Backs Don'tCount...Right?

We stitchers are our own worst enemy. We look at everything we make and think, "there's a mistake there, I should have stitched straighter here, the corners don't match there, I cut off a point here...you get the picture. But I'm here to tell you if you come to my house Do Not Turn This Spring Wallhanging Over! The front is decent, maybe even a little better than decent...cute. But the back, not so much. I made several mistakes - big ones. I ironed the front to fusible fleece. It wrinkled. I blanket stitched the back onto the front. The back stretched and wrinkled. I wanted the rickrack to just cover the white fabric but rickrack wiggles all over the place and stitching it on is a nightmare. I think somebody out there ought to have a tutorial for the best way to put rickrack on the outer edge of something. Anyone know how? I got it on...barely...but in the back it didn't always catch the fabric. And everywhere I trimmed the white fabric or the red rickrack I got fuzzy threads that migrated to the front or stuck out the sides. Doggone it just once I want to make something that's perfect! Perfectly perfect in every way and in every stitch. I've never done it. I probably never will. But I want it. You ever done it? Even now in this picture I can see a little piece sticking out that needs trimming! Now here's another cute thing - a flippy little red and black apron. My friend, Sylvia, made one for her niece and it was so cute that I wanted to try it. Sylvia even cut me out a pattern and brought it to me. It was a simple pattern really. But have you ever tried to turn a quarter inch and then another quarter inch to make a hem on a circle skirt? The whole hem is bias! Can you say nightmare? Not because it was hard; because it twists and stretches! And then when you stitch it that's a curve you're stitching and do you think I could stay just shy of a quarter inch away from the edge? Sure I could....when I wasn't a half inch away or an eight inch away! Thank goodness on black nothing shows...I love black. :)

I Meant To Do My Work Today

I meant to do my work today,
But a brown bird sang in the apple tree,
And a butterfly flitted across the field,
And all the leaves were calling me.

And the wind went sighing over the land,
Tossing the grasses to and fro,
And a rainbow held out its shining hand--
So what could I do but laugh and go?


by Richard Gallienne

We've Been Robbed!

And here's the thief! This squirrel was determined to eat the suet intended for the birds, even if he had to become a contortionist to do it!

A Few New Things

The pattern for the Easter Sampler is free at The Painted Quilt - doesn't she do a wonderful job! And she's so generous to give one away each month. I didn't do mine in typical Easter colors because I wanted something more in keeping with my color scheme in my kitchen so I used khaki Kona cotton and turkey red embroidery floss. This quilt is one I made for the Downey Quilts For Kids program. If you aren't familiar with the program go to the website (I linked to it) and read what they do. When you sign up they send you the pattern and the fabric for one quilt. You supply the batting, piece and quilt it, and mail it back. They are all given to children's hospitals. The focus fabric I got has Valentine heart candy on it. I outlined a heart on the four patch and then "scribbled" inside the heart like a child might do. Then I used the embroidery module on my sewing machine and embroidered a butterfly on the focus fabric. I stitched in the ditch of the borders. I named it Butterfly Love.

This is the other Easter piece I've completed - much more the typical spring colors. I had this wonderful package of teal fat quarters I got at our quilt retreat last year so I used those to piece the background. The bunny and flowers are made from wool and are hand appliqued with a blanket stitch. Doesn't he have the sweetest little face?

Spring Beauty

This time of year I'm just in awe of the beauty I see all around me - the colors, the blooms, the whole concept of new life. These two trees are in my neighborhood. The first is just a baby; it's perfect in it's shape and form and the blooms are every one complete and perfect. This tree is in it's maturity. It's lush and full but it has a branch or two that are beginning to sag a bit. It has stretched out it's arms to the sky and is basking in the fullness of it's age.

I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.

I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God, even when He is silent.

(Author Unknown; found on the wall of a concentration camp during WWII)

Time Change

When I was a little girl I don't remember springing forward or falling back....is that because when I was a little girl we didn't do it? When in the world did we start this whole "daylight saving time" anyway? As if we actually save any daylight. You can't save daylight, I mean how would you save it...in mason jars? ziplock bags? suitcases? If you actually saved an hour every day think how many hours you'd have by the end of the season. Would they fit in a big chest or would you be pushing them down and closing the lid real quick like I have to do now because I have too many pairs of pajamas to fit in a drawer?

And what is it about pajamas that makes me have way too many? I mean I think they call my name when I walk by the lingerie department! It doesn't matter if it's Dillards or WalMart; pajamas wherever they come from are just cute. And even though I've got a half dozen pair, and why in the world would I need that many, I usually end up wearing a tee shirt and an old pair of men's pajama bottoms.

And why do I prefer men's pajama bottoms? They make women's pajama bottoms. Sometimes they look just like the men's. But I still want the men's. I don't want to look like a man; I just want his pajama bottoms. Not any particular man's pajama bottoms mind you, just the ones in the store and not the ones on some man. Not that I see many men in pajama bottoms anyway. I have no idea where this is going.

Oh yea, I was going to talk about time. In Esther Mordecai says to her (through an intermediary since he wasn't allowed to go into the harem quarters) "who knows but you were born for just such a time as this." That's not really an exact quote but you've heard it a hundred times before so you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I just want to tell you that you were born for just such a time as this. Now I'm not a prophet or anything - I'm just sayin' whatever your circumstances are they are part of your destiny. However you're spending your time is shaping who you are and what you will become and someday will be part of your history, and your history is part of your destiny. If that's true, and I believe that it is, I want the things I'm filling my time with to be things I can look back on and smile about. I want to remember that I played with a child and let the dusting go. I want to remember that I talked on the phone for two hours with one of my children and put my stitching aside. I want to remember that I took food to the homeless shelter when times were hard and gave a down-and-out man a ride and a meal card even though he smelled like beer. I want to remember that I sent thinking of you cards to friends who were fighting battles they might or might not win. I want to decorate my home with beloved things because I want my home to welcome friends and family and draw them in so I can love on them. I want to read my Bible and talk to my God and feel peace in my soul.

What are you doing with your time? Tell me one thing you're doing at this time in your life that you are going to look back on and smile about when you're 90. Tell me so I can do those things too because I want to smile a lot and have tons and tons of laugh lines.