"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it." Alice Walker
Color Week :: Blue
"With color one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft." Henri Matisse
Color Week :: Green
"It's not easy being green." Kermit the Frog
Color Week :: Yellow
"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment." Claude Monet
Color Week :: Orange
"Color possesses me. I don't have to pursue it. Itwill possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happyhour: Color and I are one. I am a painter." Paul Klee
Color Week :: Red
"Red is the ultimate cure for sadness." Bill Blass
Thoughtful Sunday
"What is a color?
You can't taste it.
You can't smell it.
You can't hear it.
You can't feel it.
But you know it when you see it.
You can see a color."
What is a Color?, Alice and Martin Provensen, 1967.
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Welcome to Color Week. I hope to fill the rest of the week with color. Get your cameras out, charge those batteries, and search out some color!
Sunday- rainbow of color
Monday - red
Tuesday - orange
Wednesday - yellow
Thursday - green
Friday - blue
Saturday - violet
Sunday - finish it all off with another rainbow of color.
Woodland Fairy Shirts
This morning I finished the embroidery on the woodland fairy shirts I started back in September.
P's fairy is pink.
She even did a few stitches on it herself.
Mine is embroidered in a deep red. The close photos do not show the true color very well.
They fit great and are very comfortable. P's shirt is from
The adult pattern is Simplicity 3835.
The patterns are basically the same and are very easy. I made a second for P and plan another for myself.
Mud and a Week of Color
March is almost here and with March comes mud. Everything outside is brown and soggy. Getting through March in Michigan can be very tiresome. Brown, brown, and more brown.
We start to go out every day looking for some sign of spring, some little sprout of something that is not brown. I have started seeing signs of spring on flickr and some blogs. Keep them coming. It gives us hope!
I am feeling the need for more color.
Spring doesn't really get going around here until April or May.
In an effort to think spring and focus on color I am designating next week a week of color.
I'll kick it off with a rainbow of color on Sunday and will focus on one color a day for the rest of the week.
Sunday- rainbow of color
Monday - red
Tuesday - orange
Wednesday - yellow
Thursday - green
Friday - blue
Saturday - violet
Sunday - finish it all off with another rainbow of color.
I am off to find some color in my house and around town.
A Puzzling Day
We had a puzzling day.
I have always loved working puzzles. I remember working one like this Playskool one when I was little. I picked this one up at a garage sale when the boys were small.
I am glad P likes to work puzzles.
We played these puzzles as little breaks in our cleaning and organizing. Today, P and I rearranged and cleaned out her room. It is a small room and getting everything in there is a bit of a puzzle. We turned her bed 90 degrees and now she has a play area that is more usable.
I have three bags ready to donate to our preschool garage sale.
The Fever
Maybe it is the noticeably longer days. Perhaps it was the taste of warmth we had in Florida. But, I have it; I have spring cleaning fever.
I only pause long enough to bake cookies, bread, or fix dinner.
I must get back to work.
Thoughtful Sunday
(found on the beach, they have grown together)
"From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere."
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, Dr. Seuss, 1960
Tidy Up
I have been spending some time getting the sewing room tidy. A little clutter while working can help spark creativity but sometimes it gets so messy that I spend most of my time looking for things and not finding them.
I am thinking of starting some sewing classes again. I need to be able to quickly set up my sewing machines, which I dug out from DEEP in the back of the closet.
I also need to corral all those class supplies like right handed scissors and the big flower and butterfly pins that are easy for children to use.
I'll keep working on it. Maybe I'll be ready by the time P's classmates are old enough to take lessons.
Girl's Lacy Socks
I think everyone who knits socks should have a knitting partner. It is so much fun. I love getting hand knit treasures in the mail. Just before we left on our trip to Florida I got a package from A. that had one of these socks and more pink yarn.
She had chosen the pattern, Girl's Lacy Socks in Vogue Knit to Go sock book and used some pink yarn she had on hand to make socks for P. This was a great project to work on while on vacation and I finished my sock on the plane ride home.
The yarn is Wildfoote Sonatina, shades of pink with a touch of orange for spark. 75% wool, 25% nylon.
The pattern was easy to follow and quick to knit, however, I did the cuff a little different from the instructions. I turned under the hem and knit it together as I went instead of hemming it after the sock was finished.
P loves them because, you know, they are PINK.
Sock knitting partner - if you don't have one, get one.
Triptych - finished
Now that my swap partner has received them, I can share my finished triptych inspired by Piet Mondrian. I think they were about 7 inches square.
In order for the design to run off the edge like Mondrian's paintings, I had to finish them without a binding. I sewed the back to the front right sides together and then turned it right side out. They are quilted without batting.
I am pleased with how they turned out.
It is fitting that I share these artist inspired quilts today as in P's preschool class they are starting a unit on famous artists. Today they painted like Jackson Pollack - great fun for preschoolers. Also, they had fluffy paint on palettes to paint on paper that was taped to the underside of the art table a la Michelangelo. When I left P had fluffy blobs of paint in her hair. Ah, being an artist is messy work. They will be hosting their own art show in March.
Collected
I thought I would share some things we collected on our beach walks. We found a number of beautiful shells.
Shark teeth.
P's pink collection
Favorites.
We found a number of shells that were still connected.
Recharging - to Make it Through March
We are just back from a short but much needed trip to sunny Florida. I think we will be able to make it through muddy March now. Shortly after we arrived, we rolled up our pant legs and waded in the water. Yes, we were really in Florida.
We flew with our tents and sleeping bags and camped at Fort DeSoto right in the mouth of Tampa Bay. It was wonderful. Each morning we got up early and walked on the beach. We saw a lot of wildlife - fish, sea urchin, whelk, crabs, hermit crabs, starfish, dolphin, pelicans, gulls, sand pipers, osprey, egrets, and, of course, the raccoons that live around the campground. We even found some small shark teeth.
The sun was a welcome change from our gray Michigan winter days. It was wonderful just to see such vibrant color.
We were jumping with joy.
What a wonderful few days.
Thoughtful Sunday
"If I write a letter to someone I love, someone I love may write a letter to me."
Richard Scarry's Just For Fun, Patricia Scarry, 1960.
Tumbling Blocks - Finished
Finished. I am sure many of you know how good it feels to finish a project, especially one that has been unfinished as long as this one.
I think D's quilting suggestion worked well. It was easy to quilt and complements the design.
Look at all those 120 degree mitered corners.
Winter Color
We have had snow on the ground here in Michigan for weeks. Again, this morning the thermometer showed sub zero temperatures. The natural color palette outside consists of shades of gray and brown.
When the sun comes out and the sky is blue we certainly take notice.
We enjoy any burst of color at this time of year.
What brightens your winter days?
