Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

It's been 8 days since my last post (ha, that has Catholic confessional overtones!) and here's why.  First, you know about the Folk Fest last weekend from Friday to Sunday, which was just over the top amazing.  If you ever get a chance to see Natalie MacMaster with her husband, Donnell Leahy, go for it.  Same goes for Pavlo, a beautiful, mesmerizing Flamenco guitarist.  Ashley MacIsaac did not disappoint either, WOW, electric fiddling.  Second, cue the choir, or perhaps the fiddle, I met up with Julie of Pink Doxies!!!!  Pinch me!

"pd meets mmm" Julie's Instagram caption!

She took me to Amish Country, (pinch me hard again!) where we did so many things, amongst them, visited and helped keep in business two awesome fabric stores, and ate at an Amish restaurant where I had the best homemade lunch: grilled cheese on homemade whole wheat bread, with locally made Swiss cheese, and the best pecan pie and ice cream, both homemade, I have ever tasted and most likely ever will taste in my life....

I have told a few people, as well as said it here on the blog, about the wonderful, like-minded souls I have met through blogging, women I consider very good friends, and for whom I am so very thankful.  I've heard, and got "the look" that these aren't real friends.  Well, they most certainly are.  Meeting Julie, hugging in person, as opposed to the virtual ones, although those mean a lot too, just cemented this sentiment. :-)

Of course I had to make her a Pyramid Pouch.  (a little bag...get the double entendre in the title of this post?) These are all Art Gallery fabrics, a fat quarter bundle of 16 that I picked up from Fat Quarter Shop in March with a quilt for my niece in mind.  I used them to start Cheryl's Sea Star pattern for my niece, and have a little bit of each one left over...perfect!  Julie loves pink, in case you didn't know...

I just LOVE this print.  I saved it because I only needed 15 fat quarters for Cheryl's pattern.  It's a perfect lining... However, I'd love an entire backing or a border out of this fabric!

I was making two pouches at a time, one for Julie, and one for my oldest daughter, Brianne, who also loves all things pink, has done since she was born, no lie.  Brianne's didn't quite get finished before we left, so I finished it up this morning.  Now each daughter has a rendition of my first published pattern, made by moi! Dayna's was in purple, her favourite colour, and was the prototype for the Moda Bakeshop pattern.

Exact same 32 triangles per side as Julie's, just arranged differently

Brianne's has a hot pink zipper, as opposed to the paler pink one in Julie's, as well as a hot pink lining fabric.  The zippers are from that pack I purchased last winter from Zipit. (no affiliation, but they are great: great service, and great prices too.)

The lining is leftover fabric from Brianne's pinks and oranges quilt I made her in 2007.  It's a gorgeous one, Color Connections by Free Spirit, and has a similar hand to the smooth Art Gallery fabrics.  I didn't put a pull handle on Brianne's, thought I'd see how it works without one.

Both pouches were quilted with Sulky Holoshimmer metallic thread in fuchsia - love it - tried to catch the shimmer here in the sunlight

My impatiens plants do not disappoint this year once again.  They are spectacular.

My husband's banana plants are also spectacular

The banana plants are 2 and 3 years old, and, up until this Spring, were in pots which we hauled by dolly in for the winter.  They are now in the ground.  I can't bear to think of seeing these gorgeous things die, but he says they are just too big now.  :-(  The elephant ears are finally starting to take off with the past couple weeks of warm and humid weather; we have had such a below average temperatures summer here that they haven't burst forth like they normally do.

Bag Stats
Pattern:  original design
Size: 6.5" high X 11.5" wide at the top
Fabric:  Art Gallery scraps; Free Spirit Color Connections scrap for lining from my stash
Batting: Warm 'n Natural
Quilted: on my Bernina
Threads: pieced with Gütermann; quilted with Sulky Holoshimmer
Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts' Finish It Up Friday.  Too funny: both of today's posts feature a baby quilt made by Sarah and by Amanda Jean respectively. Each one is very different.

I am also linking up with TGIFF held this week at Quilt Matters.

I will also probably link this post up with Cynthia's Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  No way.  Cynthia's post for today is also about a baby quilt she made!  Talk about the stars aligning.