I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Monday, August 27, 2012

Completing Summer

 



Hi! One of my internet friends recently asked me if I ever get tired of the beach.


[maybe she is tired of my beach posts!? lol]...and I had to think about it. But really I don't.




I think part of the reason is that I make sure I bring plenty of things to entertain myself. When my kids were very small I usually drew or painted in my nature journals...not as demanding, not as much prep time needed, as handquilting or applique.
And that taught me to really see the beach and all its details, waves, shells, creatures, birds, grasses....



I yearned to be a professional painter...but was not good enough.




In the past couple years I've been quilting at the beach. The light is of course, without compare. Move over, fancy sewing light gadget!

Here are my Porch blocks for August:
Two simple blocks [the basket will have the quilt's completion date, later....]:




And this guy! I LOVED how this looked when I cut it and set the pieces out to audition them before sewing. Isn't it cool, a huge sunflower. I though Maybe an entire quilt? But OMG, all those points to meet at the center! Once is more than enough.




I finished both of these small quilts, binding and all!
Pink Lemonade, from Humble Quilts 2012 quiltalong.


Pink Lemonade

back of Pink Lemonade

And the Beach Baby quilt. Probably I'll hold onto it and list it next spring for a summer baby? I plan to offer to applique the baby's name...it was designed for the name to be pieced in and I think needs it?



It came out much better than I thought. And better than this photo....
Thank you, Mel! For making me not toss it out!

And my Kitty in the hollyhocks got her bluebird!




Here's Stripey, the feral daddy cat. Kitty the mama cat is the black cat on the quilt....







And this is a substitute section for The Porch quilt. I was tired of baskets and did this crock instead. My mom's beloved Steamboat Springs Colorado crock....Yes, it's very crooked! That's what happens when you sew in a 40 mph gale. I'll fix! Really...



And more beach...and a few birds...






love

lizzy

...............gone to the beach...




all pix except sewing tote taken yesterday, Sunday August 26.