50 Shades of Grey

Progress on Prairie Schooler Owl and Pussycat. Just a few more rows of green under the boat to fill in those waves. Then their chests and eyes, they look a little weird not filled in. Hopefully by next week i'll have a finish to show off!

And here is my most recent quilt top finish. I have named this my "50 Shades of Gray" quilt. Don't worry, you don't have to point out that there is not actually fifty shades of grey in this quilt there is only four, I know. I just like the humor in naming a quilt after a dirty book (btw I have not read book/seen the movie yet they are both on my to do list).

Here is the back of the quilt, and some of my stitching on the top. I am hand stitching the top of it because I don't want to pay to have it long-arm quilted since it is just for me, and it was too bulky to quilt on my own sewing machine. I do love the backing fabric, it has a bunch of sewing related words on it. I figured a quilt named after a book should have something literary on it.

My latest exchange piece, finally arrived safely at it's destination. I had mailed it to Canada, and they sent it back because I didn't put my full name on the return address (I just used my first initial and last name). So I was super late in getting this to my exchange partner. I had to laugh over this exchange, above is the sheep I stitched and below is the sheep that was stitched for me. Their twins, just with different color wool! My exchange partner must have had very good taste!

I'll leave you again with more garden pics. These are blue hibiscus. They only bloom in the spring, but are actually pretty hardy for our extreme desert heat. I have one plant that has lasted through four summers now. I love their pretty purple flowers. 

I forgot how much I enjoyed sorting thread.....

  

I forgot how much I enjoy sorting thread....said no one EVER! Especially not me. It's been years since I stitched a kit, but this one caught my eye. It is Bucilla's Heirloom Collection "Dana's Roses". The roses look just like one of my favorite types of roses "Peace" roses, and the kit included 28 count evenweave instead of scratchy Aida. So I bought it, cause that's just what I need is another large project to start. The thread sorter the kit included even had a little color sample next to the holes to make it easier to sort the thread. Did not really help. It still took me about an hour and several tangled messes to get all the thread sorted. Looking at how much thread is needed for this is a little intimidating.

This is my fun small project for the month, Prairie Schooler's "Owl & the Pussycat". I changed the colors a bit, using WDW "Grasshopper" for the boat, and changing the words from gold to purple. I love the little children's poem. I had an aunt who lived abroad for many years as I was growing up, and I remember she gave me a book of English children's stories/poems. The Owl & Pussycat was in it, beautifully illustrated. The book also included another children's poem that still to this day frightens me, it was called "The Pobble who lost his Nose" if I remember right, and it was about an elf who swam across the English Channel and froze off his nose. Don't know why it scared me so as a child, but I do remember the elf/pobble being quite creepy looking in the story.

Here is one of my first rose blooms for the year. This variety is called "Moonlit Path" and they have a beautiful purple tinge to them. They line my driveway, and I love seeing them as I pull in from work. Hoping everyone had a pleasant Easter, and warm spring days ahead. Thanks for stopping by!