.  It was all such fun!   My favorite part, though, is a little touch (as is often the way) . . .

I knew the front needed something but I couldn't decide what ... until I thought about embroidering chicken tracks all the way around the outside border.  It was the perfect little finish!

Anyway, there's lots of lovely pieces to look at today, but if you head over there and mine (or rather, Julia's now) grabs your attention, I'd sure appreciate your vote!

Happy FRIDAY!!

:)

another *sweet* surprise!

Have you ever just randomly googled your name? I do, just every so often, not out of any sort of vanity or anything, but just to make sure my name isn't being used--or rather, misused--in some bizarre fashion. I did that earlier in the week; Tuesday, I think it was. The search results come back fairly lickety-split, because there aren't that many of them out there to find! One or two in connection with the blog; a couple from back in the day when i was posting on newsgroups, like rec.gardens, one from some Rugrats page where the list owner included (by permission) a comment I'd make on alt.books.stephen-king (ages ago) about cartoons pandering to adults as much as children, and one hit came back from the list of participants in the Quilt Gallery's fall-inspired mini-quilt swap. A few are offerings with variations of my name, so they're not really me, and some have nothing to do with me or my name at all. It's not, by any means, a wowzer set of results; like I said, I do it as housekeeping, more than anything else!

But . . . this time . . . about halfway down the page one of the items caught my eye. I knew it was recent because it said Denise Panter of New Market, AL, and I've only lived here since November. Intrigued, I clicked on the entry, and guess what?!?!

I. won. again.

I didn't even know it! I'd entered my name for random drawings Planet Patchwork was doing on New Year's Day, and evidently, I won in the third hour of their drawings, a copy of Make Your First Quilt with M'Liss Rae Hawley courtesy of C&T Publishing. LOL! I don't know what it is with me and winning things. Anyway, Planet Patchwork's website said winners would get their prizes within 30 days, and that no other communication would be forthcoming. I'm glad I found that--I'd forgotten I'd even entered; that book would have come in the mail and I'd have had no *clue* why!!

So, I share all that to say that today, I think it came!!! How's that for definitive? We checked our po box after hours today, and in the box was a slip that said, "You have a mail item too large for your box." Which means I have to wait until Monday to find out for sure, but I think it is . . . I hope it is . . . I'm *sure* it has to be! Yay!

In other news, our snow turned to rain by yesterday afternoon, but temps have dropped today and it's snowing again. It's snowing HARD! I don't think we're going to get five or six (or even two) inches, but it's sure pretty coming down, especially with all the woodland creatures flitting in and out of the trees. My favorites are the cardinals and the blue jays; such pretty splashes of vivid color amidst the snowy white backdrop. I'm sure the deer will move in soon.

I got to Hobby Lobby this morning and got the remainder of the fabric I need for Sawyer's quilt; I got the orange for the borders and sashing, a lovely brown flannel for the back, and a really dark brown for the binding. It's all in the washer/dryer (I think it's moved to the dry cycle--the RV has stopped shaking) so I'll be able to press and cut it tonight/tomorrow.

I also finished cutting all the strips for another baby quilt I'm making for Kim's friend, Kim, who's having a little girl in February.

Julia e-mailed me a picture of the Rooster, hanging on her wall. Yay! It's nice to see him finally at home.

Todd's working on his Sunday School lesson for tomorrow, I'm quilting and puttering, the coffee pot is on, and nature is -- surrounding us! I'll put a pot of minestrone on for dinner tonight, and we'll just be cozy, warm, and happy.

I do count it all joy.

:)

weekend wedding fun in hotlanta!

This is a story about my dashing nephew, Michael Jr. . . .

and his lovely bride, Erin! They got married on Saturday, in Atlanta.
Actually, there's another story; the mini-family reunion that took place while we were all there for the wedding!!

My mom & dad (getting ready to celebrate their FIFTIETH anniversary) were there . . .

As were Todd & I . . .

The oldest of my younger sisters, Julia, and her husband, Michael Sr. They are the proud parents of the groom . . .

The second oldest of my younger sister, Cynthia, and her husband Ed . . .

And Cynthia with our youngest sister, Laura (she left her four young children at home with her husband, Joseph) . . .

Aren't we a great looking family????

There were two other married couples there, my oldest daughter, Jocelyn, and her husband Jason (they just got married in June)! James (my son) and Kim were there too, but I didn't get a good picture of them. Pooh . None of my pictures were great -- the settings on my camera were off. Plus it didn't help that we were in the dark, with mostly candle light!
Also along for the ride was Ben, brother of the groom (isn't he handsome? he's a freshman at Virginia Tech) . . .

Megan (Cynthia's middle) and Hazen (Julia's third) had fun kicking up their heels at the reception . If you look closely, you can see that Cecilia (Julia's second) is doing a little barefoot boogie . . .

Then Megan continued to enjoy the dance floor with a partner who was a little more her height (although, like Hazen, I think he was still shorter than her -- she had to duck when he twirled her) . . .

Hazen wasn't happy about being replaced . . .

Lucy (Julia's youngest) was happy dancing with her mommy and daddy. Julia has the look of a mom who's child is married and her responsibilities are DONE! (I know, I've worn that look twice, now!)

Nick, Cynthia's youngest, had a good time watching everyone carry on . . .

Whew! After the reception, and back at the hotel for the night, I had the opportunity to FINALLY get Julia the rooster wall hanging! I think she liked it! :) I had a special rod made just for it, using the same finial that I used as the basis for the weather vane.

I always struggle for a little bit naming/tagging my quilts. Naming this quilt was easy, though . . .

It's certainly ruled me for the last month! :)

The day after the wedding, Julia's family (minus Ben), mom & dad, and the six of us Alabamians, headed over to Copeland's for a lovely brunch. The food was incredible, but the time spent with family was even better. Getting a posed smile from Michael Sr. is tough, but I caught him chatting it up during the meal; or perhaps he's smiling at all those peel & eat shrimp . . .

Hazen really enjoyed the buffet. Particularly the Belgium waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, and the chocolate fountain. Once he was done, he settled in for some game time.

Lucy was sharing sugars to her right . . .

and then to her left . . .

Puckering up definitely runs in this family . . . !!!

Dad and mom, still a sweet couple!

There's my James and Kim!

And another of my Jocelyn and Jason!

A nice shot of Aunt Julia, Jocelyn, and Cecilia . . .

And a final parting shot of Aunt Denise, Jocelyn & Lucy . . .

We had a wonderful weekend, and celebrated the marriage of a darling couple. Memories to cherish.

Cheers!

:)

home again, home again . . .

Just a quickie blog post to say we had a wonderful weekend! Yesterday morning we headed to Atlanta for my nephew, Michael Jr.'s wedding. He's Julia's step-son, and a really nice young man. He proposed to his beautiful bride, Erin, in July and they were married yesterday afternoon. They were married in the Catholic church and had a beautiful service, in Latin. It was fascinating. I was very thankful I was sitting next to one of Michael Jr's friends, who knew exactly when to stand, kneel, and sit! From the wedding we went to the Wimbish House for the reception. Very nice. Like, wow, very nice!

The bonus of attending the wedding and sharing in the celebration of this lovely couple, was reuniting with my sisters and parents and many of my darling nieces and nephews for the weekend! Plus we traveled up and back with James & Kim, and that was fun. This afternoon we had the buffet at Copeland's in Atlanta, and it was delicious!

I was also able to finish and deliver the rooster. Finally. I started this thing in September. I told my sister (I can't keep secrets) that I wouldn't make her wait until Christmas to get it; I'd send it on when I was finished. Uh, yeah. Pictures of it, the wild dancing that took place Saturday night at the wedding reception, and of my darling nieces and nephews are forthcoming.

I was half hoping my swap quilt would be waiting in the box for me when we got home, but not yet. I think that means it's coming from far, far away! :)

I've finally decided to succumb to this cold I've been fending off for four days. I'm spent. It will have its way with me. Thankfully, I do NOT have to work tomorrow!

Salud.

:)

. . . too cold to be witty!

Yesterday all of this cold weather finally paid off with a little snow event! Yay! There wasn't a lot, but enough to make everything pretty. And it was cold enough that it's stuck around and made driving messy. Here's a picture of the road coming up from the camp. Todd called me to assure me that it was okay to drive into work this morning. Drats! It was fine, but I sure didn't take it with my usual carefree abandon (or my usual speed)!

As I drove into the camp last night, I had to catch this pretty photo of our frozen, lower pond. On the news last night, they shared a story about a mule that had wandered out into the middle of a frozen pond and then got stuck out there. It finally started thrashing and kicked a hole in the ice and went into the freezing waters. Rescuers were able to get it out and it was recovering nicely when the story was reported. The same man who owned the mule also owned a bull (a baby one) which he'd named "Coach Saban". Evidently the owner was such a Crimson Tide fan that he named all of his livestock after the team. Interesting. Or amusing. Hmmmm.

I don't think I'll chance skating on the pond this weekend (especially not after the mule story), but I think I'd like to walk down for a closer inspection. Unfortunately we're to experience very bitter, cold temperatures (highs in the upper teens) for the next two or three days; I'm not sure I have enough under-gear to make such a trip!

We had our own splash of crimson as the snowflakes fell yesterday afternoon. I got one decent shot of this handsome cardinal. Maybe I should name him Nick. Heh. So far, he's the only male cardinal to venture into our feeding stations. We saw two female cardinals yesterday; our count is up to three! Out of the half a dozen photos I took of Nick, this was the only one that he was still enough in to not be a fuzzy blur. I did also take some video of him, though! He hopped around and hammed it up for the camera. A couple times he'd look directly at me and cock his head as if to say, "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeVille!"

I also took video of the seven deer (does and fawns) that made their way up to A-corn Hill late in the afternoon! Oh what fun! If I can figure out how to edit and upload the video, I post it. They are so comical to watch! Todd and I sat in the window for better than an hour, drinking our hot drinks and watching nature. I always feel so blessed -- and incredibly content -- watching from our window. It's a nice way to feel. :)

Finally, I've finished the top of the rooster wall hanging! I really like the look of the letters; I whip-stitched them. It gave them a real rustic, iron look, which is what I wanted! The chicken tracks are hard to see here, but if you look closely you can spot them! I am very pleased with the overall look. Can't wait to quilt it! One of the guys at the shop is going to build me a decorative rod & brackets, using the same finial I used as a template for the weather vane. I thought that would be a neat touch.

Maybe they're a little easier to see in this photo. It was while I was searching for a template for the chicken tracks that I came across the "Chickens in the Road" blog. Have you checked it out yet??? It's worth the read. After a bit more research, I learned that she's not just a blog writer, she's a book writer! She's written quite a number of the paperback romance novels. And from what I could tell, her readers are quite happy to give her good reviews, too! Her name is Suzanne McMinn.

I still need to get busy on my Fall Quilt Swap Project! It HAS to be in the mail by Monday the 18th . . . which is a holiday . . . so by Saturday the 16th!!! YIKES!!! I know what I'll be doing tomorrow!!! It shouldn't be too bad; the topper is pieced and the appliques are cut. I just need to attach them and quilt it. Deep breath. I can do it.

Last night I made beefy nachos for dinner, and then Todd & I sat in bed and watched the BCS game. What a nail biter! Since the game came on so late, we decided to watch it from bed. Our new mattress topper arrived yesterday, so we had an addition 4 inches of plushness to lay on! It fits our regular mattress perfectly. Anyway, we watched the game for better than three hours. Gosh, I could hardly stand it!! I'd get to feeling like I just couldn't watch anymore, and I'd flip over and read my book. But there's a mirror at the head of the bed, and I'd find myself taking surreptitious glances into it, watching the TV. Then I'd have to flip over and holler at the TV for a bit. It was a good game with a GREAT outcome. Congratulations to Coach Nick Saban and the team. They played hard and well. Roll Tide! :)

As an aside, we rarely ever watch TV in bed. Usually the only time that TV is on is when I'm getting ready for work in the morning. It helps me to stay informed about current local weather and traffic conditions and I'm able to know about what time it is just by where we are in the format. Last night was a special occasion. College football, national championship game. I mean, c'mon. And again I'll say, ROLL TIDE!!!

My sweet husband took off today, so I'm happy he will be there tonight with me. I'll make a special breakfast for him tomorrow. I saw a recipe in the Farmer's Journal for Sausage Apple Pie. At first I wrinkled my nose at it, but then I got to thinking about it and the more I thought, the yummier it sounded. I'll use turkey sausage, sugar-free apple pie filling, shredded cheddar cheese, and pie crust. I'll report. :) I'm glad I'm making it for him, and really glad he'll be there when I get home tonight. He's my happy. :)

Today's verse is, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3.

That describes how I feel perfectly. Praise be to God.

Amen!

:)

simplicity on earth . . .

There's so much I want to share and say; but in order to get it all down, I'd have to be sitting here 24/7 in order to catch it all! Of course, the conundrum of that is, if I were sitting at the computer 24/7, I wouldn't be living the life that I want to capture & share. Same ol', same ol'. :)

I was up early enough to catch this yesterday's sunrise. The sky was mottled with steel gray clouds, so the sun streaked through it in pinks and oranges. Quite beautiful. It struck within me this continued pressing for simpler life - simpler eating, simpler routine, simpler belongings . . .

Regardless of all our careful preparation and winterizing, the water connection from the source to the RV froze Saturday. Thankfully we'd filled the freshwater tank, and it's not been too big a deal. It has emphasized to me how much for granted I take my fresh water source! I was very conscious each time I turned on the tap for a drink, a wash, a rinse . . . even to flush! I think I'll get a couple gallon jugs of water and put them up, just to make coffee and oatmeal without worrying about having enough water for showers! :)

My friend, Sondra, and I headed to Franklin, Tennessee, over the weekend for a trip to Whole Foods Market. This may what prompted my 'back-to-basic' longings this morning! I really, REALLY want to go to a less-processed foods, more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, diet. No. Scratch diet; lifestyle! To that end, Todd & I purchased a small George Foreman grill and a two-person Crock-Pot. Tonight for dinner (which took 20 minutes, tops) we had lean pork chops which I rubbed with a homemade rub, on the grill -- they took less than 7 minutes to cook, and they were *wonderful*! Tonight I'll put the steel cut oats in the crock pot and we'll have yummy oatmeal ready to go in the morning! Yummy!

Todd finally figured out where the water line was frozen and got it thawed! YAY! I'm telling you, you don't realize how much water you use in day-to-day life until it's not readily available! Tonight as I ate dinner and thanked God for His provision with every bite, I was also thanking Him for each drink of water I took. :) He is good.

This morning neither Todd nor I wanted to get up; it was too cold!! When I finally stuck my foot out of the bed, I knew something was not quite right! All the heat vents were ice cold, so I took a peek at the thermostat . . . rut roh! It was at forty-five degrees! Luckily we had filled our backup tank last night, and Todd was able to hook it up and get the heat cranking within minutes. Life in the RV will *never* be boring! :)

I had planned to take down Christmas decorations and the tree today. Nope, didn't happen! By the time we got home this afternoon, and I was able to wash dishes and we had lunch, I just wasn't interested. Instead, I did the Turbo-Jam 20-minute workout and the P90 resistance training. Go me!!

Tonight I'll shower (really enjoying the hot *and* the water), and I will finish up the chicken feet on Julia's wall hanging. In searching online for the best template to use for them, I came across a new blog -- Chickens in the Road. It's wonderful! The author moved to a very rural and small town in West Virginia, and is living a simple life, sharing her experiences with all. It really struck a chord with me . . . perhaps because I have ties and roots in West Virginia, or perhaps because of my longings for living a simpler, more rustic life. Whatever the case, I really like her blog and website and encourage others to check it out!

This afternoon, over our coffee/hot chocolate, Todd and I sat at the big window, watching the birds flit in and about until the deer moved in. We are such a pair; sitting together at the table with all the lights off, pulling binoculars up to get a better look! I like our life.

Shower then quilt . . . life goes on . . . tomorrow it's back to the real world again! By God's good grace, I'm ready!

Ciao!

:)

closing in on the countdown . . .

Blogs, journals, diaries . . . whichever one uses to express oneself (and in my case it may be all three), the end of the year usually finds entries full of retrospective comments, resolutions for the new year, and blah blah blah.

This one will be no different!

On the quilting front, I've had a marginally successful year. I started _and_ finished six projects, and started an additional seven projects that need to be finished! Plus I did a bit of regular sewing, too (like aprons, stockings, curtains, etc.) I also entered my first guild challenge, my first ever judged quilt show, and entered into my first swap (which actually won't be swapped until next month/year). I became more active in my local guild, took a bus trip to the AQS show in Knoxville, and joined a stitcher's group. Wow! Some of the projects I need to commit to finishing are the swap, first and foremost, because that has to be in the mail by January 18th (eeks!), and then my sister's Rooster (which is close), and then Joc's wedding quilt. I'll work on that non-stop at the Quilter's Retreat I'm going to in February, which my Stitcher's group (a quilt retreat -- another first)! Then there are grandbaby quilts!

I've also got things mostly figured out for quilting in the RV; once the Christmas stuff is down and put away, I'll be able to finish that up and get comfy in the space. I'm looking forward to it, though, and I have to remember that there are places like Patches & Stitches that have BIG tables and are gracious to share their space if I need to lay out a quilt top or baste a quilt sandwich! We also carried over my quilt books this week. I feel better. :)

Life held some MAJOR changes in 2009! I can't believe how fast it all flew by! I guess the whirlwind of activity causes that to happen. It's incredibly rewarding, as my own nest has emptied, to see my children begin to feather their own. Instead of feeling like I'm empty, or lost without the children around, I feel incredibly blessed to still be a part of their lives, and to see them grow and mature and live out the lives God's given them. I'm proud of them -- in a humble and praising God for it way! :)

Todd expressed it best in the card he gave me for Christmas . . . I'll have to repost it in its entirety. I read it and teared up; and then I wanted him to read it as if from me! Whoever wrote the sentiment it contained didn't get paid enough! :) Sharing life . . . I love sharing life with my husband. Our quiet moments, our accomplishments, our fun times, our memories, our future plans; I like living life with Todd. Thank You, Lord, for such a wonderful, wonderful man!

With the coming of 2010, I've now lived in four homes/cities/zip codes in Alabama. I've learned not to say (or even think) this is IT! because it rarely is!

Already 2010 is filling up . . . Michael Jr's wedding in January in Atlanta (and with it, another mini-Fowler family reunion -- YAY!); the quilter's retreat in February; a grandbaby -- Sawyer Graham Panter -- in March (along with lots of birthdays and anniversaries); Beth Moore live at Woodstock -- a mother/daughter trip -- in April; June is our 14th anniversary and somewhere along the line both Todd & I celebrate 30 years out of high school; and my parents silver wedding anniversary in September. So many wonderful things to look forward to! It would be easy to waste the year looking ahead to the next 'event'; but I am resolving to take each day and celebrate God's goodness in it!

So many thoughts; our ministry, our lives together, our family, our friends . . . .

May 2010 be a year filled with growth and a deepening relationship with God and my cherished ones. And praise Him for His goodness and overwhelming blessing in 2009!

busy, busy, busy!

I did mention that I was clowning around at last night's guild meeting, didn't I? Isn't it a darling costume? This won the first place ribbon at our quilt show last month, in the "wearables" category. Kari Hawkins was the designer/creator. It was really cute, and incredibly WARM! But I honored to be able to wear it and show it off for her!

The other wearable that was shown off last night (it won President's choice, best of show) was a beautiful vest that I'd love to have! I can't decide if I'm up to making one, or if I want to commission the woman who made it to make *me* one! :)

The Stitcher's Group met at McAlister's Deli for dinner before the guild meeting last night. It was a lot of fun! It's nice to get to know a smaller group of women within the guild. The Huntsville guild is so large -- 350+ members -- it's easy to feel lost! Having a "group" makes it a lot more fun!

You know what else makes a guild meeting more fun?? How about WINNING! I got my nametag raffle ticket (which you get for wearing, well, your nametag) and I purchased $2 in tickets. Can you believe -- I didn't win one doorprize, I won TWO!!!!! Isn't that just FUN?!?!! The first thing I won was four lovely blue fat quarters, and a $15 gift certificate from Quilter's Refuge. The first guild meeting I ever attended, I won a gift certificate from them. It's where I purchased all the neutral fabric in the Grand Hands quilt, and Matt's block in that same quilt. I know I'll have fun shopping there! The second one I won was a darling Moda cupcake package from Patches & Stitches! I've looked at that for a while; what a happy to be able to bring it home!

I also signed up for my first quilter's retreat last night. I'm not doing the Sewanee trip, with the guild, because that's in January (and I'm traveling to Atlanta for my nephew's wedding). But the Stitcher's Group is going to Grand Oak Retreat in Scottsboro in February for a four-day quilt-in! This is so cool -- I've known about Grand Oak since it was just blueprints! We did the iron work for it and I know it's impressive! So I'm very much looking forward to it. Plus the owner, Cindy Hildebrand, is a lovely lady and a quilter herself. It will be a wonderful time!

I finally got a photo of the rooster wall hanging . . . took me long enough, I know! I'll stitch around the applique this weekend . . .

I still haven't decided for sure & for certain, what to do in the corners. Input, please?!?

Are you wondering what, exactly, is the green thing across the bottom? It's a pool float tube (noodle-thingie). They make GREAT tools to roll hand work around, to carry it to-and-fro, so it doesn't get wrinkled. I have several cut into different sizes -- I use them a lot when I'm working on a quilt-as-you-go project. You just poke a pin through the fabric into the noodle to hold it in place. Nifty idea, non?

Speaking of kitchen tools (I know, I wasn't, but I think like spaghetti, remember?), here's a gander at one of my all-time-favorite-how-did-I-live-without-it tools:

It's a hand-held electric shredder.

It's light, fast, dishwasher-safe, and I don't ever have to worry about grating my fingers.

It's got three blade options -- slice, shred, and grate -- all of which work perfectly nicely. The shredding is perfect for fresh Parmesan cheese. I got this two years ago (thanks, Mom) from William & Sonoma. At the time, Todd laughed, because he figured this would be another one of those 'gadgets' that are short-lived. But no, this one has proved itself over and over and over. It will definitely make the RV short list!

I was in the kitchen this morning, taking pictures of birthday brownie bites! My friend, Jennifer, who gifted me with the flowering tea and tea pot last week, celebrates her birthday this weekend! She loves chocolate, so I definitely wanted to oblige!

These are similar to the ones I made last weekend and never got a picture of. I use store-bought brownie bites and store-bought frosting that I doctor. The canned frosting is so soft, and doesn't hold a piped shape nicely. So I add about a cup of sifted confectioner's sugar to a cup of frosting. Then I added butter flavoring to the white frosting, and chocolate flavoring to the chocolate icing. It makes it much thicker and easier to manipulate through the decorating tube. I put the royal icing pumpkins on the chocolate-topped morsels, and opalescent sprinkles on the white!

Of course, tasty birthday treats are lonely without a gift, so I had to do something a little more (and special). I'm all about memory-making gifts, so here's what I made for Jen . . .

I hope she's as excited about this as I am! I won't tell you what I've got planned for us on that day, but it *will* be fun!

Tomorrow, my darling husband's secret plan will be revealed . . . I'm so excited! I don't know anything but that we'll have a blast!!!! He did tell me I could bring my hand work, so we must be doing a little driving. I can't wait to take pictures and share our fun weekend!!! For now, though, I need to be off to work and about today's business!

Happy Friday, ya'll!

:)

OH WELL!

It's FRIDAY! Hooray for Friday!!

I couldn't do it. I had to tell my sister that I was working on something for her. I even sent her a picture. I can't keep quilt secrets!! (Except that big one I kept from my mom!) Here it is...

I absolutely love the fabrics in this! When I saw the rooster print (from the French Country Rooster line from Clothworks), I thought immediately of my sweet sister and KNEW I had to do something for her with it. The pattern is actually one Thimbleberries (I think) did a long time ago for use with a snowman and lights--sorta country-Christmassy--but it lends itself well to whatever applique I've wanted to do. I did it with different horses, and I'll do one with cats in the near future. This time it's a rooster with the cupola and probably sitting hens in the corners. Love it, love it, love it!

You know, for years I've been saying that I'm not the kind of quilter that buys fabric just because I like it . . . when I buy fabric it's because I've got a specific project in mind. I'm not a stash builder or a fabric collector. I'm not fabric frivolous.

Or am I????

I've recently purchased quite a bit of different fabrics (a lot with a specific project [vaguely] in mind) and last night I got the urge to pull out my fabric bin and fold and sort everything I had.

Um. That was a bit bigger project than I thought it would be. I was quite frankly AMAZED at the amount of fabric I had. And even more amazed to hear myself exclaiming over my finds (which I OWN) as I sorted and folded. I was having a moment of duality. On the one hand, I was so enjoying the feel, color, and prints of each piece of fabric. On the other hand, I was ever so amused with myself.

La. One of the quilters of whose blogs I read, recently commented that she was on a mission to not buy more fabric until she'd used all her scraps or stash or something on projects. I thought, Hey! That's a good idea for me -- I've got *lots* and lots of fabric, big and small amounts. I should do that! And so last night I resolved I would not buy another scrap of fabric until I had used that stash that I'd built (and am, I have to admit, a little proud of).

After today, I mean. After all, today was the day to turn in my blocks to Patches & Stitches and get this month's installment. I feel obligated to support small, local businesses -- especially quilt shops. What could I do? If it makes me feel better, I do have a specific project in mind, that I plan to start on my next Sew Freely Monday.

Yum.

:)