From the Crafty Corner

One skill that I've really developed since moving to the country is quilting.  I have managed to make a few quilts and I am learning new, regular sewing skills as well.  Not only is it relaxing, but it's brought me into a whole community of ladies who share the same love of fabric.  I am fortunate to have a room dedicated to my office work and crafting work -- it's my studio.  You'll often find me in there with either FoodNetwork in the background on the tv or Pandora streaming Adele type music from my computer.

Lately, I have been doing a lot of work from the studio.  As I finished up my second semester at the college, I was offered an opportunity to be a part of the new web community being started here in the Flathead Valley.  The site takes a local approach to social networking and offers people a place to go for wellness, sustainability and personal growth.  The founder has amazing plans for the site to grow and I was brought on to be a graphic designer and help manage the web content.  It's still in it's infancy, but I can see a lot of potential with OpenDoor. 

All of that to say that I spend lots of time at the computer doing work for this opportunity as well as the other freelance design jobs I have been fortunate enough to stumble upon.

When I manage to break free from the computer work and other work isn't beckoning me, I enjoy spending time with my sewing machine.  I am in the process of making two quilts, one each for the boys.  Once in a while, though, I need to get my hands on a quick project that can be started, finished and cleaned up in just a couple of hours.  Here is what I was able to do today:

I found the tutorial for this here and I had the fabric as part of the stash I inherited from a dear friend.  It was quick and easy, and I might even consider making several of these to sell at our little town's quilt show next year.  I wanted to show you how it looks when on, so I bribed a reluctant model to show how nice this sits when tied around the waist.  There's not such a great bow when it's tied around my waist!  (Faces have been cropped to protect the innocent.)

It's easy to get lost in work, chores and other obligations, regardless of what our daily responsibilities are.  I think it's important to find little pockets of time to do things that we enjoy.  Hobbies are good -- whether that means sewing, scrapbooking, playing a round of golf, going to the movies -- whatever gives you a break and is something you enjoy!