What a Day of Sewing Looks Like for Me

This is my little sewing hidey-hole. It's the laundry room, which is well-lit, cool, and has a couple of nice counters on which to work (see the bulk of my stash in the bins - good thing I'm tall!). The only thing this room is missing is a design wall.

Last Sunday, Bruce took our nephew, Keoni, fresh-water "prawning" out in Hana, so he was gone for the day. I've been anxious to get started on my next project, so I took advantage of this opportunity and sewed ALL DAY LONG. It was heavenly.

I'm working out the color scheme for my new Lily of the Nile quilt, and made a little sample. My MIL's watercolor easel made a great little layout table (to my left as I'm sitting at the machine).

I have been a HUGE Ruth McDowell fan for a long, long time. I still kick myself for not taking her workshop when she was on Kauai several years ago. So, I did the next best thing and learned her piecing method through her book, "Piecing: Expanding the Basics." I used the technique for my hula girl a while back and plan to use it for this new project. Here is the prototype:

All I need to do is add the purple blossoms and quilt it. I'm really happy with how the black and white background turned out and my piecing is getting so much better! I never thought I'd like piecing using templates, but Ruth's technique is easy and accurate once you get the hang of it.

Keep in mind that this is only about 12"x16". The big quilt is about 48"x60". I'll post a pic of the pattern soon.