Weekend Productivity in Fort Collins

I went up to Fort Collins for the weekend to spend time with my sister and Cassie.  I wanted a break and needed a reminder that I didn't move away from all of my family.  Fort Collins is a cool town- it feels much less "intense" than Colorado Springs and feels more green and has more trees.  (I should've brought my camera!)

Since I knew I would have the chance to sew with Cassie, I came prepared with tons of sewn strip sets for my Jacob's Ladder quilt.  I almost had a major crisis when I found that all of the strip sets were almost a 1/4" too small.  I had ironed all of the seams to the side, in hopes of "locking" the seams together when I made the nine patches.  I decided to try ironing the seams open and it made the strip sets much more accurate.  Accuracy in my quilting is not my strongest skill, so we shall see how this all ends up.  I am questioning my sanity in attempting to make a quilt that has 53 pieces per block.  This has helped me decide to not go queen-size this time.

After I ironed all of the seams open- I did the tedious task of cutting them into 1.5" strip sets.  I am so glad I got this completed among friends- it lessened the drudgery.  (Unfortunately, I still need to make a lot more though!)

I also started stitching the Once Upon a Time sampler.  It's so intimidating to start a big cross-stitch project, but once I get going- I really enjoy it.

Cassie and I visited two quilt shops: Mama Said Sew and Fig Leaf Quilts (which also doubles as a furniture store- surely it's a husband/wife team that came up with the concept?).  I was pretty conservative in only choosing a few 1/4 yd cuts but then went for a large cut of some old AMH that was on sale for next to nothing.  It will be a great backing for the Constellations queen-sized quilt that is next on my to-do list.

When I came home to my family last night, there was a mysterious package waiting for me.  My amazing friend Jen, made me the most adorable pillow.  I can't think of a more thoughtful gift that I have received.  Hand sewn detail?!  Adorable fabrics?!  Thoughtful sentiment?!  Way to make a girl cry!!!!  (But seriously, it is perfect and it's a very creative idea!)

P.S. I discovered a quilt shop that rents Gammill's in Ft Collins at an affordable price without requiring the extra cost of an expensive class!  I think I will be returning to Ft. Collins quite soon!