My New Obsession

So as you all know I am an avid crafter. I pretty much spend all of my free time making things. Usually, I can't even sit still to watch tv or a movie unless I have my hands working on something while I sit (in the absence of a craft project, I actually blog, surf the internet, or read a magazine while watching tv, which really freaks most people out). This used to drive my poor husband bananas. He could not figure out why I ALWAYS have to be doing something. He's grown accustomed to it now, after nearly 8 years together, but it was a difficult learning curve for him. It helped when we got the bigger house with a room to contain my mess in. Before the move I was a natural disaster (I cannot help the fact that when I am painting, sewing, scrap booking, or crafting I like to spread out- it makes it easier to work that way!). Now that the mess is safely contained in one small room of the house, I'm just crafty and a wee bit eccentric.
Some of my favorite crafts to date are soap-making (which I am not very good at, but showing promise in... Thanks Martha Stewart Craft Encyclopedia), anything involving printed paper, anything involving paint, and very recently sewing.
I've always loved the design aspect of textiles, but it wasn't until my little dress shop closed last January that I really got into the construction aspect of sewing. It's weird, but somehow losing my sewing business actually made me care more about sewing. Not sure why that is.
I REALLY enjoy making costumes for Andrei's rapidly growing costume collection (so far he has Superman, Peter Pan, Batman, Indiana Jones, Sherriff Woody, Pirate Captain, Aladdin, Genie, and Spiderman... *coming soon random biblical character who also doubles as a ninja). I also have fun making bags and would like to make myself a laptop cover like this one, and sewing machine cover like this one, as well as play around with making reusable lunch bags like these. I even recently purchased a pattern to make harlequin aprons like these.
My most recent obsession has been with quilting. I am completely smitten with it. I love how the fabrics come together to make a collage that is both beautiful and functional. My mom helped me make a quilt for Andrei a few years ago for his cowboy room in our old house. She pieced it and I tied and bound it. It's his favorite thing, pretty much. I had to make a rule that the blanket stays in his room because otherwise he would drag it all over the house and outside with him all day long. He calls it his Grandma Blankie. It's the cutest thing ever.
I love how when you're not feeling well, curling up in a big soft quilt makes you feel instantly better. I love how I can look at the different quilts in my home and associate them with a person, an event, or a memory. I also love the colors and the amazingly cool fabric patterns that available nowdays from companies like Alexander Henry and Sherri Berry.
So if you're even mildly interested in quilting and live in the Provo/Orem area, give me a call and we can have a good ol' fashioned quilting bee (they're more fun than they sound!). And if you're ever working on a project and have cool looking fabric scraps left over, I'd be happy to take them off your hands. You'd be AMAZED at what you can do with a fat quarter or even a couple of little remnants. Hint hint. Wink wink. Nudge nudge...