May Catch Up - Quilt blocks, A New Tote, and a Few Penguins

I haven't blogged much in May, but it's been a busy month.  My husband was home from work for three weeks, so there was much family time and not so much sewing time.  I have a few things to share with you though.

I am working on a new tote pattern with some nice buckles and grommets on the handles.  I've been carrying this bag for a couple of weeks now to see what changes need to be made. I originally though it was too big, but I love carrying my packages to the post office in it.  I carried it to the zoo and with 3 water bottles in it, and the corduroy handles were really rubbing my shoulder so Mike had to carry it and he wasn't thrilled, but it looked fab on him!  It needs more pockets inside for sure. I admit that I loved smashing those eyelets a little too much, and some are a bit flat. Fabric: Ty Pennington Home Decor

I am hesitant to show you this quilt top because you may think the design is very odd, and it's a gift and I don't want it to be seen.... but I think I am safe, because I don't believe the recipient reads my blog.  Still, I won't mention any names. I love it! It's a wild move for me to do something asymmetrical.  My husband is very particular about symmetry so he is not a huge fan, but he likes the colors. I have the backing ready to go and when I do the quilting, I'll blog and share the cutting instructions for this very easy HST quilt top.  Fabric:  Comma by Zen Chic, Moda.

Yay!! I caught up on my Lucky Stars Blocks.  Here are March, April & May.   I am trying to keep the colours coordinating, but it is hard with so many pieces per block.  We'll see how I go, picking fabric is the hardest part of these blocks. Now I need to catch up with my Sister's Ten BOM.

We did have some family fun.  A trip to the Calgary Zoo.  The penguins are a fave in our family, and aren't they cute?

They have dinosaurs and cute little boys at the zoo..... I don't think they are real though.

Along with tons of work finishing the basement, putting up fence posts, and shelving the garage, Mike also picked up a screened sun shade for us from Rona, complete with canvas curtains.  It fit perfectly on our deck.  We spent the day putting it up together. He followed instructions very well. Mike also redid the deck rails, and moved the steps so they were centered in front of the screen zippers.   On his next trip home... GRASS and fence panels.  I miss grass!

I hope you all had a lovely May.  There has been a lot of heartache and pain around North America this month and I hope your families are safe and well.  Big Hugs!

I'd love to hear what you've been up to. Thank you for reading,