Where Did The Weekend Go?

I'm not sure how this happens, but one minute it was Friday, and the next it was Monday morning.  I think weekends exist in some kind of time warp.  It's kind of scary, how fast this past weekend went by.

The weekend was fairly productive.  I made some more of those fun little hexie needlebooks, and gave them all away.  Time to make one for me, I think.  And next month, the Guild is having a Jumble sale.  I might make a few to try to sell there.  I also have some projects to finish up that I might finish to sell.  And there is a ton of stuff in the garage that I will never use in my lifetime.  I think I'll take some of that and see how it does.  Meanwhile...

My Mini QT quiltie is well on its way to being complete.  Just a few more little details, and another trip to JoAnn's to pick up a package of buttons that somehow didn't make it into my bag when I was there last night.  That's kind of frustrating.  I think my little quiltie is going to turn out cute.  I hope my partner, Valery Anne likes it.  I can't show the details here until she receives it, so stay tuned....

Last Monday, I came home with this bag of random fabrics from MIAGIA night for the Pensacola Quilter's Guild.  In it was a random selection of fabrics sorted mostly by color.  There was one large piece and a few fat quarters, some leftover borders and a couple of random half yards.  I have to say that there was maybe one fabric I would actually have purchased if I had been choosing fabrics.  And the colors weren't anything I would have chosen either.  I almost asked for a different bag of fabrics, but I decided that part of the challenge of the thing would be to create a quilt outside my comfort zone.

Here is what the bag contained:

So, since I had reached an impasse with my Mini QT, after working on it for most of a day, I pulled out the bag to see what was there, and the fabric started to speak to me.  It was interesting because what it ended up being was not at all what I thought I was going to do when I picked up the rotary cutter.  I was actually thinking I was going to attempt a shoo fly quilt with these.

Apparently, the fabric had other ideas, because this is what it became:

I only added a couple of pieces from my stash to round it out.  The Guild will provide the batting, and I have some leftover sheet pieces for the backing, so I'll finish it next month.  I thought this turned out to be a pretty attractive quilt.  Kind of masculine, which is sometimes hard to achieve.  It was actually a great exercise, and proves that even the most uninspiring fabrics can become an attractive quilt.

By the time the next MIAGIA night comes around, I'll probably have the second quilt top done.  I have the pieces cut for the blocks.  I wanted to try Elizabeth Hartmann's wonky 9-patch with a selection of fabrics, rather than the monochromatic palette I have seen used in the past, so this is my chance.  In fact, I've decided that these MIAGIA kits are going to be my "test kitchen" to try new things.  More to follow.

So, the weekend is OVER and it's back to the old grind.   I have several projects I hope to finish and mail this week in addition to my mini quilt - the Make Mine Modern fabric swap and sewing item (oh, I have the funnest idea for this - I hope it turns out like I think it will!), and several sets of Bee blocks.  Time to get cracking!