I have a couple of swaps that I am enjoying. One is our Sewing With Friends group. For this round we are doing mug rugs and this is my summer themed mug rug for Irene. What says summer better than flip flops?
Another really fun bee that I am a part of this year is our Gridster Bee. May's Queen Bee is Rachel and her request is for paper pieced bees with a blue background.
Many of us are also doing one extra block of each month's choice to keep. I did my background in a neutral instead of the blue.
Block Lotto blocks this month were potted cactus. I made three to be donated this month. This was a fun block to make.
My days have also been filled with feeding baby birds. Since the parents were pulling their pin feathers, I removed them and have been hand feeding them. Initially it was every 3-4 hours, but they are now on a three times a day schedule - much more manageable!! They are growing nicely, gaining weight and cry when they see me. Have you ever read the child's book, Are You My Mother? I think I can relate to it. They actually look like birds instead of little vultures now.
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| Before |
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| Now...with feathers and full crops. Their faces are starting to turn yellow with the orange cheeks. |
While the grands were here for Easter they found a monarch caterpillar on the milkweed. They collected it for observation. It was very much the very hungry caterpillar appearing to double in size each day.
This week it formed its chrysalis. We are now waiting for it to emerge as a "beautiful butterfly".
Love the mug rug. The bee blocks are very cool. How fun to find a caterpillar and watch it turn into a butterfly. My mom used to do it at school ever year for class.
ReplyDeleteWonderful goings-on at your house for the grandkids to observe. Flip-flop mug rugs just call for a tall cold glass of lemonade and a cookie! Too cute!
ReplyDeleteYour mug rug is adorable! And you are right... flip flops scream summer. The Gridster Bee group sure comes up with some neat blocks. The bee block is wonderful and isn't this the group who made all of the pigs? Where did the name "Gridster" originate? How cool for your grands to be able to watch a caterpillar change into a butterfly.
ReplyDeleteThe flip flops are just so much fun as are the bees.
ReplyDeleteYou have your own nature observatory going. It will be exciting when the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. I hope the kids are around to see it.
Oh yes flip flops or things as we call them are definitely summer...fab mug rug... lots of great blocks you made for the Swaps.
ReplyDeleteYour baby birds are growing quickly, bet you are glad they don't need three / four hourly Feds anymore.
Interesting watching the caterpilllar grow into a butterfly 🦋
What fun for the grandkids.... You are one busy gal....
ReplyDeleteOh what a fun house you have going on there Mary! Love your mug rugs and blocks!
ReplyDeleteI think you should give a subtitle to your blog: Quilts and Nature, as so many of your posts deal with the glorious world around you. The birds are looking cute, and I do know that book--perfect description for what you must be feeling.
ReplyDeleteFun for your grandchildren to see a caterpillar in action--hope they'll be around for the "big reveal!"
You have your own little Science Fair happening! How wonderful to keep your grands interested in nature. Love your flip flops!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute mug rug a perfect summer theme. I love the paper pieced bee blocks. I have not done much sewing, we are busy preparing to down size to a 900 square foot space. I have so much stuff. I will get my sewing fix by seeing what others are doing. By the way I love the book "Are you my mother."
ReplyDeleteI love your mug-rug - so right for summer! And interesting to see the two different colour-ways of the bee block, both lovely, just different :-) It sounds like a full time job looking after your babies and a lovely reward having them transform into 'proper' birds!! We had a fabulous summer for Monarchs in my garden this year - I spent hours (not quite but you get the idea) watching them...still have a few caterpillars around and I am hoping that the weather doesn't turn too cool for them to pupate.
ReplyDeleteYour house is better than a botanical garden. How wonderful it is to see the birds and the caterpillar grow. The blocks look great. Love that blue background in the first bee block. However did you manage the cut the pieces so well. The mug rug looks amazing. At first I thought they were real flip flops. I always love the things you share in your post, Mary! :)
ReplyDelete-Soma
Irene will love her mug rug! Goodness you have a zoo nursery there! I know it is so fun to watch the little ones learn about nature. Those bumble paper pieced blocks are nice...I think I like the blue background just because it shows off the bee so well...
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful it is to see the birds grow. They are looking so lovely !!!
ReplyDeleteAlways a variety of fun stuff here. My sewing has been non-existent but tomorrow I have plans. Darling mug rug. Makes me want to flee to an island and be waited on hand and foot. :o)
ReplyDeleteThe mug rug is cute and I like your bee blocks.
ReplyDeleteCute mug rug! The birds are cute too! So good of you to take care of them. Strange that their parents rejected them. Catch you later!
ReplyDeleteLove the Flip Flops mug rug for Summer. Bees are so popular now and yours are so cute. So fun to relate to the books while you are saving those tiny little birds and savoring the wonders of caterpillar to butterfly. Happy Month of May Dear...
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