Busy, with bees!

I have been a very busy bee the last week or so. Work, of course, has been insanity, between interviewing to fill a position, training two new staff members, AND the whole back-to-school/end-of-summer-reading cross over. When I can stop worrying long enough, I actually sleep like the dead, and really, no wonder!

But on the more interesting, crafty side of things, here's what I've been up to...



I got my greedy little mitts on a charm pack and a honey bun of Bonnie & Camille's new line, Simple Abundance. I must tell you that this line is the only one I really spent the entire summer on tenterhooks waiting for. So it wasn't long after they arrived that I just had to dip into them and start playing. Really, the fabrics are so beautiful, I went with simple charms framed with honey bun strips to show off the colors and prints. They come together quickly, and it has felt VERY much like playtime. YAY!



A bit of a sad yay for me--one of the few remaining LQS's in my area is going out. The owner is retiring, so it's not as sad as some closings in this economy. She is down to the last week or so, and everything in the store is 75-90% off. Above is some Kona Pearl Pink cotton, some Amy Butler (I snagged the last yard of it, and literally had to pull it away from someone who tried to take it out of my stack for herself. People are nervy when it comes to sales!!), some Kaffe Fassett dots. All for less than $2 a yard. Craziness.



I also managed to snatch up some gorgeous Hoffman and Bali batiks and hand-dyes. That dark green, I actually took the end of the bolt for an additional 10% off, so I have 4 yards. I have plans for that--keep your eyes peeled in coming months. You WILL see it again! But all of the yardage (I believe it wound up being about 26 yards total. EEK!) wound up costing under $60. How completely insane is that? I cannot tell you guys how shocked I was that there was even anything good LEFT there, let alone such amazing fabric at jaw-dropping prices.



And finally, I've joined in with Quilt Dad and Old Red Barn Co. for their third quilt-along (this is John's first time leading, and he is doing a GREAT job!) of Wonky Log Cabins. John's directions (suggestions, really) are to have strips from 1.5" to 3.5" for your blocks. I snagged 3 Moda Scrap Bags over the summer, and they are anywhere from 2-4" wide without their selvages. I have everything from Holly Taylor to Kansas Troubles Quilters to Polly Minick & Lauri Simpson's new Wicasset line from my bags, so with a few leftover honey bun strips of Bonnie & Camille's Simple Abundance, I think I'm ready to rock! Er, as soon as I've done some trimming and ironing, that is. I am very pleased with the variety of scraps that I got, and even more thrilled that all three actually worked together quite well, color wise. As it dips into the 40s and 50s here at night in New England (don't worry, it's still 80 during the day!), and I start to see the first peeks of fall color on the trees, it makes me think that a wonky log cabin quilt in rich fall colors may be just the thing to snuggle in by the end of the quilt along.

Coming up this weekend, my first bee blocks for The Beehive, and we'll see if I ever manage to iron anything so it's presentable!