Spring has sprung!

How did I know Spring is here?

Because this

Finally turned into this

And this

Corn poppies are absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite wild flowers.  We have 3 more about to open.  I check each morning to see if they have bloomed.  It is my adult version of Christmas morning.

I'm going to be scarce between now and April 2nd.  Once I'm done with the show, I will come back and do some tutorials and quilt stories.  Along with updating you all with what I'm currently working on.

I hope that my friends in the South are out and about, enjoying the weather before it gets too painful.  And that my friends in the North find Spring soon enough.

The best part of Spring...

~SLBY

Look Papa, look, I'm a real quilter...

At least I am officially passing myself off as one.  I often wonder when do you go from just quilting to being a quilter.  I feel like being a quilter brings a certain sense of responsibility.  People are going to expect me to know how to do things.  Or what the proper rules are.  Only if they knew, that I quilt the same way I cook. 

I throw things together and hope for the best. 

According to my husband, my best cooking occurs when I cook from my brain, ideas, preferences, tastes, and what I think will taste good.  Recipes almost always mean impending dinner doom.  I feel the same about my quilting.  I think my best quilts come from what I think will look good.

I have been working and preparing for my first booth as a quilter.  I'm scared.  I'm anxious.  I'm excited.  I'm afraid I won't have enough stuff to sale.  I'm afraid no one will buy a single thing.  I might even be a little scared that someone is going to point and laugh and tell me that I'm *NOT* a quilter. 

I'm so scared someone might find out my dirty little Pinnocchio secret. 

So, if you feel like pointing and laughing and have nothing else planned on April 2nd come on down to Oak Ridge Elementary.



If you look on the second picture, in the tiny print, you will see my business name.  My stomach churns from glee and fear every time I look at that.

In all honesty, I checked this fest out last year.  There are a lot of fun booths and great vendors.  If you live in the area, I recommend coming out.

And I'm always up for a good laugh.  :)

~SLBY

♥♥♥Things I'm Loving♥♥♥

My friend Renee at East of Eden is AWESOME at crocheting.  You should check out her blog.  She also occasionally posts about the things she is currently loving.  I have been inspired to do the same.

I'm loving that spring is around the corner.  Our wildflowers and five spots are blooming.  We have a tomato growing.  The kids have been able to play outside a lot.  All of this newness and tired children have inspired my most recent project, a spring time table runner.

On Wednesday, I picked up a new product, when I was buying the fabric for my above project. 

This is NOT your mother's starch.  It is a very light starch that helps give your fabric a little stiffness.  Stiffness isn't the right word, maybe a little structure is better.  Once washed, the only thing left behind is the scent.  The scent is absolutely lovely.  I have Lavender Fields.  There are 2 or 3 scents and also an unscented.  The scent alone makes this product worth every penny. 

Best quilting marker EVAH!  It draws on blue and washes away with water.  Always test your fabric before marking up everything.  I haven't had a fabric it doesn't wash out of easily.  I have used it on flannel and regular quilting cotton.  I love that it makes lines I can actually see.  Every quilter *needs* this pen.

Enjoy!

~SLBY

Perseverance

Perseverance is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

"continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering".

Tonight, as a quilter, I define it as:

"Not giving up after 2 broken needles, 4 bum bobbins that resulted in the loss of a 1/4 of a spool of machine quilting thread, at least 5 thread breaks, and a fabric gathering in the back that was so bad it required stitches to be ripped and re-sewn."

Merriam-Webster goes on to give examples of perseverance:

"Perseverance is required to perfect just about any skill."

I'm well on my way to perfection.  Well, you know what I mean.  LOL!

Before quilting:

I am about 1/3 through machine quilting.  I would have finished it tonight but I've run out of needles.  Off to Joann's first thing in the morning. 

Just keep swimming...

Namaste
~SLBY

What I'm doing right now.....

This is my first traditional block in all flannel.  Why I picked something with so many triangles, I'll never know.  Nothing that a good sashing and border won't cover up.

I got the idea in a book I have but if you want to see the construction it is pretty similar to this.  I turned the 4 corner blocks into two triangles, instead of squares.

The picture isn't great because we have no sunshine today.  I'll post another picture when I'm done and this goes on Etsy.

Namaste
~SLBY