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







Saturday, June 27, 2015

Red White and Blue for 4th of July



Hi! Quick Saturday post, since it's grey here and drizzly and the fireworks have been postponed. [oh no!].
I couldn't resist adding a few fun very Fourth of July summery sachets to my shop on etsy.






They are natural muslin with the cute prints, trimmed with vintage ''sailor dress'' buttons.







Filled with my Summer Mix of lavender buds mixed with lemon verbena oil.





Tied up in their little cello bags with a 4th of July picnic gingham ribbon and a little Stars and Stripes swizzle stick flag!








So cute.
Mo helped of course.



Speaking of 4th of July, I want to share this quilt block by my blog friend Cathy! It is from Minick and Simpson's  "Lizzie's Big Flowers" . Cathy and I both think the quilt is so happy and festive and looks like fireworks and sparklers for Fourth of July and summertime.
Cathy used my Stars method to form her points BUT she used fabric sizing instead of glue. With excellent results. And look at her berries, she is very expert. This is a prepped block, not sewed yet. Beautiful work.


Lizzie's Big Flowers by Cathy 

Of course since this is called LIZZIE's Flowers I think I should make it someday! Not sure I can make four [or six, like Cathy!] identical blocks. Love it though.
Fireworks tomorrow? Hope so! When does your town have its fireworks? Do you go and see them?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....





Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Star Point Applique




Hi. I put up a page here with a little demo of how I do star points.  It's a tab under my header called Stars, or here's the link.

stars

Feel free to weigh in with opinions if my method is terrible,lol.

lizzy

Monday, June 22, 2015

Summer Solstice ~ Welcome Summer



Hi! It's June 21st, summer solstice, summer begins---but the days grow shorter---too soon, too soon. Summer arrived in perfect fashion today...a hot billowy wind, an afternoon by the pool, a very fast rain squall.





raining so hard we can barely see the beach


and... and then!---

a rainbow. I do love a rainbow. A double rainbow!


\



As the storm moved east, a new rainbow formed, a full arch, with a faint second hoop above.





It was very hot, the flea market was a waste of time and gas. But I was tempted and went ''just to see". Mo got a new baby pool.






He isn't sure.




Maybe he likes it, maybe not. But it cooled him down.


Here are my recent quilt blocks:

This is from Primitive Quilts magazine. It's a sewalong in four parts by Jan Patek, called Spring Break.
photo from PRIMITIVE QUILTS

I am renaming it Summertime. Mine will have a lot more blue, deep raspberry rose, bitter yellow. Celebrating Mo's and my anticipated many and happy summers together.
The kitty sells it, right?


magazine photo


This is my central medallion.


And I started my baskets for the next round, but got sidetracked this week. My baskets will have stars and the branches will have a bud, you know how much I hate leaves.


The blues in the corners will be in the cornerstone double nine patch blocks. No stars, because I don't want to hide this beautiful blue print [can always add them at the end].



The machine stitched blocks, the cornerstone double Nine Patches, were planned to be worked on today, as we were supposed to have monsoon rain, from TS Bill. Up from Texas, paid us only a brief visit. So we had instead an outdoor glorious type of day. This is my new little beach sewing kit. Love the happy colors.


All that was missing was the pool boy with pina coladas, too bad.

And here's an update on Pokeberry, also by Jan Patek. These are my May and June blocks.





The quilt is put together in large segments so the berries can be sewed onto relatively small sections at a time. I hope to complete the upper right corner including the berries, in July, and the bird tree, plus the eagle sub, this antique T block.


I promised my blog friend Cathy I'd do a little page here to show how I get sharp points on my stars. Me, of all people! Self-taught but it does work. Prob get that up by Wednesday, I hope.



I ordered the books Album Quilts of the Ohio Miami Valley [not right title], one by Rose Cummings, one by Anita Shackelford. [Lori of Humble Quilts and friends are making it now, or have just made it.] My friend BJ and I may work on these quilts together after the first of the year. We both have pioneer family roots in that part of Ohio. I know I'll do the quilt in the original red/ green/ cheddar/ tan---but wouldn't it be amazing in all blue /  indigos?! BJ and I both collect new and antique indigo fabrics. A quandary. I don't think I could manage two.
The rain has gone, the sun is out...Mo and I will take a long evening walk to celebrate this best and longest day. I hope you too had a wonderful day.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach





















This is the jimson weed or datura, in bloom. Pretty but toxic.



Thursday, June 18, 2015

Garden Peeping. Again.




Hi everyone! Have you been enjoying all the little quilts from our swap? So fun! Today is grey and dismal and for some reason I decided that Mo is being so naughty because he needs MORE exercise. So off we went for an extra extra long lunchtime walk.


Hahaha. Mo is tired. A mile  or more from home.


I coaxed him along with treats, we loitered in the back walkways peeking at people's yards and gardens. Mel has asked me if folks use the big clams shells for garden edgings, and of course I can't see that when I just peek over their fences. But lining the sidewalk with shells is very popular.



June is very lush this year, what a change from barren February.











June is roses...







Even the public greenery plantings are beautiful, with their varied leaves and textures.



We visited a friend's garden to do some much needed weeding. Our work is paying off, the garden is looking good.



Does anyone know: Is this a weed or what? I didn't pull it yet and it's getting big. [the yellow flower in the bottom left is a daylily, not a part of this weed.] edit: I have discovered this plant is jimson weed or Datura. Highly toxic! Gotta get it out of the garden before Mo eats it. I ll show you the picture of its blue trumpet flower next post.



The koi have floating plants now! Water hyacinth? I'm sure it gives them lovely shade on hot days but makes it much harder to see them.



And we went by to visit the plastic yard geese. From afar I thought, Huh. Surgeon and pilgrim? What?  Up close I see they are dressed as a baseball player, of indeterminate team affiliation[I bet they could fins a Yankees uni if they tried!]. And a graduate. Can't wait to see them dressed up for 4th of July.



We cut through a back alley to get home. Mo was determined to sniff all the fascinating dumpsters. We turned the corner and...show down!
High Noon.




A nemesis awaited. Is it Stripey? So far from home? He didn't want to share his dumpster-dived finds and he hissed at Mo.


Later we found the real Stripey napping on a neighbor's patio chair, all curled up on a soggy cushion. I think the other kitty is a new guy.

Hot and sunny tomorrow. After I weekend grocery shop I am off to the beach! How about you? Plans?

half price, free shipping! Cute.
The Peach Bellini smells best though.


love

lizzy 

gone to the beach.

Oh so---PS. I decided to forgive Mo for eating his favorite bed last week. When we got home from our walk I sat down and carefully hand sewed, with very strong thread, all the tears and holes. I put it all back together for him. I set it on the floor to show Mo.






It's a goner.