Dunes, Late Summer

 

It's October---hot and brilliantly sunny here.

Hi everyone! It is still summer where you are?

I don't think we can call this Indian summer [and is that an okay term nowadays?] since there's been no hint of cool weather or heaven forbid, frost. So I'm gonna go with "summer" even as I walk the dunes and shore and search for signs of changing seasons.

The dunes are quite busy with flocks of birds---blackbirds, warblers, crows, rock doves (mourning doves? NYC pigeon escapees?). Arriving sanderlings, above and below; they will winter here.

In the now flat but grassy outer dune area a small band of maybe a dozen of piping plovers has gathered. Oddly they are snuggling into the hot dry sand as if they are nesting. Maybe they are making their spot for next year?

I know, you can't see them! Their camouflage makes up for their lack of defensive abilities. He's in the clump of grass below the dark green goldenrod, towards the left center.

See?

There have been a few oystercatchers on quiet evenings...October 2nd is their usual final grouping and leaving date. And in the marshes, just a hint of amber is appearing, along with large white herons and egrets. The herons/egrets group into small flocks and always remind me of ghosts in the misty marshes.
 oystercatcher, below with sanderlings and plovers...

Goldenrod is just now in bloom. No bittersweet yet on the marsh verge, did it wash away during Sandy?

The roses continue to flower and scent the air with summer...

The bushes also produce very pretty berries...

though on close inspection I see why no creature eats these prickly fruits...

'

 

Softly waving grasses catch to low sun rays...

I put a pumpkin by my doorstep...I am ready, I'm waiting. Hey Autumn! Where are you...?

autumnal sewing strawberry/ c. 1860 wool paisley [sold]

love

lizzy

..................gone to the beach

 

 

piping plover close ups via my friend M. Thank you!

Seaglass: We brought It Home. Now What?

Hi! Fall cleaning here...or at least thinking about it. What to do with all our year's finds of seaglass?

 

I had an interesting email conversation with my friend Hunter, who was gifted with a treasure trove of rare Maui seaglass. She wants to make something with the finds...but what? Maybe: twisted wire pendants? A suncatcher or mobile? She is a talented crafter so I know she can make something wonderful.

But then I admitted the Truth. We do nothing with our seaglass.

Truly....though crafting with seaglass is fun---a big part of the pleasure is just finding,  owning and displaying it.

I have huge jars of seaglass, including my mom's collection, and my childhood Lake Erie jar---

and we [me and the kids] each have ''new finds'' platters or bowls which just sit out and are admired.
Currently special finds are going on the ship model ledge:

or in bowls....

 

I always say when I die, Please throw my seaglass back into the ocean! Yet I kept my mom's---beautifully weathered pieces from the Elizabeth Islands, off Cape Cod.
Below, our rare blue and white china finds with a chrome dock cleat behind.

The cache grows and grows. Perhaps some dust settles in or on....
below, a permanent collection, from Costa Rica, in a 19th century grey transferware bowl.

These liquor bottle bases are from the golf course beach, found by my son.

 

Hurricane Sandy seaglass bottles...yes, almost a year has passed now.

Every fall we sort and declutter, store the glass shards into their jars.
 

The best/ worst/ is my window ledges that contain favorite finds and my lavender glass collection.
 

 

These were all beach finds except the deepest purple one that came from my dad's collection.

The point is one need not MAKE something with the glass, whatever the quality, to treasure and enjoy it.

 

Above, beach pebbles---we call these bellybutton stones. Even though they have the line all around, and no bellybutton! I don't where the expression originated. These are very prized, usually found on the beach on Cape Cod.

Below, my Zen garden rock stack. There are three more pebbles that go on top but my kids keep knocking them off, darn it.

 

 

 

love

 

 lizzy

 

gone to the beach..... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunter's blog and seaglass post: click here 

Poor Mr Sunshine Quilt

click photos to enlarge

pattern photo/ original quilt

Poor Mr. Sunshine: He is killing me with tedium. Too bad. Funny how you look at a design and think Oh how cool, how awesome. But THEN. The reality is in the details. Minuscule stars, the large ones here are less than 1".

 

 

 Valium sized dots....look at this! 45 dots to sew on, in this segment in pix!

 

 

I shudder for my future, almost gave up.
But....I am sewing slowly on the Tree of Life block. Plotting ways to get those leaves and all those greens just right.

 hers

 

 

mine, so far

 

 I figured if I left this block til last, when all the more fun blocks are done, I'd never finish the quilt top. And I may not. Eensy weensy twigs and branches, dozens of boring green ovoid leaves. I think I counted 70 leaves, some as amall as a 1/4"

Minute black stars that I decided I must have because the design doesn't ''pop'' without them.

Subbed  the black fabric motif instead...will I regret this someday? How close must you follow  a design and still do credit to its original beauty and artistry? How many shortcuts will make it just not worth your time.

I've promised myself I can do the four moon/ sun/ planet blocks next, as my reward. Big and simple.

I've been driven to consider knitting a sweater instead. "Oshima" by Brooklyn Tweed's Jarod Flood, here    

Though again, how a designer can take such a simple design and make it complex to the point of rocket science is beyond me! What the heck is a...tubular?? cast on? [yes, yes, YouTube here I come.] There was entire page just about the cast-on.
And if we double the yarn as directed, will 12 skeins be enough? I never have knitted a sweater with just 6 skeins of yarn, have you?
Or note this market bag scroll to bottom of yarn page : utterly incomprehensible to me. Too bad because it is neat and I bought the hank of linen thread to make it.

All these modern designs also requite the purchase of many multiple sizes and lengths of circular needles, six sets? eight? at about 16.00 each. The sweater requires 10 different sets of needles, if I counted right.  Not good.

Now I am back mulling over the wonderful sweater, hoping brioche stitch is my my knitting pattern book---and I am making a pair of simple open mittens here with my yarn from the NYC Greenmarket. [so far so good, thank goodness I had the right needles!]
Okay---what shall I not whine about? America Hurrah quilt is back and I am appliqueing the year and my initials to add to its folkiness.  I could have enlarged and downloaded the characters of a simple font, but I wanted the letters to be a bit prim so I drew them myself.

I finished handquilting the two doll quilts from Lori  at Humble Quilts winter 2013 quiltalongs. They are each about 16. 5 " square.

 

Loved this backing, kitties, birds...

...and enjoyed seeing again and up close, the tiny fragments of 1800s fabrics from my antique calico collection. (mixed with modern and vintage repros too.)

 

 

I even have had a few days of sewing down at the beach! Yay. Me and my little friend, and a warm but howling gale today! 

love

   lizzy

gone to the beach....

 

 

photos from patterns of original Celestial Dreams quilt are used with permission.