Too much time and too little to do!!!

Check that, and reverse it, of course!!! :-)

Bleeding Heart in my shade garden

Well, finally!  We have had a few days of gardening weather and therefore that is how I have been spending my time!!  I am thrilled to have flowers greeting me when I visit the gardens now.  With the flowers, I am also happily enjoying some of my favorite summer birds.  The other day I heard the Oriole singing out back so I rushed to put out some jelly for him.  I had to improvise an orange flower. I guess it was pretty good because not ten minutes after I hung it out there- he came to have a taste!!



I have been focusing my energies on my big perennial bed this weekend.  It has been far too wet up until now to even set foot out there.  It is still too wet for much other than basic weeding and cleaning up.  I have made some interesting discoveries, though!

I love moss.  This one is VERY soft!

 

 

 

 

 

A type of Euphorbia I think.  I never knew it was blossoming at this time of year!!!

I am thrilled to death that for the first time in several years- maybe since we planted it!- the frost has not killed the Magnolia blooms!

In the sewing room, I am stuck on the layout for my patchwork jacket.  I am teaching this as a class very soon and fear I will not be able to show the students the next step, as I will not yet be there myself!

The jacket is designed around this lovely mola I got from Priscilla Kibbee

 This is the back of the jacket, which I think I am satisfied with.  The fronts are what have given me trouble.  At present they are nothing but a pile of patchwork in a random heap ( in other words, I got frustrated and threw them on the floor)

It's always nice to have a friend give you a second opinion when doing this type of work!

 

 

I am grateful for:
New challenges at work, and nice people to help me with them!
Fabulous weather!
Hotdogs on the grill ( burnt!) and macaroni salad.
The waiting is almost over!
Being able to listen to the birds sing!

Time for a rant

You've been warned.











I went to a meeting yesterday, where there were somewhere between 50- 75 people. Refreshments were served. The usual stuff, coffee, tea and of course bottled water. I always bring a mug to this type of meeting, since I drink tea, but will NOT use a disposable cup. ( I don't have a dishwasher, but am still willing to do an extra dish when I get home) I was the only one there who thought to bring my own! How hard is it to carry a coffee cup in a quilted bag??? There were cases and cases of bottled water consumed, as was evident by the number in the TRASH at the end of the meeting. Again, I ask- how hard is it to carry ONE empty water bottle home to place in your recycle bin??? My other question is to the organizers of the luncheon. New York now has a 5 cent deposit on water bottles. Did these people not want to collect that deposit? All they had to do was place a box near the trash can for the bottles!!!!
It's a simple concept. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!!! The "throw it away" mindset in this country has GOT to be replaced with the most basic principles of thinking of the future of this world!!!! Carrying a coffee cup, or one water bottle home is a very easy first step. Please think about it next time you're out.









There are definitely signs of Autumn's imminent arrival here in western NY. My favorite early harbinger is the bright red of the Sugar Maples. The one at the top of this post is on a curve on my way to work- right where you can't miss it!
I have had very little sewing time this week, but it was just enough to finish up a couple of projects.

I made another patchwork Tote- using Scrap Therapy squares and coordinating fabrics- as a gift for a friend. ( I hope she gets it before she reads this. :-)
I'm still working on the pattern so I don't have to bind the points. I'm thinking this may be my last attempt. I just don't like the points at all- no matter what I do.










I also finished this little wall quilt. It was adapted from a pattern by MH designs. A former girlfriend of my son's saw mine made from the pattern and wanted one for her daughter. No way was I going to be able to do it in the time allotted, so I adapted it for machine applique. Then, just as I was getting close to finishing, they broke up. I suppose I could still have given it to her, but... well, you know. So it sat in the pile of UFO's until last weekend, when it took me all of three hours to finish! I am donating it to the Guild's quilt show silent auction.


Linda mentioned how confusing the sock sounds from last week. I'll take pictures as I make the second one and hopefully that will explain the process better. Stay tuned. Maybe that will be my Sunday project during football. (Oh, wait! I have a quilt to finish for the show!!!)

I am grateful for:
The rain held off until today, not yesterday when I drove over 300 miles.
Guy got a job!! (which was also Luke's good news last week)
I got to see the "Eureka" finale after all!
Fall colors.
Soup weather.

Getting back to "normal"

First, I have to clarify- there is no such thing as normal in life. I am like one of those donkeys from the old days- walking a circle day in and day out at the mill, then they set me in the pasture and I still walk in a circle. I'm comfortable doing it, so why change? In other words, I'm happy in a rut. This year, I haven't had a chance to create one. Doesn't look like I'm going to, either. (sigh)





The quilt pictured here was made using this picture Kathi took at my birthday party last month. MaryLee took the picture and turned it into this quilt as a birthday gift! She made one for herself, too- but I had to choose which one to keep!!They are titled BFF


So- I made it back to Guild last week, where we had a fabulous trunk show by Ina Randall, of Amherst (I think?). She has been quilting for a shorter time than I have, but she has truly found her niche! here are a couple of my favorites from her collection.
I did a "convergence" quilt, but didn't recognize this as the same pattern! The other one was made from a pillow from India!














I actually got to sew this week. I'm working on samples for the "Triple Dip" class coming up in a couple of weeks at mt Pleasant. I'm having fun playing with color placement so the students can see their quilt doesn't have to look like mine!



















I've also been knitting some leaves, since I finished the second pair of socks from my vacation. They will go on a little linen jacket I have that needs something. I'm getting better at them, but it still took me two evenings to get the aspen leaf done! They need to be blocked so the maple leaves will uncurl, although that makes the look a bit more real, doesn't it?






Ok, time for a test. WHAT IS THIS????? Seriously- what do you see? I made this pincushion for a swap- using a picture I saw and adapted for my felted wool sweaters. It didn't come out as planned, so I'll be re-purposing this wool. But I thought I'd show it and see what you think it is?
(hint- It's something you see a lot of in a sewing room)





I am grateful for:
Some MUCH cooler weather!
Football (even if it's only the Bills)
My hip has ached less the last week or so
People who "get it."
Me time.

Blooming

Coming up with the title has me stymied this time. There really isn't a topic. But since I'm posting pictures of flowers- and things that look like flowers....

The high point of last weekend was the sew along we had at Mt Pleasant. Kathi posted a picture of us getting silly on her blog. I got the rest of my hexagons put together and started to play with them on the design wall. This is what they look like at the moment. I need to rearrange a bit so I can add another row- and get more green in the one corner. The design part of One Block Wonders is the most fun- and most frustrating- part. I always think I can make it a little bit better.



In the garden, I was able to get a nice picture of the baby birds! Remember that single egg? Well, there ended up being four of them, and the babies hatched Monday or Tuesday. They will be "Chipping Sparrows" when they grow up. The nest is maybe 3 1/2 inches across. I still want to know how those birds were in those tiny little eggs!






Out front, the California Poppies have started to blossom. They self-seed- almost to the point of being invasive. But they are so pretty I can't bear to pull them up. A couple of years ago, a momma bunny set up housekeeping among them. Imagine my surprise when weeding and something moved under my hand! Would you have guessed it was bunnies?? me, neither.






The last bloom I will share this week is the nearly completed quilt the members of the small art quilt group has been working on. The flower is called a "convolvulous", and I grow them in my gardens. The petals are finally all made and are ready to be attached to the background quilt. It seems a shame to cover up Elaine's beautiful quilting!






I am grateful for:
Friends to play with who at least seem to tolerate me acting childish at times.
Occasional uninterrupted periods of sewing time.
Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter sauce on it.
Cold beer
The sun sparkling through the leaves when I lay on the hammock

A very good week!

What a nice surprise it was last week to go to the mailbox and find a package of blocks from that floral swap. Remember I made blocks for a friend? Well, apparently I was not the only one who wanted to make sure she got her blocks, so there ended up being extras. The swap hostess sent me a set of them. Aren't they lovely? Thanks, ladies!

The men went on their annual fishing trip last weekend, so I had four days to myself. You'd think I'd have gotten a ton of quilting done, right? Not so. I spent much of that time in the gardens. The little flower seedlings I grew inside have been growing like mad since I put them outside and the tiny bit of soil in those starter pots doesn't hold much water. So they need to be in the ground- or larger pots! I have been planting furiously. I had more plants than spaces, so I am squeezing them in everywhere. It should be a grand display when they grow up a bit more. I don't have before pictures, but you can bet you'll see the "after"!

Here are a couple of my favorite perennials, though.
The Dianthus keep coming back year after year, both old plants and new babies. They have always been a favorite of mine. I used to grow carnations when I was a kid! These are in my shade garden. This is also where the clematis is with the bird's nest. She has four eggs now and I expect babies any day.













The Lupines are what make this my favorite time in the big bed out back. They are just glorious. I like to sit on my little garden stool near them and watch the bumblebees collecting the pollen!

When it gets too hot- or my back starts to ache- I get cleaned up and head to the sewing room. This weekend I was working an a gift for a swap. I made another patchwork tote (did I post a picture of the one I made in February?). I'm getting better at getting the colors where I want them, but the seams still do not line up very well. Hopefully the interesting quilting I did will disguise that. :-)




I also managed to get a table topper made for the table on the screen porch. I used the last of this piece of fabric, so I couldn't center the flowers. Nice how even by accident there's one so near the center!










I am grateful for:
Time alone once in a while, and then
having family around me when they return
Time with nice ladies in my class last weekend!
Shady spots on hot days
Hot dogs on the grill

Have- to-do's

I have two lists tacked up on the wall in my "studio". (it's also the guest room) One of them is projects I have seen and have decided I would love to make. That list is titled "for me". The other list has the projects I am more or less obligated to do. Things like the Scrap Therapy samples for the quilt shop, a baby quilt for my niece who is due in two weeks, and even some of the projects I started for fun, which have now become odious chores.
This week is filled with obligations, and next week isn't going to be much better. Warning: Be careful of volunteering lest they change the rules on you midstream. (just ask Elaine!) For the next two days I'll be doing demos at the quilt shop during the winter thaw sale. Ironically, the thaw ended Monday and today is rather blizzard-like. Monday we are setting up the display of Challenge quilts at the library, then Wednesday is the judging. So Superbowl Sunday might just be my next free day. (I'll be wearing black and gold)

So, when I finished the "In the Pocket" bag- made with the fabric I stenciled a couple of weeks ago- I decided to reward myself by allowing myself to play a bit. I took the piece I started in the class with Jane Sassaman last spring off the design wall and have been working on that. Another couple good days and I'll have it finished! So hopefully a photo soon. It was a pure delight being able to work on a project purely for the joy of doing it for a change. When I am stuck, I refer to Jane's book for inspiration. For me WWJD means something else entirely!



I did enjoy working with my beads last week as well- in spite of the fact that I dumped some of them and will be cleaning them out of the nooks and crannies for the next six months! The pin I always wear on my hat broke, so I had to make a new one. While I was at it, I made a couple of extras. Never make one of something, you know.



I am grateful for:
The gift of time when I can find it
A job, even is getting here this week hasn't been easy
The silly emails my friends share with me
A good night's sleep