Glorious sunshine!

Okay!  Today really feels like spring!  I threw the blocks from the Jelly Filled quilt on the "design bed" last evening.  Trying to get a sense of what this will look like.  Using a jelly roll is an interesting experience because inevitably there will be some fabrics in the line that do not speak to you.  So there are some blocks that I am kind of... okay, well.  Of course, the convenience of the precut roll is an advantage.  I think this quilt will come together once the borders are in place.  I was going to use the honey bun in the same line for the first border but seeing the blocks together makes me want to go towards a solid for the first narrow border in order to pull the quilt together.  Then I will use the Hunky Dory blue vines for the larger border.  That's the current plan anyway...

And just to celebrate the bursting spring.  Primroses under the nut trees and wild huckleberries in bloom.

Hummingbirds!

As I sit here, I am watching a hummingbird at the feeder outside the dining room window!  I mentioned to Husband the other day that a friend had noticed that the wee hummingbirds might be back.  So clever Husband put the feeders out a few days ago.  They are funny little guys!  Husband thought he heard their buzzing around yesterday but today was the first official sighting and now, as I sit here, the little piggy is feasting at the feeder.  It is lovely to see them back.

And they might be very well enjoying the flowers on this lily of the valley bush!  Which reminds me of the beautiful Martha Negley prints featured in today's Pink Chalk newsletter!  Wow!  Talk about lovely!!!

Pretty?  Martha Negley's roses

And I have 2 new patterns to share with you.  I have picked these up over the past while.

 From Fig Tree.  She calls it clovers but it is traditionally known as Card Tricks.  And this pattern is charm pack friendly.  I am really looking forward to trying this pattern.

And this one is just plain fun!  Love the bright colours in the picture and apparently this pattern is layer cake friendly.  Snazzy!  And my new ironing board cover is the backdrop for these pictures.  Happiness really is a new ironing board cover!!!!

quilt in the works...

As I mentioned yesterday, I have started a quilt using a jelly roll.  Moda's Hunky Dory to be exact.  And funny coincidences because Krista over at Poppyprint is talking about a Hunky Dory jelly roll quilt today.  How strange is that?  And I am using the pattern Jelly Filled by Thimble Blossoms.

It is a really fun pattern and makes great use of a jelly roll.  I made up all the blocks in one afternoon after having cut the strips the day before.  The instructions say to be careful with the cutting because there will be little waste.  Check out the wee pile of leftovers below.  Not so very much!  I will sew the blocks together on the weekend and add the borders etc.  I have some yardage in the line that I ordered a bit ago but I also have a Hunky Dory Honeybun  and I do believe I will make use of that for the inner border-making it scrappy and I think I might even use it for the binding.  Even though it will be a narrower binding than I usually use.  Just thinking about that.  Too much fun!

couple of things...

Husband took this glorious spring picture the other day and then the skies opened and we have had cold, cold rain since.  Even snow not far up in the hills!  Yoiks!!!!  Everything is greening up and looking springy though in the yard!

Webster loves his new quilt/bed thing.  I stuffed a pillow made from an old sheet and we were away to the races.  Doesn't he look content?!

And finally, I started a new quilt.  Trying to use up some stash.  I had a Hunky Dory jelly roll from a sale last fall.  I am using the Jelly Filled pattern again just because I like it and that is what matters.  I am feeling just a little bit hesitant to say that because of the giant debate that seems to be ongoing on some quilt blogs.  Simple quilts are just great if that is what makes you happy.  And this pattern makes me very happy.  Pictures of that project tomorrow.  Husband and I were at the dentist after work today so pictures will have to wait.  No cavities, Mum!  Happy Monday!!!!

thrift store stuff...

After my great score at the by the pound fabric sale, I found some zowie vintage sheets at the thrift store.  $1.50 each and in awesome shape.  I have quite a stack of vintage sheets including a striped bright pink one so I really must start thinking about a quilt using them.

But my really fantastic flea market find was really a Craigslist purchase from about a year and a bit ago.  We bought a lot of hardwood flooring from a guy for under $2 a square foot.  Amazing!!!!  And then we stored it in a big pile in the house until we were ready and Husband was ready just these last few weeks.  He installed it in the kitchen, dining room, living room, hallway and master bedroom.  I am simply over the moon with this lovely cherry hardwood.  Here it is, complete with kitty cat paw prints and Webster.  .

And I am going to link up with Sophie's flea market finds.  Check it out!

Fabric heaven!

Today was day 2 of the sewing and craft show and I waffled all evening about should I or shouldn't I go back to the show for the by the pound fabric.  Finally the decision was made that we would make that stop part of the Saturday errands.  First thing though.  If I was going to do this, I needed to be there for 9 am.  OMG!  The doors were open before 9 and we were allowed in to lurk.  OMG!  There was no one else at my fabulous local quilt shop booth and I could see the pile of by the pound samples.  I spied a stack of Sunkissed, Fruitcake by Basic Grey, some Love U, blah blah blah.  The announcement was made that the show was open and I started to pile up stacks of fabric loveliness.  I really had no competition.  The other shoppers who arrived were seemingly looking for things that I was not.  It was all very polite with people chatting as they pawed through mounds of fabric.  Everyone was loathe to mess it up but eventually we got over ourselves.  And here are the pictures of the spoils!

The whole mess of it

Fruitcake in all the colour ways and when is it too early to talk about Christmas fabric?

How much fun is this???

Sunkissed in all the colour ways too!

Love this line!!!

Yep, some Japanese cottons too!

This is a huge pile of romantic floral print in all colour ways as well!

So complete fabric love and I have to hand it to my fabulous local quilt shop for having the great idea of selling the samples like this, a couple of times a year and by the pound!  It makes the whole adventure like a quest!!!!!  And the icing on the cake was that we were so early that the parking lot attendants had not arrived so the parking was FREE!!!!  Totally awesome!

Sewing and craft show!

First of all, happy April.  I have been looking forward to today for over a month because today was day 1 of a big sewing and craft show one town over.  So I scooted out from school right away and headed on over.  What I was really looking forward to was my fabulous local quilt shop was going to do their by the pound sale.  This is where they sell off their samples by the pound.  By the time I got there though, the by the pound stuff had been pretty picked over.  I found a few things including some of Deb Strain's Fresh Flowers line and I did pick up a charm pack of the same.  Very bright and cheerful.  Lots of vendors had fat quarters for cheap so I did buy fat quarters!

And finally one vendor had all their yardage on half price but you had to buy a metre minimum.  I found more of those cute blue owls and then some other assorted pretties including a Kaffe Fasset floral print on blue and a daintier floral on blue.  Totally fun.  There were also lots of classes you could sign up to take but I was too pooped after a day at work with a veritable mountain of paperwork on my desk.

My fabulous local quilt shop lady told me they would refresh the by the pound stuff for first thing in the morning tomorrow but it is a long drive and parking is $5.  And all I would want to do at that point is look at the by the pound sale stuff so I think I will wait until she does it again in August at her actual shop.  Boo hoo!

Projects on the go for tomorrow.  Errands a plenty and then I have got to finish Mr. Dog's (a.k.a. Webster's) quilt/pillow bed thing.  I did buy fabric to finish that up at the sewing show.  The fabric was CHEAP! and matched his fur.  And that is a good thing.  Did I mention how much I love our new floors?  Happy Friday!