A sort of finish

 I finished the block from Le Jardin BOM.

I only stretched the blocks a tiny bit. I don't think you can really tell. It measures just a hair off the 16 1/2" it should so goodness.

I hand embroidered the ribbony thing on the bunny. I oopsied the the ribbon a bit but I think I fixed it enough. The ribbon was supposed to be higher on the bunny and hit the neck straight on...I don't know if that makes sense but it looks ok to me and that's all that matters, right?
 I'm not the biggest fan of the red and white side fabric but the overall quilt looks so cool I don't care.

I wasn't going to finish it today but I kept looking over and seeing this.

 Who could resist?
I couldn't find the pattern for Duma today but I knew I needed a bunch of berries so I grabbed the scraps of my Magic Fuse and made these.

I used a 5/8 punch for scrapbooking to do the "berries" for Chateau Duma. Much easier then trying to cut out a gazillion of them with scissors.

 It is super cold here. Little Bit wasn't happy about having to stay inside but this is 20 minute frost bite weather. We played lots of Wii and "Scooby-Doo Ball" which is just hall soccer with a rubber ball. Hopefully it warms up a bit soon. My puppies may have me arrested for cruelty if they have to do their business outside much longer. Oh, and the looks I get. Both adorable and funny.
Did you know a dog can say all sorts of things with their eyes? Like eat sh**? Or I'm going to bite you in your sleep? Along with the required I love you and come on...you know you want to give me that food you have. Don't let those cute faces fool you.

But then there is a reason we call them fur-babies.

  I'm waiting for a several things in the mail...a few ordered back mid December. I'm starting to get annoyed. LOL and I'm sure you'd all like to see something besides Rouenneries.

Productivity

 I can't believe it but I have posted every day for over a week! WOW. Considering I stopped for many, many months for no real reason this is very impressive.

I must have just gone through a dry spell. I feel like I have accomplished, and learned, more lately then I ever have previously. And this is in part due to a person who is no longer a friend. Crystal and I became best friends in a counseling class. We stayed good friends, the doing everything kind, for about a year. I taught her to quilt, which got me back quilting. Then she disappeared. The reappeared. Then disappeared. This both confused and hurt me. Until I started thinking about it and then it made perfect sense. Crystal had a very hard childhood. The write a book kinda bad. She has been on her own since she was 17 and has more or less flitted from one person to another, getting what she needs and then moving on. She doesn't do it consciously or intentionally but it is what happens, and she is too nice to end relationships so she just lets them lapse. Ok I can deal with this. It is her problem or whatever, not mine. But thing is she has a BUNCH of my quilting things, including a sewing machine, and my 6x24" Olfa ruler, travel cutting board/iron that was a present from DH. I am not happy about this. But she has moved, and I no longer has her cell number so there isn't much I can do about it.

  Something about me is I don't make friends easily. In fact I'm fairly bad at it. I have millions of acquaintances, people who you talk to wherever etc but outside their "area" I don't do well. I have so little self esteem sometimes that I can't shake the feeling that people are only being "nice" or polite and don't really want me around. This is a left over from childhood. I know this intellectually but can't shake the feeling. The whole episode with Crystal hasn't helped this obviously.  She abandoned me when things got bad health wise, and only showed up again when she needed something. And I really thought she was a forever kind of friend. Those kind you just click with instantly and seem to just get each other. I'd never really had that before so this was odd and great.
Anyway, I don't really know why I'm sharing that now. Maybe just knowing I owe my re-entry into the quilting world, and the blogosphere, to her strikes me as ironic. And the blogosphere is where I find more companionship then anywhere.
Which leads me to the generosity of bloggers. Nancy offered her gorgeous self-designed pattern "Chateau Duma" on her blog because we asked. Isn't that great? I couldn't wait to start and have already got to here. My base turned out 17" square, instead of 16 but it hasn't mattered so far.

I still have 10 or 11 leaves to finish prepping and all the berries/circles but I think it's looking good. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to arrange all the leaves etc but pretty much I think I'm assured of a good result.

The fluer-de-lis, a traditional symbol of the French, and in Canada Quebec, got me thinking about how this line could be used to make an antique looking Canadian flag. Which would be historically inaccurate as the Canadian flag only became official in 1965, though the emblem has been used in various ways since the 1890s. Still I think it would look cool. I just don't know how I can justify more Rouenneries.

  

Especially since this came today.

Literally as I was finishing there was a knock on the door.  And the mail lady handed me my block one of the Le Jardin BOM from Fatquarter Shop! YAY!! You know I have to cut into this right away. Or at least read the instructions and pet the fabrics. I should put this away until I finish Duma, and perhaps if Madeline gets here too. But I doubt it will happen. ;)