Amarillo Skies Revised and the Long Distance Runner

I participated in an online fabric swap last year hosted by redrainbootshandmade. I loved the wonderful variety of all the 5" blue squares that I received but struggled a bit with how I was going to use them. Julia, the swap host, offered a pattern to go along with the swap, her pattern was called "Amarillo Skies". It is a great pattern but revised my version a bit to include a blue/gray sashing (stashed fabric that's at least 35 years old!) and stars at the block intersections.  I'm happy with the results, now to find that perfect backing fabric. "Amarillo Skies Revised" measures 62" X 74". While I was stitching ASR I was also piecing a runner, L-E style. 

This is the result, a long distance runner for sure! Made up from long ago pieced 4-patches (1.5" squares) set into a square-in-a-square setting, this runner will serve those sitting at the kitchen island. It measures 113" X 17" and has 1,222 pieces (but who's counting?!?) that all came directly from the stash, nothing was purchased special for this project.

I even managed to piece a backing (and batting) from what I had on hand. Waste not, want not! 

And, just like that, quilting has begun! It's too hot to do much outdoors right now.

How are you staying cool this summer?

Life is Good!

 

Busy Days!

We're in a hot and humid weather pattern right now; no surprises there, indoor activities during the heat of the day are the norm around here. I finished quilting up "School Spirit" and was able to score a pretty piece of red solid for binding when I visited a cute quilt shop in Greensboro, NC on Friday. We were there to watch Lucy Ann swim in the Age Group State Championships (lane 7, below).

She did quite well; so well, in fact, that she's swimming in the Southern Zone Age Group Championship meet in Orlando next week! This has been her dream for the past three years. We couldn't be more proud of her dedicated, ambitious, determined spirit!

I managed to get this wall quilt finished and hung on the side porch for July...

...and completed the stitching on a pin keep for this month, too. This is Patriotic Quaker by Lindsay Weight of Primrose Cottage. I used the called for floss colors and stitched over two on 32 count lugana linen. I love these patterns, each little element is fun to stitch on its own. You can see lots more of these by clicking on the hyper link above. I'm currently stitching another one, Quaker Fruit Salad. 

Between her swim events on Sunday Lucy Ann and her Mom came by for a few hours in the afternoon. Our son and Gregory were already here, Gregory is rebuilding a car in our basement. It's impossible to believe that they will both be earning their Learner's Permits this fall! The six of us enjoyed lunch together while these two almost-fifteen year old cousins entertained us all; it was a rare, impromptu, get-together that is still eliciting smiles. (I never knew she had my phone, I only discovered this photo later in the day. A souvenir for the heart ❤️).

While we're on the subject of "impossible to believe", guess who turned 17 years old today? Yep, Mason! Those of you who've been part of this blogging community with me from the beginning may remember this day. Sigh. 

Most recently, later in the day, after the hottest part of the afternoons have passed, I've been enjoying some stitching out on the porch where the light is just perfect. This is the afore-mentioned Quaker Fruit Salad.

The Dahlias are so pretty in the garden right now, the more that I cut the more they bloom!

The Crape Myrtles flanking our driveway are putting on quite a glorious show this year too. I mentioned those of you who've been part of the blogging community with me from the beginning... my very first post, (←linked here) July 13, 2006, was on this same subject!

As much as things change, there's comfort in what remains the same.

How's your summer going?

Life is Good! 

Hang It Up!

Good afternoon, I'm writing for my Mom because she's distraught. Let's just say that she doesn't make a very good farmer. You've already heard about the peach tree that hit the ground, that was a disaster around here. Most recently she'd been turning her loving attention to a HUGE tomato plant on the patio. It got plenty of watering, fertilizing, and spritzing. Last week I overheard her tell Dad that there were 34 tomatoes ripening on its branches. The morning before last I heard a shriek as I was eating my breakfast; her precious tomato plant was gone! She ran outside to find it on the back yard, the root ball had been pulled out of its pot and the plant itself was torn apart, green tomatoes strewn everywhere! You would have thought it was the end of the world. She has no idea what got ahold of the plant but if I were to guess I'd say it was those horrid squirrels that are the bane of my daily existence; they are the most annoying of all pests; they dart here and there and mock me with their squeaking little squirrel voices. (Mom agrees with me on this point.) Anyway, my advice to Mom is to hang it up and concentrate on what she's really good at, like taking care of me. 

Just yesterday I had her full attention. It was bath day and she gave me the most luxurious shampoo and massage with this nifty new brush that she ordered from Amazon. It was the most heavenly of all treatments! After the bath I was wrapped in a fluffy towel and treated to a warm blow-dryer and brushing; it was all about me. As far as I am concerned, there's no need for her to busy herself with outside pursuits when we can find plenty to do together indoors. I did hear her mention to Dad that the blueberries are looking good. What? Is she teasing me?!?? I would've thought by now that she'd realize the fruits of her labors aren't turning out to be all that fruitful! She needs to listen to me and be herself, no matter how hard she tries, a farmer she is NOT!                                                                        

Life is Good! 

Dropping Weight

We've had a time with our peach trees. It's been an uphill battle. A few years ago, when the trees were quite young, we harvested a few beautiful peaches that were every bit as juicy and sweet as they looked. Since then, though, killing frosts have taken a toll; despite Mr. G. staying up all night long to mist the trees with the garden hose. Last year we had, what appeared to be, a bumper crop ripening to perfection; apparently the deer thought so too. They wiped out every. single. one. just before they were ready for picking! This year we decided to get the jump on any of that activity and purchased a net to cover the tree and the countless baby peaches adorning every branch.  

It was a bit of a task actually placing the net over the tree but we managed. All was well, or so we thought. A few weeks ago, when I was walking out to the mailbox I noticed that the peach tree was GONE, it had dropped out of sight! I stepped around the hedge along the side of the driveway to discover that the tree had actually broken off! The trunk was lying at a right angle, about a foot and a half off the ground, and the remainder of the tree, wrapped securely in its netting was resting on the grass. It was a sad and shocking sight. We don't know if it was the weight of the fruit on the tree or if the saturated netting from a rainstorm the night before was simply too much or if it was a combination of the two. But, whatever occurred, the tree had given up. While the tree's trunk wasn't completely severed, the fruit is continuing to ripen while on the ground-level branches and I'm picking out what I can. We're beginning to enjoy the peaches now, they're small, but good. I'd dare to say that our days as fruit farmers are over; however, wasn't Martin Luther credited with the following: "even if I knew that tomorrow the world would fall to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree"? So, who knows? Hope springs eternal! Maybe we’ll give it another go. 

Life is Good!

...and oh, so sweet...

 🍑

Three Cheers for the R,W, & B

Happy July! It's that time again, time to salute our nation's independence and to celebrate all things red, white and blue. I can do that! I finished this little patriotic cross-stitch pin-keep just in time. 

Red and white are currently on full display as I quilt up this red & white HST top resulting from an online fabric swap last year. I've entitled this one "School Spirit" harkening back to my high school days.

At the same time blues are taking up residence under the needle and on the design wall, just on the other side of the room!

There are lots of "B"s just outside the sewing room door, too; an abundance of Butterflies and Blooms...

...as well as Baby Bluebirds! Five of them. 💗

Mr. G. ran across this holly variety while cleaning out the woods beside our house, I have transplanted it into the perennial garden right near our birdfeeders. It's known as an Oregon Barberry.  One more "B".

As soon as School Spirit is off the rails I'll quilt this one up for hanging on the side porch. 

It's one of Kim Schaefer's Calendar wall quilts, 

I love them all; they're quick and easy. 

There you have it. Happy July!

Three cheers for all that's R,W and B

 at your house too!

Life is Good!

On the Straight and Narrow

I tried something a little different on this Kaleidoscope scrappy; straight-line, parallel quilting lines at one inch intervals. I love the effect. I was stymied by my pantographs on hand and couldn't seem to settle on anything that I liked. I slid on the base expander, grabbed a ruler and just settled in. I'm SEW glad that I did.  This is a testament to the fact that I can overthink! Simple can sometimes be just the ticket. 😉 Because of the color cacophony and movement of the design, I believe that the straight and narrow quilting lines calm this down and pull it together.

I found the black and white stripe for the binding; of course I had to cut it on the bias. Don't you love it?

Basted in place and all ready for hand finishing.

And, speaking of finishing, "Chain Gang" has received a colorful, pieced binding (waste not, want not)

 and a trip through the washer and dryer to achieve maximum coziness. Fifteen years later~ done! ✔

Life is Good!

Thank You!

Thanks one and all for the prayers for Phyllis. Surgery happened on Thursday, the neurosurgeon reported to the family that she was "very pleased" with the results. A follow-up MRI showed no complications following the resection and Phyllis was released back to home yesterday afternoon! 

I know~ amazing, right?!!

So are you, my prayerful friends, so are you!

Life is Good!

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