Retiring - Hawaiian style

So we had a little flurry of retirements at work - two in January, and now another one the end of this week.

This time I asked my co-worker what colors she wanted.  She came back and asked if I could do a Hawaiian quilt.  Um - yeah - not me.  I don't applique very much at all - and this definitely was not time for me to challenge myself with something on that scale.

So I compromised - I found this Triple Bear Paw two color quilt pattern online from Martingale Press - and chose two hibiscus and swirl fabrics in the colors that my coworker suggeseted - and "HIbernation" was born (or HI-bear-nation -to be more accurate).

I wish I was more confident with softer rounder quilting -but I did a lot of echo quilting (and pivoting) on this one.  If I had it all to do over, I would have quilted it in a round spiral from the center.

It is nice to be outside photographing again - the spring flowers are starting to pop, and everything is greening up.  After this photo session, I spent the rest of the day transplanting and pruning shrubs, weeding, and giving the rosebush a much needed "haircut."

 

Garden 2014

With 80 degree weather today (unusual - though welcome) I think we have finally shaken off the long cold winter that hit us this year.  Yesterday I was able to open up the house and wash 24 windows, and the windows in 3 doors - plus clean all the curtains.  AMAZING what a difference that makes - the fresh air, the clear view... who would have thought that cleaning would be so theraputic!

Today found me cleaning out the garden beds.  I didn't make it all the way around - if you've paid any attention to the pictures of my gardens - you may have noticed that I nearly have more garden than lawn.  Lets just say that Munchkin and I filled SIX big paper leaf/lawn bags today -and that didn't count the two that got filled last weekend, or the big pile of sticks we put at the curb.  I got the leaves and debris raked out of the front and side beds - everything from the back of the house to the back fence still has to be done - but truly isn't as bad.  The front beds collect the maple leaves - the back beds not so much.  It is mostly trimming out the dead flower heads that I left in for the birds.

It was also a good time to do some trimming - as with no leaves on the small trees and shrubs I was able to see where the crossed branches were and cut away to open things up.  I even tackled the rosebush - though I did not escape unscathed.

Not too much is blooming - crocuses, flag iris, snowdrops (lots and lots and LOTS and LOTS of snowdrops), and one little tiny daffodil just getting ready to open (snow forecast for Tuesday, Mom - right as always!)  The hyacinths are ready to burst out, and I can see the beginnings of the rhurbarb, strawberries and hops, along with many many other sprouts and buds and signs of life again.  YAY!

I even got busy with some planting!  I didn't do anything outside - I need to do some tilling in my raised beds and my garden claw has disappeared - so hopefully when we return from some Easter travels I will be able to get a new one and get in some of those early spring "cold weather" crops.  In the meantime, I have some lettuce and basil already sprouted and moved up to the next sized container in my "greenhouse", and I put in some seeds today.

It was 'thyme."

 

Proof of existence

I am here... Though I know it's been a while.  It was a busy busy August.  My garden was neglected, my sewing mostly "crunch time prep" for the quilt show, even my new found running habit took a hit and I only got out a few times this past month.

But I made it through - we had a great Churchville Lions Country Fair, a great visit with my dad (who arrived the day after the fair ended), and then a great 2 days of the Caledonia Quilt Guild show (the 2 days after Dad left) - then a little R-n-R with a visit to Boston, then the wind down to school starting again.

Some pics of what was going on:

Grandpa and Munchkin

Tin punching at the museum.

The entrepreneur at the Guild member's bazaar.

Challenge quilt for the quilt show - all based around the gold fabric in the sunflower.

My Strippy Trip Along... probably one of the "ugliest" quilts I think I have ever created.  A bit more is planned for this one and then I will be gifting it - but it is definitely NOT one of my favorites.

At Old Sturbridge Village

Some of our garden harvest.

Munchkin sporting his orange belt in karate, with his buddy "Todd" from The Monster Factory.

... my 'obsession' when all the rest of this was going on - working on this quilt bit by bit and figuring out how it will all go together.  Setting triangles for bottom and sides are still needed.

Looking forward to a bit quieter September - though with school starting in 2 days, Cub Scouts starting in 2 weeks, and karate throughout, I am not holding my breath.

Fiorire

Fiorire - to flower, to bloom, to blossom, to flourish.

This quilt is a graduation gift for a dear friend who has done - and is doing- exactly that!  It will be sent with wishes for continual blooms in her life!

This was done with the Lazy Angle Ruler by Lazy Girl Designs and a pattern by Jaybird Quilts (links here because I am being too lazy to link them all again) - though I took a few liberties to make it a bit bigger (and added a few different blocks because I messed up the math).  I also added a pieced border to this.  It is a nice generous throw - with a flannel "batting" so it drapes ever so nicely.

The backing is a piece of fabric from Ikea - wide enough for what I needed, but just a smidge too short, so I added in a pieced strip up top.  I didn't pre-wash this and it held up nicely - adding to the overall "crinkle" that I love so much in my quilts.  I loved the birds -and they fit nicely with this quilt - even though they are a bit more "subdued" than what is going on with the front and all the colors.

I did a concentric spiral quilting on this - which is something I have done a few times now.  I like how the gentle curve breaks up the angularity of the blocks.  In the lower corner of this picture, you can see where I added some free motion quilting in the center of the spiral, loosely following one of the flowers on the fabric.

I love how the quilt looks with the flowers in the garden (actually my neighbor's garden) - many of the same colors are blooming in the fabrics and in the flowerbeds.

I am not sure when I will get this delivered - I would rather not ship it and the recipient is not local - but hoping it will be soon.

Garden update

I haven't posted a whole lot about the garden - yet.

We did very well this year getting things started indoors - we've been harvesting windowsill lettuce since before Easter, and just took the "indoor greenhouse" down and packed it away.  The seedlings have all been planted - tomatillo, heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and soybeans all found their start in my dining room, and are now thriving outside.

Potatoes are sprouting, strawberries are berrying and I even have a small crop of blueberries on 1 of the 2 bushes we planted last year (the deer nipped the blossom tips off the other one).

Flowers are flowering...

Rubarb is ... well ...... HUGE!!!

It is looking to be a good year - so far.

 

Quilters math

I've been facebooking so much- my thoughts here are short and disjointed...

 Quilters Math: 6x7 does NOT equal 35 (or 36) - that's what I get for making it up as I go along and not writing down my plan.

Rearranging the studio - AGAIN. Jill is coming to visit -and the room has changed TWICE since she was here a year ago.

The garden is calling - yesterday was a full purge of the garage- we emptied EVERYTHING out and put some of it back in.  Today I cannot move...

Hubby just put fresh waffles on the table - so that is where I am headed.

Have a wonderful sunny Sunday!

 

Dirty Tales - how the garden grows

We had a bit of a strange growing season (not over yet... but soon).  It started early with an early thaw and spring, then we got bit by a hard frost around our normal time.  This nipped a lot of the fruit trees - though my berries seemed to fare OK as they had not blossomed yet.

We then had some chilly rainy weather - and so my garden went in LATER than usual.  Some bunny traffic got us off to a bumpy start, but we were going along well.

Then it got HOT.
And then it got DRY.

And then things settled out and the plants that survived all of that have been sharing their bounty.  Here's a little photo tour. Some things just were not being photogenic - like the rhubarb, chives, basil, roma tomatoes, gourds and poblano peppers... but they've all been growing very well.

Hops

"Baby 'Killer'" the rosebush

Sunflower planted by the birds - and consumed by the birds

Sunflower

Watermelon

Yummy tomatoes

The potato that hid during harvest - we got enough for one nice meal!

Broccoli

The arbor pathway into the side garden.

And I can't forget my 'best' crop of all - shown here on the 1st day of 2nd grade:

Dirty Tales 2012 - the season begins

It is a new gardening season - after a very strange winter.  On the first of March, I was outside in shorts and able to do a lot of cleanup work.  Then we had snow on the 30th.  Then shorts weather again - then a hard freeze.  Luckily it looks like nothing major got nipped -but I don't know what the raspberries may do.  They are my only fruiting plants to worry about.

This year's plans include some veggies, some new perennials, some moving plants around, and a LOT of mulch.  We took last year off and did not mulch, and lost a bit to the post-reroof cleanup, so I just placed an order for EIGHT yards!!!

I've also set to work on reducing the size of our yard  - by adding 3 more 4x4 raised beds and the path between and around them.  The space is currently tarped in an effort to kill off some of the grass and weeds beneath before we start digging.  I've also got some "hardscaping" in mind with a trellis fence project.  Our front porch is rotted out, so redecking that is also in the plans.

It's looking to be a busy time, but enjoyable!!

 

Dirty Tales - how the garden grows

Things are thriving.......

Chives are chiving....

Left to right:  basil, 100lb pumpkin challenger, tomatoes and carrots in buckets

Hanging tomatoes, BIG bucket tomato, more basil and rosemary

Love those farmers market tomato plants - this one was just ready to burst into production.  Now for them to just ripen.....

Basil and cilantro on left, eggplant in bucket, and big tub with end of spinach, peas and tomato plants.. all surrounded by strawberries (and another bucket with a zucchini on the far right)

Strawberries.... small but sweeter this year than last.  Yay!

Black raspberries gearing up to bear heavily....

Hops are hopping, with garlic in between.  No vampires here - or if they do come we will get them drunk!!

Deck box with lettuce (many varieties) and two tomato plants.  Right outside the back door!

3rd deck box - had spinach around the zucchini that is done producing, and now this plant is blossoming and gearing up to start putting forth great squash!!!  (one of 4 zucchini plants ... I am brave???  or crazy????)

And the gnome watches over all - especially the little pumpkin plant growing where Munchkin's pumpkin "composted" last fall and over the winter.  Will be interesting to see what comes of that little plant.

And my best crop of all.....