Happy First Day of Spring !!!

Sooooooooo........the calendar says today is the first day of Spring ........  well, here in the lower end of the Poconos in Pa it doesn't quite feel  "Springy"  outside  yet!   That doesn't mean I can't force it to look like Spring inside with some pretend and real Spring flowers and plants.  These tulips and forsythia are fakers ................

......but these pussy willows are the real deal thanks to The Philadelphia Flower Show a couple of weeks ago.  (I just LOVE pussy willows !!! To me they just say "Spring" right out loud !)

.......and speaking of shouting "Spring" how about the new Martha Stewart magazine !!!  Isn't that bunny in the basket of flowers the ultimate in "Springy-ness" !

..... AND  the April /May issue of Mary Jane's Farm  PLUS a charm pack of her new fabric "Bee My Honey"  has me tip toeing through the no where in sight tulips !!!  I JUST LOVE MARY JANE'S FARM  magazine and her new fabric !!!!!!!!

 

So, Happy Happy Spring !!!  May your daffodils soon pop up and the robins fly over and poop on your car !!  (that's how I know it's really spring ...... the darn robins seem to take perfect aim at my windshield).

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

(Another) Work In Progress

Well this poor quilt top has been sitting around for a few YEARS waiting and waiting to be quilted.   I started this as a high school graduation quilt for my nephew.  It was # 5 on the bottom of a pile of 5 quilt tops .  I finished the other 4 over the past 8 months, and now it's time to finish up #5 !!!

   So, I'm linking up with W.I.P.Wednesday at Freshly Pieced since this poor quilt top definitely falls into the category of a work in progress !!!! (and then some !)

Anyhow, this is a simple quilt that I put together without any sort of pattern or instructions;  I just wanted to let the fabric do most of the work. And since my nephew loves to fish,  I  found a few fun fishing fabrics and added to those.  Now to machine quilt it ...... maybe straight lines or maybe long wavy lines to look like a river or waves on a lake.  But, first I have to piece the back ;  there's a plain off white center panel that all of his friends and family signed at his graduation party .  It's not quite big enough for the backing, so I have to sew on some borders ......which I'm determined to squeeze into tonight's schedule since I'm trying to do Pat Sloan's  "Sew for 10 Minutes a Day Challenge" !!

  Ok .... I'm off to do some rearranging of "the schedule" so I can sew for 10 minutes :)a

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

 

 

Sew for 10 Minutes a Day Challenge

Ok ...... so sometimes (even though it's something I love to do) I could use a good swift kick in the pants to actually SIT DOWN at my sewing machine and GET SOMETHING DONE !!!  You know how it is ..... you say to yourself   "tomorrow I am going to go for a walk for a half hour, then immediately work on a sewing project for a half hour BEFORE  sitting down at the computer and getting sucked into a marathon session on Pinterest, Facebook, Blogland etc etc etc;    and before tackling the never ending projects for work,  the laundry pile, the dirty dishes, blah blah blah blah blah !!!!"  Because, lets face it ...... those are all things that are never really done and stay done !!!    And then there's the procrastination factor of course !  So, anyway,  Pat Sloan   has just issued a challenge for slackers like me ..... the "Sew for 10 Minutes a Day Challenge"  for the rest of this month ..... so that's only about 2 weeks . 

...... so, I'm putting "sewing x 10 minutes/day"  on my schedule .......

......starting NOW !!!!  

 

How about you ???   (will let you know how this goes....)

 

Be back soon!

Toodles,

Mary Anne (aka Mare)

Philadelphia Flower Show 2014

Going to the Philadelphia Flower Show has been a tradition in my family since my parents first met when my dad was in medical school at Jefferson and my mother worked there as a dietician back in the early 1950's.  The flower show is always amazing ....... how about these HUGE paper flowers that were hanging from the upper balconies.

..... and this burst of color at the main entrance to the show !  The flower show comes at the perfect time .....i.e.  "sick of winter" beginning of March with no sign of spring ......

.... and nothing says "Spring" to me more than pussy willows .....

.....and hyacinths .....

....and tulips ......

.......and daffodils !!!!  

Yes, if it's Philadelphia Flower Show time,  then spring (the real spring) can't be far behind (right ?)  ......maybe after the next snow storm we're supposed to get tomorrow .......

Be back soon!
Toodles,
Mary Anne (aka Mare)