Lots of discussion happening here in the American South about race.
What happened last week is horrible. What has happened the past few days in Charleston restores my faith that all people can live together.
These photos are from a church here in Augusta that may be torn down later this year.
The small building was put up by slaves prior to the civil war. They pooled their savings to buy the freedom of a literate black man to serve as their pastor.
This a painful part of our history. A part we shouldn't forget.
The large building was put up around 1875...to me it shows how much progress the black community made in this area in less than 50 years. I hate to think we would lose this.
The inside of the building is in poor shape...
partly from no maintenance being done (one of our photographers fell through the balcony floor! She was bruised and shaken but ok...)
and partly from vandals or folks camping out here.
We were out there photographing for a local museum so the church could be documented before it disappears...
This Saturday I was lucky enough to visit Augustus Jenkins Farmer's family farm and gardens in South Carolina.
He is the author of "Deep-Rooted Wisdom: Skills and Stories from Generations of Gardeners. At the farm he is promoting the resurgence of the crinum lilly.
His approach to gardening is very organic but in a southern way. Lots of natural materials to make the support structures, bee hives, found "yard art."
It was a wonderful place to photograph.
a blue and silver bottle tree...
He, his Mom and the folks working there were so helpful.
One of my biggest surprises was finding out I really loved lemon and fig shaved ice. Of course it was 95 degrees plus by 9:00 in the morning so I think almost any shaved ice would have been wonderful!
This has been a crazy week so today I am trying to take it easy...I have one quilt soaking in the tub (couldn't wait for better quilt washing weather...this one needed a bath now!) And while wait through the 20 minute cycle of changing really dirty water I continue to work on bindings for the quilts for the VA...just one more to go!!!
Did learn something wonderful though...the bright quilt that is being washed right now also has some denim in it! (the dark blue cornerstones...) So it fits well with the other quilts I bought from the estate last week!
Another quilt finished for our local VA! It looks like we will have the 75 needed for the three long term nursing home units...if not we will be really, really close!
My friend Shannon finished this top this week adding to our total!
I have two more to bind...so close!
Been taking more photos of the dragonflies and daylillies! My sister sent me a book on identifying them! Some of the ones that I thought were two different types were really just male and female...sort of like birds they have different coloring.
This weekend I need to get back to work on the guild donation quilt....my goal was to have that done and out of my sewing room by the end of June! Yikes!
like, fry egg on the sidewalk hot. And no, this is not a "dry" heat...humidity 35%...that means the lens of my camera fogs up almost immediately! And it doesn't look like we'll be getting a break anytime soon!
So I will be in my room quilting.
I would like to be washing these two new-to-me denim and chambry quilts that I got at the estate sale. I washed one basket quilt last weekend and it after 12 hours outside...it was still wet! It's that darn humidity! grrr. The denim quilts would never dry out there!
I did put them outside face down to get some sun and a breeze. Really helps get some of the old-quilt-smell out. Not sure how these were stored and they were a bit musty.
These quilts came from the same estate sale, have some of the same fabrics (sort of has a look of the Cherrywood fabrics), similar quilting style and stitches, and have pieced backs of similar fabric. Both have good workmanship. Very good chance they were made by the same person.
I bought the churndash on Saturday. Then on Monday I got a call from the folks running the estate sale. There were a few more quilts and they were going to send them off to a charity. I could make an offer on any of them if I was interested. Yes, it was 101 degrees out...but I went anyways. I had not seen the one-patch at the sale earlier (they had used it as a backdrop for some furniture.)
Since I had the churndash I had to bring home the one patch! Each is a nice quilt but together they really are striking. They are in need of a bath though...hoping for a break in the heat soon!
