Thanks Mother Nature!

In my remote corner of the planet, Mother Nature really likes to dish it out...

...by 8:00 am she had already dumped a foot of snow on us.  And she didn't stop ... there was no let up ... it was still snowing last night when we went to bed.  We received at last 3 feet yesterday!  Yep...there are only two things to do on a day like that ... shovel and dillydally!

Let's begin with a few finishes...

A wallet ... made for a QBee...

... loved the results ... am sure I'll be making more of these in the future! ;-)

It felt good to finally finish this wall quilt as well!

A mixture of new and antique buttons...

... with my favorite message!

Finished knitting a scarf ...

... needed rods to block this semi-lace scarf.  I can't wait to wear it ... the softest wool ever!

Gosh ... it felt so good to do a bit of piecing!  This is the start of my Thimbleberries, "Love Me Tender" wall hanging.

Managed to do some paper piecing as well ... it is a 007 project, so can't share at this time!

I put together this broach that Kelly of Kelly Ann's Quilting included in the package she sent me recently.  I used a natural shell button with pink seed beads to complete it ... am so happy with how it came out!  I decided to hang it on the screen in my sewing room window ... why? ... because it makes me happy to see it while I'm dillydallying!

In December, I had also received a care package from Roseann Kermes of Rosebud's Cottage that included this Scissor Shield kit along with a needlework scissors!  Such a generous and thoughtful gesture of kindness!

 It turned out "sew stinkin' cute"... the next best thing to dillydallying with Roseann live!

Thank you Mother Nature for a wonderful dillydally day!

Do what you love!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Dillydally Dreams & Dabbles

Well ... here in dillydallydom ... I haven't seemed to accomplish much!  Not that I haven't been busy ... a bit of dabbling ... plenty of dreaming!

I've found inspiration in a few new books...this one is a favorite...

...and I have dreams of these warming my dillydally toes.

I recently won a blog give-a-way!  It was so exciting...it came from Kelly Ann's Quilting blog!  She owns a shop in Warrenton, Virginia!  I often dream of traveling there ... meeting Kelly Ann and visiting her shop.   The pattern, designed and signed by Pat Sloan, was just the whiff of a summer breeze I needed during a cold winter day ... dreams of summer and this wonderful wall quilt hanging on my wall ... love it!

The first shipment of Thimbleberries Pattern Party Club kits arrived ... they are so beautiful, I hesitated to unseal them.

QBee Sara created special membership project boxes for us ...

... this box is filled with bits and pieces of Thimbleberries projects that I dream of using in my home!

A dillydally dabble here...

...a dillydally dabble there...

...a bit of dillydally dabble everywhere!

Yep .... you never know where those dillydally dreams might take you.  LOL ... these just crack me up ... they are such a hoot!  ;-)

Do what you love.  Do dream.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

 
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QBee Birthday Bash!

I took this photo yesterday morning from the front deck ... what a lovely way to begin a wonderful dillydally day!

We met for brunch to celebrate QBee Val's birthday!  That's the Birthday QBee with a table runner she recently finished and brought for show and tell!  It is lovely!

QBee Barb brought a table runner that she recently finished piecing!  It is a kit she picked up last summer while on our MN Shop Hop adventure!  Gosh ... we all fell in love with it.  Barb said she lost count of all the right triangles involved ... they are in the hundreds ... we all fell in love with it!  Beautiful!

QBee Terry wowed us with her Cathedral Stars!  It was pieced and had borders on!  We were all inspired to get busy on our own!  We all have such fond memories of our time with Bonnie Hunter ... it is fun to celebrate one of us finishing her quilts together!

Val shared with us a birthday gift she gave herself ... a gorgeous quilt kit called Bella Verona.  The fabrics are so beautiful ... seeing them and touching them immediately turns you to mush!  Yes ... mush!  They are that stunning!  The pattern is completely pieced ... we all cannot wait to watch Val create this masterpiece!

Valerie with her gifts and birthday cake!  The cake was a Paula Deen recipe ... it was delicious!

Those of you who have read this blog for a while, know that I make the Birthday QBees the same gift an entire birthday cycle.  

Here is Valerie's gift of the Sewing Cup Cozy!  I love making these!  They now take me about an hour ... from cutting to sewing on the buttons!  It is fun to make!

Later in the afternoon, Valerie shared the progress she has made on her Cathedral Stars!  It too is yummy and inspiring!

Celebrating with QBees ... what a wonderful dillydally day!

Do what you love!  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

It is All about Love!

Sure do miss the DillyDally children...

...on Valentine's Day and every day.  Here they are five and ten (1993)...wearing their camo cabin uniforms (yep, I made them) ... in their play house ... accompanied by Finse, Teacup and Shadow!  Family ... both the two and four legged members ... are all about love.

And of course there is the father of those children ... he's all about love.

Friends ... they're all about love.

Community ... it too is all about love.

Current PIP (project in progress)

And we can't forget about dillydallying ... it is about love.

And there are those of you who take time out of your very busy lives ... to read this very humble and simple blog.  Your gesture of kindness is also ... all about love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Do what you love.  Love one another.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Iceworm Handcrafts!

One of the events I enjoy most during our Iceworm Festival is the Handcraft Show.  Every year it is a bit different ... I love its unpredictability!

One of local treasures, an elder, does the most amazing hand embroidery.  This is a table cloth with all four corners done in perfectly stitched satin stitch.   I also love how she finished the table cloth with beautiful lace and ribbon...what an outstanding piece of workmanship!

Remember 10 years ago, when hand embroidery was a dying art?  Well ... she never paid attention to what was "in" or not ... she continued stitching, doing what she loved.  I wish my little point and click camera could capture the beauty of her work.

Every time I see her workmanship, I am inspired to put a little more care and effort into my own embroidery.  Every thing she does is heirloom quality ... what talent ... what a treasure!

Between the light, the camera and my skills, this photo does not in any way capture the beauty of the objects on this table.  These are glass balls that occasionally wash up on the shores in our area that a local artist has covered in bead work.  They are stunning!  I wish my photos were better, so that you could see the value of her talent.

Again...the light coming in the windows really effected the photos.  I hate to complain about the sun, especially in this remote corner of the planet ... but it really got in the way of this show.  Here are some paintings, woven items and handmade jewelry on display.

Of course...there were beautiful quilts on display!  Again the lighting was horrible, so I am unable to include all the quilts ... the picture quality is just too poor.  Please use your imagination when viewing these photos ... the quilts are so much more beautiful than the picture!

I've included this quilt in earlier posts, but it is so nice to capture it hanging like this.  It is stunning!  QBee Valerie's piecing and hand applique skills are amazing and then it was embellished by The Green Fairy's machine quilting ... over the top amazing!

Another beautiful quilt ... when I look at this one, it brings a smile to my face.  Such a happy quilt!

Gosh ... I just love samplers.  They always remind me of the women who came before us and what they contributed to the life that we enjoy ... yep, a sampler turns me to mush every time I see one.

Remember last September when Bonnie Hunter came ... this is a version of her Blue Ridge Beauty quilt.  I love it!  The multi colored blocks just dance!  Such a happy quilt!

I love seeing work done by the hands of others ... especially my friends and neighbors!  It is a blessing to live in a community with so much talent!

Do what you love.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally

Happy Iceworm Festival!

Have I told you lately ... how I love my remote corner on the planet, and all who live here?

After a week of hurricane force winds and torrential rain ... on Saturday, the clouds parted and this was the view from my front deck.

Mother Nature decided to smile upon our small community and help us celebrate our annual Iceworm Festival!

All that rain turned nearly every surface very icy, because of my knee issues we had to limit our Iceworm activities.  There was no way I would miss the parade ... when we got to our vehicle we found the older boy scouts putting the finishing touches on their float.

   Our parade always begins with the Coast Guard Flag presentation and someone local singing the National Anthem.  The Coast Guard members and their families are such an important part of our community... they work and play along side of us in every way while serving our country.

Have I told you lately ... how much Mr. DillyDally and I enjoyed raising our children in this remote corner of the planet?

 Both of the DillyDally children were involved in (almost everything) scouting, so that meant we all participated in the parade for many years!

As the scouts pass by...

...the entire town claps and cheers them on!  It is great to be a scout in Cordova!

The Salvation Army Band played and marched to "Onward Christian Soldiers"!

Our local telephone cooperative brought a happy snowman to help with snow removal.

The local U.S. Forest Service employees ...

with the assistance of Smokey the Bear...

... were able to apprehend ...

and conquer the snow monster or Yeti!  ;-)  Too fun!

We all appreciate our city road crew and the work they have done ... it was fun to have their big vehicles in the parade!  They have given us much to cheer about!

Miss Iceworm and her royal court wave to the crowd from the top of a fire truck.

The parade always ends with our guest of honor, the giant Iceworm!

He is a very long Iceworm ...

... with many legs, accompanied by loads of giggles!  ;-)

Have I told you lately ... how grateful I am to live in this remote corner of the world?  Yep ... I am very fortunate to live here!

Love what you do.  Love where you live.  Do dillydally!

Mrs. DillyDally