Scenes of Summer

Hello everyone. How was your summer? Mine was filled with extraordinary moments shared with extraordinary friends!

Wanda Hanson of Exuberant Color surprised me with one of her signature batik colorwash quilts. Isn't it stunning? Read more about it here. 

Quilt friends stopped by with "show and tell." Here's Sheila with her Sunflowers and me with Wanda's Zig-Zag.

Jenny shared fresh-picked cherry tomatoes and basil from her garden. Jean baked a delicious peach cobbler (with real Georgia peaches) and the best blueberry pie I've ever tasted!

Local troubadour, Bill Glaysher, serenaded me one afternoon. Swoon!

Which enabling friend helped me make this online purchase? I couldn't resist a few new American Jane fabrics in summer hues.

Listening to my friend Bev read aloud was absolute bliss!

We also attended a bridal shower hosted by friends Mark and Linda. What lured us out on a 97-degree day was the promise of mango mimosas and eight different kinds of cake!

Thank you all for making it a very memorable summer!

Spring At Last

What a welcome sight! Crocuses are blanketing the landscape like a colorful patchwork quilt. From the moment they emerge, often while there's still snow on the ground, their hardy blossoms dance with abandon like they're grateful to be leaving winter behind... and aren't we all?

My friend, Debbie, shared this photo from Flowers on Fargo, a private garden in Geneva, Illinois. Each spring, it bursts into color  with crocuses, tulips, and other flowering perennials. Check out the link above!  

Perhaps it's the colors that drew me to this vintage Dutchman's Puzzle quilt. Do you suppose the maker had crocuses in mind when she pieced those purple triangles or was this just a popular color scheme in the 1940s?

All those triangles

poking through a bed of white

to dance their way across a quilt

sure look like crocuses to me!

Wishing you all a happy spring & summer!

Midwinter Blues

Hello everyone! I had another birthday recently and with it came this marvelous quilt from Barb. You might recognize the pattern as Midwinter Blues designed by Lori DeJarnatt for her 2014 Humble Quilts sew-along. 

Aren't these fabrics wonderful? I've never seen such deep, saturated blues or sharp cheddars. Double-click photos for more detail.

The patchwork points and angles make for a "lively" quilt, especially when high contrast fabrics like these are used. Barb usedgentle curves of teacup quilting balance the visual energy. 

By substituting silk thread for cotton, her machine quilting practically melts into the background leaving just a hint of texture behind.

Barb always chose this lovely patriotic print for the back--"E pluribus unum" or "Out of many, one." 

As you can see, the quilt was originally made for Barb's dear friend, Mary B. After Mary passed away, Barb thought I might enjoy having it. Thanks, Barb. You bet I will! XO

 

If you'd like to make your own Midwinter Blues quilt, instructions can be found on Lori DeJarnatt's  Humble Quilts blog: 

Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Finale.