Celebrating a finish!

All Done!

I finished up the quilting yesterday but it was raining and blowing, so a picture had to wait.

I am not very good at getting the pictures right, especially when it comes to color and focus. I really can't understand 90% of the stuff on the dials and the booklet that came with it is all in Japanese. (and I probably wouldn't understand it in English either).

I began reading and making blocks to go with each story back in February 2013, thanks to a fellow blogger, Starwood Quilter. The quilter's book club ended suddenly in 2014 and, wanting to put those 17 blocks to use, I finally figured out how to arrange them all by setting them on point. The finished size is 63" x 83".

Though they hardly show in this picture, I put a label 

on the back of each block with the title and author of the book

and the name of the block plus any additional information about the choice of blocks or fabrics.

I am really happy to have the quilting done before the heat sets in. Now I will be working on two projects. I need to finish the border on grandson Ben's quilt. I have been collecting purple and lime green fabrics and I think I have enough. I just need to come up with a plan as how to use them in a border.

My other short list project is a small quilted object ... table runner? ... for the rice store lady who has so kindly lent me her floor space on multiple occasions. I drafted a pattern and made templates and began to cut pieces so I would have take-along work ... then promptly lost the templates. I have spent three days looking and probably could have made a few hundred more in that time. I may give up and do that.

Here is my next project ... I got 50 silkworm eggs and they began to hatch two days ago. Now part of the morning walk with Nikko is picking mulberry leaves. These are tiny new leaves so you can imagine how small these little caterpillars are. I have to move them to the fresh leaves with a paintbrush. One thing I like most about these pets is that they stay right there and wait for food. They don't leave the box or get in trouble while I am out. They will go with me to scout camp in a few weeks (where I will have to protect them from ants). 

In showing these to the scouts, they are a good example of what happens when we are removed too far from nature. Because of centuries of relying on humans, they cannot find their own food, even if it is growing all around them. They have no protection from predators ... birds or even ants ... or rain ... 

We love all those modern conveniences ... water from a tap, light from a switch ... food from the market ... even a GPS on our cell phone ... but many kids don't even know what their food looks like growing or what to do when the battery dies. Scouting is a good way to learn skills that may come in handy somewhere down the road.

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The Easter cactus has finally bloomed but it was so late it has been out-done by all my other cacti,

This little tea-cup baby has flowers I have posted nearly every year but I think this is a record show.

There are flowers and buds all over my cactus world and I am enjoying them among the hanging laundry.

Have a great weekend!

Mine will be way too busy.