Marie

I've tried to follow Dorinda's placement of the color on the buds, and I really do like it. One thing I'm going to do is machine sew strips of green and red, and yellow and green together and then Im going to cut out the buds in one piece. I'm also going to do that with the two toned oak leaves. I think it will make it much easier. I will continue to make the buds in the centers the same because I really like the way they look. On those buds I'm sewing the green over the other color before I applique it on and it's easier that way.

Deana, your border looks good. I am curious about your method of applique. I notice that you have basted the pieces on before you sew them. With the basting there, how do you turn the edges under, or are they already turned when you baste them. I can't tell from the picture, but it looks like a good method. I'm just pinning mine and then doing needle turn applique. It's hard to keep the edges smooth on those tiny little pieces.

I'm not sure what I did wrong when I posted my pictures, but I can't get them to open in another window so that they are larger. Any ideas?

I'm sewing on my border on the mornings that I take care of my mother-in-law. After I feed her breakfast she goes to sleep and sleeps until my sister-in-law gets back; so I have some free time. This week she couldn't eat--can't get her mouth to open much, and can't swallow. We think she has had another stroke. She can't talk to us at all. I have found that if I ask her to blink her eyes when I ask her a question she can do that. That's about all that she can do now. I'm so depressed when I leave there. I feel so sorry for her. I'm thinking we won't be taking care of her much longer, but she has already lived much longer than we thought she would.

I'm also trying to sew for a little while in the evenings, but that doesn't always work. I figure that I need to do one border every two months, and I think I'm a little ahead of schedule so I'm feeling good about that.