Hi! Summer is on a roll now, endless hot sunny days from now until November.
Our heat wave has broken though, Friday it rained!
Rain, just showers, but a front of drier air has prevailed. I suppose there's not a big difference between 85* and 79* degrees---it's the humidity that makes things unpleasant. But one day was so hot I had to keep Mo in and run the AC! In the day time!
This week I was very glad I had Bitty [a crib quilt by Minick and Simpson] all set to be handquilted.
I was too busy and too hot and miserable to enjoy prepping applique blocks, plus the wind at the beach recently has been making fine applique sewing difficult.
Bitty is a bit large for the beach but okay. [The blue stripes are a beach towel, not part of Bitty.]
I plan to do outline quilting for texture.
I tried blue silk thread for the stitching on the flowers. I found I don't like using silk for quilting thread at all. It is too thin; knots and breaks. Back to regular cotton.
I really need bright sun to do decent quilting, so sitting under the umbrella made my quilting look a bit basting-ish here and there! I decided I would go on and do all the quilting, not be fussy and pick out bad stitches. When the entire top is quilted, maybe twenty years from now I'll reassess and redo.
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I often mention how no one ever wants my quilts---or to be fair to myself, ANY quilts! (''ugh, nasty, so grandma, so tacky, not minimal"). I try to be resigned to that, and just work on things for my own pleasure. But now and then I forget my resolutions. Anyway inside that tent
is a darling baby who I gifted one of my tropical beachy baby quilts. The mom accepted and she uses it as a beach mat or diaper change mat with the wrong side only being shown, a large flipflop pattern print from Company Store. My carefully planned, lovingly sewed design is turned to the floor always. The main thing is she uses it. Hmmm.
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After the Fourth I undid the red-white-and blue decor of my house. It felt too hopeful, so "all dressed up with no place to go". We did have a delightful fun holiday, but by Fireworks night everyone was exhausted. Kids and babies and friends all fell asleep long before the fireworks began at 9.45. So my excitement to have a fireworks evening on my deck was a fizzle. Mo and I watched the firewoorks, just us two---sweat pouring down my face.
I'm glad I did not, in the end, make the strawberry/ blueberry shortcake I had wanted. Earlier my German potato salad was a hit though, it was entirely eaten, the bottom of the bowl scraped. Bacon, it was the bacon, right?
So my cottage has reverted to its blue and white self.
I love summer daisies, don't you.
And here is the beach.
I did not get photos but was so thrilled to see the Oystercatcher parents, the couple I mentioned last week, together, carefully shepherding their three little chicks down to the tide pool to learn to eat! Despite all the activity on the beach, there they were, little puffs of grey golfball sized fluff on long stilty legs.
And Gully was there!
And one day we made sandcastles. I haven't had anyone to make sandcastles with for quite a few years. This is a friend's almost-four years old darling little girl.
Have a good week!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
PS I don't know why the crib quilt is called Bitty.
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