Five Things I'm Loving Right Now

1.  I'm loving the fact that I finished quilting and binding this pretty outreach quilt.  Aren't the colors fresh and modern?  Someone else made the top and then passed it on to me to finish it up.  I've had it since the fall and finally decided it was time to get it done and out of my house.  I kept the quilting simple so I could finish it this week.    

One reason I wanted to get it done was because my studio was getting crowded with quilts that I'm making for my various guild's "outreach programs."  These are pieces that you don't make for yourself but make for other people who you don't even know.  I think the pink and grey one will end up being a comfort quilt for someone with breast cancer.   Most outreach quilts I make completely by myself but occasionally I'll finish up something someone else started, like with this pink and grey quilt.

This cute little scrappy piece is all finished except for a label.  It will go from me to the guild and then to Blue Sky Bridge.

This fun quilt with woodsy animals is also slatted to go to Blue Sky Bridge.  I'm got all the stabilizing quilting done but think I'll take the time to quilt in all the blocks as well.

Here's the back with its cuddly flannel backing.

I love flannel backing for kid's quilts.  This one is for Quilts for Kids and features wonderful African animals wearing sunglasses and also a snazzy and cozy zebra striped flannel back.  I bought the animal fabric four years ago for someones birthday but she cancelled her party and I never ended up giving it to her.  Finally I got it out and made this quilt with it and a bunch of other fabrics I already had.  I quite like the ribbon quilting I did; seems to match the whimsical nature of the quilt.

I've also been sewing on two art pieces, but I can't show them to you yet.  😔 They are for challenges and I have to keep them under wraps until the challenge dates, which are April 19 and April 25.  But one is done except for the sleeve and label and the other just needs a binding and the sleeve and label.

Can you tell I've been quilting a lot lately?  I think it's a response to the upheaval of the patio work.  What a messy and loud process that is!  I often retreat to my studio and try to lose myself in sewing. 

2.  But of course I'm loving the transformation of the patio space and especially loving going up and down the new stone steps.  They are perfectly spaced and using them is so easy and pleasant.  You can see that the crew is still hard at work, but now that the steps are in we can actually walk around the new space.   (The black horizontal lines set into the steps will turn into lights at some point.)

3. And speaking of walking, check out my new Pikolino shoes.  I bought a pair of Pikolino boots last fall and have loved them.  So when I spotted these on sale recently I snatched them up.  Love them, too.

The reason why I wasn't in boots was because of our crazy weather.  It was 73 degrees today and should be equally warm tomorrow, leading me to get out my lighter shoes.  But I'll be back in boots again by Friday! 

4.  I'm really loving watching Paul handle the "Front of the House" work for the high school musical which opens next week.  The show is called Sideshow and it's about Siamese twins who are an act in a circus sideshow.  They each fall in love and complications ensue as they try to live their co-joined lives with their fellows.  As the audience enters the school they will pass through a circus sideshow --actually the school lobby transformed with decorations-- and can buy popcorn and cotton candy to help get them in the circus mood (and make some money for the theater).  Paul's job has been to pull this transformation off and it's been a great experience for him.  Lots of problem solving, planning, and just plain work.   Here's a Snapchat photo he shared with me showing the start of the costume the front of the house crew will wear along with the boxes they made to use in selling concessions.  He wants you to know that the straps are now painted black and look "cooler."  At some point I hope to show you a photo of the nifty circus tent that he managed to set up (and take down each day) in the school lobby.

5.  And I'm immersed in The Americans, a series made by the FX television network and available on Amazon.  Remember the old days when there was nothing on TV worth watching? Well, those days are over.  Now we have more good offerings then we have time to watch!  I'm starting the fifth season of this thriller and have to ration myself so I'm not up to all hours of the night in front of the screen.

Joining my friend LeeAnna's "I Like" Thursday, at Not Afraid of Color.