Warm days...

are here. Maybe not for long, but I've been daydreaming about digging out the sandals and painting my toe nails! They say tornado weather is here. I suppose that is why it is so unseasonably warm, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth. It's March. Need we say more?

I just wanted to show you some of the things that I have been up to. The dragonfly quilt is something we whipped up at work and it was a collaborated project. I did the background- dontcha just love blue and green? The pattern is in Eleanor Burns' book "Quick Trips." Hers has lilly pads in it. Tanya made up the little dragonflies and Sharon appliqued them all down. They are made from Angelina fibers and they add a nice sparkle to the wallhanging.

These are my humble versions of Darcie's journal covers. Hers had ties, but I just couldn't go there. I don't do tedious if I can help it! I've made 12 so far. 4 of them have flown away. It was a great little mini-quilting project for the company that I had. I let them quilt their own designs on their covers, add beads as they wished and I sewed them up. Most of these, here, are my sons' and nephews' and the pastel one is for a neice. All the others, are from my bleach resist fabric that I made while teaching a class on that method. I think they turned into really nice journal covers. Unfortunately, as I used fat quarter halves, they were just a little short so I had to add a strip to the bottom of them to grow them big enough for the journals. no biggie. I also washed them after quilting so they shriveled up very interestingly. I think that is one of my favorite things about quilts- even more than how they look. It's how they feel. I lined mine with cotton flannel and boy did they shrink! They got all bubble-dy. I had made a really gorgeous orange one(Jellies fabric) but it got nabbed at the quilt shop when I was showing Tanya. I looked up and saw a customer walking around with it! Now isn't that funny? And she was just such a sweetheart that I didn't have the heart to tell her that they weren't for sale. So I sold it to her. I have more Jelly fabric and have made 2 more so that my neice who loves orange won't be missing out. I have a stack of 30 journals (Yes, Dh found a great buy- 50 cents each- and you already know we don't do anything in a small way!) They are needing clothes, so I have been making up the little coats for them as I find time. My friend, K, is a child therapist and when her little patients graduate from her care she presents them with a journal. She has asked me to make a few for her. I think that's pretty cool.