February 365 Day Photo Challenge: Week 4

Winter is winding down, but the weather around here certainly isn't! I took a bit of creative liberty with this week's prompts. I'll show you what I mean...

February 18: Swing The week started out springlike as Maelie and her favorite steed, Blackie, demonstrate.

February 19:Framed It was even warm enough for a hike through the woods.

February 20:Performance  Lula showed us her 'scary face', her hair in foam rollers for the first time ever (just like her mommy used to wear)!

February 21: Sweet Treats  Snowy days inside have given me lots of sewing time. Here's the latest batch of 'Juicy Fruit' Churn Dash blocks and a fruit I've been enjoying.

February 22:Look Up  We brought these handmade birdhouses back with us from a vacation to the Oregon coast a few years ago. On these wintery days, the sparrows are happy that we did!

February 24:Essential Equipment  A strong back and a good shovel are necessary for moving lots of that white stuff!

February 25:A Cup of Coffee  After a day of marathon snow shoveling, I'm happy to use my new Keurig coffee maker to brew my favorite flavor! (Can you read the upside-down-backwards word in the reflection on my cup?)

As I look out the window, I see more shoveling in my future. Honestly, I'm not sad to see the calendar change to March in a few days with some springtime photo prompts ahead, hopefully!

Sunday Morning

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers."

Psalm 1:1-3

Winter Storm Sewing

We are in the midst of a winter storm here in the midwest. It's snowed about 2 inches each hour since around 6 a.m. Thankfully, the snow has taken a little recess for now.

 I love days like this because it's a great excuse to spend time with my sewing machine. (As if I needed an excuse.)

Finishing up these adorable Winged Square blocks for Cindy was my first order of business. They are the February assignment in the Mid-Century Modern Bee and I love them so much that I will have a hard time mailing them off. Cindy only asked for one, but I couldn't stop myself from turning out another color combo...so cute! (I just might have to make some for myself.)

 But, first off, I am having a ball pairing up wild orange,pink, and red combinations for my own Mid-Century Modern Bee quilt, Juicy Fruit. I made these this morning...

 ...and have lots more cut out and ready to sew.

 Meanwhile, the weatherman says to expect 3 to 5 more inches of snow.

  So, after I fill the bird feeders I'll be back behind the sewing machine!

How's your day going?

February 365 Photo Challenge: Week 3

Snapshots from Valentine's week at Lolly's house...

February 12: Nap  Marble loves to find a spot in the sun, even if she has to share it.

February 13: A Tree  There was so little color in my hawthorne tree picture that I decided to make it a black and white photo which really sharpened the image. I wonder who lives here, don't you!

February 14: Love  My favorite love notes these days are the ones that I receive from my grand children. (I'm not really sure who the hairy guy is though!) 

February 15: Entertain  My valentine sent me a dozen red roses. They set the stage for our romantic dinner for two. 

February 16: Pride  Number 16 has worked so hard during his first year as a basketball player!

February 17: Color From The Garden  The only colors in my garden this time of the year are the ones in my imagination! 

February 18: A Favorite Snack  Sigh.

Sunday Morning

"Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Ephesians 4:2

Sunglasses Needed!

Put on your shades! You might even need some sunblock to protect you from bright colors of my quilt top today...at any rate, I hope that it brings you some sunshine!

 I'm most excited about the border. See it? That pretty Kaffe Fassett fabric, my friend, has been in my possession for over 10 years a long time. I know, because I remember buying it in a darling shop in Germany while visiting my friend, Susan. It was my first time to actually see Kaffe fabrics and I immediately loved the colorful collection.I really should sew with Kaffe fabrics more often, I am thinking!

 I just love the way that the floral fabric pulls out the colors from the pieced center. Though not certain, I believe that the teal inner border is a Martha Negley fabric. The selvage, unfortunately, had already been removed.

Actually, picking these two borders was very intuitive. I knew immediately upon finishing the center that the wonderful Kaffe Flower Lattice would be perfect. And it was! I grabbed the teal leaf fabric at the same time, and never even considered any thing else! 

The fun-to-put-together pattern is by Cindy Wiens called Jammin' Jelly. It reminds me a little of the popular Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson Designs, but is simpler to put together. (I've made the Yellow Brick Road multiple times in years past. Have you?)

Charm packs and jelly rolls are a great way to get to sample a whole line of fabric. Both work great for this pattern.

Now, I wonder if I can make a quick decision for backing and binding that might be hiding out in my stash! Oh, and happy Valentine's Day everyone! I love you all!

February 365 Photo Challenge: Week 2

This week's prompts were difficult for me. Not sure why. Maybe it's because I was under the weather with the 'creepy crud' for a few days. I almost bailed, but today gathered together some photos. (I hope that you won't mind looking at some lovely grandchildren!)

February 5:Backlit  A pretty find from an antique store in my favorite color.

 February 6:Use Your Senses  The look in Lula's eyes reflects her enjoyment.

February 7:More Than One  I adore the buttons on my chair.

February 8:Through The Looking Glass  I managed to capture a picture of myself without you seeing the camera in my hand. I'm getting ready to paint this room a lighter, prettier green.

February 9:In The Garage  Uhhh....this happens A LOT, especially in the winter when I've just parked the car and the hood is nice and warm. Marble is such a good mouser that we just ignore the paw prints.

February 10:Celebrate  Brothers with birthdays only four days apart share a cake every year. This one looks like it's on fire!

February 11:Emotion  Lois is almost always happy.

Playing in the Road

Everyone has probably heard by now about the MQG challenge put out by Michael Miller and designer, Violet Craft, to create a quilt using Violet's Madrona Road line of fabrics. Last Thursday, The Kansas City MQG held their big reveal of entries. Here's mine...

As you can see (and some suspected) I killed two birds with one stone, so to speak, by sewing up a Scrappy Trip Around the World pattern like hundreds of others in the online quilty community.

Adding in some other Madrona Road fabrics (we were given 6 fat eighths to work with), some solids, and by piecing some of my strips, I tried to make the pattern a bit more "modern". The setting is a little different than most of the Scrappy Trip quilts, as well.

For some reason, I didn't get a good picture of the back (It may have had something to do with the windchill on the day that I took the photos.) but you can probably see that I pieced the center with leftover Madrona Road and surrounded it with the same bright greens that I used on the front...

The binding is Kona coal with a small section of solid tomato red in one corner...

No one counted, but our guild most likely had at least 50 entries, all creative and different. Each guild could set their own rules for the challenge and ours included using a traditional block as a jumping off point. I managed to get pictures of just a few of the wonderful quilts...

As you can see, the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild is a talented bunch...

...and I am very fortunate to get to rub shoulders with these quilters every month!

I had so much fun playing with the Madrona Road fabrics and the Scrappy Trip tutorial, that I'm seriously thinking of making another one using real scraps and a colorful scheme. Making the blocks is a little like eating potato chips: It's hard to stop with just one!

Meanwhile, I'm calling my quilt 'Playing in the Road'.