Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

We always celebrate Cinco de Mayo here at the Three Cats Ranch...but not because of anything having to do with Mexico. We celebrate because it just happens to be my birthday. Wasn't it nice of Mexico to create this holiday just for me?

There's nothing planned today beyond sewing and a little smidge of housework. Tonight, however, we'll be heading out to one of our favorite restaurants in downtown Portland for a nice dinner. This morning I'm planning on going down to the South Store Cafe for some oatmeal and then a walk. I'm not sure what makes their oatmeal so delicious, but I don't ask questions...I just eat.

As for my sewing, the chairs are coming right along, and I have most of the day to work on them. Yesterday I had most of the red chair sewn together when I realized I'd made an error in the sewing order. The section in green was sewn to the pieces below it. Then I'd sewn everything in the diagonal at the bottom together, which left me with a piecing puzzle where the chair back meets the corner of the green lines. Do you see that "Y" seam there?

It was then that I realized that only the larger sections running along the diagonal lines can be sewn to one another before being sewn into a whole. I know...clear as mud, right? It isn't important for anyone to understand it but this hapless quilter. I took the stitching out of that little section and then made my way southeast along the section line, sewing the chair back to the sand at its left and then continuing on down the diagonal line.

When I'd taken it that far, I was really in a mood to sew together the back of the green chair. In order to do that, I needed to add the sand at the top. When it was finished, it looked like this.

Every time I sew together another section of little pieces, I breathe a sigh of relief. When I quit for the day, it looked like this:

Today I'm hoping to finish up the red chair. It is more complicated than the green, and so it's safe to say that the hardest part will be finished.

Last night I took a walk around the house, trying to get in my 10k steps, and I noticed that one of the variegated blue iris has opened up. Pretty, huh?

So off I go to enjoy my day. I want to get in my oatmeal and walk, but really, I'm itching to get back to my quilt.