Beautiful, Busy Days

This past week was very busy.  Usually I spend more days at home than not, but last week was the opposite.  Further, when I leave home, it isn't usually for more than a couple of hours.  Last week, it was more hours away than not.  It was a good week though.  Despite being busy, it didn't feel harried, and that made it fun.

It actually started on Sunday when I went to my LQS to take the third of four classes on my new sewing machine.  I think I'm finished with those now because the fourth class is about using the stitch regulator.  There is no difference from my old machine, and so I'll probably skip that one.  Monday I had a pile of errands to run, including picking up carpet samples for our new carpeting.  Tuesday I had a day at home, but then Wednesday I was off and running again to get a pedicure and to do more errands.  (Note to self:  a pedicure is not as relaxing when done during a busy week because it seems like just one more thing to do.  Plan better next time.)

Thursday I attended the Mid-Valley Quilt Guild quilt show with Quilting Babcia.  (Note to you:  from now on I'm going to use Quilting Babcia's real name, which happens to be Pat.)  Then, Friday (yesterday) I walked with my friend Sue.  The weather has been perfect all week, and it's been such a nice respite from the spring rain that seems to go on and on and on some years.  We're promised a return of the rain tomorrow, but we have one more nice day today.  Today, I'm planting my annuals.  I'll show you more later on those.

So where to start?  This will be a mish-mash of a post since I have several different unrelated things to tell you about (she said, as if her usual posts were well organized and carefully thought out.  Snort.)  So as long as I'm thinking about planting annuals, I'll show you the clematis, which is in full bloom now.

That tree beside it is a strange evergreen "shrub" that starts out growing up like a tree, and then bends over, as if it just can't stand up straight.  I don't know what they're called.  The previous owner planted that one and we have a couple more around the house.

With the days getting warmer and staying light longer, it's getting harder to get little Schmidthead into the house at night.  He thinks eluding capture is a great evening game.  He mistakenly believes the humans of the family enjoy the game as much as he does.  Last night it occurred to me that the quickest way to get a cat to come to you is to try to take a picture.  They always get up too close.  It worked like a champ.  He came right up to me, stretching.  Obviously, he's tired from a hard day at play.

Speaking of cats, I did a little more sewing on my January Folk Art Cat yesterday.  I added the one-inch inner border (finishes at 1/2-inch) and then made the mini quilt blocks for the cornerstones.

These little mini-blocks finish at 3 inches each.

They look a little wonky, but really, it's just hard to get them to lay flat because they are so small.

And consider this your reminder that the April NewFO Linky Party goes live on Tuesday.

If you're unfamiliar with the NewFO Challenge, just click on that button to find out more.  Everyone who links up will be entered to win this month's Needle Nanny, the dragonfly.

Are you ready?  You'll have a whole week to link up, so get out your camera and start snapping.

Finally, I have a few more quilts to show you from the Mid-Valley Quilt Guild quilt show.

Sometimes it's easier to just show you the tag that accompanied the quilt rather than trying to explain the story behind it.  Here's the first quilt I have to show you today.  I loved the fabrics, especially the border fabric.

The woman who made this next quilt was quite active during the event, and we saw her all around the venue.  This is a design I ordinarily see done using needle turn applique.  I think she did a great job with her sewing machine.  The stitching really sets off the design.

She used a tiny zigzag or maybe a satin stitch (can't remember now looking at it).  I'd like to try stitching something like this sometime.  (Because what I really need are more projects.)

Pat and I both loved the colors in this one, which was taught as a block of the month at one of the quilt shops in Salem.

Pretty quilting.  We thought this was done on a long arm, but I think it could be done free motion on a domestic machine if one didn't get too carried away with the length of the design.

These next quilts were all part of a challenge called "My Dream Vacation" and this first quilt won first place.

I'm realizing that I love the little details in a quilt.  I believe this next "dream vacation" was to China.

And look at this detail.  So cute.

And this next one is a vacation to Hawaii.

Check out this detail...

So that's all the mish-mash I have for you this morning.  It's 11:00 a.m. and we're meeting up with our kids for dinner tonight to celebrate my daughter-in-law Mae's birthday on May 1st.  Mae chose Indian food for her birthday dinner, and we're going to a restaurant that is new to us.  With this being the last day of sunshine, I'd better get going on those annuals if I hope to get them planted.

I hope you're having a sunny Saturday wherever you are.