Where did it go? It's so cliche that I don't even want to say it, but it's true... time flies.This summer I've watched two friends marry and another two get pregnant, taught an art camp and many art lessons, made my first quilt, baked a mean blueberry galette, applied for and been rejected by 4 teaching jobs, hiked in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, bought a dream house with Dave, moved for the 8th time in 4 years, and applied to grad school (3rd time's the charm). Where did it go?--- all that sweet summertime?
I find myself landing in September slightly baffled at how this seems to happen every single year. Shall I say it? Maybe this is NORMAL?
Life is always such a mix of joy, speed, sweat, hard work, love and even disappointment. Stir it all together in one big 90 degree pot of June, July & August and we'll call it a great summer.
I have not painted nearly enough-- or blogged for that matter. But I'm getting back into it. I started a fun still life of truffles for Loco for Coco. It's nearly finished. I'm also working on a giant painting of Lee Chapel and Lexington at night. I'll probably re-do the entire thing and make it pointillism. There's also a pile of images from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons that I need to sort through and paint. Onward and upward-- to the next challenge we go
(Above: D is super cute even when preggo! Below: She really liked her quilt!)
In April, we learned that our great friends, Diana and Kevin, are having a baby boy! He's due to arrive in October and we are still eagerly awaiting the birth announcement and the great news. For a while, I've wanted to try my hand at a quilt. Melissa Wheeler (yep you Melissa!) inspired me with her quilt way back in Savannah, and so I have been churning little ideas around in my head for nearly 2 years! In addition, my friend, Diana, is a pro when it comes to knitting sweaters and gifts. She's made me some of the most beautiful things that I have in my closet, so I wanted to make her something super special too!
This summer, I had my chance to put my sewing machine where my mouth was! Diana and Kevin decorated their nursery with a jungle theme, and they've been referring to their little boy as their little monkey.... hence the little monkey quilt. I poked around online and found a few cute monkey quilts and fabrics. I ordered some Moda sock-monkey fabric from fabric.com, and then added in other patterns and colors as needed. For the back of the quilt I used a soft light green minky fabric. The best part was piecing together a happy little monkey on the front. I used remnants from my fabric tote and came up with a silly but super-cute monkey with his arms raised. Unfortunately, I didn't take a close-up picture of the monkey--- but you can still see it in the pictures.
The quilt took me FOREVER, but it was a joy to make and it was so fun to complete. I didn't know how to bind a quilt, so I stitched the front and back together like a pillow, turned them inside out and then top-stitched around the border. It's not a perfect quilt, but it's a quilt made with love and made to be loved! Enjoy! 
Where did it go? It's so cliche that I don't even want to say it, but it's true... time flies.
