Toddler Time

What a lovely week we had with our Vermonters.

Ruthanne is beyond cute - I love watching her learning new things.

Miss Fish enjoying the pool. 



They are home safe and sound now, after a discouraging flight delay out of Orlando.  I'll be spending the day scooping up toys from under the sofa and looking at my photos of our week.  Oh yeah, and new car shopping -- ugh.  Our red truck is making its last gasp.  --cds

The Batik Collection

Previously all mixed up in a couple of fabric bins, these are now all sorted and ironed and ready for stitching fun.

Ummm, delicious colors.

It's kinda like having a brand new box of crayons.

However, I must get them all put away as the Vermonters arrive this weekend for a visit and there will be no time for sewing!  Miss Ruthanne and I have some serious playing to do.  --cds

Hot Flowers Update

Just some progress pix on the hot-colored flowers applique piece.

I've been gathering up a good collection of commercial batiks for applique use and have been thinking about how I want to use them.

In the meantime, I'll practice stitching on wild flowers and leaves.  --cds

Porch Sittin'

As soon as the sun comes up a bit more I'll try to snap a photo of our newly screened-in front porch.  I'm sitting out here with coffee beside me, listening to crickets and the birds waking up and once in a while a far-off car on Old Dixie Highway that runs a couple miles behind us, and that's it.  Also there's a breeze rattling the palm branches of the trees in front of our house - one of my favorite Florida sounds.

A sound that rather freaks me out, however, comes from the osprey that circles high above me when I'm swimming laps just before dawn.  It has a nest on the light pole just above the tennis courts, so I know it's probably just patroling the perimeter of its territory, but I feel as though he's thinking I look like a nice fat old grouper slowly moving in the water far below and would make a tasty breakfast for his osprey babies.  Things to worry about when swimming with your face in the water.  --cds

Experimenting

So here's what I've been messing about with lately because I can't seem to focus on just one single project.  I have lots of favorite fabrics that I like to pull together in a crazy-quilt sort of way.  This is emerging out of my obsession over the movie Midnight in Paris. 

Also playing around with printing photos onto fabric.  This snowy shot is one of my Dad's from the 1950's, taken from our old house at the causeway across the ponds (lots of snow for Jersey, huh?).

I surrounded the transferred photo print with some of my hand-dyed that looked all icy and sunrisey.

And then had huge fun pulling out matching threads and ribbon and beads. 

I also fabric-printed one of those iconic Moose River upstream shots during a no-bridge era.  I liked the colors in this one - lots of silver/gray/green in the clouds, trees and river.

And then for something completely different, the colors of the Gulf off of Anna Maria Island.

And little Evie floating in the turquoise sea with her Daddy.

 
These are just a few of the things that keep me from doing what I ought to be doing, like taxes and cleaning windows.  --cds

No Sewing, So Just Plant Pictures

We've had a couple days of clouds and showers and I took these pictures the other morning. Don't you love it when water beads up on leaves like this?



These leaves are Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta), so this is not a small drop of water.

I spent a while wiggling it around on the leaf. 

 
Yes I do have too much time on my hands and yes I do need a job.  I'll try to be more productive today.  I'm debating on whether or not to do the polar bear plunge into the swimming pool this morning.  The temp is only 52 degrees.  I think I'll ride my bike later on instead.  --cds

Back To Basic Applique

While I wait to order the backing fabric for a large fall-ish looking quilt I just made, I needed to do some handstitching.  When I lose the calluses on my fingertips, I know I've been neglecting my handstitching.

 This may look like just a basket of stems...

well, it is just a basket of stems. 

But in a day or two it will be filled with lots of appliqued hot-colored Florida flowers and leaves.  And some embroidery.  And maybe some beads.  I'm all about embellishment these days.  I'll try to restrain myself from giving it a glitter dusting.

--cds