Rainy Days and Sundays

It has been a crazy couple of weeks around here. My husband has decided to take a new job in Texas.  It has been a goal of ours to move closer to family as we get closer to retirement.  But, even though we have moved several times over the years it is always stressful facing a move.  I finally sat down yesterday at the hoop and finished hand quilting block # 20 of Baltimore Garden.  The final five blocks have the crosshatching marked.  So this am, I will be tracing my random flowers and leaves on the last five blocks and I will be ready to sit and stitch.

I am so looking forward to my slow stitching today. The sound of the rain drops or the wall clock ticking in the background help me to concentrate on the needle in hand, to free the mind from troubled or chaotic thoughts.  We all need time away from reality, a time to rest our minds.  I look forward to each Sunday when Kathy reminds us it's time for Slow Stitching Sunday.

Could that groundhog be right????

It's a gorgeous day here in the south.  Sun is shining and we are suppose to reach the mid 60's.  Maybe there is some truth to the ground hog not seeing his shadow.  I noticed this week when I went to check the mail that a clump of daffodils is starting to form buds. A sure sign of spring.  Unfortunately about the time they are in full bloom they get covered in snow or pounded by heavy rains.  So I guess we will take it day by day.

 I haven't seen any bees flying around yet, except the ones on my background fabric.   But my husband did say he saw some mosquitos flying around last week.  Hard to believe isn't it!







So today's stitching will include working on the next block of SVBQ.  The Blue Flag or Iris block!  When I grew up in northeastern Illinois where many farmer's wives grew iris' in their gardens, sometimes you would see them growing along side an old country road, perhaps the remains of an old family farm.  They are quite hardy and we never had any of the fancy hybrid variety but just the old fashion generic flags.  So I decided to do my petals in purple, adding a bit of gold to the centers. Yes that is how I remembered them!

And of course I will try to get a few stitches in block number 13 which is a corner block on Baltimore Garden.  Two more blocks on this row and then I will move to the last column of five blocks on the other side.  I also took some time to play with quilting ideas for the border.  Nothing in stone yet, but getting close to deciding.  It's a bit like shopping for something new, its the journey the window shopping and browsing that brings so much joy to quilting for me. How about you?