Hi, I'm Back/ March is Almost Gone

 

Good evening on a cold grey Sunday!

First, thanks to so many friends who sent caring message about Baby Mo. He is doing better! And I am hopeful he will recover completely. It was a very frightening and totally unexpected episode. I thought he was having a stroke. Below is two days after.

Before all this started I felt well enough post-Covid to work on a small quilt! Yes, Whatnots.

 I started the center since ''everyone'' weighed in that the center is crucial to the design. [I still disagree, but what the heck].

This is the pattern, not too detailed, and poorly drawn.

So far, as my machine chews up corners and spits out seams,

this is as far as I've progressed. 

Yes the corners on Row 4 are wrong. I struggle with this always.

The design ends up making tiny 9-Patches but is created with diagonal strips. Horrors. Add in the poor machine performance and --oh ick. But I remember [now sadly ironic] Peace and Plenty, a Humble Quilts SAL called Cascadia. It is my favorite small quilt. Maybe this will be a success despite the same poor seaming.

For the muslin, I'm using coffee and rust dyed fabrics that Julierose and I made a few summers ago. She has a very good method involving sun dying.

It's hard to imagine but soon it will be warm on the deck for  sewing time. I want this ready for hand applique by then! Raw edge w black thread appliques, as Cheri Payne always suggested. That will be the fun part. 

Cascadia/ Peace and Plenty post and pics HERE

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See the weather:

I don't make this up. Though I realize elsewhere the weather is even more dire. And we had a warmish day---just the one! yesterday.

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Spring flowers. I'm drying the daffodils for an online project but otherwise cannot remember what or why. Hahahah. It's easy enough to dry them, maybe I'll remember?

Saved a few solo for my drawing journal. I do find them charming, despite being shriveled. [will anyone ever say that about me someday?]

Drying the baby pumpkins too. They take years!

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Birdwatching: I'm still observing the migratory birds in the ugly locust tree, as Mo and I are having low-key days just now. These big black birds arrived the other day. Not crows, not starlings, not fish crows . They have long graceful tails and yellow beaks. And they waddle and bob on the ground foraging grass seed in public areas. I believe they are grackles, though the days are too dull for me to see the brilliant iridescence of grackles, an attribute I recall from childhood feeders.

And late one afternoon the oddest beautiful fairly large flock ---of what?--arrived. The leader was much stockier and larger, distinctively a rose breasted grosbeak! [Google images here/ all]

 But the surrounding flock was small, and sparrow-like but with rosy sides and breasts. I thought house finches. 

But then I found pine grosbeaks. This is exactly how they looked. Do the species mix? Travel together in migration? Forage for food? Did this male have a harem of little pink ladies? I must investigate further.

** I must mention that most of these birds do not stay here, they are migrating, passing through, using the coastline as a navigation guide.

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for Jean and everyone, here is the old soft sea glass  bottle my friend found after that big storm last week. The patina is so soft and fine, so beautiful.

I haven't identified it so far but I think it's  an eau de toilette/ toilet water/ cologne bottle  c. 1890-1910.Dating from before deodorants and daily showers, scent was splashed on to smell nice. I picture an art nouveau violets label. Maybe my gramma had one, she loved and collected old European perfume bottles, esp violet and lilac scent.  Labels like these HERE   and HERE  See, I don't make this stuff up.

Picture this belonging to some cute flapper girl, staying at the pink hotel above the dunes. My island wasn't  permanently lived on til the early 1900s. 

Have a great week. April is coming!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

gorgeous Kansas sunRISE from friend Mel.

And Mo and I found snowdrops before his illness.

Droopy snow drops. It's been so dry. They look like weeds! Hope gardeners do not pull them out.

beach, 2010: April 1

Poor Mo!

  Hi ! This week's blog post is delayed a day or so---poor Mo has been rushed to vet with respiratory distress, inability to walk, and [on another issue]  the nastiest eye infection/ ear infection which ALL flared up overnight. 

Mo saw the vet and has meds for hip/ knee pain/ arthritis, I am finally home and can get my morning shower maybe. [It's almost 4 PM] I will try to post about my little Whatnots quilt and other issues over the weekend.

So grateful to my friend who dropped everything and came to help me carry Mo, and to our vet and veterinary group for such immediate care.

See pic above--I thought we had such an amazing gentle walk yesterday afternoon, our first real walk since I got Covid. Mo seemed perky---but if I look closely at this photo he was so happy to pose for, I see his tail is down. Always a sign of pain or fear in a pug. Please send healing thoughts for my little best friend.

edit: Thank you everyone! As of 8 PM Friday he is resting well and breathing better; he is home.

love

lizzy

March is Blowing Along

Hello! Not much is happening here in Lizzy-Land. At three and a half weeks since Covid got me, I am doing well---just struggling a bit with post-Covid ennui. Today though I must make make pj-s for my friend's dolly! [done!]

And I'm working on a commission of pillow cases and sofa cushions for other friends.

We had dense fog, now blown away by very high winds, 50 mph. Mo and I will stay in.

Friends have been sending me pics of the outside word! From Mel in Kansas, a lovely
end of winter sunset.

Another friend's walk on his [very eroded] beach. These are not black and white photos, just the relentless grey of March at the beach. Dismal

Yes,  the sand will return. Possibly assisted by the giant trucks that busily work each day doing who knows what.

One still grey evening the sun peeped out and --magic! Better than the much admired ''golden hour" of July and August, a pink sunset.

The world glowed.

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The grocery guy brought daffies yesterday. 

So pretty. And Big Red's final bloom fades away. Last of the amaryllis this year.

Pansies! No pansies this year---since I missed the annual Garden Show. A bit sadly I pulled out this lovely fabric and some of my pansy and violets plates.

I am unsure on first thought how to use the pansy fabric. It's beautiful but the muted colors don't work as sofa pillows and lack contrast to be used in a quilt.[what would you do with it?]

The plates may go on the pine plate rack just for April, we'll see.

Mo and I had fun celebrating his birthday!

I made him a tiny cake.

Baby Mo is 11!

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Spring--three more months til summer! Have a good week!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

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PS I do my best to answer all comments. If you're in the UK or I do not have an email for you, or you're anonymous/ unknown, I answer here online. [it seems customary on UK blogs to reply on the post?]

If you're anonymous, it's good to sign your name and area , so I know it's you.

If I have your email , usually USA friends, I will, as said, do my best to respond. Thanks!