Outdoor Relaxation and Work

Our screened porch is one of my favorite places when it's not too hot outside. You might find me having morning coffee before I start my day, or catching up on my reading with a glass of sweet tea in late afternoon. 

In the past two weeks I have done a porch cleanup and moved some of my houseplants out for their summer vacation. The hummingbird feeders are filled and my mama's roses are blooming.

The seat cushions on our outdoor furniture were looking a little shabby. In my recent fabric bonanza, there was a lovely tablecloth that was way too large for our dining table. I decided to use it to make new cushion covers and pillows. 

I plumped up the glider seat with a new layer of memory foam, measured, and cut.  I lined them with flannel and quilted before sewing.  Velcro fasteners make it easy to remove them for washing.  And they're Callie Cat approved!  

I got a wild idea to redo the flower bed in front of the porch by myself. (My guy was working on something else.) I dug up the nasty weeds, then thinned out iris, hosta, and day lily plants. New weed barrier was easy to lay, and I moved some old stepping stones to make a border. Now I'm deciding what to add for mulch. I want rock, but we'll see.

This week I'm resting after my spur of the moment project. It felt so good to dig in the dirt.  I have always enjoyed planting flowers, just like my mama and both my grannies.  However, the rest of the landscaping needs a major update and I may be getting too old for that much manual labor! Guess I'll be calling around to get yard work quotes.

Going back to the sewing room today...

 

Starry Snowmen

Today I'm unveiling my second Christmas quilt project. The cute snowman print and wine/cream fabric came from this year's estate sale bonanza.

The block, Shooting Star, is a vintage 1934 Nancy Cabot design. Using Blue Wren's Sliced Square die made quick work for cutting and stitching.

Starry Snowmen

Natural muslin sashing frames the blocks. I quilted with cream thread using serpentine stitch. Starry Snowmen is 54“ square.

The backing is a large wine and cream snowflake and feathered star fabric that my mama gave me years ago. Nice memory...today would have been her birthday and I miss her.

Note: Thanks to those who asked if we were affected by Saturday's awful tornadoes and storms. We are fine, only had one small tree down. There was lots of damage in nearby towns, and unbelievable devastation in Kentucky. Please keep those folks in your thoughts.

Dies used:
Blue Wren
6600 Sliced Square 6”
6015 1½” Strips

Accuquilt 
55017 Strip 2½”

Scrap Basket

Since I'm on a roll, here's another quilt made in my ongoing quest to save tiny pieces of fabric from untimely disposal.

My favorite sizes to cut are 2½” squares and half square triangles. This time I combined them with white muslin for a very colorful cane weave design. Piecing was super easy and quick on Annie, my Featherweight. I didn't pay much attention to color placement while sewing four-patches and strips.

Scrap Basket Block

I moved the blocks around on my design wall to balance out the colors, then sewed them together. Even with all these pieces, I have many more scraps left. I guess as long as I cut fabric I will have small remnants to rescue. Some of these are decades old but still lovely.

I used a 60” piece of plaid shirting material for backing. Quilting with white thread, I sewed serpentine lines 2” apart. This is a lightweight quilt with flannel as batting.  

Accuquilt dies used:
55059 Square, multiples, 2½”
55018 Small Value die: Half Square Triangle 2½” & 4½” square
55017 Strip 2½”
55160 Rectangle 4½” x 8½”

I learned from my mama and my grannies

to be a collector of useful things.

Summer of '69

What great memories! The colors and prints of this fabric take me back to 1969...bright orange, lime and avocado, psychedelic purple and aquamarine. These colors dominated my closet in wild and crazy peasant dresses, and tops to wear with white shorts or bellbottom jeans.

I was only fifteen, so my cool mama was driving me and my friends all over town, radio turned up, windows down, in her red Pontiac Catalina. Shopping centers, bowling alleys, movie theaters, skating rinks, and swimming pools were our hangouts. What carefree fun we all had!

Summer of '69 finished out at 45” x 51” size. It would have been perfect for laying out at the pool. I used several square and rectangular dies to cut these pieces. I quilted using aqua thread in straight stitch inside the rectangles, then changed to a curvy stitch on the aqua sashing.

This one was fun to sew, singing along with late 60's music like I did back then. I can't believe it's been over 50 years.

Accuquilt dies used:
55159 Rectangles 2½” x 4½”
55160 Rectangles 4½” x 8½”
55059 Squares 2½” multi
55017 Strip 2½”

Those were the days, my friend

Joyous

I bet you wouldn't guess that I use quilts for holiday decorations. I sewed this quick project last week.

I designed it in EQ8 to get the layout just right. Four Periwinkle blocks and five square in a square blocks go together nicely. I didn't have the right size dies to make the five squares, so I rotary cut those, added larger triangles and trimmed to fit.

Joyous is 30” square, in dark red, teal, black, gray, and white fabrics. I quilted straight stitch rows 3/4” apart with medium gray thread.

This year I haven't gone all out with Christmas decorations. I pulled out only my favorites, adding a few pieces to each room along with my quilts. It's low key but still festive.

I have made snacks, especially Chex mix, my mama's favorite! I miss her; yesterday was her birthday so I wore a leopard print shirt in her honor.

Dies used:

Blue Wren 6077 Periwinkle 10” block
Accuquilt 55017 2½” strip

Go Rest High On That Mountain

My feisty little redheaded mama has gone on to her next adventure. This week, just 2 months shy of her 84^th birthday, she left this world to be free of cancer and pain. I will miss her, but I'm happy that I spent most of the past year with her.

“Everything about her was

both unique and complicated.”

~Deborah Moggach 

Sam Hill was the cool mama, Girl Scout leader, and she would do anything for her kids. Never a dull moment with her!  She was an outspoken free spirit with an attitude, who loved mini-skirts, cold beer, tight jeans, motorcycles, Camaros, and bikinis.

If you knew Sam or would like to do something in her honor, please pick one of the things she was most passionate about: plant some flowers, go shopping for cute shoes, or spend a day fishing. She'd like that and it would make me smile!

"You weren't afraid to face the devil
You were no stranger to the rain  
Go rest high on that mountain
‘Cause your work on earth is done"

~Vince Gill

Late Summer Notes

Full Circle

I had a little time to play in the sewing room last week, so I decided to refresh my curved seams technique. They aren't really as difficult as they look if you cut and sew precisely. These burgundy and tan prints from my stash made the perfect tote for autumn days.

My mama and I have had more time together lately and we've both had fun. We went for sassy new hairdos, explored the library, looked for shoes, and sat out on our screened porch to read with huge glasses of sweet tea. Our late August cool spell came at just the right time.

Sometimes I wonder how people and businesses who don't treat people well keep their friends or stay in business. They say one thing but do another, they don't communicate clearly, and when questioned, they transfer blame to someone else. I found the ideal quote to help figure them out.

“When someone's words and actions 
aren't lining up,

go with their actions, every time.

Actions say what words won't.”

~Unknown

Marvelous May!

Cinco de Mayo: Since I love Mexican food, you can bet I'll celebrate by enjoying chips, guacamole, a big plate of Pollo Loco and an icy cold bottle or two of Pacifico.

Mother's Day: Without my quirky and hard working mama, I wouldn't be the woman I am today. She always took good care of me, so now I'm returning the favor with love. I'm grateful that I can talk with her daily, and that she's still a feisty redhead. Thanks, Sam!

Flowers: My yard is full of spring flowers and I love them all! Pale and dark pink peonies, delicate white azaleas, violet tall phlox, purple, peach, white and yellow iris, hot pink carnations, sweet smelling lilacs and heavenly roses in yellow, orange and pink.

Strawberries: I don't grow them but Portland berries are the sweetest and best. They're beginning to come in, so I'm heading to Bradley's for a crate of these juicy delights.

“My mama taught me that I had the power to achieve my dreams, to find my own way, and to be responsible for myself.” ~ Katie Scarlett

A Great Excuse To Be Late

I'm late posting today's message, but I have a great excuse...I've been hanging out with my mama, Sam. This morning we had coffee on the back porch, and sorted through some of her clothes. She's staying with us while she recovers from a recent illness. Actually, we almost lost her, so I am very happy to be able to spend time with her now. It's good that she's here since she would have no help or anyone to talk with at her place.

It is occasionally a bit stressful to have another person sharing the house, but the fun times make it all worthwhile. My sweet husband is helping a lot, joking around, and doing nice things for both of us. Sam's always been feisty, so she's determined to recover enough to go back home and drive her car again. Whether or not that happens, I think she's doing well with her home physical therapy. She's still weak and gets tired easily, but we did have a short outing last Thursday to get her hair highlighted and cut. A sassy new do is a wonderful pick-me-up! I'm getting mine done this week.

I'm grateful for this opportunity, even if it makes me late, or keeps me from other tasks. The ordinary things will get done eventually. What's important now is Sam. After all, she's my mama and she made plenty of sacrifices for me.

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. 

– Cynthia Ozick