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.

Off topic a tad, an interesting, if AI, post about quilters and quilting: "How many quilts does the average quilter make a year?

AI says: Interesting - how many quilts does the average quilter make a year? The average quilter starts 11 projects a year, and finishes 9, spending six hours per week dedicated to working on quilting projects. Most projects are small, such as lap quilts, and are made in a traditional style.Aug 30, 2025'''    from Google

12 quilts per year, to me, is unimaginable. What would you do with them, where would you store them, how would you even afford to make them, etc? And--why? If I finish a couple --or  just one mini, I am content. Your thoughts?

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Next few weeks probably will be busy doing tie-dye and bedazzling camp tees. [Screen shot.] I usually don't quilt while I tie dye as my hands, gloves or not, get dye all over them, and it can transfer and ruin a quilt block. Every year I challenge myself to improve my dyeing technique. Looking at a rainbow scrunch prep here.

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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....