a pile of color

Quilts. Quilts. Quilts have been on the brain lately (and on the floor).

I (Achaia) was diving through my fabric stacks the other day and came up for breath with a plan and a tall pile of lovelies in an array of colors. I haven't made a quilt for several years now, and, in my defense, I have not hand quilted one in simply ages. And, this go round I decided on following a pattern instead of our often scrappy quilts. I picked up the pattern from friend Alexia at Market in October and am loving it so far.

It's tempting to pick a particular fabric collection for a quilt top, but I've found that I absolutely love the two quilts that I've made more with a color scheme versus one specific collection. If you've read this blog for a long time you've seen one of them here. And, would you know that I've shown a glimpse of the other one on our blog and I didn't even remember it!

So, this one is going to be what you might term my signature colors — deep, rich, and saturated. I am loving the idea of each 'wheel' being in one color family. I had so much fun putting my scraps in piles by color and cutting all the pieces this weekend.

Now I'm on a crusade to get Mom and all the other girls making quilt tops, picking fabric with colors in mind instead of an entire line. I definitely have some of them on the band wagon, so it will be exciting to see what they come up with! We'll be sure to share them along and along.

xoxo Achaia

Bow Tied.

Thanks to my best friend Ashley I am now the happy owner of some darling hair bows! She sent them to me for my birthday and they were handmade by her (extra special). I've been wanting to wear this purpley one for quite some time, but getting them right before we left on our trip didn't leave me any time. Finally today was the day!! I'd been picturing a fun poufy-in-front updo and it worked —- I am happy and I got complemented by Mom and the girls at least three times. The only thing I think I'll do differently next time is pouf the front a bit more (I like BIG poufs). Whenever I tease my own hair I always seem to go underboard. Must remember, always go overboard on teasing!

In other news it's icy around here and we've stayed inside all day. I cut out a bright red dress for myself while we were listening to an audio book, and we plan on having burritos and cheesy jalapeno rice for supper (new recipe!). And, I figured out how to upload RAW images — Abiah took these in RAW! — and get to use them! That may seem pretty insignificant, but it's something we've been wanting to be able to do for awhile. Yay!

Hope you've had a good Thursday too! xoxo! Achaia

Long Weekend Getaway

This past week we had the opportunity to make a trip down to Texas, spend a long weekend with our best friends and attend the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival for a day!! It was somewhat spur of the moment (we decided to go last Sunday, ran errands Monday, packed Tuesday, and left Wednesday). If you follow our Instagram you probably got to see some pictures from our trip!

The day spent at the Festival was wonderful (it was our first time attending). Some of our friends came with us so in between watching movies and listening to some wonderful speakers we ate at Casa Rio on the Riverwalk (first picture above) and were serenaded by a mariachi band.

The rest of our long weekend was filled with late nights (we stayed up til after 1 o'clock every night except one), playing games — which was too hilarious, watching a couple of movies, worshipping together on Sunday, singing, visiting a couple of antique shops, and cooking together. We talked and laughed the entire time, and are so grateful to our best friends for putting up with us!!

We got home last night to a cold Missouri and a few snowflakes. Now it's back to work. So, how have you been??

xoxo! Kristie, Apphia, Achaia, Abigail, and Abiah

Keeping Warm

In the past ladies have asked us to share our recommendations for keeping warm in the winter months while wearing skirts. Here are some sure-fire ways:

1. Wear Leggings (seen above). They're cute and keep you cozy. There are options for more than just plain ones too. We're partial to the ones that actually come to your ankles (vs. the capri length).

2. Make or buy your skirts in suitable fabrics. Don't get us wrong, we love cotton -it's a staple- but it definitely isn't the warmest fabric around. Resist the urge to buy a cute cotton affair in the winter and go with flannel, velveteen, denim, or corduroy.

3. Wear tights. This may seem like a no-brainer, but let's be perfectly honest and say that they aren't always first choice. Tights don't have a reputation for being the most comfortable things in the world, but they do keep your legs warm, AND you can pick ones that are fun. (Remember these and these?)

4. Wear silk pants. Kristie does this a lot. They fit tight so you don't have to mess with extra bulk, but they are incredibly warm. They cost a bit more, but are a good investment.

Does anyone else have any recommendations? We would love to hear them!

xo the Long ladies

Featured!

Good morning!

We were so happy and honored to be featured on Melissa's blog today! Melissa has recently started a new Friday feature called "What's on Your Bed?" where she's showcasing designers and friends bedrooms. So run over there and take a peek at ours (well, two of ours. You'll read why the third room wasn't photographed. Hmm.)

Melissa is also our good friend and fellow pattern designer, so be sure to check out her work!

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend! We hope you are keeping warm — it's freezing here!

xoxo!