The Bandana Quilt Sandwich

With my puppy's help (yeah, right), I put together the bandana quilt sandwich this morning. It is now ready to hand-tie. I plan to use red, white, and blue embroidery thread for tying - will use the print design on the bandanas as a guide for where to tie.

I have to tell you, this turned out to be much, MUCH larger than I had envisioned - but I love it. It took up most of my living room floor space this morning as I assembled the sandwich.

Doesn't it look like a "happy" quilt? I plan to name it "American Life". It will be a quilt I leave out in my living room year-round for anyone to grab and cuddle with whenever they feel a little chill, or just need some extra comfort.

My favorite quilt shop, Cotton Fields on Wharton Station Road in Washington, NC (she has a great website and you can order fabrics online!), is just starting to receive their holiday fabrics. They have the most unusual black/white/silver Christmas bird print fabric. I bought 2 yards yesterday but will probably buy 2 more yards because a little idea of what to do with this fabric is starting to form in my mind ... a fussy cutting idea because the birds are just too pretty and cute.

That's usually how I design a quilt - I buy the fabric then let the fabric guide the design process.

Can you believe that in this intense summer heat it's already time to start thinking about holiday projects? Yep, that's right. If you make any or all of your holiday gifts and decorating items, now is the time to get started.