I'm ready to play!




My copy of Scraps & Shirttails was waiting for me at the post office yesterday. I'd ordered it from Amazon sight unseen (something I've never in my life done with a quilting book, especially not one that cost this much!) because I've been so dazzled by the patterns on Bonnie's Quiltville site.

Now that it's in my hands, I'm glad it worked out that way. If I'd flipped through it in the store, I might've talked myself out of buying it. I talk myself out of a lot of books. And this one is just too inspiring to miss. Cutting up thrift store shirts to make utility quilts? I can definitely get excited about that! Not that I should -- with Grandma's knack for finding treasures, I've probably added at least a hundred yards of thrift store scraps to my stash this month. And most of it isn't ugly.

She also found the quilt top, which I think I intercepted on its way to the antique mall. I'm the only one who loves it. (Or was, until Alex saw it.) If it wasn't entirely hand pieced, I'd have no qualms about quilting it and putting it on my bed. But it is, and I've got a feeling it might be too old and fragile for us to use and abuse.

So for now it's folded on the rocking chair in my bedroom where I can admire that gorgeous yellow sashing.

I did give in to temptation and drive to the thrift store this morning to check there 75% off all clothing sale. Three men's shirts came home with me, all of them such neat prints I'm hesitant to cut into them. But those butery yellow plaids are going to make fantastic stars and I'm sure I've got enough blue to go with them. If not, I've got an excuse to buy more shirts.