Flowers or Snowflakes

Are these flowers or snowflakes?

It's hard to tell in Colorado.

I've been working on hexagon blocks

for the Di Ford's pattern, Route 66.

 They're as addictive as 

chocolate Easter eggs.

They just take a lot longer to make

than unwrapping a piece of chocolate.

If the weather stays warm,

I'll call them flowers.

If not,

 they'll be snowflakes for

a little while longer.

We'll have to wait and see.
Oh, oh,
did I just see a snowflake
drift by the window?

 Until Next Time-

Spring? Break

 Last week we went from this

  to this

 But despite the fact that it was called "spring break",

 we headed up into the mountains

for some family time.

Don't let the blue sky fool you.

 Next to the fireplace was the best place for coloring.

Someone had to wait for lunch.

It's hard to catch snowflakes on your tongue.

The snow didn't seem to dampen our fun.

Spending time with family 

is worth every second.

Of course, we know there are many families
today suffering after yesterday's attacks.
My thoughts and prayers are with
those families today and
the sorrow they are feeling.

Until Next Time-

Quilting Can Be SO Boring at Times

 There are times when the

repetitiveness of an action can be soothing,

like rocking a baby,

swimming,

or even hand quilting.

 The rhythmic motion can

ease away the stresses and anxieties of the day

and make you feel better.

This past week was filled with repetitive motions

and all it did was make me restless, tired, moody,

and ready to go crazy. 

I had found Noah and Matelida

lingering in a tote bag.

Now before that brings up bad images,

I'll remind you that Noah and Matelida

is a wonderful antique sampler pattern

designed by Dawn at

Collector With A Needle

This was a BOM started in 2014

and Noah and Matilda have been

enduring their tote bag residency for

over a year.

There's always a hang up or a reason why 

a quilt is ignored and left to the fate of

becoming a UFO.

In this case, I know exactly why.

It was the thought of the

repetitive, dull, tedious motions of

 making very small grapes for the appliqued border.

 I just couldn't face it.

But it was time to be a big girl quilter

and 

trace, cut, prep

 a gazillion circles,

(although, you can see they're still not  quite

ready to applique)

make miles of bias vines

and then trace, cut and prep

a bushel of leaves and flowers.

Okay, I sound a bit whiny, but

now that part is done.

I also knew I would have to slightly

refigure the border pattern and

I didn't want to do math!

But with only a few numbers and

 pleating the pattern, it worked out.

 

 I shadowed the vine design onto the fabric

and glued it in place with Roxanne's Basting Glue.

Next came more stems and leaves

 

and side one is ready to applique.

Now to many, appliqueing may fall into the 

category of a repetitive, monotonous,

tiresome, a mind-numbing activity, but for me

just the opposite.

Now comes the fun part.

I'm ready for a wild, mind blowing, thrilling ride.

Aren't you glad we're all different!

 Until Next Time-

 A few weeks ago I

bought a bunch of daffodils.

It made me feel like spring was just around the corner.

Don't you love daffodils.

(And Yes, I remind myself, that

March is suppose to be snowiest month of the year

here in Colorado.)

*****

 Yellow is a color I like to wear in the summer,

but I don't have much of it in my house.

It's a wonderful color.

It reminds me of happiness,

energy, and joy, but

it generally isn't the star in a quilt.

Doreen over at 

Aunt Reen's Place

posted some instructions for a Triple Irish Chain quilt

using a jelly roll.  

I had always wanted to make an Irish Chain

and I had always wanted to make a yellow and white quilt.

Why wait.

Perfect timing.

It's interesting the affects a bouquet of daffodils can have

on you.

Doreen's instructions were great and I

opted to do the largest version  82" x 82".

The quilt went together as slick as butter.

I reversed the placement of the typical background and the dark pieces.

It didn't make much difference in the blocks with the  2" squares,

but it made the large squares my daffodil yellow.

Recently, I've been sewing with smaller pieces

and doing a lot of hand work.

I found this so much fun.

It was quick and easy in comparison and

nice just to sit at my machine and sew.

 Working with solids is always a challenge for me.

The quilt top can appear flat and uninteresting,

especially with a lower contrast, like the white and yellow.

Then I remind myself that it's the quilting that

will bring it to life.
I just have to be patient and wait.

Daffy-down-dilly

Daffy-down-dilly
Has come to town
With a yellow petticoat
And a pretty green gown.

Happy Spring!

 Until Next Time-

Woolie Moments

After sharing my NEW 2016 list
of Stitch-a-Longs,
I felt like I needed to
finish another one
that I had worked on last year.

Stacy West of Buttermilk Basin
shared these wooly moments
as a BOM.

 I was able to dig into the wool bins

and find the perfect pieces to make

these blocks month by month.

The block backgrounds

were plaid flannels from long ago.

They were fun, easy and relaxing.

The kind of stitching that makes

for a perfect take along project.

I opted for a different setting
than what was suggested

and quickly framed the blocks

with gold flannel stars and a narrow flannel border.

The only machine quilting was around

the blocks and stars.

This quilt was another fantastic free pattern 

offered by Stacy, who's a terrific and generous designer.

And guess what?

There's a new one on her website for this year.

Check it out.

You know I have.

Until Next Time-