My first kitchen towel is finished! I’m so glad that it looks just like the one that I have. It means I didn’t mess up anywhere. :o) I completed the back-stitching yesterday morning. I just love the colors; they really are that bright and cheery. Now on to the second one. It has grapes instead of peaches.
Yesterday I also worked on my quilt. I pieced the back ( I had to use two pieces of fabric to fit). The backing fabric is from the same collection Martinique by 3 Sisters for Moda, but the fabric is not just plain cotton. I ordered it from The Fat Quarter Shop and it is super soft. It is called “wovens coral silky cotton” and it is silky and soft; perfect for the backing of a quilt. After I pieced the back, I sandwiched the layers together:
Then I pinned and pinned and pinned and trimmed the excess. Then I decided to try my hand at machine quilting. I just stitched in the ditch along the seams and it wasn’t too bad on my little Singer. That machine reminds me of the little engine that could. It just keeps on going.
After the quilting, then I used my jelly roll strips of left over Martinique to sew the binding. Then I attached it to the front and clipped around the back. I love these clips. I’ve seen plain ones at the quilting store, but I bought the colored ones from Target.
After clipping, I hand sewed the binding to the back while watching less than stellar television last night. And this morning…voila! A finished quilt. Here it is in one of guest rooms/office. It covers a good portion of the twin sized bed. You can see the striped backing fabric well here.
And here it is outside in natural light. So pretty. My husband said something very interested last night while I was sewing the binding on this quilt. He was commenting on how many things that I’ve gotten done this week, craft wise, and he remarked that I have been less stressed and “in a better mood”. I realized that it has been so long since I’ve had time to just sit and craft. I’ve been so worried over the house looking perfect for showings and keeping up with grading papers and planning for work, that I just haven’t made the time to craft. I have the time, I just have chosen to do other things. Now after having a nice week off, and crafting to my heart’s content, I feel rejuvenated. I’ve gotten some of my spark back. The nice weather doesn’t hurt either. Well until next time, happy crafting! Hugs, Erica
A Dilettante of Fruition 
Erica, I can’t believe how much you have accomplished this week, with your crafting. Sounds like it has been really good for you too, to get back to your crafting since you enjoy doing it so much. Glad it helped relieve some of your stress and makes you feel rejuvenated. Keep it up when you can.
I really like the towel, it turned out great. Really bright and colorful. I’ll bet the cherries will be pretty too. They will really brighten up any kitchen. The quilt is also beautiful and I love the colors in it. Would you by any chance be interested in selling it? I am interested if you are.
Hope you have a great weekend, and a great week.
Love You
Grandma