A one-sided fish

I've spent most of my free time out in the garden this week so not a lot of crafts to show off.  Usually I am very productive on my day off, but this week I had a dentist appointment in the morning and then most of the rest of the day was taken up with driving south  to Surrey to attend the funeral of a former member of the quilting group I used to attend/run.  She lived to be 100 years old, and was sewing until near the end, an inspiration to us all.  I was particularly touched that one of her lovely hexagon quilts was used as the pall over her coffin during the ceremony at the crematorium, and in the eulogies they mentioned all the baby quilts that are treasured by her family members and will be handed down.  A kind of immortality in a way.

It made me feel guilty that I don't give away more of my quilts.  However I've learned from experience to ask first, and preferably show them the quilt, because everyone has such different colour preferences and not everyone likes handmade or even textiles. I know you are supposed to enjoy making the quilt then 'set it free' but I can't help taking it personally if the reception is lukewarm, or the quilt is never seen again (or in one case, when I was informed it was the dog's favourite place to sleep and could I make the dog another one as well?)

Anyway, back to the one-sided fish.  I've done a few more things for my Rik Pearce dollshouse this week, one of which was creating a taxidermy scene for the mantel.  I had purchased a one-sided fish intended for display (or for the kitchen) some time ago, so I mounted it on a painted backdrop and added a few pieces of lichen for underwater plants. I built the box out of some of the wood strips I bought at Miniatura, and cut some 'glass' from a plastic lid.

I also put together a little kit for newspaper spills for lighting the fire.

Otherwise this week, I'm still knitting on the replacement Leaf Yoke sweater in which I am over halfway on the yoke; I'm stitching on the next block of my 25 block hand applique quilt; and I've done a couple of hours on my Bucks Point lace bookmark that I started in Scarborough. We've also spent several hours tidying/cleaning the house because the in-laws are coming to visit for Easter weekend, and there's still more to do. DS is coming home as well for Easter.

Out in the garden I've been combatting the weeds, continuing to tidy up from the winter and bringing out things that were stored such as the water feature and the bird bath. My tubs of tulips are starting to open up and the first one looks lovely. I always admire planted containers like this when we visit other gardens, but this is the first time I've tried it myself.

The weather has been gorgeous but very dry so we've even had to water a couple of times. Our soil is sandy and dries out quickly even with the mulch of compost we've applied. I'm wondering if we should invest in some drip hoses for the beds. The grass we've seeded at the front is coming up patchily and in competition with the weeds which have self-seeded and are growing much faster than the grass is.  The lawn is sporting many dandelions and other weeds, so yesterday I tried watering in a weed killer which is supposed to kill those but leave the grass intact - I hope it works and I haven't just killed the lawn just before the in-laws come...