Finished the quilt top ...

I woke up early this morning and finished the quilt top! That was my first quilt-in-a-weekend type quilt top. It's all pressed, folded, and on a hanger waiting to go to the quilt shop to select a backing and then off to the long arm quilter for an all over meandering stitch. I LOVE FINISHING PROJECTS!!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I also finished the binding on another shabby chic table topper from the scrap basket. It will be listed on the website soon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

My next project is a rail fence dolly quilt made with green, brown, and orange 1940's prints. The fabric is in the dryer and headed to the ironing board soon. I'm on a roll!!!! I have two baskets filled with quilt kits -- table toppers, wall quilts, dolly quilts, full sized quilts, you name it, it's in those baskets! And I'm clearing them out! My goal is to use it allllllllllll up -- shelves and drawers of fabrics -- NO buying ANY new fabric except for quilt backings. That's it. I'm TIRED of all this fabric stacked and stuffed in every nook and cranny. It's gotta GO!

How I spent a hot summer day ...

QUILTING!!! And doing a big of cleaning in the sewing room. I'm digging through kits and UFOs ... today I ironed two batik table toppers that have been pieced for hmmmmmmm ... two years???? I've ironed the toppers and their backings and have them ready to sandwich and pin. And then I dug out this kit for a twin sized quilt that I bought last year at Quilt Festival. I remember I loved the sample I saw there ... it reminded me of a worn, sun-faded quilt on grandma's front porch swing and I just had to have it. The name of the quilt pattern is 5 and Dime and it's a quick-pieced, fat quarter-friendly pattern. In one afternoon I've done all my cutting and piecing and tomorrow all I have left to sew are the long seams between the pieced strips and the focus fabric strips. I even have all my binding ... an enjoyable afternoon in the air conditioning ...

AMAZING swap ...

On my recent Lancaster, PA trip, a group of us decided to do a fat quarter swap one afternoon while browsing in a fabric store. Grace M. drew my name ... and just look at the AMAZING things she did with my fat quarter!!!!! I feel so spoiled! Absolutely ROTTEN spoiled!!!! Her work is INCREDIBLE! Every stitch perfect! Her add-ons truly vintage/antique -- I know that she sat down and planned every single thoughtful touch from the heart ... and just for ME! I feel so blessed to call you friend, Grace! You're the BEST!!!!

New to the Website ...

Sweet little wooly robin pinkeep ...

Hand quilted shabby chic table topper ...

Two birds sampler pinkeep ...

When This You See Remember Me pinkeep...

ABC sampler pinkeep ...

1803 pinkeep ...

*********

A Few New Goodies ...

I've been busy ... a little busy anyway ... a few new goodies have been added to the website today ...

I've been bit by the cross stitch bug ...

Penny rug made with my hand dyed wools ... YUMMY!!!!

Sweet little sampler stitched on 32 count linen ...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how this sampler turned out ... a reproduction of an antique sampler by Sarah Tobias ... pattern from Blackbird Designs in their booklet "Thank You, Sarah Tobias" ... stitched on 32 count linen. I started this sampler many months ago and recently picked it back up and finished it. Hundreds of little x's in dull primitive colored cotton floss.

********************

More new goodies will be added to the website in the next few days ... I'm on a roll!!!!

Out in the Gardens ...

The poppies are INCREDIBLE this year! I wish they stayed like this all summer long ... but alas, they don't. As a matter of fact, the poppy plant itself gets downright UGLY long before the end of summer. But they sure are spectacular while in bloom!!!

My wild phlox that everyone said would NEVER take off when I stopped along an old country road and dug these delicious smelling beauties. And boy were they WRONG! The wild phlox have sprung up everywhere in my gardens! I love the smell of them all in bloom ...

The boys' old sandbox ... now our hosta bed with my dumpster divin' metal sculpture from last spring ... LOVE having my office close to the art school at the university ... those wacky art students are right up my junk-lovin' alley!!!! You never know what you'll find in the dumpsters!!! Hubby and I started collecting different hosta varieties a couple of years ago and add a new variety or two every summer. We'll be purchasing this year's newby in a couple of weeks when our 50% off bucks kick into action at a local greenhouse. See the ceramic mushroom lower left in the sandbox? That's the spot for our newby this year.

Think the hostas on the side of the house need to be thinned? Ya think?!!? Anybody want some? My friend Neenee would say they're just junker common hostas, but I love them just the same ... seriously though, come fall these babies HAVE to be thinned!

The herb bed this year ... rosemary from seed (!!!), lavendar, basil, tomatoes (cherry and not), chives, hyssop, rue, lilies, daisies, sedum, orange mint, hen and chicks, alyssum, hmmmmmmmm ... what else???

My egg basket from the Amish guy's farm in Lancaster, PA ... all planted up and coming right along ...

Once this basket gets settled in and the plants start to grow, it's going to be downright GORGEOUS! And it must weigh 80 pounds!!!! Tons of plants in this basket!!!

The vegetable garden is coming right along ... I'll be posting some pictures soon ...

Long time ... no post

No pictures today ... sorry ... I know eye candy is important ... maybe the MOST important thing in a blog. No pics still ... soon though -- promise.

We've been busy, busy, BUSY cleaning out the gardens, laying 22(!!!!) bags of mini pine bark chips, I've lost count of how many bags of soil, fertilizer, etc. And I'm happy to report that we're DONE with it all!!! Every last bit has been turned over, weeds ripped out, and seeds and plants put in. The gardens should be spectacular this year. We've planted three different kinds of tomatoes, five different kinds of peppers, green beans, cukes, zucchini and patty pan squash (first year on the patty pan -- we'll see how it goes), peas, radishes (we're on our second planting already!!!), carrots, pie punkins, bunching onions, Walla Walla onions, and red sweet onions. We also put in a mixed variety of gourds along the old fence -- AWAY from the veggie garden this year. Hubby was ticked when my gourds got away from me last year and swallowed our tomatoes, cages and all. So this year the gourds are planted far, far away. The herbs this year are basil, oregano, orange mint, lemon balm, lemon thyme, chives, hyssop, rue, and nasturtiums. We've planted flowers galore -- marigolds all over in the veggie garden, and lots of baskets and pots. Pictures soon -- I promise ...

On the homefront, hubby will be having his fifth hip surgery on June 11. We're hopeful that this surgery will finally fix his hip that was replaced last July. It's been a real roller coaster ride getting to a diagnosis, but we're hopeful that we have indeed arrived and can get off this crazy, wild ride once and for all. I'd appreciate it if you could find the time to say a little prayer for my husband, Rick. He has endured so much more than I would have thought was even humanly possible. He so deserves to finally be pain free and to have his life given back to him.

And our youngest son, Quinn, is taking his ASVAB test for the Air Force today. He wants to enlist full time and this old mom's heart is breaking ... I understand his reasons for wanting to do this and I certainly would encourage him to be all that he can be. I just wish ... well, I wish about a million different things. But what will be, will be. And there's just not much I can do about it.

And that's about it for my "dump" today ... next time there'll be pictures ... promise.