Friday, June 24, 2011

An old Fower Garden Quilt UFO

I put these hexagons together in the 70's. I sewed them togeter by hand using a blanket stitch. I've had the gold for the edge for a long time. Yesterday I decided to work on it. If I get the borders basted on, I can work on it in the evenings.
It's made of heavy cottons and corderoy fabrics.




I also got the backing for my "Dear Jane" quilt. I plan on layering it tonight or tomorrow so I can start quilting it. That one will be by hand! I've spent too much time putting all those little squares together.

Greenhouse and Garden

We finally got the garden planted. We also harvested two cucumbers from the greenhouse.

This is melons in the front, and corn in the back. Nyda started corn in the greenhouse. When she planted it, she also put some seeds in a couple of small rows. We'll see which one is better.

The tomatoes and peppers were also started in the greenhouse. The tomatoes look terrible. The last two days the rain and almost hail have tried to kill them. There were some that said there was a small tornado south of us on Wednesday.

It's almost July and the peas are just getting started. There are onions and potatoes in the other side.

Nyda uses a vibrating tooth brush to polinate the tomatoes.

Here are the first cucumbers. There are cucumbers in the raised bed with the tomatoes, and in some hanging pots.

Just yesterday Nyda started to plant the pots and planters on the patio and around the front. We couldn't afford to plant so many flowers if she didn't start them from seed in the GH.


We also got the pond pump running in both the big pond and the one outside my studio.

Look at the gold fish!


These Alum were in full bloom just outside the door last week.


We had flowers all spring, despite the weeds! Dafodills, tulips. Then lilacs and the flowering trees. Now the poppies and iris. I just didn't get pictures. The BEES have been swarming around the flowers. It's been a slow spring for them, too.



Owl quilt finished

I have had 12 owl quilt blocks in my UFO pile since the 1980's. The pattern is from an old Quilters Newsletter Magazine, I don't know which one. I did a close button hole stitch around the pieces that looks like a satin stitch, by hand. I would pull one out and work on it from time to time, until I got them all embroidered.
Earlier this month, I pulled out a colorful leaf print on black and made up each block in a quilt as you go manner. It took a few days to quilt and then sew the blocks together. Each block is a different design. I was trying out some of Leah Day's designs and few of my own. The borders were quilted seperately and attached just like the blocks.

Here are closeups of two of the blocks.




Here is the quilt. It is 44 x 66 inches.



Here are closeups of the back of two blocks.




Her is a picture of the back joining between two blocks.

Monday, June 6, 2011

I finished a boys quilt.

I finished this quilt in May. Last fall, I was going through my fabrics and found a bunch of fabrics that would work for a boy or a girl. I put them together to make a toddlers quilt. Lined in flannel in a monkey print. I had it ready to quilt when I got sick and spent time in the hospital. This spring I was feeling well enough to get back to my studio.

Summer?

We have had the worst weather this spring. We don't get tornados or hurricanes here in South East Idaho, but it has been a long winter. Spring has been cold. Since April we have had snow, rain, snow, rain, sunshine(one day), and on and on. About 1 good day to 10 days of yuck.

Last week it froze, rained, rained, and talk about wind! Three to four days of 35 - 40 mph winds with gusts up to 50-60 mph. We put the top on our patio cover and then took it down again. I was afraid if we didn't we would find it in Wyoming!

We finally got enough good weather to plant tomato and cabbages out side.

My sister's hobby greenhouse is doing good. This spring she added a long low raised bed for salad plants. She was using large pots for greenhouse tomatoes. She built a raised bed in the center for the tomatoes instead. Lots and lots of 5 gallon bucket loads of rocks(for dranage) and even more of bedding soil.

All the tomatoes have blossoms.


This is the long bed with radishes, lettuces and onions.


These are the fuchsias she bought as tiny seedlings a couple of months ago. They will go on the patio soon.


The last three years we got almost as many tomatoes from the greenhouse as from the outside garden. Last year it froze the tomatoes on June 17! We will see what happens this year.