Beach Umbrellas Quilt

Hi! Just in time for summer...I finished my Beach Umbrellas quilt...

I've always loved this traditional pattern but it looked so hard!

 I thought it was made up of wedge shaped pie slices then the octagons would be set somehow into a background of four pointed stars.

But no! The blocks are squares cut into quarters on the diagonal. One simply
string-pieces across both ends.[ see details here].  I collected brilliant pink and orange and red fabrics for years...

this Lily Pulitzer piece, found on eBay was the inspiration swatch, later used for the label...

More thought went into this design than perhaps meets the eye.

The central area of the quilt is the sandy beach, closely dotted with colorful beach umbrellas.

( Google images above. Too close for comfort! Lucky for me I have a lot more space and open sand, below.)

I used four different tan ''sand'' prints, each with beach motifs: shells or sandcastles, or footprints, exactly as you'd see at the real beach....

The borders are the blue ocean water.

I chose a turquoise batik with a pattern of rippled circles, like ripples on calm seas.

The binding is wide, same turquoise, with lime green hearts that are the waves further out to sea....and hearts for loving the beach.

I chose not to use a contrast binding, I wanted to enhance the feeling of limitless ocean beyond the beach.

The backing is a watermelon print batik in my design colors. What says summer days and picnics more than fresh rosy watermelon?

Then Mr Sun, a motif that is on almost all my quilts, somewhere....

The machine quilting was completed by Lori C. at Quilter's Imagination, on eBay. The first person who tried to quilt this top had difficulties with the thick fabrics where the points converge. I almost threw the unfinished quilt away in disgust and dismay! My friend here, Mel, talked me into going out late one night a few years ago, to rescue the discarded disaster.

And now I am glad I listened...

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

 

 

 

 

note: aerial beach umbrella pix are from internet.

my own beach is too empty,

lol....no 'brellies.

all other pix by me.

 

 

Random Walks

Hi! From the comments it seems we ALL love foggy beach days!
Including me, but the recent threats of thunderstorms along with the foggy days have kept me from walking far down the beach. One of the most dangerous spots in a thunderstorm is supposed to be the beach, although I have to say I never actually heard of anyone being hit by lightning on the beach here? You can see there is nowhere to shelter or hide...

So one blustery grey day I went back to the bird sanctuary to check on the turtles and ospreys....

No turtle eggs, or baby turtles at the park. On my beach I did see these distincitve zipper-like tracks, which implies there's turtles here somewhere, if hidden...
click to enlarge

 

Word is they have gone upscale and live in massive numbers in the sand traps of the golf course! The golfers call them snapping turtles...I am not sure what they are, but I'd hate to get ''snapped''....

The ospreys are busy!

They search these hidden pools of water for small fish to feed their ravenous babies.

So anyway that day was windy but clear...and all of a sudden, as I was hiking the trails, the fog rolled in. Fast!

And I got lost. Hard to imagine. This is a small park, in the sense that it is just maybe a quarter mile of roadfront. But it extends way out into the marsh. And I was, well, scared?...Suddenly could see nothing familiar. I had taken the wet trail way north into the bog.

Everything looks so different in the park since all the trees are down from the hurricane. It is still very brown, too, salt and wind damage.....

There I was, lost, a mile from home!

Of course not really and despite all the conflicting signs, arrows pointing every which way, all saying [so useful] Trail...why not, um, Parking Lot?---- I found my back to the car.

 

 

 

The worst part was that the fog had prefaced the arrival of a spring thunderstorm.

 

Weather Bug had let me down, no warnings online...and my kids were watching the TV reports with dire red warning banners and worrying! But all was well...

Next time I'll leave a trail of....?

love

lizzy

.............. gone the beach

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Summer!

first beach rose

Hi! Hear that sound? That's Mother Nature and the Weather Bug laughing hysterically....

One of my favorite artist/ writers Susan Branch just did a very charming Summertime post on her blog... All about Island Time/ Beach Time, and how Memorial Day weekend is the first weekend of summer to those of us at the beach.here

For the past couple weeks I've been busily preparing for summer...

I dug out the beach totes. And the hastily stored beach towels. Used them last to mop up H. Sandy flood....

I bought a new beach chair! New flip flops, new sneakers...a few new tank tops and linen capris...J Jill "All You Need for Summer"

Been redoing the house in its summertime blues...

 

 

 

Remember the thrift shop flag sham?

 

 

Set up the deck, put out the tikis and Ladybug. [The pots have daylilies until later in June when I plant annuals]....

Here's my seeds started. Herbs, morning glories, sunflowers....

Oh and I put out my flag! My dad made this for me, years ago...

I bought hotdogs and beer! And the beach is ready....

See the lifeguard stands?

But what's wrong with this picture and why is Nature laughing at me?

 Note the black clouds and steely grey waves. It is 46 degrees and a 40 mph gale is blowing.

Rain is spitting nastily, with intermittent drenching downpours. I've seen balmier New Years Days! It is freakin' freezing cold! Dug out the sweaters and wellies. Went for a walk.
Just me and my shorebirds.
Glad for one more day, or even two! of solitude...

love

lizzy

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