Another greyish day here in the NorthEast, but I’ve got lots to do so can’t spend time moaning about it, LOL. Last night I finished the quilting on the January journal quilt. I seem to remember having a hard time with last January’s quilt as well. So I’ve got January through April done now except for binding. I think I’ll just put simple black bindings on them and call it good. I don’t want anything to detract from the quilting. And I think I’ll figure out a way for the sleeve to be sheer behind the March journal quilt so the holes look like openings. Photos at 11 as they say.

I will say I’m really pleased with them, after having such a hard time starting them this time around: no theme, no idea, no real enthusiasm.

The theme I came up with — “It’s the quilting stupid” — really continues my thinking that if you want to call it a quilt, it better darn well have quilting that matters. Since these are by and large whole cloth quilts, the quilting is the main design feature.

Last year’s journal quilts are on display at the show in Chicago this weekend. You can see my 2002 journal quilts here

Update — See the 2003 journal quilts in progress

Well the snow is finally gone. Not the huge mounds of snow in the mall parking lots, but the snow that was in our front yard and driveway. And someone must thing spring is coming. I’ve seen a lot of deer and turkeys out touring about in the fields and perhaps even more exciting, tonight, the voices of peepers met me when I got out of my car at home. Peepers can’t be wrong, eh? I notice that the grasses really benefitted from that last snow. Late snow is often called “poor man’s fertilizer” because it makes everything grassy really green. I couldn’t help but think this morning that THIS is what the color “grass green” is all about! What a beautiful and welcome color.

I’ve thought about this poem a lot the past few days. I used to be able to recite it by heart and I said it aloud to myself before getting it ready for you, gentle readers.

The ice and freezing rain has stopped here, one last fling of winter. The daffodils are pushing up resolutely, going through or around the piled up leaves from last fall. The maples are well budded out and the willows have a new wash of gold on them. There’s no knowing the precise date and hour that spring will arrive, only that it will, in the time-honored measure of the earth.

This was just the start today…

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Photo of bushes near my house here and here and here.

When I came out of work there was a solid 1/4 inch of ice all over my car. And it’s really coming down now!