Sisterly Quilts--The First One

I finally managed a bit of time with lovely fabric and two of my favorite machines.

This is what can happen to a photo when the cloudy, rainy light is horrible and one asks another quilter to hold the quilt. This was made with leftover 10-inch squares from a layer cake.


Much of the quilting was done with Glide Strawberry Lemonade; but I used a few more colors too.

What looks like muslin is a very low-volume white-on-off-white nature print.

I have five more pieced blocks left over for another prayer quilt.  Hence, this is Sister I and next will be Sister II.

Here's the sight I caught outside my window this windy afternoon.

I don't know what kind of birds these are, and I've never seen them around here before.  Clearly they are mates.  At first I thought they were a decoration my neighbor had put up on her wall; then their eyes and heads moved.  They were gorgeous enough to make anyone fall in love with the variations of beige.  They are all puffy to keep warm against the wind.  Then I think the sun's reflection on my camera when I moved scared them off.  They were so beautiful and made me feel blessed that I happened to look out the window at just the right time.  (I do wish I'd been able to get more and better pictures.)
edit:  A friend says these are ring-necked doves. They used to be birds that were kept in cages, but they escaped and are now breeding in the wild.


Happy quiltmaking...and knitting,

A Wonderful Tea for Destressing

De-stressor:  

A trip to Kroger/Dillon's/Smith's/Ralph's--or whatever it's called locally--to bring home a special tea.

This "Private Selection" Acai, Pomegranate, and Blueberry Green Tea is amazing.  The fragrance is heavenly!  When brewing green tea, begin with water that is closer to 180 degrees F. than to boiling.  (At least that's the advise I've been given and try to follow.  The right temperature aids in brewing an even more perfect cup.
Breathe deeply, enjoy a beautiful magazine.  Let stress melt away.  Now that we have reached 11.5 hours of daylight, there's a lot more hope that spring is not too far away!

Happy quiltmaking.....

Minimal Accomplishments

Not much accomplished in the way of quilting or knitting.

Finished the St. Patrick's Day socks one night this week, started some springy pink ones (which would be a lot farther along if I had spent less time looking at patterns), and am *still* in the process of stabilizing "Fowl Play."
Too bad I have to spend so many hours a day commuting to and from work--for that matter, it's too bad I have to spend so many hours working in order to have enough money to buy insurance and scrape by.  On the other hand, it's nice to know that I'm working at something that makes life better for kids and families.
Sunshine, lovely sunshine here, accompanied by spring winds, of course!
Oh, I'm linking up to Sara's blog, although I almost feel guilty for doing so.