Hello all ... well it was certainly a busy week... a couple of appointments and some babysitting and dinner with friends and working in the yard and a bit of sewing and a bit of stitching... and not a single project is complete... but I'm feeling upbeat about life... the weather has turned more Spring like and there are 80's in this week's forecast and the news that mask mandates have been lifted has me smiling from ear to ear... AND NOW YOU CAN SEE ME SMILE!!! and I can see everyone else smile... I didn't know how demoralizing it was going to be when masks were on everyone's faces... and now we need to get them off of kids faces... human beings were not meant to live this way... and with that I'll climb down off my soap box.
Like I said... I've putzed around with several projects and I'll show a couple of pics of what I have gotten down. For Mother's Day I always give myself the gift of starting a new cross stitch project no matter how many I already have started... cause starting a new project is always FUN FUN FUN!!! and Fun is in my name... literally it is... my last name starts with the letters F U N...
My pick this year was Flag Folk by Notforgotten Farm... I've seen lots of versions of this ... mostly in prim tones and you know I like prim but I like it a bit brighter... so I painted some 32 ct linen with lemon yellow and a blue (that I can't remember) Rit dyes... and I'm using the mostly called for DMC colors except for the red, white and blue... I've gone with 918, 803 and Blanc... here's where I am at the moment...
And keeping with a patriotic theme I started a quilt top from the new book County Seat Quilts: 12 Classic Patterns with Looks that Last... OMG... I LOVE this book... now all of the quilts are done in more prim reproduction fabrics but I can see such possibilities in the patterns... here's what the pattern looks like in the book...
and here is my version...
now I used all vintage Debbie Mumm fabrics... boy Debbie did good Americana... some of these fabrics are at least 25 years old... heck most of them probably are...LOL... I added corner stones because they will make it easier to keep the rows lined up and I love that fabric with the little blue stars...
the center gets a star and there will be stars for cornerstones in the border... and while the pattern calls for Ohio Stars I think I'm going to do sawtooth stars... I can't wait to get back to this cause right now I am really wanting to sew sew sew... there are a bunch of quilts I want to make... all of them easy peasy... but so many pretty fabrics to play with... my refresh of my sewing room and given my sewing mojo a kick in the pants... I'm really loving spending time down there... oh and Dan the handyman finished up the trim work in the shelf units last week.. it is amazing how a little bit of detail like that can make things look more finished and built in...
And speaking of fabrics I've been bitten by a new to me designer, Tilda... her fabrics are so pretty and very different from anything in my stash... I had this collection of FQs ... it is called Bird Pond...
and then I got this pack of FQs ... it is called Garden Life...
and then I saw this on Etsy and HAD TO HAVE IT... it is called Tiny Farm...
I have no idea what I'm going to make with these but I definitely have enough fabric for several quilts...
I do know I want to make a quilt for my bed out of them... something simple and easy that shows off the prints... I have one pattern in mind... this one called Picket Fence... you can see it here... I've made this quilt before with a layer cake of Moda Regency fabrics... they are like Liberty lawns... I like this pattern because you have big blocks of the fabric and there is no border... I am particularly fond of quilts that don't have borders...
As for working in the yard... I had a very productive Thursday... I put in about 6 hours outside... my son helped me plant the 5 window boxes... I have to get up on a ladder to reach 3 of them... and I planted 4 big pots and one big planter and put in some tubers and some quart sized perennials and annuals and planted some seeds... I figure I've planted about a dozen flats of annuals and have a couple more to do... I need to clean up the daffodils, but they aren't quite ready... and I have lots more zinnia and cosmos seeds to put in the ground... I hesitated Thursday cause it was still chilly but I think it will be fine this week...and I want to get as much in the ground as I can because... THE CICADAS ARE COMING... THE CICADAS ARE COMING.... the Brood X that reappear every 17 years are ready to emerge... and with the predicted rain and then warmer temperatures I'm sure I'll be seeing them... ugh... I've only come across a few nymphs when I've been planting but I live in a old neighborhood... 1950's houses... and when they built these houses they put a tree in every single front yard. Now there aren't a lot of those old oaks left but I have a feeling there are a lot of cicadas in the ground....
And back to more pleasant thougths... here's a pic of one of the window boxes...
I planted geraniums and petunias and vinca in these... purples and pinks and white... I purposely tried to make them random as it seems that by mid July they start to fade... If that happens again then I can plug in some replacements that are also random... fingers crossed that this is a good strategy.
And here is a wider view of the side yard... I planted a ton of allium ... they are whimsical and they take your attention away from the withering daffodils... they remind me of lollipops... I've got a couple different varieties... the white ones were new to me this year...
Also in one of my many trips to the garden centers this last week a rose bush jumped into my cart and followed me home... I know better than to get roses but I LOVE them and this one is a lovely peachy color that had blooms like English roses... it is called At Last by Proven Winners... notice I said it HAD blooms and it HAD a ton of buds... here's what it looked like when I brought it home...
I purposely put in in a pot and put the pot on casters so I could roll it into the garage at night because I know the deer love to eat them... but on Saturday night I forgot and this is what I woke up to...
GRRRRRR... I've now set an alarm on my phone to go off every evening around 7:30pm so I don't forget to bring it in... and I'm going to put some of deer repellent around the base... I know it will rebloom but darn I detest those deer!!!
So that's what happened here in my week... this coming week looks less hectic than the last one... should be time to stitch and sew and garden... and sit on the sunroom porch... which I'm doing right now... oh I love love love my porch... so peaceful and relaxing... an aside about the pandemic... I've hated every minute of the restrictions and the changes to my life... my nice quiet life that gave me choices and freedom... however it has made me appreciate those things even more... and I'm grateful for every minute I can spend doing just what I want to do when I want to do it!! I say my prayers every day that those of you who haven't yet gotten the chance to get back to your lives, get that opportunity very very soon.
I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I plan to spend some time working in the yard and if the rain they are forecasting materializes I'll come inside and maybe work on that flag quilt ... I have plenty of things I want to do ...
happy stitching-
carol fun
I love your new fabric purchases! Great job on the flag quilt!
ReplyDeleteHappy Stitching!
Nice looking projects on the move!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love Tilda fabrics too--nice selection you have there--and did you know she has a line of solid fabrics to go with her prints???
love the flower gardens--
luv, di
Love your new stitchery--the tiny feet are hilarious. Glad your sew-jo has returned and lots of pretty fabrics are in your future. I think your adding the cornerstones to that flag quilt very smart. I'm with you on borderless quilts! Enjoy your gardening time.
ReplyDeleteI've decided that everyone needs to make their own decisions on masks. I am fully vaccinated, but I will continue to wear my mask when I am around strangers. I especially will wear it when I return to in-person school in September as not all students/staff will be vaccinated. I really like your cross-stitch and those fabrics are wonderful! Your allium are gorgeous! I have never had luck with them unfortunately. Your garden is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteFine stitches and gorgeous flowers! Love that rose bush and will be looking for one in my area! The deer eat the shrubs in our front yard so they were bald from "deer head height" on down. I did a hard prune on them last fall and now with the new shoots emerging I decided to buy some deer netting and see how that works. It is affordable and is barely visible once on the shrub. Maybe try that for the rose bushes might be less of an effort than wheeling it in and out. I know deer make quick work of gobbling those leaves. Now. If I could just find something to keep squirrels away from tomato plants.... happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to find another deer hater! When I see pictures of them in yards, I feel no envy just pity. We are trying a new spray this year. We will just have to wait and see. My hostas look beautiful now and last summer they ate them down to the ground!!!I love your version of Flag Folks. I have the chart but I am still plugging away on Sampler Hill. Again, you have been my inspiration! I think I will finish in about 10 days or so. I hope your window box plan works well. The alliums are beautiful!! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday, Carol. Your Flag Folk is looking awesome and love the Flag Quilt you are working on. The quilt design is very similar to the one I am working on from Little Quilts. Such a fun piece. Have a lovely week.
ReplyDeleteHi My name is Rebecca.i just want to share my experience with the world on how i got my love back and saved my marriage… I was married for 7 years with 4 kids and we lived happily until things started getting ugly and we had a fights and arguments almost every time… it got worse at a point that he filed for divorce… I tried my best to make him change his mind & stay with me cause i loved him with all my heart and didn’t want to loose him but everything just didn’t work out… he moved out of the house and still went ahead to file for divorce… I pleaded and tried everything but still nothing worked. The breakthrough came when someone introduced me to this wonderful, great spell caster Dr Zuma, who eventually helped me out… I have never been a fan of things like this but just decided to try reluctantly cause I was desperate and left with no choice… He did special prayers and cast a love spell on him. Within 24hours he called me and was sorry for all the emotional trauma he had cost me, moved back to the house and we continue to live happily, the kids are happy too and we are expecting our fourth child… I have introduced him to a lot of couples with problems across the world and they have had good news… Just thought I should share my experience cause I strongly believe someone out there needs it… You can contact him on spiritualherbalisthealing@gmail.com whatsapp +15068001647
ReplyDeleteYou know, those antique textiles were all more vividly colored when they were first made, before they faded with the passage of time. I love your flag quilt and cross stitching!
ReplyDelete