Rainy Day

Well, it's a rainy day today and I've been quilting and going to class.    I'm still working on the Dresden Plate quilt and it's slow going but I am hand quilting it.    It's queen sized so it's taking awhile.   

Summer continues it's perfect beauty.

Dresden Plate . . . . continuation

This is my Dresden Plate quilt at this point.   Oops, I also put a border of green on it since I took this picture.   Jim and I went to two stores in search of some kind of fabric for the backing.    I think that perhaps I should have just ordered something online from the same line as the Dresden Plate but . . . ..  didn't.  LOL!

So, I have the backing but still have to do some work on the front before quilting.  Once I do the grass below the flowers, I can put the layers together.   I think I'm going to do SID on the squares and borders with the machine and then hand quilt in the squares and around the Dresden.  I have something special planned for the center of the Dresden but I'm still unsure how it will work.     Happy quilting !

Flowers galore!

Phlox

As we entered July, the flowers started to bloom with the happy magnificience that only July can bring us.     The colors of our sun perennials are absolutely fantastic and the annuals in our yards are continuing their bright happy lives.   

It finally rained last night.   A hard downpour that pounded everything with at least an inch of water.    Everything looks so bright and fresh this morning.  

I was already outside picking a basket of green beans and trying to find the other plants in the garden.   The weeds are larger than they've ever been.    Let me tell you that Lancaster County weeds are much larger than Lehigh County weeds.   LOL!

Now, I just have to process said beans.    Did three quarts last night and have approx five quarts to do now.   Then yellow beans are next.



Happy June 1st

Happy June 1st to everyone!    I can't believe how quickly time is going.    I think that it just seems so because we went from cold temps to hot temps without having a spring . . . . again.    I guess this is just our changing world.     Remember, there is no global warming just changes in temps.

Star Block in progress

This is my star block in progress for the Patriotic Block Swap on Missouri Star Quilt Company forum.    I have three blocks completed.     Each one is getting better.  LOL!

Dresden Plate Quilt

This is how far I am on the Dresden Plate Quilt.   I need leaves yet and a couple of borders.  The quilt needs to be lengthed.  LOL!   Flying by the seat of my pants.

View from my deck

If I aim my camera up (and over my neighbor's home) this is the distant view from my deck

What kind of bird ?

This bird eats at the same feeder as the Goldfinch.    He barely ate at all but keep a real close eye on the neighborhood.   Me, in particular.   Of course, Boz is also outside.    She is a little smaller than he is and all brown.      He is about the same size as a Goldfinch but has red instead which tells me that they are probably some kind of finch.     Only this one pair has made an appearance and neither time was at the same time as the Goldfinches which descend on our feeders in droves.....several pairs bicker and fight over two feeders.....all at the same time.

So pretty !

I now have some of this salvia hanging out in the butterfly/hummingbird garden.   The hummingbirds seem to have left us.  They hung around for about two weeks and then disappeared.  I guess they didn't like the neighborhood.   LOL!.

Augh. . . . . . .

Help, Blogger is confusing me.    Evidentally, I changed my email and when I tried to log it in, the system set me up as a new user for that email.   Now, I have to use the gmail email for logging in and getting responses.   I guess that makes perfect sense.  Unfortunately, I don't check that email very often.   Guess I'll have to now.  LOL!.   

Groff's Plant Farm

Lots of pretty flowers at Groff's Plant Farm.   Come on down.

Star Quilt

Fabrics for Star Quilt Swap.  I finally got up to Joann's to pick up the red, white & blue for the current swap . . . . and a pen to sign the Wild Swap.

You gotta love this living in the country !

Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day 2008 . . . . the last time all four of my children were in the same place.   I wish that I were with you all today to celebrate Mother's Day.   Since we are all in separate places, I would like to send a big hug to all of you and to your extended families as well.

Michelle . . . .Dan, Jared, Victoria & Kirby
Michael
Melissa . . . .  Tom, Gaby, Tommy
Marc . . . .  Danielle & Addy

Have a great Day !

Isn't the "park" coming along nicely?

A view of the wooded section of our back yard.   It's coming along nicely.   The landscaper that works with the builder is doing some more work in the rear to clear out tree stumps and other yucky things.  

Eventually, it will be all grass and a pathway lined with hostas and other shade plants.

Bozwell

Here's goofy Bozwell.   He is a 14 yr old Brittany Spaniel who has decided that he is a guard dog after all this time.    He is on the alert for cats.  Especially a big black cat that lives at the farm behind us.   Watch out cat.

Woodland Flower

Isn't this just the prettiest woodland flower?   I'm going to have to check at work to see what it's called but I suspect that it's some kind of a trillium.  

Dresden Plate

What to do?   I started this thinking that I would make a table runner.   Now that I see it, I'm thinking more like turning it into the focus point of a new quilt by adding stems, leaves and then more of the same color for a border and going from there.    Unfortunately, I didn't notice that two of the colors are in the same place on the left and right plates until I looked at the photograph.  Oh well,  things happen and I'm not going to rip it out.   All that hand sewing.   LOL!

Finches Love our Feeder

This little guy is one of about eight finches that visit our feeder.    I just fooled them and found another feeder where they have to hang upside down.    We had one and the bottom fell out.    So, I had to buy another (which didn't have the hanging upside down feature).   Just found one at Good's yesterday.    Love to watch the birds.

Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens certainly put on a wonderful show this Easter afternoon.   The flowers were beautiful.  The day was warm and we had a wonderful time.

My Kitty

My kitty, Marbles, checking out why she can't get up on the chair. . . . .   Also, testing out my new camera.

Friday, April 22

Okay, it's Friday and I'm just to tired to even think about getting out any quilting.   It was a busy day at work and, to be honest, I just can't even think.   I'd like to post some new pictures from my new camera but they sure aren't going to be quilts.   LOL!.

Free Motion Quilting

Quilting made with my Flynn Quilt Loom.    Towards the end of the quilt, I got the hang of it.

Strip quilting

Made from 5 inch blocks.   The print has some bunnies on it.  Looks like an Easter Quilt to me.

New Camera

I got my new camera today.  I should be able to take really great photos of my quilts.    Just need to get a memory card. . . . can't believe they don't include a small one. .

Flynn Quilt Loom

I finally finished the quilt that I had on the Flynn Quilt Loom.    I think, all considering, it came out okay.   It's a really big learning curve.   I'll watch the video again and see what I can do to improve my outlook. 

Carolina Lily Quilt

I finally got all the hand sewing done on the Carolina Lily Quilt.  Yeah, now I have to lay it out on the bed and determine the size of the borders.    I'm thinking of using the green and perhaps, some more the white.    I'm not sure yet how I'm going to quilt the borders.    The rest of the quilt is hand quilted.

Flynn Quilt Loom

Free Motion Quilting on my New Flynn Quilting Loom.    I'm not sure I could ever quilt a large quilting with this,   But, I am learning.

McCalls America the Beautiful Quilt - 6 part series

I have two parts of the series complete and am working on the third.  

Carolina Lily Quilt

This quilt is machine appliqued but hand quilted as a 18 inch square.     I am almost finished hand-stitching each block together, front and back.

I'll have to put it on the bed before I can decide on the borders.

OMG

They are talking snow again. . . . .can you imagine !   Not so much here in southern PA but where my daughter lives, they are talking 4-6 inches.   Ugh!     Rain here, for days and days . . . . .

Sunday, March 27

Working like crazy on my quilt swap blocks.   Let's see how this goes.    I've never blogged before but I'm willing to give it a try.