Current Projects, Robin Update

In last week’s post (where has the last week gone?!?) I told you about a nurse I met at the surgical center who ordered three needlebooks from me.  I have another ten days to finish them, but got started a couple nights ago by piecing all three, plus one additional to give her a color choice.  She requested the pink/green and the red, white and blue ones, but whichever other one she doesn’t pick will go in my Etsy shop.  In the meantime, I have started working them by adding laces and trims, and now I am doing seam work.  I expect to finish all the embellishment in the next couple days and will post a picture of them after assembly.

I have also pieced a simple Mourning Heart for Hideko.  I need to applique it to the black block and then do some simple seam stitching, as she requested.  I also hope to have this one done later this week.  As you know, black does not photograph well, but all pieces are much darker in person.

I started my Hearts and Hands for Sendai block in the plane on the way home from Connecticut last month and have not picked it up since.  Once I finish the above projects this week, I have several round robin blocks to work on.  I hope to pick this up after Memorial Day and have it done by mid-June. Those gold feather stitch branches will be covered with cherry blossoms in silk ribbon.

 

I also finished up my purse entry for the annual Crazy Quilting International purse contest.  It came together very easily, which was surprising, because color-wise it is way out of my comfort zone.  I actually used an old UFO (now I have done completed 2 UFO’s this year!), so that is my biggest thrill.

On Saturday evening we had some really strong winds blow through the valley. The type of winds that knock down large branches and cause general havoc. I was so worried about the robins, but when I ran out on Sunday morning to see if the nest had survived, this is what I saw:

Not only did the nest make it through the storm, but Mama Robin is still diligently nesting. Can you see her sitting in there? Her eye and yellow beak are below the horizontal brown branch, near the center of the picture. Her tail is just right of the upright tan branch (the left “goal post”, LOL). All is well. 

The weather here continues to be rainy and blustery, punctuated with a half day of sunshine here and there. With Bruce’s arm out of commission for a couple weeks, I got to mow the lawns for the first time (ever!) It was easy with the new electric mower, but don’t tell Bruce. Tomorrow if the weather is nice, I want to go out to find some annuals to plant in my front porch pots. I have been collecting the Mexican Talavera pots for years; every time we drive to visit the whole Fam Damily south of Tucson, we bring home one or two. They look lovely on our steps, even empty. But they are crying for flowers....

Hugs,