Goodbye June

It's hard to believe that the year is now half way gone and summer is in full swing in many places.  Although our foreseeable future is still forecast to remain cool, I hope to see some summer temperatures appearing here in July.  My Temperature Quilt 2018 is looking quite boring!  Every day is the same color.  We had only two days in the entire month that went over 80* - an 84 and 85.  Our January and February both had warmer days, and more of them.

June has been my month for being the Queen Bee in our Gridster Bee.  I had requested Scrappy Heart blocks.  I am loving the secondary effect that the beautiful hearts are creating.   This is where they are right now, but I see on IG that more are arriving shortly.

Now that July is almost upon us, Leisa is our Queen Bee for that month.  Her request is for the Starry Sky Quilt blocks.  I love this pattern and have wanted to make one myself.  I think it will be gorgeous to see all of the stars together.  

We've had several birthdays this week in the family.  One of the granddaughters loves to cook so I made her a vintage apron as one of her gifts.  

The afternoons have been warm enough to enjoy a little pool time with the grandchildren.  

One of the gals in our quilt guild always shares the cutest cartoons.  This one struck my fancy and I am sure many can relate.

So Dearly QAL Part #3

Today I am a guest blogger for the So Dearly QAL hosted by Gosia who blogs at Quilts My Way.  This is a mystery quiltalong and the various colors people are using have been fascinating.  For mine I have chosen a more neutral palette with a brick colored background.

After printing the pattern off, sewing commences.

Once all of the sections have been completed, it looked like this.

A little trimming and I can see how the pieces will fit together when sewn.

Section #3 is finished.  It looks like a tree!

It can now be added to Part #1 and #2.

It's not too late to join in on the QAL.  The first three patterns are still available with new ones coming out every few weeks for free.  You can also follow on Instagram at #sodearlyqal as well as on the Facebook group of So Dearly QAL.

Be sure to check out Gosia's post for full details and chances to win prizes from her wonderful sponsors.

Welcome Summer.

While many of you are enjoying the delightful warm days of summer, we are heavy into our June Gloom days - foggy, cool mornings followed by partly sunny afternoons.  It is always a great time to escape and enjoy the warmer temperatures.  So....for the last two weeks we have been away and enjoying ourselves.

We have traveled my many modes of transportation - planes, trains and automobiles, just to start.  We flew to New York and spent time eating our way through by visiting Chinatown, Little Italy and many restaurants in between.  lol

From there we boarded the Queen Mary 2 and cruised for seven days to Southhampton, England.  It is such a great way to bridge the time change as you loose an hour each day.

We left New York Harbor on a cloudy day, but had spectacular views of the city and Lady Liberty as we set sail.

We had an amazing crossing and, again, ate our way across.  Afternoon teas with warm scones, finger sandwiches and delicate desserts is a habit that I could really get used to.

Each evening we enjoyed a cocktail in our lounge and they brought small bites to enjoy.  This was one of my favorites, a small jar with creamed potato and a bite of bacon along with a spoon filled with prosciutto wrapped melon and a rolled anchovy.  It was different each day.

Once in the UK we stayed in London and traveled around by bus, taxi, underground subway and trains.

Love the streets around London as we walked to our underground station.

We visited Cambridge and walked for miles while enjoying the sights of the city on a warm and sunny day.

We also spent time with our friends in Finchingfield.  Their village is just charming with beautiful thatched roof cottages and wonderful walking paths.

Coming home is always fabulous too.  It's great to be around family again.  There was happy mail waiting for me since June is my month for being the Queen in the Gridster Bee.  Marsha sent me these two wonderful heart blocks.

 I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with my sewing machine this weekend. I was able to start the Christmas stocking for the newest grandbaby while on board the ship and I got a good start on it.

 I had the perfect setup in our room where I could stitch and watch the ocean pass.