Good timing?

So, winter arrived for real this week.  Above is what it looked like around the time I should have left for work.  The plows had not been by my house, so I stayed home.

This is what it looked like around the time I would have come home from work.











It took hubby over 2 hours to clear the driveway.  I think the snowblower is 24 inches high.

I think I made the right choice to stay home!










Crossing something off my UFO list, I finished this project last  weekend.  I started in in January of 2015, and forgot all about it until I couldn't find it to hang last month.    The pattern is called "Out on a Limb" - by Wendy Butler Berns.

I had to swap out on section, which is probably why it didn't get finished last year. 
The fabric in the center, with the trees, had the glitter on it already.  I added a layer of sparkle netting to the next section, then added crystals and glitter to the border, so the whole thing sparkles like fresh snow on a sunny day.

I also thread painted frost on the tree branches using a wonderful silk metallic thread by YLI.

 So, I got it done just in time for the arrival of winter, but just a bit late to hang in January- or VERY early?  It's all in the timing.

Here is a small ray of hope in the movement to restore the monarch butterfly's habitat.  Personally, I think not mowing and/ or spraying every inch of the side of the road would make a huge difference.  But the  roadside destruction committees continue to destroy anything in their "right of way"- you know that section of YOUR land that you have no say in how it is maintained???

I am grateful for:
Meditation giving me a little clarity- even if I cannot find a solution.
Getting to go to half of the Guild meeting.
The support of co-workers.
Spending some time with the extended family.
Having the sense to stay home when the storm hit Tuesday.


(Finally!- It has taken me three tries over four days to finish this post!)

Free to a good (or any) home!

I was going through pictures of older quilts the other day to find stuff to post on Facebook. 
**There's an ongoing challenge for people to post one quilt a day for 7 days and nominate another quilter to join.  It has filled my newsfeed with beauty the last week or two!  (a welcome break from politics!)

So, in the process, I came across these two pieces  that I hadn't seen in years.  Made me wonder what I did with them. So I started digging through the storage areas, and there they were- in the Bin of Unloved Quilts. 
I've mentioned my "gallery" before- where I hang seasonal quilts throughout the year.  These have never made it into the rotation.  Nor have I found anyone for whom I thought they would be a nice gift!  So I need to find them another home- in an effort to reduce the amount of crap my kids will look at after I have died and say, "Now, what are we supposed to do with THIS?" 

This one was a quickie entry for the "garden" challenge at the Guild many years ago.  I called in Octopus' Garden.  (Don't look, there's no Octopus)  I was just playing with the fabrics and learning some embellishment techniques. (beading through fusible is no fun) And new to machine quilting. 

This piece was made (begun) at an ArtCGirlz meeting.  Kathi either took the "instant art quilt" class by Ellen Lindner, or saw it discussed on another group.  So she shared it with us!  Basically you take one of those lovely hand-dyed fabrics, and tear it into smaller pieces, then lay them out anyway you like, until it speaks to you.  The fabric I started with was one I had painted, but it didn't come out as I had hoped.  So I cut it up.  It didn't really speak to me, but for some reason, the blue at the bottom looked like roots.  So I added the bits of blue here and there, then thread sketched over the whole thing.  My vision was a plant growing out of a stone wall.
First I didn't like it, then I did, but I just don't hang it up. So it lives in the bin.














Both would love to go somewhere they would be appreciated.  But how do I find them homes?  I don't have enough for an etsy shop.  They aren't the kind of thing a gallery would hang for sale.  I'm not even sure they'd sell at the guild boutique at our show.  So- pass the word to anyone you know who might know someone.  Just post a comment saying you'd like one, and they're yours- free!

It's not my imagination- there are toxic substances in fragrances.  And they aren't required to TELL us anything about them.  Seriously????

I am grateful for:
My tummy is better this week (for now)
Hearing Jonathan laugh out loud.
A shoulder to cry on.
Retreat is only 12 days away!
The other 3 kittens seem to be fine.

Busy and weird, but I got to sew

We're making all the plans and reservations for our vacation in March (meaning I have spent hours at the computer and hubby handed me his credit card).  One of my foster kittens became suddenly very sick again- after having seemingly recovered completely from the respiratory infection had had when I got them 2 weeks ago- and later died. My boss has made going to work a complete crap shoot because I never know if I'm getting Dr. Jekyll, or Mr. Hyde. 
So my stress/ anxiety level has been pretty high. (deep breaths...in...out... now, wine!)

But there was really good stuff, too.
I took Cait and the grandkids to the "Airigami Adventure" in Rochester last weekend.  It was a 5 story sculpture  consisting of over 40,000  balloons.












  It was really cool!  And Jonathan had so many things to look at! But he stopped to look at me once or twice. 

And I did get to sew.  I have been trying to get a kitty placemat made for quite a while now, so I have a neat place for the kitty dishes.  Finally, I had time to open my box of random strips and scraps.  I found some that went with the partial squares of this panel and just had fun. 

When I got it ready to quilt, I decided to try my hand at micro quilting.




 This little picture (left) is to show the scale- see the paper clip?

 It's kind of fun, but takes a lot longer than just stippling the whole thing would have!  Those ladies who do this on full size quilts have moved way up in my regard. 

Here it is with the dishes, and then Marigold came along for a snack!

I'm up to May on my Johanna Basford calendar.

If you want to color, but  maybe flowers and animals aren't quite your cup of tea, check out the swearybook!!  I think he's still offering it for free here!

Did you watch the Superbowl- or at least the commercials?  First, if you missed it, I was very pleasantly surprised by Lady Gaga's singing of the national anthem.  
Then, check this out- Levi's stadium is powered by solar energy!!! The fossil fuel stranglehold on the world is coming to an end (I hope!!).   It CAN be done.

I am grateful for:
My BFF, who knows me as I am and loves me anyway.
Plenty of Jonathan time last week.
The people at Perry Pet, who got my poor baby seen even though they were booked solid.
 The good days.
Warm feet, thanks to my rice bag.