Crocuses, Concerns, and Coronavirus

First, let's have a few happy photos of crocuses . . .  harbingers of spring. H'mmm . . . Relax . . .

 

And I  saw my first two robins yesterday.   H'mmm . . . Relax . . .

Wow! Isn't this violet grouping pretty! It may end up on some of the greeting/get well cards that I make. [Photo note: these were all taken with my Nikon 100 - 300 lens.]  H'mmm . . . Relax . . .

On Tuesday, the Crosstown Quilters Guild met, and I turned in this fleece, cuddly throw along with six comfort pillows.

As guild president, I broached the topic of possibly cancelling upcoming meetings due to the Coronavirus crisis as this was the action taken by another guild in Watertown to which I belong. Many members felt individuals should make the decision whether or not to come to our meetings.  (Note: only forty members were in attendance; usually, we have about sixty-five.) In any event, it is now Friday and things have changed rapidly. The executive board today made the decision to cancel at least our next two meetings. Safety is our main concern.

Since this blog acts as my journal, may I just mention the following: the Boston Marathon has been postponed until the fall, the NBA has suspended games as have major league baseball, hockey, the national football league, etc. The Great White Way has been shut down with no plays or performances on Broadway. Concerts have been cancelled. Since Governor Baker (MA) does not want groups of over 250 to gather, this affects many religious groups including the cancellation of daily and Sunday Masses for Catholics. Schools have been closed and many college classes will only  be online. St. Patrick's Day parades have been cancelled as have concerts and film festivals. Travel is being restricted and Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios have been closed. Museums are closed. Supermarkets have rows of empty shelves, and all this is just the beginning. Who could have imagined this a month ago???

It's very scary especially since I tick a number of the boxes that put me at a heightened risk. I plan to crank up the drawbridge of my castle and just stay inside and work on my sewing projects and crafts.  I will still take Emma for our daily walks and will look forward to the gardening season. I am also going to try and post more frequently to offer my readers a smile or two. Lord knows we all need that! We are all in this together, and together, we will get through it.

One last thing, I again encourage you to read Heather Cox Richardson's daily newsletter. She is a professor of history at Boston College, and she offers a clear-eyed view and historical perspective regarding all that is currently going on in our country. It is well worth your time.  You may sign up for her newsletter HERE. 

Oh, one really last thing, in my previous post I wrote that if you follow my blog by email, you may scroll down to the bottom, and I should have written that you could click on "Web Version" to get the full page. :-)

Oh, one more really, really last thing . . . for some reason a few of the photos in my last post were not showing up; I have fixed that issue.


Be safe.

Happy Spring!!!

  

It's spring!!! We haven't heard the "snow" word in the forecast for at least a week. The crocuses are up and daffodil shoots are beginning to emerge. Mind you, I'm not being lulled into a false sense of security. I'm keeping my boots, my boot tray, and my shovel handy on the sunporch just in case. :-)

Kris Poor from Poorhouse Quilt Designs was the delightful speaker at Tuesday's meeting of the Crosstown Quilters Guild.  She brought many samples of the items that she has designed using various types of fusible foam and fleece. I bought a number of patterns and a kit to make some gifts. What a novel idea . . . not waiting until December to work on Christmas gifts!!!

Kris was the designer of the very popular dimensional wreath pictured above which many people have made. We all enjoyed her presentation. She told us that she has been named a 2019 Michael Miller Fabric Ambassador, and you may read more about Kris here on the Michael Miller website.

I'm also excited about starting a new art quilt after seeing a photo of a stunning hibiscus on a blog that I follow, Mereknits. This lovely blogger has given me permission to use her photo. Hopefully, I will start it soon as I have already begun pulling fabrics from my stash.  The colors/shading in the striking hibiscus are so unusual that I may need to paint some fabric pieces or use inktense pencils first. Wait . . . I have to work on a shibori piece that I have an idea for  . . . Wait . . . what about my dabbling in the world of tea bag art not to mention my stack of unfinished quilt tops? . . . Oh, and did I mention I had signed up for an online surface design/layered pages workshop and I am way behind on that? Not to worry, it will all get done in good time. :-) Now if I could just stop myself from starting any new projects . . .

The Estate in Spring

Yesterday was another sunny, warm spring day, so I grabbed my camera for a stroll around the estate . . .  the back forty . . . okay, my backyard. My longest lens wasn't quite long enough to do justice do this cardinal in the woods, but he sure was handsome. 

Each year I think about planting more crocus bulbs, but when fall comes around I never get to it. Fortunately, the bulbs are spreading on their own.

Naturally, my estate manager was checking things out alongside me.

In the evening, I attended a meeting of the Quilters Connection guild in Waltham. The speaker was quilt artist, Frances Holiday Alford from Vermont. Her varied pieces are whimsical and colorful and often feature hand stitching which I really like.

 

 

 

It was interesting to see up close some of her pieces that I recognized from articles in Quilting Arts magazine. You cannot believe how much the small piece above weighed with all of its buttons, beads, and geegaws. They were absolutely delightful! Click on the gallery button on her website to see other examples of her work. I'm a bit sorry that I had not signed up for her two-day workshop, but I came away from her talk with many fun ideas. (One quick tip she passed on: she uses her old sewing machine needles to hang pictures. They are easy to pound into the wall up to the shaft and when removed they will leave only a tiny hole.) 

I am super excited that I was able to sign up at the guild for a two-day "Artful Log Cabins" workshop with Katie Pasquini Masopust!!! 

Speaking of the Quilters Connection, be sure to mark your calendars for our quilt show on June 10 and 11 at Bentley University in Waltham. Don't worry; I'll be sure to remind you.

Spots of Color

 I spent some time yesterday shooting these little spots of color which dot my lawn.

Thank goodness spring is finally here. 

Easter Monday 2015

Almost of all of the snow has melted in my backyard, and here and there are signs of the promise of spring. I took this photo with my iPhone a little while ago when I was outside with Emma. Emma and I took our first walk in a long time this morning. Unfortunately, the weather forecasts suggest that another walk may not be possible for the next few days as rain, wind, and perhaps a touch of snow are predicted. :-(

This little "rail fence" quilt top is sewn but still on my design wall. My cousin Tom and his wife were blessed with their first grandchild in November, so I'm sending this to their precious little one who lives in Georgia. It still needs to be quilted and bound but given its size that shouldn't take too long.

Saturday, I was relieved to receive from the long-armer the quilt that I am making for another little cousin. Her birthday was in January, so it's just a tad overdue. I've posted peeks of it here before; it has shades of turquoise, pink, and purple on a white background. These were the colors that she had selected. The long armer quilted a daisy design which is absolutely perfect for this quilt. I still have to add the binding and sew it all down by hand which will take some time, but I am determined to have it completed by school vacation week. I'm sure that she will love it. I'd be very content sleeping under it myself!!!

Spring Is Here

     I spent some time this morning with my trusty macro lens, tripod, and telephone book kneeling pad to capture these little beauties. The close-up below is my favorite.

Have a bright, cheerful spring day!

A Very Rainy Day

      Did I take this photo today? No, today was a very cool, rainy Sunday. These pretty yellow crocuses   were open earlier this week when we had a bit of sun and warmth. It's been quite a week weather-wise.

     Here's a small hand appliquéd piece that I worked on last weekend on our NH getaway. I just couldn't bring myself to lug my sewing machine and all my fabric and equipment with me. I opted, instead, to work on this piece. I found that I really enjoyed doing the hand stitching. After the center was completed, I decided to add borders. It truly is square though it would not appear so from this photo. Next I added a sprinkling of beads. This close-up may give you a better look at the beadwork.

      On Friday, I attended a show in Norwell of exquisite work done by members of the North River Applique Society. (I believe that is the correct name, but I may be mistaken.) There were small, medium, large, and very large hand appliquéd quilts on display. Knowing how many hours it took for me to complete my tiny piece, gives me an even deeper appreciation of the beautiful work which was on display. Speaking of shows, several of us went to the Quinobequin Quilters Guild show in Needham yesterday. There were over one hundred quilts on display. What I enjoyed most was the diversity of the quilts. It was a terrific show by a talented group of quilters.

  

Signs of Spring

     Everyone is feeling just a tad winter weary at this point, so I thought I'd share two photos taken yesterday to reaffirm that spring is truly just around the corner. Midst the snow and ice, this tiny crocus is poking up its head. These daffy daffodils are also about 1.5 inch high. Clearly, they must not have received the memo warning of another snowstorm coming on Monday.

Be sure to click on the crocus photo to see a larger version as it's like a tiny little natural world.

Purple Crocuses

     Crocuses or croci . . . either one will do.

     When I came back from the gym a little while ago, I noticed that this small clump of croci were open. I love their shade of purple, so I ran for my camera and had some fun photographing them. The sky was overcast like a giant soft box giving a soft even light.

     My favorite photo below was taken with a regular 18-55mm with a 3T close-up filter.

This is just the type of soft floral photo that I like to take. Oh, one more thing, this was taken just inches away from where I took the snake photo that I posted yesterday. Fortunately, it's too cold today for them to be slithering about.

     If you enjoy photography and live in the area, please stop by the John Curtis Library on Route 139 in Hanover, MA,  during the month of April to see an exhibit of images by members of the South Shore Camera Club. There is an opening reception Saturday, April 6th, tomorrow from 2:00 to 4:00 and all are welcome. I will be there as I have two photos in this exhibit.