Bits and Pieces

I bet you can't think of anything more the same than a bag of marshmallows. Well, this author/illustrator has taken the idea of being different to a whole new level.  I could look at these illustrations all day. Most marshmallows live the same, are born, live in homes, go to school, etc. But if you look closely you'll realize there is one who is different from the rest. Marches to his own drum, doesn't quite follow the crowd. And that is the one who will soar.

The Full Belly Bowl is an older book but I read it every year.  The very old man and his cat live a quiet life where they are usually always hungry.  One day the very old man goes for a walk and hears a cry for help and finds a very, very small man who he takes home and cares for till better.  The little man leaves but in his place gifts the old man with a full belly bowl.  It's magic.  Whatever is put in the bowl multiplies so as the note left with the bowl says, use with caution but you will never go hungry again.  Oh, and when finished turn it upside down.  Well, the very old man discovers it works with anything and when he tries a penny in the bowl he gets a little star struck and hurries off to town with a bag full of pennies to exchange for a gold piece. But in his haste for riches he forgets to store the bowl.  

The teacher thought this a good writing prompt - "what would YOU put in the bowl?"  The kids were all shouting their ideas and all of them were grandiose.  I told them, "Be careful what you wish for." 

So far on my March temperature tree.  It's warming up - we are transforming all of that blue into green and yellow. I'm saving up days so I can do a week or two at a time.

Now that Elizabeth's graduation quilt is finished I found myself at odds a little.  What to do next?  It's not like there isn't a long line of projects waiting or wanting but I need a breather and retreat is coming up next week so those projects are packed.

I started cutting nine patches - little ones that finish at 3 inches - to use on the Little Women dish towel. I have no idea yet what I'm going to do, how big I will make it or what. But you can always use nine patches anywhere, right?  I love them so they won't be lonely for long.

Last night I thought I'd give the peasant ladies a test run.  I've cut the pieces and parts for all of them and labelled them by the number I gave each lady, stored in baggies.  After awhile looking at it I knew if I started at the top the others would nestle in next to each other. No reason to make this hard.

The nestling seems to be ok and for now I'm just going to do that, fit the bodies together then worry about the faces.  It's big and hand appliqueing them means a lot of wad in my left hand thus the crinkle.  After a couple more I'll know for sure.  When I make things up as I go along I expect a lot of forgiveness of a piece.