Project complete

     Two years ago at retreat in October I gave each person 6 kinds of  3 inch squares with the directions that everyone use those squares and whatever else they chose to make a 12.5 inch square.  They could do anything but at least one 3 inch square of each of the six had to be in the finished square. We were all to bring our squares to retreat last October.  I don't even remember how we awarded the finished squares, but Barb was the lucky winner.   She then was to turn those squares into a quilt top for this coming retreat in October.  Lots of ideas, lots of variety, lots of time has passed since we received those little packets, but look what Barb did with them!  She will have a great show and tell come October!

      Isn't it interesting what 3 inch squares can do!

     Last year we were all given a fat 8th of each other's focus fabric with instructions to make a 12.5 inch square for that person using her focus fabric plus anything we wanted to add to the construction.  I can't wait for the big unveiling this October!  We will all receive something very special.  

     It's fun to have a project to do for the next year and the project for this year's retreat was particularly nice because we will all come away with something done specially for us by each person.

    Boy, this sounds confusing, doesn't it? 

Colors

Do you like all colors?  I do. Sort of.  I'm not a fan  of orange except in October. I can't remember ever using it in a quilt...at least not on purpose.  It has it's place, I guess, but you won't find it in my stash.

Then there's this.  Is it hot pink on steroid?   I see a lot of it on t-shirts  and always have to gulp and look away.

And  teal.  I never liked teal but am more tolerant if it is used right.  Small amounts.  My sister-in-law loves it and uses it right.  I can pick her color palette from across the store.  "That's Joyce"  I say as I see a color family.  She pairs it with lush batiks in burgundy and deep, deep  greens, touches of pink.  Her quilts look like a glass of wine.  You want to drink them in.

Elizabeth and I decided we don't much care for brown and  yellow  when used together in big bunches (except of course for sunflowers!) With other colors they're great.

And I don't care for red and black and white together - yet alone and with other colors they are necessary for creativity.  I love black when it's used as white.

So, there you have it.  Did you even care???

string art

 A few weeks ago I gave Elizabeth a skein of red yarn and told her to see what she could create in string art.  This is her creation. She said it's a deer catcher.  She wants to catch the 8 point juvenile buck that hangs around the yard eating my flowers and apples and peaches.  I always leave her string art alone, sometimes for the whole winter, when she creates something interesting in the yard.  She puts a lot of thought into it.

     I noticed the only thing she caught was a grandpa with a lawnmower (three times), a meter reader and me (twice) but no deer.

 When summer is over and they've stopped coming here and start going to school instead, I'll have to take this one down.

 

 The joe-pye weed is in full bloom but no monarchs yet. 

I was encouraged when I saw this one on the butterfly bush, but just one.

We went to FiberFest Friday afternoon and can you believe I left my camera in the car?  No, we didn't trek back to get it.  We were on a tight schedule and frankly were too lazy.  I bought felt balls for two projects and these cute pumpkins...

Peaches peaches peaches

When the girls came this week we went peach picking.  I love that we live in an area where we can drive about two miles in most directions and pick our own fruit.  The orchards are closer than the grocery store.  So we pick. 

This morning I made this...a yummy peach pie.  No recipe to share again, just a little sugar, minute tapioca, cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg.   When four and twenty blackbirds sang it was time to take it out of the oven.

Castle full of princesses and knights

Today is our Ceci's third birthday and we went to her party.  She is our princess so Princess was the theme.  She's wearing her princess dress and cousins Adelaide, Elizabeth and  Ava wore theirs.  Everything was pink and sparkly and she loved it.

 She was preparing to blow out her candles on her Rapunzel princess cake

 She did it!!!  Happy Birthday, Sweetie.

Charlie was in trouble!  He went off a twisty slide at a playground this week and broke his humorous bone. He doesn't let it slow him down.  He and his cousin were knights to the house full of Princesses, protecting them from dragons and trolls (uncles and grandpas.)

And Michael is six months old!!!

 I HAVE been trying to organize some projects.  This is one that's a few years old and I'm determined to get it finished and basted so I can work on quilting it during retreat in October.  This is my poor excuse for a design wall.

 My mom embroidered the flowers that I used for the centers of the star blocks.  She used to do amazing embroidery and I kept her very busy working on things for me so when the time came she couldn't do it anymore, I'd have lots of things she worked on.  I'm glad now I had that foresight.  She's not doing well.

People always get nose close to her work because it's so perfect it looks machine done. But it isn't, she did it all by hand.