Quilts, Flowers, and Penny Farthings

It rained.  So I didn't get my quilts photographed.  Then it gets dark each night, so I didn't get my quilts photographed.  Then I just forgot.  No more excuses.  I just dragged DH outside to be my official quilt holder.  First up is my Baltimore Album quilt.  I challenged myself to make just 4 blocks to see if I liked making them.  And I loved it!  There will be another quilt in the future.

Next up is my second RSC16 quilt.  This has been sitting in the 'to-be-quilted' pile for awhile now, but it's finally ready to find a new home!  I didn't think I liked string piecing, but it turns out I enjoy that, too!

Last Saturday, we drove down to a nearby town to watch the Clustered Spires High Wheel Race.  It was another hot day, so we only stayed for the first heat, and took loads of photos.  Lots of fun to watch.  Some of the riders are very competitive, and others are just out to have a good time.  The eventual winner actually came all the way from Sweden!

Many wore period costumes

Female Winner!

Hometown favorite

Winner - from Sweden

This guy was just having fun riding, not racing.

I got up early this morning, and went for a nice long walk on the towpath.  Found some nice flowers, grasses, and mushrooms.

Cutleaf Coneflower

just a grass I liked

Pale Touch-me-not

C&O Canal Towpath

Butter and Eggs

Common Morning Glory and Queen Anne's Lace

In addition to these events, DH and I celebrated our 15th Anniversary, I went on a road trip with Guild members to visit 7 shops in the Lancaster Amish area, and I joined a gym.  I'm taking a water aerobics class, and hanging out at the outdoor pool as much as I can in the next two weeks!

Life is Good..............Sunny

OPAM and quilting progress

The Quilting Blitz continues, so I have some pretties to share!  Last week I shared my blue doll quilt, blue baby quilt, and charity child's quilt.  Another child's quilt was finished but apparently I didn't take a photo before I shipped it off.  I then had to take a break to make my monthly Prairie Women's project.  It was a smallish  table runner, but it took longer than I anticipated.  But then doesn't everything?  This is the fourth project I've made with this fabric, so the back is pieced, using up most of the remaining pieces.

I don't think I ever showed the third project from this fabric, so here it is!  What a fun one to work on.  Lots of little yo yos and triangles, and I just love it!  I'm way ahead of schedule on finishing this one, so don't tell anyone you saw it here!  LOL!

Next up was this little sampler quilt, from Quilts from El's kitchen.  Back in the spring of 2013, Eleanor Burns' sister, Pat Knoechel visited our guild.  This book was new then, and I think almost everyone in attendance purchased a copy.  And I have yet to see a finished quilt from it!  I purchased the fabric shortly after the book, and finally got started in March of this year at retreat.  I had fallen out of love with the fabric by then,  but once it was finished and quilted, I loved it again!

This next one has been waiting to be quilted for several months.  I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, but decided it was time to just do it!   I began by quilting a little swirl in each of the hexies.  Then I did some loop de loops in the background..  When I was all finished, I knew the swirls in the hexies were a huge mistake.  I spent most of Sunday ripping out quilting.  Not my favorite thing to do.  But I like it so much better now!  This was designed as a table cloth, without any batting in it.  I wanted to make it a wall hanging, but didn't know quite how to hang it.  I was advised to put a tab on the back of each scallop, then thread a hula hoop through the tabs to keep its shape,  I'll be going hula hoop shopping soon!  

I also whipped this little wall hanging out right before the 4th of July.  The sample I saw in the store featured the tiniest little buttons, but I used some beads that I already had rather than ordering the buttons.

So, I started with a pile of 10 projects to be quilted.  Six are finished, one is under the needle now, I'm waiting for special thread for another, so I'm very happy with my progress.  And then there are only about 102 other projects waiting to be made!  No time be get bored.

I'll close with a few nature pictures.  Check out my Wildflower page if you're interested in seeing more.  I'm not completely up to date, but I have been adding to it.

Keep on stitching..... Sunny

FNSI and The Blues!

The quilting blitz continues!  Blue is the color for RSC17 this month, so first up was a blue doll quilt for Toys for Tots.  The blue triangles were in my pile of blue scraps.  I don't remember who gave them to me, but it was their time!  Click on the link to go see what everyone else is up to.

Next up was a blue baby quilt for the children's hospital project.  I saw a layout like this somewhere online, and really liked it.

For FNSI, I finished the binding on this little quilt, which is also for the children's hospital.  I didn't make the top, but I offered to quilt a few for them, so I worked on this on Friday, and then relaxed with the binding for FNSI.  I"m guessing this was pieced from a bunch of orphan blocks.

I'm now binding another child's quilt, and there is another quilt under the needle on the quilting machine.  I had to take time out yesterday to work on a table runner for my Prairie Women group that meets on Wednesday.

Today was another time out, this time for some hiking.  DH and I met up with a FB friend, and went wildflowering.  Merry is very knowledgeable and I learned a lot today.  She took us to some of her favorite spots.  Again today, I think we saw at least as many mushrooms and lichens as we did flowers.  Some of them are really awesome!

I'm exhausted from being in th eheat and humidity, so I'm off to bed, very early!!

Keep on stitching......  Sunny

Piggy Bank Challenge

It's always good to save some money for a fabric splurge, so I've joined Val's 5th Annual Piggy Bank Challenge!   The goal is to fill up my piggy bank with spare change, and maybe a bill or two for the coming year.  Then next July we count up our savings, and figure out what to buy!!  It's not too late if you want to join in!  I don't have a very exciting piggy bank, but it's functional.  I hope to fill it a couple of times in the coming year.  I"m off to a good start.

On Sunday, Dh and I went wildflowering (again).  I'm amazed by how many flowers are still out there.  We don't usually bother looking for them after about the end of May.

Everlasting Pea with silver-spotted skipper

Common Evening Primrose

Purple Coneflower

I've always been terrified of bugs and bees, but I love photographing them on flowers!  I know they're not interested in bothering me if I don't bother them.

Our next stop was a BBQ joint that we've driven past many times.  I'm glad we finally stopped!  And then we went to an antique mall that I haven't been to in ages.  I'm on the hunt for hankies, after seeing this quilt on Facebook. - Stitching is My Happy Place

I managed to get a nice start to my collection!  I'm not a very good shopper, because I didn't realize that the one that I paid the most for  had a couple of holes in it!  But it's gorgeous, and I'll find a way to work with it.

I also enjoyed looking at old sewing machines.  I'd love to get a treadle machine some day.

In other stitchy news, I'm on another quilting blitz, so I'll have quilts to share soon.  I've finished quilting  three small ones so far, and will be working on binding at a sewing group tomorrow.  They're all packed up and ready to go.  I guess I better go get some sleep so I can get an early start in the morning.

Keep on stitching......  Sunny

quilts seen at antique mall