Flowers on Parade

     Well, on parade in my yard, I mean. Since my yard is small, I plant alot of pots and containers with annuals to make a color splash.  Yes, you do have to water more. Yes, you have to plant new ones every year. Yes, I think it is more than worth it to live among them.
     Here are some lovelies, more to come another day.

I love geraniums- especially pale pink ones

Potted cyclamen from a tiny Christmas arrangement gift- it is getting happier

This big coleus was from a successful cutting in the fall that rooted, first time ever, the puny one next to it is an unsuccessful one. They were both the same size in the fall.

Two fancy leaf geraniums that I have wintered inside for the past couple of years. They look pretty scraggly by spring, but they fill out when they get back outside.

I found this begonia this year, and I knew it had to go in my new yellow pot.
I am going to try and winter it inside.

It is all in bloom

     I never want to go on vacation this time of the year, because this is when everything is in full bloom in the garden. When it is ugly gray and dead outside, then I want to go.
     I thought I would show some photos of my gardens and the next post will have closeups of flowers and pots. I have a small yard, 55' x 145'. That is fine, except I have to be extra creative to get all kinds of plants in. Lots of times, I have had to take out things- like the blue spruce we chopped down at Christmas. It always changes. I am grateful for rain this year, not so much for the red lily beetle carnage.
     My husband does all the stone stacking, block placement. I plant, weed, and take the photos.

This is where the spruce was cut down, so I need to refigure this area. It is cleaned out and mulched right now. The little pots are perennials I am nursing along till fall planting.

Windows of our back addition- a family room

 

Tiny pond, 4 goldfish, snails and chicken wire to keep out cats and birds, now a fox.

Open area where spruce tree was, added patio blocks along fence to help keep area clean of leaves

Patio with fire pit now fixed

Patio, then the small deck

Sapphire Stars Shines

      Late last week, I received a request for a comfort quilt for a man who is 6'6" who has been diagnosed with massive lung cancer. He had served in the military, now in government planning. I knew I had Sapphire Stars hanging in the tops closet. It was a Mystery Quilt by Kevin the Quilter. It was plenty long enough, but it would not be quick to quilt.
     I used Military Gold Glide on the top, Glide 60 same color in the bobbin and a wide back fabric. I studied the quilt to find what it needed where and used chalk to mark it out. I cannot find refills for my red chalk holder, anyone know where I can get them? I use one holder for white, and one for colored as I need both colors when marking a quilt.
     I had a few issues with tension, but mostly good. I had some issues with the backing pleating along the edges. Never had that happen before- it was rolled tightly on the rollers. I could not stop and tear it out. I used a blue and white stripe for the binding, love it. I quickly washed and dried it, and put it on the design wall to photograph as it had to leave right away to be delivered. I did not notice the desk corner interferring with the lower right corner. I cannot photo it again as it is gone home.
     Because it was 94" long, it did not fit well in the tote I deliver it in, but it was carryable. An orphan block was used for the pocket to hold the book, card, CD, and pocket quilts. My husband said the man was stunned by the quilt. I think it came out well although I did not get to enjoy it done for more than a couple of hours.

You start with a bunch of blocks...

      Almost all quilts start with blocks. Sometimes I get a bunch of blocks as a donation. In a package of donated fabric, I found two sizes of 30s fabric blocks, 6" and 8". In there were also the churndashes that I made into a quilt that the person who donated wanted back. There were some fabric squares left, so I made more 6" blocks for a total of 30. I am not a huge 30s fan, but I tried to figure out somehow a way to show them off, but add a light touch. I did not realize that the blocks, made from 2 1/2" fabric, had been trimmed to 6" before I made the rest of the 10 blocks, so I ended up trimming the blocks I made to match when I went to assemble the quilt. Yikes.
     I used a cream with a white print for the interior blocks, a white on white for the setting triangles,  a light yellow print for the border, and a wonderful print periwinkle for the outer border. Setting the blocks on point I think gave it more excitment although more work. It is 54" x 63" now. I think it will work for a child comfort quilt.
    Now I have those 8" blocks to contend with, hmm.

The large block pile, the small was similar

Adding borders

Completed pieced top

H2H finshed, Utah bound

      Finally, I finished the last and third quilt for the Hands 2 Help drive from Sarah. All three tops were sent to me by Alycia from women she knows. I added borders and quilted them. Packed them all up and the box goes out this morning to Emily. The postage cost took my breath away. Yikes.
     I think that the border I added and the quilting enhanced and calmed down the xblocks so that it is quite lovely.
     I admit that receiving tops, tweaking them and quilting them for comfort quilts is quite pleasantly satisfying and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I hope I can do it again.

The original top I received

The finished top, Stonehenge fabric border, stripe binding

Back, a batik that I had to soak for a while to stop bleeding

Quilting texture before washing

Quilting texture after washing

The quilt roll as packed

A-Mazeing quilt

      I quilted a quilt from someone else because they asked and I could do it. She blogged about it here. It was a Maze design. I had to stare at it for a while to figure out what would look best for the color and requests she wrote. I decided to do different motifs in the different colors. I used Gray Glide 60 for the top thread and DecoBob Dove Gray for the bobbin. Gratefully, it gave me very little tension isues.
     The binding was a flange binding. I sewed it on the back with PremoSoft gray and the front with YLI monofilament, clear. I washed it then and immediately bagged it, packed it, and it arrived clear across the country just as it was supposed to. The best part was it was exactly what was wanted, whew.

The front before washing

The back

When washed, the texture shows much better

Hard one to let go

      Some quilts have a convoluted history. I have some friends who insisted I try to make a Judy Niemeyer quilt. I chose Sea Urchin. They showed me how to paper piece her way. I bought the pattern and gathered the horde of fabric it took. Loved the pattern, loved the fabric. However, making the top was a nightmare of boredom and slowness. Over a couple of years, I started and put it away repeatedly.
     Finally, I gathered it all up and gave it to the friends who started me on the whole boondoggle. I told them they could finish if they wanted and give it away to one of their charity groups.
     I was totally surprised when they gave it back to me, all finished, and told me it was the hardest one of hers they have ever done (they have done almost all of them). It has been on a hanger in my tops closet waiting its turn to be quilted.
    A close friend of mine has had a reoccurrence of breast cancer (25 yrs. remission) and I offered her a comfort quilt package. First she said no, because she is not fond of quilts, but then she said yes. I invited her to come and look at my tops and pick out one, or I would make one for her. I should have done as Wanda does- pick out three or four- and then have them choose. As I pulled tops out of my closet, she spied Sea Urchin, pulled it out and said that is the only one she liked as it was "graphic". I showed her my ideas for the backing, and quilted it. Boy, was it tough to piece- those paper pieced seams are difficult to penetrate.
     When it was quilted, I had real pangs of regret. By the time I finish quilting, in my mind, the quilt is already given but this time it was different. I loved the quilt- colors, quilting, backing and binding. I washed it and bagged it for the package and gave it away yesterday. It was the hardest quilt I ever gave away. I feel guilty for feeling that way, but I did it and she loves it.