A little bit of everything

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Hello friends, 

We have had the most gorgeous weather here in Pennsylvania this past week! It seems like we just skipped spring and dove right into summer on Wednesday, when the temps were in the 80's! Even though that was  a little too hot for my liking for April, I soaked up the sun and spent as much time as I could outside. I always choose any activity outside over cleaning anything inside!( Planting flowers or cleaning the toilet? No contest!)

There is something so peaceful about getting your hands in the dirt while listening to the chatter of the birds...

Other than planting some flowers,  I convinced hubby that we really needed some apple trees. Well, we actually went looking for crabapple trees, but when they didn't look that healthy we opted for regular apple trees instead. I had my heart set on a pink-flowering tree and that is what is now gracing our yard! As soon as there are some pretty blooms on them I will be sure to share some photos ;).

With all this puttering around in the garden I haven't spent a whole lot of time working on any quilty projects....

But in the evenings I have been stitching away on my giant hexies that I bought from One Common Thread, the organization that supports women in Honduras. You can read more details about them in this blog post ( click).  

These flowers are HUGE and I don't know yet how I will put them together or what they will become, but I have many more hexies to go before having to make a decision!

I am also excited about this new book I just bought! 

As you work your way through the various rows you learn different techniques, such as simple piecing,   applique,  and everything in between ( like paper piecing, which I definitely am not a fan of, but I am hoping that this book will teach me a new and better ( read: more fun and successful) way to do it.)

Below are some of the blocks the book covers: 

And it also has 2 extra quilt patterns although, as the authors point out, you can use any of the block rows and turn them into a new quilt! This extra pattern is one that caught my eye: 

Isn't it adorable? And just think how many scraps this would use up ;). 

Here is a look at the complete pattern of the row quilt:

I am really looking forward to those birds~ paper-pieced no less!~ but that appliqued row is soooo darn cute too and I can't wait to make that one!

If you want to check out the book, here is a link: Quilting Row by Row ( click). Or, if you would rather buy directly from the publisher, here is another link: Quilting Row by Row ( click). Your purchase through one of my links provides me with a few pennies, which I use to pay for giveaways etc, so I thank you for your support!

Alright, I'm off to plant some more flowers and maybe some veggies, if the weather looks like it will not pull any more surprise low temperatures....

Happy May to you all and, until next time~happy creating!

Monique