Going bananas

When I spotted these monkeys, I couldn't resist. I just had to bring them home with me and make them into something. After cutting, cutting, and more cutting, I had big cushy piles of five-by-five squares to start a rag quilt.

This one went together so fast. From buying the fabric to pulling the fluffy blanket out of the dryer was a week! I can barely believe I'm capable of such focused crafting. I didn't even have a deadline or occasion, I just was so freaking thrilled by those monkeys!

A rag quilt is a pretty relaxing project because it's very forgiving. After all, you're just gonna snip all the seams and that covers all sorts of sewing sins. On the downside, my thumb is still numb from all the scissoring.

How freaking adorable are those monkeys and bananas?! It was a bit tough to let it go. When I was sewing it and feeling residual grumpiness from an annoying day, I looked at one of those silly monkeys, smiled and continued sewing happily. But I got the most awesome reaction ever from the sweet little girl who I made it for. My friend emailed that night to say her daughter was in her crib, "snuggling her new blanket and screaming happily 'he's got bananas.' " Best reaction to a homemade gift ever!

You can see my planters are filling in nicely. Those petunias are growing machines! Last year I put way too many plants in there and several varieties disappeared under the petunias. But big surprise - some of those plants that perished are back! There's even a bunch growing in the grass near the planter. Survival of the floral fittest!