More Birthday Cards

 March is a month filled with birthdays.  In my last post, I shared the cards I made for my son and my granddaughter.  This past week, I finished two more cards for friends.  I haven't done much sewing, but some is better than none, right?

I found these fish faces in a bin.  I'm not sure what I had planned for them, but I think this is effective, no?

Estate sales continue to be few and far between.  However one popped up last weekend, that had several nautical-themed things and kitties.  I LOVE this painted rock!!  I keep expecting it to begin purring.

My garden has a single iris bloom.  Hopefully it is a herald of many blooms to come.  This one is in the backyard, in an iris patch that has rarely bloomed over the past 10 years.  The neighbor cut down seven trees from the fence line, so these plants are getting much more sun than ever before.  I look forward to seeing what color iris I have planted back there.  

And that's all I've got for now.  Hopefully I'll have more to post later this month.

Happy Quilting!

Busy, Busy

 I don't know about you, but I am currently challenged to keep track of the days.  I know when it's Wednesday, because I babysit my grandson.  I know when it's Sunday, because of church.  Other than that?  I have to check my phone.  And the date?  Why is it even important any more?

Oh!  Dates are important, because birthdays are celebrated on them.  September we have three birthdays, so we're in the middle of celebrating. I've made a few cards, but, as usual, have fallen behind.  I feel like most of my time is spent with grandchildren.  With 4 locals, aged 2 and under, well, I need to pay attention when they are here.  No doubt about it!!

I've made more masks, for Fall.

And I made my first potholders, as a gift.

I quilted some Komforters for Kids, our guild philanthropy.

I baked baklava.

My husband's garden keeps producing, which keeps me busy making Mediterranean stuffed bell peppers and ratatouille.

And, finally, we had our first shake of walnuts.  If you've ever wondered what a good year looks like, take a gander of all those nuts!!  I've never seen so many before.  Outstanding!

As you can see, there has been plenty to occupy my time, though nothing overly exciting.  I guess the biggest news is that my hand quilting project is 19/25 of the way complete.  I've got about 6 square feet of hand quilting left to finish.  I've been quilting on this project since April, so I am excited to think that I might actually have another finish before the end of the year.  Goals are good!!

It's Been a While

 huh.  In the past month since I've posted, apparently Blogger completely revamped itself.  I hope I know what I'm doing.  It's so strange to look at.  I feel a bit lost.

Let's see, what has happened in the last month?  We went to Cambria again, and delighted in the cooler weather.  I wish I could go back today, since it's predicted to hit 105.  It's just a prelude to a week of 109.  ugh.

When at home, I watch my grandson every Wednesday.  He's a very busy boy, and playing in the dirt is one of his favorite things.

This past week, I've also been watching my granddaughter.  Her birthday is next week.  She's a real sweetie.

My husband has been tending his vegetable garden.  We've been delighting in the abundance of fresh bell peppers and tomatoes, as well as cucumbers, cantaloupe, and eggplant.

I found a great recipe for Mediterranean stuffed peppers, which I've been making fairly regularly.

I've continued to work on my handquilting project.  Well, I was, until August hit.  I need to get back to it.  I haven't done much sewing at all this month.

Yesterday, I made a birthday card, but I'm thinking I should wait until after the birthday before sharing it here.

And I guess that's it for the update. 

I hope that you all are staying safe and finding time to create.  Creativity is good for the soul.

Until next time...

P.S.  In looking at the preview, I see that only portions of my photos show up.  I hope that you can see the full shot if you click on them.  Obviously this upgrade is going to take some getting used to.

Mask Making

I've added another 17 masks to the number I've made so far.  These are the latest installment of adult masks.  I also made some child-sized, for the grands.  These are a sneak peek at Easter gifts.  What a year, right?

Yesterday, I made some Easter cards as well, but I will save those for another post.

My Mystery quilt remains stalled at step #3.  I'm glad I didn't sew the blocks together, after seeing the layouts.  I'm going to do something a bit different in piecing one of the blocks, so I'm thinking my version might be a bit unique.  I hope to piece those blocks today.  We'll see what happens as the day progresses.

 I've been doing some baking, but it came to a halt when I ran out of eggs.  Savemart had no eggs in the store, when I went in search of them.  I am very thankful that a friend has chickens, and came to my rescue with a dozen.  Later, my son waited for 30 minutes to get into Costco.  He bought some eggs for me there, as well.

 The one thing that has not changed is that the garden is still celebrating the arrival of Spring.

We've had a lot of rain in the past week, which has helped keep people home and indoors.  The iris look a bit bedraggled today, but the unopened buds are still pushing, so I've got a lot more to look forward to in the coming weeks.

I hope that you are staying healthy, and safe.  The days are pretty crazy.  Good thing I know that God is in control.  He's got this, and will work it all to the good.  Families are definitely getting to know each other, and time?  I've always lamented the lack of time to get things done.  I have no excuses now, since all I've got is time at home, time to get things done.

What am I doing?  I'm spending a lot of time reacquainting myself with my sewing machine!  I liked the post that said, "I used to be a fabric hoarder.  Now it's called being prepared!"  yup.  There you go.

Happy stitching!!

Quiet Week

With the quilt show on postponement, I found several hours last week in which to sew.  I spent some time making masks for my DIL, who is a licensed social worker in the medical field.  Each day she interacts with patients.  She has been understandingly concerned.  They seemed a bit large for her, but I've yet to have a chance to make more.  Perhaps today.

 I attacked another UFO, which had been untouched for maybe 5 or 6 years.  The outer border is actually a reddish violet, lighter than it shows in the image.

 I've had a break from sewing this week, as I had surgery on Monday.  The hospital was eerily quiet, with no visitors allowed.  I came home on Tuesday, and have been keeping quiet.  Easy enough, with the prohibition on getting out and about.

It rained for several days, and now the gingko trees are pushing leaves.  Ahhh, the promise of Spring.

 And finally, my iris are putting on a show.  Love, love, love being here to enjoy them.

I have pulled out an OLD handquilting project.  It is the next easiest item on my UFO list to tackle.  I'm not to lift anything over 10 lbs, so UFO's in bins are going to have to sit idle for a while.

I do hope that you are staying safe.  It's a crazy time around the world to be sure.  I am thankful to be a quilter.  I do not expect to become bored, no matter how long this Stay at Home order stays in place.  I have more than enough to keep me busy.

Happy Quilting!

A Finish, and then some...

 For the past month or longer, I have been quilt, quilt, quilting on my entry for Best of the Valley Quilt Show.  Sure, I had a few other quilts waiting in the wings, but I wanted to be able to enter a true Show Quilt this year.  It's been three years or longer since I've finished what I consider a Show Quilt.  Boy, does it feel good!!

This is "Sunset Stroll," a quilt that I began in my first Katie Pasquini Masopust online class.  This was actually my second project.  The lesson was on "composition."  After doing all of the applique by hand, I really wanted to continue what I'd begun, so I quilted it by hand as well.

 It involved a LOT of quilting!!  I squeaked in under the deadline, finishing the entry form at 10pm.  The deadline was last night, at midnight.  whew!!

I was also trying to transform our Sew Eclectic "Broken Shell Beach" into a single quilt for entry.    The twelve individual quilts are all attached to an "authentic" used fishing net.  I put a slat through the sleeve, and had my husband hold it to be sure it hangs straight.  If you don't think that was tricky, well, think again!!  Thank you to Linda M., for suggesting the fishing net for mounting.

 Drought-stricken California has been getting some wet and woolly weather this month.  This picture was taken in my backyard yesterday.  I ran outside to close the umbrellas, as the wind picked up and whipped my trees as though they were cooked spaghetti.  I was certain one of the Sequoias would snap.  Thank goodness I was mistaken!!  The rain has been coming down, and no one is complaining.  We might actually hit our average rainfall of 8" this year.  Season to date is 4.96".  Normal to date is 6.39".  To date last season?  1.53".  So yes.  The rain falls, and the people rejoice...even when it has the potential to cost a tree or two.

Next on my quilting agenda?  Let's see if I can get my Valley Agriculture Challenge Quilt together before that deadline of March 1.  Goals?  Oh, goals are good!!

Miss Me?

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately.  I've been laboring, for months.  And last weekend?  The committee and I gave birth to a quilt show.  And what a show it was!  I think we outdid ourselves this year, as everything ran smoothly, and there were few, if any, neutral or negative responses to the experience.

 The above picture was taken during the first hour of the first day.  I love the sound of happy voices, reverberating around the building.

Remember the 6x6" challenge that my art group did last year?  We had it on display.  Deciding how to display it was a challenge in itself, but when I discovered these leftover slats from my Studio blinds, I thought we had a winner.

 Here is my final selection of six pieces.  I called them "Remnants," as they were made from remnants of various projects.

I had several pieces in the show, though nothing truly remarkable.  One of my favorites, "Tartan Highlands," which is my header for the blog, was chosen for the Celebrate Ag award.  I was quite tickled with that, and need to write my thank you note to Kausen Farms, the award's sponsor.

 My granddaughter made the trip to the quilt show, and had a great time.  She schmoozed all the ladies, and quickly won them over.

 I entered my Charlie quilt in the BOTV Challenge.  I should know better than to make a quilt of one of my cats.  He began failing, and passed away during the quilt show.  I can't think about it much, or my eyes begin leaking.

 And finally, now that the quilt show is over, I have chance to enjoy my garden.  The irises are in full bloom, and the roses are happier than I've seen them in years.

All in all, the show was wonderful.  There are still follow-ups and a pile of paperwork to go through but soon, very soon, I am hopeful that I will once again be making quilts, not just talking about them.

Goals are good!

Happy Easter!

In preparation for Easter, I made a couple of eggs for my granddaughters. 

 I also made one for my housekeeper, that I gave away before I took a picture, and this one, for my faraway kids in Missouri.  It's been AGES since we've dyed eggs.  I think sewing them is a lot more fun.

 The garden is beginning its best blooming month of the year.  Each iris is more gorgeous than the last.

 I saw this little embroidery in a book, and thought it was hilarious.  I want to make one for my wall...then again, where would I put it?  hahahaha!!

And that's about it for now.  I hope that if you live anywhere near the Central Valley of CA that you're planning to head to Best of the Valley Quilt Show April 13-15.  Details can be found here. 

Have a Blessed Easter!

RAIN!

We've got rain and thunder.  Whosh, here comes a downpour!!  Good thing I took some pictures of my garden BEFORE the rains came down!

 And here's a sure sign of Spring:  The Gingkoes are beginning to push itty bitty leafies.

The only quiltie thing I have to show for the past week, other than piles of quilt show paperwork is this $5 gem from another estate sale.

The mom looked at it, and at her daughter.  Her daughter scowled, pointed to the raw edge, and said, "It's not even finished!"  wow.  Hand pieced and OLD fabrics.  A friend thinks it's mid to late 1800's.  I'll be stopping by the Appraiser at BOTV to see what she has to say about my find!

See me smile!!

It's Springing!