While nothing will ever beat my digital SLR camera (which I really do need to get repaired….), I have to say, phone cameras have come a long way, and it does make it easier to get some really unique shots.

I just love this one I took of Rupert while he was curled up in my lap. I never would have been able to get this angle with the SLR.

I know you’re probably suprised to see another round robin post so soon. And so am I! But I found myself with a free afternoon, and since they dont come along as often as they used to, I took advantage!

This time, the prompt was “stars”. I don’t need to tell you that stars are my favourite blocks. The hard part was deciding what kind of star I wanted to use.

In the end, I decided to stay in my comfort zone, and whip out some saw-tooth stars.

Eight of them, to be exact. Now, you’re probably wondering why they have peach bits going off in different directions….

Well it makes a lot more sense when you see them on the quilt.

They line up nicely with some other peach bits and make a fun border all the way around.

Now, I have a bit of a confession to make. After getting that first border done, I looked at the fabrics I pulled and got really worried it wasn’t enough to work with. So I ordered a few more pieces

Mostly fabrics that are from the same line as the centre panel. I’m glad I did, because it allowed me to introduce a little more colour into it.

So now, I’m all caught up, and Burton and I are patiently awaiting Monday for a new prompt.

The 30-day sketchbook challenge has come to and end.

That’s all 30 sketches for your viewing pleasure. Some are definitely better than others. But they are just sketches, not masterpieces, so that’s ok. I’m sure even Holbein had crap sketching days.

And I have to confess, I did not sketch one each day. There were several days too chaotic to take even 10 minutes to pick up the pencils. So, there were a few times I was playing catch up and doing several sketches at once. I limited myself to 10 minutes per sketch, as a reminder that this was just practice.

This exercise did reinforce one thing: Why I didn’t take up as a study/career: I HATE being told what to draw. There were days I really struggled with the prompt trying to come up with something that worked with the prompt that I would actually enjoy.

This was a struggle throughout my school years… if I didn’t like the subject matter, getting me to create a piece of art around it was like pulling teeth.

Still, this was mostly fun. But I think I need to find another way to get myself picking up the pencils more often.

Well those of you who thought I could finish my little sampler on the weekend were right.

I did the vines one night, and the letters the next. It was a fun little sampler that was very easy for me to customize, which I love.

There are a few mistakes: The top vine is actually up higher than it should be by a line or two, and the bottom letter spacing is off a little too. But it’s not noticeable, so I’m not fretting about it.

I haven’t framed it yet. I’m pretty sure I have a frame that will work, but it’s in a yet-to-be-unpacked box in my office closet. There’s no rush though. We don’t have much finished wall space yet anyway. It can wait.

And now I need to find a new TNT project!

Happy Monday! It’s time to check in on my Stay-At-Home-Round-Robin progress. The first prompt for this was curves.

Now… I’m not a fan of sewing curves. I really should give it more of a try, because it would be a good challenge, but I’ve got too much going on right now to step out of my comfort zone. But that’s the beauty of this sew-along. You can interpret the prompts how you want, and skip them if need be. So that’s what I did.

Next up was diamonds. Potentially, another tricky one. I took a few days to think about it, and finally decided to keep it simple with some square-in-a-square blocks.

They make pretty good diamonds, in my view! And using the solid fabric around them really highlights the fun prints!

Next, they needed to be sewn to the panel.

And voila! The panel only required minimal trimming to get it to work with my diamonds (which are 4.5″ unfinished) The trickiest part was making sure all those dapper black cats were pointing the right way.

Gah! They are just so darn cute!!!!

Of course, not as cute as the real thing!

With all the blocks of the Pegacorn quilt ready, it was time to assemble it into a top.

As usual, Burton was right at the centre of things, overseeing the process.

We both agreed that these stars needed more than simple sashing so I dug into the stash and found some grey and yellow fabrics to make cornerstone stars

Burton approved, so I got down to the business of sewing it all together. Being a baby quilt, it didn’t take long.

Apparently it was too long for Burton though. When it was time for a finished shot, he was nowhere to be found. Rupert kindly agreed to step in and show it off properly.

I think this one is so fun and sweet with its cheerful colours, and adorable little pegacorns.

I even managed to find them in flannel for the back, and I have more of the mottled blue from the border for binding.

I’m hoping to get to Mom’s for a quilting weekend on the 5th. But it’s weather dependent. There’s a lot of road between here and there, and some of it is really nasty when the weather turns. Too bad I don’t have a pegacorn of my own, I’d just fly there.

Although garden seasons is AGES away, I had to bring a little spring home with me on grocery day.

They had a pile of beautiful potted hyacinths in bloom. I had a hard time choosing, but in the end I went with this lovely pink one.

And oh how I wish you could smell it through the computers. It’s so strong. I come down every morning and the kitchen is just filled with its perfume. It’s incredible!

Because it’s potted, I can pop the bulbs in the ground and enjoy it outside for many, many years to come!

My other garden endeavors aren’t quite as good.

My little sunflowers haven’t really grown, and the biggest one has yellowing leaves and is leaning over. I’ll keep nursing them until they give up completely, but at this point, I’m not sure they will make it.

My ranunculus wasn’t showing any signs of life yet either and I was getting worried. But last night I was watering the plants and look…

… teeny tiny sprouts!!!!

And there is one last bit of spring to share. Although I absolutely do not need another dress, I couldn’t resist this gorgeous burst of life from Old Navy.

Just look at all that flowery goodness! I can’t wait to wear it in my garden all spring and summer!

For today’s Friday Felines, I thought I’d share an update on Norman, and the little care package I sent along for him.

It was recieved with much joy, and his quilt was put on his Mom’s desk so they can spend the day together while she works. But the real prize was the catnip pillow I included.

I think it’s fair to say the package was well received!

2022 has not brought me as much time to sew as I would like so far, but I couldn’t resist sneaking in another sew-a-long.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve watched several of you do the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, and I decided this year is the year to join in. January’s colour is Red, so I dug through my scrap bin, got out some graph paper, and came up with this big beauty.

Because my sewing time is more limited, I decided to do just one block each month. To compensate for that, I made it big one. This a a modified carpenter star, and it’s 16.5″ big. At the end of the year, I’ll have 12 of them, and with some sashing and a border, it will be enough for a good-sized lap quilt.

Way back (all those weeks ago) when I realized that I needed a longer needle for the Hemlock Ring, I started another project to keep my busy while I waited. It was the Harriet Bolero, for Miss Wren. Her birthday is in March, so I wanted to have something done in time to mail to her if I wasn’t going to be able to make it down that way.

I dug around in the stash and came up with two skeins of Fat Cat in this fantastic BRIGHT pink. And as you can see, I’ve made good progress. The body is done, I’m just now picking up stitches for the bands. Then it will be onto the sleeves. The pattern has short sleeves, but I should have enough yarn for at least 1/2 sleeves, if not 3/4 or full. I’m going to make them as long as I can.

I’ve been keeping an eye on Old Navy as their new spring fashions come in. I’d like to get a nice little spring dress to go with this.