HAPPY EASTER ALL

                        My smallest Azalea bush turns out to be the 1st
                               to bloom this year...last year, the deer
                                           herd ate them all ---
                                                  the flowers, new stems  and buds!!!!

                                          I thought, well,
                                       Good-bye pretty bush...

                                        But it has sprung back
                                             into life....
                                         How apropos for 
                                                EASTER...;)))

    And my daffodils--ever faithful...have given us a wonderful showing....

                           Nodding in front of my lichened rock....

                 They are just so pretty and mood enhancing...

                             "SPRING IS HERE, I HEAR..."

           HAPPIEST OF EASTERS TO ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS...

                       You all are the flowers in my life....
                                   thank you all...;))))

Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (Springing-forward-euse)

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER

                                                                       TERRI'S BUTTERFLY

I've finished hand quilting this piece and...............
I feel that, for me,
there's way too much quilting going on...
I am not much for the overall "wrinkly" look...
I am much more used to tying my quilts and quilting sparsely....

Well...here is the back anyway....

And here is a view of each oriental-themed string blocks:

   






with the partial geisha
faces....

                              Did you find all the faces?? ;)))

This very last one only has a piece of a geisha's headdress
peeking out....

This was the absolute last little corner of my geisha fabric, but..
I went on etsy-- and on the very last page of my search 
                                  GUESS WHAT?????
I found another yard of it...and snapped that baby right up....

                   That really made my day....;*}}}}

*********************************************
And here is my progress on Spring Strings:

I have 10 and 1/2 big blocks so far......
soo.... 
that is 42 separate quarter blocks 
and YET>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LOOK at my scraps! 

                                   HOW can this be......?????

I don't think they've been whittled down very much at all...;0000

but, I will say that  the range of available colors has been cut
a lot--

so, each little block is a bit harder to put together
and takes more "thinking" .

More blues have been added and there are
fewer yellows or greens in my pile...

I am not planning, so to speak; 
still pulling semi-randomly; 

and, not thinking of the "Big" 4-part blocks or trying to 
coordinate those...just each smaller quarter....

We'll see how it comes together...
So far the Nine Big (4-part) blocks are sewn together--
[but not to each other as yet--]

I am trying not to shuffle too much--
as that way lies madness....;000 
they are pretty much in the order as I finished them.

AND
I am still doing 2/day ...
amazing how fast they are mounting up..

****************************************
I don't usually make lists, but when I looked in my
spare closet this morning I saw this array:

Many, many small and medium and-- 3 large projects 
either to be layered, quilted and/or bound 
hanging there:

12 here








And:

                                            Eight more here 
                that makes :TWENTY finishes ahead of me....(ack)

.....SOOOOOO, why am I working on new ones, I ask???
?Quien Sabe? 

One of the mysteries of my life....;))) and
quilting, I guess...

Hugs from rainy CT on a dark afternoon, 
Julierose, La Blageuse (wondering-euse)

NIGHT MOVES

                 Hand Quilting Terri's Butterfly in the evenings--
I decided on "big stitching" those border segments....
love how "handmade"it appears....;)))

          Here is the Prescenzia (sp?) thread color--a real Spring Green...
                                                   AND
You can see I am watching the Red Sox on tv..................

 I have this draped over a pillow on my lap so that I can maneuver it easily...

Hugs, Julierose La Blageuse (hand working-euse)and 
P.S.

I will be hooking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday stitchers

SNOWBALLS' BACKING

                      I FINALLY HAVE DECIDED ON THESE 3 FABRICS FOR
                                                  the reverse of
                                                       Snowballs

All grays and pinks...

                                Cute Spring bicycles...in light pink
                                                  and aquas

                                          Yummy cupcakes...
[note: since I am trying to lose weight, I won't be eating any cupcakes
in the near future, so at least I can dream and pat them lol]

AND an old favorite:

                                       Japanese Ocean Waves...

I am going to iron them today, sew them up tomorrow and then have
to choose more of one of the cupcakes or bicycles for side borders to
make the backing wide enough for Snowballs....
********************************************
Today was Big Y shopping and a (dumb) decision to walk outside--that
darn ole  wind was really blowing,
 and so FRIGID right off the Sound...
it has taken me an hour to warm up....and a nice cuppa hot tea...

**********************************
I am really trying to watch my food intake--
and so far I have dropped 1.2 lbs...

so at least I am moving in the right direction for a change!!;000

My first goal is 5 lbs....I am not on any specific diet plan; just more
protein , less fatty and sugary foods and smaller portions .  It will
definitely take a longer time, 
but hopefully it will STAY OFF...

oh---- and some form of exercise each day...oof-dah...

Hugs from chilly CT;000,
Julierose, La blageuse {still backing-euse}


                                    

IT'S A START...

                                                      "Terri's Butterfly Garden"
                  Hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (hand quilting-euse):))))

UME = PLUM

                I worked on the backing for top No 2--Plum Postage,
                          yesterday and this morning.

And, I have decided to call it "UME" (Japanese for plum--for the strip
color throughout ) and also for the Japanese backing I've used....

             I have had this fabric for ages and never 
                                  wanted to cut into it.

So I used my one yard of it; 
and then bordered it with a newer pinky-roses fabric...
to give it a more vintage look...

                        I love this scene by a faraway shore...
herons........
                                         
                  in flight..........
                                  under the sailing moon.........
                                                             
                                             Very romantic, I feel....

            Here is a closer look at the borders, top, bottom and sides...

and finally another scenic view :

So the 2nd top is readied to be layered...

*************************************************

And onto my third and last big top:

 My SNOWBALLS

Tomorrow I will be stash diving once

again to find just the right

backing fabric(s) for

this one...

it measures 46.5" wide and 

52"long...

These tops are all big ones...;-0000

I must say I am getting used to working with big pieces of fabric 

YA THINK????:)))

****************************************

On the hand quilting front, since I've finished the hand quilting part of

Stone Soup

I took this out to work on

for Spring...

My little center butterfly gift from 

TERRI 

that I surrounded with garden fabrics...

I am psyched to begin working on this one

Hugs, from SUNNY (YAY) CT,

Julierose, La blageuse (backing-euse)

RAINY DAY WORK

My version of Angela's Tiny Tuesday Block --isn't this just the cutest string
umbrella--I could not resist since I am making Spring Strings anyway.

I used the same paper blocks [5"] that I have been
using for my Spring Strings and my bountiful leftovers...
And a new piece is born--
{squirrelly moi--drop everything and do it}.
I think I will try to make a small scrappy rainbow of umbrellas..
what fun!!;))
*******************************

Here is the secret project I made for my blog friend, DAWN at [click]
for her birthday today and in memory of her little kitty, Phoebe, 
who passed away ......;(((( 

                            HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAWN.....;)))

I only hand quilted the white area around Phoebe..

Here is the reverse using the last of my favorite fabric--lower left is
a woman quilting, right is a man fishing, and at the  top is a lovely
old-fashioned home....

isn't that just scrumptious?

I hope that this little piece will bring warm memories to Dawn and Rich....
of their beloved Phoebe............💙💙💙💔
****************************************************************
My Spring String blocks are mounting up at two/day.........

                                                    A rainbow of OJOS.
This Spring String piece is not as planned as my other pieces--
I am pulling haphazard pieces out of my mash-up of leftovers....
so a true scrappy one... 
AND...........
I have a lot more strings leftover----
 OH! ..............................and those little triangles 
[that began their lives to become broken dishes--but no matter 
how I tried ;((((  when I sewed them together 
they came out all "skewgey"]
have just morphed into perfect little corners 
for my Ojos work..PERFECT!!

Hugs from STILL COLD CT
Julierose, La blageuse (stringing-euse)