The Ties that Bind and the Binds that Wind

It bugs me that "wind" (the stuff that blows air around) and "wind" (what you do with thread and a bobbin) are spelled the same way, because most people, when they read "wind" think the air kind. Did you? That's not what I'm talking about--I'm talking about the other definition. Winding stuff up.

And speaking of being bugged, I still am. Things have not improved, but I'm getting tired of talking about them. For now. No promises for tomorrow. Tomorrow I might have my whine back on.

But tonight I'm thinking about all my quilting friends--those who reside here in Sacramento and those who reside in Blogland. Quilting has bound us together and I feel very lucky for that. Today was tea with Gran at Bearpaws and Hollyhocks, and despite needing a nap rather badly (another night of not a lot of sleep), I knew I needed the companionship of my friends more, so off I went to the quilt shop to chat and stitch and eat and drink tea. Very, very fun. The kind of afternoon that feeds the soul and spirit as well as the body and mind.

You all know by now that Gran and Lindy went off to Quilt Market and left me crying at home, right? Knowing this was going to happen for the last couple months, I've been chanting "Holiday Happy" to Gran over and over again in the hopes that she'd bring some back for me. (Holiday Happy is the new Christmas line Monica Solorio-Snow aka Happy Zombie designed for Lecien.) Guess what Gran handed over to me today? Yep, you guessed it! Wheeeeee!

Seriously, my photo doesn't do the line justice since it was taken at night and one can only do so much with Photoshop, but you can click HERE to get to Monica's blog and then click into her sidebar--she has photos in both her blog and her sidebar. This line will be in shops in the next couple of months--I think it's estimated for around June/July.

Having Holiday Happy fabric to fondle helped improve my mood tremendously. Spending an afternoon with friends helped even more. Confirming with Gran that should the need arise, she'd be right there for me, helping me dig a six-foot deep hole in the backyard--priceless! She's THAT GOOD a friend, and everyone should have at least one (although a couple more would make the digging go faster)!

Here's what I was working on today--sewing down binding.

Doesn't this little quilt look cute with the dishes and things I found at Home Goods a couple weeks ago? If only I could finish REALLY CLEANING the house, I'd be able to get these things into the kitchen instead of sitting on the desk in the Wild Child's former bedroom!

Yet another mood elevator today? A fabric infusion from Hancock's of Paducah was waiting for me when I got home from tea. I love this time of the year when the Halloween and Christmas fabrics are starting to arrive, even if my bank balance doesn't. If you haven't already seen it, check out the border print of the Alexander Henry line, The Ghastlies:

Fun, eh?!

A week or two ago, I commenced a bit of cleaning in the Sweat Shop, and part of that involved sorting through my two big scrap bins. I've always saved my leftover bindings but since I like my bindings cut on the bias, I've never really figured out what to do with the leftovers. Lately I've seen quilts that have used mixed bindings, and so I finally sorted out and wound up my binding bits and pieces. Some rolls have more than one fabric, and all are secured with a quilting pin to keep them from unrolling. (Sorry the photo's a little blurry, but you get the idea.)

I don't know if you noticed, but I used a few different leftover pieces of binding on the little quilt I just finished. I think it's a really fun look for a playful, informal quilt and I'm sure I'll be doing this again. Do you save your leftover binding pieces? Have you found any other uses for them? Inquiring minds are curious and would like you to share if you have any ideas.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!