Pre-Retreat Supplies

Before the BAM retreat, we all met up at the LQS, Family Threads Quilt Shop. I found a very cool Typography FQ which features a really nice Z, as well as that nice orange triangles print. The floral green blue print looked very interesting when rolled up and even better when laid out. And then there’s the jewel toned small polka dots. That color combination was irresistible.  The brown texture print might end up in a Climate Change quilt I’ll be working on later this weekend.

The pink add a quarter ruler is because I forgot mine at home and I wanted to work on a paper piecing project at the retreat.

After lunch we strolled the Main Street of San Juan Bautista and I found these beautiful polished serpentine (state rock of CA) isn’t that color just so perfect and beautiful? I had no idea serpentine could be this color, and then of course I looked it up, and it's the state rock of California for an economic reason. (of course) It's a NOA, Naturally Occurring Asbestos. Back in 1956 when they chose it, that was a very big industry, of course we know better now. But it's still a cool rock, I won't be chopping it up and breathing it in though.

Box of Rocks

Alex was sorting a container of his tumbled rocks the other day. There were a lot of cool colors and shapes. He is trying to think of what to make with all of these. Some are pretty enough to make some kind of jewelry or decorative stuff.
And seeing all these stones in lovely little piles, reminded me that I'd like to make some cabinet pulls with stones (bigger ones from our river or beach). I really really loathe the pulls in our kitchen, and I do not want to spring for new ones, as all the ones I like are of course quite spendy and we have a lot of cabinets!
I'd also like to reuse the existing pulls somehow. So I thought I'd try to make some like these or these.
My idea is to chop the offending handle off the posts, drill holes in the stones, and glue in the posts from the old pulls. This will possibly take some new drill bits, (oh yoohoo Dremy-moto...Dremel motor tool), I know I have a diamond bit that I bought when I carved my own runestones, not sure if that will work or not though, and some type of super duper glue. There are a dizzying array of glues at my small hardware store, so this will take some research.