First Finish

Meet Big Monkey. He was a gift for my daughter from her Aunt Viv (my mom made him for her). He's so well loved that I've had to restitch his tail, an arm, and an ear. The other arm was the latest appendage that needed to be reattached but he'd been hanging around my sewing table for a while now. Patiently waiting. So he's my first finish for Spring to Finish. I was up late last night and also got quite a bit accomplished on the charity quilt. So...progress.

 

We've had rain, rain, rain lately. So we found a break in the storms to do some splashing with friends on Friday. Don't you just love kids' rain boots? I'd love a pair with red and white polka dots!

Signs of Spring

Without a doubt, Spring is my favorite season. I love seeing the first daffodils and tulips popping up and the redbud trees full of blossoms. My sweet girl picked out this strawberry plant and we have been enjoying tiny berries every few days.

Sharing these strawberries with Jenna triggered a childhood memory. As a very little girl there was an area with trees beside my house where we had a clothesline and a swing. Under those trees grew a patch of wild strawberries where tiny, tiny berries grew. I remember being so surprised to find them growing there.


Jacquie from Tallgrass Prairie Studio is hosting a Spring to Finish Challenge. We set our goal of items to finish by May 31 and reward ourselves at the end. I love having a deadline. It really motivates me to pick things up even for just a few minutes when normally I might think I don't have time to work on something. I plan to finish a Downy Quilts for Kids project, binding two quilts, and repair Jenna's beloved sock monkey (he has a dangling arm). My reward is going to be a little fabric shopping. I have in mind a pack of Basic Grey Eva fat quarters if my local quilt shop still has them at the end of this challenge.

Check out all of the details at Tallgrass Prairie Studio. If you haven't read Jacquie's blog yet, you are in for a treat. It's full of inspiring projects and some great tutorials. She's also contributing on Sew, Mama, Sew! this month with some great information for both beginning and experienced quilters.

Every spring for the last few years I've looked forward to the Kansas City Shop Hop and Jenna has helped me hop around Kansas City since she was one. This year I gave her a little pocket money in case she came across something she wanted. These were her selections along with a handful of buttons. She has a few ideas for what she wants to make with them and I'm so excited that she is enjoying fabric and taking an interest in sewing.

This spring day has brought a great deal of rain so perhaps I'll get a little sewing in today. And I can't wait to share my finished Project Plume.