Midsummer

Hello, hello, hope everyone is staying cool. Mo and I are set up indoors today, waiting for the air conditioner man to come fix our main AC. But nooooo...he has pronounced it dead!~ Steve the Repair Guy says I need a new AC as sand and rust has clogged mine and killed it. Maybe a new one next week. The bedroom acs work fine so far, so that is where we are staying. And today I have random miscellany to share.

Mo is mad that we aren't out on the hot sunny deck. I told him maybe later when the sun moves away.

He again has ear infections plus annual checkup tomorrow. The chronic ear probs are upsetting. I am hoping the vet has some better treatment to offer us.

This is my little TQC hand sewing project so far. I put it on IG: Which borders should I choose? Which do you prefer? I decided, and will finish the little top soon. Just to mention, I did fix some of the really lumpy poor stitching after photo was taken late one night.

And last post I forgot to show my progress on Winter Marsh. I thought I made more of the smaller stars than I am finding. Usually I'd put aside this machine sewing but if it's really hot I may have to work inside, so I will leave it on the to do pile for now. I need 8 or 11, my notes are unclear. 

                                        

I may hand applique the BIG STARs just to have them in work and done. And maybe I can plan the words I want for the borders, bec I am not embroidering a bunch of song lyrics, eeeew. ''...it's been a long cold lonely winter. Here comes the sun, blah blah blah, here come the sun! And I say, it's all right. lahdi di dah dah.'''

Nancy asked about my little scissors keeper: it is a large antique carved pearl button with actually two magnets glued to the back. One can open the magnet pairs and attach to fabric stretched in an embroidery or quilt hoop. I just stick it on the umbrella pole. Idea from Notforgotten Farm.

My deck pots are doing well. I water twice a day, three gallons of water for three big pots and a few smaller pots. I can expect no rain til late September now. The sun and wind dry everything quickly. The Amazon Potting soil that was supposed to hold moisture has no effect, though the general quality was good. Miracle Grow Blue label. [yes, I know there is a different MG soil that is moisture retaining but it doesn't work for my deck pots, so I tried this one.]

Only the Dollar Store seeds and some random volunteers have grown. Not the fancy Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, nor the saved and swapped seeds. The Costco cannas are growing okay too. Lori [Humble Quilts] says the Mexican Hats bloom late so I am still hoping. We have tried three times now. The beautiful rose campion did not rebloom either.

Nature sketches, lol.

I can see my next week should include some more carefully observed insects! Isn't this the meanest bumblebee you have ever seen! And weighty butterfly!

And silly wasp.

Some cooking! I read on a blog that gets a lot of comments that readers love to hear what bloggers are eating. [is that even true?] So this is something I make when I want a hot meal but it's too hot or too windy to grill.

A stirfry using what was in the fridge: leftover-on-purpose pork loin, leftover corn, aged brussel sprouts sliced thin, scallions, garlic. 

Very quick stir in sesame oil, then I added the Campbell's sauce. You know how I love kits and mixes. 

The sauce was on suggested specials when I shopped online a few weeks ago and I do really like it, uncool, un-'influencer chic' as it is to admit that. The Ingredients are surprisingly inoffensive, the calorie count is rather low, but the sodium is high. Probably not worse than when I make the soy sauce/ cornstarch/ orange juice/ etc sauce myself and much tastier. I found some lovely jasmine rice to go with too.

Yesterday I got my fourth Covid booster, another reason to stay in. No side effects at all, so all the scary ''flu-like symptoms and fever'' stories were just a needless worry. My hip hurts a lot though so I may forgo my evening walk and swim. Tomorrow is another day. 

And a midweek smile: zinnias and bumblebee pugs by IG artist sosunammy.  So precious.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

June and July Quilts

Hi everyone! Mid-July already, must summer pass so quickly? 

Today was an odd day weather wise, 

July has been lovely and cool. The wind howled all day, maybe 30 mph---you try hand sewing tiny TQC pieces as if you're hanging out of a speeding car window. Quite the battle, I am exhausted. Anyway that was followed by dark skies and a looming storm, a fizzle!~ Now we have puffy angel clouds glowing apricot and lavender behind the ugly locust tree.

note the many bungees, for the wind.

The TQC Slow Stitch hand pieced tiny quilt is quite fun. Find it HERE

Enjoyable. The many points and layers of their trademark style were a challenge to piece securely without bulk.

Handpieced blocks, like handquilted quilts are much softer, more stretchy, more organic than  machine pieced quilts. This is the first time I can recall hand sewing blocks, especially such tiny blocks.

One block was Friendship Star which I dislike, so I did the pink and black Birds in Flight, using the pink Gap shirting from friend Penny, celebrating our love of shorebird watching.

I hope the softer stretchy aspect helps everything fit together okay, looks iffy here, even though I constantly carefully measured.

..........My June handsewing/ decktime project: I finished the hand appliqué of the Pineapple/ Gather quilt.

I deliberately sewed the leaves with a pulled running stitch to add texture.

The hearts will be added when the corners are sewed on. As is, they are too big and too traditionally fat.

I like the look of the project, but sadly it is HUGE. Again. No way can it be a door banner, probably not a wall hanging either. The linen looks hard to hand quilt, too.

I am stumped as to where to  go with this. Probably will eliminate the 3 or 4" hsts and borders. I also don't think the words I'd planned will work. To be balanced size wise they will be overwhelming. And you know, ''word art", so twee, so screams of 20-teens, right? [2010-2020]

Gather

WELCOME

 Pineapple may need to hang in the closet for awhile, as blog friend Julie julierose https://julierosequilts.blogspot.com/ says about some of her projects.

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Speaking of hanging, here is Giraffe's hanger, the inspiration block and various possible backings and borders.

I always keep in-work projects on hangers so they do not go lost or get neglected. 

The redwork block does have a few age splotches. Should I try to pre-clean them? I don't want  "I wish I had..." issues like I have with the bloodstain on Autumn Lightning. [Poor Autumn Lightning! I think I now know why it went unfinished. I posted it on Humble Quilts FB page, and got the usual negativity, "too bright, too garish, etc" reaction. Sad.]

And i still make an hourglass block or two after most sewing sessions. I will need a minimum of 42 HG blocks.

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On a positive note, I want to share, with permission, Marian Edwards' Little Flag quilt. She is I think Australian which makes it extra charming that she wanted to be inspired by my little H Sandy quilt. She made it half sized too! Adorable. Pattern info is in a page here, on the header. [or maybe not on the header, so here: https://gone2thebeach.blogspot.com/p/little-flag-quilt-pattern.html H Sandy Tiny Flag]

 

She makes the sweetest  labels.

And unexpected ''happy mail'' from blog friend Bonnie. A great new rotary cutter and fun fabrics for summer projects. I am thinking kids' shorts and sundresses, though that pink is so pretty---quilt back or borders?

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Mo was expected to have a long weekend away but again got sent home early. He was exhausted. I felt so bad, having pictured him in the carers' lovely yard. They didn't give him his "Composure" calming treats, so I am not surprised he got a smidge frantic. Poor little man.

Hope your rest-of-July is lovely! As I finished this post I put the AC on, only second time so far this summer.

love,

lizzy

gone to the beach...

old pics, beach was flooded: high winds, storm, full moon overwash...