Lots to post about....

First off, here is my progress on A Parrot A Leopard A Lion.  I have all the uppermost motifs done!  Well, except for one that I'm not sure whether it will fit or not.

Here is a closeup of the two huge flowers on the right that I just finished.

Here are the City Sampler blocks I got done this week.

I'm trying to either stick to the same color palette or to use the same fabrics as shown in the book.  Finding solids of the right color is a challenge!

And here's my fussy cut star for the week, using another Judie Rothermel Peace and Unity fabric.

I copied straight from Temecula Quilt Co on this one.

I received a lovely surprise in the mail this week from Paula of Kelmscott Designs.

Aren't they wonderful?  They are the Pear and Red Barn needleminders and the Hearts Atopple Scissors.  Thank you so much, Paula!  I love them!

This past Friday, the father type and I had a dinner date and art gallery opening to attend with some friends in the evening in NYC.  Since I was going into the city, I figured I'd have some fun beforehand.  So I went gallivanting!  Here are some pics of my adventure.

New York Public Library -- you can see the lion if you look closely.

Evidence of spring in Bryant Park.

Lovely fabrics in B&J Fabrics, in the heart of the garment district.

Had to stop here!

A rest stop at Caffe Bene (never been before, but it was yummy!  Strawberries and a mango peach smoothie.)

Lion Brand Yarn Studio.  I should have taken a pic inside.  So colorful, and the fibers seemed really nice!  (The display in the window is made of fiber.  Pretty amazing.)  Note the door handles.  Yup, they are yarn bombed.  Love it!

Then I headed across town to meet the father type.

And we had our evening with friends.  (It felt too tacky to take pics.)

Mia was happy to see us home that night.  (I don't think she likes all these adventures and late nights we've been having.)  She was curious to see what I bought in NYC.

What's in the bag??

Here's what was in the bag, my swag.

Most are from the City Quilter, a few from Lion Brand Yarn Studio.  The tote at the right and the knitting accessories are from the yarn store, of course.  At City Quilter, I got a NYC kitchen towel, a beautiful tin to store sewing supplies in, a piece of fabric with the names of NYC stops in mosaic tile like in the subway, and some Australian Aboriginal fabrics.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

Wow!

First off, here is my progress on my various projects.  A Parrot A Leopard A Lion first.

And here are all 11 of my Tula Pink blocks so far.

And here is my Fussy Cut Friday star, a straight copy from Temecula Quilt Co's version of this Judie Rothermel Peace and Unity fabric.

Now for the wow part of the blog.  Last night, the father type and I went to Tarrytown, NY to the Tarrytown Music Hall to see one of my favorite groups.

I have all of the Punch Brothers albums, but seeing them live is an experience all its own.  Wow!

This is  a lousy picture of the group, but you get to see the gorgeous stage they were on.

Here's a better pic of them -- all members bowing to the brilliance of the bassist during his solo.  lol!  I kept wishing the boy child were with us so he could hear this bass player perform.

What a spectacular band!  I know I'm gushing, but they really were amazing.  If you're wondering about their music, well, it's a mix of bluegrass, classical, and folk -- impossible to describe.  AND, they always throw in an arrangement of a classical piece played by their blend of instruments to perfection.  This time it was a piece by Claude Debussy.  Imagine classical being played by mandolin, banjo, guitar, violin and double bass.  So cool!  (I have a video of them playing a Bach Brandenburg Concerto that's mind blowing.)

Oh, and if you like Bach, Chris Thile, the mandolinist and sort of the leader of the group, has an album out of Bach.  All on mandolin.  Amazing!

Before the concert, the father type and I had a yummy dinner at a local restaurant in the town.  I had a salad followed by the sea scallops with butternut squash risotto

and for dessert, strawberry cheesecake (?!).  (I admit, I was wondering if they'd brought me the right thing.  But it was delicious!)

So yummy!

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!  And that spring is here to stay!

busy busy busy!

First off, here is A Parrot, over three pictures.  Getting a bit wide for one picture.

And here's my Fussy Cut Friday star number 12.  Using the same Savannah fabric by Jo Morton as last time, just a different stripe.

I also started the Tula Pink City Sampler quilt, also known as the 100 modern blocks quilt.  I got 4 blocks done.  I'm using a variety of Tula Pink fabrics.

It's fun to do a block a day.

It's been a busy week with the boy child home.  The boy child has been celebrating his twentieth birthday since his actual birthday on Thursday.  lol!  On Saturday, it was a gorgeous day so we went to Cold Spring, NY to enjoy the warmth and sunshine.

Cool hose holder on side of a house

Saturday evening, a certain other member of the family showed up, so out we went to our favorite diner to have dinner.

Sunday, we trekked to the boy child's favorite mall to have lunch at his favorite place to eat.

But we had to take the girl child to the train afterward so she could go home.  Today, the boy child returns to college.  Spring break is too short.

I will leave you with a couple of pics of the boy child blowing out his candles.

Thanks for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!

Spring break

I got more done on A Parrot.

And I got the 11th fussy cut star finished, using Savannah by Jo Morton.

But the big news is that this happened on Friday.

He's hiding from the camera, in case you couldn't tell.

Our boy child is home for Spring break.  Hooray!  Mia is happy.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  Have a good week!

A Parrot has appeared -- and framing

A Parrot has appeared on my PLL.  He/she is a bit stripy on his/her body, but I still like him/her.

I finally remembered to put a quarter in for size reference.

Here's my fussy cut star for the week, using a fabric from the Vicksburg collection by Judie Rothermel.

This Saturday, I went to pick up my framing from my LNS.  I'm very pleased with the pieces.  I actually chose the frames for a change -- although I have to say it was just luck.  lol!

Here's the first piece.  The Mary Allen Sampler by Samplers Remembered.

I stitched this a few years ago -- finally getting around to the framing.

Frame detail.

And here's Dame's Boarding School by Examplars from the Heart.

It's hard to tell, but the frame has the perfect light blue to match that in the design.

Here's Mia enjoying my framing as soon as it touched down.

Silly girl.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  I hope everyone has a great week!  Here's to NO MORE SNOW OR ICE!!!  Fingers crossed!  :D