Finished half of a pair of Shur'tugal socks in STR Alley Oop (details on Ravelry).
Baby K continues to brighten every day with her smiles.
And then she got in touch with her inner farmer...
I love working on this quilt since the fabrics are right up my alley. Lots of blue and wonderful prints, some batik and lots of Kaffe Fasset! I got all the blocks outlined, then I am filling in some free-hand feathers, using a multi-color thread on top and a navy blue on the back. A tip for stitching feathers that I learned from DeLoa Jones: think of curving into the spine like the curve of a freeway on-ramp. You come in at a gentle angle, not straight across! Also, imagine how a question mark curves from top to bottom. 
Gidget has a new favorite spot to nap in the evenings. She isn't very social, but she comes halfway down the stairs to hang out.
Here is Kendra with some of our Topsy Turvy brand tomatoes. I added them to the sausage and rice we had for dinner last night.
And here she is before swim lessons. I wanted a nice pose with the pool in the background, but she didn't cooperate! This is our first year of formal lessons. It's a parent-tot class, so I am in the pool with her. We practice kicking and blowing bubbles. She does not want to put her face in yet, but she looks forward to the Hokey Pokey and playing with the toys in the shallow beach-entry area at the end of class each day.
Here is my progress on the QOV Mystery (#7 from Persimmon Quilts). There are lots more red and white half square triangles ready, plus tons of 2 7/8 inch white squares for Clue #2. There are some people who can't stand mystery projects because they need to know what the whole thing looks like, but I enjoy the suspense. Birthday and Christmas presents can sit in my house for weeks ahead of the actual day, too! (That used to drive my college roommate crazy, ha ha.)
Although smaller squares are easier, I am currently working with 5-inch pieces!
My machine is set up with a quarter-inch foot, and the extension table has a ruler printed on it. You can see from the Purple Thang (TM) that I have markers to help me line up the fabric. If I am sewing 1/4 inch off the diagonal to get 2 half square triangels, then I line up the point right under the right-hand edge of my presser foot. Then, I watch the bottom corner of the fabric and make sure it crosses over my markers...the spot on my ruler and also the line on my bobbin case. 
Figure out some markers on your own machine and save some time piecing those half-square triangles.
As I was browsing around the QOV website, I noticed a link for a mystery pattern. (Instructions here.) I raided my stash (and my mother's stash as well!) and I'll start on that as my next project. I have piles of quilts in every room of my house, so I need an outlet for this hobby! 
I finally loaded a new project on the longarm. I thought of you Samantha! Fun nine-patches with Kaffe Fassett fabric:
I am going to add more red and blue stars and send this to Quilts of Valor. They are trying to collect over 1,000 quilts by May 31st to present to a Marine Battalion that is returning home. I have some other blocks ready to assemble into a top, so I hope to contribute several finished quilts to this effort.
This next photo is just proof of my insanity:
When I trim the corners of the Boxy Stars, I have half-square triangles, already matched in lights and darks. They are about 1.5inches square. My mom and I have had this conversation for years. It seems like such a waste to throw all these scraps out, but really...when are we ever going to sew them into something useful??? Well, I'm making a dedicated effort to use them as leader/enders when I chain piece, and I promise blogland that I will find a pattern for HST and work on it this summer! Maybe Broken Dishes?
Our trees are starting to bloom. I think the pomegranates are so interesting! Looks like we will have a good crop...any suggestions for juicing or other recipes?
And the Topsy Turvy (tm) tomato is starting to sprout also.
Daddy and Baby K had a picnic in the yard. Happy Spring!
Then she went shopping with Mommy. She fell asleep on the way home, so I carried her inside and laid her on the couch. She opened her eyes long enough to say "It's not naptime," then she didn't move for the next hour and a half!
Here's the other Quilt of Valor that I mentioned in my last post:
I used 2.5x4.5 inch bricks in the first border, then put several red squares on point in two corners of the outer border. The center is a pattern called "Baby Steps" from House of Quilts, (c) 1998.
I'm busy working on finishing some projects for Quilts of Valor. I finished this starry top several years ago, and it was waiting for a binding. I thought I had purchased some of the red sashing, but couldn't find it. Argh. So, I pieced some scrappy blues. Great project to work on while basketball is on!
I have another top for QOV, but it was a crib size pattern, so I had to improvise on some additional borders.
The multi-colored yarn, Socks that Rock colorway Flower Power, does such interesting things! I was getting spirals of color in smaller stripes along the leg and heel, then in pooled on the foot. I was tempted to break the yarn and move the colors around, but the pooling is part of the charm.
And a ruffled tee for Baby K. I knit this in the round, so there are no seams! Just a few ends to weave in.
And went a little wild for polka dots! Baby K pulled the purple fabric off the shelf, so I got that for Grandma to make a sundress. The other two will go in the Block-of-the-Month that I am working on. 
We'll see how long I keep up...I made the feathered star center and the four-patch border and several of the stars for the outer border. The pattern calls for several additional scrappy borders. March is pinwheels and then we do some more stars. I'm not sure I want something that big and scrappy. Something about it is not working for me. I like what I've done so far, so I've been thinking about adding just one more border and keeping it as a wall hanging.
I gave my friend Michelle her first quilting lesson today. Isn't it fun to share hobbies with friends?!? A few months ago we went shopping and the pattern "Reel Fine" appealed to her. She is an experienced sewer, so I assured her that while the pattern looks difficult, she could handle it step by step. She fell in love with some batiks:
I made a sample of the pattern in EQ6 so she could see how the colors went together:
And I'm almost done with the body of baby K's knitted t-shirt. I love watching variegated yarn knit up. It's always a surprise.
The final stage...here is the back of my sweater vest, with the center wedge added and the 2 halves grafted together. I didn't follow the instructions - I thought I knew how to do a wrap and turn! Oh well, it doesn't seem noticeable. The biggest problem is that it is HUGE. When I started this project (4 years ago) I just wanted to cast on something...don't you ever get the startitis itch?!? Well, for some silly reason I made the large, when the medium (4 inches smaller at the chest) would have been fine. And when you make the pieces seperately over many years, you don't realize that it's getting so big. Hubby was very supportive, saying a loose fit will be fine and it's only my second sweater project, etc. etc. What a sweetheart! Now I just need a hands-on seaming lesson and we'll see if a warm water bath can shrink it a tad.
The middle stage...stars for my Block of the Month project. Notice that they are only four and a half inches square. Lots of small pieces in this one. Now I'm anxious for the next step and I have to wait a whole week. That gives me time to finish the bindings, labels and hanging sleeves for my show quilts which are due soon.
And the beginning stage. When my LYS closed, there were just a few odd balls of yarn that I thought would make something cute for Baby K. I decided on a little tank top with a ruffle at the top. 
This is the start...Baby K got a set of toy golf clubs, and she has "re-purposed" the tees. Daddy asked what she was doing, and she said "Knitting." That's my girl!
And the finish...I have about 21 inches (150 stitches) of Kitchener stitch to do to seam the back of my sweater vest. This is my oldest knitting project - begun in the Fall of 2005. Amazing how long garter stitch takes when you are a beginner! I am trying to be a monogamous knitter and get this thing done, so I haven't even looked for a place online to order more yarn for the miter square blanket.
I got the final border on JudyL's Shine On pattern, and I did manage to find some blue batik 108-inch-wide fabric for the back. It's ready for the longarm as soon as I decide how to quilt it. I don't really want to match all those different colors, so I may try an invisible thread and a feathery pantograph. I think this will be a donation for Quilts of Valor. (The photo looks funny because I edited out all the mess on my nightstands!)
The blanket is about half done. The non-blocked squares in the center are my "school colors." I desperately wanted to work on this project, but I didn't have any new color combinations, so I alternated the gold and burgundy of Arizona State with my chosen blue background. I might do a patriotic set so there are more "odd ball" squares with multiple colors. Looking at the photo, I see that I definitely need more light/bright colors! And I will switch the placement of the blocks...somehow all the darks ended up on the right, and I won't have the yellows right next to each other.
