Hands to Work

I've had such fun on my little patchwork project! To my surprise, however, it was the process of crocheting a lace trim edge that gave me the most satisfaction.

So much so in fact that I convinced Lucy to let me have at her tiny quilt and add a bit of trim work there as well. That one whipped up in a jiffy so before I knew it I was free to head downstairs and complete the final step on my piece. . . . .

. . . . . by hanging it up in the pantry! If you recall I was bothered by a certain lack of "charm" once the pantry re-do was complete. I'm quite pleased with this result if I don't say so myself. Having always wanted a kitchen sink with a skirt hanging beneath it, but never the style of kitchen conducive to such a decorating delight, I find this to be a nice substitute. Unfortunately that trim work I was so fond of making earlier this morning seems to get lost in the shadow a bit.

Good thing for me I get to wash the floor every week. . . . .down there on my hands and knees I'll be sure to get a real good close up look!

No sooner had the pantry skirt gone up than Lucy could be heard calling for assistance with a bit of wrapping. Bundled up tidy in a wee bit of seam binding it was easy to tote over to Wayside Cottage where Lily Red welcomed her new gift with open arms!

And while those two wasted no time putting their hands to work making up a proper bed, I enlisted the help of another set of wee hands to help me with the last (and most exciting) task of the day. . . . .

. . . . .picking the winner of the Quilting Bee Giveaway! Happy, hearty congratulations to Lina!!!
I can't wait to post out your ditty bag of goodies so please e-mail me with your address.

Busy Bees

The upcoming giveaway has everyone doing their part! Lovely comments and quite a few book recommendations are being shared by sweet readers as they enter to be the lucky winner.

One stitch at a time I'm making headway on a special patchwork project of my own...one I'm especially excited about because I'm going to give it to myself!

And finally, in true "Persian Pickle Club" fashion little Lucy is hosting an official quilting bee right here in the sewing nook. I do believe, given a few more stitches and some CAREFUL snipping of thread tails, Lily Red's big surprise will be complete!

Quilting Bee Giveaway!

I must admit, Lucy's fabric jumble was quite a job to tackle! At long last, however, it was tamed, tidied, and trimmed well enough to be snuggled into a wee ditty bag and toted away. Arriving at Bogg's Cottage I found Lucy's spirits were much improved. . . . .

"Why good day! Good day to you," I heard her call out. "I've had such a lovely time this morning amongst the lilacs. I'm cutting blossoms to bring indoors and seem to be quite an expert at it. Having the cottage overrun with their sweet smell will be much more agreeable than the fabric fiasco I created."

In no time at all her blossoms were bundled. "Is that for me?" she asked finally spying the wee ditty bag I'd toted along. "I do believe it must be for I see my name there right up front! How exciting!"

Thus without delay the contents were revealed. "I'm afraid there will be no more cutting to perform for awhile Lucy," I cautioned. "Piecing shall be your new task at hand for with some tiny stitches and a bit of time you'll be able to create a cozy quilt for Lily Red. I was able to salvage quite a bit of the fabric and cut it into squares. You need only trace the template and sew them together. It will be fun. . . . . so much so that I've decided to make a patchwork of my own to sew along with you. But wait, that's not all. . . . . "

"While cutting piecing strips from my own stash," I continued, "I realized what an abundance I've acquired over the years. So I kept cutting until a second ditty bag could be filled with a wide assortment of scrap pieces. This I thought would be fun to share with someone. . . . ."

". . . . . in our very own Quilting Bee Giveaway! To round out the scrap bag I even added a copy of an all time favorite read, The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. It's a fantastic quilting novel and the perfect inspiration for making do with scraps."

Lucy was game. "Count me in," she chirped.

Anyone else wishing to be counted in? It's ever so easy. . . . . just leave a comment. Do you have a favorite read of your own, especially one pertaining to quilting? Share it's title with me and you'll be entered twice! Comments will remain open through May 21st. Be sure to check back on Saturday, May 22 when the lucky winner will be announced!

May Day Surprises!

After a week full of days spent cooped up in the sewing nook trying to make some sense out of Lucy's oodles and oodles of scraps, May Day offered the perfect excuse to escape for a romp in the garden.

It was lovely to see the violets have run absolutely wild among the hostas and hyacinths!

The lilacs were noticeable by smell as soon as I stepped foot around back. Given a few more days for them to bloom in full and I'll be hankering after a vase of them for the bedside.

It's always delightful to see the forget-me-nots make their appearance but stumbling upon these in the daisy patch reminded me it was time to get back to work on Lucy's fabric lest she think I forgot her. Headed once again up to the nook, I prepared myself for the jumbled mess I'd left behind. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when I was met instead by. . . . . .

. . . . . . a wild ruckus of Lilies! The mini troop of them had gathered around what appeared to be a new issue of Art Doll Quarterly, chattering and pointing with great enthusiasm.

And how could I blame them once the source of their excitement was revealed. A featured article on the Pick-a-Lily pincushion dolls was contained within its pages! I must admit, the news had me in a bit of a ruckus as well!