Building a star

I was feeling a little guilty about starting the Dragonfly quilt when I hadn't done any work on the Starburst quilt in ages. Of all my projects, it's the only one that has a deadline. It's still a few months off, so I've got time... but I don't want to dilly dally either.

So this weekend, I got a second quadrant together.

And I officially have half the quilt top done! I figure if I can do a quadrant each weekend, I'll be well on track to get the quilt done on time. I still have to get some material for sashing and backing, but I'm so pleased with how this star is turning out.

Although,  someone else thinks there should only be one star in this house...

And he's ready for his close up!

Buds and blooms

Finally!

We have our first bloom! A happy little mini daffy. I bought a pot full of them at the end of spring last year, and put the bulbs in the garden in the fall. And now they've bloomed! There's another one opening up just a little ways down the garden - and in a few years, there will be lots of them!

The Red Dwarf Columbine won't be too far behind.

Same with the purple Pasque flower.  These both get lots of sun, so as soon as the weather warms up, they really take off.

I was getting impatient waiting for the daffodil to finally open up, so a trip to the Farmer's Market last Tuesday had me bringing home these cheery Gerberas

And the little potted Gerbera is coming right along

The funky Kalanchoe is still blooming too

And the white Christmas cactus is a little confused on the season..

But any bloom is a good bloom. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Spring shop update

At 10 am this morning, I'll be hitting the button and the shop will be updated with several new skeins of Barn Cat.

It's also a reminder that I need to get down in the studio and dye you up another batch of fresh, yarny beauties!

Friday Felines - Special Bee Meadow Farm edition

Dear Readers,

As you know well, we are a little nuts about kitties here.

So it will be no surprise, that many of our friends are a little kitty-crazy too.

One of those people is  the amazing Natalie of Bee Meadow Farms (and her equally amazing husband Gordon).

Natalie and Gordon have been rescuing farm animals for a few years now, but just recently Natalie started fostering and adopting out cats (this is in addition to the many she has already taken in herself).

Over the past few weeks, she's taken in three litters of new born kittens. Sadly, several of the poor babes were born prematurely, and despite Natalie's round-the-clock effort, weren't able to pull through and thrive. You can read more about it here.

But a few of them are really doing well. These guys are only a couple weeks old.

Just look at those fat little baby bellies!!!

And those teeny-tiny toe beans!!!

Gah! I want to smoosh them all!!!

While Natalie has some wonderful community partners, and amazing volunteers, and a handful of regular sponsors, the bulk of the veterinary and other care costs come out of her pocket.

So I thought I'd see what I could raise a little bit to help her out. So for this week only, my Tuxie Love sock pattern...

Will be on sale for just $2. All proceeds will go directly to Natalie for care of her foster kitties.
Already have the Tuxie love pattern - consider using Ravelry's "Send as a Gift option" and treat a friend (or two!)

Or, if you prefer, you can donate directly to Natalie through this link
You can also shop her Red Bubble shop.

To learn more about Natalie and Gordon, and all the wonderful work they do, click here.

Dragonfly Gallery

I just couldn't wait to dive into those lovely new fabrics, so on the weekend, I started my Dragonfly Square-in-a-Square quilt.

If you follow the way Jenny from MSQ does it, you start by surrounding all of your blocks in the plain colour first, instead of building one block at a time. It makes a lot of sense, as it allows you to create sort of an assembly line. But, it's also a little boring. I just wanted to play with all those pretty batiks and match them up with my charm squares.

But, I powered through it, and after an afternoon of sewing, all the boring stuff was done

I had 42 squares ready to be paired with those beautiful batiks. Unfortunately, I only had time to finish six completed blocks before it was time to make dinner.

But what beautiful blocks they are! With this particular charm pack and jelly roll, they remind me of matted and framed works of art... so I'm calling this quilt Dragonfly Gallery.

I can't wait to frame up some more works of art!

The Empire returns

Remember this...

I started it waaay back in February of last year. It's been picked up and put down far too many times. And you know I hate letting a knit go on for more than a year...

So now is the time to just suck it up and get it done.

This is the right front. I already have the back and left front done.  The right front is almost ready to start decreasing for the neckline and arm hole. Then it will just be the sleeves.

If I keep at it, this puppy could be done by the end of May...

... just in time to put it away for the season!

Breaking down the magic

I am absolutely loving these disappearing hourglass blocks. I've gotten a few comments on how complicated they look, so I thought I'd show you just how easy they are. (You can also view the tutorial here)

Starting with two 10 inch blocks, you make 4 half-square triangles and sew them into an hourglass block.

You then take that hourglass block, and slice it into nine, equal pieces

This is where the rotating mat comes in REALLY handy!

Then you turn all the outside block around 180°**

Then you sew it together as you would any nine-patch and tadaa!

Beautifully complicated-looking stars made with zero complication!

I can make one of these blocks in about 20 minutes now, so this project is going to go much quicker than I originally thought.

** After watching the tutorial again, I noticed that Jenny turns the centre block too, offsetting the fabrics.  But it's too late for me now, and I don't mind the way mine look!

Think Pink!

As you know, after the man socks,  I was eager to get back to my On The GO designs. I also needed a quick hit...

So a give you Clarkson. A fun little ribbed shorty sock with just a touch of flare. I'm already almost halfway down the foot. I'm knitting it in Twisted Top Cat and the luscious cashmere is making it that much more enjoyable.

This is what sock knitting is all about!

At last....

... my love has come along....

In the form of DECENT WEATHER. Yesterday was a balmy, beautiful, sun-filled 13℃ (or 55℉), and I took full advantage. I was way overdue for getting out and cleaning out the gardens.

I only did the backyard, but it by far need the most attention. Under the watchful eye of my snoopervisor...

 I chopped, pruned, and raked until I could chop, prune and rake no more.

I was ruthless with the raspberries. I long ago learned that I can't prune them too much. The cane were reaching well over the top of the fence.

They are just starting to buds, but I find a good haircut really helps them green up fast.

The lilacs buds are small, but nice an healthy. The lilac didn't get trimmed. In a few years, I may need to start pruning her, but for now I an let her fill out as she  pleases.

The roses all got a good trim too. All of them are pushing out buds, so hopefully the trim will help them concentrate on greening up fast (no pics, they just aren't that exciting yet).

I don't know if you can tell..

The Red Dwarf Columbine is covered in buds. The Crocuses out front are still under a little bit of snow, so this one may win out as the first to bloom this year.

And she multiplied! I'm thinking I might transplant the new one out to one of the front gardens, but we'll make that decision later.

With all the dead leaves and detrius out of the way, the Bleeding Heart will really take off.

Same with the Delphiniums. This is the blue one, but I also have a couple shades of purple, a white, and a pretty pink one. Delphiniums are fantastic bloomers - I really recommend them for sunny gardens.

The Shasta Daisies got a little frost bitten, but I don't think even  a nuclear blast could  eradicate them. I should probably thin mine out a bit, but it will have to wait for another day.

I'm so pleased to see the Echinacea, and other Coneflowers coming back. These beauties bring in the fancy butterflies.

After the storm, I was really worried about my Armeria - it's a small delicate plant, but I think it's going to make it.

The Candy Mountain Foxglvoe was severely frost-burned. But once I trimmed the dead stuff off,  I think there's enough healthy stuff that it will thrive. The peach foxglove doesn't appear to have come back, but I'm happy  this one is trying.

 And look how happy my little Lupins! I've got two healthy bunches of these guys.

After I was all done, Chief Garden Inspector gave everything a thorough sniff...

Lukily, I passed inspection, and now the weather is suppose to be lovely alllllllllllllllll week! Things are about to get really exciting in my little green world!

Heaven sent

Well... not quite...

 But the above package was sent by an angel - the very sweet and generous Araignee. Her wonderful, fragrant soaps have already been put into use. The Coconut pineapple is up in our main shower for Dave (he loves fruity soaps), but the Black Cherry I'm keeping all to myself in my powder room. It's once of my favourite scents! The little lotion bars will also be quickly used - they were essential for getting my feet beach-ready for Mexico. And if spring ever arrives, I'll need them to keep my toes in tip top shape for sandal season!

Thank you so much, Araignee!

Also arriving in the mail was my latest order from Missouri Star Quilts.

Way back when I got into this quilting thing, I bought a charm pack of the prettiest dragonfly fabrics

But little did I know, one charm pack wasn't going to make much of a quilt. The charm packs were sold out forever, so I wasn't have to get more.  I'd been on the hunt for a way to stretch them out when I came across the Square in a Square quilt. I just needed a Jelly Roll and a Honey Bun.

So I watched MSQ for a good daily deal and jumped at one the other week

Beautiful batiks in similar shades to the charm pack

And some of the fabrics even have  a dragonfly theme! I also grabbed a pretty green honey bun to round it all out. I've got an empty project box, so I'm hoping to start this one soon. It should go together fairly quick!

I also treated myself to a purrfectly wonderful fat quarter bundle.

It's full of beautiful bright fabrics with a feline theme.

This is destine to become a Milky Way quilt

Mom sent me the pattern a few weeks back and you know I love a good star block!

I do so love a good mail day! And so does someone else...