Beads, Roving, feathers, oh my!

 When I got the poppies finished, I already knew I was going to sew down some wool roving over the yellow to give a look of pollen when you are standing back from them.  I also knew I was going to sew beads for the seed heads.  

The embellishment stage is often my favorite time with a quilt.  I get to hold it and cradle it and spend some time touching it in a different way than I do when it is going back and forth from the design wall to the sewing machine.  I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to explain it, but I really don't know how.  It's all a tactile thing.  Maybe the quilters who read will understand.

I sewed the roving down on the sewing machine, then I got out all my black bugle beads.  I ordered these specifically for this project.  (Ornamentea also has great prices on wool roving.)  I put everything out in front of me and one at a time I sewed down the beads over the centers of the poppies.

I also ordered these crystal looking beads thinking I would do something completely different than I ended up with for the ballerina.  I never loved her head piece, but in studying ballerina's it was appropriate - more appropriate than her having long flowing hair and the idea giving her a bun was just yuck so, I figured I would dress it up when I got to the stage of handwork and embellishing.  

A while ago, right after the beach, someone gifted me some swan feathers from a lake where they were found - it was on the property of a camp where the swan had lived a good life and died leaving behind some feathers.  I felt honored to have them since I have been working with the swan.  When they were given to me I thought for sure I would find a way to incorporate them into the quilt, but they are HUGE and didn't fit. Even though they were too big they still inspired me to use some feathers anyhow.  

I ended up just using some feathers I had from a project the kids and I have did a year or more ago.  A good quilter holds onto everything that might be useful in a craft, right?  Certainly paid off this time!

I'm all done with the top.  It feels a bit bittersweet.  I better get busy on those new ideas I've got floating around in my head!

Until tomorrow!

I'm off to quilt!

The End is no longer a Dream

I have finished the beading on Yab Yum.  

I sat down last night AFTER finishing the laundry (mostly) and dinner and watched a show on the computer.  We don't have cable, but sometimes we plug the laptop into the tv and watch through there.  Only India and I were here, so she was busy editing pictures and that meant MOM could watch whatever she wants.  AHHHH the joy of that - it happens so seldom.

Then this morning, I got up and got it layered!  PRODUCTIVITY is in the air!

When I went to the closet to get out the batting this was all I had.

YIKES!  I didn't know if it would be enough.

Thankfully, it was.

I ironed the backing and took it all outside to spray baste! (I LOVE spray basting)

AND now... It's ready to quilt.

I just have to figure out HOW I'm going to quilt it!

The agenda for today... contemplating just the right quilting.

The end to this one is so close now I can actually see it! I may get it finished this weekend after all!

See you tomorrow!

The Gift of a Day

Yesterday was the start of my 36th trip around the sun, my birthday.

It was a great day.

I did Absolutely NOTHING in the eyes of the world, but EVERYTHING through mine.  

The kids spent Thursday night with my folks. They were out of the house all day. Jason was at work until 2:30.  

I took the day off from work and did whatever I wanted to do.   

There was no cleaning, cooking, laundry, or driving in my plans for the day.

 I watched shows only I like on the television rather than on the laptop screen because no one else was here and I could.  While watching t.v. I sewed on beads. 

When Jason got home he worked in the garden and I watched from my quilt that was on the ground with my beads spread all around me. I sewed each one on at a time while bathing in the warmth of the sun. 

It was a perfect Spring day.

 

For dinner, we picked up my grandmother and met my folks and the kids for pizza.  After we ate, we all went back to my grandmother's house for cake and presents.  (I got a NOOK color - I'm so excited!!!! The kids gave me all the icing left over from my cake. They know how much I love India's homemade icing - my waist does not but my mouth certainly does - yum!!!)

Check out the cake!  The kids decorated it for me by themselves!

The day ended with us all coming home full and happy.  The house filled back up with laughter and I felt complete.  I was relaxed and happy for the experience of the 35 years behind me that have led to this moment.

It was a great day.

 

Exactly what I wanted.

(Today's technical note: The tip of my finger hurts from sewing on beads and I'm not done, but I'm almost done.)