We are home!  And just like every time we get back, there are bags to unpack and laundry to do.  But I haven't even started that.

Instead I started a quilt.

Happy Monday!

We head home tomorrow.

Sigh.

It seems like we just got here in some ways.  In other ways, I feel like I have been away from home for months.

Have a great weekend.  I'll be back in this space sometime next week.

The night before we left home for Telluride, I found myself all packed with time to spare.  Can you believe it?  Good ol' procrastinating me with time to spare!  That was definitely a first.  What's a girl to do?  Sew, of course.

I decided it was high time that I make myself some wide-leg lounge pants from Amy Butler's In Stitches.  So many crafty bloggers have made them and they all love them, so I thought why not?  I wish I had some wonderful vintage sheet to use, but I didn't.  It doesn't matter - I love them anyhow!

The wide leg part is just that:  wide.  At first I thought they were maybe a bit too wide, but the more I wear them, the more I love them.  I will definitely make these again.  Not only are they super comfy, they were fast to make.  It took me 2 hours to make these from the time I started tracing the pattern to pulling the drawstring through the casing.  I did use my serger for all the seams I could which probably sped it up a bit.  Now that I have the pattern ready to go, I imagine the next pair will come together even faster.

I love vacation.  And lounging.  Lounging on vacation?  Bliss.

For my end of the swap with Lisa, I made her a tote bag.

I used Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room fabric and some brown linen from the stash.   The inside is lined in a pale pink linen and has a pocket, too.

I love adding personalized details to the gifts I make so I embroidered Lisa's initials on the pocket and trimmed it with some ribbon I had on hand.  I think the ribbon came from Blair.  (Am I right, Blair?).  The tote is about the same size as the wool patchwork one I made for myself.

OK - that's all I have for this Tuesday.  Fatty's gone home, my parents are off to meet the newest family member who is being born today and the girls are at day camp.  I think I will knit - and maybe take a nap.  Sounds like a plan.

Awhile back, Lisa Leonard asked if I wanted to have a little swap.  If you have seen her jewelry, you can understand why I did not hesitate one bit.  The hardest part was choosing what I wanted!

I decided on the open circle necklace with my initials on it.  And it is perfect.  Simple and elegant - it is just as great with a t-shirt and a skirt as it is with a pretty summer dress.  The preppy me loves the single pearl and the monogram.  I adore it.  I am sure that I will buy more of Lisa's jewelry  - for myself and for gifts.  She has so many beautiful baubles to choose from!

Thanks, Lisa!  I am so happy we swapped.  Back tomorrow with details on what I sent.

Awhile back, I was asked to write an article for Stampington's magazine, Somerset Life.

It's been out there for awhile now - the issue hit newsstands on July 1st.  In the article, I talk about my experiences blogging.  Actually, now that I think about it, it's kind of funny to be blogging about an article about blogging.

So there you go.  I was flattered to be asked to do this - the magazine is so beautiful.  It was also a good challenge for me, too.  I'm not the most comfortable writer, but now that I've had time to read it over about 10 gazillion times, I feel pretty good about it.  And seeing my own photos in print is the icing on the cake.  That is pretty cool.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

Yes, I am knitting!  Knitting!  And my wrist is feeling OK.  Not great, but OK.  The first tangled yoke sleeve is on the needles.  I am much further along than in this photo - I am finished with the garter rib, well into the stockinette stitch.  3 more increases to go.  So far so good.  The bonus:  there is a yarn store in Telluride!  I haven't been in yet - just drove by this morning.  I plan on checking it out later today.  Good thing I saw it, too.  I forgot my cable needle at home.

The girls are off on their overnight camp out and in a few minutes I am off to the airport to pick up Fatty.  He's here for the weekend so if I disappear until next week, you'll know I am busy hiking and hanging out with my best friend.  Ta ta for now!

I wanted to thank everyone that sent me sheet scraps by sending them a little something in return.

I bought a stack of moleskins with the intent of taking pieces from my scrap box and making some stitched notebooks similar to the ones in Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts.  Once I finished my quilt, though, I took a different course.

I used more of the sheet scraps and made bloom notebooks.  I was a bit concerned that all the stitching would weaken the cover, but it didn't.   I took the same approach to the stitching as I did in my bloom quilt except that my letters turned out WAY better on these.  I think it was because they are on a smaller scale, but who knows?  I love how they turned out.

Everyone was so generous adding to my fabric garden with their scraps.  I wouldn't have been able to make my quilt without their help.  This is just a small token of my appreciation.  Thanks to all 16 of you!
(Tonya, I didn't mail yours.  I will get it to you when I get home).

I think you will probably see more stitched paper from me in the future.  These were so fun to make and the ideas keep coming.

Happy Tuesday!