A few times a year, I swap crafts with my girlfriends. We each choose one thing to make and then make multiples of it to swap with each other. After successfully making my first rope basket, I decided to make smaller versions for the swap. I swear this is so fast, fun and easy. Also, addictive! Just ask Blair.

This time, I used a 1/4" twisted cotton rope instead of the braided clothesline I used for my first one. I love the way it looks. I bought it from Knot and Rope Supply. The quality is wonderful and it came quite speedily. Plus, because you purchase the rope by the foot, you can get any length you want, instead of being stuck with a set pre-packaged length.

While I was stitching this group of baskets, Fatty made a simple comment that had my mind swirling with possibilities. Suffice it to say that I'm not done with these yet. No way. I'm ordering more rope.

Finally, a finish.

Because I made this quilt for our church and school's annual carnival, it needed a name. My friend, Jill, came up with Melon Crush so there it is. Quite a good fit, if you ask me.

The prints are Cloud 9 for JoAnn's and the solids are a mix of Kona (Snow and Buttercup) and Moda (Steel, Amelia Orange, Tea Rose and Carribbean). The back is the Carribbean with a patchwork strip of the various prints. The finished size is 54" square, big enough for cuddling under the couch and not too big that it is cumbersome. I used white thread for the quilting. Again, I went for the loop to loop design, albeit on a much larger scale. (I know that I promised a tutorial for that method and I will do it. Really, I will!) The quilt ended up going home with one of my neighbors. Cool, huh?

In other news, the AC is fixed and that means I can put the studio back together! I'm slowly working to get everything in order. It's a little overwhelming because as I do it, I am trying to figure out how best to use the space. I am also trying to organize my fabric as I take it back into the studio. I'm de-stashing anything that I don't think I'll use. I think that I'll bundle up smaller pieces in color-themed bundles and sell the larger pieces separately.  What do you think? And scrap bags. I will have those, too. Realistically, I probably won't have everything ready until late August, but I will be sure to let you know here when it's ready.

Also, we had these fish tacos last night. Excellent and easy.

Hi there. We escaped to the mountains, spending a week in Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. It was glorious - the mountains, the lakes, the wildlife AND being off the grid. No TV, no phone, no wifi. Perfect.

Right before we left, the robins hatched. When we came home, the nest was empty. I'm feeling blessed to have seen this little slice of new life.

Without electronic distrations while we were gone, I read 6 books. Here's a list in case you are looking for some summer reading. I recommend them all.

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani

The Last Summer of the Camperdowns by Elizabeth Kelly

The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls

The Light Between Two Oceans by M. L. Stedman

Have you read anything recently that you'd recommend? I'm always looking for a good book. Or three.

In other news, everything in the studio has been painted - floors (!), walls, ceilings, trim and new built-ins. I'm getting ready to move everything back in (as soon as our A/C gets fixed - can you say HOT?!?) and plan on doing some de-stashing within the next month so stay tuned. I've also got a handful of projects that I'm finishing this week so I should have some goodies to share with you soon.

I finished the rope basket I started last week on Saturday. I just needed a few minutes to sit down and complete the hand sewing portion which took no time at all. In fact, the entire thing was easy-peasy. And so so fun! I was slightly nervous to sew over rope (eek!), but really did not encounter a single problem. I am super happy that I was able to make it even and round on my first go. I shouldn't have been worried a bit. It was simple, really. And slightly addictive - I know I will make more.

As I said last week, I watched this creativebug class to learn the technique. I wasn't able to find the twisted cotton rope locally, so I went with a 1/4" cotton clothesline that has a nylon core. I bought it at my local hardware store, but saw the same thing at the big box home improvements stores, too. It worked great. I think I have found a good source for the twisted rope - I'll let you know how that works just as soon as I make the next one. I also think this method will be great for some other uses other than baskets. Time to experiment!

This is happening outside Jane's window. Every time I go down our driveway, I see the mother robin sitting patiently in her nest. We are all excited to see the progress of those little eggs.

I finished the quilt with the exception of the binding. And I attempted to video the loopy quilting method and, you guys, it was horrible! I couldn't get the tripod in the right position and I have no way to attach my iphone to the tripod base so I used a large elastic headband and it kept slipping. The whole thing was extremely comical. I still want to do it and will. Now that the kids are home from camp, I'm going to put Jane to work manning the camera so I can focus on the sewing.

I've found myself obsessed with reading this triology. I cannot put them down - such page turners! I think I might actually be relieved when I finish the third book as it will allow me to move on to doing something else.

I watched this creativebug video over the weekend and promptly set about making a rope basket. It's incredibly fun and rewarding. Maybe you want to try? I can also recommend the shrinky dink jewellry video. Jane watched that and has been creating small charms for her necklace and bracelet creations.

And I'm painting...I started a new painting on Wednesday of last week, worked on it again on Friday and am heading out the door momentarily to go work on it more. Hopefully, I'll finish up today. The oil painting has been a wonderful new creative outlet for me. And a great way to stretch my creative muscles in a different way.

And you? What's been going on lately?

The girls left for camp on Sunday. The house is so quiet! But along with that lack of noise, comes bigger freedom with how I spend my time. On my way home from exercise yesterday, I stopped at JoAnn's in the hope of finding the newest fabric line from Cloud 9 Fabrics. And I was in luck!

I cut eight 5" squares from each of the 12 prints and 6 solids. I chain pieced them into pairs blindly - pulling them out of a bag and then arranged the pairs into rows for a 54" square quilt top. I worked on it in spurts, between a doctor's appointment and a trip to the quilt shop for backing and binding. Still, it came together quickly - maybe about 3 hours of sewing, plus about 30 minutes of cutting. It's a good reminder for me that I can accomplish quite a lot in small bits of time. I often think I need a huge block of hours strung together to get anything done. Sure, that is ideal, but knocking off tasks one by one still get it done.

Basting and quilting should happen today. I'm going to try to video my method for the loopy quilting to share with you all later this week. See you then.

The girls had their last day of school on the 23rd. We were all ready for the school year to be over. No more homework! And loads more down time, for them and for me. With a few hours of freedom staring at me, I decided to make myself a dress.

I had seen a few versions of The Staple Dress by April Rhodes floating around on various blogs and instagram. I was immediately attracted to the simplicity of the style. It looked like a comfy, easy dress for summer. Also, the smallest sizes would fit my girls - a new found bonus of having tween/teens that wear women's sizes. I jumped in.

I made a size large based on the pattern's measurements. I did increase the length on top by one inch as I am long in the torso. The most time consuming part was taping the pdf pattern pages together and tracing the pattern. (Side note: I really wish that all pdf patterns had full pattern pieces that you could print at a copy center if you desired in addition to the pages you have to tape together). The sewing came together quickly and the directions were clear and easy to follow. The only hiccup I had was when it came time to use elastic thread for the waist. I had no problems shirring on my Bernina 430 in the past, but as I no longer own that machine (wish I would have kept it instead of trading it in!), I was starting fresh. I did a little online research to figure out what my options were. I could adjust the bobbin case tension on my Bernina 820, but I am hesitant to mess with anything on that machine. Or I could adjust the tension on Kate's Brother. I went with the second option - thank you, google search.

As soon as the dress was finished, I put it on and wore it the entire day. It is super comfortable, albeit a bit large. I think I will try the next one a size down to see the difference. Regardless, I highly recommend this pattern - it's very well done and the result is a versatile dress. I will definitely make myself another and probably one for each of the girls. I'm working my way through large cuts of fabric that I don't think I will use for quilt backs and at just under 3 yards each, this is a good stash busting pattern. Plus, with the studio floors being painted and all of my studio stuff littering the guest room (as evidenced in the above photo), clothes sewing seems to be the way to go right now. I'm taking recommendations for any clothing patterns - dresses, skirts, blouses in particular. Tell me what you've got.

I cannot get enough of the peonies this year. Or really, any year for that matter. I'm scooping them up by the bundle every time I see them at the grocery store. I'm going out to the garden with my scissors and cutting them to bring inside. They are sprinkled throughout the house, but mostly are found in the kitchen, because, let's face it, that is where I am most often found. And I painted them. That was new and fun, too.