DESIGN WALL MONDAY

Nothing on my wall, except orphan blocks.  I finished all the "B" blocks yesterday, and stitched part of the first rows together before DH returned home and needed my assistance.



We are having our second day of rain this week - more than we need!  Lake Ontario is overflowing its banks, docks are under water, picnic tables are floating!  A friend went out in a boat and sailed down the St. Lawrence river a ways, taking pictures of all their normal docking places - almost all closed and underwater!  I wish we could share our abundance of water to places that are in serious drought!

My garden is green, and the irises are blooming, but they don't like the steady rain any more that I do....

The good thing about a rainy day is that it is good for quilting time.

Check out what others are working on at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

STASH REPORT

Fabric used this week 1 yard

Fabric used year to date  72.375 yards

Fabric added this week 0 yards

Fabric added year to date  51 yards

Net used 2017  21.375 yards

I decided to keep reporting my used fabric, even though Judy has stopped hosting the weekly stash report.  I enjoy seeing how I'm doing, and keeping track of finished projects.

My "used fabric" this week was making bindings for 3 of the 4 quilts I've been machine quilting for my guild's community quilts group.  The quilts will be donated to various places in our community.

I just received news that our Godson's eldest sister will be married on September 2.  She is a lovely young woman who we've watched grow up.  Now I have to get myself in gear and decide what type of quilt to make, and get busy!

DH and I went to the garden centre yesterday, and picked up some red and white geraniums for our front planters, especially to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday this year!  We also picked up two cherry tomato plants and a  variety of herbs to grow on our patio.  We've given up planting in our small garden, as the bunnies and babies, along with the chipmunk and squirrel families eat the seedlings as fast as they break through the soil, and even dig up and eat the seeds.  We live in a garden home community, and people insist on feeding all the wildlife, so we are becoming overrun!

We skyped with our son, daughter-in-law and grandson this morning.  Our little one has become reluctant to go to bed lately, and hides.  They've been using the Paw Patrol pajamas that I made, to lure him out, and get him ready for sleep!  Now I'm going to have to look for more PJ fabric.....

 

 

BACK AT IT!

I worked diligently, getting all most of my quilting gear unpacked, but then my sewing machine was calling!  I had a collection of oriental print 2 1/2 inch strips, so I started sewing them together.  When I finished I had an odd sized block of fabric, so I pondered what to do with it.




  While looking for Oriental prints, I came across an unused section of strips, pinned and leftover from a kaleidoscope quilt that I made several years ago.  I cut the 4 repeats into small squares, and made 4-patch units, then added triangles made from a cream/metallic gold print, to make them stand "on point". 
 I needed to make the unit longer, so I cut some green strips to stretch the pieces to fit the two short ends. I also used the cream print for border strips.

Finally I used the remainder of the main print to make borders for the quilt top.  I usually plan things before starting, but this seemed to evolve as I stitched.  I think it takes less time to plan before cutting, but this was an interesting experiment.
Now I just have to find some backing fabric.
After lunch, DH and I did some clean-up in our small front and back garden areas of our townhouse.  We put all the leaves into our "green bin" to be collected tomorrow morning.  Our community does lots of recycling, so we usually only fill a green bag with garbage once a month.  The "green bin" takes all the kitchen scraps, including bones and fat, along with paper towels, tissues, and small amounts of garden clippings. 

 I've always had a compost bin at every house we've lived in, but I can't have one here, so this allows me to recycle, knowing that it will be made into good compost.   My irises and day- lilies are sending out new growth, along with many of the perennials.  My chives are full, and even a parsley plant survived the winter.  Some areas are slower to grow, especially in the front as the area near the door gets very little sunshine this time of year.  We took out a large shrub in the front last fall, so I have to decided what to plant in its place.  It had grown too large, so DH dug it up and transplanted it at a neighbour's home, and we hope it survived its upheaval.
I'll be attending my guild's executive meeting on Wednesday evening, and our community quilts coordinator is planning to bring me some pin-basted quilts to stitch.  It will be great to see everyone, after being away for quite a while.

STASH REPORT SUNDAY WEEK 21

Fabric used this week  0 yards

Fabric used year to date  89.875 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  62.75 yards

Net used 2015  27.125 yards

DH and I had two photography sessions this week, and we have hit the half-way mark of the quilts entered in the show in June.  Our final session is Wednesday evening, and I'm hoping we'll be overwhelmed with quilts!  Quilters are just like everyone - leaving things to the last minute!  There are also quilts out at other shows, so they won't be available until set-up day.

I hope to have some fabric usage to report next week, as I have to make fabric bags for all my quilts, along with a label for each.  I was hoping to begin my next hand-work project, an applique one, but haven't found the time yet.  I also have 2 more quilts to machine quilt for my guild - the remainder of the BOM blocks from a few months ago, (disappearing 9-patches with novelty fabric squares).

I still have to collect my consignment items for the boutique.  The guild earns a 20% commission on all items sold, although the majority of the items are donated.  There are also quite a few quilts in the show that are for sale.  The purchasers have to wait until Sunday evening to pick up the show quilts.

 

Then there is our neglected garden - small, but still needs work.  We haven't picked out any plants yet, although DH has planted pole beans to cover the arbor.  I have a few irises blooming, with more to come, the lily-of-the-valley by the front door is lovely, and the day lilies and clematis are growing quickly too.  We had frost on Friday night - quite a shock after having some warm, humid days, so I guess waiting until May 24 to plant is still wise!

Check out Judy's blog, Patchwork Times, to see how other quilters are progressing during gardening season!

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Fabric used this week  3.375 yards

Fabric used year to date  86.5 yards

Fabric added this week  0 yards

Fabric added year to date  62.75 yards

Net used 2015  23.75 yards

I'm a bit late with my report - I was snuggling my new grandson for the past 4 days!

This week I completed one NICU quilt and 2 snap bags.  Now I have to get busy and add the hanging sleeves on all my entries for the upcoming Quilts Kingston 2015 show in June.  I also have to make cloth bags for transport and storage, along with labels on everything......

Our weekend visiting DS2 and his lovely family was fun.  I enjoyed getting acquainted with our 3 month old grandson, D.  On Monday, I stayed home and his Mom and Dad went with DH to run some final errands.  This is the first time my DDIL has been out without D since his birth!

We helped with some gardening and DH installed cabinets in their garage, and moved shelving to better locations for their use.  They also built 2 raised beds for veggie gardening.  Apparently, rabbits are populous in their area, so their new beds are 2 feet high x 4x6 feet in size.  (I'll remember to get pics next visit).  Now they have the fun of filling them.  There are 2 compost bins in their yard, so all of the contents will be placed in the bottom of the bins, then covered with layers of topsoil, peat moss, manure, etc. to make a good gardening mix.  DS2 will be working for a while on that task! 

 The last frost date in our area isn't until May 24th, so we hope to make another trip before then to help with more gardening.  There were little green sprouts showing in most of the flower beds, so it will be interesting to see what is already there.....  I have lots of iris and daylilys that need to be divided, so I'm sure we'll find some places to share them.  They are planning to start small, so if they only get one garden bed completed in time to plant, they can work on the second for next year.

Check out all the shared reports at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

 

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

I have an empty design wall today!  Too much machine quilting!

I'm still working on my friend's quilt, just trying to decide what to stitch in two areas of the quilt - the final outside border, and some neutral large rectangles used as spacers between the blocks.  I'm sure something will come to me....  She doesn't want it too heavily quilted, so I'm being careful not to "over quilt".  I'm glad that I don't quilt for others, and that this is a special task for a good friend.

We finally managed to plant some of our garden - 4 tomato plants, some herbs and two large flowering planters at our front entrance.  Between the cold weather and rain, it has been hard to find time to plant.  My irises are just beginning to bloom!  Now I have to hunt for a few annuals to fill in some areas in my tiny garden.

Check out the design walls at Judy' blog, Patchwork Times.

HEXAGON FRIDAY

This is my progress as of this morning.  The good news is that the units are getting attached quickly - the bad news is that I mis-read the pattern, and made 26 units instead of 16!  I un-stitched the light blue hexies, and have used them as fillers while adding the current two rows.  I will also partly un-stitch the remaining centres and use them to make small "flower" units required for the next two rows.  The next rows switch to another background fabric as well!

This morning my first daylily opened!  I live this peach flower with the rose ring and yellow centre and rippled edges!

As you can see, it is only one of MANY to come!



 
My two sons and one daughter-in-law are visiting this weekend - they took Thursday afternoon and Friday off work, and are enjoying the Buskers Festival that is in Kingston this weekend.

HEXAGON FRIDAY REPORT

I've been making steady progress on my project, stitching in the evenings while watching TV with DH.

 Two more stars to add to finish the 3rd row.  I'm working from the centre outwards toward the top and bottom.  The next two rows are the same as the first - 6 petal flowers - 16 per row.

We had a lovely drive north to deliver the quilt to my sister-in-law and had a wonderful lunch and visit.  She also does decorative painting, so I had to visit her studio to see all the projects that she had finished over the winter.

Tonight we're visiting with friends - DH plays guitar with his friend, and they are practicing to play at a senior's residence next week.  They both enjoy playing and singing, and thought they could volunteer to bring some live music for an evening's entertainment.  I'm taking along some hexies to baste while I visit!

I'm also trying to get my guild BOM version 2 quilted.  I had a problem coming up with an idea for one area, but the light bulb lit this morning, so I'm off and running,

DH and I picked up some tomato plants and herbs, along with a few annuals to tuck in between the perennials in our tiny garden area.  Hopefully we'll get everything planted in the next day or two.   

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week  6.5 yards

Used year to date  140.125 yards

Add this week 0 yards

Added year to date   108.875 yards

Net used 2012  31.25 yards

I just finished the binding on my Redwork Fairy Tales quilt, while watching the equestrian jumping in London!  Now I'm trying to decide which project to start next!!!

I added a folded strip between the final border and the binding, as I was using the same fabric for each and though it needed a little accent.

The blocks, featuring dogs as the stars in the fairy tales, are from the Bobby Socks Quilt Co., and were a BOM in 2010, I believe.

Hurray!!! We're getting some rain!!!!  Probably just a shower, but we can use every drop we get.  We've  been trying to plan a short trip, but haven't been able to leave the garden for more than overnight, as it is so dry.  My plants are growing, but slowly.  I'm not looking forward to the next water bill!

Check out everyone's stash progress at Judy's blog here.

GARDEN BEAUTIES

My daylilies are in full bloom, with many more buds to open!

LATE SPRING FLOWERS

 We are still celebrating spring in southern Ontario, although we've had some very hot and humid days.


Most of my irises are of the purple, blue variety, but this rust one is my favourite.  While the others spread fairly quickly, this one is slow growing, but the few flowers are well worth the wait.

I planted a clematis vine to grow on a trellis so that it would hide our air conditioner unit.  The original vine has flowers mostly near the bottom - doubles that will eventually look like a powder puff.
Since this plant was very slow growing, I planted a second clematis of the same colour, but only large single flowers.
Now it has become a wonderful spring show in the garden.  I think it will get a serious pruning in the fall...

Since we live in a townhouse, I only have a small garden in the front and back, but try to cram in as much colour as possible.  I have lots of perennials, but also add some annuals for extra colour.
The bonus of having a small garden is the time it takes to care for it, although keeping the soil moist is a challenge.  Our community is automatically on water restrictions from June until September.  During the past week, all the large lawn areas in the complex changed from lush green to brownish yellow.  Since there is a ban on weed killer, the dandelions have taken over in force!

STASH REPORT SUNDAY

Used this week 0 yards

Used year to date  89.675 yards

Added this week  0 yards

Added year to date  108.875 yards

Net used 2012    -19.25 yards

I don't know where the week went.  I finished the top on the X-block quilt, as well as preparing the binding.  Now I have to find some backing fabric to go with the top.
I've also been working on the borders of the blue half-log cabin, working on the pieced border first, and trying to use some of my scraps.

The rest of the time has been spent chasing the destructive squirrels from my garden.  They have been digging up the plants as fast as I can plant them.  They even dig up the plants in pots on the patio (say that 3 times fast!)

Check out everyone's progress at Judy's blog, Patchwork Times.

STASH REPORT

Used this week 0 yards

Used year to date  89.675 yards

Added this week  0 yards

Added year to date  108.875 yards

Net used 2012    -19.25 yards

I've kept busy adding labels and hanging sleeves to my 6 entries for the Quilts Kingston 2012 show, June 8, 9 & 10.  I had removed the sleeves from all the bed quilts after the last show, so I just had to cut them to length, hem the ends and hand stitch them to the tops of my quilts.
I also had to make labels for my cloth bags, required by the show, for each quilt.  Since I sell a couple of the show quilts each year, my collection of bags has been shrinking.  I'll have to make new ones for the next show!

DH and I have also been visiting all the plant nurseries in the area, as this is our "safe from frost" weekend to get all the tender plants in the ground and/or pots.  I have 2 tomato plants in the garden, and 2 grape tomato plants in pots.  I use most of the pots for herbs, especially basil, rosemary and parsley.  We are not supposed to plant veggies in our small area of the condo, but I sneak them in among the flowers!

Hope everyone had a fun and successful week reducing their stash.  Check it out at Judy's blog - Patchwork Times

Quilt Show plus......

DH and I attended the NQA show in Columbus OH Thursday.  As always, we visit all the quilts first, and there were lots of them!  They had a special exhibit of tree quilts that were varied and wonderful.  Best in Show was awarded to the same quilt that won at Paducah - apparently she turned down the $20,000 prize so she could keep the quilt!  We had a quick snack then visited the vendors.  My tote bag was getting heavy by the end of our visit, and the last booth we visited was one selling packages containing 5 x 1 yard pieces of coordinating fabric.  I spotted a sale basket, and scored a 5 yd bundle for $10, and an odd assortment of leftover yardage that held 10 yds for $30.  I wish I had visited earlier when there was more variety, but then I would have had to carry it around.  Between the show and various quilt shops that we have visited this week, I have quite a selection of fabric to add to the stash!

Today we visited the topiary garden in the the School for the Deaf park in downtown Columbus.  They have recreated the famous painting, Sunday afternoon in the Park with George" in topiary.  They have some resident ducks and koi in the pond, as well as an albino squirrel currently living in the park.

From there we headed to the Ohio Craft Museum.  There was a wonderful display of art, including a few quilts, with lovely items in the gift shop.
 
By this time we headed out of town to visit the Longaberger Homestead in Frazeysburg OH (about an hour east).  The site is beautiful, and we enjoyed the factory tour.  I don't collect Longaberer, but have a good friend who does, so I sent her a couple of pictures.
We'll be heading home early tomorrow morning.  I'm looking forward to some home cooking again!  My fingers are itching to get some quilting done as well!

And More.......

It rained overnight, but today was a lovely sunny day for driving.  We left Elkhart IN this morning, and meandered our way to Columbus OH, stopping at a few quilt shops along the way.  A few fat quarters hitched a ride....
Tomorrow we are off to the NQA show in downtown Columbus!

The quilt gardens were quite interesting, and will be beautiful when they are in full bloom.  The last picture was taken in the garden in Elkhart.  The Rotary Club has sponsored a garden make-over in the well field in the city.  There are 13 wells and many ponds that provide all the drinking water.  The gardens are still under construction on the north side, so there was a piece of heavy equipment at the top of the quilt garden.  There were a large group of volunteers planting annuals when we were visiting the gardens.

Each sign lists the plants used in the garden as well!

More Quilt Gardens

We had a lovely day touring the heritage trail from Elkhart through Middlebury, Shipshewana, Goshen, Nappannee etc.  Hunted the quilt gardens - found almost all of them.  Some are planted on a slope, but many were almost flat, so difficult to photograph. DH often held the camera over his head to take the picture.  A few places provided a viewing platform as well!  
We also visited Bonneville mill, which is usually closed on Tuesday, but a church group was having a special tour, so we joined in.  I bought some corn meal, whole wheat flour and some buckwheat flour, all freshly ground!  Stopped at a couple of quilt shops and a few more yards followed me home!

Design Wall Monday

Nothing on mine 'cause I'm still on the road!
My family reunion was wonderful on Sunday afternoon.  We had about 75 attendees, and the games, run by my husband and two sons had great participation.  The rain held off and it wasn't too hot.  The pot luck was great, and my 3 nephews and one great-niece were there for the first time.

We made it to Indiana today.  Started looking for some of the quilt gardens around Elkhart, Shipshewana etc.  The ones we found were pretty, but not in their full bloom.  They should be spectacular in another month.  Made a quick visit to Yoder's Dept. Store and Lolly's Fabrics in Shipshewana.  Didn't need anything but DH found some interesting fabrics, so a yard or two had to come home with me!

Happy Victoria Day Weekend!

In my area this is our traditional planting weekend.  DH and I spent the morning planting tomatoes, herbs, some flower planters and one perennial plant.  Still have to pick up some annuals to fill in some of the gaps, once the spring bulb greens have died back.

DH and I planted this bed around the base of a tree in our condo complex a couple of years ago.   It was time to divide some of my irises and some perennials as well, so though I'd share them with the neighbours.  We plan to make another one around the tree that is off to the left in the picture this fall - time to divide again!

On the Road Day 2

We enjoyed our visit in Athens so much, we decided to go to the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson.  This was a much more rustic garden area, but it had a large area of paved pathways suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. (Great quilt pattern!)   There were lots of woodland paths as well.  The rain from the previous day had finished the daffodils, and the camellias were nearing their end as well.  Another place to put on the "must visit again" list.  

We drove north to the Asheville area, and stopped for a quick stroll around the downtown area of Black Mountain before continuing on.  DH took some pictures of the train station.....