April Showers......May Flowers?

So much for spring arriving in time for April Fools Day. As if the rain and wind wasn't bad enough, it was trying to snow in the mix. Although I am glad to live in an area that has seasons, I've had enough of this one! Let Spring arrive!

Yesterday was a whirlwind, I had the day off to visit my cousin in the hospital and am glad to say she is doing great for having had a stroke on the weekend. She is walking and talking, but there is a journey ahead for her. As for my day, it involved the ferry to Vancouver Island. I also got to see my Aunt Janet and am glad to see that life is treating her well.

I kept my hands busy basting loads of hexagons. That is the beauty of having a portable hand project always ready to go. I just picked up my 4 x 8 tupperware container and I've got something to do. Since flowers aren't blooming yet, here are my flowers on my front door.

Stitch a bit today!

Out like a lamb???

So here we are at the end of March and I'm no warmer now than on the 1st. At least the sun was shining here in the NW. Tomorrow I'm taking a personal day and going to Victoria on Vancouver Island in BC. This is not a usual "day trip" but I have a cousin who is in need of a bit of company. So off I shall go.

My bags of hexagons will travel with me so my hands can be busy on the 1 1/2 hr ferry trip and the wait time in the line ups. Here are a few photos that I want to share.
English Paper Piecing with 6 pointed diamonds.
Inspiration???
Summer sunset outside my studio in Grass Valley, OR My Anna Banana enjoying a hot summer day on my studio porch in Grass Valley OR. The good life!
Stitch today :-)

Silk Shopping and more

It has been a while since I've posted. My biggest challenge is getting my pictures from my camera to my blog. I know how to do it, it's just making the time. So I'm backtracking my timeline to a few weeks ago when our guild, Piecables, had Jovita from
Peacock & Periwinkle as our guest speaker. I have never quilted with silks and thought it would be an interesting presentation. I was blown away with her samples. Mixing silks with batiks,
making a Granddaughters Flower Garden (Jovita's term!)with silks,
purple pinwheels
or making simple square in a square all took on a life of their own with the silks. So of course I couldn't go home without my own silk patch.

It's funny how when I get focused on something, I start to see it everywhere. I had recently put a class proposal together for English Paper Piecing. While I was waiting to see if my class was accepted, I pulled out my abandoned bag of flowers, found my packets of hexagons and diamonds, bought a variety of new shapes and have been in hexagon mode since. And everywhere I look I am seeing the most amazing work done with hexagons. I guess the stars and the planets were aligned as my class proposal was accepted and I am inspired by so much around me!

Spring Break

Even though kids are on spring break, and even though the calendar says its spring, I dont' feel like it's spring. I'm cold and I want it to warm up. Company has come and gone and I feel like I'm having the Feb blues. Once I pick up my cd with all my photos, I'll be posting again!
Stitch today, it will feel good. ;-)

Covered in Feathers

This past weekend was time to get off my own projects and get to work on a long overdue gift for my gal pal Paula. The motivation is that she is arriving at my house in a week, so I thought I better have this done for her. It turned out great!














I used Black sateen for the outside and did all the free hand quilting with a bronze metallic poly thread and I didn't have one thread break. That makes for a more enjoyable project.

It's Just Stuff..........

but I want it. Look at this gem that is going up for auction. If only the auction wasn't a 15 hour round trip from my place. I have been paring down the "stuff" in my house, but I surely need to add this to my things. Can you just see it sitting on a little repro quilt, all those bright feed sack prints around it? I have a few of those and I'm working on a 30's sampler, so I think I need to have this too! Now if only I can find someone to go bid on this for me. Any takers??
Sharon

Picture Posting

A picture is worth a thousand words...........

The cat just had to get in the picture. My snowmen have no eyes, I don't want them to watch the quilting process :-)


Annie battling Old Man Winter.......she usually loses and runs right back into the office.
Maybe March will go out like a lamb?......we can only hope!