How I Spent my Summer Vacation

What vacation???

This is what Kim put for a title when she put these pictures in. I know she has fun with her blog so might as well let her have some fun with mine.

This is the last block of Carol Doaks block of the Month she has been giving us.

This was rather an unusual one. These 4 - 6 in. sections could be turned any direction. I like to wait and see what some of the others do with them before planning how to make mine.
Now we have 12 blocks to make into a quilt. Will have to wait till I get my board cleaned off of other projects before working on it.

Now as for the vacation. I have been quilting this Feed Sack quilt for at least a year. Well, I stopped for a couple months to quilt a special quilt for our Home Care nurse.

Kim has been asking me how close I was to done. I didn't know so decided to stretch it out and take some pictures to show her what was taking me so long, besides not quilting more than maybe an hour a day if at all.

I showed this when I first started my blog close to a year ago. It is all hand pieced and hand quilted. But see those large light places between each of the flowers? I didn't know what to quilt in them so thought if I did Echo quilting it would make the flowers stand out.

I hope you can see the quilting when you click on the picture to enlarge. Each one of those Octagons are about 6 in. and takes about 4 hours to quilt and at least 4 different strands of thread. I know I was crazy to start that. My daughter told me so long ago. But sometimes you have to do what you think is what it needs.

As you can see this is what I'm working on now, or was. It is finished. and I really was surprised how little I have left to do. This is close to the edge.

Each one of these flowers are made up of the only one template. It is the placement of the colors that makes the pattern. Every flower is different feed sack. The white or off white is made of sugar sacks. You know the things your Mother or grandmother used for dish towels. At least mine did. In an over view of the quilt you can see a little variation of the color of the white.

This shows the edge pieces and yes I'm doing the echoing in them also. I will just bind this with the white sugar sack fabric. You can see I used the same green for the leaves though out and the centers are dyed sugar sacks I believe. I found the colors. This shows a good close-up

In keeping to the feed sacks this is a part of the pieced backing. All of them are in blues and greens.

Hopefully before the Olympics is over I'll have a lot more done on it. I have two corners and some of the small outer pieces to do.

Since I only do this quilting in the living room while watching TV with hubby, sometimes I don't get much done. Now IF he liked to watch the baseball games instead of some of Animal Kingdom I might get more done. I do have several more tops that are waiting to be hand quilted. Think I will get them done? I don't know.

Thanks for dropping by.

A haircut can do wonders.

On Monday my daughter came up with her oldest daughter, home for the summer from art school in Philadelphia. This is a picture I took at Christmas when my whole family was home. These are the three granddaughters doing the dishes. The first one washing is Ashley, our artist. See that long hair. Clear down to her waist.

Well this summer she decided to get it cut. I was so anxious to see how she looked so Dear daughter brought her up for overnight.

Here is what it looks like now. She is sitting Indian style in the chair facing the table and a lamp that her grandfather asked her to make a drawing off.

It isn't the best picture but will have to do. It changed her looks so much.

Now here is a picture of the lamp. Turn of the center leaded. We use it as a night light for Hubby as he sleeps in his chair in the living room and likes some light. It came from his grandmothers home.

The base is cast iron and quite a nice design. She didn't get it finished, think she got bored and went to bed. But I took two pictures for her to use to finish this up.

What he wants this for is beyond me. Maybe to see if she could do it.

Now we won't see her until Thanksgiving. She is in Illustration this semester and loves it. Has an apartment off campus in a private home with another student.

All for now, Maybe have some quilting stuff soon.

A very good read

. .I just finished this new book by Emile Richards. - Sister's Choice .If you haven't read any of her books you are really missing a good story about relationships, quilting,the Shenandoah Valley particularly around the area of Toms Brooks .This was sort of a special area for my hubby growing up as he had and aunt and uncle that lived there and he spent his summers there some.
I think this is the fourth of the series. I believe. I have at least one other one listed in my favorite reads.

While I was waiting for this to come via the library, I got another one of hers set in Georgetown, DC. called Prospect Street. This is a mystery, love story and Mother Daughter relationship.

This book has lots of twists and turns and towards the end you just can't put it down. Got to find out what is going to happen next.


Now I have some more pictures of the naked Ladies

All in a row along the lower drive. Those stems were close to 2 feet high.
You notice I say "were" last Sat. we had a fierce storm, really two of them about fifteen minuets apart. Driving rain, hail, wind and an inch of rain and it broke all those stems off to the ground, all going in one direction from the south. Strange..

At least like Kim said I had gotten these pictures. This is a closeup. I cut one off a little and brought it in the house . It's still looking good..

Just had to get a picture of this new ground cover. It's called Goldilocks, lysimachia rummularia. I brought the label up with me. I saw it this spring at a nursery and always looking for different perennials that take partial sun. This thing is really growing. Taking over that little part of the garden. Looks so neat falling over the rocks.Also called Creeping Jenny.I see in reading the back that it is drought resistant, which is good but not needed this year but also Deer resistant. That is good. The other day I got some pictures of 3 fawn and two does eating away on the weeds in the back yard. Sure are seeing them more now. Usually only see them in early morning or later evening. Guess they know that they can't be hunted now.

I've been pretty busy with hubby and my daughter and oldest granddaughter were here overnight on their way to Lancaster to a game show convention. Was nice to have them a little while. Ashley , our artist, will be going back for her Junior year at UART in Phili in Sept. and probably won't get back up here. She works at the country club that her brother works at some and has for years. I wanted to see her as she cut her long hair off and she looks so different and its curling now like her Mom's.

I got a couple things from the Fat Quarter shop yesterday. Had to use that gift certificate. Needed more of the Wildflower Serenade so bought the Jelly roll for the long strips and also got for the first time a set of Twice Charm in the TB Christmas Punch. These are 5 x 22 so enough for some small projects for Christmas.

Now to finish up the Novantique. Also been working on getting the plaid blocks finished. I have 6 more to go. This will make a 5 x 6 block quilt with a border of some kind a really neat throw. Pictures later.

Now with the sun setting in the west giving the clouds a gold lining, I will close. Hope all is well where ever you may be.

Life is good.

Christmas in July with flowers

.The Thimbleberries group I'm in always tries to get us going on gifts for Christmas early and that means a swap among us. It is secret who has our name as well as who we have.

They were to be at the persons home by the 31 of July and then we could open them. Mine went to a dear friend in Toronto, Canada and she got it a few days early. We never know about the mail between the states and Canada.

Since she was the very first one to open yesterday, I can show you what I made for her. It is hand quilted and all Thimbleberries fabrics. The pattern I got out of one of the TB books. Now I don't remember which one and I know it was a topper and I used only one of the blocks and put it on point.

Now I took the camera to the yard to get more pictures of the Naked Ladies. I'm so pleased that as many came up that did but very unhappy about something, probably squirrels thinking they looked good. But just cut two of them off. As soon as more of them come clear open I get another picture.

This was taken in the evening so a little dark. They are all along this part of the lower drive opposite the perennial garden. They are getting very tall close to 2 feet now. I would think they are getting plenty of light

This was taken from the other end. Those are small dogwood trees behind them
We have gotten so much rain this summer the weeds are growing as good as the plants.

This is a white bleeding heart. Every seen one. I hadn't but couldn't resist when I saw this little plant at the nursery at the beginning of the summer. It is growing nicely even though the varmint that keeps digging holes in under the plants. There must be something in the potted soil that they go after. I think it's the chipmunks but maybe not. Anyone have any suggestions.?
I've filled in the holes and the next thing I know it's there again.


I've finished the center of the little Schnibbles but am waiting for a jelly roll of the fabric to finish it off.

Also be working on the plaid blocks. This quilt I am really going to like, when and if.

Hubby just takes a lot of time and then feeding him also. Wish I had a cook.

Enough for today. Thanks for dropping by.

Eye Candy

. .Yes, I have some eye candy today.

First remember me showing you where I planted all those Naked Lady bulbs?

Well much to my surprise the first one up was right at the bottom of my back steps along the carport wall.
Today about 4 of the blossoms are out and lots more are poking their noses out of the ground along the drive in the back. They are a little early. Usually its the first of Aug when they show their faces.
Then here's one of those projects that has been sitting around unfinished. Well the blocks were our Friendship blocks for this year and when I finally got them, sewn together and decided on this border, I had that Orange Crush on the wall and I couldn't hang this to measure for the borders. So it laid on the sewing machine for a couple months. So that is done. It's square and a nice size for a throw and I will machine quilt it when I get around to it.

These are the little blocks on the wall, not sewn together but waiting. I did get it almost all sewn up today. It's the Schnibbles "Novantique" pattern that Kim sent me. It still has a narrow border and then a piano keys border from the rest of the charms. This took two charms. that I got for my birthday.

Then with my wall finally empty I decided to put these blocks back up to get me to finish the rest of them. They've been sitting on my sewing machine for a couple months. Lots of plaids and I love this setting. All I have to do with the rest of them is put on that outside border. But that requires sewing a lot of those tiny squares on ,to make the square in square cornerstones.
Then the best eye candy here. This is Dan my Daughter's youngest. He let his Dad take him to a regular barber shop to cut off most of his hair. It was down to his shoulders and over his eyes so that you couldn't see those cute eyes. It is so curly. They were up yesterday. with his sister who will be going back to Pensacola to college in a couple weeks. Everyone was asleep in the living room except Dan. He was in the basement where he can watch what he wants on TV. I went down with the camera and said I'm going to take your picture. I tried to get him to smile and think this is pretty good.

I'm really proud of him. He was a slow starter in school in fact he didn't start to talk for a long time. Just did average in elementary but then when he went to Middle School he really started to shine. Now going into High School he goes into all Honors classes. Sooner than his sisters did. He lets them know it also. He's a sweety.

Orange Crush

. Finally I got this quilt sewn together. Made the outside border of the split four patches like Bonnie did but did not put another outer plain border on. This is big enough.
Here it is on Hubbies bed. You can see the blue inner border and then the outer. I really like the way this went together.

Here it is on the design wall. Not quite big enough to show it all but you can see the bottom. See how the corners went together on this end?

In this one you can see how the corners of one end came together. The other end had the dark triangles. Sort of neat.
Have no idea how I'll end up quilting this. Might get a friend who also has done this quilt and has a long arm to quilt it after she does hers.

No hurry as this isn't for anyone particular. DD really like it which surprised me.

Enough for now. At least this is another project finished for now.

Rejeuvenation

.I'm really surprised to see how the aftermath of this storm has rejuvenated the trees. See in this picture, taken out my porch window, the leaves growing out of this old tree trunk?
This is where a limb broke off when the top fell down from the other tree. The red leaves you can see on the limb are new ones also. Oak trees normally do not get new leaves in the summer time.
This one is of the Tulip Poplar that the top came out of. There is an old limb right at the viewing area from my husbands chair in the living room. He watches the squirrels and birds on this limb and this new growth of a limb that goes up and hitting another limb has grown a good 5 feet since the storm. That's how fast these trees grow. In the springtime they have big yellow flowers. Hence the name Tulip Poplar.
This is the first two blocks I've started making out of the two packets of charms which were a birthday gift from Kim. She also sent me the patterns to three of Schnibbles.
I wanted to do Little Red but these packets didn't have enough lights so am doing Novantique. These are 6 in. blocks in Sho-Fly using opposite colors. Think it will be neat. I still have to get some yardage in this line Wildflower Serenade but it hadn't come in yet. But am working on these blocks when I get a chance to sit and sew a bit.

So more on that later. Thanks for stopping by.