Sunkissed

I was asked to create a baby quilt for a brand-new little girl.  I dug through my stacks of fabric but couldn't find anything that was quite right.  Then, I found Sunkissed. 

Just a touch of pink, but wonderfully playful.  I thought it would make a great first quilt.

I wasn't too sure about the border fabric, but once it was together I thought it pulled it all together very nicely.

The binding led me to choose a bright-yellow flannel for backing.

I thought that the butterfly trail would be a good choice of quilting.  Playful and suitable to the flowered prints.

Here is to little Layla.  May she grow up wrapped up in love.

Adventures in Fleece

First of all, be warned that when you see this blog post, it may not be complete.  As it is an ongoing project, I'm going to keep adding as I go. This will be the last update, so I'm going to let it stand after this.  No, really.

My friend found a great blog post about the Longcat scarf that looked like fun.  She created the pattern for the head.  My first try (I'm blaming the printer) didn't come out quite the way I expected.

So, I made another copy of the pattern and tried again.  I think after the next copy of the pattern I'll have it looking the right way.  We shall see.  (This is where I run away from my computer and try again.)

Third try and I think I've got it! (forgive the snaggletooth, sometimes my stitching goes awry)

Time to go cut out a body and a tail. (This is where I run away from my computer and try again.)
I got the rest cut out, stitched, turned, stuffed as needed and assembled. 

Here is a view of the back end of this really, really long cat.

Then we have the smiling bit.

I hope this captures the overall look of the scarf that was really just a whim. 

Now what do I do with it?

Charleston, South Carolina

 Our last stop was Charleston.

 I found these above the bar at Tommy Condon's and wanted to share.

 We did some holiday shopping on Market Street.

New York City

 The last time I was gone, I went to places much closer to home.  New York City was the first stop.

 We stopped in this little park to eat our take-away lunches.

 I should have taken a picture of the pigeons that showed up when one of my mates thought it would be a good idea to feed one of them.  There was much scolding.

 We popped over to Central Park.  I couldn't resist taking a picture of the carriages.  I did resist the ride, though.

 Our return trip was an adventure in itself.  The subway.

 I'll have more about NYC when I get back around to crafting.

Puerto Rico

 Our last stop on the way home was San Juan, Puerto Rico.

We wandered San Juan in search of Mohitos and good food.  It makes me more than a little sad to admit that we ended up at Senior Frog's for dinner.  I'm not sure what that green drink was, but it was tasty.

Barbados

On our return trip, we paused in Bridgetown, Barbados.  

I snapped this right before a downpour.  This cat must have the best life.  I want to lounge about on an island all day, too.

 This scene screamed "beach picture."  I obliged.

 On our last night there, we went out for dinner.  Sorry I didn't snap this before I dug in.  Absolutely wonderful.  (Though, as I write this, I am hungry.  So I might not be a good judge.)

Let's not forget the most important part of the meal.  Sangria!

Life gets in the way...

I'll be out of town for the next two months or so.  See you all when I get back.

Praia, Cape Verde, a look at the sea

The birthplace of Atlantic hurricanes looks pretty good from this side of the pond.

This is the port in Praia, Cape Verde.  What you don't see, is the huge swell that comes in and nearly rolls over the pier on its way in.  Large container ships rock at the pier alarmingly.

It appears this voyage did not end well.  Okay, so I only have proof the vessel did not end well.

They are making progress on the jetty that will eventually stop that dangerous swell from heading into port.

Praia, Cape Verde

Cobbled streets abound.

I did find a market that had everything.  Clothing, shoes, knick-knacks and... FABRIC!  The best fabric I managed to pick up the entire trip.  (I promise, the fabric will appear in another post, as soon as it becomes something.)

The buildings are often perched precariously on the hillsides.

 With everything so close together.

I wish I'd gotten some pictures of the fine food we had while here.  Granted, my Portuguese is worse than my French, but the food was wonderful in any language.