If you LOVE a fabric, but have no specific project in mind, how much do you typically buy to add to your stash?

Fat Quarter? Half Yard? One Yard? Yardage? Entire Bolt?

I love scrappy quilts, so having a large variety of fabrics to pull from is important to me.

Most fabrics: 1/3 yard cut from the bolt

Binding fabric: (stripe, check, diagonal design): 1 yard

Background fabrics (white on white, cream) – 3+ yards

Fabric has gotten even more expensive lately and my LQS have announced prices increases coming July 1st. I visited a new-to-me quilt shop in North Georgia today. Fat Quarters were $4.00-$4.25. Let that sink in….the equivalent of paying $16.00 per yard of fabric. Fat Quarters in a quilt shop are some of the most expensive fabric you can buy. One-third yard of fabric is going to cost about the same as the Fat Quarter and you get a lot more for your money. Sure, you have to wait in line to have it cut, but that’s okay.

If I find a white-on-white print that I absolutely love and the shop offers a finish the bolt discount – I have been known to buy whatever’s left on the bolt because I know the fabric will get used.

This past week seemed like the week before a holiday break – it took FOREVER to finally get to Friday. Can you relate?

Relaxation and some time outside were on the agenda for the week, but Mother Nature had other plans. Doom, gloom, rain, rain and more rain! Very few opportunities to get outside with the dog, lunch/day trip plans put on hold due to the weather and a husband underfoot with little to do because his own volunteer activities were curtailed due to weather put me in a not-so-merry mood. Every little thing became a source of irritation and I couldn’t seem to shake it off.

I am SEW thankful for my Friday sew day squad. About half of the crew were on retreat with their guild in Dahlonega. The rest of us navigated heavy thunderstorms to meet up for a productive day of sewing and visiting. It was sorely needed. My mood was much improved when packing up and the sun peeked through the clouds as I headed home.

Never underestimate the power of sunshine, friends and a little stitching to make things better.

Sadie and I needed some outside time on Wednesday. It’s been a rather rainy, dreary week. We took advantage of a short break in the weather to visit a new-to-us park in North Atlanta. The Blue Heron Nature Preserve is 30 acres of wetlands, walking trails and an educational center that’s part of the City of Atlanta parks system. It runs along Nancy Creek and winds through several well-established neighborhoods located between Buckhead and Sandy Springs. If you are familiar with the area, it’s actually not far from Chastain Park.

A local organization operates summer day camps out of the facility, so I felt very safe walking the trails with all the people nearby. The trail map is a bit confusing because you actually have to walk on some streets to connect to the next segment of the trail. Now that I see how everything connects, Sadie and I will definitely return to do the other sections of the trail. Hopefully, we’ll be able to see some blue herons next time!

On the way home, I noticed that the Mount Paran Country Store was open. It’s 100+ year-old weathered convenience store that’s an icon in the area. Of course, we stopped to check it out! Sadie and I enjoyed a delicious sausage, egg and cheese biscuit Yum! Yum! I blew half of my daily WW points on that treat, but it was totally worth it!