Little Blue Hat

I needed something for instant gratification.  So I spent my evening, yesterday, knitting this little hat.  I made the pattern up myself.  It turned out okay, but I have no idea how big a baby's head is.  Anybody have any ideas?

I think I will make a few more of these once I figure out the right size to make them.

My Design Wall

I know it seems as if I am not doing any sewing and I'm not doing a lot, but I do have some things on my design wall.

This is a 16 patch which I saw on Nicolette's blog.  I loved it and I thought I could use up lots of 4 inch strips that I had cut out several months ago.  I think I was planning to do a star quilt or something, but it was all in purples and it just didn't turn me on.  My design wall is doing double duty.  You can see some maple leaf blocks behind the 16 patches.  I still have two more blocks to make on that one.

If I make the 16 patch quilt 4 blocks by 5 blocks, as Nicolette has done, the quilt will measure 56 inches by 70 inches.  I might add another row to the bottom to make it 84 inches long.  This will fit my bed better, since I am still using a hospital bed and that measures 36 by 80.

In my garden there is lots of colour.  I especially like blue flowers, so here are my Virginia Bluebells - Mertensia virginica.  I just love these!

Switching my Quilt Addiction for a Plant Addiction

It's finally planting season.  I have been busy - digging, pulling weeds, moving things around and buying plants from the nursery.  I managed to get a couple of quilt blocks done, but not much else as far as sewing goes.

Last weekend my DH and I went for a walk in the woods.  I used some walking sticks - you know the kind that have spikes on the ends, much like ski poles - and I was able to get around without any problems. There were a few trilliums in the woods.  They were just beautiful.  I love seeing the trilliums,  When they are in bloom I know it's spring!

I also spotted a plant that I don't think I have ever seen before.  I think it is a Toothwort.  If you know this plant or know what it really is, please leave me a comment.  Thanks.

To all my friends south of the border, have a fantastic long weekend!  We had ours last weekend.  Drive carefully and stay safe.  The weather is just perfect here at the moment.  I am going back outside to plant a few more things.  Hopefully I will have time to do a bit of quilting next week.

Butterflies in my Garden

Last week I showed you the wonderful butterfly for the month of May by The Hexie Blog.

I saw a smaller hexie butterfly on the internet a couple of weeks before this orange one.  I decided to make a couple of them - purple one...

and a pink one/

I have no idea what I will do with them, but they were so much fun to make.  I think there will be a few more of these in my future.

I am linking up to A Quilting Reader's Garden.

Going to the Dogs

Introducing... (drum roll please) ... Patches, my little dog!  Isn't he cute?

I have neglected my sewing for the past two days in order to put this little guy together.  But it was worth it, I think.  I am very pleased with how he turned out.  But not only was a bit of crocheting going on around here, a lot of growing was going on in my garden.  We had some extreme rain in the past few days and the temperature was very spring-like.   Just look at how my garden has blossomed!

Here is Patches in my Bergenia.

And here he is admiring my Euphorbia.  This is one of my favourite plants in my garden.

But he looks lonely, don't you think?.  I must get busy and make him a brother or sister. 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Have you hugged a Mom today?

Butterfly Hexies

I joined The Hexie Blog to make a different hexie block each month.  The block for May is a butterfly.

I didn't add the hexagon with the antenna because I didn't have any fabric that would work for that.  I think I will just embroider some after I applique the butterfly to a background fabric.  Here is another shot of it beside some dandelions that are coming up all over the place.  It's spring and I love it!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Dance of Joy

The Folk Dance Jamboree is being held because it is Education Week here in Toronto.  Every evening this week, Albert Campbell Square is alive with the sounds of music and children's laughter.  I have always loved this wonderful event, so I asked to go along and they let me.

I loved it!

On the sewing front, nothing much has been going on.  I had an extremely busy weekend. There was a lot of fence staining going on.  My future weekends will likely be filled with more of that.

But I finished the baby blanket I was working on.  It is loosely based on a Lion Brand pattern. And when I say "loosely", I mean it.  I didn't use Lion Brand yarn, not even the bonbons yarn that the pattern called for. I used mostly Red Heart yarns - huge balls called 'Comfort' and some others that I had in my stash.  With size 6mm needles I cast on a number of stitches that I thought would make the blanket wide enough.  I don't even remember how many.  Then I knit some white rows and changed colour according to the colours of the rainbow.  I had these yarns at home, so I didn't even have to buy any yarn.  I used 8 rainbow colours.  The only problem I had was running out of the white about 10 rows from completion. So I went out and bought another ball.  Bummer.  But now I have enough to make another blanket.

It's just plain knitting, but I love how it turned out.  It's about 35 inches wide by 45 inches long. My DD loves it too.  I made it especially for her.  Well, not for her exactly, but for her new baby boy.  You see, my DD is pregnant and that is why I am doing the Happy Dance!