In Between

In between football, golf, baseball then football again...

I finished the first phase of the my current quilt top.

Next phase is borders but til then I'll just enjoy the color.

Definitely love this line of fabric from

Me and My Sisters for Moda.

Til next time,

That Familiar Whir

So I'm back home, summer's come to an end and I finally had a chance to get back to my machine. Those Dilly Dally pinwheels have been on my mind for the last two months while I was away.

I definitely love the Orange & White 50-50 bar look.

As for the second one, originally I hadn't really considered using those
charm squares with the black.
Even though they are colorful, I wasn't quite sure how they'd fit in.
But then I just decided to go for it and see how it turned out.

And I think I'm not going to regret it! 
There'll only be a few here and there in the finished quilt
and now I'm pretty sure it'll be an interesting touch.

So I'm happy to be sewing again
and also looking forward to visiting blogs and seeing all
the great creations and ideas floating around out there.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

 

Another Bloomin' (Macro) Monday

From my dad on Mother's Day

Pretty Orchid Blooms!

And from my son, Ian, on Mother's Day

Carnation Blooms!

And while I'm on the subject...

not too long ago I started this bloomin' stitchery...

And ended up with this finish

Still framing it...needs ribbon...

and let it take up space next to this bloomin' picture.

Happy Bloomin' Macro Monday!

Linking to

Stop and See the Daffodils (Macro Monday)

In my city, there's not a whole lot of natural beauty that jumps out and grabs one's attention.
But every morning, I pass by a small business park and just beyond the buildings this spray of yellow catches my eye.

And every day it reminds me of the saying "stop and smell the roses",
meaning don't miss the beauty that is there.

So last Thursday, I grabbed my camera on my way out the door
determined to get up close and personal!

And I followed the path.

Which turned out to be a nicely landscaped trail head leading
to a walking/riding path along one of a few waterways here,
that I easily forget about in the rush of everyday!

The soil is dry and hard (and the sidewalk dirty) but in the morning sun it was quite a peaceful little place.

And as I stepped back, I looked out beyond the flowers to the trees and realized what I'd been missing as I passed by each day.  What a sight, on a busy street, next to a business park...on the banks of Dry Creek. Who'd a thought?

My personal challenge in the weeks to come...
take time to stop and see the Daffodils...up close!

 For more Close Up photos, follow this link:

Sweet Dreams

Seems like I usually get some sewing in on Saturdays and so it was again this weekend.  And since I don't have much Christmas sewing planned, I decided to finish a project I started back in October.

Let's just call it my pillow project.  You see I sleep with about a dozen pillows (due to bad sinuses and such). Ok so not quite a dozen, but I decided I needed to spruce up my pillow collection with some nice new cases.  So, I got online and ordered this fabric that I thought would complement and update my decor.

It's called Amelia, by Me and My Sister for Moda, and Crazy for Dots by RJR.

I just love that fun paisley but I haven't cut into it yet. 

But here's what I came up with using the other three.

I looked at lots of tutorials and settled on this one.

I loved the cuff with a special trim and I got to learn something new to me called french seams.

It went together so fast and easy peasy (and the hidden seams are awesome!)

So, one more like this and then I'll decide what to do with that paisley!

And I know it's a bit late for a project that started at the beginning of this year,

but I'm thinking I just might join in on The 1 Million Pillow Case Challenge!

Have you heard of it?

Anyway, here's to a good night's sleep.

Row By Row

So I moved from inching along to sewing some rows together on my Flutterby quilt.  Maybe some of you remember my earlier posts on this one. 

The blocks have 3D butterflies in them and when put together will hopefully look like a garden full of butterflies.

Earlier this week, I spent a little time finishing the blocks...

Speed pieced and assembled...

Stacked and ready for layout...

Sample of layout ideas....

(Saving the completed layout til all blocks are sewn together.)

And last night I sewed the 7 individual rows...

...that are now ready for pressing (seams).

Then I can sew the 7 rows together and begin working on a border!

Happy to have had a chance to make more progress on it.

Wanted to join FNSI but it's been an exhausting week,

so my feet are up and I'm ready to watch a movie...

either that or repeats of the Golden Girls.

I could use a good laugh.  ; )

Happy Weekend!

Takin' It Easy

One flower from last week and another along the way brings my count to 2 flowers attached this week! 

Doesn't Raggedy Ann make a cute model for my GFG?  We should all have time to be so relaxed!

The newest additions are on the left, starting off my 3rd row. Here's a close-up.

Definitely coming along!

Will be checking in to see more flower garden progress

over at One Flower Wednesdays!

April's End

April is ending with the craziest spring ever...everywhere it seems.  Rain or shine, tho my spring break in Oregon was awesome.  I had such a great time with my sons and their girlfriends.  Great food, great company, great scenery!  I wasn't the greatest photographer this trip. But here's a few of my fav fotos.

We headed to the coast on my second day in town.  

Here's what we saw in Newport.

 Also went to the aquarium where Leslie is training so 

she can volunteer to work there and for the research center next to it. 

My favorite was the otter swirling around and pounding

the clam shell...he looked so content.

 

 And of course, my boys had to join the PIRANHAS...in their tank.  Goofballs!

Their favorite of the day, I believe was the huge ANACONDA

...notice NO pic of THAT...totally creeped me out!!

We had a nice dinner and headed back to Corvallis just as it started to rain. (which it did ALOT!)

And then there were TULIPS...everywhere!  I even heard about a tulip farm but didn't get a chance to get out to see it.  But let me tell, you just had to take a look in almost every yard and you would see tulips in all sizes and colors.  I'm sure they all got tired of me going on and on about the tulips.  But they were pretty.  The only photos I got were these from the hotel parking lot and one lone tulip in front of my son's apartment.

Sadly, this is my last day here.  

I already miss my kids and I'm not even out of town yet. : (

Anyway, as for my April quilting, 

most of what I completed I already shared. 

With the exception of the fully completed blocks for my swaps.

 Block Swap Adventure for Sue called Blazing Arrows.

AND

 Let's Bee together for Melinda called Four Winds

(Don't those look like tulips in there?)

So...the only good thing about ending my trip is that I get to go home and SEW some more!

As for now, I must pack and catch my flight!