January Mini

January, 2020

 has used up all the cloudy days 

that Colorado usually has for the entire year.

So when the sun 

finally came out today,

it was the perfect day

to take my quilt outside 

and share my January Mini.

Winter Blues

33" x 33"

The pattern is adapted 

from Betsy Chutchian's design

found in the 2020

That Patchwork Place Quilt Calendar.

I had only a yard of that wonderful large print,

also from Betsy's Eliza's Indigo collection,

so it is smaller than the original and with less hst's.

Isn't it all about making do?

I love the rich indigo blues that I pulled from my stash to 

use in the blocks.

The blocks were done before I left on my trip,

but once I was home, it gave me an

opportunity to reconnect with my

sewing room.

Sometimes, I hate to admit, that I get

weird things that pop up in my head.

I decided to machine quilt my free hand, organic feathers

in the center square, triangles and border.

They're not perfect, but I love stitching them.

The phrase "full figured" kept spinning in my head

as I tried to make each plume plump and rounded.

That lead me to remember the

ads that Jane Russell use to do

for Playtex, way back when.

Anyone else remember this?

I guess it takes whatever it takes

to get the results you want

to make it look perfect

under that blue Colorado sky.

Connect with Wendy at her blog

to see what other perfect minis were

finished in January. 

Until Next Time-

Kyle

An Incredible Adventure

As you might remember

Running Man and I have been off traveling

south of the equator

It was a wonderful journey to: 

 Chile

16th Century National Cathedral, Santiago

Argentina

 The Andes in Bariloche, Argentina

Brazil

 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

We traveled from the west coast of Chile

the Chilean wine region

 to the east coast Brazil

Copacabana Beach, Rio

through the Andes by boat, 

 the rolling countryside of the lake region of Patagonia,

 and saw beautiful natural scenery.

Iguazu Falls

Recently, Chile has been experiencing

many civil protests and social unrest.  It was interesting

to hear the viewpoint of our local guides

and the effects on them and their families.

Buenos Aires, the "Paris of South America"

is a multicultural city with

colorful barrios, like La Boca,

colonial European architecture, and

a long and interesting history.

Casa Rosada where Evita stood on the balcony addressing

throngs of supporters during her husband's term as president.

Of course, you must add in Tango lessons

and passionate dancing?

Too funny

There's a well-known saying in Argentina, " An Argentine is an Italian

who speaks Spanish, thinks he's French, would secretly like

to be British."

From there we flew to the Iguazu Falls

which are simply astounding.

 The 275 waterfalls border both Argentina and Brazil.

Running Man's view from a zodiac boat ride
and
then right into the spray.

The largest waterfall in the world. 

Devil's Throat

Wish you could hear the roar of the water.

Next stop, Rio 

We had a dizzying ride up the cable cars to

Sugar Loaf mountain,

visited landmark sites like

Christ the Redeemer statue,

and had an amazing room with a view

all the while singing " Copacabana" and 

"The Girl from Ipanema".

The passion in this city really comes alive during 

it's annual Carnival celebration.  We visited one of the 

Carnival clubs that build the floats, 

 that make the thousands of costumes

and delivers the rhythm of the pulsating music.

We even got to play dress up.

We just have to learn the Samba moves 

to be ready for the parade.

 Our exploration of these 3 beautiful countries 

have left us with wonderful memories.
Thanks for letting me share some of the highlights.

Gosh, I didn't even talk about the delicious food!

Empanadas with lots of wine!

It was an awesome journey.

Until Next Time-

Kyle