And so the month ends....

In my time zone, there are almost two hours left in March, and I've finished one more project.  Here's my Christmas Through the Year gift.

I was inspired by Quilt Hollow, who found her tutorial at the Moda Bake Shop.  I've always admired Cathedral windows, and now I know just how simple they are to make!  I'll be making more when I'm not so rushed.  Try one if you haven't already!

Sadly, my arthritis is acting up, and I tried to quilt tonight, but I just couldn't do it.  Sew, there's no Sew It's Finished for this month.  But tomorrow is a new month, and I can start on all new projects.  I've already kitted up my ornament for the month and chosen a pattern for my BSA block.  I'm pretty well adjusted to being back to work now, so I should be more productive in April.

One last little thing to share.  I work for a very large global company.  Yesterday at lunchtime, I was sitting in my car playing Words With Friends with my friend Kate in Australia.  So it seemed very ironic to hear a 'clip clop' sound, and see this buggy go by. 

A tale of two centuries?

Stitch on, my friends.........Sunny

Getting Caught Up

As much as I love having a paycheck, working for a living certainly interferes with my schedule!  My body clock has adjusted, and all is well with the cats, so I'm starting to be a little more productive.  If it weren't for all my online groups, this month would have been a waste, but I'm trying like heck to meet all my 'obligations' and stay on track. 

Please note the temperature recorded by my car, on my way to work Tuesday morning, approximately 2 minutes after sunrise.

Here is the same shot the following morning at the same time!

And this is what the ground looked like.

But it is NOT snow - we had a Blossom Blizzard!  Remember the white blooms on the trees last week?  Bye bye blossoms.  A few more gratuitous flower pictures before I get to the stitchy stuff, because in case I haven't mentioned it a time or twenty, I LOVE SPRING!!

While we're on the subject of flowers, I only made one hexie flower this week.  But I did count all my flowers, and I will only be making white flowers for the next few weeks.  But first, I need to find more of my white fabric. 

And these beautiful  flowers arrived in the mail yesterday, all the way from Croatia!  Thanks Simona.

Today's mail brought my monthly basket block, this time from Kim B.  It's a beauty!  I think this is 18 or 19 blocks now, so I need to change my theme soon, and start assembling a basket quilt.

I just finished Kim's block tonight, and it was a challenge. I think I used an entire spool of thread, sewing and ripping and sewing and ripping and sewing again.  If she doesn't like it, I don't want to know about it.  Just kidding, Kim.   sort of.

And now for my OPAM.  I've had a vision in my head, (yes, along with the little voices) for awhile now, and I've been searching for a template to make some little thimbles.  While at my retreat last weekend, I noticed our hostess had a tiny little thimble wall hanging, so I inquired as to where she had found the template.  She said it had been part of a kit, and she would find it and lend it to me.  So I put my other projects on hold, and started cutting thimbles. 

Ta Da!  I bought this old frame a few months ago, and was saving it just for this project.  I photographed it without the glass, because the glass is convex - it's so cool!  Do you think I should add a couple of buttons or something to the strip where the word is?

The other project I worked on at the retreat is my NewFO for the month. 

I just need to applique some leaves to the nine flower blocks, and then assemble it.  It will be an easy finish for next month.  I'm mentally changing the outside border because I don't like what the pattern calls for. 

Oops, almost forgot my ornament for the Ornament a month Challenge,  I picked a very quick and easy pattern this month.  It's a freebie, but I don't remember where I found it.  If you know, please help me out so I can give credit where credit is due.

I think that's it for tonight.  I still have to come up with a finish for Sew It's Finished, and I still need to make a gift for Christmas Through the Year.  I'll be back in a couple of days with the results! 

Contentedly, Sunny

One Flower Thursday (?) and Scooter update

This picture was taken just moments ago, with Scooter on the sofa in the living room, where she belongs in the evening!  She was still in 'seclusion' when I left for work this morning, but was waiting by the kitchen when I came home.  She had a nice dinner, and I gave her a little belly rub, which is one of our little rituals.  She seems totally normal.  I'll keep a close eye on her for a few days, looking for any strange behavior. 

Because of her little disappearing act last night, I didn't get much done.  DH is out of town for a couple of days, and I was really looking forward to my Home Alone night.  Do you think his feelings would be hurt if I asked him to stay away for an extra night?  I did finally stitch a flower, and added it to the others that I made over the weekend at my retreat.  Saturday was a beautiful day, and a friend wanted to sit out on the porch and sew down a binding, so I grabbed my hexie kit and joined her.  I had raided the scrap basket earlier, so had a few little snippets of fabric that wanted to join my garden.

Spring has sprung here in Western Maryland.  I was shocked on Sunday when I got home from the retreat, and saw that our trees had turned white.  I was only gone a little more than 48 hours!

We also have daffodils in bloom, and a few tulips are beginning to open.  The neighbors have beautiful azaleas, and I'm seeing tulip magnolias and forsythia in all their glory.  I just love watching the earth come back to life in the spring. We were thinking of going to Washington DC on Saturday to see the cherry blossoms, but I think there's rain in the forecast for the weekend, and they'll be past peak, so we probably won't make it this year. 

This picture was taken Monday morning, and the daffodils on the left side of the sidewalk still haven't opened.  They look like they're going to burst, but I think someone glued them shut?

In case you're wondering, I didn't finish any projects at the retreat, but I'll try to have pictures by the end of this weekend.

Contentedly watching my kitties.......Sunny

I'm Sad

Scooter, Zippy. Chloe

I know that as a 'mom' I'm not supposed to have a favorite, but I do. It's my Scooter.  I've had her for 14 1/2 years.  But I can't find her tonight.  She's an indoor cat, and has never tried to escape outside.  So she's here somewhere, but I've looked under and/or behind every piece of furniture,and  in every closet.  She didn't come out for dinner, so I'm assuming she's sick or hurt, or worse.  Any ideas for where else I can look?

Edited to add:  I've found her, but I can't get close to her.  At least I know she's still alive at this point.

  

Remember Me?

The good news is:  I started a new job last week!  Yippee - a paycheck!  Ya know what that means, I can afford to buy new fabric. 

The bad news is:  working is hard work, and I'm having a hard time adjusting to being on a schedule again.  I'm totally exhausted, and all I want to do is sleep.  Therefore, not much stitching or blogging has been happening.  I'm going to a quilt retreat this weekend, and I'm hoping to be wide awake, and very productive.

Here are some flowers that I did get stitched.

And here are the flowers that I got from Kris my partner for the Inchy Swap this month. She also sent some very pretty fabric, some hexie templates, and a bite of chocolate. 

I hope to get back to normal, soon.  I'll see you around blogland.

Sunny

It's SAHR Time Again!

Are you ready?  I designed and laid out my applique border, but didn't get it stitched because I took a lengthy vacation in February.  But it's the first thing on my list now that March is here. 

Our March border will be...........braids! 

I went looking for images on Google, and here are a few that I'd like to share:

I haven't done a braid before, but I recently saw it done on Fons and Porter, and I immediately bought a hexagon ruler to use.  I'm not going to recommend a size for this border, so use whatever works best for your quilt.  I hope to see some beautiful applique and braids on the Flickr site!  I think we've lost most of the group, so please let me know if you're still playing along.  I certainly understand that with a long term project like this, life can get in the way and change our plans and goals.

con·tent·ment/kənˈtentmənt/

Noun:

A state of happiness and satisfaction

Sunny