Hello, April!

It's April!  And look!  The white/yellow daffodils are blooming on the back hill - closer to the side porch overlooking the old woolen mill ruins.

I love these!  They come out later than the old heirloom variety with the double blooms - but they do eventually raise their pretty heads for all to see.

The sun was even warm enough on Saturday that I could take  a moment to just sit here and feel the sun on my shoulders and smell the newly mown grass.

Bliss!

I love this variety!

Today's post is a bit of a run around catch up - because even though it was Easter weekend - there was still a bit of this and that going on.

My loft railing above - is full of the 20 quilts that are headed to the Quilter's Hall of Fame for my exhibit that begins May 7th.

This was the BEST place I could think of to just let them drape - all stacked together - to let the creases fand fold lines ease out.

Click to Play:

I've got just a couple of weeks to finish pulling everything for my exhibit together - next on the list is all of the small things and memorabilia that can go in glass cases, etc.
This is all so exciting!
I also posted this little video clip on Tiktok and this question came in giving me the opportunity to jump on to this reply:

I tend to stumble over my words when I get caught up in the feelings of something I am so passionate about.  But I hope this helps the newbies and novices out there who are wondering if they will also get to this point.  YES, you can!

And so is this!

I finished stitching down the binding, hanging sleeve and label on Ladder Star and I can get back to the hand quilting.

It feels so much better to have the excess backing and batting removed.

And this is what I decided on.

I am keeping the crosshatching going in the squares - to carry that theme from the border.

But crosshatching the whole thing seemed monotonous and I really wanted to enhance the stars and triangles.

I am doing continuous curve quilting instead of simple outlining to add a feel of something just a bit different than old style hand quilting.  It's subtle, but it works!

Until Lola says "MY HOOP!" and I dare not move her because she is too cute.
And guess what else happens today?
It's time to draw for the winner of Bruce Leonard's  newest Hadley Carroll Quilt City Mystery release:  'Quilt City - Proving a Negative.' 

Official release date on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback is TOMORROW,4/2/24.

You'll be able to find all of Bruce's titles HERE. 

FIVE signed advance paperback copies - right here from my blog. 

We had 2362 entries!  And here are our winners drawn by random number generator:

Entry 464 - Gail Warnes

Entry 1066 - Phyllis McCarter

Entry 1917 - Kim Obele

Entry 247 - Pam D

Entry 2186 - Tammi Trautvetter

Congrats, ladies!  Please reply to the email notification I sent to the email addresses you provided with your entry.

I just need to get your shipping addresses on to Bruce and he will sign those copies and get them out in the mail to you.

So here we are at April - a brand new month - what will we do with it??

My Monday begins with continuing to get my Square Pegs quilt top set together.

I am cracking up at that random cornerstone - is it pigeons or partridges?

I'm not sure, but I love little hidden gems like this.

What's up for you today?

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

The truth is, we hope for tomorrow, but we really are only guaranteed today.

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What will you do with it?

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Vintage crazy quilt found in North Carolina.

Happy Monday, Happy April, everyone!