Welcome to my stop on the Acreage Blog Tour! Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of living on a farm. Images of rolling hills, cattle in the pasture, horses by the stall, chickens … lots of chickens, and a pond. Sigh. All of these make my heart sing. When we moved from the suburbs of California to the rural foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, I thought for sure my dream was going to come true. We tossed around the idea, even looked at a few properties, but it just wasn’t the right time for us. We did, however, find a beautiful home on some acreage … about 1.5 acres to be exact. It’s not quite what my little girl mind had envisioned, but right now, for us, its perfect. My heart still longs, though, for a day when we can find those acres and maybe an old farmhouse that needs some TLC … a new project for our retirement years.
When Shannon put the call out for participants in her Acreage Blog Tour, I jumped on it. The fabric is gorgeous, and with a name that evokes so much emotion for me, I knew I couldn’t go wrong. I immediately knew I wanted to make a quilt. One that would be perfect for picnics on the farm, or covering up on a cool Fall night at the firepit.
This weekend I gathered the grands and headed out to the farm … our friends farm … 15 glorious acres of horses, chickens, gorgeous oak trees, a pond, and best of all, a beautiful red barn. We had a great time visiting and introducing the farm animals to the kids. They loved them! Our little guy stood and watched the chickens for quite some time. I’m pretty sure he would’ve loved to be in there with them.
The fabrics in the collection remind me of so many elements of country living, from the gorgeous flowers, to the vines, the graphic elements that remind me of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, the gingham prints taking me back to church picnics, the clothespins … memories of sheets drying on the line, and the bikes filled with floral bouquets. It’s the perfect collaboration of everything you’d find in the country.
I’m pretty sure my word for 2017 is going to be “Acreage” … lots and lots of Acreage … both in fabric and in land.
“Acreage” will be in shops starting in September. In the meantime, take a few moments to visit these other bloggers that have created amazing projects from Shannon’s new fabric line.
Monday July 4th Sally Keller of Sally’s Angelworks
Monday July 11th Anna Marks of Crazy8Farms
Monday July 18 Brooke Sellmann of Silly Mama Quilts
Monday July 25th Melissa Shields of Quilting Room with Mel
Monday August 1 Michelle of Island Life Quilts
Monday August 8 Jayme Christensen of Finding Sweetland
Monday August 15 Briawna Hugh of Purple Poppy Quilts
Monday August 22 Peta Peace of She Quilts a Lot
YOU ARE HERE! Lani Padilla of Simply Fresh Vintage
Monday September 5 Loryn Litchty of Sweet Sassy Strong
Monday September 12 Jemima Flendt of Tied With a Ribbon
Monday September 19 Anna Boundy of Said with Love
Monday September 26 Staci Barrett of A Vintage Fairytale
Monday October 3rd Blog Tour wrap up by Shannon Gillman Orr of Eva Blake’s Makery