flowers flowers

As if there isn't enough sewing going on here....

I've decided to try to tackle a Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt. 

This one will be hand stitched and consist of

700 or more 2" hexagons sewn into flowers and borders

I would like to make this large enough for a queen size bed. 

I will be using the traditional setting of six petals around a center. 

 then I will add green hexagons between the flowers and as a border.

Each flower is about 10 inches across.

Not quite sure of the math but I think around 700 hexagons will be needed.

This quilt will take approximately 17.9 years to finish.

 

What?

Did you say you would like to have it sooner than that?

Well,   I dunno......maybe

I have joined Karen's Garden Party in an effort to  finish at least one flower a week

wish me luck

My first flower in a garden of many

 just look at those teeeeny tiny stitches

not perfect but I wasn't wearing the glasses that I now know I need for this project.

this seam is much better.....see what an hour or so of practice will do for ya.

edited to add this link to a hexagon calculator
I'll need  ONLY  687  hexagons
that's all....whew.

There are quite a few quilters stitching right along with Karen, each making their way to a beautiful flower garden.  If you have time and would like to see more...go over to the list to see every one's flowers.

Thanks for stopping by.

Marianne

irene, mom, and sunny

IRENE

 If you are a new reader you might not know that I live in a forest of very tall

Oaks, Hickory, Poplars and a few Maples. 

 When they say a hurricane is coming....

we listen and we prepare.

This set of photos shows how close the very large trees are to our house.

We did not evacuate, but we did make sure anything that could be blown around,

as in patio furniture, was brought inside.

We also made sure we had enough water, dog food and snacks for us .

Oh ...  and gas for chainsaws and the generator.  

We were lucky...only a few downed limbs and leaves scattered about.

just a day of clean up and we'll be back to normal

MOM

When I was a little girl my mom taught me how to knit and crochet.

I have no idea why, but recently I decided I needed to brush up on those skills.

I have been practicing my basic stitches.

my choice of color doesn't surprise me at all.

I love how the yarns I chose work so well with  my sofa.

Not sure if I will make anything more than scarves or afghans,

but it brings back so many memories of my mom.

 I have been carving out about a half hour a day to work on my stitches.

A half hour well spent....if you ask me.

SUNNY

Last Thursday,  I met a new friend for lunch and a bit of shopping.

Sunny is a wonderful person who shares my love of all things homespun and cozy.

She even wanted to own a B&B at one time, which was also once a dream of mine.

Sunny and I met for lunch and talked away two hours.

Then we drove to a local quilt shop

for a bit of retail bonding

I joined Sunny's Stay at Home Round Robin.

In which we are given an assignment to create a portion of a quilt each month.

I need to get moving on my center block and write a post about it.

Anyway

Sunny surprised me with a gift at lunch

This wonderful pincushion that she said she whipped up the night before.

whipped up?

look at the detail of this monogram !

Thank you so much Sunny.

I am looking forward to a  more lunches and  more shopping trips.

ONE MORE THING

I added beads to the edges of the pages of a journal I have been working on.

I thought since I am rambling on about so many

disconnected subjects I might as well include this too.

Hope your evening is a happy one.

Thanks for stopping by

xo

                                              

and we have a winner

Thanks to everyone who entered.

When I plan a giveaway I often wonder if the prize will be popular.

In this case it was not.

Only 13 of you entered this one.

And one of you entered but said you didn't want anything

....scratches head.....

I used random.org to help me choose a winner.

#6

The Crafty Elf ! 

She loves her family, crafts, and Christmas ! 

Go over to check out her blog

She has done the most wonderful blog design. It's so crisp and clean.

I can't wait til she starts to show us all of her Christmas Magic.

Thanks again for playing

Remember I am Celebrating the Seasons

from now until the end of December

with a giveaway each month.

But for now I need to sign off because we are in the

middle of hurricane season and the first big one is on her way.

 Her name is Irene....which is kind ironic for a hurricane because the name Irene means "peace"

by the way...I do not celebrate hurricane season.....just sayin.

have a wonderful weekend

stay dry and safe and warm

                                                             

sew little time

I was able to finish all 18 main blocks for the butterfly quilt.

...I really should come up with a name for this one.

any way

I also had time to add the corner triangles. 

  I always try to cut triangles larger than needed so I can trim them down to size.

 I find it to be a much more accurate way to do it.

Now I need to trim these down and move on to the alternate blocks. 

It's all going together nicely 

and it is not perfect

The more I tell myself this, the better ....right?  

I struggle with perfectionism and I think that's why so many of my projects go unfinished.

This one WILL be finished perfect or not.

The fabric and pattern are so exciting I want to work on it all the time.

But with dogs that need walking, and a house that needs cleaning,

and a garden that needs weeding (again...ugh), 

sewing all day is just not gonna happen.

But what IS gonna happen

 is the giveaway on my other blog

Just click on this photo

So get your butt over there and enter to win.

Have a great day !
Marianne

Celebrate the Seasons - give-away # 2

Remember in my last give-away post I said I would be doing a series of six give-aways this fall.

Well this is give-away #2
this one is in celebration of this wonderful time of year.

so it's time for:

 RuffHaven's

BACK to SCHOOL

give-away

 YAY !

all those little rug rats go back to school and we adults

 have time to get back to crafting....well not me.....my rug rats are all grown up.

I play and craft and get artsy all the time.

But you

....all you moms (and dads) who can't get anything done all summer

because you are tending to your families. 

 A great thing to do ...but we all know this time of year is so welcome

after a long summer of pool parties, camping, vacations, and  sibling squabbles. 

 

I see you shaking your head.

So

now that the kids are outta your hair

you have time for yourself

pick up your favorite craft, art or other pass-time and let yourself go.

What's that?

you can't find your scissors? glue? pattern? book? paper?

 Oh no ! 

 you need

supplies

Well instead of offering supplies and trying to figure out

what everyone would want this time of year

I cheated

yup

I went out and gotcha a gift card 

You know you can get so much more than just books at Amazon

and no I am not affiliated...I just like them a whole lot.

hint hint....

This would be a great opportunity to get a

few supplies for a craft you had always wanted to try

So here we go.

This giveaway is open to all bloggers who

are able to use this card

the actual card will be mailed to you

in a cute little gift card holder

not this one ...but one just like it

I don't know how Amazon works in other countries....

so if you can not use this card please do not enter.

sorry

The rules:

1.

You must have an active blog

 Leave a link or at least the name of your blog in your comment. 

if I can't find your blog,  your comment will be removed

2.

You must be able to actually use the gift card.

3.

leave a comment on this post...

telling me what you think you might buy.

for a second chance ....

mention this giveaway on your blog, and link back to this post,

then leave another comment to let me know you did.

4.

Leave your comment by Friday August 26, 2011  at   8:00pm.

comment on this post will be closed some time shortly after 8:00pm

5.

A winner will be chosen
using random number generator and announced by 9:00pm, August 26th.

6.

I will contact the winner for their address and mail the prize on Monday August 29th.

And as a

BONUS

I will include a whole box full of supplies for you.....

that's why I need to be able to find your blog

so I can send you stuff you might actually use.

And it'll be all good stuff too

just check out my other give-aways...

I don't send junk.

and if you decide to give the gift card to someone else

that's okay

You can keep the BONUS gifts for yourself 

I thought you would like that

Have a great day !

                                            

edited :  The comments are now closed.

one fabulous fabric

I almost forgot about FNSI. 

 I almost left the house without posting about the progress

I made last night on my kaleidoscope -ish quilt.  

 The reason I say kaleidoscope-ish is because in the end

this quilt will have a few more elements added to it that

will not make it a true kaleidoscope.  About a year ago I had purchased

 Marti Michell's book, Kaleidoscope ABCs ,

and set it aside for "someday".  The quilt on the cover was just to enticing to pass up.

The stack n whack technique makes this quilt all the more fun. 

 Well  "someday" camein the form of that beautiful butterfly floral.

 As soon as I boughtthe fabric I knew exactly what I would do with it. 

 Usually I will tweak a pattern to suit my taste,

but this time I am following the pattern as written.

I have enough fabric to make a second quilt if I feel the need to change it up a bit.

I didn't get as much done as I had hoped but

I was able to piece 11 of the 18 main octagons.

They aren't perfect...but they are close enough.

I had to rip a few seams and in the end I think I wasn't

 getting any closer to perfect no matter how many times I tried.

 Hopefully I will be able to make time today for sewing,
 and get started on the alternating blocks. 

 so far this blue one is my favorite

I just love how all of these came from one fabulous fabric.

The fabric is Kono Bay's " Butterfly Garden " 

Thanks for stopping by.

no running, no jumping, no stairs

Since a few of you have asked how I keep Goldie on restricted activity while she recovers. 

The answer is simple.

  

She is crate trained.  

Injury or surgery is the number one reason why dogs should be crate trained.

 Crate training is useful for more than just potty training.

I talk to so many people who say they have used a crate to housebreak but then put the crate in the attic or basement or even give it away because they think they will never need it again. 

 Not true.

You never know when you will need your crate.

 In Goldie's case she is on restricted activity until her knee heals.

She was told

 No running.

 No Jumping.

 No stairs. 

      

 When I am home I can keep her under control verbally with a "down / stay " or "settle".

 But when I am not around she goes into her crate.

Well ....I tell her to go into her crate.

 She also wears an E- Collar  ...short for Elizabethan Collar.  

The collar keeps her from licking her stitches which

could cause infection or the loss of stitches...that wouldn't be good.    

Here are a few photos from the past of some of my dogs in their crates.

 Goldie

 Summer

 Summer

 Niki

 Shadie

 Shadie

 Dutch... Dutch LOVES his crate and spends most of the day in it.

I think his crate is too small for him but when we bought him a larger one he wouldn't go in it.

So he's back to his snug crate.

He runs to his crate every time I reach for his medication.

 Goldie again ...she's so precious

 Tucker....from three years ago while he was being crate trained...he had some lungs.

Oh did he cry when first put in his crate.

But eventually he would sleep.

I hope all is well in your world.