Well Hello Invisible Friends! Calling you invisible friends is probably true now more than ever — is anyone even out there anymore? We’ve reached a new blogging standard low here in ThimbleannaLand – I had no idea it had been so long since I’ve posted here. The last few months have sped by — it makes me dizzy! And really sad — time is fleeting {sigh}.
I can at least account for the month of September — July and August are a big fat blur — probably adjusting to the fun of having the grandbabies living so close again. What fun it has been and I’m loving the chance to see them so much more now. As for September, we took a few trips. First, TheManoftheHouse and I went to Utah for a week. We love our little Utah getaways and it’s always a chance to catch up with the world’s greatest Aunt. She’s amazing and this trip, she taught me how to make relish. I don’t even like relish, but MeMum and TheManoftheHouse love Aunt Annie’s relish, so I thought I’d try to learn how to make it — it was great fun!
Then, I was home for six days before I left on a trip to Iceland with TheSecondChild. He was unable to go with us on our last trip (it hardly seems possible that that was six years ago), and it worked out well to go this year. We had a fantastic trip — the weather was beautiful most of the time and TheSecondChild is the perfect travel companion. Always cheerful and willing to go anywhere — even yarn stores! And, of course, the scenery in Iceland is always gorgeous.
I have been sewing and knitting during the little blog break too. A few weeks before our Utah trip, the nice people at Zakka Workshop asked if I would make a sample for quilt market from their new book Sew Cute Quilts and Gifts by Atsuko Matsuyama. I happily said Yes!
I chose to make the yoyo bag that appears on the cover, but I had such a hard time choosing fabrics that I ended up making two little bags.
I raided my stash to make the first bag and had lots of fun randomly piecing the patchwork panels. I was happily surprised at how well the Tilda ribbon from her Apple Butter line went with my little bag — I love it on those straps.
For the second bag, I raided my etsy shop and used the adorable fabrics from Kirsten Sevig. The house and meadow prints are my very favorites and it turned out to be perfect timing. I was getting ready for a trip to Iceland, and she was inspired by two years of living in Reykjavik when she created this line. (Can you spot the little kitty peeking out of the meadow fabric?)
I used my clover yoyo makers to make all those yoyos — it really doesn’t take long when you have the right tools.
I’m planning on going to quilt market in a few weeks (yay! it’s been a few years since I’ve been), so, hopefully I’ll see my little bags there. ;-)
Ok, must run — I have lots of blog-reading-catching-up to do LOL.
Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Anna
Well, I’m still here and am glad to see you reappear. I think so many are leaving blogland and it makes me sad for the years we were all fast friends. Happy to see you!
I loved seeing that you were back in Iceland again! I would love to go there, the stark beauty is so appealing to me. Instagram is great for photos but blogs are so good for getting a little more. Says the woman who hadn’t blogged in yeaaarrrrsss.
Those bags are so sweet! love the rik rak on the handles.
that relish yummy! I love relish.
I’ve loved seeing your photos in IG of iceland. What a gorgeous country.
loved seeing a post today.
everything you make is awesome!!! and the only traveling that i do is vicariously, through your blog … so, thank you for the journey to Iceland!!!
Lovely to catch up even if only occasionally. I find I am both writing and reading less as it seems so hard to find the time. How did we ever blog two or three times a week?
Lovely to catch up on yours news. Iceland looks amazing and those bags are so cute! Enjoy Market – I’ll be thinking of you.
I’m here…. just reading your blog ,not writing mine. I’ve given up?. And when did you find time to sew bags. They’re adorable?
Always happy to see you pop up in my feed. I think we are all just so busy, and blogging really fell off the priority list once Instagram came to be. Blogging takes time. I still blog and read blogs. I do miss some of the bloggers who have stopped blogging, though. You do get so much more information on a blog. Any way, your yo yo bags are adorable. I love the fabrics you chose.
I’m here too and everything looks as wonderful as ever!
Nice to see you again! We just moved this weekend and are closer to our only grand…so happy to be near her! Love that you get to spend more time with yours! Iceland sounds wonderful, glad you enjoyed it! Cute bags!
Oh so lovely bags! And Iceland. We really must go there before we get too decrepit. And hurray for having a son available for holidays. Ours, alas, has not been very much so since he was 18 and fell in love.
Hi Anna…..so glad to hear all your fun news! You’re right, the days are flying by so I’m trying to make the most of them….I see one of those sweet little bags in my future.
It seems you are as busy as ever with travelling, cooking and family. Love the bags you’ve made and I can’t decide which one I like better as they are both gorgeous. Isn’t travelling with adult children fun? We’ve just come back from Australia where we were invited to a wedding and the kids came too. Not often that we are all together, so I really enjoyed it. When is the next grand baby due by the way?
Lovely to see your post today! Your bags are absolutely gorgeous!
Your Iceland trip with your son sounds fantastic…so nice to spend time with adult children. Great to catch up with you XXX
It’s always nice to see a new post on your blog! I understand; sometimes I struggle with the one-sided-ness of it, in a way I didn’t ten years ago when I started my blog.
Your little baskets are lovely, I hope you have a great time at Market!!
I’ve not been able to blog or visit much in recent times but hope to do better now that some big projects are done :-) I love the yoyo bags, they are so happy and pretty.
Amalia
xo