Officially Summer...

Living down her in the Southern U.S. where it is hot, hot, hot I find I do more quilting in the summer months than in the winter!

Watson and Dobby in the new garden....

Which is sort of understandable since heat and MS are not compatible  (things like spams and losing my eyesight...duh!)  The "new garden" is sparse for now...put in lots of perennials but they will take a year to fill in.  I noticed this will be more "scrappy" than the other beds...hobby crossover perhaps?  It will mainly be blues and purples but I did slip in some pinks, whites, and bit of yellow/cheddar.

So last night may have been my last "play in the garden" time and for the next couple of months it will be fabric gardens!

I'm finding it difficult to focus...lot so half done UFO's hanging around the sewing room and I'm treating them all like leader and ender projects which mean not a lot of progress on any one thing!

but with the thermometer up above 90 for the next few days I hope to have something to show for the hours behind the sewing machine!

Baskets...

Haven't made too much progress with the baskets...still working on the garden and had to deal with a broken air-conditioner (of course that happens when it is 95+ degrees outside!)

So I thought I'd post a few photos of some other basket blocks, top, and quilts I have in the quilt closet...

This is a Southern Quilt.  These colors are frequently used in the Carolina's and Tennessee regions.

 The three row sashing also marks it as southern.   It is all hand-pieced but the basket handles are machine appliqued.  Several other quilt collectors said they have quilts where the handles are machine appliqued...wonder if it was printed somewhere to do that or the maker was just proud to have a machine so used it where it would be most noticed?!

 Finally, it came from an estate in Aiken, S.C.  Sadly it is in fragile condition due to exposure to heat (Southern baked quilt) which usually happens when they are kept in attics or sheds.

These are some more blocks that came with the ones in my last post.  These are a bit smaller in size.  I love the pink wonky block!  These are in really good shape and will most likely be made into a quilt.  Fun fabrics.

I only have one basket quilt...it came out of a home in Thompson Georgia.

I like the embroidery.

I think the blocks were made by a group since the layout and quality of stitches varies.

This the top I am currently quilting...it is called Charleston Basket but it isn't really a basket just a woven design!  It is based on a turn of the century quilt in the Volkering Collection.

Dobby has claimed this one as his own!

Quilter's bingo followup

Amazing what you can find in your quilting files!  When we were trying to come up with an activity for my guild's May meeting I remembered filing away an article from Fons and Porter on "Quilter's Bingo!"

Basically you make 25 patch blocks in 5 colorways and then call the "numbers" as a color and fabric style - like "Yellow Batik."  It was a fun activity and best of all the blocks were then donated and made into quilts for the Ronald McDonald House!  So far the two in the photo are finished and two more are being bound.

And on a side note...I've found a "new to me" author that me and some friends are reading through...

Barbara Cleverly writes mysteries set just following WWI (Yes Downton Abbey years!) set in India, Greece, France, and England.  So far my favorites are from the Joe Sandilands Novels...

On the quilting side...I am doing some planning and puttering in the sewing room today.  I have these vintage basket blocks and am thinking of embroidering family names on them.  Like a family tree except in baskets...

Still pondering...

Catch-up post!

Let's see...a "catch-up" post...

I was given some fun vintage tops...these wedding rings are huge (almost 24 inches across!

So far I've just laid them out and studied fabric...most are 50-70's.

May make these embroidered blocks into a top for the guild silent auction at our next show...the stitching is on cotton so they are most likely pre-1970 but who knows when the kit was actually finished (at least the embroidery!)

Next, Watson, our new puppy, is growing up quickly.  He starts training school this week...phew!

We got a new roof on our house due to the ice storm this winter...yes, it took that long for insurance and then for the roofers (who are so busy they are working on Sundays!)

And we redid a lot of the landscaping out back...partly due to the ice-storm and partly it was time!  Dobby our cat seems to think we did it just for him!

Heritage Daylillies...went into bloom the moment the landscapers left the property!

So this week I plan to get back in the sewing room...since it is hot, hot, hot outside it is the best place for me!  Should have something to show soon!