Garden Peeping and the Plastic Goose Family has Big News!

Hi everyone! Another weekend is upon us. Why don't the weeks fly by like this in, say, April? Mo and I have shortened our walks due to the hot weather but we still enjoy our garden walks each day. Put on your sun hat, come with us! It'll be fun.

I'll tell you the Gooses' exciting news first in case you're bored by garden walks [but not, of course, by the lives of Lawn Geese, lol.] Nope they don't have new clothes, too bad.
They have a BABY!

Isn't that sweet. I try to imagine what she represents: The owners are the graduate and baseball player, and they have a new human baby? Or, more likely, a new grandchild? Or it's simply a misguided gift from the lawn goose catalog. We'll never know, I guess.

After we see the geese we walk by the koi pond. Sadly, for me, the koi are now hidden by the water plants which have massively proliferated.

I suppose it's cool and shady and delicious under the hyacinths, but only rarely do I catch a glimpse of a koi.

The secret beach alley is always so quiet and pretty.

Other places we enjoy...

Hydrangeas---too sunny and dry this years for a great crop, and no blues. These are old fashioned cone shaped hydrangeas.

These are lace caps, last summer they were deepest inky blue.

My friend who wanted a tropical garden is having great success. He is so proud.

He weeded out some of the earlier small colorful bedding plants I put in, like mini petunias and earlier, daffodils.

Their herb planter.

He left the sunflowers we planted. Hugely tall, 12 feet!? ''Dinner plate'' sunflowers, also known as Russian Giants.

My own sunflower, a transplant from thinning the seeded plants in June.

 Bumblebee bum---in my striped mini petunias. Good to see a bee of any sort, there's been very few. Though this year we do have an abundance of butterflies which is quite lovely. They add so much charm and movement to a garden, I think.

Evenings, when we take our longest walks, are coming earlier, the sunsets richly colored now with a hint, just a tiny hint---of pumpkins and October nights.

see the gazebo top, in a bit from the right?
And two tiny dots to the right of that, traffic lights far away?
Long ago, right in that exact spot,
we could see the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center,
glowing gold in the setting sun.

Have a great weekend. Savor each moment. Soon we'll be wearing our woolies and mittens and scarves. Too soon.

love

lizzy

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

Quilt Blocks Done - Poke Berry and Summertime

So far.... Hi! I feel like I've accomplished so much this summer! And it isn't over yet. Here are my projects for July and a bit of August.

Summertime: 
The side blocks are actually the Summer issue, part 2 of this quilt. I'm a little behind because Part 3 is all piece work so it will have to wait.

I added the kitty.

And I finished the basket blocks except the leaves which will be machine appliqued when my good machine is repaired. :-(

The pattern didn't call for buds but I felt it needed something and I hate leaves. My etsy friend Sue made these beautiful yoyos for me! I wanted texture and something 'not-pokeberry'. I do think I made a mistake and they'll have to be removed for quilting? I LOVE them, the fun-ness, the dimensionality, the pop of color. I plan to use yoyos also on the border which seems to have about 36 berries. Thank you, dear Sue!

Remember last month I showed you the Star fail for the corners?  Great Star suggestion from Cathy---use wool. I love it and am so surprised at how well the wool star sample has washed.

Pokeberry:

I did all the berries, yay. Except a few that cover seams. The rolled ribbon is stems that extend down through future blocks at a later time, then leaves may be added.

My friend L who does beautiful embroidery warded off her pre-wedding [her son's] jitters by embroidering these blocks for me. When I did Flags last year I found out how much it means to me to have friends add to my quilts.

The flag will go in a small House block,
subbed for the church.

Here are all the Pokeberry blocks so far. I think I am about 2/3's done? I love this quilt. It has been so fun. I love learning new things and have so enjoyed the wool applique. I'm thinking of using silk batting, has anyone tried it? Please let me know. And I'd love to use velvet for the backing, I suppose that's a disaster recipe?

I don't love some of the pattern's blocks though. This project is loosely based on my Midwestern prairie childhood memories. The Urn block [see cover photo, below] is being replaced by a crock of black-eyed susans and blue chicory, memories of driving to the Kane County County Flea for crocks, roadsides filled with prairie wildflowers.

I found out it is actually easier to make one's own design than it is to copy, transfer and translate a pattern made by someone else! This was so easy! 

a bit wind battered.
Brown velvet black-eyes for the susans.

Both quilts are by Jan Patek. Here is the cover of Pokeberry so you can see what still has to be done.

I'm in a bit of a quandary about the Horse block. I had planned to sub the large black Kitty from A Little Porch Time since horses aren't a part of my life. But I am making my ground fabrics black, so Kitty won't show up. Maybe a calico cat? or nothing?

Most of the remaining blocks, except the wreath, are pieced and will not be worked on until Fall. I'm redoing the wreath, simplified and less wonky, with apple blossoms and a robin with her nest. Wools ordered from a fave etsy seller Quilting Acres . Errin is so helpful and patient and her wools are beautiful.

This Winter Blues doll quilt also resides in my beach bag. It is my alternate project and is being [rather badly] hand quilted when I run out of applique work or it's too windy. Not looking forward to quilting all these hearts on the border. Hmmm.

And a finish. This sweet doll quilt is finished and bound, ready for my eBay and/ or etsy shop. I may keep the large quilt I made from the same top, not sure yet.

And very last, a peek at a long time project! A new custom quilter did the quilting, what a gorgeous job she has done. "Cordelia's Quilt"....it has a story, to be shared at a future date.

Mo is learning to be patient. Here he is supervising the photo shoot, a big improvement on eating the quilt blocks as I take pix.

How about you, do you like a summer project? My friend BJ is taking a hand applique class, in case she decides to make the Ohio Sampler quilt with me. But it need not be sewing---maybe learning new things? My mother always had a new interest she'd study---one year Provence, the next---Paris or New York. [she liked to armchair travel on hot summer days...].

Or maybe just a little downtime is the best thing, a glass of wine or lemonade, an evening stroll.
Speaking of strolls, Mo and I have been garden peeping. We'll share that next time.

love

lizzy 

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

August surf