Ritzy, it's just like that here in Quebec. Last night it went down to -16C (3 F). The sun is strong but the snow is still hip deep.

Rita - how do you know what to wear on a day like today in Ireland?

Oh that looks sooooooo cold Ritzy! I wish you could have seen it here today - beautiful blue skies, daffodils in full flower everywhere. But then out of the blue (literally) we had a torrential downpour of hailstones.... and then it was beautifully sunny again for the rest of the day. Spring has definitely sprung here.

How fabulous Ritzy but I'm pleased to say lawn mowers have been buzzing all day here and leaves are sprouting You'll soon catch up

Yes, I am off topic once again. You gotta' love Spring in Northwest Indiana!



You can't see it in this picture but it is snowing really hard!

Rosemary love the new miniatures especially the second one, Izzy's jacket back and the Mad Hatter tea cups too!
Rita - Orphan is fabulous you have a special talent!
Nancy - congratulations on your new job sounds like a grant adventure to me.
Lorna - congratulations on pending retirement!

Barb

Rosemary.......it looks like you are still enjoying working on Izzy's jacket. I'm sure she is very proud to have a mum that can create such wonderful masterpieces.

Rita........Such fun! Hard to believe those are orphan blocks! They all work so well together. And, your quilting is ever so pretty! Your mother is lucky to receive such a nice gift!

Both of you ladies are great for doing such wonderful things, for those that you love!

Dawn,
In beautiful Northwest Montana

Are you following the 20mins a day as well? I've been a bit slack since I've had more time

Very well said, Lois. I couldn't have said it better. I also agree with you about taking more time thinking about projects than doing them. I'm such a procrastinator.

One of the gals from the guild challenged herself, and others took it up: Do something quilty for at least 20 minutes each day. Draw, sort, organize, stitch, baste, bind, pin, applique a little thing, cut, etc. She said it works for her. Often ends up more than 20 minutes, and if she misses a day, she tries to 'catch up', but with no guilt if she doesn't.

Rita, Your work continues to be such an inspiration. When I think about your work I always think about the the advice that says the more you do the better you get. Looking at your work reminds me to just do it and stop thinking about it. Stop waiting till your skills are good enough. The way you work is testimony to that advice. Your skills are improving with each quilt. Keep up the good work. This quilt is beautiful! Your mother should be very proud of you for lots of reasons.

Rita, I agree with all the other comments here. Your quilt is lovely, and one would never know it was from 'orphans' . I am now inspired to do s/t with mine.

Actually, just sucked up a little orphan block today with the vacuum cleaner. DH went on search and rescue, and found it! It was pretty dusty, but a real good shake outside and the dust is gone. A quick wash by hand and it'll be fine!

Rita, what a beautiful quilt, front and back - and the quilting is amazing !
Best Wishes Pam

It's beautiful, Rita! You and Heidi are definitely becoming best friends!! As I've mentioned many times, Glide is by far my favorite thread. It's so strong and always quilts like butter!

I finished my Inspired by Libby quilt this morning so now just waiting for the reveal......

Thanks for all those lovely comments. The quilting is not that fantastic really it's just the more you do the less you notice the screw-ups. Wendy, I will never be as mad as Rosemary Beverly, this time I used Glide 40wt thread - 'Sand' on the top and 'Coffee' on the bottom. I wish I had used 'Sand' on the bottom too because I feel the coffee colour is too strong, but it's too late to change it now. The Glide thread is lovely. It's a polyester thread with a lovely sheen and was an incredibly good price wherever I got it, just can't remember now. It is probably intended for long arm machines as it was on a 5500yd spool but it worked really well on my machine.

Rita--your mom's birthday quilt is wonderful! Very creative backing and the quilting is great.