Spring Is Sprung

Or at least it's trying to spring. I see buds on trees and bushes. They're almost popped out. 

I'm anxious to see the blooms on the magnolia tree that Bosca and I pass on our way to check out the water level in Minnehaha Creek.

But the surest sign of spring is what's happening right here at home in my Easter basket (or what's left of it). The Peeps have matured and are hatching. Two have already flown the coop.  The other three are about to emerge.

Where do Peeps go when they hatch? Straight into the microwave. Five to fifteen seconds depending on the age of the Peep. Add a little bit of Carrot Patch Pete and a graham cracker for Spring S'mores. Yum!

Double the Fun!

I met my goal and more! I got a backing pieced for Mystery #53, the latest mystery at Glad Creations. I would show you a picture of the quilt top if I could, but I can't. It's still a big secret. What I can show you though are my fabric swatches and the backing.  

For my color story I chose violets ranging from blue to red, rich greens that lean a bit toward yellow, and some multicolored orange/rose/browns. For the sashing fabric I picked a grayed teal that shows up in tiny places in the other fabrics. I'll post a picture of the completed quilt when it's back from the quilter and safe to reveal.

It took no time at all to piece that back, so I decided to do a second one of yellow daisies for the back of "April Showers and May Flowers". 

I truly think it's the prettiest group of fabrics I've worked with. Maybe I'm feeling that way because I need spring so badly. Easter has been over and done for two weeks, and we're still waiting for spring here. This quilt could not be more spring-like if it tried!

The fabrics are lovely little florals that remind me of teacups and are set into a minty green background with mustard green polka dots. 

The background fabric was a panic buy.  I watched the bolt get skinnier and skinnier til I panicked and bought what was left. (The hazards of working in a quilt shop!) It turned out to be the exact yardage I needed for this quilt.  Funny how that works! 

Here it is on the design wall waiting to be assembled and borders added. I found the pattern in the book, 40 Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts. It's called "Spring Fling" and was designed by Evelyn Sloppy. 

I pieced most of it last weekend at a retreat that I attend every year and that is also called "Spring Fling". How appropriate is that? 

See if you can track down a copy of the book.  I think you'd have fun making this easy peasy quilt too!

And check out that quilt on the cover. It's on my list of must-do projects . . . someday.

Sew Many Quilts, Sew LIttle Time

I'm in trouble. I have sew many projects in the works that I have (almost) lost track.  I definitely need to prioritize. Here's what's on the list:

• one quilt to bind, label, and attach a hanging sleeve
• five tops ready for the longarmer
• backs and battings to get ready for three of those tops
• two hand quilting projects
• two tops ready for assembly
• one piecing project half done
• one hexie project started
• a baby quilt to cut out

All are active projects, and I bounce from one ball to the other trying to keep them all in the air. It's fun! (Mostly.)

I like bouncing. It keeps my interest level high. I get to work on what I am in the mood for. But since I am almost never in the mood for piecing backs and doing bindings, those balls get dropped, and I get stressed. That's not fun.

I admire quilters who can pick a project, go buy the fabric, and work on that one quilt start to finish. What a concept! But I know I will probably never work that way. Plus, I love prioritizing and tackling a list - one task at a time - so here goes! Today's task: assemble one back.

Roof Acrobatics

The Olympics may be over in Sochi, but they are still going on at my house. With record snowfalls this week, the snow on my roof is unbelievably deep. Time to go bobsledding!

Just kidding. I do think I have a neighbor kid or two that would be willing to give it a try, but I decided to get rid of some of that snow. And don't worry. I've done this many times and have it down to a safe science. I climb out the dormer window and always leave a pile of snow between me and the roof edge.

Wish I had a before picture, but this is what it looked like after shoveling off the northwest corner. You can kind of figure out by what is left how deep it actually was. It took a couple of hours.

I then had to deal with the mountain of snow on my front steps. I have a back door which is no longer snowed shut that I can use, but my small quilt group is coming over this week and they would have had a hard time getting in. (LOL)

Done! One more hour of shoveling and the deed was done. I have no access to the side of the house, but there are great big piles of snow for the neighbor kids to play in. They're loving it!

Bobsledding, Anyone?

Since I'm still recovering from my luge event, I've decided to postpone building the bobsled run on my roof. Too bad. I have the perfect roof for it. You could bank off the dormer and then the lower peak onto the front porch roof. Nice big pile of snow in the yard that would make for a soft landing after launching from the porch. Oh well, it will have to wait.

In the meantime I've distracted myself with a couple of other projects. I needed a hand project, so I've started hand quilting "Coffee Break" with perle cotton and a big stitch. That technique is so much fun and finishes off a quilt pretty quickly.

This small wall hanging will be the second in my Yikes! Stripes! series. The first one was "Fractured Pansies", also finished off with a big stitch. Both quilts make use of an irregular, multicolored stripe. I have a stripe stash that will be very fun to experiment with.

I've also started planning a baby quilt for my great nephew expected to arrive the end of May. I finally got reunited with a charm pack I bought last May and promptly misplaced. It turned up in the laptop bag. Go figure.

I plan to frame these bright squares on two sides with light aqua and yellow. Since I don't have enough squares in the charm pack, I will add some black and white prints. Babies see black and white best for a while, so I will add the most graphic ones I can find. I may even throw in some applique.

I've put in my request to have the baby arrive on my birthday, but that would mean he'd be here a couple weeks early. Sure would be fun though!

Winter Olympics

I've taken a break from sewing to watch the Winter Olympics. I don't really have a hand project I'm that excited to work on, and in any case, I don't want to miss the action.

I'm anxious to see the luge events more than anything. While waiting, I decided to create my own luge event right here at home. It was quite impromptu. You can do it too.  Here's how:


1.  Like me, you probably don't have a luge laying around, so the right clothing is a must. Pick out a pair of clunky outdoor shoes that are slippery when wet. And a big puffy down coat, also slippery. The less friction, the better.

2.  Find a staircase, preferably uncarpeted, for your luge run. I used the basement stairs. They have those shiny rubber treads over bare wooden steps. No friction. Perfect!

3.  One more thing: add some extra weight. I found that a 50 lb bag of dog food cradled in my arms was just the thing. I needed to move it to the basement larder anyway. Two birds, one stone.

4.  Now you're ready. Standing on the tippy top step, slide your feet to the very edge until gravity and your slippery shoes take over. If you are lucky, your feet will fly right out from under you, leaving you airborne for only a split second before you begin your exhilerating plunge down the stairs on your back and backside.

5.  A word about elbows is in order here. Try to pull them up and away from the luge run as it will only slow your progress. It's admittedly hard to do while holding a 50 lb. bag of dog food, but halfway down I managed to raise my elbows a bit and immediately picked up speed. 

There you have it.  Easy peasy. I made it to the bottom in what must have been record time. 

Let me know how it works for you. You, too, could be an Olympic contender!

Another Empty Bin

This bin was full to the brim of leftovers from my Four-Square Lone Star, so following my new resolution to deal with scraps as I create them, I set to work.

You'll see it's nearly empty. I pulled out all the big pieces that can go back into stash for another project. Then I cut up the smaller pieces into useable sizes.

What's left are the remnants of strip piecing for my Lone Stars. Not sure what to do with those. The last time I faced this challenge, I made smaller star parts for my Harlequin Romance wall quilt.

I have decided to leave them as strip sets for now and have a separate scrap stash of Lone Star parts.  Maybe they will end up as little LeMoyne Stars in a future quilt?

In any case, I can chalk up another finish!