Summer Begins ~ Fourth of July

Good evening, friends! It has been a lovely holiday weekend here at the beach. Some clouds and humidity made for less than perfect photos at times but with good weather and friends and family gathered round, it was my idea of perfect.

Of course my dad's flags were prominently displayed. The outdoor one actually goes up on Memorial Day and remains out til Christmas.

I stuck my little flags in all the flower pots and in jars and crocks around the cottage.

Poor Mo was decorated too. [He did not like the star garlands!].

Sadly he is mostly banished into the air-conditioned house; the heat and humidity and excitement were very hard on him at times.

Early summer morning walks, to beat the heat. Mo and I looked to see what everyone was doing to celebrate.

Daylilies always bloom for 4th of July.

Pretty fence flowers peeking back out at us!

Beautiful large starfish sculpture, very Jonathan Adler. I love it.

Deck flowers are blooming!

Nigella from Mel, from seeds.

Lilies my son planted for me the summer I was in such pain.

Later it was off to the beach! Some clouds, which is actually a good thing, makes intermittent shade.

Far, far, over a mile round trip.

some crowds,

but nice.

Here's Gully.

Rose hips replacing the fragrant pink blooms.

This is fun! Look what I discovered on the big beach to the east: the big red buoy.

It is still here, I never realized, because its antennae and red light have been removed, its bell silenced. It has become partially buried in the sand. I hope to get over to see it up close, soon.
Below, photo taken from the boardwalk over the dunes, red buoy is in left, top corner.

Here just after it washed ashore, last spring.

For the Fourth, my friends had their annual BBQ. As always it was delicious. I'll put the menu and recipes here at the end.

Later I wanted to sit on my deck and watch the Grucci fireworks live, but guests prevailed, everyone was hot and tired, so we watched the Macy's fireworks on TV. Ridiculous.

Mo loves these friends' quiet garden and he was so happy to have all his ''family'' together, even though we had to enforce the No Treats rule due to his hot weather iffy tummy. [yes he puked in their immaculate living room, sigh.]

..............................................

Friday a big box arrived from my quilter! So exciting.

I stayed up late prepping my July Country Year block and sewing bindings onto the newly finished quilts!

Today we had drier weather, but very high winds. You can see the seaweed blown ashore at high tide, 2 PM, so not raked away yet.

The wind kept the flies away, but made it impossible to sew on "July/ Sailboat". Maybe just as well, bec I don't like the left sail's shape, even though it is carefully copied and fabric ironed around its paper shape. I will redo it. I also brought the Pinky Dolly Quilt, glad to have it to work on. Sewing binding is a perfect beach project.

I hope your long weekend was good too, maybe a little sewing or reading or time with those you love. Happy Summer!

4th of July BBQ Menu

Italian Pinwheel sausage, pork with basil and cheese, Good Seasons marinade.

Sweet marinated Chicken breasts.

Marinated Skirt steak, delicious and different marinade.

[you'll note everything is marinated! LOL. BBQ, right?]

My mom's classic German potato salad, vinegar and oil dressing, no mayo.

My friend's roasted veggie pasta salad.

Ralph's Italian cream ices: raspberry, peanut butter, vanilla chocolate chip, lemon. Handmade, hand packed. A summer party staple. [My offer to make strawberry shortcake was politely ignored.]

****************************************************************

Rolatini with Roasted Vegs and Arugula

Whatever pasta you wish to use, cooked al dente, she used de Cecco spirals

Fresh baby arugula

sundried tomatoes

Roasted, cooled vegs -  cherry tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, fairly fine dice.

Feta cheese.

Good Seasons Italian dressing, or any garlicky vinaigrette you like.

Enjoy!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.......

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Fourth of July!

love,

lizzy,

gone to the beach.......

It's July! ~ June Quilt Show and Tell

It's July! The year is half over but summer has just begun. [Finally.]

On the quilting home front, first up, Lori's Stringalong Project. I didn't get as much accomplished as I'd hoped but I am very happy with what I have so far.

Here is the pieced section on my bed, so you can see scale and layout.

I was rescued from my setting dither by blog friend Penny, who very kindly did a layout for me in Electric Quilt 7.

I was stymied because I have very limited sashing and corner fabric and could not allow myself a cutting experiment/ error. With Penny's invaluable help, I could print out diagrams and make notes for exact cutting amounts and for the always boggling diagonal piecing structure.

My stack of blocks might have sadly languished in their box without the diagrams.

Once I cut the sashings I could then cut the setting triangles. Penny also kindly included cutting measurements but I wanted the big triangles to have their long sides on straight grain, therefore needed to cut a large square into fourths, and I'd need 3 [12] of them?

I spent a somewhat fun evening [in my imagination, I don't even recall who the guys was!] thanking my old middle school geometry/ algebra?  teacher for imparting the basics: a x a + b x b = c x c [''a squared plus b squared equals c squared'', my keyboard won't write this.]; so the square is cut the square root of c.---or 19"-ish. Aren't we so glad we paid attention back then! And we told our parents math was a waste of time, "I'll never use it!"

So here I am , hoping for some rainy days to continue piecing.

I still love my Baskets but in a way I feel that they are soooo simple that they in some ways evade the fun challenge of strings. I can't lift the photos from FB and Pinterest but some of the antique string quilts that Lori has featured for inspiration are fabulously creative and intricate. Something to mull over.

.....

Bitty is a small someday/ maybe/ future ''heirloom'' [how outdated and dumb of me] baby quilt that many of you have watched me work on for 2, 3 years now.

She was unfolded and taken to the beach yesterday. Of course my Frixion pen wouldn't work in the hot sun.

I was slightly dismayed that the project is not, as I thought, half done. Maybe 1/3 done. But I do have all summer. [The fabrics are white ground, not ivory.]

I do love the texture of the handquilting.

......................

Year in the Country: June / Rooster is finished. 

So cute! I modeled him on a picture of a breed called Grey Lace Orpington, I love the name! But Orpingtons are usually blond, who knew? Truly he is an all-American Plymouth Rock, I think. HERE

The hollyhocks will all get yellow french knot centers after it's quilted, and button eye removed then replaced. I always have to tack on the eyes so the birds come alive!

This is the only block that did not have the name embroidered on it. So I added it, Rooster wanted recognition.. Not in the photo, he fell on the floor, lol, but I found a little orange plastic piggy on the beach. He will maybe get attached in the end too, it's a farmyard, needs a pig.

..................................
At the church flea on Friday I found this toile valance, $2.oo.

It has really cute, sharply rendered scenes. Part of the reason Hideous was set aside is that it features a purple toile and I've used up all the scenes; what's left is repeats. I was thinking the rest of the blocks can have black toile, or if I find purple dye I may try overdying it.

.......................

Back home: Does anyone know what this is growing in my zinnia pot? Mel? Is it an herb or a weed?

And from Kit, more tea party garden art. Kit has teacup flowers! Aren't they adorable.

Many thanks to those who have asked about Mo and his knee.

He seems fine, he likes his supplement; he is struggling with the sudden heat but that's another issue. I find he loves burbling water, he even likes me to drizzle his water from a bottle so he can lap it as it falls. He may find it hard to breathe when he drinks as his flat face makes his nose submerge at times. I plan to look for a water fountain for him, though he prefers to have ice in his drinks, not sure how that'll work, hahaha.

This was last night, I was getting ready for bed and when I came back from brushing my teeth, I found this! Look at that face, those puppy dog eyes! ''Mommy, you can sleep over there."  He had NO trouble at all jumping up and making himself at home on my side of the bed, on my pillows. "Were you reading my Kindle, Mo!"

Have a wonderful July! Stay cool, but enjoy the warmth and freedom too.

love

lizzy

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

Link to Lori's blog, for everyone else's string quilts: Humble Quilts