For quilters in the Mid-Atlantic area, the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania area is a quilting destination! Last week I had a chance to make one of my treks down to do a little shopping (and eating). For those that haven’t been before, or haven’t been in a while, I thought it might be helpful to let you know about a few of the different stores and eateries. So without further ado here we go!

Suffice it to say I was thrilled when Jen (The Dizzy Quilter) asked me to join this blog hop. I had been previewing the wonderful new fabric My NYC from Gotham Quilts for weeks and really thought it was perfect. The collection has just the right blend of whimsy and gray. The fantastic 11 piece fat quarter bundle that Gotham Quilts sent (thank you!) actually has a beautiful range of colors and patterns that appeal on a lot of levels.

So I don’t know about you, but I have definitely had those years where January rolls around and I set out with the best of intentions to make a handmade gift for everyone, telling myself I had plenty of time to get everything done, but by the time July hits I have maybe one project done and am seriously starting to pare down the list of who is getting a handmade gift. Then December 1st rolls around… and insanity reigns! It took years for me to develop a system where I could finish 13 giftable projects in a year and have them ready to go without the usual December panic. The good part is I can share everything I have learned with you to help you avoid the last minute hysteria!

The Holiday Star Quilt is the quintessential July pattern. You’re probably wondering why exactly this pattern just screams July? Well it came about because, for me, it combines two different topics: patriotic patterns and Christmas, and the one time of year that you get both is July (you know Independence Day and the whole Christmas in July).

After all of the hints I have been dropping this shouldn’t be a huge surprise but I am happy to announce my first swap, The Stitchers Book Swap! Inspired by summer reading programs (why can’t we have these as adults?) and National Book Lovers Day, this swap is perfect for everyone who loves to read and do any type of stitching.

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks here. Spring seems to have finally sprung, which of course means beautiful colors everywhere, and a terrible allergy season (always a trade off). I have also been able to attend a lot more family events since I haven’t been traveling for work, which has kept my schedule just as packed but a little more fun. And on top of all of this I had a new pattern release over what was Memorial Day weekend here in the US.

Technically summer starts here in the northern hemisphere on June 22nd with the Summer Solstice, but I am from New Jersey and summer here revolves around beach season, which runs from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend, so as far as I am concerned summer is only a couple of weeks away. This for me is the time of year that I really enjoy piecing tops, making bags and working on other sewing projects.

All of this is to say that I have decided to fully embrace being 35 and thriving by trying 35 new activities and documenting them in a quilt during the course of the year (and with luck I will have it finished and quilted before I am 36!). As part of this I have been asking family and friends for suggestions on new activities that I can try, as well as looking for some of my own.