Joyce's Daughter

Swing

For this kid the swing is an instant smile maker.  Totally impossible not to grin form ear to ear.  If only life could stay that simple when we grow up. 

Treading Water

I did not plan on taking a blog hiatus.  The last post got put on the Craft blog, I am still getting a lot of traffic from the 1/4 inch post, you would think I would keep the momentum going.  

My oldest son had first grade orientation the same day the youngest turned two.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  Our world, our home, changed so quickly.  As I have been told as a mother many times, "the days are long but the years are short".  It all summed up in a day.

On top of the school year starting for the boys, my husband started graduate school and I am taking off on my own adventure as the art teacher for the 3-5 year olds at my boys' Montessori school.  Throw in a school picnic, after school activities, that of course started the first week of school, and the blur of driving here and there and that is what happened to August.  I should at least get an award for run-on sentences.

In the midst of chaos, I got a package in the mail.  Just a little flat rate mailer that I wasn't expecting quite so soon.  And inside, I found this.

 

I am participating in Doll Quilt Swap 7 this go round.  I always seemed to miss the cut-off or was a little intimidated to send off my work.  We were paired with people we have never met and given a little background info and list of likes and dislikes.  Rebekah made this for me and even sent it out over two weeks before the deadline.  She put a lot of thought into this. She looked through my Flickr favorites to see what I like and then designed this herself.  She even left out my least favorite color, purple.  On top of that the stitching is just delicious.  

I love it so much I had to put it here, where I will be a inspired every time I sit down to sew.

 

As you can see, a lazy haze in lifting from the sewing table.  At least that's what I'll call it.

Thank you, Rebekah!

What's Keeping Me From Quilting

The fishing pier and at Hunting Island State Park.

Marsh and Maritime Forest

 

 

It has been hard to stay indoors lately.  Nothing like salt water and spartina grass. I will be back in the studio tomorrow with some new things to share.  Till then . . .

Missing Some Stitching

I haven't knitted in a while.  Knitting tends to get put on the back burner in the hot, sweltering summer.  By the time fall and winter roll around, I tend to half finish projects and then its too warm again to enjoy them anyway.  

I revisited Ravelry yesterday and found this sweet photo of my oldest in a really quick hat I designed and knitted up a couple of years ago.  Now I am itching to pick up some yarn again.  I just need to find the right project.

Ironically enough, two of my favorite fabric designers, Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, also design some stellar knitwear.  Brandon has been Kaffe's studio manager for years and also has his own line of fabric.  Both design for Westminster Fibers. 

Brandon has these coming out any day now.

And these, by Kaffe, have become staples in my stash.

It seems everything I do circles back around to quilting.  I guess that is my cue to log off and go sew!

Blue

I never really understood getting "the blues".  Would you be unhappy here?  The marsh is not really green yet, but give it a couple of weeks.  I can see this photo as a map for a new quilt, like one of Denyse Schmidt's.

Have a great weekend!  See ya on the other side.