The Big Reveal......

Ah, finally, I can share with you the little project that kept me busy most of the month of June. While it was hot outside, I was thinking cool thoughts as I was stitching. That's because I was making some samples with the fabric that is featured at the Quilt Minnesota event coming up in a couple of weeks and it is very wintery!!! The fabric is Moda Holly Taylor and I just love the colors......wintery blue and white. :-) To learn more about the Quilt Minnesota event, just click here ..... QuiltMinnesota ..... for all the info and you'll see what fun is in store if you live near enough to participate!
The samples that I made are original designs created for Firefly Quilt Shop in Mankato, MN. Owner Janice gave me a charm pack of the fabrics designed just for the event and here is what I made with them........

It's not hard to be inspired with thoughts of snow when winter is the season that seems to last the longest in Minnesota. I love the snow that falls in winter but I am not a fan of the really cold temperatures that winter brings. When I was a kid I loved playing in the snow and when my kids were little, they enjoyed the same thing. And after an afternoon of snowy fun, there was nothing better than a cup of hot cocoa! I cannot tell a lie, though.....I have never done any ice skating in my entire life! I loved roller skating but I think I tried on skates once and knew it was not for me. Give me four wheels on each skate and I can stand up. One thin blade is not my cup of cocoa. :-)

I do love a good snowman and this one is ready for a Minnesota winter........got his earmuffs, mittens, scarf and skates.......and he's even got his fishing pole so he can get in a little ice fishing. I cannot tell a lie on this either. I've lived in Minnesota for 35 years and I have never been ice fishing. However, I have built a snowman or two and made a few snow angels when the snow is that perfect powdery stuff.

One of the things I do really well in winter is cooking so I had to have a decorative potholder for my kitchen. I do winter comfort food really well....soups, stew, breads, etc. :-)

And just for fun, I made one little wallhanging that will brighten up my desk area in my sewing room. All of these projects were made with just one charm pack, plus a couple other supplies. Janice will be kitting the supplies for the project and the pattern will be included free with the kit. If you are interested in just the pattern, it will also be for sale individually. Details available on that once the Quilt Minnesota event commences. :-) Measurements for the projects are 12 1/2" square for the wallhanging (there will also be a pillow from this design), the blue embroidered snowman is 7 x 14" and the Redwork potholder is 8 1/2" square. The mini wallhanging is just 5" square. These require a bit of embroidery, some piecing and a bit of machine and/or hand quilting. Very easy and lots of fun. :-)

I didn't mind stitching on this wintery project during our summer weather because it has been so hot that just thinking of snow was a cooling thought. Today I'm going to be stitching on wool, and it may be hard to do as our weather is to be hot and humid with a possible a thunderstorm or two. We need the rain, but I don't want any really stormy stuff. This makes me think of winter when I want snow, but not below freezing temperatures that often follow it. Mother Nature just keeps us hopping!

That's all for now. Busy, busy wooly day ahead........

Sandi