It is another beautiful day in Milwaukee. I started sewing again yesterday but today it was sitting outside in the screen porch and watching our kitten breathe in the outdoor life. What fun it was to watch outside activity through the eyes of a year old kitten. She watched chickadees cracking open sunflowers seeds. She saw a family of sparrows where the mom and dad sparrow were trying to teach their fledglings how to land on a perch of a bird feeder. One of the little sparrows landed on the top of the awning and the kitten watched it's shadow and it's movement in amazement. An apple dropped from the crab tree that both startled and fascinated the kitten when it thudded. The robins spent their time eating service berries and hopping from one branch to another. We sat out there for over an hour and she never saw the same movement twice. She is now fast asleep and I am sure dreaming wonderful dreams after her morning adventures. I was not aware of how much activity there is within a few trees until today. It was a most pleasant and relaxing time. Breathe in the sun and air. We do not have many days like this in Milwaukee and when they are here they are to be cherished.

Several days ago I opened a window in our computer room and it was immediately filled with cats. They do love fresh air and the world outside.

The garden is growing faster than any time I can remember. Plants are ahead of their normal blooming time. I hope this means the fall plants will have a longer blooming time, one not cut short by frost.

I sent the Delonix for Art off with my daughter Wendy to the Red Line gallery auction. I started this in Jane Sassaman's class and loved her creating technique. I outlined stitched the piece in Jane's style but finished quilting it in mine.

Another warm day in Milwaukee. This has been a beautiful spring. The gardens all over the city look lush and green. Our garden is making us very happy as everything seems to be blooming at once. I do not remember having lilacs, peonies, and day lilies blooming at the same time.

Several years ago I started a white garden. I even planted a white clematis to take the white in a vertical direction. The plant just disappeared so 2 years ago I put in what I thought was another white one. It turned out to be purple but did so well I left it where it was. This year it is filled with blooms and is growing over the top of the trellis arch we installed in the garden. I was out inspecting the plant so I could train the strays wandering into the garden to grow up the trellis and what to my surprise should I find? Where has this plant been for the last 10 years?

Last year I brought a darling pregnant stray cat into our home. I had been feeding her throughout the winter and when I realized she was pregnant I knew I had to bring her into our house to keep her, and her future babies, safe. We named her Trouvee which means found in French. She turned out to be a wonderful mother to the 7 little kittens she brought into the world. She is a very sweet loving cat and is a wonderful addition to our family.

We decided to keep one of the babies of the litter as well. We have called her an assortment of names and it always seems to be Baby to which she answers. Baby and Trouvee are 10 years younger than our other cats and have been trying to decide where they belong in the hierarchy of cats in our home. They are always jockeying for position with each other as a result. Where ever I am in the house they need to be there too. I have a bookcase in our computer room with a file case on the top shelf. This became a special place to sleep so I put a kitty pad on top of it. Baby and Trouvee vied for position and one or the other was there every day. Yesterday Trouvee beat Baby to the room and got first dibs on the special spot. Baby had enough and decided there was room for 2. She took action and this was the end result.

Enjoy this day.

Roberta

I obviously have not blogged for a while, 8 months it seems. I plan on becoming an active blogger again starting today with today's news.

I recently took a class with Jane Sassaman and so I will start there. I decided before the class I would make a piece for the auction being held the end of June at the Red Line Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My daughter, Wendy Carlson, is serving on the board of directors for the gallery and honored me by asking if I would make a quilt for their auction.

I chose this flower because of all the red lines and the tie-in to the gallery. I made the quilt using the new techniques I learned taking Jane's class. I love the process and thoroughly enjoyed the class. I have always quilted with very thin threads but in keeping with Jane's style I will quilt this project with 12 weight thread. I find the whole process enchanting.

I made the parts of the flower and leaves in class using Shir Tailor as a fusible interfacing . I then assembled the flowers and leaves. Next I placed different fabrics under the assembled parts and created the background. These were all techniques I learned from Jane's class.

After I had the background finished I added the borders. I backed them with Shir Tailor also leaving a 1/4" seam on one side. I folded the seam over the edge and pressed it in place. I put a little washable glue on the edge to help keep the seam tucked under. I then used a washable blue marking pencil and drew lines on all 4 sides of my top making sure the top was square. I placed the long sides on first and top stitched them in place. I then added the top and bottom borders and stitched them in place. Next I layered the quilt with a backing and wool batting.

I have started quilting the piece and so far it is going well. More on the quilt tomorrow.

Today is a beautiful sunny day. There is a family of sparrows outside my window which have been a delight to watch. These are newly fledged baby sparrows who are trying to learn to eat at the feeder. Mom and Dad are very good at landing on the tray of the feeder but the babies have not figured out that landing style at all. The little ones fly in to the feeder and then keep flapping until they can reach a branch. They are wonderful at branch landings but can't seem to get the hang of the flat footed approach. My cats and I are having a wonderful time watching them learn this new skill. So far they are getting a lot of practice in flying but not so much eating!

Be with you tomorrow, enjoy today.

Roberta