Goodbye, April!

Pretty April has come and gone, and oh, gosh, what beauty she has left behind! Our trees and flowers and yard are all brimming with leafy beauty. We had plenty of April showers yesterday, so greening up is in overdrive as we coast into May.

Let's take a quick look at April's highlights pulled together in this collage.

Top Row: Retreat early in the month provided quality time to make good progress on these first three quilts. My blue and white Double Irish Chain flimsy, finished at retreat. More work at retreat involved continuing work on the red and white stars - mostly I made setting blocks. And after long-arming the small poison green wall hanging and bound it at retreat. It was a productive retreat!

Middle Row: Scrappy Spring Dreams in a table topper size, like the poison green, was bound at retreat. And the last of the retreat accomplishments is the scrappy 4-patch in the middle frame. About the middle of the month, we had 2-3" of snow - was gone as quick as it came, thankfully.

Bottom Row: My greatest accomplishment was quilting and binding the t-shirt quilt I made for a customer. What a relief. Out in the woods, I have found one Jack-in-the-Pulpit - I am watching it for when the "jack" appears. And last, just yesterday, I finished another Spring Dreams quilt - this one in the new 3 Sisters fabric, Sanctuary. What luscious fabric to work with!

Not mentioned directly, but probably most important of all this month is my growing confidence with the long arm machine. I have learned to clean and oil it. I know to change the needle regularly. I also still have a lot to learn, but I'm getting there. As successful as I was with the t-shirt quilt, I had plenty of problems to solve finishing that quilt - all of my own making. Like I said, I still have a lot to learn.

April was totally productive, and I look forward to an equally productive May!

Happy Quilting, Friends!