Tiny Needle Tuesday Plus My Weekend

 This is what my tiny needle has. been up to:

It's a small piece of a project that I finished on Sunday-- just in time to submit it to a challenge from Quilting Arts Magazine. The challenge was to make a scroll measuring no more than 40".  I had to cut a panel so that I didn't go over 40".

Here's the finished project:

It's bits and pieces from my trip to Colorado. It will seem very random to the viewer, but my new-to-me fiber group -- the Memory Cloth Circle -- liked it. I'm not sure it was worth the time, but it was kind of fun.

My weekend also included having friends over for dinner on Saturday. I invited my favorite co-teacher, John, and his wife Michele, who is a special ed teacher. Not team-teaching with John is one of the things I'm going to miss the most this fall. We practically had a comedy act going in a long-running debate over which decade had the best music, the 1970s (my choice) or the 1980s (his choice). I hope we'll stay in touch.

Michele is the chairperson of the Union's Subcommittee on Special Ed, so we have quite a bit of history, too.

And Michele made me the best mask ever:

For those of you who aren't massive fans of The Office: The mask features Dwight Schrute, one of the main characters. I gave John a vintage Chewbacca mug, seeing as he is a Star Wars fanatic.

Madison Urban Sketchers met Saturday at a local park, where we all drew the beautiful bathroom structure -- built by the CCC during the Depression. It was a small but talented group. Mine is on the top right:

Last, but not least, I went kayaking on Sunday with my friend Tracey. What is it about water that is so soothing? When my ankle heals, I am going to beg Kathy for a paddle-boarding lesson.

It was a busy weekend for me -- but now I have all week to relax!

Friends and Finishes

It was gray weekend, but I'm not complaining because I had a lot to do to get ready for two upcoming exhibits. Besides, there were enough breaks from working to make it seem like a weekend.

Friday night Keith and I had dinner with my parents. It was Greek Night at their community and the food was quite good. This morning my friend Marsha had a little gathering at her house.

Marsha, left, had a very color-coordinated table today. Next to her is Tsela.

Mimi wore with her birthday socks. (Sorry about the blurry photo. I'm blaming the cloudy day and lack of light.)

On Saturday, Tsela and I made pendants from a recent Bead & Button magazine. This pattern is a bit tricky, but I figured it out in the end. Tracking down all the supplies was actually the hardest part. There are all these new shaped beads and no local store carries all of them.

I'm happy with how it turned out. This photo doesn't do justice to the colors. It's mostly blues and purples, with some gold accents. I'm sure I'll make a few more.

I did a little knitting, but more importantly, I wove in ends and produced two FOs:

I have searched Ravelry and cannot find the name of this market bag. It's a quick knit and cute, so I'd like to share the pattern!

And here is one of those little projects that got lost in the shuffle for the months, waiting to be seamed. Just another washcloth to put in the gift box.

I like quiet weekends like this. During the school year. I need to recharge and get a few things done before plunging back into another week.

Finally Spring!

I had almost given up hope that the temperatures would warm and flowers would appear. But spring has finally sprung, and our backyard is filled with scilla:

Such happy little flowers!

Keith and I spent much of Saturday indoors, cooking and cleaning because we were hosting a birthday party for a friend. As always, I made THE cupcakes. The recipe, Cappuccino Chip Cupcakes, is actually quite simple and can be found in Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor by Anne Byrn.

 It's worth tracking down this book. It is truly the best cupcake book out there. And this recipe never fails to impress. It's kind of embarrassing because it is so simple.

My friend Debbie arrived at the party with presents for everyone. She had found cheap tickets to Beijing (yes, China! Who knew you could fly cheaply halfway around the globe?) and taken her family for spring break. She brought back half a dozen or so amazing tea cups. Mine features cherry blossoms:

And they all have this amazing build-in tea strainer, which drains nicely into the lid:

Pretty amazing friend, huh? Thank you, Debbie. I am so lucky to have you for a friend!

Today I took advantage of this beautiful weather by biking and sketching with a friend. Here is the view of Picnic Point from the Lakeshore Path. Not my best drawing, but it's OK just to practice, right?

 It was the first day that we could hang out on the screened porch, and Naji was the first one to enjoy the sun.

Tomorrow it's back to school. Some weekends are just too short! At least Naji will be home to enjoy the weather.