Self Portrait Tuesday - My week away...

... from my usual work that is. I may come to regret it, seeing as how I've got six quilts to finish before the end of the year - a personal goal, which can easily be changed, but still a goal I've set for myself. No matter. I need this break from hand-dyeds solids, choosing instead to do a little play with commercial prints as well as more canning.

Yesterday I finished the (small) Mail Sack from Pink Chalk Studio. I don't consider myself a bag person, but I'm beginning to see why they are all the rage! This one went together quickly and doesn't it look fabulous! This form of instant gratification was so delightful, I made another form a friend who recently had a baby... I think I may have found my new "baby shower" gift! Feeling ready to tackle the "big boy" mail sack, I've already got plans for a third. This time with fabric from the Mezzanine line by Patty Young... LOVE IT! Ooh, and in case you were wondering, I found this photo collection of Mail Sacks on Flickr, which mine will be added to soon!

A couple of other things I LOVE right now... Little Folks fabric by Anna Maria Horner, which is now available in oil cloth! These would make amazing lunch bags!

...Pepe Romero music on Pandora...

... Tortilla soup from Rick Bayless... especially if you have authentic ingredients, like queso fresco, and pasilla chiles... good for warming the tummy on a chilly day. We "Americanized" it with Harvest Grains Bread from King Arthur Flour.

...and my new cell phone case from Hine, quite simply the coolest case I've had.

This Japanese illustrator / puppet stop-motion video artist is amazing! Check out this video:

That's enough links for now. I've been asked to write an article about my method of flat dyeing for a magazine... big gasp... can you tell I'm stalling?