Accomplished

I sure can get a lot accomplished when I don't get in the car and drive somewhere.  This is day 3 of my retreat here at the villa.  Just today,  I quilted 3, bound 2, and made one quilt top. 

As planned, I made the new Meadowsweet group in the Opening Night RoseCard pattern.  This colorway is the perfect 7 for the pattern--one big floral and 6 lovely coordinates. 

We had our usual Tea Time Turkey Trot.  And the gardener has had a couple stare-downs with a doe and a buck in the veggie patch.

Today's best....working on projects at a leisurely pace on another beautiful day.

Free Range Poultry

We have to be making the California poultry advocates happy with all of our free range turkeys here.  And we're having fun just watching them hunt and peck.

I am having fun with finishing up some of the new fabrics.  The Freedom Poppy is quilted and bound.  And I assembled the top from this wonderful Hoffman fat quarter Batik bundle--Jasmine.

 The two Michael Miller groups are listed on the website.  It has been great to handle these lovely prints.  Can't wait to start on a little Meadowsweet.

Today's best....perfect weather for turkey tracking.

Freedom Poppy

Got to sew my first new quilt top out of the first new fabric.  Freedom rides again for a fun quick way to show off the new Poppy collection by Laura Gunn from Michael Miller. 

We had another cool day--so crazy after the 109 on Wednesday.  And the turkeys spent the whole day grazing in our yard.  A couple young bucks also came by for a visit. 

Today's best....Poppies in our wildlife sanctuary.

How Sweet It Is

Got in the first fabric orders in ages---Meadowsweet by Sandi Henderson for Michael Miller.  This is the gold, aqua, coral colorway.   And best of all, just in time for Leann to make a baby quilt for a friend's shower.  So Monday, some quick cuts will be bound for Austin and the Freedom pattern. 

This other group is Laura Gunn's Poppy, also Michael Miller.  I am also going to make a quick Freedom, because I just can't wait to design something new.  It's already cut--so easy to slice 8" off the bolt while I was doing the photos. 

Today's best....New Fabric!!!

The Boys of Summer

I caught these young bucks loitering around Grandma Pam's new place today. 

The girls were having a little hen party in our rose garden on Sunday.  Wil installed the little fountains just for them, or so they think.

Posh Posies

Posh Tot does it again--with those great big prints.  Dorothy did this one with this wonderful Michael Miller group. 

Fun with Batiks

Here are just some of the fun things I have been doing with the batiks these last few days.  First the quickie little Angel Face top with Anthology Fabrics.  It was very fast and looks very sweet.

And then, the second Hoffman fat quarter bundle--Rose Hips.  I divided them into 7 light, 7 dark.   I paired a light and dark each, cut them into 8" squares, the diagonally into triangles.  It made 56 triangles, of which I used 48 so far.  Now, to decide how to maybe use the triangles in the border.  There are some leftover chunks of the fabrics, as well.

Some of the darks are not very dark, and some of the lights are darkish.  But I think this simply gives a faceted and more interesting look. The colors are scrumptious regardless.

The batiks are wonderful to sew with--so crisp, and they stick together just the right amount.  I will take some photos to show the cutting method I used for the triangles that was fast and solved the problem about which is the right side of the batiks. 

After laying out the triangles on the floor, I took a picture of it.  In case I scrambled blocks in the sewing process,  I had the photo on my camera screen to double check.  And check, I did--during and after each quadrant I sewed together.

Today's best....sewing on this wonderful group of batiks.

Elderberry Top

 



Amongst other things I got the Elderberry top done today.  First I finished the blocks.  Then I sewed them into 4's.  I don't like laying out a bunch of little blocks, so I sewed them into this larger unit first.  Once in Foursies, there are only 12 units to lay out and sew together.  I was able to keep the quilt random enough for my taste using this method.  And there are a lot fewer stoops and stops and starts. 

I am trying to decide if it needs a border.  I would like it a bit bigger, but not sure if the aqua or brown would be best, if anything at all.

Now, to start the next batik--this one a little Angel Face from Anthology.

Today's best....finishing a quilt top.

California Covered

I finished my week traversing California in the Northern mountains, just outside of Lassen Park.  We were celebrating a friend's 60th at the gangs' summer cabin.  A fabulous time was had, including many shenanigans not unlike our college days together.  Is is ever hard to imagine that we met 40 years ago.  Except for the brain freezes and the creaks and groans--we don't feel 60, and rarely act it.

I have always thought this the most beautiful place in California, or certainly at the top of list, if not the top of the state.  The weather was perfect--75.  Cool by our standards, warm for those from Napa and Sonoma.  I've heard that older people are weather-obsessed, and we certainly qualify on that account.

The pictures are the creek and the view from the cabin deck.

Alas, we did have to come home and back to work.  I did get to sew a bit on the newest Hoffmans--so Side 1 is done here.

Today's best....waking to another gorgeous morning on Willow Creek...with our best friends.