Dragonfly

I purchased a dvd on two fabric applique quilts and was so fascinated by it that I just had to give it a try. The dvd was hosted by Nancy Lee Chong of Pacific Rim Quilt Company (http://www.prqc.com ). Pictured is my first attempt at this wondefully fun and easy applique technique. The quilt will be hand quilted, framed, and given to my mother for Mother's Day. She will simply adore it!

I learned quite a bit from the dvd. This is a wonderful way to practice your applique stitch Some of the tips and hints given are simply amazing....and ones that I will be using in other applique projects. Plus I really enjoyed being able to use some of those batik fat quarters that I love buying but just never know what to do with. They are so pretty that you really don't want to be cutting them into little pieces. Will I be doing another two fabric applique quilt?? Definitely YES!!! I found it to be a very relaxing project and was so pleased at how my applique stitch improved over the duration of the project.

Knitting Update: I have been working on my felted bear the last couple of nights. I did end up going back and fixing the mistake I had made on both arms. It was actually easier than I thought it would be and only took a few minutes. I now have both foot/leg units done and attached to the body. Plus half of the body is knitted up. I'm almost to the point to where the arms will be attached. It's actually getting rather exciting now. You can start to see the bear emerging and it is all starting to make sense. There is no more wondering how this works into that......or what this piece is that you've just finished knitting up. I've also learned that you just have to trust the instructions. They are well written and things will turn out as they should as long as you follow the instructions and quit second guessing them. Something I tend to do from time to time.....especially when I can't seem to see how things fit together.

Orange Crush Update: Step #2 has just been posted. Yea!! Of course I won't get to start on it for a day or so. I want to finish up the UFO that I pulled out and started working on. I have all the sashing and cornerstone units done and am starting to put it all together. So far it's looking really pretty. Lots of sewing, but I think it will all be worth it in the end.

Final thoughts for now: It dawned on me last night that I haven't spun in quite some time. Over a week, if not longer. I've been so busy with quilting and other things that I have totally squeezed spinning time out of my daily schedule. It's definitely time to change that. Starting today I will make sure that I have at least half an hour of spinning time each day. It's a shame to see my wheels just sitting and collecting dust. Besides spinning was my "zen" time and I'm actually missing it. It was that part of the day where things would come to a stop and I could breathe. Something everyone should do every day.....stop and breathe......find that inner peace that makes everything okay.