Springtime in Michigan

My quilt guild held our first quilt show, it was very well done and very successful.

They ask me to do a natural dye demonstration. I tried to bring a variety of ideas, from simmering in the pot to solar dyeing. From a few of my finished quilts to a basket of dyed yarn.

I also brought a couple of pieces of Eco dyed wool and unrolled them during the demo. This one was  dandelion flowers.

This one I rolled up dried eucalyptus leaves from last summer. It take a lot of steaming to break them down enough to release their dye. Surprising how much dye is in those dried up leaves.

I found this quilt fascinating, the artist (sorry I didn't get her name) raises peacocks. She used their feathers in some of the blocks,

encasing them behind fine netting and machine quilting in the designs.
 

This is another of her quilts,

with wonderful pieced bird and nature blocks.

In my grandkids art class their learning weaving. I love that their teaching weaving as a art.

They love learning new things.

Here is brothers also with flowers and Mother's day card they made me.

My daughter made me this planter box with screen door handles on the sides filled with lilies.

Cute place for my patchwork chicken pincushion to sit. Picked him up at the quilt show.

I also was gifted this twig trellis. I placed it in front of my herbs. I'm going to plant a climbing flower on it this summer. Orange pansies are blooming from last Falls planting.

Our yard is beautiful with all the Spring flowering bushes and trees.
Azaleas

 

It's been so cold our lilacs are a good week behind. They usually are in full bloom by Mother's day.

Lilacs and flowering crab apple trees. With this cold weather the flowers do last longer.

The apple tree is alive with the buzzing of bees.

A beautiful hanging basket I bought myself. Full of begonias.

And back at work on top of my file when I up all my summer annuals to keep over the winter a beautiful pansy is blooming.