Amazing Everything

That Gaylen is a wonder (as you may have heard me mention before); here is a whomping stack of rail fence blocks from the woman who disavows all knowledge of patchwork...

and here is the breathtaking 'snail's trail' quilt top she sent along with the other blocks. There's also some scrappy-play blocks that will be put to excellent use in the tops we're assembling for the Oliver family. Gorgeous stuff, Miss G. Just flippin' wow.

I got this really awful photo of the quilt top due to toddler interference, and you can't even see all the border on it. As it happens, I paired it with the cocoa mini dots from Lakehouse Dry Goods and it's a perfect combination. And, Laura the Quilter has agreed to charge a minimal (and I do mean practically free) amount for her machine quilting services. Dropping off Gaylen's tops on Tuesday, and possibly a third, and the other three (boyish quilt tops) are still in need of creating, so if you have any good scrappy bits laying around, send them on.

Today's mail held another surprise. My coffee and yarn swap partner's package arrived! It was jam-packed with goodies. Decaf Starbucks House blend beans, dark chocolate Toblerone candies (which are fabulous, btw!), a knitted scarf in a pretty chiffon bag, cute snowman gift tags and socks, two copper cookie cutters in sizes I didn't have, and... AND... (see, it gets even better) pink and orange yarn. *happy shiver* Susan, you packed this box like you live next door. I can't wait 'till all my 'holiday knitting' is over and I can cast on a project with the Jojoland yarn you sent. Will it be a lacy wrap, a tiny tank top, a pair of knee socks? Who can say, but for now, I'm just loving on it... with a mouthful of chocolate, waiting for the coffee pot to finish brewing. Thank you so much.
My poor partner in England is still waiting on her swap box. I didn't mean to fall so behind, but I'm hoping she'll think the yummy handpainted yarns were worth waiting for.

Well, tomorrow will bring you more fabric photos, as two boxes of Amy Butler were delivered today by the cute new UPS dude, called Andrew. It's an assortment of 'Daisy Chain' (yes, I caved. Shush.) and some of the 'Midwest Modern 2 collection. I'm hoping this is bait enough to drag Ann out of her nest, though they're all recovering from a road trip. Go look. Her museum pics are amazing, but if she tries to move back to KC, I'm shackling myself to her leg. You hear that, Ann? Bathroom breaks will be very awkward with a whining thirty-something stuck to your pants. And I refuse to go running. Or biking. Or anything that could otherwise be construed as 'exercise'. Okay, stalker-ish moment over. It's a very good thing that she's just a few keystrokes away and the interwebs iz everywhere. *whew*
Y'all go have a night; I'm about to have a nice hot mug o' joe, courtesy of Miss Susan. C