A few weeks ago, our family spent a week together in the upper part of Michigan around Sleeping Bear Dunes. Have you been there? It is beautiful! Such unique landscaping – the dunes, Lake Michigan, the sand bottom interior lakes, and trees – so many trees! And slightly cooler temps compared to the south in the summer, so a bit of a reprieve.

We got a pass for the Pierce Stocking Drive and drove it three different days. We stopped at the Dune Overlook and hiked around each time. It was a great trip and one I would do again and recommend it especially if you love being outdoors.

And of course, I love having some kind of handwork to do when I’m on the go. I recently was playing around with English paper piecing (EPP) pieces and came up with a new block that I thought would offer a different way to highlight fussy cutting. I’m naming this quilt (and block) Moraine as a nod to my visit to Sleeping Bear Dunes. According to Dictionary.com a moraine is, “a mass of rocks and sediment carried down and deposited by a glacier, typically as ridges at its edges or extremity.” The sand and sediment left behind created the dunes.

I’ve been sharing images on Instagram as I make each Moraine block. The fabric is Strawberry Thief by Kaffee Fassett made by Free Spirit Fabrics. I have been making a large pincushion batch with these prints. When making a pincushion batch, I always enjoy studying fabric . The Strawberry Thief prints offer interesting designs and rainbow of colors to play with.

These pincushions are a work in progress but coming along! It is a huge batch – one of the largest I’ve ever made. It helps that there are 32 different prints to play with and utilize.

I really enjoy having a project to work on while in the car, sitting around watching tv, or just enjoying quiet moments in life. EPP is so relaxing for me since the stitches are simple and don’t require me to look at a pattern while I sew. Do you like EPP or other types of hand sewing? Let me know!
Happy quilting and crafting! ▶︎ ▶︎ ▶︎