A Little Porch Time-September

Hi! Here are September's blocks for Lori's [Humble Quilts] quiltalong:

Hands and Shoo Fly



Chubby Basket and Star, fixed now!



background for big applique panel


I love the hands! Heart-in Hand is a one of my favorite folkart motifs---and this is perfect, my hand and one for each of my kids!

Here is the original quilt by Lynda of Primitive Pieces, photo from book reprinted with her permission.

I didn't finish the tiny hands yet.

If you look closely at Lynda's quilt, below, you'll see the fingers extend into a spacer band at the top.

I don't want to sew my blocks together until I decide what/ how the two strips at the far right should look. I have a habit of my blocks not fitting together, so assembly and final stitching will have to wait.
Looking forward to October, can't wait to see what Lori has us do next!

love

   lizzy

gone to the beach......

Links:

Lori/ Humble Quilts

Lynda Hall/ Primitive Pieces

Thank you, Lori and Lynda!

Autumn Nature Notes: migrations

Hi! Almost October! Today we have warm heavy fog...interspersed with rain showers.

On the beach the birds are busy! We had a storm a week ago...

High tide, high winds...and temporary flooding.

The skimmers' roost was underwater. Instead they massed on the shoreline...facing into the wind.

Some of the ''kids'' are still babies [grey plumage, to the left]...I hope they can make the journey south!

Then by Saturday [9/21], the skimmers were gone...

The oystercatchers should leave on Tuesday. October 2nd is their leaving date.  So far  they are not massing up in flocks, so perhaps the warm weather has delayed their flight?

Peeps still here and oh-so-busy...

...loving the little seed clams!

In July and August these large flocks can be mixed, piping plovers, semipalmated plovers, kildeer; the ocassional other, larger sandpipesr. By now, late September only the sanderlings remain...

Most will remain here all winter...

 See all the tiny footprints they make? These little guys expend a LOT of energy.....
[see film, at end]

And my gulls seem to stand guard and watch over them small sandpipers. More likely they too want to make a meal of the small new clams and other food.

Some gulls stay all winter; others move on, perhaps to the local landfills or fishing fleet harbors where food is plentiful even in harshest winter...

I found a tiny horseshoe crab shell.

They shed their shells til they are the size of garbage can lids.

Sadly every summer I see unsupervised children tormenting these peaceful ancient creatures. Their parents are to blame, it makes me so angry...

This is a tiny one, one of the smallest I have ever seen....

The bird-protection fences are down, I  beachcombed the dunes...this is when I find rare decoys and other treasures:

But not today...

  love

lizzy

gone to the beach......

Sewing Needfuls

                   

Hi! My local WeatherBug link predicts tomorrow's weather:
sunny with a little rain. What the heck does that mean?!
Today is stunningly perfect, so beautiful...

but the winds is picking up, blowing from the southwest at about 30-35 MPH.

on its way?

This was from my friend Raven, in a recent email,
''The weather suddenly turned cold and damp the last few days. Autumn is here. Summer is gone. My cat wants to sleep in the bedroom now...''

Her words are so beautiful, so evocative of the coming season....

I am resolutely being summer-y but a rainy day does turn one's thoughts to autumn and indoor projects.

I made a few cinnamon hearts to go with bowls of apples. [unscented for now, I add the essential oils as requested.]

And some sewing ''needfuls'' or make-dos....

Prim needle strawberries filled with dry, clean white quartz sand from my beach. Like emery grains, the fine sand cleans rust from needles and keeps them sharp.

I used the last tiny scraps of a favorite c.1890 log cabin quilt block. Every tiny piece of antique fabric is used in my projects. Nothing goes to waste or is discarded...The old calico is so dainty, so sweet.

Hand-dyed linen for the strawberries' toppers or leaves, and a raw linen string loop.

These are fun tied to a sewing basket or larger pincushion...

or I sometimes add a longer ribbon and attach them to my scissors. LOL, if I was smart I'd hang one round my neck because I constantly lose my favorite needles...and then poor bare feet find them, causing much yelling and recrimination.

We have to stop a moment and really look...I didn't crop this shot, below, because...just LOOK at the quilt behind the pin keep! Is that not the most beautiful and amazing quilting? c. 1850-70. Probably my finest quilt, despite the fact that the front is both faded and horrendously patched! If it had not been patched mid 20th century it might have been discarded or chopped up, a tragic end. Front is NY Beauty or Delectible Mountains. I think it was once red , white, and blue.....

I am working on a BIG batch of Fall Hearts...white on white, romantic/ shabby, Autumn blues, and woolen prim. Oh and neat grey starfish and crimpy weird grey linen. They'll be ready soon, especially if we have that sunny-rainy day tomorrow...

I'm also doing new living room pillows, trying hard to stay neutral this Fall. [Will I resist the lure of brilliant orange? It's very hard....I'll have to paint the pumpkins white? sigh. We'll see...]

love

lizzy

gone to the beach

PS yes the footprints in the sand, last post, are the tiny shorebirds' feet. I'll have a nature/ birds post  for you all in a few days, stay tuned...