I thought I would check in to let you know I haven't disappeared, but have been having some extensive dental work done that has left me on heavy meds for the pain. I should be fine in a few days. I'm too fuzzy headed to even consider putting a rotary cutter in my hand, much less to try operating the sewing machine. For now the sewing room is neat and tidy and waiting for my next burst of creative energy.
Above is the hibiscus we thought we were going to lose when all the leaves began to fall off. It has recovered nicely since our temperatures are blistering hot and it's really blooming like crazy! We have a hibiscus every year, but never have we had so many blooms at the same time.
Our daughter and her dogs will be arriving Monday evening and we will have a few days to catch up with each other. The dogs will stay with us for a few months. This will be a thrill for us ~~ especially since we lost our beloved Scottie just three months ago. I will post pics of Dottie and Olive later.
I hope your summer is going well. I will post again soon...
Warm Regards ~~~~ Barb
Lately I've been getting 'blocked' when it comes to adding borders to quilt tops. More than one quilt hangs in my closet waiting for their borders. The one I'm working on right now is the Dresden Plate I pieced and appliqued over a year ago.
In the back of my head I'm thinking I might scallop the edges of the borders after I get it back from being quilted. In light of this, I cut my outside borders extra wide, thinking I could always trim them down if I decided against the scallops. Now I'm thinking that the borders are overwhelming the design in the center of the quilt.
I can't catch what I'm seeing with the camera because I can't get an overhead shot. At any rate, after I spread it out on the floor, the borders look less overwhelming than I thought. I think I will go with my original plan to leave my options intact.
This is a pretty heavy quilt top. The plates are appliqued onto cream fabric with small red dots. I thought this would be a little more interesting. I will keep you posted on the progress of this quilt. For now I'm off to work on the borders and backing.
I wish you a great week filled with Peace & Plenty!!
Barb
It's the season of intense yard work for us. We constantly push Mother Nature back, otherwise we could be consumed by the woods, weeds, grasses, poison ivy, etc. Keeping everything cut also discourages snakes from coming too close to the house.
It's also the season to begin planning and sewing Christmas items if you are a quilter. Even my little fabric store in town has their new lines of Christmas prints. I weakened and bought several (15) yards of Wintergraphix II by 'In The Beginning'. This is top quality quilting fabric and I got it on sale for $2.99 a yard. At that price, I bought the whole bolt!!
My plan is to alternate blocks of this fabric (maybe 9-patch blocks) with some beautiful machine embroidered designs I bought a while back. They will blend together just fine. I also would like to make some holiday pillows and napkins and should have enough to do all of this. Since this fabric doesn't scream Christmas, I can use it for winter after Christmas has passed. What are your sewing plans for Christmas??
This is also Father's Day weekend. Baby back ribs, potato salad, baked beans, fruit salad and homemade rolls are on our menu. There will also be a dessert of some sort also. To fathers everywhere, I wish them a very special day!
Wishing everyone a great weekend!
A few days ago I got the call from my quilter and friend, Reggie, that my projects were ready to be picked up. These calls always thrill me and I try to drop everything and head directly to Reggie's house. I love being in her sewing room with the clatter of the big machine dancing across a quilt top, piles of completed quilts and other stacks waiting to be quilted. It's a happy place to be if you're a quilter!
I fell in love with a quilt called Summer Bazaar that was featured on the cover of the Summer 2013 Quilting Quickly magazine. I was even able to get my hands on the same fabric as the one in the magazine and it was such nice quality to work with. It's from the Ty Pennington Fall 2012 collection.
The colors in this quilt are vibrant and fun. I used 10-inch and 5-inch tumbler templates. If you look closely you will see double rows of the small tumblers between rows of the larger ones. This quilt has no border, which made it extra quick and simple to make. I think I will make this quilt again in a different colorway. The quilting is a variation on stippling that looks like ocean waves.
Here's another project I just finished also ~ another table runner made from a pack of half-square triangles from the Farmer's Market line.
There was no pattern for this ~ I just layed out the triangles and sewed them together. I had the black print for the borders and binding in my stash. This runner is 49 inches long. I like the border on the top and bottom only on this piece. I keep making table runners to use up the batting scraps I get back from Reggie. She always tries to use my batting carefully and returns all leftovers to me. This leaves me with nice strips for table runners and other small projects.
Life is good for us ~~ we're both healthy, the garden is thriving, I have quilts to work on and peace reigns in our hearts.
Wishing you a day filled with Peace & Plenty!
Our yellow day lilies are just beginning to bloom. Usually they bloom in early April and are gone in a week or so. Each bloom lasts about one day and is quickly replaced by another bloom.
I was able to pick up my latest projects from my quilter and now I have the task of binding everything to look forward to. Some quilters love binding ~~ others, not so much! I fall into the first category, probably because it means I will soon have another project completed and ready to gift to someone or to use in our home. I sew my binding to the front of my projects and turn it to the back and stitch it down by hand. I love doing this in the evening while we watch TV or on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I will post pictures as I get items completed.
Our cool summer days will be just a memory soon, as they are predicting 90 degree weather next week. This will be great for the tomatoes and other veggies in our containers. It will also make the grass grow faster and we will have to mow more often for a while. It seems like everything is a trade-off!
In about three weeks our household will undergo a change. Most of you know that we had to say goodbye to our beloved Scottie , Miss Molly, two months ago. Since then our house has been way too quiet. In about three weeks my daughter is bringing us her two Scottie girls, Dottie and Olive, who will be staying with us for a few months. I've never had two Scotties at the same time and this will possibly be an adventure for all of us At the very least, it will be fun!! More on this later.
I'm easing into my Friday and would like to wish each of you a great weekend filled with Peace & Plenty. Barb
It's been a stormy weekend so far. My prayers go out to the victims of the latest round of tornadoes in Oklahoma and Arkansas. We had violent storms all night, but we fared well and had little damage. This type of weather is supposed to continue for another week at lease.
Hubby and I worked at our old house today and painted ceilings in the dining and living rooms. Talk about a task that no fun at all, but with such a nice end result. It's amazing how dingy a white ceiling can get from gas heat. We will continue with the face lift as time presents itself.
Every year on the first weekend of June our town hosts a professional rodeo for three nights. The weather has played tricks on the rodeo this year, but the rodeo parade took place this morning down Main Street. Normally rodeo weather is very hot and humid...not so this year with our chilly evening temperatures.
Boneless loin pork chops are on our menu this evening. Hubby worked so hard today I will surprise him with a skillet of fried potatoes with onions. He says these make his tongue want to slap his brains out. Now there's a mental picture for you!!
We have an unusually large number of box turtles in our yard right now. One was taking a lovely sunbath on our front walkway when we got home. He hurried under a bush when he saw me coming. Box turtles have a rather tall shell...hence their name. I have always loved large sea turtles.
I have a little time to sit and sew before making our dinner. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Wishing you Peace & Plenty.....Barb
