Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Signs of Spring

This week we are guests in our own home. We are (slowly) painting our bedroom, and it's easier to just move into the guest room than try to sleep in the midst of chaos as we move furniture back and forth. We picked a great week for painting. The temperatures reached 70F today, so the windows were open and we could hear the birds singing for the first time in months. Spring fever, for sure! (The downside is that the quality of light is fantastic which means I can see all of the dust from the winter EVERYWHERE, so this is also turning into a major spring cleaning.) We're half done--maybe a little more considering we've got the two more difficult walls (lots of trim and a little alcove) done. Here's how it looks so far:

Paint paraphernalia 
Still life? What an assortment of stuff on the dresser--vases, lotion, paper towel, dust rag, my husband's Carlton Fisk statue. You know how it is when you're painting.

One more quick picture:

Maybe this is a little closer to the true color. I spent a lot of time trying to find a green that was neither too yellow nor too blue and that looked good with our light trim and dark furniture. I think I did pretty well. What sold me on it was a picture of it on one of those websites where you could see it in a virtual room. On the bed were pillows in light turquoise, yellowish green and salmon. Delicious. And now I have a color scheme for a bed runner. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I still have some other quilts to finish first. I did do a tiny bit of quilt work this week. 
If you look closely, you can see three bits of dry sand I added between the wet sand and the beginnings of the dunes. Hey, it took longer than it looks--there was some seam ripping involved. 

I also worked a bit on this pile of quilt:

That's all I could manage. After all, our guest room  my sewing room is in use at the moment.

(By the way, does anyone have any ideas for what to do with left over thread cones? 



I'm going through a lot of thread. I used one to wind some binding that was waiting for a quilt, but what else might I do besides recycle them?)

I got so pumped up for spring today that I did take the little decorative snowman sign out of our yard (the two big snows of the last two weeks miraculously disappeared overnight so the snowman just had to go), and I replaced the little winter quilt on the front door with another one I found in a closet. It used to be in our half-bath--matched the Susan Winget wallpaper border (quilts on a clothesline).. 


I also took down my Poinsettia wall hanging and put up this one:
Sorry, crooked picture--I'll blame it on spring fever.
I know, technically it's a snowball quilt, but it IS in spring colors. And there are flowers in the quilting.

After we finish painting this week, I'm going to concentrate on the Big Quilt and the Lake Michigan Quilt. Then I'll work on something for the bedroom, and if that's not incentive to finish the other projects, I don't know what is. 

I'm linking up with Freemotion by the River, Sew Fresh Quilts and My Quilt Infatuation this week for their linky parties. Buttons are on the right. 

Have a great week, and I hope that you are enjoying whatever the seasonal changes are where you're living.

7 comments:

Sandra Walker said...

Woot woot! on the 70s! I know! I heard! Lots here: first no clue on the cone and I have one I have not recycled yet, so I will be curious to hear what others say. Love the green you picked; from what I can see it's pretty much the same green as in our bedroom--now I love that colour scheme you've alluded too, especially since my newfound colour love is all turquoise. Your handquilting is exquisite, as I keep saying; that Susan Winget matching one has the first quilting motif I fell in love with and have used a lot (but by machine). I can never get enough gazing at your Lake Michigan quilt, as you well know. :-)

Kaja said...

Your walls are a lovely colour and I love the idea of that green with turqoise, salmon and a yellowy green. I hope you'll post a picture once it's all done. The little quilt you have put on the door is very pretty - beautiful soft colours and lovely, lovely quilting.

LA Paylor said...

first of all, who makes the paint, and what color is it. It's just a perfect shade of green! Deep and calming but not dark.

Second thread cones... I save them all and wind embroidery floss or hand dyed embroidery thread that comes in hanks? On them. Very useful that way.
LeeAnna at not afraid of color

Bernie Kringel said...

Your bedroom is going to be gorgeous. Green is my favorite color! I have no idea about the cones. Surely someone will think of something though. I am glad you are getting some spring weather. Especially nice to be able to open windows when painting. The paint doesn't smell as strong as it used to but opening the windows really helps.
I bet you are looking forward to getting your house back in order. Painting makes a huge mess!

JanineMarie said...

I don't usually reply here, but in this case I will because others might be wondering, too. The color is Greenwich Village. It's a Benjamin Moore color (# 445). I love their paint, but we had the color mixed in a regional paint brand called O'Leary, made locally so a bit less expensive for us. It's a scrubbable matte finish that looks like velvet.

Thanks for the suggestion for the cones!

Lara B. said...

Janine that green is so soothing and peaceful... it will make the perfect atmosphere for rest and relaxation.
I had to laugh because I am also working on a mini, wavy ocean themed quilt. It's a gift for the midwife who delivered Eden. She loves the sea.
All the little changes is decorating will make the whole house seem brighter and fresher!

Linda said...

Beautiful green - I love Benjamin Moore paint! Glad you are getting to open your windows. Hearing the birds is the best!
Oh how I relate on seam ripping - I ripped until my fabric raveled so much I had to replace it last week. :(
I love your little quilts, especially the one with the bird house!