Donation Quilts & Garden Report

These are the donation quilts I was working on at Margaret's, up in the Kawarthas, in between bottles of wine cups of tea.

 - first up is the green/yellow that is destined for the Quilts of Valour.  Lots of remnants went into this.

These next two lap quilts are going to the Juravinsky for chemo patients.  There is a manly DUCK quilt, and a cute tiny-flower quilt that inadvertently had some spare parts quilted into it.

GARDEN REPORT
The garden is planted, although I still need to find Butternut Squash seeds or plants, and I have to buy more basil seeds since I lost (?) the package that was in my hand two weeks ago.  Hate it when that happens!!  The zucchini has been planted in the big pile of semi-composted grass/garden clippings collected over the past year - this is an experiment, so I'm wondering about planting another patch, conventionally, in some dirt.  If I don't have zucchini to torment DH with, how will I amuse myself all summer? On the back patio I will be planting some herbs in pots to save myself from walking all - the - way  to the far end of the yard when I'm in the middle of making supper.  So, I still have some work to do, but for the most part I am on weed patrol for the next while.

Tumbler in 30's prints and Stash Report

Finally the Tumbler quilt in 30's prints is finished.

This was majorly (is that a word?) delayed when I broke my wrist in January.  I had the quilting finished, but I was working on the binding.  You need an opposable thumb to do hand stitching.
The yellow bands are quilted with a cute strawberry design.  The tumbler pieces were cut using my Accuquilt Studio Cutter (referred to as JAWS around here).  Click the JAWS tab at the top of the page if you're curious about renting some time to cut your own.

The borders are scalloped, using the quilting design to divide and mark.  Scalloped borders take FOREVER to bind.  The binding is skinny - finished at 1/4".

This morning I came down to see what 5 1/2 hours of stitch-in-the-ditch looks like, and to continue on for several more hours.  This is going to be a beauty.  And my massage therapist will be glad to see me next week to unkink my back.

MAY STASH REPORT
Used this month  26.55 m
Used YTD          38.35 m
Added this month  21 m (I bought a bolt of black broadcloth and a bolt of grey - staples for the larder, ha ha)
Added YTD          24 m
Net 2013              - 14.35 m

I didn't really use all that fabric in May, but I don't count stuff as off-the-shelf until the quilt is finished.  This tally includes the tumbler quilt, and the three donation quilts that I worked on earlier this month.  I'll post pics later...

Pineapple Quilt and Dust

What a great use for 'braid' piecing.

The pineapples were treated to s.i.d. both outside and inside.

Border treatments, x-hatching, and a motif in the background squares rounded out the quilting.  I premarked the x-hatching with blue washout marker before loading the quilt.

The backs always look so great.

Do you have a piece of furniture that acts as your 'dusting barometer'?  We were having company for dinner, and when I removed the tea cozy that had been sitting on the dining room table for... um, I'm not sure how long, it had apparently been quite a while since I had dusted.

Now, this looks so much nicer.  And let me tell you - those lilacs smell awesome.  And awesome is a word that I don't use.  There are not too many things that inspire 'awe' but every time I get within 15 feet of this bouquet I stop and take a big sniff.  Joy.  Maybe the word should be joysome.

Today I'm nursing a bit of a sore back.  This past weekend (May two-four: planting permission weekend) I emptied out the compost bin.  The nice, finished stuff from the bottom of the bin went in a bucket and is destined for my flower containers.  Everything else, including what just got dropped INTO the compost bin, was shoveled on the east part of the veggie bed and DH tilled it in.  Feed the worms.  Love my worms  :-)  The gruesome part of shoveling out the bin is the nests I always manage to disturb.  This time it was mice.  Twenty little mice along with their mommy and daddy went running for the hills, which really means they are now living in my phlox.  Last year I dug up a nest of bumble bees.  That time it was ME that went running for the hills.  Yesterday was plant-up-a-lot-of-the-garden day.  In went:  Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, beans, carrots, beets, spinach, zinnias.  I've already transplanted a bunch of volunteer garlic, lettuce and cilantro.  Hopefully I'll be harvesting lettuce in the next couple of weeks.  Over the next few days I will get in the seeds for butternut squash, cucumbers, and of course zucchini (heh, heh, heh).

Lord Love a Duck !!! And the first GARDEN post of the season

I try to do some charitable things because I feel pretty blessed most of the time. 

• I have a roof over my head, which does not leak.  
• I have 4 working limbs, except for the odd few months when pieces of me are in a cast.
• I have a fridge full of food.  
• I have a husband who gives me foot rubs.
• My dog usually comes when I ask.  

Like a lot of people (surely I am not the only one?) I am hoping that my little pay-forward will count in my favour when the final tally is taken.
Here is one of the little quilts I made at Margaret's, quilted with a nice fluffy flannel backing.  This is destined for the local cancer treatment center.

Wait!!!  Heavens to Betsy!!!  What is this bump?

Pfft.  I can be such an idiot.  I'm glad mom taught me to laugh at myself.  I inadvertently added a little extra, um, stuffing to the quilt.  This is a piece of my Red Snappers that are used to attach the quilt top and backing fabrics to the leaders.  Someone (?) was obviously not paying attention.

FIRST GARDEN POST OF THE SEASON
Yeah, ah, thanks Mother Nature.  I loved the hot & sunny last week.  Do we really need snow & frost warnings this week?  Hmm?  This is my red-neck version of frost protection for my asparagus.  I harvested 4 spears on Saturday.  GO ME!!!

Sampler Quilts - Love 'em

The jewel tones in this quilt really sparkle.

Such a great setting with the log cabin blocks.

When I took my black eye to the Vittoria Quilt Show last Friday I saw this novel colour wheel.

These teensy quilts are just so darned cute.

Some of the quiltmakers got enthusiastic with embellishments.

Some put their efforts into the quilting.

And who says a quilt has to have straight edges?

Quilt shows are a great way to spend a few hours, and spring is definitely quilt show season.  Put away your mop and leave the beds unmade - go get some inspiration!!

Sunday in the Kawarthas

So far, the weekend at Margaret's has been wonderful.  Friday night we had pesto chicken over red quinoa with squash on the side, and dessert of chocolate cake & ice cream.  Then I pieced the duck strippie.

Saturday we had french toast for breakfast.  That fueled us up for the Kawartha Quiltmakers' Guild quilt show.  Supper was salmon with roasted potato wedges and asparagus, followed by chocolate cake & ice cream (again??).  Then I pieced the brown/peach strippie.
Sunday morning we served up oat pancakes with salted maple cream, and finished the chicken leftovers for lunch.  My green & yellow blocks have been pieced in between meals.  I'm taking a wee break to have a cooler on the deck, whilst cursing my poor decision to NOT pack shorts,  Stupid. 

At the quilt show I bought a cheap, used book in the Member's Boutique about tailoring secrets.  This got us into a long reminisce about the clothing we used to make, before we got into quilting.  I'd have to look pretty deep into the closet to find anything left from those days.

the Irish Quilt

This pretty Irish quilt was made by the gal who was supposed to come with me to Margaret's for our weekend retreat.

There are a few different swaps involved in this - green 9-patches, green Birthday Club blocks, and an Irish tinner swap.  Then she added the lovely shamrock applique in the border.

Did you notice that I said she was supposed to come with me?  Well, yeah.  She's sick.  So she may be on  her couch, cuddled up under this.  With the shamrocks & leprechaun hats.

Now, as for me... you would think that poking yourself HARD enough to make this happen might be something you would remember.  Umm, ... nope.  So today I get to wander around the Vittoria Quilt Show with a shiner.  Then tomorrow I can wander around the Peterborough Quilt Show with a shiner.  Yay.

Anyhow, I'm off.

the Teapot and other stuff

Here is the teapot I painted on Red Hat day.  Honestly - no 6-year-old could have done better.  And it makes a fine cup of tea.

I'm getting ready to head off to Margaret's for a long weekend retreat.  I've cut up more scraps - this time it's yellows and greens.  I still have a couple of UFO's that I should be working on, and I will (!) take one with me, but I have an itch to start something new.

I made a pillowcase to hold the quilt that has gone to Quilts of Valour.  Now I can take another meter off my stash report. Gotta love cheater fabric.

Gardening season is upon us.  Yay!!  Dandelions and grass galore in my flower beds.  The friggin' rabbit is eating my bridal wreath spireas right down to the ground.  Little bastard. My nose is running from adult-onset-allergies, so badly that I just want to stuff a couple of tampons in my nostrils.  But it's warm and my fingernails are dirty.

This afternoon I will be making a ...
CAKE.