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Saturday, March 12, 2011

Yes!! Spring!!


It’s about dang TIME! It’s about time that the rain stopped, the snow stopped, the cold temps stopped and the flowers and sunshine and warmth STARTED!

Yesterday morning it was actually spitting snow when I went to class. This morning dawned chilly but clear…and by lunch time? Oh, sun, oh glorious long-awaited sun!

I took a moment at lunch time to take a pic of the bradford pears in the parking lot here at the convention center. I’ve been watching them since I arrived on Sunday, and I think…..finally…..they have reached peak bloom!

Just LOOK at this beauty!

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The one thing I forgot though, is how they STINK! Really….to me they don’t smell good at all..it’s just a funky dirty-sock-kind-of-smell for a lack of way to describe it! That’s okay! We’ll take it, stinky and all! It is GORGEOUS!

Update---For those of you drooling over the Cherry Red Featherweight I showed pics of yesterday—I saw it leave with its new owner! I am sure they are thrilled with it. At last look, the green one was still there. Oh Temptation! ((But I am NOT caving…I promise!))

Today’s workshop was Scrappy Bargello! You know, this is day FIVE of workshops this week…and I have to admit we were all kind of dragging when we started off. These are SERIOUS quilters! there are 6 full days of workshops offered, and several of the ladies fill ALL SIX DAYS! SIX! That is SIX UFOs in the making, all in one fell swoop…it’s like a “Full House” of projects if we were talking in card speak! One lady said it was okay….her guild retreat was this NEXT weekend and she is leaving her projects packed up in the car so she is ready to go…LOL! THAT’S THE SPIRIT!

Our energy increased as the day went on and we saw progress on our bargello panels. You can not go wrong with this quilt…EVERYTHING works!

Sunday Morning is a half-day Hidden Spools workshop. We’ll be working with 2” strips and the companion angle ruler to kick out scrappy blocks left and right….I’m curious to see how many we can do in half a day…and just how awake we will be since the time changes tonight. Don’t forget to set your clocks 1 hour ahead! I already did my watch and am trying to convince myself that it really IS nearly 10:30pm instead of only 9:30 pm as I type this. I’m fighting a losing battle. I’m packing up the car so it is ready to leave after the workshop…

I’ll be taking THIS drive through the Smoky Mountain National Park to my next destination: Franklin, NC!

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It should be a beautiful day for a drive through the park again. I’ll be going the same route that Dad and I went to Cherokee where we stopped for lunch last Monday….I wonder how different it will look with the frost line gone! We shall see!

9 comments:

  1. I always think the bradford pear trees smell like a dirty diaper pail...yuk! But they sure are pretty!

    Love the bargello pics.....their piecing is so precise! Love it!

    Have a safe and scenic drive!

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  2. You're right about the Bargello ... it takes everything (even the uglies) and makes them work together! Great pattern :)

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  3. My strips are all cut and these pics encourage me to get a couple more Ufos done and reward myself by starting the Bargello piecing.

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  4. I'm thinking that bargello quilt might be happening sometime... but first... need to get all the UFOs finished!

    Safe travels!

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  5. Oh my - you all are in my "ole stomping grounds" outside the Smoky Mountains. I'm not sure if I am sad or happy at seeing the photos. Spring came so much sooner there than where I am now. 8-)

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  6. I really enjoy this pattern, I made one during Bargello bowl!!! Please be careful and enjoy your drive!

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  7. I have been following your blog for awhile now and I love the scrappy look of all you show . . . . . the scrappy bargello is one of the best! Safe travels!

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  8. Hey Bonnie Thanks for the WONDERFUL class and the great pictures of it. You made our trip to quilt fest a memorable one and our Bargello quilts are the keepsake. Hetty and I hope to get to take another class with you again someday. We are home now and have already been working on our Bargellos - cannot wait to see them finished!

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  9. Anonymous9:52 AM EDT

    Morning Bonnie,
    I am catching up on blogs. This one tickeled me, leaving the car packed from classes one week to retreat the next.... Then too, I am thinking that your drive back down the highway a week later into spring was special..... I never noticed that bradford pears were stinky and I HAD one in the front yard, so I am sure you noticed all sorts of spring goodies..... Sew we go....

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