summer and the end of May

Wednesday the furnace was running Thurday hubby turned the AC to kick in and kick in it did.  The weekend is for more summer temps.  I went to the greenhouse to buy tomatoes and peppers for future DIL and got my greenhouse fix.  The little violas are so cheerful and sweet. I didn't buy any we have rock around the house and rock just seems to cook the roots of annuals and I don't like to dig in rocks.  We haven't had rain for 6 days now yippee!!!!  The sun is shining but the sky is grey from smoke from wildfires in Canada.  The next time we do have blue sky I expect to hear the Hallelujah chorus.  Missing the interlude between winter and summer of a few days with the windows open.  --Ann--

Ta da da done

Auditioning binding  

  I free motion quilted an X through the double 4 patch blocks with a little loop in the red triangles then changed threads and did loops to the eight directions of the snowball blocks, the loops to the red triangles have an inverted loop to look like a heart and the loop to the sides have a leafy looking loop into the double 4 patch block. The machine quilting really does not show up very well in the photos or on the quilt and just as well because there are lots of variations in the size of the loops.  It will look nice on my patio table in the study.  --Ann--

Memorial Day

 Remember to honor those who have served.   --Ann--

March 84th

 From a distance and in a photo these blocks look like there is alot of brown but the fabrics are blacks and reds with some green, oranges and golds thrown in because I had them.  Now to work on something else for a couple days while I rearrange the blocks and think about the border.  Maybe a 3 inch strip of black with a row of strip segments or a 1 1/2 inch black border then offset the strip segments and do 2 rounds of the squares.  Now I'm wishing I didn't cut all those strip sets into 3 inch square segments, I could have had a nice piano key border which is always a great finish to a scrappy quilt.  oh well................this will work.  Still turning up the furnace every morning and putting on the wool socks. --Ann--

elna

I had to get my old friend out over the weekend.  I was sewing long strips together and had a need for speed.  This one has such a pleasant hum when it sews and I can go through 3 or 4 bobbins of thread before I have to oil the machine unlike my newer Berninas which crave oil after every bobbin.  The forecast is for more cold, wind and rain so a few more hours will be spent in the sewing room today.
Disclaimer this watercolor was done with the waterlogue app click a photo then click the app and watch it paint.  --Ann--

March 81st

March 81st that’s what May has felt like overcast, cold, wet and windy.  But on the upside many productive hours were spent in the sewing room over the weekend. The sun is shining bright today and the clouds have all gone elsewhere.  I hope it warms up here. --Ann--

new project

Many hours were spent cutting strips last week, 3 inch wide strips equivalent to about 15 yards of  all plaids, stripes and homespuns. I pretty much eliminated one stack of fabric which was half yard cuts and fat quarters, the leftover pieces are wide enough for another bow tie quilt.  I'm sewing 16 patches and no doubt I cut enough to make 2 quilts one will be a queen size for son and future daughter-in-law and who knows abut the second or third......another 16 patch? tri rec stars with court house steps or the tri rec pinwheel?  There are ideas stirring in my head.  Sunny day yesterday and today!!!!! I did not wear long jeans or wool socks!!!  --Ann--

a knitting finish and a start

 Socks for  DD are finished and I love the feel of that yarn its cotton with a lot of stretch.  I like it so much I ordered more for footies.  And I'm halfway done with the third shawl for fall wedding so I started a cotton sweater for me.  Rewarding myself for keeping on track.  It also gets a little boring knitting the same pattern from the same yarn 4 times.  Sun is shining here today hope it overpowers the scattered clouds and stays a few days.  --Ann--

years old sketches

I was driving around town the other day and spotted some daffodils blooming!!!  What a treat for the eyes but short of stopping the car and squishing across someones lawn to take a picture.............so I  leafed through old sketchbooks amazing how they have improved on the shelf or the critic has left.
Life has just been busy with everyday stuff again meetings, lunches, phone calls and texts.  If the sky is blue I dress for spring then the clouds roll in and put long jeans and wool socks on again.  Rain is in the forecast again so a few more days of wearing wool then I'm going to have a spa day for all my wool sweaters.  Just rambling  --Ann--

Finally a ta da da done

 Boxed In or maybe Hexes and Boxes is done.  Tumbling blocks done the easy way with 60 degree triangles.  Its done add it to the pile.  A nice boy quilt for someone in the future.  --Ann--

May Day What Day

 What day will the daffodils bloom? Sketches from a few years ago and the March date daffodils are from the store.  What day will I put on footies instead of wool socks?  What day will I wear a cotton T instead of a wool sweater?  What day will I wear the crapris?  What day will I put them on instead of changing halfway through the day?  This is what I need to do when I am doing less is sketch again.  What day will I do that?  --Ann--