Caught in a time warp!

Sunrise on a foggy morning, May 3

I guess I stepped into a wormhole or something because I didn't realize it had been two weeks since I last posted!  My brain has been turned off lately, though.
 It finally feels like actual Spring here.  Not too hot, but nice enough to be outside.  I have spent enough time in the gardens the last few days that I'm sore, my hands are all scratched up and at least one of my beds looks like a garden rather than a spot we didn't mow.

Taking a short rest before continuing the journey.

We enjoyed being on the path of the migration of Red Admiral butterflies last week.  I have never seen anything like it!  They were everywhere.  The yard was alive with them- every flower and branch.  Sadly, there were hundreds of them killed along the roads, too. 

Jack (in the pulpit) in (one block) Wonderland

Since I'm so far behind, I can show more sewing stuff.  Good thing, too, because it has been days since I've been in the sewing room. I'm starting to get the shakes! 

 I got the borders on the one block wonder I have been working on with a fabric Jane's "Sunshine and Shadows" collection. I would really like to have this finished for the show in October!  I need more practice with the quilting design I want to use first, though.

 I got the May calendar quilt finished.  Not looking forward to doing ants on the next one.  Not that I dislike ants, but the satin stitching is going to be a killer!

 I'm trying to figure out how to finish this piece from the mosaic "workshop" Kathi led at an ArtCGirlz meeting last year.    I wanted to make a sort of larger sunset behind the part with the trees.  But I didn't have much of that same fabric to work with. (the bit sticking out the sides is part of the strip set I haven't cut up yet.  I found some neat batiks to play with, so the whole thing may look different next time you see it.

I tried some curvy piecing after seeing it on Kathryn Schmidt's blog last week.  I bet she teaches a great way to do it easier than what I did, but it came out ok and was kind of fun!









My green tip this week is to remind you that how you drive, as much as the car you drive, affects the fuel efficiency of your car.  I am a lead foot, so I have to remind myself it's not really important how fast you get up the hill.  You save gas by letting your speed decrease a bit rather than accelerating up those hills.  There are other things you (and I!) can do.  A few of them are here!

I am grateful for:
The beauty of a sand mandala I was able to witness last week
Meditation
A very understanding and supportive boss
An exciting baseball game!(which I always thought was an oxymoron)
A mild sunburn- to remind me to bring sunscreen

Fabric painting

Last Saturday, a group of ladies from the Guild took a class with Barbara Murak. She is a great teacher and a very giving and generous person! She encouraged each of us to try all of her techniques, ensuring us that we can do it! She inspired us all to play, have fun, and find our inner artist. This is one of her fabulous landscapes. I so want to be able to do this technique.
My first attempt is not what I would call a success, however. The green I put on to be trees, looks more like smoke rising off the trees. I noticed at one point it kind of looks like aurora borealis, so maybe a piece called "Arborealis" is coming???





I really love the stripe I did, though, and am looking forward to trying it again very soon!








I finished my self portrait in time to be able to add it to the show the art group is doing. I used this silly picture , since I was keeping things simple on my first portrait style piece. next time it will be a glimpse inside. (sounds yucky, right?)













I have decided this is the final arrangement for my one block wonder. Once again, I have my seams running across the quilt instead of from top to bottom. Not that it's wrong, but as a sort of compulsive person, it bothers me a little. (not enough to "fix" it!)












In the gardens this week, I was thrilled to find this gorgeous Iris blossomed. I moved some of the iris after they blossomed last year, and just knew this one had ended up way out near the road, rather than in the bed near the house. The wind broke it off the very next day. :-(




Our baby birds are growing very quickly! This was taken a week after they hatched! I think by next week, they will be nearly ready to leave the nest. I will not bother them again as I don't want them to hop out of the nest where my cat might find them!














I am grateful for:
A glorious sunrise yesterday morning
The way the swallows fly over the wheat fields to catch bugs
Peaceful music
A nice chat with my son
Sleeping under a quilt when it's cold outside