In Like a Lion……

Isn’t it March where the old saying of In like a lion…out like a lamb applies?  Well…..if the last day of February is any indication of what tomorrow will be like, we should have gorgeous weather to start April.



Our rains have finally arrived in So. California.  We had an inch and a half overnight and 3/4 of an inch the night before.  It is suppose to get quite wild later on with 60 mph winds and power outages so will try to finish this post off now.  We just got our power back after being without for over an hour.




With it being the last day of February, I need to get my finish in for ALYOF.  This month I completed a Schnibble that I made way back – during the Year of Schnibbles.  I can’t even remember the year or the name of the pattern, but I LOVED this fabric.  It might be one of my all time favorite lines – Boutique by Chez Moi . 









It was my mom’s birthday this week so all of my siblings and some of their spouses took her to lunch.  We had a great time and  a fun visit with my sister who is visiting from Alaska. 







This was the birthday card that I made her.  The fabric reflects her career as a teacher.

Uncommonly Corduroy Blog Book Tour

I have had the pleasure of being one of Stephanie Dumphy’s (of Loft Creations fame) “Supremes” for awhile now.  It is such a thrill to be a pattern tester for someone as talented as she is.  She has just had her first book released and it is filled with fabulous ideas.  The projects range from beginner through intermediate skills and you will find more than enough to get your sewing drive in gear.



Images from Uncommonly Corduroy by Stephanie Dunphy, Martingale, 2014; used by permission. Photo by Brent Kane. All rights reserved.

The photography in the book is gorgeous and you can browse through it HERE.  This is the pattern that I tested for the book. 



This great pattern made a small quilt and I initially did it in cottons with a variety of fat quarters - scraps from the stash.



The really exciting thing about the book is that she uses corduroy in ways that I would have never imagined doing myself. Have you seen or sewn with the new SOFT corduroy? It is heavenly!!!

It was an easy pattern that went up quickly so I made a second one using the same pattern but used corduroy in it.  The texture is amazing and would be wonderful for a baby quilt.  The new corduroy is SEW easy to sew.  I thought it would create quite a bit of bulk, but it really isn't much different from the nice weight cottons that we quilters use.




As well, the book is loaded with fabulous tote projects which I think I will try next.  The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow. 

You can win an electronic version of Uncommonly Corduroy by simply leaving a comment below.  I will draw a winner on March 1st after the Book Tour is finished.

Stephanie's book is available from Martingale or Amazon.  If you would like a personalized copy you can order it directly from Stephanie HERE.  The link is on her sidebar.

Below is the schedule for all the blogs participating in the Book Tour.  Each participant is giving away a free e-copy of the book as well as showing us their fabulous projects.  Be sure to check out each one and enter to win an e-copy of the book at each stop.

February 19 -- Stephanie at Loft Creations
February 20 -- Martingale at Stitch This
February 21 -- Candace at Squash House Quilts
February 22 -- Carrie at A Passion for Applique
February 23 -- Mary at Mary on Lake Pulaski
February 24 -- Char at Cloth Stitched
February 25 -- Mary at Needled Mom
February 26 -- Linda at The Quilted Pineapple
February 27 -- Margaret at A Sampler of Stitches
February 28 -- Ulla at Kotkarankki

In the Pink

Pink is generally a color that I do not use much.  Perhaps it is because my mother always told me that I should not wear pink with my red hair.  Then again, it could be because I had four sons first and the house was anything but pink for many years.  Whatever the reason, this month has seen me noticing a lot of pink. 
The sunrises have been beautiful this week with the pink color lighting up the entire sky.



This month’s RSC14 color is also pink.  Scrounging through my pink scraps, I was able to come up with this block.



One of the plants blooming in the yard now has such a great color combination of orange and pink.  I think these colors would make a fabulous quilt.



Several years ago I made my mom a brushed satin nightshirt that she has loved.  It is showing its wear so this week I made her a new one to replace it…..in PINK.

Okay….I think I am finished with my pinks.  I wonder what color will strike my fancy next.

Two Extremes

The last few weeks have been traveling weeks for us.  The first trip took us to Key Largo in the Florida Keys for some wonderful tropical temperatures, palm trees and beautiful aqua waters. 








We were able to enjoy a little reef fishing.  Although the fish were bountiful, the sizes were too small for keeping.  My only “keeper” was the last cast.  Just as it was almost to the boat a shark came along and took a nice bite out of it.  I ended up reeling in the head only.  The boat captain told me to put it back in the water and when I lowered it a 4 foot barracuda took the rest of it – hook, line and sinker.  It was very interesting to watch.

Son and DIL

 We had a great trip and we got to enjoy an evening of being entertained by Frankie Valli.  He was incredible and still has an amazing voice.




It was home for a day to pack up and head off to our annual snow trip with all of our children and their families.  Fortunately, the Sierras had received a nice snow a few days before we arrived.  It was perfect for the children – soft for snowballs and sledding. 

A major snowball fight….




The adults firmly planted in the safety zone or DMZ as we were calling it.






By the fourth day the temperatures had warmed up and we were treated to a nice rainstorm which melted much of the snow.  I was just glad that we had the snow when we arrived.  

I have decided that when I win the lottery I would like to buy the log cabin that is adjacent to the condominiums that we rent.  It was featured on Extreme Log Cabins and it is incredible!  It is actually for sale for $15,000,000 so I'd better start buying some lottery tickets.



Just look at the amazing view that could be enjoyed each day.





Needless to say, again, the sewing was absent.  I did manage to add a few more stitches to my giant cross stitch project.  The straw is now done.