Morning Light

I’ll be honest with you- I’ve been on holiday these past 16 days.  Well, actually, every day in 2016 feels like a bit of a holiday around here.

You see, last year was what I would classify as a “work year”, with the majority of my days (or rather, nights) spent powering through projects til 2am in my littered work room surrounded by papers, pencils and paints, piles of fabric, thread and endless lint– a whirlwind of activity hidden away in the still of night.  I knew morning would come…I mean, yes, the literal morning where I threw my hair into a messy bun, changed shirts and commenced giving phonics lessons and math tests in between coffee refills…but also a figurative morning.  I felt it in the distance even though I couldn’t quite yet see the light (unless you count the glow of a florescent work lamp and reruns of Downton Abbey on my iPad).  As my family slept soundly in their beds, I could hear Dori singing in my head, “Just keep swiiimming, swimming, swimming”.  Keep working.  Keep cutting.  Keep sewing.  Keep writing.  Keep sketching, and whatever you do, don’t stop.

Have you ever had a season like that?  A season of late-night studying, stressful deadlines, or maybe tiresome fundraising?  Of pouring a foundation, up to your ankles in wet cement, and laying the bricks…hands dirty and aching, but all you can think about is the hope of that finished house?  It’s a tough season.  And sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat wondering what the heck you were thinking and how you’ll make it through.  Worry, guilt, fear, doubt, panic…the nastiest of demons whisper failure in your ear, but you keep on swimming because deep down you know that morning is coming.

This year is my morning, and I know that if it weren’t for a year of aching hands and bags under my eyes, I wouldn’t appreciate it nearly as much as I do.

So when I say we’re on holiday, I really mean we are thoroughly jubilant at having just come through what felt like an endless night of hard work.  A season that not only tested me, but tested our family.  Yesterday actually, Saturday, was the first weekend day in months- literally months- that hasn’t been dominated by a major deadline-driven sewing project.  We all slept in, made cheesy breakfast sandwiches in our pjs, then spent the afternooon at the library doing puppet shows and puzzles, then home for reading a mountain of books together in front of a crackling fire…followed of course by movie night and hot cocoa.  Holiday is an understatement.

So what is this house that I’ve been building all year??  Well, it was a combination of design projects that all somehow unfolded at the same time.  The biggest of the projects will come to fruition over the summer and fall so I’m still hanging on to share those reveals with you in a few months, but what a treat to start off the year with my first glimpse of morning light- the debut of a collection of fresh new quilt kits!  These 3 quilts are part of the exciting launch of Craftsy’s brand new fabric label, Boundless Fabrics, featuring their solids collection.  I’ll be posting more this week about each of these quilts individually, but wanted to give you a sneak peek of all 3 of them together!

This first quilt is the Maiden Medallion.  This quilt feels like my maiden voyage into medallions- my first of this type of quilt to release a pattern for.  It’s poppy and colorful and bold and it was simply a thrill to make!

The second quilt in this little collection is the Starlight Sampler…a rebirth of some of my Sugar Block Club blocks into a huge new sampler design!

Last but not least- Crown Jewels– a simple, everyday quilt with a light modern feel.

There’s more to come in the way of quilty reveals, and I’m definitely going to share more about my inspiration and process in making these three quilts later on this week (and if you’re interested in purchasing the kits, just click on the photos)– but I just wanted to share with you a little bit of the “behind the scenes” story, and the journey that I’ve been on this past year.  Grateful and excited for what 2016 has in store!

XO