Maturing twins and other things

quilted

I've finished quilting the challenging twins and intend to have it squared, faced & sleeved by next Wednesday's mini-group meeting. Then they'd be ready to hang at the next EBHQ community show. I've learned a lot from this project. More about that later.

No more quilting projects before my October trip. But I intend to continue with fmq each day by quilting more little 4x4 samples of Leah Day's beginner-intermediate designs.

In the meantime, I'm preparing for a two-day dyeing feast with my friend Pat. We'll combine a couple of exercises from True Colors with Carol Soderlund, to dye neutrals in dark and medium-dark values. All one yard pieces - at least 26 yards total. A real dyeing experience (as opposed to little sixteenths last year (here and here).

I'd rather be in the studio (or the garden) but I'm actually doing some housekeeping. It's starting to look presentable for my critique group which will be meeting here next week. I clean for a reason!

Summer in February

It's magic when it snows. Landscape blanketed by white. Sounds muffled. A great time to nestle in. To cocoon. 

I am jealous. Just a bit. After living in Alaska, I know the dark days drag on too long, the fight to stay warm and active become onerous. Strong urges to escape confinement. Stir crazy! Cabin fever! Take heart my friends! Spring is around the corner.

The San Francisco Bay Area had a gorgeous weekend. Sunday high of 79° in Oakland! I'm not rubbing it in. But with weather like this, part two of my kitchen cleaning regimen didn't happen. If I'd only been cocooning. Instead, I was in the garden weeding and pruning. I gave the feather reed grass its annual crewcut.

Good thing I'd finished pruning the apricot tree last weekend because it's in full bloom today. Okay busy bees, do your thing! Fresh apricots - yummm! If the raccoons don't get them all first.

Sunday, I met with Dana, Marjorie and Sandy. Our first get together as a critique group since last October when we were all in Nancy Crow's Strip Piecing & Restructuring workshop.

I am so fortunate to have a great group. We'll meet again in June. I got great feedback on two pieces.

On the right is the non-silk purse from a sow's ears started here http://mad-elena.blogspot.com/2011/01/sometimes-great-notion.html

Also a top from a workshop exercise. Before and after. Do the small changes make any difference?