Spring lambs

In the last week I have been making a farmyard quilt for Marie to give to baby Dylan. The quilt is red and green colours and  has lots of animals and of course a tractor or two. I love making these quilts, just the right size for lots of uses, in the cot, on the floor to play on, in the car or pushchair.... I really hope they used and loved throughout babyhood. Here it is:

Marie reminded me it is nine years since she had her own baby and in fact also nearly nine years since Green Star Quilts was started. The time has whizzed by! It reminded me that I have made many other farmyard quilts, farmyards are a thing close to my heart... this was one of the first...

Then there was this one and this is giving me a lovely chance to revisit my photos of quilts made over several years....

It feels so like spring is just around the corner and I am cheering it on with inspections of the state of my daffodil flowers, nearly out now, everyday. Today My sewing room robin had a fright. A very competitive blue tit with beak full of moss clearly thought the hanging willow heart would be a good place to nest and was outraged that 1) the window was in the way and 2) the fabric robin was there first. There was a lot of flapping at the glass, loud tweeting through a beak of moss and a huge grumpiness from a very tiny person with a yellow feather covered tummy. How could such a small bird be so cross??

Not far from the borders of south Lincolnshire is a beautiful village of Easton on the Hill. This is the field beside the church on a January Sunday and I took the photo because the scene looked calm and very English indeed... and the pub lunch was great too...

And now in Lincolnshire we have the first lambs arriving. Our own very special sheep are the Lincolnshire Longwools. Historically, our county fortunes were based on the wool and meat from these sheep.They have the most spectacular fleece, an all over perm from head to knee that would cost a fortune at the hairdressers... and they gaze through their extravagant curls with a mild and calm expression, knowing they are very beautiful sheep indeed. Louise who owns the  Risby Grange Longwool flock has kindly loaned this photo:

Is there anything more sweet than a new lamb, well maybe two new lambs with terry towelling legs?

At Riseholme the lambs last year were a huge success on Lambing Sunday when visitors were welcome. They were such fun to watch as they got in the feed troughs, on the hay bales, muddled up with the wrong families, but still were able to recognise a baaaa from mum...

Here is the farmyard quilt which I made for our little one for her second birthday. 

And now I have my own flock.... of ladybirds.... which every year holiday over the winter in the cracks of the window frames in daughter's bedroom. This year there are hundreds, families and friends snuggled up cosily in the corners, trotting off for a walk occasionally before settling down for a snooze in the sun, red with black spots, black with red spots and even yellow with black spots....

I hope you have enjoyed looking at my farmyard quilts and will have have a chance to visit lambs near you this spring, also that your daffodils will be in flower this week, thanks for dropping in,

Sue