Signs of Spring

Last week, Spring arrived at 28 degrees.

I was determined to start walking to work again, and bundled up and made the trip downtown to the office, about a mile and a half each way, twice. I remember noticing the temperature on the bank that's across the street from that capitol: 28 degrees on the first day of spring. It was a very bleak.

But tonight, in the garden, I saw this and finally felt I'd seen a real sign of Spring.


It's simply amazing how giddy-happy these little buds made me feel. I came inside and prepared a feast of pasta primavera, opened a bottle of chardonay and started looking forward to gardening, meals on the deck and naps in the hammock.

Confessions of a Swapaholic

Soon after I began quilting, I discovered online quilting groups and swapping. I loved scrap quilts and built a scrappy stash swapping 4-inch strips and 10-inch squares. I made blocks and swapped them, too ... and before long I was hosting swaps of my own.

Since re-starting the Beginner Block Lotto last fall, my swapping has slowed considerably, but sometimes I can't resist the idea of making blocks to swap for others' efforts. I love to see the often unexpected choices others make in their interpretation of the same block or theme. I love the wonderful, scrappy quilts that come from these blocks. Even when the blocks don't find their way into a quilt right away, I don't mind, because I enjoy the process and the friendship I've found in these swaps.

This weekend I was making Not Quite Bow Tie blocks for a swap. I joined this swap because, I rationalized, a "clean out your stash" type activity would be good for my stash. I created a little challenge for myself by building blocks that reflected various color wheel combinations. The only guideline for the swap is that the large squares must be RED--not an easy color for me. But here are my attempts at: monochrome, analogous, direct and split complements and triad. It was fun