So now it is May... and I do not want this to be a repeat of April... I always think February is the longest month of the year because of the cold weather but April was at least 473 days long because of the quarantine... ugh... things are opening back up a bit here in Ohio... my favorite quilt shop, Homegrown Homesewn, will be open limited hours and limited numbers of shoppers in the store starting Tuesday ... the garden centers are all open which is great as the weather has brightened up too.. well at least it was bright Friday and Saturday... I conducted my annual pilgrimage to several places... got geraniums, and petunias, and coleus, and petunias, and marigolds, and petunias, and lantana, and petunias, and snapdragons... and some petunias...
I've put 90 marigolds in the ground and got the window boxes cleaned out and planted up... this year my color scheme is a pretty pink-y rose geranium with purple, white and purple and white striped petunias... I picked these colors because there wasn't a lot of wave petunias to be found... so I went with what I could get... I'm also afraid that some of what I thought were white petunias are going to turn out to be red... they weren't well labeled... and if a red one does sprout it will be removed... yes I am heartless...
Here's one of the 5 window boxes....
And here is my pyramid of petunias... lots of different varieties...
I know it is a little sparse now ...and there are still 2 empty pots ... and I know these pictures are a bit boring but in a month I'll be happy to see how much they've grown,
As to crafty stuff... I banished the bunnies and brought out the birds... I'm still working on a couple of displays as I have stitching I need to FFO (fully finish object) and without my mecca of Hobby Lobby I am lacking in framing material....(my hope is HL will re-open around the 12th... fingers crossed... and for a rant... if I can do to the grocery and the garden centers why can't I go to HL?? I wear a mask and keep my distance and HL has LOTS of stuff that is ESSENTIAL for mental health... taking a deep breath now)....
So here is the quilt wall/tier tray display...
Here's the tier tray...
I kept is pretty monochromatic ... light turquoise with a touch of light green... all the cross stitch pieces are older ones but I still love them... and the quilt is one of my favorite Stack n Whacks... that petunia fabric is a Phillip Jacobs design... did I ever tell you how much I LOVE petunias?? yeah I think I did, LOL... (and that inside border isn't black it is a very dark purple ... darn camera)
And this little vignette sits on my yellow cabinet...
I found that picture stand in my stash (had a markdown sticker on it from Micheals... originally $30/now $9... not bad... instead of pictures I tied on some paper pennants I made years ago with a bird theme... and the little pillows are from the sampler A Saviour's Praise. by Kittenstitcher...I just stitched pieces of the fabulous border... I want to do more of these...
the larger piece is from Pineberry Lane... Tansy Yarrow Rue... I brightened it up ... linen and thread... I like the primitive style but don't like too much brown in those pieces... I also like the finishing on this piece... that giant wooden tag is a fun piece... wish I remember where I got it...
And I liked that Pineberry Lane piece so much that I stitched part of it a second time as a little pillow... and the hedgehog is a Prairie Schooler piece... I like that beaded edge... takes forever to do ... but I like it a lot!
As for the pieces I showed last time I wandered in here... here is the Tulips piece by Blackbird Design...
And here is Garden Friends from the Sewing Club book...
oh I am really really happy with this... the frame was in my stash in the basement ... there was a clip on it and I took that off ... love the weathered look of it... added a french wired silk ribbon rose that perfectly matched the colors of this piece... serendipity that was 30 years in the making... the backstory... I sewed the ribbon rose 30 years ago when I lived in Modesto California... there was the little gift shop that had the most beautiful bits and bobs... I bought yardage of several different ribbons and made the roses to embellish things... this was in a bag in my craft supplies... so happy happy happy I saved it and found it...
I'll show you the full shelf display when I get this piece FFO'd...
This is Vintage Birds by Jeanette Douglas Designs... it is very pretty... love the peacock...
however, instead of doing the called for Algerian eye stitches I did a Rhodes mound ...
because I DO NO DO eyelets... I like the raised texture it gives the peacocks' tail...
On the quilting front, I got 2 tops sent off to Quilting by David and one of them showed up on his feed this morning... I let him pick the quilting panto and I really like it! You can see it here...
And I played with a new pattern... it is called The Good Girl quilt by Meander + Make and you can see it here... I changed it a bit to make use of a pile of 3.5" low volume squares I had left over from the Chamomile quilt I made last summer ... you can see that one here...
And here is my version of The Good Girl quilt...
ALL of these fabrics came from my stash so I've been a VERY good girl indeed.. I may sew some of this together today... or work on the American Jane project... need 6 more 49 patch blocks and 10 9 patches... or maybe FFO some cross stitch pieces... or sit and cross stitch on the porch... decisions decisions...
Glad I did my gardening Friday and Saturday... today has been stormy... thunder and lightening... but tomorrow is forecast to be sunny and mid 60's which is good because I've planned an get together of my quilty lady friends... there are 5 of us, so that puts us well under the 10 person gathering limit put forth by the governor... and we will sit 6 feet apart on my driveway which is something like 16 ft wide and almost 35 feet long... everyone is bringing their lunch and something sweet to share...the newest message is Stay Safe Ohio... some businesses are opening up and from the people I saw out and about on Friday and Saturday people are on the move... I did see a lot of masks ... but not everyone... and people were trying to keep their distance... I think it is a good thing to do... we aren't going to acquire any immunity sitting on our couches... just my opinion...
I have lots more gardening to do... Phase 2 and 3 include putting down some flower seeds and then planting the 200 plus dahlia tubers I have... the soil needs to warm up a bit for the dahilas and I think the seeds would benefit from that too... but I am antsy to get them in... along with all the flower boxes I potted up 3 large planters and a big planter box and put in those 90+ marigolds .... love all the color...
Soooooo... I shall link up with Kathy's Quilts... spend a little time looking at what everyone else is doing and then figure out what I'm going to do on this rainy Sunday afternoon... lots of projects to chose from... I hope that you are healthy and happy and that things will be opening up where you are soon... I know some states have draconian stay at home orders that are crushing the economy and people's mental health... I could rant more but you get my drift...
happy stitching-
carol fun
So many incredible projects. That quilt on the wall really is a feast for the eyes! Glad your tooth op went well. If the quilt shop is opening then May is already better than April!
ReplyDeleteLovely little displays of eye candy in your house! Your stack and whack quilt is gorgeous. I'm envious your shops are opening. In the uk we are quite a way behind but I would rather they took there time than open up too soon!
ReplyDeleteLOL Let me add to your rant. If they had sanctioned face-masks in the beginning like the Taiwanese or the Japanese there would have been no need to shut-down businesses. Put your face-mask on to keep your germs to yourself. It worked in 1918-20, it works for TB and it still works today.
ReplyDeleteHobby Lobby has elastic and quilt fabric which equals face-masks; essential goods! I've made 24 out of my stash of goodies but I am out of 1/8" elastic for the over-the-ears face-masks I was making for Sis to hand out to her co-workers at the clinic. 1/4" is too much for your ears to handle for 8 hours.
I'm loving all the colorful things you have done. Thanks for sharing them!
Just lovely installations you have made for May--I really really love that clipboard with the rose and stitchery--you make me want to learn counted cross stitch--I've tried a few times and just don't get it...
ReplyDeleteThat rose-y color is amazing on the shabby chic frame...
thanks for sharing Love the Good Girl quilt too--looks like a fun project...~ ~ ~ waving and smiling under my mask Julierose
All those dahlias and marigolds!You are a gardening inspiration!! Our garden centers are up but so crowded that so far, I just haven't got the bug. Using birds for this time of year in you stitching is such a good idea. I'm not quite ready for patriotic so I just have some general stuff up. Our gov has a 4 phase plan for getting us back and we don't start phase one till the 5th. And each phase is at least 3 weeks long. Plus if we are naughty and not doing our duties and complying with the rules of the phase, he just might have to extend any phase as long as he chooses. It is getting old. My hair just keeps growing and is totally out of control! I'm with you, I think I know what to do to keep myself safe. Hope your little gathering is lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteSo many beautiful photos on your blog! I love the "resource fullness" pincushion/pillow
ReplyDelete