the dispatch of a nine patch...

We've just had our first 'big blow' of the season!

Three inches of snow was just the right amount for a beautiful blanket on the fields, and the bright sun made it extra pretty!

Lots of mysterious animal tracks...

...and the not-so-mysterious.  Here's Leonidas, coming in from the fields for his morning treat.

I love seeing the birds...

...and the horses.

The skies have been gorgeous!

It was the perfect time to finish a quilt, and I did...although the top was completed when we still lived in South Carolina.  It's a very simple nine patch called HOPSCOTCH with a slightly updated version of 1930s fabric.

It's quilted with a simple diagonal.

This is the best job I've ever done with finishing a quilt, and it's all thanks to my new sewing machine.  It's so much easier to work in 11 inches of space, rather than 5.  My shoulders are very grateful!

The cats have been staying warm, too, in their very own beds...

...or anywhere else where they can snuggle in.

Total opportunists.  :)  

Have a great week!

nine patch and squirrel thatch

I've had great progress on projects this week!  I finished the quilting on my Farm Girl Sampler quilt.  Now all I have to do is bind it, which means adding a tidy red gingham border strip around the edge to cover the raw ends.  Binding strips are sewn on with the sewing machine, folded over the raw edge, and whip-stitched on the back.  I'm waiting for my additional red gingham fabric to arrive.  In the meantime, I started another quilt.  It's made with 1930s reproduction fabric, although some of it looks a lot more modern to me.

These are 2.5" squares that are sewn together in a Nine Patch pattern, which just means stacks of three, like a tic-tac-toe game.  They come together quickly and easily.  I plowed through almost 50 in my free time last week/weekend!

I'm not a fan of pink, so I'm a little apprehensive about the profusion of it in this pattern.  I'm just going to press on, though.  Hopefully the other brighter colors will even it out.  If I continue at this rate, I could possibly have the whole quilt completely pieced within 2 weeks!  I know that the cats will be especially happy.  ;)  They can't get enough quilt time!

Bosewichte in particular loves quilt cuddling.  Whenever I curl up under a quilt to read, he's on my lap in a flash.  He's basically the best cat ever! 

Cuddly cats or no, I don't like to spend too much of my free time indoors, especially during these brief cold periods in South Carolina.  There's a lot going on just within the boundaries of our property!

Lots and lots of deer.

Squirrels are very active right now...

...especially at our feeders.

This is a really busy time for birds, much busier than November and December.  Finches, cardinals, bluebirds, jays, phoebes...they're daily visitors here!

We had several days of rain and even with the weather, birds were constantly flitting from branch to branch.  I'm glad the rain didn't suppress their activities.  I feel the same way about rain.  It's quite a dry climate here, and when it does rain, it tends to be a torrential downpour (or "gully washer," as they say).  I miss long, dark rainy days, so I really enjoyed the two we had.

The squirrels stayed nice and dry in their nests...

...and Clotilde was cozy in our carport, although she napped under the gardenia bushes whenever the sun came out.

I'm looking forward to another week of chilly temperatures and hopefully, a loooong, cool spring.

Have a great week!