35 Family Members, a Fat Quarter Assembly Line, and My Favorite Body Double

Newsletter Monday came and went, and here I am writing it on a different day entirely. I'm calling that quilty life balance.

All Five of Us, in One Room

My family threw me a birthday dinner this week. Thirty five people showed up. All five of us siblings were together at the same time, which hasn't happened in years. I felt the love, and honestly I'm still a little full from it, in every sense.

We are in order of oldest to youngest and they made me wear that silly hat.

Cutting Fat Quarters Is a Whole Job

In the shop, I've been elbow deep in fat quarter bundles. Spring colors, fall colors, and my Halloween collection are all getting cut and photographed to list on the website. I'm calling this new lineup Tootie's Picks.

I did not fully appreciate how much work goes into this. I want every cut exact. Precise. No wobble. Sharon says watching me measure and remeasure is enough to drive her a little crazy.

She came over anyway and body doubled for me while I cut, which meant I got through a serious stack of fabric while we visited in the studio. That is the power of a good body double. She didn't cut a single thing and I still got twice as much done.

For each fabric, I took a photo with a ruler next to it so you can see the scale and the pattern repeat before you buy. That means I now have a small mountain of photos to edit before these can go live. Ten fabrics from Blooming Colors by Wolfe Papers for Benartex alone, and that collection is stunning, all those little retro florals in springtime colors. On the fall side, I've got four fabrics from Maple & Marigolds by Satin Moon Designs for Blank Quilting Corporation.

What's Coming

Tootie's Picks bundles in spring, fall, and Halloween colorways, all headed to the shop soon. Keep an eye out.

Blooming Colors by Wolfe Papers for Benartex

That's the week. Family, fabric, and a sister who somehow makes cutting fat quarters bearable.