Chevrons

Hi Mary and Jeni,

I have been playing with the chevron design lately.  I was thinking about a baby quilt and wanted to see what it would look like so I used some 3.5 blocks I had and made this one. Tiny, 20"x 27".  I was going to take it off the design wall and put them back in the 3.5 block container but I liked it enough to sew it up.  Still have no idea how to quilt it.

Esther made me do it.

This is the second one.  About double the size.  I am calling it sunlight and shadows for now.  I am having fun going through my 'chevron period'.

Rowan on the finished quilt. It was quilted by my friend Lois Koester with stars and loops.

Sunlight and Shadows - 40"x 50"

Migration 2016

Hi Mary and Jeni,  This is my first spring at the farm.  I am so excited to be near a major stop for migrating waterbirds.  Well it is major for me anyway. There are much larger gathering places but this one is just about 1/2 mile from our farm.

The migrating Snow Geese, Canada Geese, Mallards and some Swans on 3/26/2016

This is the view of the slough from my quilt room window. (My window faces the South.)
Just a sliver of water is seen from there.
But....

This is the view from my neighbors yard.  That is not snow out there.  It is mainly
Snow Geese and other water birds!

Just a few of them.

Or maybe more than a few.

And more are arriving.

As far as our eyes could focus we could see skeins of geese flying.  It was amazing.

The neighbors view at Sunset. The geese go off somewhere
during the day and come back occasionally and then
at dusk to stay there overnight.

I LOVE it!  I tried to get pictures of the geese coming in at dusk but the pictures were too dark.
Hugs,
Nancy 

Baby quilts

Hi Mary and Jeni,

I have been working on a quilt top that I made almost 16 years ago and never finished.  I went into my unfinished projects and got it out and realized that it was a very large baby quilt and that is why I couldn't finish it.  So I pulled out one seam down the middle and a second seam across the middle and it became 4 really pretty baby quilts!  All I had to do was add the borders.

Working on 3 baby quilts.  The 'boy' quilt is on top.

This one has the 'girl' binding sewn on.  The colors on this are a little yellow.

The top one will get 'girl' binding tonight after I trim off the batting.

Detail of the floral free motion quilting.

Detail showing the 'girl' flange in pale pink.

I quilted them on my 1973 Bernina 831.  My 'new' machine.  I love free motion quilting on it.  I believe I will quilt the 'boy' quilt with loops and stars in a pale blue thread.

Hugs,
Nancy

Luminaries

Hi Mary and Jeni,

Bunny night lights

I have been making luminaries again.  I kept freezing the balloon ones solid so I have some that are just ice balls.  I could have candles in 4 of them but it was so windy it took 4 tries to get the round one lit so I stopped trying.
It has been great luminary weather for several weeks now.  I went out to peek at them tonight and saw something moving in front of the lower light.  I looked harder and recognized bunny ears.  I went for my camera and when I got back the bunny had come up the stairs and was eating the bird seed that I payed a lot of money for.  (Niger Thistle Seed)  Oh well.  I like bunnies and at least it wasn't a skunk or, more likely, a squirrel.
Hugs,
Nancy

A cold winter day in pictures

Hi Mary and Jeni,

We are having our first real cold snap of the season today.  I went out to refill 

some of the bird feeders and took a few pictures.  

A gift from Loretta, who knows I love to feed the birds.  Common Redpoll.

A garden bunny in the shade of the house.

My 6 arm bird feeder stand and the ground feeder.  The
ground feeder was made by a woodworker named Walter Isaacson who used
to show at the Southtown Mall craft fairs.  It is over 10 years old
and still as sturdy as the first day I used it.

Closeup of the feeders with a Hairy Woodpecker and some Common Redpolls

The edge of the garden and the woods with snow.  There are  three deer lurking
in the undergrowth but they blend in so well I can't see them and I know where
they were.

 And now for something completely different....

For a little contrast, The garden in July 2014

Hugs,
Nancy

Cardinal quilt. Quilting again

Cardinals in Winter

Hi there Mary and Jeni,

I have been collecting fabic for a winter Harmonic Convergence quilt for about 9 months. 

The last piece was the dark snowflake pattern fabric.  I think I will quilt it with tall tree like lines. The way to create the 1/4 inch border was taught to me by Maxine Rosenthal many years ago.  I love making it.  

Detail of the bottom right side showing the tiny red inner border.

Henry with batting

Yes,  I killed the batting.  But that is OK.  She has plenty more.

It was at the bottom of the bag.  I just dug through all that other stuff to get it.
 If you didn't want me to get it why did you leave it out in plain sight?
I'm Sorry.  I will never do it again...today.

Pincushions, I can't stop making them

But what do I do with them all?

My favorite right now is the one in the covered tulip vase that I bought in Missoula while visiting my sister Mary...

The 3 most recent pincushions

                                                               With the lid off.

With the lid on.

Nothing fancy except the pin buddy.

I thought this one was perfect on it's little candlestick base.
And I love the Christmas Tree Pin buddy.

So that is what I did on a rainy Thursday when Jim was in Fargo getting his car fixed. (Not the new one thank dog!)  It's wiring was eaten by an animal.  We should maybe build a garage????

Hugs,

Nancy