It's August ~ What Happened to July?

From Pinterest.
I'll come back to this guy later...

Good evening! Welcome August and the dog days of summer. Perseid meteor shower and feast of Lamas, a celebration of the wheat harvest in ancient days.
 July is just a memory, a month of sandcastles, shorts and Flags that went by much too fast.

I didn't accomplish very much, I'm disappointed in myself a little.

We have had odd weather, temps in the low 80s but super humid. And every afternoon, just when Mo and I get set up for deck sewing hour, there is often a brief but soaking rain squall. Sometimes thundery, oft times not, but it drives us indoors to do household chores instead of enjoying our brief beloved summer afternoons.

"Why are you vacuuming, mommy?"

Here are the blocks I've done for two projects, Feathered Star and BB Antebellum Schoolgirl Block of the Month. Interestingly they are pretty much the same block..Stars for July?

This is a SG block, Mme Someone's star; the lady ran a French academy in ? Charleston SC?, can you imagine anything more tedious?  (maybe math camp?)

The 12" blue version. Still do not like it.

The Star shows okay, a pet peeve of mine when Stars look like Xs instead.  I couldn't follow the directions. To me this is an Ohio Star with Square in a Square in its center. The points are Flying Geese. Easy peasy.

I tried to use star fabrics for July but color/ value took precedence.

Here's the brights 9" version, using Hideous fabrics.

Square in a square in a square.This was a smidge hard to pattern, as the purple polka dot square had to be 4.5/ 5" but the center had to fit within the unknown yellow, so there was no starting point.  There's a formula but 1- I lacked info, see previous, 2-I didn't understand the formula---I kept mixing myself up with/ with  seam allowances issues.
It finished exactly perfect, wow!

I used the toile's Hollyhock motif, for summer.

It's less successful, getting that dreaded X shape instead of a star. May redo the geese/ purple outer triangles. But I love the awful fabrics.

There are also  Star blocks for the Feathered Star project,

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A simple Star with Circle in a square and appliqued smaller star.

I did the inner stars with a primitive running stitch, I quite like the effect. HATE the green.

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[off topic] A future block for this project calls for Carolina Lilies, below, Google images:

Google Images

I am not fond of this block and have no ties to  North Carolina. It is used a lot and I despise sewing it again and again. [I guess it was super popular from Civil War times through the early 20th century.]
I plan to sub this Sunflower design.

Pinterest

 I'll use the Kona cotton Color of the Year Tiger Lily  here solid for my flowers, it's a beautiful slightly reddish orange. Again if you look closely, the design is simple stars made with Flying Geese and corners.
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Bitty has been coming to the beach with me. It was so hot one day the Frixion black marker lines disappeared. [heat erasable].  I'm densely hand quilting Bitty, inspired by linear boro or kantha quilting,

Here is Bitty made by my friend Sue. Hers is entirely finished and it is adorable. I love how she quilted it.

We began together and I was sooo ahead, doing the hand applique last Fall on the deck with Mo. But oh my, she really caught up.
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I have NO idea what happened the rest of this July---lotta cooking and cleaning? Mo's walker comes early because of the heat. Mo is not amused.

 
He perks up when his big Chewy.com box is delivered.

And I made this fun garden stake, using an iridescent glass scallop shell and a cool driftwood flag pole remnant.

I'm so thrilled with my flowers, all from seeds. My friend Michele grows fabulous flowers from seed and her hint  a few weeks ago was to use Miracle Gro at least once a week. I tried it and --wow!

And here you can see the outdoor tablecloth I made, white with pineapples.

My table sheds rusty brown dust even though it appears to be faux wood slats. Bad for sewing.  I took a Home Goods outdoor tablecloth and gave it what I call apron ties. Cheap and functional and cute with my deck stuff.

Let's have a fabulous fun and not too hot August!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

Below , Inspired by my friend Hunter---Tangles, or Zentangles. A sort of mindful meditative doodle art? I had to try. Hmmm...needs practice! I'll add a link if Hunter says it's okay, so you can her beautiful drawings.