We saw a Baltimore Oriole at the feeder yesterday. Finally, I think spring might really be here. Nothing like a bit of warm weather to make one feel like working outside.

 I eat these right out of the garden. No need to cook. They are fresh and sweet!


 The bees are buzzing! So many flowering trees for them to choose from.

 The dwarf irises are the first to bloom. These are enjoying the cramped space. (Looks like I need to thin them out this year.)  These upright flowers don't lay in the mud after our 20-30mph spring winds.

 I'm trying to grow shelling peas this year. They grow about two feet high and these are well on their way. Can hardly wait!!!
 My strawberries are in bloom and the bed needs to be weeded......anyone free this weekend?

 This pattern was just sent to the distributor. Barb found the pin at an estate sale. I think any old military pins or memorabilia would look great on this pincushion.

Mother's Day is the next Loose Feather pattern. It's at the distributor's now also. I stitched my daughter's maternal genealogical line on this piece. Her initials are hidden amongst the flowers on the bottom portion of the sampler. Great way to remember all of the mothers who came before us.

Barb and I are going to start a stitch along next week. We will provide a sampler pattern and hope you will join us. Details will follow soon! 

Until later,

Alma

     I'm just not feeling like myself lately, and I think it's because I can't find anything. We have warehoused all of our publications in a corner of my husband's building for years. (After 15 years it was a very large corner, I might add.) He retired last month and had to empty out a 5000 sq. foot space full of computer parts and equipment. Of course, this meant that Blackbird Designs had to move too. Barb and I picked a weekend in the middle of March, rented a truck and moved our patterns to a smaller warehouse. We sized down to about 800 square feet. Luckily we have very tall shelving...12 foot in fact. The heavy kind of shelving that holds lots of 25 lb. boxes of books.
    The day we picked was sunny and warm. Lovely....if you can call any day you have to move lovely.

     Rosy Morning, pictured above, arrived the day before our move, and I was able to ship out most of them before we packed up. This pattern is in your local cross stitch shop now. Unfortunately, I already have a correction note to let you know about. We really try hard to catch everything before we publish it....but sometimes we make a mistake.
Stitch the bird body, positioned on the right side of the house, with GA Toasted Barley.

Guess what just arrived in the quilt shops? Plum Sweet! It's our newest release from Moda fabrics. I can hardly wait to open my bundle and begin working with this line. The colors feel like spring, and after our winter I could use a bit of spring.

We used this fabric line to make the Alphabet Quilt from the Spell it With Fabric Blog Hop. If you didn't get a chance to download all of the patterns, check my posting of Feb. 26, 2014 for details. There is still time to get all of the patterns.

We have another Reward of Merit we are getting ready to release next week. Below is a quick peek.

Until later!

Alma