Chloe's Quilt - Fabric Pick

Chloe is my baby granddaughter, 6 months old. When asked about what she might like, her mommy said, "Maybe something bright; Chloe loves to look at bright colors, flowery prints and...stripes. She's very interested in stripes." Stripes?? hmmm... Well here's my pick (click on photo for up-close detail). Like Morgan's quilt, this will be a wash and wear quilt. Chloe and Mommy like to sit outside on the grass on nice sunny days while dad's at work, or sometimes Chloe rolls around playfully on the floor during tummy time. It'll be fun to see how this quilt blooms and a pleasure to make something special for sweet Baby Chloe that she can use to tote around for fun.

My Garden - Spring 2009

It's springtime and my garden thrives as the weather warms. The small front entry to the Casita is planted with a collection of white flowers, primarily roses. It's never very cold in Southern California; however, we do have what's called the June Gloom annually, which simply means overcast and cool in the morning. Tending to the garden in the spring takes me away from the sewing room for a while. My herb collection includes echinaeca, aloe and scented geranium (photos). This miniature aloe plant has helped to heal many minor kitchen burns. Our gated garden in the front is visited daily by a California non-crested bluejay. There are lots of other birds around, sometimes even hummingbirds, but the bluejay comes around most often...must be a nest nearby.

Handquilting Tools

Here's my trusty basket of tools with a thimble, pincushion, scissors and thread that I use when handquilting. I'm currently working on a Sunbonnet Sue quilt which you might find a picture of in the March archives. In quilt lingo unfinished stuff is often referred to as UFOs. My Sunbonnet Sue is one of those. Now that I'm thinking of UFOs (I have a few), I'm wishing I could sit and get with it, but not yet! The Casita is currently being painted inside and out and paint crews are underfoot. We've had to move things around and the house is quite a mess. Summer's on the horizon, the puppy is potty-trained, the garden's in good order and once the house is freshly painted, this Casita will surely settle down. I am oh so ready for some peaceful quilting time!

Goldie's Bowl - Bernina 830 Intro Class

Yesterday, I found myself at an all-day, hands-on sewing class at Mel's, to learn the features of a very fancy, very new sewing machine (Bernina 830) I recently traded the old one in for. About 12 ladies attended, including me. Back at the casita, 15 minutes before class was to start, I made a quick call to Mel's to shout out "I'll be there!" then ran out the door dragging my machine and all the parts and instructional manuals that came with it. My, my...this machine is a heavy sucker to tote...not good, considering the fly-by-the-seat-of your-pants, last-minute habits that I cannot seem to shake. The weight of the machine is cumbersome. I was rushing, while trying not to bump, bruise or break anything. Luck was with me and me 'n my machine made it to class intact, only 10 minutes late, managing to get situated and start on time with the class. The fun part was, of course, the hands-on part. The ladies ooo-ed and ahh-ed each new feature as we worked our machines. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Whew! Time flew as the instructor put us through the paces of the machine. I was stiff, stiff, stiff from sitting so long, but very satisfied. There's a Part 2 to the class next Saturday...about embroidery! I'll be there...on time!

Rose Red

Life at the Casita is currently topsy-turvy with puppy energy abounding. There's been little progress with quilting projects in recent weeks. Instead, I chase l'il Henry around and we play, play, play. When he's not romping, he naps...thank goodness. The little fairy in this Rose Red picture is my granddaughter Jaden's fairy. I drew her to resemble sweet Jaden. Isn't she a cutie?

Oh Henry!

Today Henry went to puppy kindergarten and learned to sit properly upon command. In class around other pups larger than himself, Henry went very low profile, I think mainly for self-protection, being the wee laddie that he is. The Aussie shepherd pup only 11 wks old towered playfully over our laddie. There is a happy balance at the Casita now that Henry is potty trained and has settled in as a member of the family. As this photo demonstrates, at home Henry is king of the hill. This is his pack...Mr. Potato, Miss Pinkie and El Tigre. Like Henry, they each get a bath weekly. Now that Henry's business is in order, it's time that I get back to quilting and most happily so! The garden also needs tending as we move solidly into spring. Time for a visit to the local nursery. Maybe I'll put Henry in a tote and bring him along.