La Tortuga

 Today, May 23, is World Turtle Day. How appropriate that the pups and I came across a turtle (tortuga) on our morning walk! After sniffing a bit, and a low growl from Gypsy (I have never heard her growl before!) the turtle was given a lift back to the pond from whence he had come. (Judging from the scum on his back.)

A little research tells me our turtle was a Pseudemys Nelson or a Florida Red Bellied Turtle. He appreciated his lift back to the pond, and within moments of my putting him down about a foot from the water, he scooted in and disappeared under the pond scum. He may have been thinking, "Damn, I really wanted to go to the reserve on the other side of the street, not back to the pond! Now I'll have to start all over!"

Coincidently, I have been working on a quilt with turtles on it! Here are four of the 17 turtles I have made for the quilt. It's a pattern I purchased in Hawaii almost three years ago. I've carted fabric for it from here to there and back again, and then when I decided to make the quilt for a color challenge, I discovered the colors were not quite right... and I had to go out and buy more fabric! 

It's time to get back to sewing! 

Post Script: I completed three blocks for the "waves" of the quilt. I'm enjoying the process. The center of the waves are made through traditional piecing. The rest of the block is made using a paper piecing technique. You can see the three color chips on the center block on the bottom. 

Eleven more to go. 

I've already decided that I will call this quilt something like,

"There's always one!"

I plan to have one turtle swimming against the stream, and another turtle climbing onto the quilt. 

Happy World Turtle Day to you!