Spring Tulips

I love seeing my very early Tulips - all yellow. The reds will follow and then my mixed. The Tulip is one of the world's most easily recognized and loved flowers. They are not too elegant, too romantic, too big, too small, or too bright; the tulip is always just right. They are like a favorite pair of jeans or your mom's fresh-baked cookies in that the meanings of tulips express genuine coziness and comfort in all of the right ways.

MORE BLOCKS

Paper Pieced Block A Day:

Clover & Violet - Garden Steps

The Raspberry Rabbits - Hannah & Harrington

DESIGN WALL

I'm working on a project for the Festival of HST's and SewLux orphan Charm Challenge. Just the hand quilting to finish up and then the binding.

And I wanted to start working on this month's Schnibble pattern - Summer Day. Using 'Sophie' by Chez Moi for Moda. A lot of geese units to make!

**will be linking up with Patchwork Times**

CLOSING THOUGHT

Nothing witty - just some reminders:

Remember next week is link up to the May For Me Bingo Card! Please visit Tonya for the rules.

You can still join in with the Hands2Help charity quilt drive. Please visit Sarah for all the particulars.

And the Ackfeld Wire Blog Hop starts the 16th - there will be give aways.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Spring Blocks

I think our flowering Forsythia inspired this yellow/green NYB block. It may be time to start putting these on the design wall - yes I have one now. I want to mix them up into a nice flow and see what the next color/block will hold.

I'm enjoying the Paper Piecing Pattern A Day blog hop. I changed this pattern up with applique fussy cut from a geranium print I just love instead of the paper pieced flowers in the cup.

And the garden gate block I changed to just a straight rail instead of a picket fence. I think this needs some embroidered and button flowers along the fence.

Spring violets are starting to sprout, so this was a special block. I did find the one section to just not 'work' even after re-piecing a few times - so rather than stress the fabric - I'll make a 3-d leaf and attach to cover.

The next Garden Steps embroidery is finished - delicate pinks with butterflies. I have had a few little butterflies in my flox bed.

And these lovely spool blocks done by Chantell arrived - part of the Australian 6" Block Swap. She used a wonderful 'wood' look brown for the spools - love them.

These are in progress - but sewing with my SIL again. Cute cupcake potholders. Her first time working with insul-bright. I am a little alergic to and she has found out she is too - so working in short time frame with them.

Thank you to those of you who commented on my Sew We Quilt Tut - it didn't open so got a late 'kick' from M. Samm. It is there, so please stop by.

CLOSING THOUGHT

"Come, I come! ye have called me long,
I come o'er the mountain with light and song:
Ye may trace my step o'er the wakening earth,
By the winds which tell of the violet's birth,
By the primrose-stars in the shadowy grass,
By the green leaves, opening as I pass."
- Felicia D. Hemans, 'Voice of Spring'

Enjoy your Easter weekend,
Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

Updates

The month of April will be tutorials for items for the kitchen. I will be a guest blogger Weds. April 4th so please stop by and give a shout out.

I am still catching glimps of Bingo Cards here and there - the tutorial can be found here. Don't stress over the color, or whether you have juvenile fussy prints - think your stash. We all have florals, dots, circles, shapes. Those fall prints have leaves, pumpkins, acorns, scarecrows and crows. Halloween prints have an array of items. Christmas prints offer many wonders.

April 15-22--The Linky party opens. You have until April 22 to link your post showing your Bingo card and a Master list of what each space means. The list is VERY IMPORTANT and a necessary part of the game. After April 22 we will not accept any new entries. So you MUST link up by that date.

See more on the rules and prizes here with Tonya.

Even though the early sign up with prizes is done you can still participate with the Hands2Help project. Please visit Sarah here for all the information. Consider donating at least one quilt - and there are lots of prizes for completed/donated quilts. Hey - don't have time to make a NEW quilt - pull one of those UFOs and finish it, donate it. Sarah also has a line up of friends who will be sharing quick and easy quilts patterns for inspiration.

And lots of new buttons on the side bar - tried to keep the April activities to the top.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon

April (Fools,Showers,Surprise)

April Fools' Day, or All Fools' Day, is the first day of April. No one knows where the custom began, but some historians believe it started in France. They had a New Year's festival that was celebrated from March 25 to April 1, and they would then exchange gifts. But, later, King James IV changed the holiday to January 1 for New Years. The people that still celebrated it April 1 were called 'April fish' and sent mock presents. April Fools' Day may also be related to the ancient Roman spring festival Hilaria, which celebrates the resurrection of the god Attis.

This is my second - yes second - basket mini quilt using just my favorite basket block from the 'Blessing Baskets' project. My first mini was my Doll Quilt Swap - and I wanted one for myself. It will stay on the design wall while I consider adding a border or two. **linking up with PatchworkTimes**

This is the first block in the Sew Hooked Garden Party paper pieced block a day blog hop - see side button. I LOVE to paper piece and this will be another scrap buster as I am just going to the scrap bin on this one.

And with encouragement from Marcia, I decided to show what all this messy cleaning has been all about. No 'beginning' picture, but this is HALF of my huge center hallway. I had everyone's 'leftovers' from my three kids stashed here and it was finally hauled off to the recycling center. Now I have a 10' x 14' area to set up my sewing center - so I can have a living/dining room back. The shelves have been assembled and up; and I am slowly sorting-tossing-boxing to ship off to Sarah and then I'll share more.

And I appologize for not posting winners on the 1st as planned but forgot that was Palm Sunday and I had family visiting for the day. Yes, I found a tote with some 2" squares that looked like I was starting another Postage Stamp Quilt, so my backdrop for the winners. Hafza of Hook'N NeeldE is our international winner and Patti of Pattilousquilts is our USA winner. I will be sending both a personal e-mail for mailing information. Congratulations ladies and thank you all for your support and friendship.

SURPRISE!!

You will find me here today. Was that hard to keep a secret and I am honoured and thrilled!!

CLOSING THOUGHT

'April cold with dropping rain
Willows and lilacs brings again,
The whistle of returning birds
And trumpet-lowing of the herds.'
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon