Midweek Madness

Here it is -- Wednesday -- and when I should have been putting the guest room back in order and cleaning for SIL's arrival, I spent much of yesterday working on this:

WIP - Kevin's Block

I was so inspired by the simple block that Kevin the Quilter is requesting for his Quilts of Valor block drive that I sat right down and tested the concept on some fabric I brought home from guild to make a comfort quilt.  My blocks finish smaller than his -- 8" vs. 12".  I also reduced the size of the inserted strip to 1" finished.  But I'm loving the look.  (I see I need to get a little more variation in the location of inserted strip, though.)  This is a perfect block for group projects where nobody's block comes out the same size.  Also, when using only two fabrics, it has the potential of being strip-pieced.  But I like the spontaneity of starting with a square (or, in Kevin's case, a rectangle) and popping that strip in wherever.

Thanks, Kevin, for the inspiration!  Pop on over to his blog to read about his QOV block drive and to get the specifics for his block.

When I wasn't in the sewing room I was taking pictures of these:

Papa Cardinal makes an appearance

At one point yesterday there were 20 goldfinches on the deck, but this little fella preferred to dine alone.

Goldfinch

The red-bellied woodpecker gets a choice morsel from the feeder, but then sticks it in tree bark where he can peck it open.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Most of the ice has disappeared, but yesterday it was like jewels on the Japanese maple branches.  I love the color of the wood on this one.  It's leaves are a beautiful lemon-lime color.  We have a burgundy one in the back and it's bark is not nearly as interesting.

Japanese Maple

It's time to get serious about scrubbing bathrooms and making beds and putting away Christmas boxes and ....  Why do I let the guest room become a catch-all?  Oh, well, I'll just

Keep Calm

and

Carry On