March's FO Report

Finishes for the Month

I am participating in Barbara's FO Linky Party (button on my sidebar).

It can be found here at Cat Patches. Smitty wrote the post today for Barbara and I must say he is a Whiz at the keys. Barb's work amazes me every time. Be sure and see the guitar quilt she made for her son--incredible !~!

During the month of March, I have had two successful finishes:

Diamonds in the Corners:

One of the four Diamonds for which she is named.

Completed Diamonds in the Corners, on my bed every night with me !~!

I also finished another throw for which I am still seeking a name:

Sixty inches by forty-eight and backed/batted with
dark green fleece I thrifted a month ago
without knowing where it would be needed.

Puppy Play

Our neighbor asked us to walk her little dog every day while she works so we get a little "blond fudge" (as her mama calls her) every day to pet and play with:

Zinn looking for her breakfast.

I am really enjoying taking care of the baby five days a week. 

Altho he does cut into my sewing time...

 

Happy Holidays to all my readers.

Surrounded by homemade love. Both double-sided-design pillows, the blanket above his head and the little ball he's holding.

 
I made them all and am ridiculously proud of them.

Spring Comes to NorCal

Blooming Trees & Growing Baby

Flowers pop all over the neighborhood this time of year: 

roses, apples, decorative pears, blueberries, rain lilies, plums...

The white flowers are cherry blossoms;
growing strawberries in the box nearest Baby and me,
lettuce in the far one.

Where's the baby ?~!

Outgrowing his clothes-the first of many periods in his life
when his pants are too short and his wrists stick out !~!

Finishing a bottle of nature's elixir
while chatting with the Monkey in the baseball cap.

Sleeping Under Diamonds Tonight !~!

The Finish

     Diamonds in the Corners awaits my going to bed; she is completed and I am so excited !~!
     I finished tying this afternoon and by the evening's colorful sunset I had begun the process of "binding" those edges. The batting, two fleece blankets sewn together, barely reached the edges of the flimsy and the flannel sheet that I backed it with had lots of extra. So I turned under both the flimsy and the backing and whipstitched them together completely around the edges. I love it.

The whip-stitching edging.
Quickly efficiently binding the raw edges.

I tried it out for size on the bed and it's perfect. It measures 65 inches square and I sleep curled into a ball so it's just the right size for me at night and small enough to bring into the living room when I want it out here.

Sewing the last several inches of the edging.
Pillows peeking from behind me.

My goal for Feb was to complete it by month's end. Well, it's Pi day and that's as good a day as any to finish this quilt for which I have yearned since I started it. My first design all by myself and totally sewing it all here at home.

A Diamond

I'm enthralled with the scrappy look.

Perfect fit.

Orange-most block.

Can I go to bed yet ?~!
The white at the edges will work its way toward the back as I play with it.
What do you think ?

A Diamond for which she is named.

Edging-all the way around by hand.
Took less than two hours this evening.
I'm very pleased with it.

Tying close-up.

One of my favorite blocks in this piece.

A Diamond in the Corner !~!

I'm ready to call it a night. I've tossed her into the dryer to pull off the loose threads and fuzzy bits. Stretched her out across the beds and taken three many pictures of her. Now it is time to crawl 'neath her flannel side and smile until the sandman overtakes me.

Good night.

Garden Going In the Ground

We've begun planting for the summer season.

Six baby maties
Two lemon Cukes-my personal favorite and buddy can I eat the little yummies right off the vine. Scrape the black pokey bits off and rub it on my  jeans a bit to brush off the dirt and that baby is gone in sixty seconds-skin and all. Delectable. My favorite vegetable of the season.
Yellow Bell Peppers
Zookini
Squash
Kale
Grape Vine

There are two places still left in the plot-what shall we put in -I say more Lemon cukes but that'd be overkill !~!

The flagstones keep the hose from dragging over the babies
 and protect a bit from the wind.

Baby matie-six varieties this year-mmmmm.

Ormond worked all winter to make this 20 by 20 foot plot ready for this planting. Lots of digging and spreading and buying big bags of who-knows-what and filling in the low places and mulching and dragging and planting and soon eating the fruits.

Cute little babies will soon be big edible yumminess.

Mulching helps keep moisture in 
and birdies out.

 Last year's plot was not nearly this big and still we had produce to share.

I look forward to the same this year with even more to give to the neighbors.

We're going to try to  make Kale Chips. Olive oil and kosher salt and an oven, right ?~! Any tips from anyone who has made them at home ?

My Lemon Cuke baby-one of two.

Craft It Forward

A New Idea

What a delightful surprise awaited me when I returned from PT yesterday. A box from Sewlandia's creative engineer Jenn. I originally was drawn to Jenn's blog because I saw a quilt she had entered into a competition and was so intrigued that I went looking for the blog itself to learn more about this inventor-like individual.

Finding Sewlandia.com, a truly fun blog with pretty design, excellent photos and Jenn's personality all over it was a joy. She's taking a bit of a break, but she'll be back and you can follow the link on her blog to see what she's doing now.

CiF

Jenn posted about a new (to me) idea called Craft it Forward. I responded and after a bit came this lovely gift. Pincushions have become my best friends since I sew in a few different locations in my home and the bright and cheerful one that Jenn made is just wonderful. Its solid cup base boasts a gold decorative stripe encircling and a bright orange cloth cover for poking. I have it right here on my desk and already am using it as I tie my current quilt: Diamonds in the Corners. Sawdust makes a great filler, Jenn, I never knew that. Thanks for teaching me something new and useful--my favorite kind of interaction.

Love the fabric Jenn chose for top of Pincushion.

Pretty decorative stripe encircles the delicate cup
with its classic handle.

The other items in the gift box from Jenn delighted me !~! They are fine quality white blank cards with mini quilts sewn to the front of them. I can't wait to write a note to my quilty friend in Portland with them. (I'm looking toward Barbara and Smitty here!) The workmanship shines brightly; the colors shimmer and the skill level high. I managed a greeting card store for a few years and so this gift of cards charmed and tickled me. I will use them well and the recipients will all be appreciative I am sure.

Many, many thanks, Jenn, for this wonderful box of Craft it Forward.

My Turn to Share With Some of You

Now I want to craft and create and share what I do. The first five people, USA only this time please, to express interest in the comments will receive a unique, colorful, hand-crafted item from me during the month of June. Likely the latter part... I know that's a while away but if you read a few of my most recent posts, you'll understand why I need ample time to meet this goal. Wyatt is three months old and I spend nine hours a day holding him. Wouldn't you, if you could...

Look at his teeny little hand; 
 try not to nibble his ear.
Ring sling snuggles my bunny.

The only commitment is that once you receive your CiF, you'll blog about it and then offer the same deal to five people. I am already thinking about what I will make for you lucky players.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to hear from some of you. Our weather is to hit the  seventies this week-perhaps Spring arrives with Daylight Savings Time.

In the Early Morning Quiet...

Cat Stretches Out

Denim/Batik claims her attention frequently these last weeks. Who knows why ?~!

Mug Rug Finish

Heading to Denmark, I wish them safe travels.

Small Bundles and Large near-Finishes...

Hi, welcome to March !~! While still trying to figure out where January went, February scampers off into the Pacific, chuckling as she goes.

Good things have found their way into my life this month:

Thumb

Physical Therapy for my cranky-thumb helps a bit but the drive to get to it is onerous. Chris, my therapist, has great hands and does lovely massage but the bottom line seems to be that if I don't do the exercises regularly then the inflammation will just return for another stay. Dang it all !~! I wanna be lazy and still have a perfectly functioning body--who has the secret to that wish ?~!

insert pic of thumb here... Right !~! there is no picture of the thumb cuz no one but me can see the owie-ness of it. Trust me--it hurts and it makes my forearm hurt too. Oh well, what next !~!

Wyatt

Ah yes, Wyatt arrived in all his three-month old splendor. I have waited a long time for this little gem to come to me and here he is. In my lap most of the day, we chat back and forth, neither understanding much but Hey, isn't that just like real life too ?~! He eats and coos and poos and burps (we call him Wyatt Burp for fun and entertainment) then grins and promptly falls asleep again. What a hoot, his head control has stabilized (thankfully-bobble heads are cute in the back window of the car-not so much in your arms) and he wants to be looking into my eyes all the time. So rewarding this vocation. It truly is a calling and I cannot ignore it. Time after time thruout my life I have tried other professions and I always come back to babies. The younger, the better.

Is there anything anywhere more beautiful than a peacefully content sleeping baby with a full belly and a heart bursting with love ? ... I thought not.

Oh my, surrounded by homemade goodness, the young lad naps. Belly full and burped, diaper clean, body swaddled and tucked between my two favorite quilts.
It's all good, isn't it !~!

Quilting

In the picture above, two of my creations appear. To the left is Denim and Batik which I finished a month or so back with a gorgeous gray linen back. The batting I forewent-my home is usually pretty warm and so I need lap throws that aren't too thick. This weight turned out to be Perfect. Washable, it will soften as time passes. I love it; the green batik is African and elephants are the main motif as well as my favorite animals; the denim recycled from a thrifted denim skirt that I cut up and reused here. To the right of Wyatt is Diamonds in the Corners which I am tying instead of quilting. Almost done, I spend a lot of time figuring out how to do the edges. The batting-two of my velour blankets sewn together-are barely big enough to fill out the flimsy. I suspect that the border will have to interact with the flannel backing in a way as yet undetermined and still undiscovered. Ah well, the joys of being my own designer show themselves.

I am also working on Squares and Stripes and getting it quilted by machine. Not going very quickly but that's ok. Time and I have a deal; whether she will hold up her end of it I have no guarantees but I promise from where I sit.

Gardening

Ormond bought tomato plants today and we have tilled the soil in the garden plot behind our home. I love it; our most industrious neighbors are planting fava, corn, tomatoes, squash, peas and lemon cukes. One has even dropped in a few parsley starts-we'll see if they get watered; our rainy season appears to have ended early again this winter. Let's see if I can find some pics from last year's gardens...

Toms, lemon cukes, bells, zook
in one of the raised beds.

Same bed to far left, then just to left of front and center
are the blooming Field Irises we planted after Teri died in her memory.
Planted in the right side box is the plastic car the Littles pedal around our courtyard.

Innate Emotions

Love demonstrates its instinctual drives:

Sans coaching, Ginger loves Chester.
Dropping her pink beads in the moment,
she slides next to him 'neath the dappled sun
 wrapping the little guy with love's warm embrace.

A New Chapter Begins...

Wyatt

Today began my full-time work with a baby boy who was born the end of November and still has some trouble controlling his head. There is nothing in the world I like more than a baby. This one smiled at me a dozen times today. He'll be with us four or five days a week until school lets out for the summer. I couldn't be happier.

Wearing a bald spot under all my kisses.

The four-hour shakedown cruise last Wednesday went so well that today seemed simple with the young lad. He's easily comforted and very cute.

Nibble nibble while he sleeps, his tiny hand grasps my finger,
my heart melts into his eyes. I love babies. All of them.

Completion to Crow Over

Today marked the first time I hand-sewed a binding on and I loved it.

Would you like to see it ?~!

There she is-complete except for a label.

Close-up of the binding. What do you think ?
I did not cut it on the bias and I don't know why it makes a difference ?~!
Can Anyone help me with this question, I appreciate it.

Who loves his new lap warmer !~!

Sleep Cures and Projects Delight

 In my early days of sobriety nearly thirty years ago I slept a lot; for a two reasons: to allow my body time to repair the damage I had inflicted on it for the previous eight years while drinking and to avoid the hours of the day or night during which it was hard to say no. Sleep as an escape is time-honored and truly permissible. For some, it's the only way we can get thru.

Now as a chronic pain patient, I use sleep similarly: to heal and to avoid the worst of the discomfort when the weather turns or the meds just aren't getting it all. Rest provides respite, quiet time, and horizontality which allows fluids to circulate efficiently to the top part of my body and not settle in my legs and feet.

I have spent a lot of time in bed since the first of the year. Resting, recuperating, regaining strength.

Now I am up and ready for some action:

I am tying Diamonds in the Corners.

I plan to sleep with this quilt when I am finished tying and binding it.
Shooting for month's end. Keep your fingers crossed for me !~!

Machine quilting Squares & Stripes:

The backing for this one is a beautiful piece of woven plaid wool.
It's bluish-green, soft and warm at the same time.

I feel better with projects in the pipeline.

What are you doing this month? Valentine's special pieces? Springtime pastel bunnies for upcoming basket-filling?

Thank you for dropping by; it's always good to see you.

Been Sick-Recovering Slowly

Well, for New Years I got food poisoning and am only just getting my feet back under me.

For fun I have begun a Cowly Scarf for Ormond, a baby blanket for Wyatt, window covers for Iris, a friendship with Patricia and 2013.

Iris's spare bedroom window cover-a Quilt-Ain.

This pile of luscious yarn will become Wyatt's blanket and Ormond's Cowly Scarf. 

Hopeful to be back in this space with much more regularity. I have a lot of project ideas I want to share with you.

Happy New Year 

May each step we take lead the way to Peace