Bedazzled!

 

Summer has arrived: it's hot, humid, sultry. It's June. Time to trot out my tie dye and bedazzle skills again.

The kids' fad here is to decorate one's not-very attractive camp shirts, to personalize them.The kids and moms call it ''bedazzling'' but rarely are the actual  Bedazzled tiny rhinestones used. [hell on one's washer/ dryer]. You can have the tees professionally done [almost $100.oo sometimes, maybe more?], or you can have Mom or Grandma or creative auntie do it. I think this is my 4th year.

t's a lot of fun and i learn something new about dyeing, heheheh, each year. This year I 'm doing a couple new ideas--one is a secret, one is the much-loved, much used Rainbow Spiral.

Here it is on You Tube.

My first was best, here's my fold: 

Result/ good.

then these.

This week I will sew and glue on patches. Themes are: K-pop DH/ Sweet Shop/ Aloha/ Name and Cutie girl/ Good Vibes.

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I'm not so good at juggling many projects, so w the tie dye, spring cleanup, and deck garden, I haven't done much quilting.

Here's Boardwalk. I think the center strips are  pieced now.

And I've made 4 Posies, plus patterns for the circle and star centers. You must tak a look at Julierose's Posies, they are lovely and all 12 are made. HERE

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My friend came this morning and we did more deck clean up. Umbrella installed plus removal of the lattice fencing that kept Mo safe from falling. I swept up buckets of blown in sand---again. Sprayed for ants and bugs. The deck looks welcoming now.

                                                

This is the best part! My wildflower pot has a poppy in bloom. I've never had a poppy grow, I was so thrilled.

I planted nothing in this pot this year. I planned to let the coreopsis bloom before discarding the big old pot. These wildflowers must be from last years' Botanical Interests Seed pack that never grew. Maybe the wildflower seeds need a long hard freeze to geminate? We sure had that.

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This past winter into spring I rather let myself down, maybe due to the flu at Christmas? I had nothing planned after the four 2025 quilts were sent to Lori C. I was baffled and depressed, focusing mostly on Mo's poor health. So now I'm pulling out some ideas, something to inspire, and ready to audition if not to go.

Sometimes  I make "kits", you know how I love kits! I pull the fabrics and place them in a basket. This doesn't mean I actually make them any time soon. It's more an aide memoire, a creative memo.

I 

gathereded fabrics for Crows in the Garden, a tentative October mini. Love the dark chocolate background.

Loved these Baskets by Kathy Tracy. The Baskets are 4" finished---3" would be even cuter.

And these fabrics from Two Thimbles, a fat eighths stack.  I love the odd, moody colors. It's a new color story  for me.

Not ordered yet though.

And as I rummaged I found maybe half a dozen pattern versions of the Tiny Baskets in my library. None of which I'd need, I can draft so easily. But I like to support designers' efforts and work. I also have a large scale version from Norma Whaley, what a fun project that would be!

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Then Sherry at Temecula Quilt Co dug out one of her old pamphlets for a blog post, T is for Tiny.

 I so love her very tiny quilts. Love both of these. The Bowties is a block I have not made, will be a fun one. Teeny tiny 7" x 10".  Maybe in--3os feedsack repro. For a rainy late summer weekend.

 Only 5" x 9"!

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Tomorrow is Mo's adoption Day, I've been  remembering the joy that June day as his tiny self was carried off the Pet Jet at JFK.

I actually was never his favorite  person--but I was the steadfast mom who loved him so dearly always. We'll raise a toast to him tomorrow and always. Here's the drinks tray and its finished quilty liner. I went w white premade binding, fast, easy, crisp.

And here is Dolly in her 60s retro Learn to Sew dress. Little friend left her by mistake.

I think she has enjoyed her visit.

The quilt is Lizzy's Garden from a few years ago. It is all hand pieced and hand quilted. TQC sewalong, free on her blog.

Earlier a friend dropped by and the conversation went to  someone my friend calls ''lazy''--I read over my blog draft just now  and think, is this the week of a lazy woman?

I do my best.

 [also washed/ removed storm windows. Put in screens. Tested ceiling fans and air conditioners. Got out summer sheets, washed all the fleece throws, cooked some, walked at least 30-45 minutes daily, paid bills, read an entire  book almost every day---you know,  life.] 

Have you ever been called lazy? Does it feel hurtful or unkind--or true. Maybe lazy is good.

Have a lazy summer week, dear friends,

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Posies etc. A Bright and Happy Quilt

 

Hello! What a gorgeous day to welcome the weekend. Memorial Day , last week, was a rainy washout, but this looks so good! The wild roses are thriving. Honeysuckle and sweetpea should add to the perfumed air this coming week. The scent of early summer, if we could capture it  and bottle it somehow.

And the beaches are actually open, if not very utilized.

And! We have whales. Young ones , fairly close to shore. [these are local news screenshots, I didn't see them myself].

I like whales but not sure I want to actually swim with them, tho I am told they're gentle. They just want to play!

Lots of baby birds. This pic is from a friend as he golfed the other morning. 

Mostly I did house chores and sewed on Boardwalk. Inspiration pic to remind you, below. I was esp pleased to complete the odd fill-in vertical bars on the left. They actually set up the entire central portion, so they were essential if not interesting.

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The weather forecast for the next few weeks looks good! And  I always  like to have some handwork to bring out on the deck. Sadly carrying on without my little Mo to keep me organized. 

I cut more Posies and pieced a few.

I' ll needleturn the big center circles. I had planned to do solid cheddar centers, but how boring is that. Instead I pulled an assorted group of batiks. Nice hand and  visual textures. Most will be this cheddar.

I also found enough chartreuse polka dot fabric for the leaves; my leaves are bigger than JP's pattern leaves. 

And--Yes the fabric choices and colors are getting crazy.

Here is the original inspiration crib quilt. I may still make it someday, I do love it.

Here is the inspration bundle.

And most will be used. Really. 

But lots of fun other prints are sneaking in. Why not? It's an homage to a time of great joy for me, replacing tears with smiles. This quilt is commemorating my small but loudly colorful deck garden and my many hours years spent sewing there with Baby Mo.  So the colors are exuberant. Eye popping. Trust me, they'll work! 

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I also pulled out an unfinished Lighthouse block, maybe it's time to finish these? Ancient.  90s? early 2000s? I used to make a block every August when I'd go ''home'' to Cape Cod. Only lighthouses I actually visited were allowed. This is Cape Cod Light, also called Highland Light. It's on the east coast just north of Nauset Light.

 Ok! That's a few days' work planned.

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Last night, last minute, I decided my new little drinks basket-tray needed a liner. Full moon tomorrow, will it be a Full Moon Cheers/ Welcome Summer night? Or should we wait for, um, July?

First version---Ooops. Rushing. Sewing at midnight, my happy time.  Roughly patched together batting remnants made for lumpy ugly results. It seemed like a Fail. 

I set it aside and was going to toss it or make a mug rug....

...but today I added a lot of machine quilting--the only freestyle  quilting I do at all well. Waves aka Wavy Gravy.

Yes! So cute and so nicely scrunched after a good wash w the day's laundry. 

It will be trimmed to fit and edged with either the red gingham bias [too picnic?] or crisp white ric rac [too cutesy?]. No one but me will notice or care.

Unlike BW that I labor over, this is a true improv piece. 

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A ''big'' summer sew on the  deck/beach plan has been  the intention to sew the bindings on quilts I sent last winter to my wonderful quilter. [Noah's Ark, Jack o Lanterns, Grey Baskets, Christmas mini: all of 2025's work]. But life happens, there's a delay and at this point I am fine with waiting til the time is good for Lori C. Her work is well worth any wait.

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Garden is doing well, two or three weeks in.

Today these beautiful blue flowers appeared.  Volunteers or reseed. I think they're Flax, but the  phone plant id app says "Baby Blue-eyes" ? 

Hope your weekend is wonderful, enjoy!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

this time, last year....