Hello and welcome to summer! It's warm in Virginia, after many, many days of rain and gloom. Our AC is running and when we go outside, we're greeted with a wall of hot! It's about time, though. It's time to stay warm without blankets or fires or heat, isn't it?

It's also vacation time. For June, we focused on how to use old towels in our daily "Did you know" tips. Some of them were fun, some practical, and some whimsical. We'd love to have your ideas for a monthly theme for tips.

So, I mentioned that the site was for sale. Did I mention that we're now a part of the SewingPatterns.com family? We'll be working closely with the good folks at SewingPatterns.com to bring you a high quality sewing site. Our message boards won't change. Our chat won't change. I'll still be around, and I sure hope you'll still be around.

My current sewing project - I've been working on a patriotic quilt since 9/11. I have collected red/white/blue fabrics, and cut them into 4" squares. In addition, I've always collected used denim, so I've been cuttint that into 4" squares too. I measured my bed and added 4-6" on each edge for overhang, and started rows of alternating denim and patriotic fabric. It's a very simple quilt - patriotic/denim/patriotic/denim blocks, over and over.

Right now, I'm sewing the rows together in the same alternate fashion. I'll have a queen-sized top when I'm done. It's easy sewing and almost like busy work because I can do "production line" sewing (sewing a patriotic block to a denim, repeat, then do rows of same). In my quest for always reusing fabrics, I am recycling an old bed cover as the "batting and backing". I have a very inexpensive quilt I bought at Sam's Club some time ago that has seen better days. The back is fine, and the batting is too. The top is a bit on the ugly and not such good repair side.

So, my next step after the denim and cotton top is completed is to baste it to the quilt (wrong side of denim/cotton facing right side of quilt to be covered), tie in the corners of each square, serge the edges, and bind it with bias made of patriotic fabric. Completely machine washable, easy to make, and warm as all get out. Who could ask for more? How about putting some of your scraps to good use? You can use an old blanket, a bunch of old towels, or even traditional batting and backing for your own quilt.

If anyone would like better directions than the above, let me know. I'll be putting a picture on the site when it's done.

So, what is everyone else sewing?

On that note, enjoy the warm weather, get out with the kids and dogs and have some fun. There'll be plenty of time for sewing your Christmas (YES, Christmas) projects when the evening comes.

Donna Gettings-Apperson
Webmaster, Online Community Director
http://www.sewingweb.com