Hoops, Gray Skies and a Promise

Last weekend I finally tied myself to the house and got my quilt top all pinned.  I was going to baste it but it’s not really all that big so I decided to just do the pinning instead.  I’ve got almost four blocks quilted already and I think I am going to really like the all over circle design.  Here it is below in the hoop.  You can see the circles taking shape.  My last quilt was all batiks.  These nice soft cottons are sure easier to pull the needle through than those beautiful batiks. 

Speaking of hoops, I sat down last weekend to do a little knitting while I watched our Iowa State Cyclones team play to victory against North Carolina.  It was such a nail biting game that I had to put my knitting aside or I would have had a mess.  Tomorrow night they will play again in the Sweet Sixteen tournament in New York.  As we cheer them on I’m not even going to try to get any stitching done!

In my last post I was hopeful that spring was on the horizon here in Iowa.  But it’s still teasing us with one warm day and then three days of cold, gloom and wind.  Lately it seems these dark clouds have stopped and decided to hover over us indefinitely. 

Spring weather can be treacherous and it proved to be yesterday.  When I tried to pull into my neighborhood on the way home from work I was surprised to see blocked streets.  But then I noticed the thick black smoke up the hill.  One of our neighbors had a house fire.  Fire trucks from several areas were parked everywhere and they were fighting it as best they could in spite of the horrible wind.  They feared that the houses on either side would also succumb but they managed to keep the fire contained.  They found the owner in the backyard suffering from smoke inhalation and whisked him off to the hospital.  He will be all right but the beautiful home was a total loss.  It definitely cast a pall over the rest of the evening.  My prayers go out to the family who has lost so much.

There has been so much devastation lately -  the Malaysian Flight, mudslides in Washington and several fires around the Midwest.  But no matter how much we complain about how awful things can be life still goes on.  This morning the sun was trying it’s best to peek through the clouds with the promise of another day. 

And imagine my happiness when I saw this little clump of summer yarrow peeking through the soil this morning!  It reminded me that even though spring can be reluctant to come, and will even blow petulant winds through the threads of our lives, it will also promise such beauty to bless us and bring color to our world.

Frankenstein, Quilt tops and the Possibility of Spring!

I have finally finished my latest quilt top.  My decision to piece the borders rather than using solid strips added a lot of time to the process.  I hadn't taken into account the math skills I would be using measuring each side to fit the way I wanted.  I am marking it in different size circles for an all over interlocking pattern.  You can't tell from this picture, but the narrow yellow inside border has circles in the print.  It will be hand quilted.

I think winter is finally saying it's goodbyes to Iowa.  The robins have already been back for at least two weeks, showing up right after our last big snowstorm.  I couldn't help but wonder what they were thinking to brave the cold when they could still be hanging out down south enjoying the milder temps. 

On Monday we enjoyed temps in the high 60's.  It was wonderful to open some windows and let the fresh air blow through.  I sat out on the back deck for a while to soak up some sunshine and let the magic of the birdsong fill my senses.

 

My grandson Michael is taking a course in British Lit.  He had to dress up like an old time judge for a mock court they were doing to put the character Frankenstein on trial.  Here is his costume.  All I can say is that he's a brave boy to walk the halls of his high school in this outfit.








I hope your week is going well, you're marking things off your to-do list and you're taking time to listen to the sounds of nature.