Was this project fun or what?

Ahh, I love my bunny!  This pattern was in Quiltmaker's March/April issue, and when I saw it, I just had to make it.  Unfortunately, in my stash I had only a very little bit of gray, so of course I had to shop to make sure I had the right shades that would work together.  And now that this project is done, I still have plenty of beautiful grays, so I'll be ready (maybe) should another project arise that needs them.

I think this little carrot-munching critter will find his way to Project Linus and he can give a bunny hug to some poor little tyke in need of it.

We have been in absolute weather-heaven the last three days here.  It has been sunny and warm and DRY!  The temps have been about 80 and we have enjoyed it so much.  It has been, up to now, a very cool, wet spring.  While we were gone on our trip, the weeds seemed to just about take over in our yard, but over the last few days, we have tamed them a fair amount.  That's not to say they're gone, but it's definitely much better.

Back home again

How sweet it is to be home again!  We had a wonderful trip, but home is always best.

Now, I'll post a few photos from the Washington DC portion of our trip.

This picture shows part of the WWII Memorial.  I included this photo because on the day we were there, some organization had bussed in several busloads of WWII vets and family members.  What a privilege to get to see those folks who had served at that time view the Memorial and be able to say thank you to a few of them.

And the White House!  Alas, we weren't invited in for coffee.

And here is a very somber view of a portion of the Vietnam Memorial wall.  All of the wall could not be encompassed in the photo.  The names of the casualties cover the segments of the wall and go on and on and on...  Very, very sobering - the high cost of war.

While we were gone, my good friend Linda of   http://lindaquilts-too.blogspot.com/ gave me a "Liebster Blog" award.  Thank you, Linda, I am honored.  I love following your blog and reading about you, your family and all those lovely quilting projects you create.

And now I'm off to sew down some binding on my bunny quilt.  Hopefully by tomorrow or the next day I can get a photo of it to share.  It turned out pretty darn cute if I do say so  myself.

A Little More New York

Was have been having the most wonderful time.  We've walked miles and miles and used the subway over and over.  Below are a few more pictures showing just a few of the highights from our days here.

View across the river from the Statue of Liberty

She is so majestic and impressive and very, very tall!

We walked a while in Central Park.  The day was lovely and the park was filled with folks enjoying the sunshine and warm day.  This is our son and his family.

A view from Central Park.

One highlight from our time in NYC was going to the top of the Rockefeller Center, or "Top of the Rock," as it is referred to.  The day was clear and the views were more than phenomenal.  That is the Empire State Building there slightly to the left of center with the tower on top.

 

Pictures don't begin to adequately depict Time Square and the sea of traffic and humanity there.

Our son and family left for home this evening.  We will spend the night here and then head down toward the Washington, D.C. area.

Loving our time in New York City

What a fascinating place this "City That Never Sleeps" is.  We have done pretty well getting familiar with the subway, and we've walked miles and miles, but that is good for us.  Yesterday we walked through Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Little Italy, SoHo and other little neighborhoods I can't remember.  We really enjoyed that.  We got confused on the subway issue with that excursion, but now that it's over, we know what we should have done.

This morning our son and his family arrived, and they will be here through Sunday.  Our DGD just loves the program "Cake Boss," and was really wanting to go to Hoboken, NJ to Carlo's Bake Shop, which is featured in Cake Boss.  I did some research and figured out how we could get there, so we did that.  The lines to get in are pretty unbelievable.  I think we waited a total of about an hour and a half - part of it outside and part inside.  It's a lovely day, so it wasn't bad.  We spent more than we should have and got more sweets than we should have, but what good treats we indulged in.

This is DGD 

Whole family waiting to get in.

DGC on esplanade at Hoboken, NJ, looking across at a portion of NYC skyline.

Another portion of the skyline.

And last but not least, this is Bryant Park, which is a delightful oasis in the middle of a very, very busy metropolis.  There were many people here enjoying the sunshine, with some playing chess or pingpong, and others enjoying their lunch.

A Festival of Quilts

My friend Sue and I went to a quilt show in Portland on Saturday.  What a lot of eye candy we saw!  Here are a few photos.

 Isn't this just about the cutest thing ever at a quilt show?

As you can see, the above quilt won four top ribbons.  One was best piecing, another best machine quilting, and I think one was Judges' Choice, and I can't remember the other.  It was one of the most beautiful quilts I have ever seen.  The following two  photos show in more detail some of the work.  The quilter had placed some brown and blue crystals in a few strategic place, but did not overdo it at all.  I just love the border that she used - I think it's the storm at sea pattern, but I'm not sure.  It's definitely not a quick and easy border.

 This was a sampler that I liked.  

This was done by a lady I know (can't remember her last name - sorry Nidra).  It's a Judy Niemeyer pattern.  She did such a great job on it.

 The following quilts were made by Carol Brown, who was the featured quilter.  She loves hand applique and does an outstanding job with it.  We loved all her quilts, and when we were looking at the lasts one, she came up to us and asked to step further away so we could see how the star kind of explodes outward.  It did make quite a difference.  That quilt is made up of approximately 1-1/2 inch half-square triangles.  She said it was one of her early efforts and she didn't understand value like she does now.  It looks mighty good to me though!

 Love this paper pieced wall hanging.

 This landscape quilt has the look of an English cottage.