Country Garden Stitchery

I spent Labor Day weekend sewing and tried a quilted runner with triangles again. Everything was going along smoothly and I was thinking to myself this is great so nice and quick. Well....beware when confidence gets to high.... i had forgot to put in a triangle or two here and there in the block strips i was making. I was wondering why i had all these little triangles left when i was ready to put on the sashing... I was reading the directions and not paying close enough attention to the illustrations. I almost hated quilting again for awhile. I had to take apart all my pretty little triangle blocks and insert more. It was a kit so i had limited fabric, fortunately the pesky triangles didn't stretch and they were salvagable and the quilt looks okay. I like quilting again since it did turn out okay and I look forward to another project, however probably not with triangles. Need a break from those. I have been working on many embroidery projects too and drawing the autumn nature scene...

I remember hearing "life can change on a dime" and I never really understood what that meant. I guess I thought it meant very quickly, unexpectedly - but what does that have to do with a dime. Because it is small? The smallest, thinnest coin? Still don't know but my father died unexpectedly last week and that thought came to me. My life does feel changed, a bit empty and it has brought me to a new level emotionally and mentally I think. Feeling a hurt so truly and deeply does bring change. On a happier note I am going to be doing a flower arranging class. I love flowers and am really looking forward to the colors and different flowers I will learn about. I am hoping for some healing too. I looked at the flower bouquets at my father's celebration of life ceremony and they were beautiful. Lots of yellow flowers ~ buttery yellow gladiolas, sunflowers with huge chocolate colored brown centers, sunshine yellow daisies. Yellow is a happy color and I am thankful for all of ...

I am very happy that my embroidery and watercolor book is finished. It seemed to take most of my time for awhile. I put 24 embroidery designs in it along with lots of watercolor florals. The embroidery book is a collection of all my embroidery booklets - tulip embroidery, sketches from nature embroidery, daisy embroidery, and garden cart embroidery. It has a finished project of each category to show what the design looks like stitched up. I am publishing another book with my desert ghost town drawings in it that I have collected in my journals since my children were little. Very excited about that. It should be finished very soo. I have also been getting ready for the online Needlework Show in September. Wow, almost need another vacation. I have the new Amy Butler design book and I have been slowly perusing it in the evening for relaxation. I love it because it is very different and fresh and brings lots of ideas to my brain. I got a couple other sewing books too - "S ...

I am very excited! I finished my wall quilt this past weekend and it is hanging in my hallway. I kind of designed it as I went using fabrics I found on a weekend trip to Idaho. I had a great time browsing the quilting shops. They are one of my favorite kinds of shops to visit, so cozy with all the fabric and color. Lots of rain for Memorial Day and is still raining, my flowers are very happy now. Much better than last weekend with temperatures way too hot for this time of year! Going to start on my autumn pumpkins now I think. I really like this quilting

It has been awhile since I've participated with Illustration Friday. I've been drawing plenty, just not posting. I took a great life drawing class and learned so much, but now that it is over I find myself with more time. Thinking of a class for fall, but haven't decided yet. It is really neat how classes can change perspective and lead into new directions, very healthy. Happy Memorial Day to all and enjoy the long weekend.

Red and pink zinnias, purple daisies, pink snapdragons, purple pansies and varigated alyssum make up my flower gardens this year. Nice healthy plants, but the heat this weekend is really making them struggle to smile. Some of them really look droopy, but it could be my cat laying on them or worse... Good thing he's a cute cat. I finished my "Moonlight Garden" cross stitch with quilting fabric. I tried to use fabrics that coordinated with my design and found a blue print with stars. Quilting fabrics are so wonderful right now and the stores are so wonderfully cozy and welcoming to shop in. I have a surplus of really cute quilting fabrics so now I need designs to go with them. Planning a larger quilt for my daughter using some charm squares - don't want anything too challenging... Pictures from our annual tea party are inspiration for new designs and drawings. Lots of beautiful teapots, glistening china and silver with pale lacy flowers - wonderful.

A weekend spent in the garden and at the local nursery was very nice. I planted more flowers and have a purple and pink theme going with splashes of red and orange with a yellow columbine. Right outside my bedroom window I have a small flower garden around a flowering plum tree. It is getting warm enough outside now we leave our window open at night. I planted purple varigated alyssum around the outer border and bright pink petunias in the middle. The quiet breeze at bedtime brings in the wonderful fragrance of the petunias and it is heavenly. I haven't had a garden so close to my bedroom before and I love it! At the Flower Tree Nursery there was a wine tasting, all kinds of drawings to enter, classes to attend and flowers to browse. I tasted a white riesling wine from a local nursery and a port which I've never tried before - didn't like it at all so really glad I had never bought any! I tasted a fantastic blend of zinfandel, merlot and cabernet and it was by far my favori...