Weekends........

What projects has everyone been working on?  Quilting, binding, cutting, piecing?  Or is this a non-quilting, crafting, cooking, purchasing... kind of weekend?  

As usual - trying to get in a little of both.  As you have probably guessed - doing one project or just sitting are not on my happy list!      

Spent some time with the youngest yesterday doing mother-daughter stuff - you know... shopping and eating!  We went to Goodwill, to Target (to return a shirt) and then to Ross to look for dresses.  The youngest got a really cute shirt.  Next was the Dollar Store for some boring stuff like toothpaste and cotton swabs - but it is always entertaining looking around at all the fun stuff a Dollar Store has!!! Then we went and had sushi... yum.....  Can I just say that we love crispy tofu?  Mmmmmm, they put it on a bed of greens and carrot strips with this dreamy dressing....  mmmmm....  We have been trying to recreate the dressing - but we just keep having to go back to try it over and over because there is just one flavor we cannot seem to put our finger on.... Darn!  One last stop at Big Lots for some snacks and Easter candy for our church Easter Egg Hunt for the little ones.... and we did not forget to take it to church this morning!  

What an awesome day.... especially since I got to spend it with my youngest.  Next weekend I get to spend some time with my oldest on Easter... so looking forward to that!  

Have been thinking a LOT about the glorious fat quarters I bought on New Year's Day at my favorite Quilt Shop.  While it is pretty cool to have a stash built up - I am not quite up to the level of being able to just pull some fabric out and create something yet.....  So... what did I go and do??  Signed up for another class.  Yes, I know, I know..... said I was not going to do that... makes me too busy, etc.....

However, in my defense - it is only three evenings and it is the most adorable quilt I have ever seen!  Super excited and cannot wait to share it with you... the pattern is "Urban Cowgirl" - on Moda's free pattern page.  This pattern uses 30 different fat quarters, yes - 30!  So just might have to pick up a few more to go with these 

or maybe some will come out.  Can see now in the picture that more contrast is needed.....maybe some more dark colors...... but then that might come from the background fabric - which will probably be brown... like milk chocolate...  maybe a little lighter than the brown I threw on the pile.... probably a solid....  

Oh the possibilities and so very exciting!  Plus I will learn a new technique - putting adorable 3-D flowers in the centers of the stars....  This class starts in April and will most definitely tell you all about it!  

So what to do with the other fat quarters????  There are  lovely blue fabrics and a lot of light yellow fabric left over from the "Mystery to Me" quilt top......  

Maybe it is time to start making all the different traditional blocks.  Definitely start out with easy ones.  I love the star blocks.  My rationale is that this would be a great skills builder... for me at least.... being a beginner and all.  

As I was surfing on the internet and going through my books.... I found patterns for blocks which represent each state.  A moment of clarity hit me (which is rare)...... 

I could make blocks of the states from which different members of my family were born in. So, I put together an Ohio Star for my hubby last night.  Will have to take it apart because I bunched up the fabric in one spot so the point is wonky but overall what a fun block.  

I am going to use the same yellow fabric for background on all the blocks and the same blue and yellow fabric for the center or if the center is not solid like the Ohio Start - used in the construction of the center - but different blue fabrics for the rest of the  block.  I think this just might be a beautiful quilt!  Not only for the colors - but that we will be able to look at it as a family quilt.... see a block and know exactly who it is for.  

Weekends are the best aren't they?  Just wish they did not have to end.....