Happy Monday!
Today feels like Wednesday, or maybe Thursday without the added excitement that tomorrow is Friday. It just has the drag that we are pushing through another week. The get up and go of a Monday following a relaxing weekend is nowhere in sight. I’m tired. The reason I’m tired is exciting, though. We open THIS weekend! I never thought the day would come, but there are only 4 more days until Grand Opening, and we will be ready.
I might be drinking caffeine which I normally avoid and running around with a slightly jumbled brain, but it is beyond worth it. Dreams are coming true, y’all. Yes, I just said “y’all” maybe I do need a little sleep…
I digress. This weekend was a whirlwind of fabric, Millie working away, and things coming together. We could open tomorrow, but there are still a few things I am hoping to finish up beforehand. It feels a little like wedding-week or the week of a big performance. These are the only things I can find comparison to at the moment, but both are very positive and we survived each in their own way, so this will be no exception.
First up, Millie earned overtime this weekend. It started with a ginormous King-size purple and camo customer quilt. The pattern was simple but executed well and I can only imagine how long it took to finish the mile-long seams from one edge to another. We found a quilting pattern called antlers and deer hooves, and I am so happy we found it because there is nothing that could have been more perfect. Take a look!
Next, we pulled out my most favorite panel that just came in. I wanted it visible for you to be able to see, and decided to toss it up on Millie and play. Bruce the Moose came to life with an acorn precisely placed on his nose… snout?… I didn’t plan that, but maybe I should say I did? The acorn adds to the overall playfulness of this quilt. It is a favorite for sure.
Bruce will hang in our kid room along with a cradle my grandfather made for me. Our shop is filled with family and love. Much of the furniture is from my grandmother’s house when she passed away. The sewing machine my mom learned on which was purchased and owned by my great-grandmother sets in front of a quilt that my mom watched my great-grandmother sew using remnants of tattered clothing. My mom’s first quilt hangs along with my first quilt-the difference is incredible, but each quilt showcases our tastes in a funny way. Each quilt hanging in our store holds a story, as every quilt does.
The furniture in our shop, though many of the pieces are from IKEA, includes several family pieces: the cabinet puzzles were kept in at my grandmother’s, crates my husband built for our wedding, my mother-in-law let us borrow furniture, more of grandmother’s furniture, pieces made by my grandfather for me, and so much more are all mixed together. It was fun creating the feel of our shop and trying to find ways to mix the old and new, much like mixing older fabric from your stash with new for a quilt.
After Bruce the Moose was complete, I worked on another customer’s quilt. This one used hand-dyed fabric. I love seeing all the different ways people create quilts and how their personality is showcased through fabric.
This quilt was yellow with pieced triangles and we found an all over triangle pattern to quilt on it. I love how it turned out.
After Millie had a few seconds of a break, I needed one last thing finished before the weekend was over. I had great plans of piecing a quilt for the back of our checkout area’s dresser. We have it turned backwards so the drawers can be used for storage, but it left a slightly ugly back. Time just kept sneaking away, and I made the decision to take a solid piece of fabric and try quilting it much like a Wholecloth quilt. It is not perfect, actually far from perfect, but it will work. It also gave me a reason to use purple thread! Where are my purple loving friends??
Once it is cut down to size and binding attached, it will do the job. I will keep practicing and one day, I will make a Wholecloth quilt. I just love how they look.
I think that about wraps up our weekend. More boxes are due for arrival on Wednesday, and we will send out our first Newsletter tomorrow or the next day. If you would like to be included in our newsletter, please send me an email with “newsletter” in the subject (quiltershideaway@gmail.com)
Don’t forget, you can have your own Bruce the Moose if you come to the Grand Opening on SATURDAY!
See you at the machine,
•Care
Squirrel moment: every time I post a blog, I worry about all of my high school and college English teachers reading it. I’m sorry to all teachers and grammar enthusiasts trudging through my many issues. You are a champ for continuing to read these posts. Thank you!
FOUR MORE DAYS!!
Quilting With Care 