half a trip around the world

I'm just back from a restful weekend away with Brandon in the mountains of Tennessee.  We kept to ourselves much in a modest little cabin and drank up quite a few hours of "nothing" to do.  What a good idea and all his!  At the last minute, we decided it was fitting for me to bring my sewing machine, so the night before we left, I cut this lovely stack of fabrics into ever so many 5.5" squares.

What is this?  It's England Swings by Rebekah Merle for Timeless Treasures. After I came across it online, I just couldn't get it out of my mind.  The colors are so clear and pretty.  I hardly ever work with true blue and bright red and clear, shining green. I instantly saw a quilt made with simple patchwork for this fabric, with nice big squares and plenty of old timey charm.

And so when we weren't enjoying the sights of the Smoky Mountains, I was often to be found stitching away in the cabin while Brandon and I watched a movie or two.  Although I had the entire quilt cut out, I refused to pressure myself to get her finished.  It was just for fun.  And it was fun.

In our driving in and out of town, we passed this barn many times.  Today on the way out, finally headed for home, we stopped to take this photograph.  It's just half a trip around the world.

This quilt is not straight England Swings.  I've edited out a few prints and mixed in some of my own to bring the shining spring green and fresh aqua blue tones more into focus.

I know exactly who this one is for, which makes the process about 10 times more delightful!  More to come soon, don't doubt it!  But now it's about time for the children to arrive and traveling gifts to be discovered and - oh here they come now!!!