Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Dieting...and quilting

Diets. Yes, I'm dieting. My dd and dgd asked me to join them on My Fitness Pal...so, I did. So far, so good, have lost 8 lbs.  And just by writing down every bit of food that goes into my mouth.  I'm hoping that after a while it will become just the way I eat without thinking about it.

I've been working on a few more blocks for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler...and one's waiting in the wings because it has to be appliquéd.  The pieces are all cut out and pinned but I'll have to post that one later...haven't even started appliquéing it.

 This was difficult for me...all those pieces.

 Pretty easy block and I think it turned out well.


I'm getting there...almost half-way done.  I think I'm going to sash it and free motion quilt (FMQ) it in fourths.  Otherwise it will be too big to handle.  I think....








My next block which I'm dreading.  The instructions say to paper-piece...yuck!  But I do these quilts as a challenge to learn so every little block is 'a good thing'.

Fortunately, I'll have Jaik to help me.  He just loves quilting...can you tell?











So that's been what I've been up to....other than a birthday party for my DIL on Sunday.  She wasn't there but we ate cake anyway!!  I'll send her a picture of what she missed.  Today, my son is taking her to lunch and proposing with a two-carat diamond ring.  I asked him to send me an iPhone picture of the ring on her finger....I can't wait to see how it looks!


Friday, April 13, 2012

Beautiful Spring!

Hard for me to believe that it's been over a month since I posted anything, but dates don't lie. It's been a very busy month. Two of my dd's and one of my sons have had birthdays and of course...Spring has sprung some great gardening weather on us here in the Pacific Northwest. I have a beautiful red maple tree planted as well as one of my favorites...a new clematis! (have to remember to keep the roots well-watered).

And...I sewed a couple of new blocks for my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. They were not easy ones either...one took me weeks to do. Until I found a tutorial online at penelopewaits.com ...why didn't I think of that sooner!?

This Bear Paw block was giving me extreme problems; I just couldn't figure out how to paper piece it even though I traced out the parts from the book.  They came out backward, sometimes upside down so believe me when I say I was happy as a clam to find that tute.
This block may not be perfect but it's done!

This one gave me a few problems also but it was because the block came out too big when I cut the pieces to the measurements given in the book.  Now it could be that I sewed less than a 1/4 inch seam and there are lots of seams but I couldn't just whop off the sides to make it a 6 1/2 inch block.  So that was my problem with this particular block.
Just looking at it, the problems are obvious.  But again, it may not be perfect but it's done!

Flowers are blooming.  Look at the rosemary with it's beautiful purple flowers and the lovely pink hollyhock that is flowering.

 The hummingbird tries to get nectar from the rosemary flowers but the flowers aren't set up right for him.

I intend to plant some red tubular flowers for him to suck on.  There's more than one...maybe three...but I only refer to them as 'the one'.  I can't tell them apart.






Look at this gorgeous blue sky.  The weather report says it's raining here but I'm watering the plants and waking up to sunshine most mornings.

And these were my Easter tulips, given to me by my thoughtful son.  They're still going strong but I'm going to give them to him to plant in his garden for next year.  I just love the colors.














The chickens are doing well...lots of eggs still...and lots of new chicks!  So, my dd's have gone from 6 chickens to 23 in two years.  Yikes!
My dd's love their brood.  They have two Silkie roosters so the chicks have been half Araucana and half Silky....a lovely combination.  And they lay blue eggs!  Very pretty.

Tomorrow, I'm off to a garden sale at Bloedel Gardens.  Hopefully, I'll remember to take the camera.  Enjoy your weekend!