suddenly spring!

omigosh!  what can i say after a day spent in quilting heaven?  this is how far i got on my project in bonnie hunter's workshop yesterday.  it will be titled "suddenly spring" because that is how it makes me feel.  during my trip to maryland a few weeks ago, i left the cold and brown maine environment to arrive in boston to see flowers on the trees, and as the train went further south, spring was a reality....suddenly!  and yesterday's workshop?  it was typical bonnie--fun and exciting filled with sewing and sharing, picking up valuable tips and tricks as only bonnie can deliver.  hop on over to her blog for more photos.  *** first up for me is to unpack the quilty suitcase, put phoebe back in her place, clear the decks here and get ready for work later on, still in the afterglow of a truly perfect day.

paintbox anyone?

this pattern is from edyta sitar, just found it in an email from hancock's of paducah.  wouldn't this make a delicious scrappy quilt?  i would probably use white instead of the beige and a different applique design in the corners, but i love, love, love a scrappy quilt like this!  wait, though, don't i have a scrappy ocean waves in progress?  i certainly do.  oh, and the scrappy honeycomb amish quilt too?  yep, i do.  and the scrappy boston commons waiting to be quilted?  so i am SURE i can pass up this one; seems i have scrappy covered at the moment.  *** another cool spring day here, that breeze from the north is keeping our temps too low for my liking.  it's sunny but still not what you'd call warm, but better than minnesota with 12" of snow overnight.  oh yeah, way, way better.     

playtime with phoebe

thought i should get phoebe out and give her a run thru to make sure all is in order for sunday's workshop, and it is!  she is purring along like usual.  here are some of my pinks and greens i'll be using.  the plan is to get everything prepped so when i get to the workshop i can get right to the sewing part and bonnie's ruler instruction and fabulous tips.  she said she has a bit of a throat tickle, but hoping she will be hale and hearty for her busy weekend.  **** today started binding the autumn change quilt!  that'll be a finish soon, then it's quilting the last border on the amish center diamond for a 2nd finish in may....2 bed size quilts off the list!  good thing as i have 2 ready to take their place--the scrappy indigo flimsy needs batt/back and baste and then this workshop top the same.  after the may quilts, it's small projects and applique work on the hawaiian.  i would so love to have that basted before 2013 is history..... 

sneak peek

here is a quick look at part of the project for maine quilts.  no, pine trees aren't blue with shells on them, just a bit of artistic license.  the plaid fabric was a volunteer gift last year from maine quilts, so it's neat that i'm using it for this year's display piece.  *** up early and eager for today's enjoyment which i hope will include plenty of progress on my 3 current focus projects--autumn change, the maine quilts and prepping pinks/greens.  a couple of errands will round out the day.  **** not much else doing here except watching spring progress and saying goodbye to april.  it's one of those days when i feel i can't sew fast enough or maybe it is just the stash inspiring me; either way, must not be deterred from current "must do" to rack up some finishes that are sorely overdue. 

new header

part of sunday was spent on a little daytripping.  with spring finally here and maine in bloom, it was the perfect day to do so.  the header photo is of nubble light in york, maine.  a real kodak moment place, not to mention the drive along shore road with waves nearly up to the car.  the video is of wells beach where it was sunny and cool with the air heavy with salt air aroma.  *** early this morning finished more of the maine quilts project.  then, pulled fabric for binding autumn change and got that ready.  all in all, a fun enjoyable day!

giveaway winner!

congrats to darlene....and thanks for leaving a comment.  this morning my mom drew the winning name and i have e-mailed darlene for her snail addy.  soon a little giftie will be on its way to her!  and thanks to all who posted comments as well.  **** already it's a gorgeous day and i've sewing fun planned.  had my caffeine and rarin' to go...enjoy today!

everyone knows....

quilters don't darn socks; it's written in the creed we all live by and in which we believe, except when it's patchwork socks!  don't tell anybody but i had to darn this pair recently because i HAVE to have my patchwork socks.  they were perfectly fine save for a tiny hole so i bit the bullet and now hope my quilting compadres will forgive me for breaking the code.  i am hoping you would do the same in this situation.  *** another sunny spring day here in maine.  finally able to go outside with no jacket.  naturally we ended up at the beach yesterday for a taste of things to come.  even at the oceanside, it was warm enough to walk a bit and sit on a bench and soak up some rays.  **** quilty efforts were focused on maine quilts project and the autumn change.  determined to get this thing bound before workshop next week...i hope! 

a friday giveaway!

in honor of april being almost over, spring being finally here and today being a very fine maine friday, decided to have a little giveaway.  the pattern came home with me from retreat last october and the selvedge needlecase was made by me.  if you wouldn't mind receiving these 2 frugal gifts, leave a comment and i will draw a name on sunday morning.  the wallhanging is 30.5" square and is paper pieced if you want to know.  ****  yesterday was the first time i was outside without a jacket, always a good thing!  doing some cleaning today, getting out my little window fan and some sewing of course!  am prepping the binding for autumn change in anticipation of a soon finish.  then i think i will finish quilting the last border of the amish center diamond before putting big quilts aside for warmer weather unless i can squeeze one more in before it gets too uncomfortable.  **** in the interest of full disclosure have spent just over $700 on fabric, workshop costs and all quilt/sewing related items so far this year.  if i didn't count the workshops, it would be frugal indeed, so not bad at all!

springy enough?

i think so too.  these are the scraps i've pulled for bonnie hunter's workshop next week.  some of the greens are leftovers from orca bay and some of the pinks are leftovers from a couple of baby quilts.  i did add a few to each pile; the background will be white.  most likely this will be donated at some point and will probably be tied, too, instead of hand quilted.  my hand quilting list is already overflowing.  ***  this is a (mostly) day off for me but i've got a list as usual.  first is diet pepsi; need some added "oomph" to get thru that list.  *** the temp last night when i arrived home just after 11 pm was 47 degrees; oh yeah, it is definitely spring now!

current read

if you follow along here, you know i'm one who reads on a regular basis.  this is the current volume on a medieval nun, hildegard von bingen.  it's part fiction of course, but i wanted to learn more about this remarkable woman i first learned about in music class in college.  now, my degree is more ultra-pricey maine souvenir than career booster--way more than any goofy lobster mug--but i did learn some about many things.  this woman was a writer, poet and composer among other accomplishments, unusual for her religious vocation.  medieval motets make me nearly swoon; i love the spiritual nature of the sounds and do listen to them on CDs, often on sundays to set the tone for the day .  *** on the quilty front, been quilting on autumn change and happy to say nearly ready to bind.  am also working on 2 hush-hush projects, my maine quilts piece and a small swap quilt being hand pieced.  in addition to quilting right now, though, have to prep my pieces for bonnie's workshop....super fun to come!