3.31.16

The first wild violet of spring!
I planted a few sweet onions, and found a Hollyhock plant at the local grocery store, as well as a basil plant. Along with the rosemary, wild chives and garlic, I almost have a kitchen garden. 

Rainyside.com picture

I'm considering making a salad ball to hang on the porch. Here is one I saw on Pinterest. If you are interested, you can go HERE for instructions.

Splendid Sampler block #14 is designed by Janet Clare. It is called Flying High. Here is my version.

I wanted mine to look like November and still use my scrappy Civil War palette. I did not do fusible as suggested, but I did a version of freezer paper appliqué. 

I'm enjoying lots of appliqué lately. I used Floriani to do these teapots for the last of my seven Quilts of Comfort Blocks. 

Now, I'm back to elephants and back-basting.

3.9.16

TEA TIME TUESDAY

This was fun to design, but
took time. Needle turned

Ooops, missed Monday Mantra because I was so busy doing things that brought me pleasure. I sewed and sewed this weekend and yesterday I finished up two more blocks to donate to my guild's Quilts of Comfort. 

Carol Doak's free Foundation
Pieced pattern, "SIMPLE HEART",
 found HERE

I hope they don't think this second one is to "Valentines-y). I used lots of pink. In fact, I am out of pink thread! I "borrowed" some from QuiltyFriend, but that was dark, WOMAN pink. I need some of that namby-pamby stuff. Off to the quilting store!

3.27.16

Today is a little damp, but if it warms up, I will use the damp to help wash off my porch. A wrap-around porch gets every speck of pollen offered up by Mother Nature.

Time to catch up my sewing progress. Here is some of what I have been doing.

Temecula Circa 2016,  the block for March 25 which used leftovers I did not have, but made so I would be ready.











Here are this weeks Splendid Sampler blocks.

Block #13 is called Checkerboard, designed by Pat Sloan. I forgot to adjust my needle to the right, so mine measures 6", instead of 6.5". I like it anyway and I will figure out how to make it work.

Here is Block # 14, Scrap Stars, designed by Corey Yoder. This was challenging because of decisions I made along the way. I should have thought the block backwards and saved a lot of waste cutting. I could have used Audrey's methods for a lot of this. Better trimming would have cut down on the distortion. I wish designers would stop along the way and tell us to square up the components to whatever size. This designer did, but not until just before the last step. 

I do really like my color choices, though. You can't tell, but the outer edge is green. The red in the weave makes the camera see it differently.

I have also been working with pink and white fabrics. One of my guilds expressed a need for pink and white blocks to make into Quilts of Comfort. This guild presents these quilts to members who have breast cancer. They just gave out the last one they had assembled and called for more blocks. I counted up and found there are 6 women in my mother's family, and added to that, one in my husband's family that have had breast cancer. I plan to make a block to donate honoring each one. I will put a butterfly on each one, because the butterfly is the symbol of hope.

Here is what I have so far.

The two teapots are for Great-Grandmothers. 

I saw a block like this on Pinterest, so I drafted out my own version. Normally, with work like this, I would have all kinds of beads and buttons and such, but I think these will be given to a long-arm quilter and those things get in the way.

Now I am working on blocks for the next generation down. There are two in that generation, two in the next, and then one, so I have four more to make. 

I really "re-invented the wheel" on this one, I had the idea but couldn't get the math to work out. I spent a lot of time with paper and pencil when I could easily have bought someone else's pattern. But, there is a tremendous amount of satisfaction in envisioning, engineering, and completing. I need another for this generation but it is NOT going to be like this one!

3.25.16

Lily chased a deer who dropped this, after using my front garden as a produce cart. 

I applied the last of the deer repellant, then hopped in the car to buy some Irish Spring soap. QuiltyFriend says to place shavings of the soap where I don't want deer.

3.23.16

It seems like I have to relearn everything about Zone 6-7 climate every winter, so before I put away my last long-sleeved shirts, I thought I should make a list.

Just for YOU, Mom and Dad.
Found the picture HERE.

1. Have enough pet food and toilet paper on hand for an extra two weeks. 
2. ALWAYS keep a travel pack of tissues and a spare lip balm in EVERY jacket
3. Undershirts are a good idea and keep the cold from creeping down your neck to your knees--tuck them in.
4. Wearing a scarf indoors makes the whole body warmer.
5. Fingerless gloves and mitts are great for most types of handwork.

THIS LINK takes you to Liferoots
where I found the image on an herbal
tea maker's site

6.  Hot tea is good all day, but herbal will let you sleep at night.
7. Two nightgowns and a bathrobe are just fine; you are unlikely to be invited to a fashion event without enough time to change beforehand
8. Socks, but also slippers, which will keep your feet happy. Non-slip treads.
9. Lotion. As a Florida girl, I totally underestimated the value of lotion. I probably only used lotions a couple of times a year before I moved here. In the winter, lotion--LOTS of it--are needed every time any skin is exposed to water. ANY skin. No wants to sit next to someone who is scratching and flaking all over the place.

10. Hot sauce on appropriate foods is a great idea.
11. If you buy "all weather" porch furniture from Maine, you never have to bring it in out of the snow.
12. Don't turn on the wipers unless the windshield is clear of ice and they have been unstuck from the glass.
13. Not the best time to reward yourself with ice cream or gelato--you will not enjoy it as much as you will when it is 90 degrees + outside. 

3.22.16

TEA TIME TUESDAY

If you only knew how much I want to plant pansies, violas, johnny-jump-ups, violets, and oxalis. 

There was frost on the roof today, and at 28 degrees, when I took the dog out, my windshield wipers were frozen to the glass. 

Also, I know annuals are not a good investment. They just aren't.

This year, when my local hardware store has their class on container gardening, I AM GOING. Because pansies AND hyacinths feed my soul.

Other gardening plans include increasing my lavender patch, studying which types of lavender are edible and good in tea, checking into some other edible tea ingredients I can grow myself.

Now, off to check the temperature to see if I can uncover my hydrangeas and tulips and plant my garlic.

3.21.16.2

Feeding my soul with some sewing and embroidery. I am up to date with Temecula Quilt Company mystery quilt, called Circa 2016.

I followed the directions, all the while wondering if there was some error. You see, there were supposed to be some leftover half-square triangles, and I had none. 




So, the next day, I made some "left overs"











I lost a day last week. I was probably working on this when it happened. This is Block 10, Happiness in Stitches, designed by Alyssa Thomas of Penguin & Fish for Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson's Splendid Sampler.

3.21.17

Monday Mantra
Spend time doing things  you enjoy.

There are so many things we MUST do, it is good to take time to do things that make ourselves happy.

This morning I was greeted with air perfumed by the hyacinth.

It snowed again last night, so I cut my bloomed daffodils to bring inside, then went back and got the purple hyacinth. I kept thinking of the quote:

“If thou of fortune be bereft, 

and in thy store there be but left

two loaves, sell one, and with the

dole, buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.”

Now, you would think I could place that quote, since I have a degree in English Literature, but I cannot. So, I looked it up and found that several attributions have been made

1. John Greenleaf Whittier

2. Elbert Green Hubbard

3. Muslihuddin Sade (a 14th centure Persian poet)

4. The Quran

Whoever you THINK wrote it, isn't it a good thought for the day? Do go enjoy something pleasurable, if only for a few minutes. It will do you good and help pass the time you must spend doing those tasks that do not bring joy.

3.20.17

Spring is once again trying to happen. We are expecting sleet, snow, and freezing temperatures over the next few days. This always happens one more time--usually on Easter--so we are a week early this year. 

Yellow/yellow daffodil

Yellow/white and ruffled

Another view of
yellow/white and ruffled

Lovely pink hyacinth

I will cover my hydrangeas and wonderful tulips which have just come up. QuiltyCousin planted them for me, and CrewelCousin planted some crocuses. Wisely, the crocuses have not ventured forth, although I think they are the one spring flower that can thrive with an inch or so of snow.

3.17.16

Jane Davidson and Pat Sloan's Splendid Sampler, block 10, is called Iowa, designed by Sherri McConnell, of A Quilting Life.  Here is my version.

3.14.16

MONDAY MANTRA

Here's to GETTING WET!!! (That's you, QuiltyFriend)

3.13.16

Company is gone--I have sewn as much as I could.

Here is Splendid Sampler Block 9, Local Quilt Shop, designed by Jane Davidson.

Here are the next two for Temecula Quilt Company, called Windmill.

3.10.16

Splendid Sampler Block #8 is Friends Around the Square, designed by Julie Karasek of Patched Works. Thanks to RK for some help deciding which way to turn the inner blocks.

3.9.16

The first blossom in my yard! Touched with frost, a wild strawberry plant promises spring.

3.8.16.2

More of the Splendid Sampler. Here are my first seven blocks. I can see I may be doing some juggling to get them to sew together and look balanced. I will give some thought to making the next few blocks darker, rather than lighter.

This was originally part of the previous post, but I am having a great deal of trouble uploading this picture to the Splendid Sampler Challenge page. Usually, it just loads from my blog. It is not cooperating today. When I try to upload from my computer, the file is too big. When I email it to myself, the file is still too big. I will try compressing it, but that did not work last time.

3.8.16

TUESDAY TEA TIME
In honor of FR's hike

3.7.16

MONDAY MANTRA
From my cousin FR's blog on his A.T. Hike.

3.6.16

Snug as a Bug, Block  7,  from Pat Sloan's Splendid Sampler, designed by Amy Sinibaldi of Nana Company. 

My version was reduced to 70% , set on point, and tucks those tiny cold toes into the quilt. I wanted to use particular scraps and I had very few colors of embroidery floss available, so it all had to work out somehow.

3.5.16

Temecula Circa 2016 Blocks--I guess the T is for Temecula!

3.4.16

Today is a big day. I have cousins visiting, preparing to take the first step north this morning on the Appalachian Trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia, toward Mt. Katahdin, Maine. RK will be the Trail Angel, following FR's progress and meeting up with the camper in tow every so many days to replenish supplies and such.  The links will take you to their separate blogs. His shows how he made his gear himself, hers shows the camper. Check back with them to follow their progress.

It isn't quite spring here, but the weather is so much better than what they expect this time of year in Maine, I think they are not that disappointed. There is still snow on my roof. Look closely, you can see it! 

FR was going to have an afternoon hike today to get the backpack situated and strapped comfortably, but the weather did not cooperate. The weather outlook was for rain, but we are having snow instead.
March fourth, MARCH FORTH, FR! Happy traveling to you!

3.3.16

Block 6 of Splendid Sampler is designed by Natalia Bonner and it is called Focal Point. Here is my version.

3.2.16

My Medallion, in scrap batiks

Tomorrow, a new block for Splendid Sampler comes out. I can't believe I am keeping up with it as WELL as keeping up with the Mystery Medallion Quilt, Circa 2016, by the Temecula Quilt Company. 

QF's Medallion, in scrap Civil War

QuiltyFriend is doing both, along with Quilty's and my OtherQuiltyFriend. The three of us do lots of quilty things together.

3.1.16

Tea Time Tuesday
Oh, dear. I have NOT kept up with my yoga or treadmill last week. I have been so BUSY! I'll bet there is a tea for that...