Red Light Paper Piecing

I drive, a lot, every week, on crowded streets with lots of red lights, some of them a minute long, or so it feels!

So, besides an awesome audio book to keep me company, and so I don't break any traffic laws playing on my iPad while driving, I do....

Paper Piecing!

I keep a small pouch in the car with my scraps and my pieces, scissors, needle and thread, and whenever I come to a red light, out the piece comes and I whip it together! I can usually get at least half the piece done at a light, and with 1.5 hours of red lights, that's a lot of piecing!!

So, here is my very first Red Light Paper Piecing Project! The fabric was pulled out of my mom's scrap basket when I visited 3 years ago and carted across the ocean, the pieces were purchased locally, the hand stitching uses leftover DMC cross-stitch thread, and voila!

January's Birthstone: Garnet

January has come, bringing the garnet! A deep and rich red which almost looks black in the shade, the garnet is a strong stone, bringing the wearer self-confidence, willpower and perseverance. Associated with the thyroid and spleen, it is also a stone for deep meditation.

Good for business, it attracts success and gives vitality needed to go forward.

Although garnets come in many colors, today, garnet usually refers to the red variety. Today's garnets come largely from the African continent.

A couple of pieces I've made using garnet:

Contact if you would like to design your own piece with garnet and other stones for a prosperous 2013!