Posted on by agilejack

Hump Day And a Slide to the Weekend

We had a really broad mix of weather today… rain, sun, wind, and some hail. And my new yard maintenance guy came for the first time and I’m really happy with the job he did. I have a big yard… a full half acre with the house situated toward the front of the lot. So I have a lot of grass! It’s a lot to take care of. I stopped trying to do it all myself a few years ago and it was the best decision I ever made! It leaves me more time to be creative.

This photo was taken during a late afternoon hale storm.

I had a full day of meetings today, but even with the weather I managed to get my two walks in. It was so beautiful during our evening walk. The skies had partially cleared and the sun came out. Spectacular and so fresh!

It was raining after dinner so I hit my sewing room and quilted one of the panels for the blue and orange bag I started last night. I just love how quilting transforms these panels!

After our walk I quilted the second panel, made the handles and got the body of the bag constructed.

Here’s the other side of the bag. I actually prefer the first side because the orange corners of the curvy block define the block more. This one kind of blends in with the borders. I could have just put a thin orange border around that block to define it.

Here’s a few detailed photos of this bag. I really like the curved and cut blocks. Even the bottom of the bag is interesting. I’m just loving this fabric combo!

It was fairly early when I got this done, so I decided to look at some fabrics and choose a lining for this bag. I didn’t look very far or very long. For me, there’s only one choice for the lining.

It just has to be Kaffe’s Paisley Jungle in tangerine. It’s one of my favorite Kaffe designs. I use it a lot and have a pretty good quantity in my stash so I don’t get nervous when I use some.

Here’s a look at how it will work with the blue Aboriginal fabric pockets.

Good grief! It’s so gorgeous!!!

I received a package today from Wanda at the Exuberant Color blog. She generously sent me some “ugly” batiks that she thought I could use for the quilt sandwiches of my bags. She also included a little bag of prettiness, two KFC fabrics, because she didn’t want the package to be all ugly!

I will definitely put those batiks to good use, and those KFC fabrics are out of print and I don’t have any of either one of them. I’ll use them for something special.

If you’re not familiar with Wanda’s blog, you should definitely check it out. Wanda has provided a lot of inspiration to me over the years. I think I’ve been following her blog for at least five or six years. It’s one of the few blogs that I habitually check every day.

My friend Trudy sent me a photo tonight of that tiny lamb that I was holding on Saturday. Here she is with a yearling ewe and it’s lamb that was born yesterday.

This photo is a really good illustration of just how little that lamb is! But she’s standing and able to nurse, and this first time mother is letting her nurse, with a little encouragement! The lamb is still staying in the house at night and Trudy said that when the lamb hears her voice she screams to be fed! I think she thinks Trudy is her mom!

And Trudy’s old dog Jill has taken over tending the lamb who is in that crate. Jill’s mothering instincts are definitely kicking in and she wants that lamb to love and keep warm.

Here’s Jill getting her fill of that baby.

It makes me happy to see that tiny lamb doing so well.

Trudy still has a few ewes that may be pregnant. But it’s likely that she won’t be seeing any more lambs this year. She has 97 lambs!

I’m taking a good portion of tomorrow off work to do something pretty unusual. I will share more about it tomorrow. I hope I don’t regret it…

23 Replies to “Hump Day And a Slide to the Weekend”

  1. I’ve just begun to follow Wanda, too. She is, indeed, an inspiration! Thanks for the recommendation. Also, love the newest bag and the orange/tangerine. And lastly…that baby lamb is so sweet! The photo of Jill and the baby…LOVE it! I drive around 30 miles into the countryside of SC the third Tuesday of each month for stitching with friends. On the way recently, I saw a whole field of very young lambs. What a springtime treat!

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    1. I look forward to spring lambs every year. I’m so lucky that I have a few places where I can get my hands on them! I can’t imagine not having one in my arms at some time each spring! I’ll definitely go hand out with Trudy again next spring!

      Anne

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  2. Thanks for al these lovely posts. I really enjoy your blog and seeing your projects come to fruition. Here in Brisbane, AU, we had a terrible flood in late Feb and early March. It was one of worst in many many years. Such a wet summer.

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    1. I’ve been seeing the floods in Australia on the news. It’s so scary. I feel lucky that my house is on a bit of a hill so I don’t have to worry about rising water. But we had forest fires very close in the fall of 2020 and that was so scary.

      Anne

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  4. Love your post and your bags, they are beautiful. What is the material you use for your handles? Where can I buy some?

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  5. Scrumptious blue and orange💕
    Your backyard looks amazing, I can imagine Rico and Bender love it.
    Oh those lambs are the cutest. And Jill is so gentle!
    Thanks for the direction – I will check out Wanda’s website!
    We are home from the beach and my Bernina is calling 😄

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    1. I just love my back yard. And it faces due west so I get to see a lot of really wonderful sunsets from my patio. I was so lucky to find it. Most houses in Portland have teeny yards. But there are still a number of these large lots in my neighborhood… but they are disappearing. People sell off part of their lot and a developer builds a huge house on it with no yard. There is one of those overlooking my back yard.
      Anne

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  6. Wanda’s blog is definitely inspiring. Thanks for including the link. I love the baby lamb photos and the idea of Jill mothering. New definition of helicopter parent and I’m sure the lamb feels the love. Soooo sweet!

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  7. I’ve been following Wanda for a few years and that might be how I found your blog 🙂 I just love that combination of blue and orange with suit those curves really well. Thanks for the up-date on that tiny lamb – love the photo’s of it and Jill taking care, just like a good Mum 🙂

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    1. I don’t remember how I found Wanda’s blog. But I just love following her. I use her 16-tutorial and making them is a breeze. I wanted to make one for years and finally dived in. She’s very generous is what she shares.

      i was so happy to get the photos of the lambs from Trudy last night!

      Anne

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  8. As if we don’t all know you’ve concocted a plan to load up 96 of those lambs and take them home with you!!! Somehow I don’t think your boys will be crazy about sharing their beds with them! Lol

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  9. Remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder😉. I think the ugly fabrics you received are pretty. I’m an orange lover as well, and when my son was a baby and couldn’t speak yet, it was his favorite too. He then moved to hot pink when a toddler. Love those baby lambs. I’ll check out the blog based on your recommendation. Honest a God, your weather is exactly like ours here in Piedmont NC. Can’t wait for your next post😁

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    1. We’ve had crazy weather her the last few weeks. One day last week it was 75 degrees, then we had snow on Monday, and the last few days have been a mix of rain, sun, hail and snow in some places.

      But my plants definitely know it’s spring! My strawberries are going nuts!!!

      Definitely check out Exuberant Color. i love it!

      Anne

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  10. I stumbled upon your August 20,2019 post “Fastest Quilt Ever”.
    As soon as you dropped the F boom I literally burst out laughing. This is the lady I need to follow! Thank you so much for the laughs, pictures of you wonderful dogs and the amazingly fun things you do. You truly are an artist.
    I have just started quilting, l love batik’s,but they are so expensive and I’m always afraid I’ll ruin them. So thank you for sharing your beautiful work. Hopefully it will give you the courage to start cutting up my tiny batik stash.
    I just started following Wanda , thanks for the suggestion.
    Sincerely,
    Karen

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    1. Haha! I occasionally hear from people who think my profanity is appealing! I think I actually don’t use as much here as I used to. The header on my blog might be a little misleading. I’ll get right on that damned thing and make it better!

      I actually had to go and search for that blog post you referenced because I couldn’t remember what quilt it was about. That WAS a fun quilt to make. I’ve made four of them in various color ways.

      I also love batiks. You can find good sales on line. Hancocks of Paducah has pretty regular sales on batiks and you can pick them up for $6.99 per yard. You might want to check them out.

      I used to be afraid to cut my fabric, but now I cut with abandon and I have scraps all over the place… and then I have scraps to play with! Win win!!!

      Anne

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