love is the thread that binds us.

i come from a very talented family.

we write, we sing, we craft, we bake.

but my cousin madison is particularly extraordinary.

she works, she goes to school, and she's the mother of one of the most perfect little creations i have ever seen.

and not only does she do all of this, but she also quilts.
oh, does she quilt.

for christmas, she gave me the most meaningful gift i could have ever asked for. she gave me my own quilt to take back with me to big ol' chilly new york city. it's huge and warm and beautiful, all blues and greens and some chocolate brown here and there. it's wild and beautiful and perfectly my taste. i sleep under it every night, i curl up with it every evening. every day, at some point, i am reminded of her, and of home. of michigan. it's such a wonderful feeling.

also for christmas, madison submitted a gift to our white elephant pool that was a gift certificate for two throw pillows. after throwing a few elbows and drawing blood and tears from my mother, i won them.

and they're done!
here they are:

aren't they incredible?
i can't wait to have them on my bed. or sofa. i can't decide.

last night i bought a WHOLEHUGEBUNDLE of fabrics from anna maria horner's good folks collection, and had them shipped to madison's house, because she is making a beautiful queen sized quilt for husbear and me, and i can't stop thinking about how beautiful it will be. (in case you're curious, i purchased "fortune" (sun&sea), "small gathering" (citrus&sea), "buttoned up" (ink&sea), "cathedral" (dusk), "festival" (dusk), and "dance floor" (teal), and she's doing a scalloped pattern as opposed to the classic squared style.)

so here's what i think you should do.
go check out her blog: willowbean creations and take a look at some of the other beautiful things she has made. if you love them, you should go to her etsy shop and pick something out for yourself! she does custom work as well, if you have something specific in mind.
you won't be disappointed.

i miss that cousin of mine. what a girl.