August Happenings

 I guess it has been a quiet summer since, according to my blog, nothing has happened these last two months!  In actuality, it has been anything but quiet.  If I go to my photos, I am reminded of how busy it has actually been.  

With a garden and orchard, summers are always busy with harvesting and putting food up for the winter.  Over the years, the granddaughters have shared the duties with me.  As they have gotten older, I find they are handling the job on their own.  It is more of a social event these days and I love it.  They are thrilled to be taking jars back to their colleges and their own homes with them.  I can't help but recall when they needed stools to reach the sink.  It seems like only yesterday.  But....there are still young ones joining in with us.  

July was a busy month as well.  We took a long awaited trip to England and Scotland.  We visited with friends in England before boarding the Royal Scotsman train for an eight day trip through the Scottish Highlands.  It was an amazing trip with spectacular scenery.  

Edinburgh Castle

I'd love this greenhouse as part of my bedroom too.  

Our train host and bagpiper.

Of course, coming home means catching up and just like that the kids are heading back to school.  How can summer be over already?  

Sewing took a back seat over the summer, but I was able to complete a quilt for the newest great grandbaby.  The pattern is called Puzzle and is a current SAL hosted by Wendy Sheppard.  It's not too late to join in on the SAL.  The blocks were quick and fun.  Once I started making them, I couldn't stop.  Of course, once the blocks were made, I HAD to assemble them.  Before I knew it, I had the quilt finished.

More sewing that I accomplished was the New York Beauty SAL that Elizabeth Eastmond was hosting.  I have not finished my last block, but I did manage to finish three of the blocks before our trip.  Her designs were easy to follow and designed well.  

Our summer has been so mild, but I know the hot windy season arrives soon.  Everything is so dry around us so we do worry about our fire season ahead.  

.......and with that, summer continues to march to its close.    

New York Beauty and Elephants

Now that’s a title for you!!  Happy Friday the 13th.

I have a very talented “baby” sister.  She was an art major in college, but worked as a juvenile probation officer until she retired a couple of years ago.  She and her husband built a beautiful home and retired to Homer, Alaska.  She now enjoys her crafts in her new studio with spectacular views of the bay.  Everything she does is magical and done to perfection.  She has been working on a New York Beauty queen size quilt for her daughter and I begged her to let me share it on my blog.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.



Isn’t it stunning?  I love the greens and golds that she is using.  I am trying to convince her to start a blog to share her creations.  Don’t you think that she needs to do that?????   During the summer months she works as a landscape artist so I am sure she would have a lot to share with the blogging world.  Wouldn’t you love to see her creativity?

My herd of elephants is slowly growing here.  It has been a rather crazy week, but I did finish my first row of the Elephant Parade.  I love the splash of green that the frog brings to the piece.

I
I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s Day this weekend.  Ours will be quiet with a special dinner cooked at home.  I’m pretty sure chocolate will be included.  

Leaf's Me Happy

Many, many thanks to Madame Samm and to Cherry for organizing all of us, keeping us on schedule and creating such a fun Blog Hop.

The colors of fall "leaf" me happy so the Leafs Me Happy Blog Hop is right up my alley.  Our instructions were to make fall blocks - not necessarily to finish them up, just make them to share.  So........

I worked on adding some fall colored New York Beauty blocks.

The blue is actually purple!!

They will be added to others that I have been working on to eventually make a quilt.  These are the new ones to which I added a few of the others so you can see where I am going with this.

Our neighborhood is invaded each evening by hundreds of black crows at this time of the year.  They come for the falling acorns that are run over in the street.  The caw-caw calling of the birds is deafening for several hours each night so in honor of the crows I created this.  It is hand quilted and embroidered.

A glimpse of our street with the birds.

What would autumn be without turkeys and the wonderful smells from the kitchen?  This will be my Tom overseeing the cooking of Thanksgiving dinner. 

Lastly, I made a block that Cherry designed.  This is a great paper pieced block in candy corn orange scraps.  One block does not tell the whole story though.  As you add more blocks to this the spinning illusion comes into play.  I'm not sure how big I will eventually make it, but I love it.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit today.  As a giveaway for those who have made it down this far, I have a wonderful sponsor for my hop.  Thearica  has generously donated a  $25 gift certificate to her new shop.  By coincidence, her newly remodeled shop will also have its debut during this hop - on Oct. 3rd.   She has all sorts of terrific threads, ribbons, buttons and much, much more.

To enter to win please visit Thearica's shop and come back and tell me what you would buy if you won.  I will draw a name at the end of the hop.  Followers of my blog can have a second chance by leaving a comment that you are following. 

Don't forget to visit the other blogs participating in today's hop.   A full list for each day of the hop can be found at Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studios.

                                                  

                                                    Monday 1

 

Fuzzy Hat Quilter

The Cuddle Quilter

Quilts My Way

Country Cabin Thoughts and Crafts

Dream quilt create

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Needled Mom
Quilter in Motion

Sunshine Girl

Meadowbrook