I am sure I am not alone among us quilters/sewists in losing a little focus and motivation when the sun finally peeks out from behind the clouds and temperatures allow us to put away the hoodies and drag out the tank tops.

As some of you may know, one of my summer endeavors is my little veggie garden. Portland can be tricky with that, however. For all of the green, sometimes the late-season sun and buckets of rain make the growing season for novices like myself a bit short.

But thankfully, this year things seem to be on their way!

That said, there's also a new kind of distraction in my world this year...

I've actually had the bike for more years than I should say, since I've only started using it somewhat regularly in the last year or two, so I consider it a new distraction. And last Thursday I was so excited to finally get a chance to take it out of the basement and into the fresh air after weeks of traveling and house guests. On the way up the stairs from my basement to the back yard THIS happens:

...and about 1/2 way from my house to my sewing studio I notice the rear tire is flat - and I mean FLAT. Not yet being part of the smartphone world, I had to call J at work and ask him to look up the closest bike shop to where I was. He found Velo Cult, a shop in the Hollywood District of NE Portland (backtracking from where I was). I had never been there before, but am glad he found them online! They were awesome! Attended to the flat immediately, and had it been a little later than 10am I might even have partaken in one of the beers they have on tap while I waited! But, I stuck with my iced coffee and left with a new tube and a mini-crush.

(photo from their website... it was a quiet morning when I was there)

Okay, so there's the setup! In the spirit of spending time on new things and celebrating the lushness that is this part of the world in this season, I have a little giveaway treat...

A DESTASH OF 2.5 YARDS WORTH OF KAFFE AND FRIENDS FABRICS!
The rich colors and lush blooms of Philip Jacobs and Kaffe Fassett, balanced out by the bold geometrics of Brandon Mably - what better way to celebrate??

TO ENTER:
Leave me a comment sharing something new you've discovered (or fallen in love with) or something you've rediscovered this season or this year. This can be quilting related, but certainly doesn't have to be!!

For any Followers out there, leave a second comment for an additional chance to win.

I'll leave this open through Thursday 8/2/12, 5PM PDT and announce the winner over the weekend. I'm looking forward to hearing what's inspiring the rest of you!

REMINDER
If you are a no-reply blogger leaving a comment PLEASE leave contact info in the comment, otherwise I can not send the goodies your way!

Sometimes it's MUCH easier to piece together a quilt backing from random scraps, bits and pieces left behind, rather than try and find that PERFECT backing. For example, I have a quilt that I pieced, oh I don't know, about 5 or 6 years ago:

From a pattern in a Judy Hopkins book, Big 'n' Easy: Super Sized Quilts for Queen Beds

and it took me another 3-4 years and at least 2 false-start purchases to find what I believe to be just the right backing:

tents, by Brandon Mably (available at The Quilter's Studio)

Now that THAT'S off my chest (but still on the shelf!!), I'm going through something a little different. Thank goodness for deadlines! I finally got all of my Friends + Fabric blocks pieced into a stunning quilt top. Just under the wire for the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show submission.

However I now need to figure out what to use as the backing... within the next day and a half!
HELP!!!

My first gut feeling:

an Anna Maria Horner print... lovely color match and complimentary motif, but generally a bit more purple than I prefer...

My first fabric purchase:

a PERFECT compliment with all the right colors and energy, by Terrie Mangat for Free Spirit, but I'm wondering if it's just a bit too busy?

Some Kaffe Fassett shot cotton possibilities (because the quilt top is so darn busy already, and I do love how those guys quilt up):
within comfort zone for Linda:

and then...
not so much one of my go-to colors, but ruled the WOW factor next to the quilt top, don't you think?

Will I regret going with the Wow, but using a basically solid fabric in a color that doesn't exist anywhere in my world?? I welcome any input, but the prewashing must begin by this Thursday...