Binky free, sweet little Bunners

Bunners, our sweet little rabbit who was almost 13, passed away today. 

She gave us so much joy and many, many laughs for just being a little two-pound ball of fur.

She gamely posed for photographs.

She put up with a night in a hotel bathtub after we smuggled her into the hotel in a big shoulder bag. She was totally perplexed, poor thing.

She suffered the indignity of being labeled "The Love Bunny" on a Valentine's card.

But we made sure she always had plenty of treats, snuggles and love.

She loved being held by the ladies.

And she was the subject of two of my quilts, back in her chunkier days.

She was sleek and sassy in her younger years and tiny and sweet when she became an old lady. Here she is as a youngster.

 We love you Bunners.

There will never be another you.

Sew Day, Fun Day

Yesterday was Sew Day at Nancy's, and the inspiration started before I even got inside. These first two pictures are from her cozy front porch.

Inside, the breakfast table was so pretty with sweet orange cantaloupe, orange cream scones fresh out of the oven, and a cheerful orange flower.

After eating, we moved into the dining room for show and tell and working on our projects.

Carolynn showed her wool appliqué and embroidered table runner that she just finished.

She also is finishing up this wool applique desert wall hanging.

Linda P. finished this fun polka dot table runner.

And Linda J. is almost done with her wool applique table mat.

Nancy's new wool appliqué mat is already being used in her foyer with these beautiful blue hydrangeas from her garden.

I love the chocolate pillow that Linda P. made to use while doing hand work. It brings the stitching up closer so she doesn't have to bend her neck over so far.

Nancy was working on another wool applique project from a Sue Spargo pattern:

I was the only one doing machine stitching, because the arthritis in my thumb has been flaring up too much to do hand work. I pieced stars to go in a winter quilt.

Then it was time for lunch! We moved outside to Nancy's patio surrounded by her lush gardens. She made a delicious chicken Waldorf salad ...

... and chocolate cake! Yay!

This was the view from my seat. Doesn't that look wonderful? And thus ended another colorful, inspirational, fun Sew Day.

 Have a colorful day

Colors of rebirth and joy

I started another machine project a few days ago (to avoid hurting my arthritic thumb with hand stitching). I'm doing a quilt-as-you-go string pieced quilt in joyful colors to celebrate my rebirth this year as a single woman making a new COLORFUL life for myself.

I chose green for growth and renewal and pink/orange/yellows because those are the colors that make me happy. I started each block with a diagonal strip of text fabric in the center because journaling and communicating with friends and family is what held me together this year. (Plus, I used to be a newspaper journalist.)

These are also the colors I'm drawn to when I take photographs of nature. Here are two photos from walks this week that echo the pink and green fabrics.

I love looking at my two big bowls of strips for this project.

It's a joy to sew, and I'm having so much fun that this might turn out to be a really big quilt. Since each block is already quilted, I won't have to worry about wrestling a huge piece under the machine for quilting. I start with a layer of backing fabric and batting and then attach the strips diagonally in a stitch and flip manner, so it all appears to be stitched in the ditch.

Surf over to Nina-Marie's blog to find out what other fiber artists have been up to this week: its-not-that-transparent-on-off-wall.html

On another note, the Feet and Forks explored a new trail this week and we were met with this sign at the trailhead. Yikes! 

We ventured into the darkness of the woods but didn't come across any filming or screams or bloody bodies -- maybe it was too drizzly  for filming.

Have a colorful day

Making do with a new machine project

I've been getting restless because the arthritis in my thumb has made it unbearably painful to do hand stitching, which is what I've most loved doing for several years.

So I went down into the sewing room ...

... and heeded the advice on this decorative tin. "Keep calm and craft on."

I found a pattern that I haven't made yet, this whimsical starry winter neighborhood by Wendy Williams, and cut out the pieces for the stars.

Now I can get my sewing and color fix at the machine without further damaging my thumb.

The top strips are for the stars and the bottom white and purple pieces are for the backgrounds.

And here is a little flower star that I noticed by the mail box last week. Nature is the most fabulous artist!

Have a colorful day