Think Spring

It finally feels like spring.

I'll dismiss the fact that

the weather on Wednesday, May 1,

is predicted to be 38 degrees

and, guess what?

SNOW!

So I'll hurry to take this picture

of my finished pillow

  "Sweet Violette"

with my very stunted tulips.

The pattern called for lace and no border.

I added a border and rick rack.

This Amy Butler fabric called

 Deco Dots

was the perfect color and 

added some whimsey to counterbalance the 

formality of the embroidery.

I liked how it turned out.

Another sign of spring is

 The boys of summer are back.

The pelicans have arrived.

A wonderful bird is the pelican

His bill will hold more than his belican.

 He can take in his beak

Food enough for a week,

But I'm damned if I see how the helican.

         Ogden Nash

Welcome back, Pete the Pelican

and all the other Re Pete's.

Enjoy spring while you can.

Until Next Time-

I'm Still Transitioning

Back in February when I started

working on the wool project

"Folk Art Album"
by Primitive Gatherings

it was suppose to be a quick transition project 

from winter to spring.

But I had forgotten several things.

1.  cutting and fusing small pieces of wool can take

a lot of time.

2. I'm a fast  button holer and even with 

my secret elf's help, all those small
pieces have taken a lot of time to stitch around.

3.  Then the blocks needed to be sewn together

 with the pieced lattice.

4.  When the borders are intricate wool applique pieces,

they take as much time as the blocks.


The only saving grace is that
winter has clung on here in Colorado.
Last weeks snow accomulation was
over 15 inches.

Our elusive spring has thankfully given me more
transition time.
So I'll keep on stitching.

Until Next Time-
Kyle

California Fun

While I watched the 

runners last weekend, 

I took advantage of the warm weather,

quiet surroundings,

and embroidered on 

Crabapple Hill's pattern,

 Sweet Violettes

It's amazing what you can 

accomplish when you are alone
in the hills of Sonoma, with only
300 runners and crews.

With the coloring all done,

 it was pretty easy stitching.

But, beware, a dangling french knot 

can always be a threat.

Besides waiting and stitching,

Running Man and I took some extra time to enjoy some 

fabulous meals.

The bread and pastries

  and sandwiches
from

Tartine's Breads in San Fransisco.

Italian dishes at

Bottega's in Yountville,

owned by Micheal Chiarello.

And we can never leave the city

without stopping by Yang Sing's for

 

 dim sum.

It was a perfect weekend

get away!

Until Next Time-

Over One Hill and Then Another

Last weekend Running Man did

just that, a lot of running.

To get to the starting line,

we had to cross over this,

go past a lot of these,

and ended up here

Lake Sonoma.

The weather was ideal and the 

race began at a decent time

 sunrise.

At the sound of the gun these

dedicated athletes were off

to test themselves and their endurance 

for a 50  mile race over

one hill and then another,

 along trails wide enough for a single runner,

splashing through streams,

and trying to run as fast as you're physically able.

As Running Man's crew, I was 

responsible for keeping him supplied with 

whatever he needed to keep going
which is basically, Ensure,
water with electrolites added,
and an occassional slug of Red Bull!

I also did a lot of waiting.

There was about 10 miles between 

crewing points and that meant traveling from 

one spot to another and then waiting and watching

for Running Man to appear along the trail.

He had a good race, 

which means no physicaly problems,

with feet, stomach, legs
and also a good mental race,
keeping focused,

staying positive and
enjoying the experieince.

It's always a relief when I see him

getting near the finish line.

He's done it!

Great job!

And look, he's still smiling.

What's coming up next?

The Vermont 100.

Until Next Time-

Little Sprouts

If I were at home looking at my flower beds,

I'd be happy to see these

 little sprouts  coming up to 

greet the warm spring weather.

If you're Nana,  

you 're happy

to see these beautiful warm spring days

 so these little sprouts can be outside.

We did some creative adaptation

with an under-the-bed plastic storage container.

 Simply add two 50 pound bags of play sand,

a few spoons

 and a couple pails and scoops,

and you have an instant sandbox with a lid.

A happy place for these little sprouts to

play outside.
Nana was enjoying the spring weather too.

Until Next Time-

A Spring in His Step

Another course,

another 50 miles,

another crazy day of crewing.

Running Man has been training

for his next ultramarathon,

 

The Lake Sonoma 50,

"one rugged race".

It looks like a beautiful place for a "little run".

The course is around and near Lake Sonoma

 which is near Healdsburg, CA.

The course is 25 miles out and 

25 miles back.

The course record is 

6 hours and 17 minutes.

 That would hardly give me

time to get my needles and thread out.

So I'm hoping Running Man will be 

more considerate

and run a little slower so 

I can enjoy the springtime weather and 

work on my latest handwork.

He's got a lot of spring in his step,
so it may not take him long.

Until Next Time-

I Got A Brand New Box of Crayons

I have some quilting friends 

that do beautiful embroidery work.

They are always working on the latest

Crabapple Hill patterns.

I like to embroider too,

but it always seems there are other pressing

projects to work on.

My friends, Julie, made me lovely kit

 with the pattern "Sweet Violette"

by Crabapple Hill 

and included the floss and 

the best part was she traced 

the pattern on fabric.

But I couldn't get started until

I got a brand new box of crayons.

 The design included crayon tinting which

I'd never done before.

Another embroidery friend, Becky, had 

given me these sometime ago.

Have you ever seen a box like that before?

All white crayons.

The key to tinting is to first color the areas you plan to tint

with a thick layer of white crayon.

 This fills in the weave of the fabric

and helps to smooth out the other crayon colors.

It can take a lot of white.

The next step is to add the colors and any

 shading, if you're good at that.

I did alittle, nothing too elaborate.

Once you're satistifed, heat set 

the colors.

The heat melts the crayon wax

so the colors smooth out

and blend together.

I'm heading on an adventure soon

so this will be perfect to work on while I'm away.

The tinting was easy and fun,
 just coloring in the lines.

It's a technique that's been around for awhile.
It adds another dimension of color to the embroidery
so you might need to treat yourself to a new box of crayons
and give it a try.

Until Next Time-

Happy Spring Time

I love when my family

is able to all come home and 

spend time together, relaxing and playing.

The Easter weekend had

the perfect Colorado weather.

We spent some time at "The Farm"

looking at the animals.

New spring lambs

Playing on old farm equipment.

And just hanging out.

We tried bunny ears,

but no one wanted them on

 for very long.

A few family photos 

Some angelic

Some real life.

 Even though our special day is over,

spring is now in the air and

we have memories that will last for a long time.

Happy spring time.

Until Next Time-