Snow...No Problem

My daffodils seem to be fine after the snow on Saturday. There are some tiny dark spots on the petals and I don't know if that's from the snow, but I'm not concerned--from the kitchen windows, all I see is cheerful yellow flowers:)

Midwest Spring

In the midwest it's not a common occurrence to see spring bulbs up and blooming bright one day then covered with snow the next, but it does happen occasionally. Like yesterday.

Fortunately, at least in my experience, the snow doesn't seem to damage the plants.


And it does offer some photo opportunities.


And conversation for future years..."remember the spring those tiny little daffodils were covered with snow?"


And give pause for things that seem just a little bit out of whack...like last night, the ground was covered with snow yet it was still light outside at almost 8pm...or this morning, the ground is covered with snow but the birdies are singing just like they would on any other spring day.

Mother Nature can be mighty entertaining!

Marilyn

I Love Mini Quilts!

I'm very excited to show you the Japanese Theme mini quilt I received from my Swap Til You Drop partner, Julie. Titled "Zen Path", it is simply gorgeous!


I love the pattern...and I think the 12 x 22 inch size gives it additional interest. She used such beautiful and elegant fabrics to create the top...


and also the back.


Julie was so sweet to send all of these goodies too!

A needlebook (including needles) she made with a sushi print fabric, ribbon, stickers, Italian candy, a postcard from Venice and an adorable kitty appliqué--incredible! This was a great swap and so much fun...THANKS, Julie!

Marilyn

Time For Another Reveal

I made this for my newest Flickr quilty group, Swap Til You Drop (STUD!!)...hee-hee, gotta love that name:) There's opportunity to swap every month if you want, but it's not required. The March swap was for a "Japanese Theme" mini quilt.

My partner was Julie. She and her family are currently living in Italy, about an hour north of Venice (her husband is in the Air Force). Can you just imagine what that would be like? I picture it's wonderful!


I've had the button for a while, waiting for the perfect project to use it. I thought it worked well with this quilt. I had fun adding a little pieced strip to the back too.


It only took 7 days for my package to reach Julie and I'm happy to say that she told me she adores her quilt. As I know I will hers--she does beautiful work and her likes are very similar to mine. It is now in-transit and I will definitely share it with you when it arrives.

Julie and I ended up breaking the rules for this swap. The mini's are supposed to be smaller than 15 inches square. About two weeks ago, Julie emailed to say that her quilt designed itself and it turned out to be 12x22. We agreed broken rules make it fun. So then, how funny is this, mine turned out bigger than planned also! I didn't realize it until I was ready to add the backing I had so carefully measured and it wasn't big enough...hmmm, a 12 inch block with a 3 inch border makes a 15x15 mini quilt, right?! Um, nooo, 18x18! Wish I could say that mine was creative intent instead of bad mathematics but it was fun to be partners in crime!

Marilyn

Baby Update

He's due May 4th so just a little less than six more weeks to go!
I went to a baby shower held for him and his mother (our daughter-in-law) on Saturday. My gift was the crib quilt I made for them:



This is the back of the quilt:

I was glad that new mom really liked it. She's so sweet--she said she saw the photo of the bright quilt blocks from this post and was hoping that it was something for the baby.


I also have to tell you that she's my biggest blogger fan:) So I'm going to take this opportunity to send V. and baby a big HELLO and LOVE YOU!

Marilyn

Flickr Quilting

Having completed one of my sneak peek quilts and nearing completion of the other, I'm thinking ahead to a couple of new projects--also quilts.


In my virtual quilting bee group, April is my month to send out fabric packets for the others to use in making quilt blocks for me. I'm so excited--the members in this group are very creative and have sewn up some real beauties...also, the colors in the fabrics I chose make me smile! What better combination can there be? I mailed out everyone's packages this morning--fifteen of them--so all I do now is anticipate the goodness that will arrive in my mailbox next month:)


I'm also excited that Doll Quilt Swap 6 is now under way! I had so much fun with Doll Quilt Swaps 4 & 5.

The fabric I purchased for the doll quilt I'm making is a little more pastel than I would generally choose and I find that I really like it. From what I can tell, my partner, who I must keep secret for now, uses these colors in some of their work. That's part of the fun of this swap--we are given the link to our partner's flickr photostream and blog (if they have one)--so we can 'get to know' her/him and their likes/dislikes. It's a fun way to create something with them especially in mind.


This swap is a great opportunity to branch out and discover new patterns, or in this case, new colors! A creative pursuit is such a wonderful thing--always something fresh and new awaiting us!

Marilyn

Leprechauns and Pots of Gold

Big THANK YOU's to Renata and Melinda!!!

Two of the One World~One Heart giveaways that I won have arrived in my mailbox recently.

From Renata in Brazil, a purse-size, vinyl-covered notebook she created with lots of pages to record information or make notes. I love the latch she added to keep the notebook closed.





Renata also crafted this lovely card that she included with my notebook--the Portuguese word "Parabens" translates to "Congratulations". Renata is a very talented paper artist and has recently moved her "scrap PARTY" blog here.

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Melinda has also made a move recently, a big one--from Washington to Utah. But, even in the midst of packing up her house, she managed to create this incredible mixed media art quilt for me!


When I won her drawing for a pet portrait, Melinda asked for a couple good, clear photos of the pet I wanted in the portrait, so I sent her two photos of our 18 year old cat, Emma. When she saw Emma's blue eyes, she suggested a turquoise background and I think it was the perfect choice. She also sensed that Emma was quite girly (so true!) and added some bling around her neck. She really captured Emma perfectly...and, apparently, Emma thinks so too...


It's funny, often when I'm taking pictures of things for my blog, Emma shows up and weasles her way into one or two of my photos, but when she did that today, it actually made sense to have her there!


After her modeling gig, she moved on to some sunbathing. In Emma's world, that is a very busy day!

Marilyn

Works in Progress

Thought I'd show you a few of the things I've been working on lately...all works in progress. I've finally come to realize that I work best when I have a few projects going at the same time. That's just how it is:)

I'm really liking this knitting project. It's my first time to knit color blocks in this way.


The yarn is a 50/50 organic wool/organic cotton blend and is very soft. It's the yarn I received in this gift (remember it?) and I love it. The square needles have been easy and comfortable to use too.


My go-to book when I want to just PLAY, and play with COLOR, is Collaborative Quilting. A little inspirational reading can go a long way when the mood strikes...these house blocks were a lot of fun!




I'm not able to say too much about the next two quilting projects until they reach their new homes. But I wanted to post these sneak peak photos anyway because the colors are so warm and cheerful.




I should be able to show them in their finished state at the end of the month...at which time, I'll probably have two new 'works in progress" to take their place!

Marilyn

OWOH from NZ and SC2

LOL, my post title looks like an algebra problem!
But, oh my, nooooo...far from it!

It's my OWOH (One World~One Heart) win from NZ (New Zealand), more specifically from Kathy in New Zealand. I won the most wonderful giveaway on her blog during One World~One Heart and it arrived in the mail yesterday. Our mailman said it was his first package to deliver all the way from New Zealand...and it was my first to receive, so it was exciting.

Kathy wrapped it up so sweet...


Just like the bag she created! I love the hearts she added to the front--so perfect for OWOH. And the size of the bag is ideal for toting around all kinds of things.


Extra goodies too! Fabulous lip balm and the creamiest chocolate! Isn't the tin adorable?


Kathy filled it with some really lovely buttons. I'll definitely be looking for something to attach those to! And there were more sweets--a box of candy hearts.


Who wouldn't feel pampered with gifts like these?! Thanks very much, Kathy!


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Saturday, I received these fabrics from Audrey for our March Sew Connected 2 (SC2) quilt blocks. I think they're really pretty...so spring-y!


Audrey requested that the group create Wonky Log Cabin blocks for her quilt. How fun is that! I couldn't wait to get started so I gave in and sewed it up this afternoon.


One of those serendipitous things happened when I was first playing around and arranging fabric pieces. I had a pile of fabric scraps on my cutting table and that little bird piece jumped right out at me...it matched the pink and green in Audrey's fabric perfectly. A sign, for sure, so into the block it went. I love when that happens!

Marilyn